Aro’nh’s career had been a model of traditional service in the Solar Navy. Adar Kori’nh no longer considered that good enough. The old Tal waited in silence, but indignation was clear on his stony face. The maniple subcommanders of the opposing teams waited in outer chambers. Kori’nh looked at the two Tals standing before him and let the silence hang for a moment, his face reflecting disappointment in both of them. “Well, gentlemen? Your assessment of the exercise?” he finally said.

Tal Lorie’nh, as usual, waited for someone else to speak. Aro’nh, however, lifted his chin and sniffed. “Adar, I must object to the tactics used by red team. No military guidebook of the Solar Navy recommends such procedures. Nowhere in the Saga of Seven Suns is there any mention of a commander who used such tactics. Never before! I find Tal Lorie’nh’s blatant embrace of… of chaos to be beneath contempt. We are cohort commanders in the Ildiran Solar Navy. Our soldiers are not disordered herd animals to be provoked into a stampede.”

Making no comment, Kori’nh let the man’s complaints run out of steam, before he said in a quiet but devastating voice, “And yet red team managed to defeat you.”

“An invalid victory, Adar—”

Kori’nh slammed a fist on the table and stood up, his eyes blazing. “There are no invalid victories!” His tone of voice shocked both Tals. “Why do you insist that the Solar Navy use old, predictable techniques for all circumstances? What if we encounter an enemy that has no comprehension of our rules, and even less respect for them? What then?”

“This is not our way, Adar.” Aro’nh glowered. “Ildirans have a tradition of honor. If you allow this uncivilized madness to continue, you invite the downfall of all that has made the Solar Navy proud and invincible.”

Angered at his inability to penetrate this old commander’s petrified imagination, Kori’nh said, “The Ildiran Empire will not remain invincible if we insist on being inflexible. Enemies exist, though we have been blind to them before.”

He looked at the conservative Tal and felt a stirring of pity. Aro’nh had never dreamed he would be called upon to do anything that required innovation. He was proud. He had followed all the rules and did not know what to do without the safety net of routine and tradition to catch him.

“Tal Lorie’nh”—he turned to the other commander—“explain to me what prompted you to devise such an unusual tactic.”

“You provided red team with a clear objective, Adar,” said the other cohort commander. “We simply calculated the most likely manner to achieve the goal. Since this was not a public exhibition and no other Ildirans were observing our methods, I determined that we were meant to capture the asteroid… not put on a show.”

Aro’nh scowled. “Blue team was not ‘putting on a show—’ ”