At the Mentat School on Lampadas, Gilbertus Albans reflects on the school’s most gifted students, especially Draigo Roget. Draigo has advanced so quickly that he surpasses most instructors, and although Gilbertus has invited him to remain as a teacher after graduation, Draigo has not committed.

Gilbertus and Draigo meet privately in an oval war-game chamber to test their tactical minds through a holographic space-battle simulation. They control fleets through asteroids, gravity wells, foldspace mishaps, and other hazards, moving with such speed and precision that the battle unfolds almost entirely at the speed of thought.

Hidden sensors allow Erasmus’s memory core to observe the contest. Erasmus has offered to help Gilbertus win, but Gilbertus refuses because using the robot’s assistance would be cheating, even though Draigo’s growing skill makes Gilbertus briefly reconsider the temptation.

During the simulation, Gilbertus warns Draigo that real battles include unforeseen elements that cannot be fully planned. Moments later, students enter for a scheduled class and distract Draigo, causing him to lose control of part of his fleet. Gilbertus freezes the game rather than exploit the mistake, using the interruption as an example of his lesson.

When the game resumes before the gathered students, Gilbertus begins to ease off because he feels he should focus on the class. Draigo notices that Gilbertus is no longer playing at full strength and refuses to accept such a victory, deliberately allowing his own forces to collapse. The exchange confirms both Draigo’s exceptional ability and his pride, while Gilbertus recognizes that the student is close to surpassing him.