In the ship’s crowded cell, Dafyd, Else, Jessyn, and Campar debate Ostencour’s escape scheme. Dafyd argues that if the Carryx and their jailers don’t care whether prisoners live, any violence will invite an easy, exemplary response—such as venting the room—so a breakout could kill everyone. Else goes to speak with Ostencour, but returns shaken and unwilling to say what she learned.

When the door’s light appears, Synnia abruptly rushes toward it and Dafyd forces his way through the crowd after her. He reaches the open space by the sewage mat to find Ostencour and others attacking a Soft Lothark guard with a makeshift knife. The pinned alien suddenly stiffens and ruptures, spraying a pale, acidic-smelling fluid over the attackers. Within moments, Ostencour and Synnia begin to collapse and scream, and Dafyd—splashed on the arm—becomes violently nauseated and disoriented.

As Dafyd fades in and out, two Soft Lothark enter—not to punish the humans, but to examine and then methodically eat the dead guard and lick the contaminated floor clean. They roll away the filthy mat and replace it with a fresh one, treating the scene like routine maintenance. Dafyd slips into a long fevered delirium as the poison takes hold.

Dafyd wakes days later in the cell’s makeshift infirmary with Else nursing him, keeping him hydrated and “cleanish.” Else reports that two prisoners have died from the exposure and existing illness, while Ostencour had the worst dose but has recovered and withdrawn, making another escape attempt unlikely for now. Dafyd confesses he expected punishment and realizes his assumptions were wrong: the aliens’ behavior doesn’t mirror human motives, and that incomprehensibility frightens him.

The perspective shifts to Jessyn caring for Synnia, who has recovered physically but remains near-catatonic and hollow with regret. Ostencour approaches, asks to speak with Synnia, and tries to reframe the failed attack as a lesson rather than defeat. He reassures Synnia that they are not beaten and insists that the struggle is not over, briefly rekindling Jessyn’s belief.