Reinhard, under his Golden Lion banner, is setting out to bend history and the universe to his will. Meanwhile, with no flag of their own to raise, Yang and his compatriots have escaped the murderous hands of the Free Planets Alliance's government and dubbed themselves the “Irregulars.” Yang
The irregulars of the Iserlohn Republic, still loyal to the ideals of their former leader Yang Wen-li, rally around Yang’s successor Julian as he strives to live up to his inherited responsibilities. Meanwhile, in the empire, Kaiser Reinhard survives an attempt on his life only to be confronted
Remnants of the high nobility, manipulated by the “third power” of Phezzan, abduct the seven-year-old emperor and, with the cooperation of the Free Planets Alliance, declare the establishment of a traditional imperial government. Reinhard, however, has turned the tables by making a secret pact with