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Captain. My loyalover-lieutenants rallied to my cause, the people’s cause, and brought their troops with them. More soldiers confined themselves voluntarily to barracks, under orders from the more cautious of commanders. Tyrian’s personal troop, and Gauster’s, assembled and took control of, in the west, the government buildings and surrounding houses, and in the east the technical installations. I made my base in the southern barracks, and posted my troops in the central park. It was my most earnest wish not to involve civilian habitations in battle but Tyrian was attempting to force my hand. If I tried to take on both forces, my own army would be fighting a war on two fronts, yet if I concentrated on only one, the other could pass easily across the parkland and catch me in a vice. Heavier ordnance was available to us, in bartels in storage, but there was a clear and unavoidable danger in deploying them that the very fabric of the ship would be damaged. Fortunately, I had control of the storage, and sewage/recycling tanks, so I could prevent this eventuality. It also gave me military leverage: with food stores in my control there was always the option to starve Tyrian.
    In the end, Tyrian’s own strategic positioning was his undoing because he had sealed himself away from the people. True, he held the Parliament building, but no citizen would approach, knowing it was held by hostile troops. I was able to move amongst our people, to reassure them, and to gain the confidence and trust that has carried me through the high duties of leadership ever since. I was also able to post men in civilian housing throughout the north and north-east, for the people’s protection and reassurance. Of course, this also gave a base from which to strike down into the technical centres in the east. So, I planned my attack carefully, to minimise damage to the territories of Senaar , and extinguished the sun one day at noon. In the darkness my men broke through the walls and into the airlock hangers in the east; the fighting was fierce here, but expert command on the ground won the day. The bulk of my troops then stormed the east and claimed a swift victory. But my real genius lay in the west, where I organised a mass civilian rally outside government buildings. Tyrian could not counter-attack without first breaking through thisunarmed crowd, killing many. He was too weak-willed to take such an action, and by the time the sun was re-ignited I controlled everything but the western buildings. From that moment on there was no doubt as to who would emerge victorious. The remaining over-lieutenants emerged from their barracks and swore their loyalty to me. Two days later, Tyrian resigned. I was ready to put him on trial before the people, and possibly incarcerate him for the remainder of the voyage, but he took his own life with a needlegun.
    Naturally, I needed to punish some officers, but for the men: well, men are men, they follow orders. I stripped all rankers of insignia, but allowed them to re-enlist, swear loyalty to me and go about their business. Business which was, in the first instance, clearing up the damage for which they had been largely responsible.
    And so it was that Tyrian lasted only a little under three months; the tasks of command during so elongated a voyage were too great.
    It may seem strange to you that I arranged to have all the bodies of those soldiers who had fought against me buried with full military honours. They were my enemies, I suppose, but my concern was always for the good of the people of Senaar . These soldiers had only been following the orders of their superior officers, and as such they had done their duty. What more can be asked of any person in our community, even of me? So the bodies were cocooned in military tape, their families awarded the proper military pension of monies and votes, and there was a day of official mourning declared. The bodies were released into space.
    I am not ashamed to say I