Legend of the Galactic Heroes Gaiden

In the 150-year old war of the Free Planets Alliance and the Galactic Empire, commanders Yang Wen-li and Reinhard Lohengramm distinguish themselves in their first meeting.

As undefeated Reinhard presses the offensive in the Astarte system, it falls to Yang to salvage the situation and avoid total defeat for his fleet and the Alliance as a whole.

In the aftermath of Astarte, Yang is promoted while his friend Jessica, an aggrieved war widow, publicly denounces the Alliance leadership at a propagandized memorial service.

Reinhard returns with his close friend and adjutant, Kircheis, to the Imperial Capital to accept promotions for their service at Astarte, and to visit his sister Annerose.

Reinhard deploys Kircheis to quell an uprising of decadent nobles. His punitive force must contend with not only an invincible defense grid, but also dissent within the ranks.

Meanwhile, Yang has been tasked with the impossible: capture the impregnable Iserlohn Fortress. For this task, he seeks to add a most unconventional force to his 13th Fleet.

Yang sets his ragtag fleet against the insurmountable fortress. To succeed, he must exploit unconventional tactics and the internal bickering of the Imperial garrison.

Yang captures a fortress that had not fallen to six previous atempts. As the Empire evaluates this stunning loss, Reinhard gains a new and formidable ally, Oberstein.

Reinhard is reminded again firsthand of his true enemy: the treachery and corruption rampant within the Empire's Goldenbaum Dynasty.

Yang reunites with his friend Jessica, now the outspoken leader of anti-war activists. Their reunion is bittersweet, as he is now the hero of the military she so despises.

Goldenbaum treachery strikes at Reinhard closer than ever, this time targeting his dear Annerose. The aftermath of this latest plot only further cements Reinhard's will.

With the back of the Imperial advance broken at Iserlohn, Trunicht and the hawks in the Alliance toss aside the notion of a peace treaty, and order an invasion of the Empire.

In the face of the massive Alliance invasion, Reinhard counters with scorched earth tactics, withdrawing from the frontier systems without engaging the Alliance fleet.

As the liberated frontier worlds chafe against their saviors, Yang detects Reinhard's dual strategies to draw out the Alliance supply lines and turn the populace against them.

With the supply lines in shambles, the Alliance is in no condition to weather Reinhard's sudden offensive. Yang must muster the remnants in a desperate defense at Amritsar.

As the devastated Alliance fleet limps back to Iserlohn, sweeping changes rock both nations. In the scramble to fill the political void, new factions arise.

Kircheis meets Yang face to face on Iserlohn to instigate an exchange of POWs in an offer of amnesty, but Reinhard has other plans in motion. New players continue to scheme…

Disaffected nobles push for supremacy, plunging the Empire into civil war. Goldenbaum loyalist Braunschweig gathers like-minded nobles into the Lippstadt Coaltion.

As Reinhard moves to quash the Coalition rebels holed up in Geiersburg, a coup d'etat erupts in the Alliance capital. Yang must now abandon Iserlohn to recapture the capital.

Reinhard's push to fortress Geiersberg must first fight through stiff opposition. The Coalition ploy to take the weakly defended capital is met by Mittermeier, the Sturm Wolf.

Yang must turn his guns on former allies at Doria. Jessica, meanwhile, leads a Citizens' Rally to oppose the coup on Heinessen as the Yang Fleet closes in.

Demoralized after the losses at Rentenberg and elsewhere, the Coalition shows signs of fracturing. Littenheim, second in command, rides out unbidden to engage Kircheis.

Desperate after mounting losses, Braunschweig orders the unthinkable on Westerland, his own territory. As Reinhard races to stop it, Oberstein urges pragmatism instead.

Yang arrives over Heinessen, where he must contend with a Fezzanese defense grid, which simultaneously defends the capital world and holds it hostage, to end the costly coup.

With the fall of Braunschweig and Geiersberg, the civil war is over. Kircheis returns to Reinhard's side, where he questions him on the necessity of the tragedy at Westerland.