Blogging Legend of the Galactic Heroes Episode 45

The way I see it Hosinger is continuing the series' fine tradition of combining strategy meetings with heavy consumption of alcohol.

The 45th episode of Legend of the Galactic Heroes focuses largely on the reaction to the news from Phezzan on Heinessen, and what the Alliance government plans to do about it. While there is disappointment at the public statements coming from the government, behind-the-scenes, the government and military seem to finally getting their acts together.

The episode begins with Reinhard gazing at the night sky from a suite on Phezzan. He has never seen many of the stars, yet he only sees them as objects to be conquered in the future. Seconds later, the new year begins and the assembled Imperial officers toast to the new year. Another officer, Turneisen calls for a toast to the final year of the Alliance and Reinhard raises his glass to that.

Mittermeyer and Müller are observing this interaction, and the former notes that Müller apart the younger officers like Turneisen have a tendency to show off. Müller puts that down to the widespread view that the war is coming to an end. Mittermeyer moves the conversation onto the upcoming invasion, and he believes the Allied force will be led by Bucock a man he says has more experience than the two of them plus Reuenthal and Bittenfeld combined.

Reinhard interrupts their conversation and begins to ask Mittermeyer about his tactics for the invasion since the Allied forces will in all likelihood act like a cornered rat. Mittermeyer says that if the Allied force were large enough, they could meet them at the exit from the Phezzan Corridor. However, he doesn’t think this will be the case and instead the Alliance will try to draw them deep into their territory and stress the Imperial supply lines in a move similar to Amlitzer 3 years earlier. Mittermeyer does see opportunity to win when the Alliance does make their move though by splitting their forces. Müller agrees and thinks that if the Alliance cannot resist the urge to fight, they can turn the situation into a war of attrition they will almost certainly come out on top. Reinhard comments that would be a rather boring conclusion and hopes the Alliance can maintain some order.

Hilde is also in attendance at the party, and Turneisen says to her that future historians will envy the position she is in. Hilde thinks that Turneisen was in Reinhard’s class when the two were younger, but thinks that he may be too obsessed with Reinhard. As the clock turns to 2:00, Mittermeyer tells Reinhard that his men are about to depart, and Reinhard says they will meet again on Heinessen if all works out to plan.

Turneisen talks to another officer Sombart about positions under Reinhard. Since Mittermeyer and Reuenthal are each commanding the two combat theaters, their influence will only continue to grow. Turneisen understands that it is because they have a history of success that they get more opportunities. Sombart says that under the old system success did not guarantee advancement, so this is an improvement. Turneisen says that even two years ago, Mittermeyer wouldn’t have been a force in the military because of his background. Sombart then refers to Müller, who at 29 has not had the level of success, and the only way he could have advanced must have been in the confusion of war. The two then agree that since the war is coming to an end that there are almost no more opportunities for advancement.

As the party appears to be dying down, Reinhard has a seat and begins to nod off thinking about Kircheis. He is awoken by Hilde, and he confides a feeling of uncertainty about the times. He has no doubt that he will win the war, but he doesn’t know what will happen after that. He can’t think of a world where he does not have an enemy to fight. He quickly regains his composure and says the war hasn’t been decided yet, as he sees Mittermeyer’s fleet launching from the window. He then thinks about all of the soldiers who have won battles but have been ignored by history because they lost their final one. He says that he cannot be one of them and hasn’t been able to live his own life for some time.

On Heinessen, the High Council received word that Phezzan had been conquered and they set out an agenda to make sure it was not reported on. Unfortunately for them, word spread quickly through merchants fleeing Phezzan. Outside the High Council building, a group of journalists has assembled because the public has been left in the dark about the Alliance’s response. The Press Secretary arrives and reads out a short statement that the High Council has responsibility for this event. Needless to say, that does nothing to calm the crowd down.

I have to give the High Council credit for bringing a guy out there to read that statement. They could have just sent out a short press release after all.

In a press truck outside, a monitor shows William Odets’ outrage at the fact that the people seem to not be cooperating with the government. One of the men journalists comes in and tells the other man in the truck that Truniht was not in attendance at the High Council meeting. Truniht is nothing more than a demagogue politician it seems, but the Council now seems to be run by Secretary of Defense Islands. One of them wonders what the second string politician can do apart from getting rebates on military equipment.

At the High Council meeting, Islands is trying to get a consensus on whether they fight to the death or not. He asks if anyone is for immediate surrender, and none of the ministers are. Then he asks if they fight until every citizen is dead or if they should fight to gain a better position in negotiations over a peace treaty. Again, there seems to be little response from the other ministers.

At military HQ, Islands arrives and asks Bucock for military cooperation to fight for better positioning on a peace treaty. Bucock gladly agrees on those terms. As Islands leaves, he says he finally has clarity on what he is supposed to be doing, but he says it is probably much too late. Bucock comments that it is good to finally have a Defense Minister who is motivated to work. The situation has progressed to the point where he adjutant wishes the coup would have succeeded because the defense would have been much stronger. Bucock strongly objects and says it would not have been worth it to turn the Alliance into a dictatorship to compete with the Empire’s dictatorship. He says it is much better to allow the Alliance to die as a democracy than to live on as a dictatorship. He then also says that a nation that cannot protect its people or its founding principles has no reason to exist, and Bucock says his job is to do both. Bucock then gets up to leave to go see Dawson, the head of the Military Council, because Bucock cannot be trusted to make decisions on his own.

At the Alliance’s Strategic Planning Centre, Bucock dictates to Dawson what his plans are for what is left of the Alliances forces. All that remains is the 1st Fleet, now commanded by Paeta, apart from Yang’s forces at Iserlohn. They decide to create a 14th and 15th fleet out of 20,000 ships from around the Alliance to be led by Lionel Mouton and Ralph Carlsen.

At the Legitimate Imperial Government headquarters, a debate has turned personal. Carnap says that protecting the Kaiser is now much harder without Phezzan to help them, while a drunk Hosinger says everyone is more concerned about their own safety because they opposed Reinhard. Remscheid is not happy at the outburst and says Hosinger is embarrassing his name with what he is saying, but Hosinger responds by saying he doesn’t have a name to embarrass in the first place, so he can say what everyone else cannot. So he proposes giving up the Kaiser to Reinhard. The statement shocks everyone else, especially Radbruch who questions Hosinger’s pride as a nobleman and calls him a disgrace.

Merkatz’s participation in this shambles and being part of the Lippstadts has me thinking that he could just be the least ambitious commander in the series. I know he understands his situation, but it just seems like he would rather be carried along by history than to try to shape it.

Outside the meeting, Lansburg and Schumacher asks Schneider where Merkatz is. They are disappointed to hear he is in the meeting and the two say they will return later. Lansburg vows that he will sacrifice his life for the Kaiser, and leaves a message to Merkatz asking if there is anything he can do. Schumacher asks Schneider for information on Phezzan as he is worried about what will happen to the rest of the men he left behind there since they were part of the Lippstadt Alliance.

Back at the Strategic Planning Centre, Bucock receives word of Ozman suffering an aneurysm. Mouton says it must be because he was overworked. Bucock then calls for a man who served under Ozman, Trung Yu-Chang, known for being a second generation baker.

Trung arrives a little late carrying a bag of sandwiches made with day-old bread. He comments that steaming the bread taste OK if it is a little stale, which has Carlsen shaking his head. Bucock starts the meeting by telling them they have already decided what to do for the most part. They will draw the invasion fleet in and attack from behind once their supply lines are stretched, which will damage them to the point where they are forced to withdraw. Trung then asks if they could just recall Yang back from Iserlohn since his knowledge and fleet are important to the Alliance and the current situation is one he likens to putting fresh bread in the refrigerator. The rest of the men are shocked by the idea, but Trung continues. He says that since the enemy is coming from Phezzan, Iserlohn is basically worthless. Paeta says that Yang is still fighting the enemy at Iserlohn, so recalling him isn’t so easy, but Trung says Yang will manage it somehow. The situation may even turn to one where the Alliance is destroyed but Iserlohn survives, and even if they do get a peace treaty, the Empire will demand Iserlohn back as part of the terms. The Alliance doesn’t have the resources to waste Yang protecting Iserlohn. Bucock asks Trung if they should tell Yang to abandon Iserlohn then. Trung says they do not have to be so specific, and that they should just tell him the General Staff Office will take responsibility so he should do what he thinks is best. Trung thinks Yang will abandon Iserlohn in response.

Trung immediately struck me as a character in the Yang mold. He is more knowledgeable about something other than military affairs, baking in this case instead of history, yet he has the ability to change the minds of higher-ups with his logic. If he starts making cynical jokes at bad times then it will be even more obvious.

At Phezzan’s embassy on Heinessen, Pletweri is busy taking stock certificates and shredding documents deep into the night. He is interrupted by Boris Konev who is uncertain as to whether he has a job in the aftermath of Phezzan’s conquest. He cannot leave himself to abandon a sinking ship as a sailor. He says that he has been unable to get information from Phezzan and asks Pletweri to use his military connections to get some news. Pletweri says his hands are too full to deal with Konev’s optimistic request, and he asks for some help gathering papers to flee. Konev then wonders how things are going for his old ship, then he says the only way he can get back to Phezzan is for the Alliance to lose. Then he says he hopes Yang doesn’t do anything stupid.

There seems to be a bit of a disconnect in optimism between Boris Konev and Pletweri. Konev is questioned about being optimistic enough to think everything will be fine on Phezzan, yet Pletweri seems to be optimistic enough to think he can make a bunch of money off of those stock certificates after everything dies down.

At Iserlohn, Frederica informs Yang of the order he has received from Heinessen. He reads over Bucock’s instructions and expresses relief that he has a commander who is reasonable. He reads off the order to Frederica and she says that it must mean that he has free rein to do whatever he has to do. Yang jokes back that it must mean Bucock is making him work harder than his salary justifies.

Back at the military headquarters, Bucock receives word that he has been promoted, and asks if it is their way of saying not to come back alive. His conversation is interrupted by the news that the adjutant Captain Fyhen has died of a heart attack. Bucock goes ahead and names the man who informed him of the death, Soun Soulzzcuaritter, as the new adjutant.

At the Legitimate Imperial Government headquarters, Remscheid walks in on Merkatz sitting alone. He asks what happened to the other ministers, and Merkatz simply shakes his head.

The episode ends with the three Allied fleets departing from Heinessen and Bucock’s arrival on the Rio Grande flagship, while Mittermeyer’s fleet breaks through the Phezzan Corridor and meets no opposition.

Thoughts: My question from last week about Reinhard not knowing what to do after the war remains unresolved, but here he seemed to acknowledge it was a problem…With Yang now being free to do whatever he wants, does that mean he is going to manage to save the day for everyone. Also, how exactly is he going to manage to get away from Reuenthal. It isn’t as though he is going to just let him waltz back into Allied space unopposed.