Note: This post contains spoilers for episodes 5-7 of the series.
The former Duke of Castrop enriched himself off of the Empire’s coin, and now his son Maximilian has continued the family tradition. The Imperial leadership has finally had enough, and so they give Marshal Reinhard the task of quelling this rebellion. Reinhard sends Kircheis with a small fleet of 2,000 ships, which raises some chatter among the hierarchy; not only is this a smaller fleet than was recently annihilated by Castrop’s “Artemis Necklace” (a ring of several deadly weapons orbiting the planet), it also seems to be an action meant to position Kircheis for a major promotion. Fezzan, as usual, is playing both sides; their sale of the weaponry to Castrop is meant to maintain a balance, and therefore continue the war indefinitely.