The Sixth Battle of Iserlohn turns into a battle of attrition. Yang Wen-li feels that the Alliance forces should have retreated by this point. His concerns however are not shared by the Alliance commanders, who still adopt a wait-and-see attitude. Meanwhile, Reinhard von Müsel, frustrated at the deadlocked front lines, submits a plan about dealing a fatal blow to the Alliance forces to Gregor von Mückenberger. Mückenberger, while annoyed at Reinhard for jumping the chain of command, has to admit that the plan is good and orders Reinhard to carry out his own plan. By 10 December 794 UC, under Dwight Greenhill's meticulous organisation, the Alliance forces are in a position to withdraw with their main fleet largely intact. At this moment however, Reinhard's squadron suddenly appears in the front lines and begins harassing the Alliance forces. Infuriated at this sudden attack, the Alliance front line commanders begin leading their ships to chase Reinhard, and end up exposing their ships to the Thor Hammer. The Alliance forces thus suffer a major debacle and the Sixth Battle of Iserlohn ends with a decisive Imperial victory.

The Sixth Battle of Iserlohn begins. The Alliance forces proceeds with Willem Holland's plan of using the main fleet as a diversion to keep the attention of the Imperial forces and allow Holland's squadron to close in to Iserlohn Fortress and breach its walls with a missile bombardment. Holland's plan works initially; however, he is intercepted by Reinhard von Müsel, who has anticipated this move. Reinhard then continues to make full use of the narrow geography of the Iserlohn Corridor and wreak havoc on the Alliance main fleet with his squadron. Gregor von Mückenberger orders the remaining Imperial fleets to engage with the Alliance main fleet as well, which turns the battle into an outright mêlée as the Alliance commander Lasalle Lobos, taking the advice of Yang Wen-li, commits his reserves into the battlefield as well. Within this chaos, the Rosen Ritter succeeds in luring out Hermann von Luneberg, who makes a forced boarding attempt on the Rosen Ritter's strike ship Cheiron 3. Walter von Schönkopf engages with Luneberg on a one-on-one combat and manages to kill him. Meanwhile, while his squadron is being resupplied in Iserlohn Fortress, Reinhard, along with Siegfried Kircheis, is approached by Ulrich Kesler, who reveals to them the truth of the circumstances behind the death of Elizabeth von Luneberg's former fiancé as well as the aftermath of her realising the truth. He then offers Reinhard a book compiled by Admiral Grimmelshausen which records all of the unsavoury deeds of contemporary high nobles, and conveys to Reinhard Grimmelshausen's message that he hopes the book would be of use to him in his ascendancy. However, Reinhard, while grateful to Grimmelshausen, decides to decline his offer as he plans to bring down the high nobles fair and square without resorting to blackmail.

On 26 September 794 UC, Reinhard von Müsel and Siegfried Kircheis arrive at Iserlohn Fortress. Reinhard's squadron of over 1000 ships will be part of the forces facing the expected large-scale assault by the Free Planets Alliance on Iserlohn Fortress. In Iserlohn Fortress, Reinhard and Kircheis meet Ulrich Kesler, who is present in the fortress as an agent for Admiral Grimmelshausen. Meanwhile, preparations are also underway in the Alliance expeditionary fleet. In particular, the members of the Rosen Ritter are determined to ferret out and defeat their former regimental commander, Hermann von Luneberg. Between October and November 794 UC, the Alliance and Imperial forces engage each other in skirmishes to contest for space around the Iserlohn Corridor. Reinhard takes this opportunity to earn battlefield accolades and to perfect his fleet command skills. The considerable losses he inflicts on the Alliance forces catches their attention, who then tries to entrap and defeat his squadron based on a plan proposed by Yang Wen-li. However, the Alliance forces do not follow Yang's plan rigorously, which allows Reinhard to escape successfully, albeit after suffering from significant losses. On 1 December 794 UC, the Alliance forces finally complete their deployment outside Iserlohn Fortress, starting the Sixth Battle of Iserlohn.

Reinhard von Müsel attends a party celebrating Admiral Grimmelshausen's recent promotion. In the party, he clashes with Hermann von Luneberg and almost gets into a fistfight with him, if not for the timely intervention from Ulrich Kesler, who is appointed by Grimmelshausen to maintain the security of his residence for the party. After both Luneberg and Reinhard depart, Grimmelshausen calls for Kesler and entrusts him with a task. Siegfried Kircheis reveals to Reinhard what he found out about Elizabeth von Luneberg's former fiancé. Kaiser Friedrich IV settles on the Lohengramm countship as the one he plans to award Reinhard with. A military campaign outside the Iserlohn Corridor is announced.

Siegfried Kircheis returns to his hometown for a short trip to visit his parents, whom he has not met for eight years since joining the military. During his short trip, he reminisces about his childhood and unexpectedly meets up with an old acquaintance. A few days later, Kaiser Friedrich IV reveals that he is planning to award Reinhard von Müsel with a countship upon his twentieth birthday to Admiral Grimmelshausen, who concurs with the plan wholeheartedly. Within a day, news of the plan spread like wildfire throughout the Imperial Court and eventually reaches Reinhard's ears, who, in an uncharacteristic manner, looks forward to it enthusiastically. The reaction of the high nobles towards the Kaiser's plan is however one of outrage and hostility. Meanwhile, another rumour emerges in the Imperial Court, this time revolving around the background of Hermann von Luneberg.

Hermann von Luneberg pays a visit with his wife Elizabeth to High Admiral Ovlesser, the commander of the Imperial Panzergrenadiers, ostensibly as a formality marking his promotion to Rear Admiral but is in fact trying to lobby for support against Reinhard von Müsel from the high nobles through Ovlesser. Ovlesser, who dislikes Luneberg as much as Reinhard, rebuffs his overtures. Meanwhile, Siegfried Kircheis tells Reinhard about the results of his investigation of Luneberg's background. A few days later, they manage to meet up with Annerose von Grünewald and Reinhard reveals to Annerose about how Kircheis was not promoted. Before Annerose could do anything about that issue however, Admiral Grimmelshausen has already recommended Kircheis to be promoted. When Kircheis visits Grimmelshausen to thank him for his recommendation, he demonstrates a level of insight which runs contrary to his usual appearance as a senile old man.

The Imperial forces attacking the Alliance rear support base succeeds in breaking into the base headquarters, inflicting heavy damage to it. Reinhard von Müsel manages to capture the Alliance base commander, Sinclair Cerebrese, alive with some help from Siegfried Kircheis. They then return to where their fleet is stationed upon receiving retreat orders. Outside Van-Fleet 4-2, the battle between the Alliance and Imperial fleets rages on inconclusively and only ends near the end of April 794 UC when both sides decide to withdraw from the Van-Fleet Starzone entirely. For his efforts, Reinhard is promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral. His superior Vice Admiral Grimmelshausen and Hermann von Luneberg are also promoted by one rank. However, Kircheis is not promoted, which infuriates Reinhard.

The Imperial attack on the Alliance rear support base continues. Despite inflicting heavy losses on the Alliance forces, the Imperial forces are unable to break through the Alliance defensive line easily due to unfavourable geography. Meanwhile, the 5th Fleet finally arrives in the vicinity of Van-Fleet 4-2, only to find itself engaging with the main Imperial fleet in Van-Fleet Starzone. Soon, the remaining Alliance fleets also converge outside Van-Fleet 4-2, and the battle turns into a chaotic mêlée as both Alliance and Imperial warships try to engage each other in the limited space around Van-Fleet 4-2.

Hermann von Luneberg and Reinhard von Müsel prepare for the ground assault on the Free Planets Alliance rear support base at Van-Fleet 4-2. Reinhard, who is assigned as sub-commander for this operation, is frustrated at being under the command of Luneberg despite both of them having the same rank. He is further infuriated when he receives an offer from Luneberg to work under him in the future. Meanwhile, Walter von Schönkopf, now the interim regimental commander of the Rosen Ritter, is facing numerous disadvantages in the organisation of the Alliance defence against the incoming Imperial assault, including inferior weaponry, inadequate supplies, a substantial numerical disadvantage and a lack of coordination between the Rosen Ritter and other Alliance ground-based troops. His plan is therefore to hold the line long enough for fleet reinforcements to arrive. On 6 April 794 UC, both sides finally clash with each other.

Walter von Schönkopf, worried that his superior Otto Frank von Wahnschaffe, the regimental commander of the Rosen Ritter who is leading the Alliance reconnaissance mission, might have encountered Imperial forces, sets off with his trusted subordinates to find him. Along the way, they discover that Hermann von Luneberg, who is revealed to be the former regimental commander of the Rosen Ritter, is commanding Imperial troops on Van-Fleet 4-2. Although they manage to rendezvous with Wahnschaffe, they are soon ambushed by Luneberg's troops and are only able to retreat after suffering considerable losses, including the life of Wahnschaffe. After returning to base, Schönkopf requests command authority from the base commander so that he can organise the defence against the expected Imperial full-scale assault on the base. He also recommends the commander to call for reinforcements from the Alliance fleets in Van-Fleet Starzone, which is then picked up by the 5th Fleet. Its commander, Alexandre Bewcock, decides to provide full assistance.

The Battle of Van-Fleet Starzone continues with both sides locked in a stalemate. Gregor von Mückenberger, viewing the Grimmelshausen Fleet as a liability, has ordered it to reorganise itself at the second satellite of the fourth planet orbiting Van-Fleet, otherwise known as Van-Fleet 4-2, on 29 March 794 UC so as to keep it away from the front lines. Unbeknownst to Mückenberger however, the Alliance forces had built a rear support base on the same satellite before the battle commenced precisely because it is isolated from the front lines. When Reinhard von Müsel expresses his concerns over the possibility of an Alliance base on the satellite and proposes a reconnaissance mission to be conducted, Commodore Hermann von Luneberg, an expert in ground combat warfare, interjects, wanting to lead the mission himself. Meanwhile, the Alliance base commander dispatches the Rosen Ritter on a reconnaissance mission as well to determine the exact location of the Grimmelshausen Fleet.

On 21 March 794 UC, Imperial forces under the overall command of Gregor von Mückenberger invade the Van-Fleet Starzone and engage with Alliance forces commanded by Lasalle Lobos. The battle progresses in an inconclusive fashion, frustrating Reinhard von Müsel, who had recently been promoted as Commodore and had received command of a squadron under the Grimmelshausen Fleet, greatly as he laments the incompetence of both forces and his own relative powerlessness.

Despite admitting to Siegfried Kircheis his awareness of Christopher von Basel's role as the leader of a thyoxin trafficking organisation, Michael von Keyserling refuses to testify against him. Kircheis then visits Johanna von Basel, who reveals that she was already aware of her husband's wrongdoings and was in fact the mysterious informant who tipped the police of Kreuznach III about the imminent arrival of the leader of the thyoxin trafficking organisation. However, she does not plan to testify against him either and was actually hoping her husband to apologise to Keyserling for all his wrongdoings, which backfired when the former tried to silence the latter instead in the previous day. Feeling desperate at the lack of progress, Superintendent Hoffmann asks Kircheis to confront Christopher von Basel directly. Kircheis does so and succeeds in tricking Basel into admitting his guilt. However, before the police could arrest him, he calls his wife to burn away potentially incriminating documents who, out of her love for him, complies. While Kircheis hesitates to incapacitate her, Keyserling suddenly appears and shoots his once-beloved, ending the struggle. The next day, with the case concluded, Kircheis meets up with Reinhard von Müsel in the spaceport of Krueznach III and continues their short vacation.

Siegfried Kircheis is introduced by Michael von Keyserling to his old friend Christopher von Basel, a retired Vice Admiral. Kircheis notes that Basel continues to claim that he and his wife have only just arrived instead of the day before as revealed by Superintendent Hoffmann. Later the day while alone in a café, Kircheis finds a suspicious-looking man and begins to tail him. The man turns out to be a bait to trap Kircheis inside a flying ball court, where he faces five knife-wielding assailants. Kircheis holds off long enough before Hoffmann leads the local police to intervene. One of the assailants tries to escape and takes a civilian hostage, but is stopped by Kircheis. Hoffmann then reveals to Kircheis that Keyserling's would-be assailant used to be in a supply unit in the Keyserling Fleet and that unit was headed by the then Rear Admiral Basel. He then speculates that Basel might have planned the attack on his old friend due to a dispute over the thyoxin trafficking operation. Kircheis, wishing to learn about Keyserling's side of the story, requests Hoffmann to give him some time to investigate privately. Kircheis then confronts Keyserling, who admits of covering Basel's involvement in thyoxin trafficking for the sake of Basel's wife, Johanna von Basel, who he loved greatly.

After his meeting with Superintendent Hoffmann, Siegfried Kircheis returns to the hotel he is staying in, only to find an invitation by Michael von Keyserling to a dinner in a restaurant as a gesture of thanks for saving his life. Kircheis decides to take up the invitation. During the dinner, he learns a little about Keyserling's past and that Keyserling is planning to meet up with his old friends, whom he says will not arrive till the next day. After the dinner, Kircheis meets up with Hoffmann again, who reveals to him that Keyserling's would-be assailant used to be a subordinate of his when he was in active service. While it is highly probable that Keyserling himself would not remember a low-ranking subordinate, their links with each other are too good to be a coincidence. Following that, Kircheis returns to the hotel and retires for the day. During the same night, he is almost suffocated to death by someone who placed huge quantities of dry ice in the air-conditioning system of his room. Hoffmann, who arrives almost as quickly as Kircheis awakes, begins to suspect Keyserling for the act. Kircheis however is not really convinced. He then learns from Hoffmann that Keyserling's old friends have already arrived in Kreuznach III. However, when he meets Keyserling during breakfast in the next morning, he neither seems aware of Kircheis' near-death experience nor the fact that his old friends have already arrived.

In November 795 UC, Siegfried Kircheis arrives in the artificial resort satellite Kreuznach III for a vacation, as instructed by Reinhard von Müsel, who had to remain in the Imperial capital Odin to prepare for his receiving of the countship of Lohengramm. While he is checking in at a hotel, he saves an old man from a knife-wielding drug addict. The old man turns out to be Michael von Keyserling, a disgraced former Vice Admiral who was demoted and discharged from the military after his disastrous defeat in the Battle of Arlesheim on 792 UC. Kircheis then proceeds to the local police station, where he meets Superintendent Hoffmann, who implores him to assist the local police in a major thyoxin trafficking case which he believes is related to the seemingly random assault on Keyserling. Kircheis, having nothing constructive to do in Krueznach III, reluctantly agrees.

Reinhard von Müsel and Siegfried Kircheis revisit the location of Karl von Reifeisen's death to look for new clues. A falling bag of flour which almost crushed Reinhard gives him a brainwave and he quickly asks Kircheis to confirm something for him. Soon after that, he and Kircheis report their findings thus far to Geahard von Steger, the principal of their alma mater, and insinuate to him that the murderer is Moritz von Haase and even summoned the latter to prove his colour-blindness. However, this is just a ruse to make Steger reveal that he is the actual perpetrator. Reinhard then proceeds to reconstruct the chain of events in their presence and states that while Reifeisen's death was purely an accident, Steger, in an attempt to absolve his responsibility of negligence and to improve the position of his grandson, who is currently ranked third in his cohort, cleared the evidence of the accident to make Reifeisen's death to appear as a murder. He then murdered the second-ranking Johann Gottholp von Bertz in a way that would implicate the first-ranking Haase, whose condition he was aware of. This way, Reifeisen's death would be attributed to Haase as well. With the truth revealed, Steger makes a brief protest before being led away together with Haase by waiting military policemen and the case closes.

Reinhard von Müsel and Siegfried Kircheis attend Karl von Reifeisen's funeral. Reinhard notes that Moritz von Haase's eulogy for Reifeisen is formal, but lacking in emotion. After offering condolences to Reifeisen's family, Reinhard confides with Kircheis on his views about the Imperial populace that has been repressed for over four centuries. At night, Reinhard receives news that his father Sebastian von Müsel has passed away. The next day, he attends the funeral of his father with Kircheis and meets up with his sister Annerose von Grünewald briefly. Upon their return to their alma mater, they are informed that another murder has occurred in the school; the victim being one of the top students of the school. After viewing the murder scene, Kircheis begins to suspect that Haase is colour-blind and that he might have committed the murders to conceal evidence of his defect.

Reinhard von Müsel and Siegfried Kircheis take up lodgings in the dormitory of their alma mater for the duration of their investigation of the death of Karl von Reifeisen. During their first night, Reinhard dreams about past events of his life. The next day, Reinhard and Kircheis begin their investigation, first by examining the murder scene and then looking up on the school records of the deceased before ending with an interview with Moritz von Haase, a student sent by the school principal to assist their investigation, about the conduct and personality of the deceased for possible clues that caused his demise. Overall however, their entire day of investigation ended with no headway towards solving the case.

In April 793 UC, Reinhard von Müsel and Siegfried Kircheis, while waiting for their next assignment, visits their alma mater in Odin. They are warmly welcomed by the students there, who respect them greatly. After observing the school for a day, Reinhard and Kircheis finally receive their new assignments in the Imperial Military Police. The next day, while browsing through the archives in the Military Police headquarters, Reinhard discovers a case handled by Ulrich Kesler during his tenure as a military police and is impressed by his unorthodox method of protecting ordinary civilians from the oppression of the Military Police. However, when he finds out that Kesler's efforts were ultimately futile, he breaks out into a rant about the degenerate state of the Galactic Empire that is only cut short by new orders from the Chief of Military Police. He and Kircheis are ordered to return to their alma mater to investigate the apparent murder of Karl von Reifeisen, a student who died the night before.

Reinhard von Müsel, feigning ignorance of Captain Herder's plot to kill him, tries to convince him to attack the Free Planets Alliance base on Kapche-Lanka. Herder accepts Reinhard's suggestion, thinking it as another opportunity to kill him. As the attack plan proceeds, Herder orders Reinhard and Siegfried Kircheis on a separate assignment to isolate them. He then attempts to ambush Reinhard, but is foiled when Kircheis brings the base second in command, Commander Martel, to witness Herder's act. With his crime exposed and fearing the punishment for high treason, Herder commits suicide by leaping off a valley. Although Reinhard and Kircheis are unable to expose Sussanna von Beenemünde as the mastermind for plotting their demise, they are promoted for their contributions in the successful attack on the Alliance base and are soon transferred out of Kapche-Lanka.

Reinhard von Müsel and Siegfried Kircheis successfully ambush a Free Planets Alliance tank advance unit and secure not only fuel, but also information about an upcoming Alliance surprise attack on their base. Suspecting that their base commandant Captain Herder was responsible for their predicament, they decide to wait for any of his accomplices to appear. Eventually, Lieutenant Hugenberch finds them and after he shows hostile intent, Reinhard kills him. They then return to their base and finds the surprise attack already started. Kircheis manages to disable the attacking Alliance tanks by transmitting to them a code he wrote based on stolen data from the tanks he and Reinhard previously ambushed, enabling the Imperial forces at their base to successfully counter-attack and end the Alliance surprise attack.

As a plot to kill both of them, Reinhard von Müsel and Siegfried Kircheis are dispatched by their superior to reconnoitre deep into the planet Kapche-Lanka for Free Planets Alliance activity all by themselves. Before their departure, Reinhard and Kircheis' tank is tampered with to ensure that they will not have enough fuel to make it back to base. It is nightfall before both of them realise that act and they are forced to halt and figure a way to get back to base alive. By chance, they encounter an Alliance tank advance unit and decides to ambush it for securing fuel.

In July 791 UC, Reinhard von Müsel and Siegfried Kircheis, upon graduation from a military preparatory school, is posted to the planet Kapche-Lanka as their first assignment. Unbeknownst to them, Sussanna von Beenemünde, who harbours jealousy and hatred towards Reinhard's sister Annerose von Grünewald, is secretly plotting to kill him by bribing Reinhard's new superior, the base commandant of an Imperial base in Kapche-Lanka, to do so.