the rules say that you can only retreat or withdraw into activated system. how does is excatly works?

when i want to retreat or withdraw can i activate i system to retreat or withdraw into it, or must the system been activated before the battle started?

thank you for your answers !

Toni

The basic rules says that a reatreating/whidrawling player must do that to a previously activeted system - so that system must contain a command counter before the combat starts. There is another rule - in Shatered Empire expanion - that calls tactical reatreats, and its allow a defending player to use a command counter to activate a system and attempt to reatret there - but this rule is an option and you can use it only to reatreating not to whitdrawling from combat.

thank you for the fast reply!