Darrow is paraded in chains through an old nickel mine packed with thousands of Daughters of Ares from many Colors, their sigils black-wrapped. Mocked with a gold cape by Black Owls, he notes the youth’s hard eyes and a Brown girl miming a shot. Aurae, who hints at love for Diomedes, urges Darrow to show his true self. She warns the judgment belongs to the Daughters, not Athena.

Onstage, Athena rips off the gold cape, silences the crowd, and reads charges: collaborating with Romulus leading to thousands of Daughters’ deaths, and mass casualties at Ganymede’s dockyards, among others. Darrow spots Sevro, angry, and Lyria by his side. Resolving to keep the larger dream alive, Darrow chooses honesty as his only strategy.

Darrow pleads guilty to every accusation and catalogs his crimes and compromises, apologizing for what he did but not for why he fought. He explains fear led him to a shortcut that betrayed Eo’s, Ares’s, and Ragnar’s dream, and declares all Colors one people. He rejects the notion of isolation, insisting courage comes from unity rather than desperation.

He then petitions the Daughters to save civilians on Europa, Ganymede, and beyond, to keep sealifts open, and to hear Diomedes speak of Kalyke and Sungrave. He asks them to succeed where he failed: to resist fear, avoid the shadowed shortcuts, and pursue liberty for all. He does not request forgiveness or mercy, only that his death, if it comes, serves a greater purpose.

The chamber falls quiet. Guards swap chains between Darrow and Diomedes. Athena reads charges to Diomedes, who responds without contrition that Golds failed to uphold their side of the social contract and tells the Daughters to take their due. No verdict is rendered yet.