One Way Out

The Galactic Empire, led by Reinhard von Müsel, defeats the Free Planets Alliance in the Fourth Battle of Tiamat. Reinhard returns to the Imperial capital, Odin, where he is celebrated as a hero and rewarded with a promotion to High Admiral and the title of Count von Lohengramm. Meanwhile, Yang Wen-li quietly arrives back in the Alliance capital, Heinessen, reuniting with his closest friends. Both Reinhard and Yang hope for a brief respite from war. But Duke Otho von Braunschweig, plotting behind the scenes, persuades the Imperial High Command to send Reinhard on a new invasion of the Alliance with a fleet of twenty thousand ships. The Duke leaks the plan to the Alliance, prompting them to deploy forty thousand ships to intercept Reinhard-a deliberate echo of the historic Battle of Dagon. Though outnumbered two to one, Reinhard has a clever strategy. Yang quickly realizes the trap, but will his superiors listen to his warnings before disaster strikes?