"Accidents happen. That's what everyone says. But in a quantum universe there are no such things as accidents, only possibilities and probabilities folded into existence by perception."

― J. Michael Straczynski, Before Watchmen: Nite Owl/Dr. Manhattan

"Could you please stop hitting the rewind button over and over?" Yang Wen Li said towards Schenkopp who was watching the arrest of Trunich and several key members of the Patriotic Knights Corps on the tv.

"Chairman something needs to be savored like a fine wine or a fine woman."

"I'm not Chairman anymore."

"Give me the Rosen Ritter two weeks and you'll be chairman again. Or maybe Secretary General?" Schenkopp offered.

"What is it with people born in the Empire and dictatorships?" Yang asked in exasperation.

"It's the fashion sense." Schenkopp said as he rewinds the tape again.

"Though I have to say this is the last thing I ever expected form you. I thought Iserlohn would be your finest hour, then you became Chairman and I considered that. Then the raids into the Empire outshined it and I thought this is it. But framing Trunich for treason and collaboration with the Empire and resigning so you could testify against him…..That takes the cake." Schenkopp said and Yang paused.

After the destruction of Earth Yang had a pit in his stomach, not just from the act of genocide and on humanity's ancestral birth place but of the consequences of such. Yang saw how Trunich used that to fan the flames of war which would make any attempt for a peace with the Empire impossible. Trunich started to frame them for Earth's destruction and Yang had enough.

So Yang decided to play his greatest trick, he destroyed his political enemies using a combination of popularity and falsified accusation against him. The most creative was that Trunich ordered the assassination attempt on Yang which was in fact a false flag carried out by Schenkopp to get Yang elected.

"But still you didn't have to resign."

"Colonel Schenkopp have you ever heard the phrase it's not just about winning, but also how you win?" Yang asked.

"Aye I did. Though the infantry version is 'if you're fighting fair it means that you are fighting the wrong way'."

"I thought it was throw mud in their eyes and kick them in the balls."

"And slit their throat while they sleep."

"My point is that we eliminated Trunich using nothing but fake accusation and my popularity, this would set a precedent that those that come after me could use to become dictators. I've spent my whole life defending democracy; I'm not going to be the man who signed it's death warrant tomorrow just so I can defeat Trunich today. That's why I resigned, this way anyone who wants to destroy their political enemies will have to give up power too."

"Just like the great Yang Wen Li." A new voice entered the room. It was Jessica Edwards.

"Madam Chancellor. Where are the handcuffs?" Yang asked. Part of his efforts to stop Trunich's machination was him stepping down and confessing to power trafficking with Trunich's cronies.

A part of the ploy was that Yang would resign, testify against them and then serve a few years in jail. This was also a part of Yang's reform efforts. He had to set the precedent of people in power being held accountable, this would stop any future Trunich's or worse. And to make that more credible Yang had Jessica be the 'one who blew the whole lid off' and arrest him and as succeed as temporary Chancellor until a new election could be organized.

"No handcuffs Yang."

"Jessica, I need to go to jail for the reforms to happen." Yang insisted.

"Yang do you honestly thing there is a single soul in the Alliance who would dare harm you let alone put handcuffs on the man who defeated the Empire time and time again? Especially with the coming war with Lohengram?" Jessica asked.

"It needs to happen Jessica. I've already been convicted."

"And according to the Jasper Act convicts can enlist in the Fleet for a reduced sentence." Jessica said making Yang freeze.

"As enlisted Spacemen, not officers."

"Yes, and you will serve as an enlisted Spaceman….. on the Hyperion." Jessica said and handed Yang a beret.

"This still has my old Vice Admiral's insignia on it."

"Not enough resources for a replacement." Jessica said and Yang shook his head.

"They say that you end up where you're supposed to be in life. This will be one for my future history books." Yang said as he put on his old beret and looked at Jessica in the eyes.

"I'm going to go tell the boys that the coup is off." Schenkopp said in earnest and in jest and gave them some time alone.

"Whatever happens if there is a way to make peace with the Empire then take it. Even if….even if I don't come back." Yang said.

"Do you really think it will be that bad?" Jessica asked.

"We've shammed him. We've shammed Lohengram and his warriors time and time again. And now they have a bigger force that us. They simply cannot afford to not fight us or they lose face. They will fight and fight harshly but not stupidly, they will either fight until victory or until enough of them die that they can say 'that both sides bled enough'. After that there will be peace." Yang said and at that Jessica stepped forward and kissed Yang.

Two hours latter Yang emerged from her office.

"I see that she also brought your space uniform as well." Schenkopp said.

"Whatever you think happened….it did….. I'm not in the mood to deny it." Yang said as Schenkopp refrained from making a comment as they both marched silently for the space shuttle to take them to the Hyperion.

As they there was a buzz of excitement as Yang Wen Li reported to the deck and Admiral Caserne who was nominally the 13th fleet Commander stepped out of the Admiral's chair and let Yang sit down.

"This is Hyperion, requesting permission to join up with our fleet." As Ed, Hazuki and Simon operated the comms array, the navigation and the tactical display. The where all smiling like schoolchildren, they had been with Yang when he captured Iserlohn and now he back. It felt like the return of the King from the Acient Epic the Lord of the Rings.

"Roger that Hyperion. Who are you bringing?" Read-Admiral Marino said and you could feel his smile over the imageless radio.

"Yang! We're BRINGING YANG WEN LI TO THE 13TH!" Simon shouted into the comm and the Hyperion seemed to tremble as every single crew member cheered at that.

And not just there. Every single one of the 13th fleet cheered as a single message was sent all across the galaxy.

He's back.

The Magician is back.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Odin. Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Come in. Ah Bittenfeld, how are you? I hope your wounds aren't troubling you too much." Reinhard said from sitting in his office desk.

"It was only and eye your excellency. Fortunately, the Gods where merciful enough to give me a second one." Bittenfeld said as he now sported a patch over the one he lost.

"Come see me an hour earlier for our daily training session." Oberstein said as he had taken upon himself to help Bittenfeld adjust and prepare for his future cybernetic replacement.

Reinhard could not help but smile at that as he saw how Bittenfeld nodded at Oberstein. The two seemed to have formed a friendship of sorts bonding over this. Bittenfeld and Oberstein friends, what was the universe coming too.

"We've summoned you here for a very specific reason."

"Do you wish for me to be the one to punish Fezzan for Earth?" Bittenfeld asked.

"No, this matter if more of punishing Rubinsky than the whole planet. Though I must admit the man is a character, intentionally leaking to us files that he destroyed it in hopes of us invading Fezzan so as to get the Fezzan society against us and support Rubinsky. The man has an immoral ruthlessness that I cannot help but be impressed by. No, I summoned you here for this." Reinhard handed him the document.

"An official ranking of the admiralty?"

"Yes, the Goldenbam dynasty has a system where the Kaiser was supreme and everyone had equal rank under him. This does away with that and puts everyone into a clear line of succession. I do not intend for my rule to have the same fate as the latte Kaiser and that's why you are here to sign and acknowledge this act that and it's in regards to another candidate for your potential ranking." Reinhard said and gestured to the document.

"Admiral Fahrenheit? Give him higher rank. He is a good soldier and would make a good leader. And in the current climate we must show unity between the new guard and the old one."

"And he said the same thing as you. And we can't have two Admirals at the same rank." Oberstein said.

At that Bittenfeld took out a coin and showed that it was not two sided.

"Heads it's me, tails it's him." Bittenfeld said and flipped the coin but Reinhard caught it before it fell.

"The fact that you found a solution so quickly speaks volumes of you. You shall be one rank higher than Fahrenheit. But he'll receive 500 new ships as compensation." Reinhard said.

"Not if I have anything to say about it. My family started out as pirates and merchants. If I can't swindle those ships out of him I'd shame the family name!" Bittenfeld said and left the office.

"The man was born for war. I wonder how will he cope after all this is over." Oberstein commented.

"I don't know, I honestly don't know what will happen next. How has our plan to get the Young Kaiser 'kidnapped' by the Alliance going?" Reinhard asked.

"They were turned back by the Alliance border guard for not having visas. It seems that Jessica Edwards is not dumb enough to take this obvious trap." Oberstein replied.

"Then it falls to us to think of some other cassus belli. Leave to rummage over it." Reinhard said and Oberstein left, after he did so Reinhard went to the nearest window and looked out to see storm clouds gathering.

"Even Heaven knows of what's to come…And I don't….I honestly can't think of how this ends….And that is what makes it so amazing." Reinhard said and he had never felt more alive.

The upcoming war was a conflict amongst conflicts and both sides where now in their primes. The Empire had recovered and now could muster the furry of 550.000 ships. The nobles' fortunes where a great help in rebuilding the fleet and without so many parasites it was bigger and better than before. That and combined with Fezzan's recent actions Reinhard was able to seize their Imperial assets and used them to make the Imperial Fleet mightier than it had ever been before!

But the Alliance had also grown stronger in the Yang Wen Li's Year as Chairman and now could muster 250.000 and the power of Iserlohn and the Artemis Necklaces both in their hands and in Fezzan's.

Defense vs offense.

An unstoppable force vs an unmovable object.

Who would win?

Not even Reinhard could guess.

So, he made plans. He drawn up a declaration and his will naming Kircheis his successor and officially gave him the rank of 2nd highest in the fleet pecking order. For Reinhard truly did not know if he'd survive this war and if he did not he knew that Kircheis would be a good Kaiser, and more importantly take care of his sister.

Now, now the table was set, the pieces in place.

"Let the game begin." Reinhard said as lighting flashed outside.

"Ragnarök is nye!" Reinhard smiles as the final battle was about to begin.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 13th Fleet Flagship xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Extended border guard patrol enlisting…Since it's voluntary that means that people won't riot or try to desert in great numbers. And since we invaded the Empire a few months ago plenty of people will be afraid of it happening again….very clever." Yang said as he read the latest news from the Empire.

"And thanks to Van Heugh's piracy when we withdrew there will be plenty to sign up. Some planets where stripped bare of everything by his fleet. Tell someone to sign up to go to foreign lands to fight and die is a hard sell. Tell him so sign up for a militia to defend his home from being robbed and burned down after he saw that happen to his neighbor is a winning sales pitch. Not to mention that many believe that crazy conspiracy theory that we blew up Earth during the fight against the Black Lancers. Why do so many believe that?" Dusty asked Yang as the two friends were having dinner.

"There where leaked documents that implied Rubinsky did that and Rubinsky is from Fezzan and recently the Alliance and Fezzan have been getting chummy with Iserlohn and the Artemis Necklace purchase…He used it…..all my efforts to strengthen the Alliance and weaken the Empire….Lohengram used them against us to get the Imperial citizens to support a war against us…..he's good….." Yang said in lament.

"And you are the man who bested him time and time again!" Dusty said to him.

"Guess I'd better get started on that." Yang said and moved to his liquor cabinet, emptied it into a box and walked with it to Poplin and gave it to him.

"Happy birthday Admiral."

"It's not my birthday."

"That's good enough reason to drink!" Poplin said and shared the booze with his fellow pilots as Yang returned to his quarters as Lieutenant Greenhill entered.

"Please make sure I stay sober during all of this lieutenant." Yang said to the younger woman.

"Of course, sir. By the way, with current events being as they are there has been a full mobilization order. Including all reservists…..and even Academy students." Jessica said to him.

"Make sure Iulian and his squadron are assigned to our fleet. If I can't stop that boy from being a soldier I'll get Poplin and his aces to guard him out there." Yang replied as he looked at the map of the galaxy as the Alliance forces and the Empire where all marching to Iserlohn and Fezzan.

Both sides. Every ship, every trooper.

"I suppose it's time to make history." Yang said as he started to do what he, much to his regret, did best.

And that was to come up with plans to defeat Reinhard von Lohengram.

Yang Wen Li just got serious.