Editing Tytania:Volume 3 Chapter 1 (section)

=== III ===
On the 10<sup>th</sup> of January, from 00:00, the surface of planet Bargash was subjected to fierce bombardment by the Tytania forces for a duration of four hours. Targets were carefully selected, ensuring that civilian facilities, residences, and infrastructure were excluded. The Tytania forces could not afford to incite hostility among the citizens of Bargash, nor could they allow production facilities to be destroyed, for they intended to collect enormous reparations.

For Tytania, war was a political act as much as it was an economic one. The military facilities of the enemy camp were literally annihilated, allowing the group of companies under Tytania’s umbrella to monopolise the reconstruction of the facilities and the supply of military goods after the fact. There had been similar examples among the great powers of the past, but Tytania linked the destruction caused by war with post-war reconstruction into a single system, ensuring that they secured interests throughout every stage and outcome of the process. In this regard, even if Tytania claimed it was a “just war”, it was by no means a falsehood. This was because, for Tytania, the pursuit of profit was justice itself.

The attack targets—eight military spaceports, anti-aircraft fire control centres, military satellite remote control centres, four military spacecraft construction factories, and sixty other locations in total—were completely destroyed, in the most literal sense of the word. After launching three thousand Uranium-238 missiles, and while flames and black smoke still smouldered, the Tytania forces carried out their landing, eventually forcing the Bargash government to capitulate. On the surface, it was a total victory.

However, it soon became known that it was a lie. Bargash’s space forces were nowhere to be found on the surface; only the facilities had been destroyed, and furthermore, Fan Hyulick and his faction were nowhere to be seen. To their conquerors, the Bargash government gave a shameless explanation: that Fan Hyulick and his men had seized the Bargash fleet and fled, and they denied having anything to do with them.

“How cunning…” muttered Ariabert under his breath.

At the same moment, a sense of unease, which could only be described as strange, stirred in a corner of his usually stable mind. He wondered whose plan the Bargash government’s stratagem, which was undoubtedly cunning, had followed. The first names to come to mind were those of Fan Hyulick or the high command of the Blaze Flag Army.

Leading the ground forces and accompanied by Count Elman, Ariabert entered the Bargash Central Administration and presented his demands to Corvin, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the representative for the negotiations.

“In that case, I shall request that you disclose the whereabouts of Fan Hyulick and the Blaze Flag Army.”

“To be honest, therein lies the problem…”

The attitude of Corvin, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, was one of deep subservience. Just as when he had visited Uraniborg the other day as an envoy for peace negotiations, his mannerism was one of servility and incompetence wrapped in a bureaucratic shell. But although it appeared he might die of shame from a single reprimand from Tytania, Count Elman sensed an unexpected tenacity in him.

The negotiations continued for over an hour without a single concrete concession being made. They did nothing but politely repeat apologies and excuses, which, when their claims were distilled, amounted to nothing more than, “We know nothing of it, we are victims ourselves.” Had it been the late Duke Zarlisch Tytania, he would have slammed his fist onto the desk and erupted in fury, but such a thing was impossible for Ariabert. Concealing his contempt and anger beneath a veil of etiquette, he declared the futility of the negotiations and confirmed one matter before rising from his seat.

“If they are apprehended, they shall be dealt with severely under the laws of the Vardana Empire. I trust your government has no objections to this?”

“Of course not. Their foolishness also tarnishes the dignity of Bargash. While it is painful to endure, there is no better way to express that we have no choice if we are to maintain peace and order throughout the entire universe. This matter deeply shames us…”

The response from the Bargash government was the very pinnacle of both courtesy and vacuity. The faces of Corvin and the rest of the delegation were marked with countless signs of insincerity, and the young staff officers, led by Rear-Admiral Paulsen, were forced to exert considerable effort to restrain their desire for violent retaliation. They pleaded incessantly with their commander-in-chief, Lord Ariabert, for punishment against the Bargash government’s duplicity, but Ariabert did not respond.

Though gripped by bitter resentment, Ariabert was a man far removed from outbursts or explosions of temper. He sought to uphold diplomatic etiquette toward the Bargash government to the greatest extent possible. However, what made him a Tytanian was his understanding that the “greatest extent” and the “infinite” were not synonymous, and his awareness that even should he erupt, it must be done with careful consideration of timing and effect.

“If that is what they wish, then so be it. We shall proceed in the Tytanian manner,” murmured Ariabert to himself.



It was on the 1<sup>st</sup> of January that Clanner Ajman received the report from Ariabert at Uraniborg, the seat of the Tytania Clan. The Clanner was at a breakfast gathering, accompanied by two dukes, Lord Jouslain and Lord Idris.

The silk tablecloth, the finest porcelain and silverware, the eggs, bread, butter, and bacon—every item had been selected with an almost obsessive consideration for both flavour and nutrition. It should have been an ideal breakfast, yet Duke Jouslain Tytania found his appetite entirely uninspired. The most essential seasoning—a sense of camaraderie and light-hearted conversation—was sorely lacking from this elegant table. The Clanner brought up the report from Bargash that had arrived that morning.

“Lord Ariabert is an orthodox military strategist and a man of sincere character. The Bargash government would likely deem it foolish to engage him in a head-on battle.”

“It is an unusual stratagem rather than an ingenious one. That is precisely why Lord Ariabert was caught off guard. I believe he had no other choice.”

If Idris’ remarks sounded tolerant, it was only because they were filtered through a sense of superiority. He was the Minister of Military Affairs of the Vardana Empire at a young age, and with Zarlisch now deceased, he stood in a position to share leadership of Tytania’s military operations with Ariabert. While Ariabert’s failure or stagnation did not directly grant Idris an advantage, they did serve as a source of minimal psychological amusement.

Perhaps it would have been better if he had accompanied Ariabert on the expedition to Bargash. Jouslain felt a slight sense of anxiety and regret. Since he was of equal rank to Ariabert, he had feared being in a position to unduly influence his cousin’s military authority; yet, perhaps it would have been better if he had handled the Bargash government himself, allowing Ariabert to focus solely on military matters.

“If things were to proceed as bloodlessly as this, I might as well have taken command… though, in that case, the Bargash army would likely have simply challenged us to a head-on naval battle.”

For the past several years, Jouslain had lacked experience in commanding large armies in decisive, direct confrontations with the enemy. The division of labour “Lord Ariabert for military matters, Lord Jouslain for politics” had been a natural arrangement for them. Rather, men like Idris possessed practical experience in both spheres. While the division of roles between Ariabert and Jouslain appeared to have been rewarded by a solid track record of success so far, it remained a seed of anxiety that felt almost like a needless worry.

When Tytania’s vast and complex networks split into civil and military factions, might the two men not be propelled by their respective parties into a confrontation? Such whispers existed both within and without Uraniborg, and even with all the power of Tytania, it was impossible to eradicate such microscopic rumours.

Idris cast a venomous glance towards Jouslain while feigning complete indifference. Jouslain, for his part, had to pretend to have ignored it. He turned his gaze toward the Clanner and made his proposal.

“Your Clanner Highness, if you would grant me permission, I, Jouslain, shall travel to Bargash to assist Lord Ariabert.”

“Hmm. I wonder if Lord Ariabert might feel his authority is being encroached upon.”

“I have no concerns regarding that matter.”

''Ariabert isn’t Idris.'' Jouslain wisely refrained from voicing this thought aloud. Idris increased the amount of venom contained within his gaze. Clanner Ajman casually picked up his coffee cup, the colour of the liquid, blacker than the abyss of night, reflected in his eyes.

“I wonder what Lord Ariabert’s aides might think. Would they not feel that their superior’s competence is being questioned? It would not be fitting for a man like you, Lord Jouslain, to fail to consider such a point.”

There was a note of cold mockery in the Clanner’s voice. Idris’ lips curled into a biting crescent, but he was wise enough to hold his tongue. It seemed that, quite unintentionally, Jouslain had contributed to his cousin’s enjoyment of the morning.

“I was thoughtless. Please forgive my lack of maturity.”

“No need to apologise. Besides, Lord Jouslain, the fact that you failed to consider this is surely because you truly empathise with Lord Ariabert’s position. Political considerations are always impure.”

The aroma of coffee rose from the cup held by the Clanner. And from Idris’ cup as well. Although they could not have been in accord, the reason it felt as though they shared the same miasma lay in Jouslain’s own psyche. This morning’s coffee tasted bitter across his entire nervous system.

Was it really so unpleasant to have been slighted by the Clanner, even if only temporarily? Was he satisfied merely by being held in high regard by the Clanner? In the end, was his way of life really any different from that of a low-ranking official, who spent his time gauging his superior’s mood and oscillating between joy and despair at every change in expression? Jouslain’s introspection led directly to a mild sense of self-loathing. This could not be described as a healthy state of mind for him.