"You lost ground today." Jovy said once they all returned to their temporary lodging.
Ves grimaced at that. His ability to make a case for himself could only bring him so far during the second session.
"It dawns on me that I may have been playing into the hands of my opponents." He said. "Perhaps the selection of Lieutenant-Commander Astrid Jameson and Master Alice Cantor goes a lot deeper than I initially thought. What if the opposition deliberately put forth their more provocative and less competent speakers on the first day in order to gain my measure? Not only did I expose a lot about myself, I also unleashed my firepower too soon. The opposition has been able to regain control of the rhythm by making targeted adjustments based on what they learned in the first session. The most obvious sign of why that may be the case is that Professor Kacuk Chabran did not repeat any of the mistakes that Master Alice Cantor had made."