In Fá’s stateroom, Atlas informs Volsung Fá that his reign will last weeks, not years. Instead of anger, Fá expresses relief, confessing he craves art and the sea over power, and accepts a retirement package: homes, longevity care, a new identity, and time with his daughter, Volga. Atlas and Fá debate Volga’s loyalty; Atlas warns she may abandon Fá unless “blooded,” and Fá reluctantly agrees.

Atlas lays out the operational plan. Lysander will take a battered Rim shuttle to Pasiphae with Rhone and the Praetorians, signal his surviving fleet, then return to Io to retake the Garter—ideally via an Iron Rain for maximum visibility. Fá will move on, leaving Ascomanni to garrison the Garter; Lysander is to exterminate them and rescue citizens. A counterfeit head, crafted by Xanthus, will enable Lysander to later “kill” Fá while Vagnar disappears with a select force.

Atlas insists the remaining Galilean moons must fall to shock the Rim. When allowed to spare one, Lysander chooses Ganymede; Atlas accepts at once. Fá is directed to raze Callisto and then Europa, targeting the islands before invading the Deep, using feasts and religious spectacle to motivate his raiders and root out an “infestation.”

Pressed for transparency, Atlas reveals he will strike a secret vault on a hidden moonlet, Orpheus, guarded by shadow knights. He discloses a secondary objective: Eidmi, a centuries-old virus stolen by Akari from Silenius, able to target and erase any Color—even Gold—without spillover. Atlas argues it would end wars through terror; the Raa kept it as a last resort.

Atlas needs a Raa with the scar to open the vault and plans to use Vela, expecting heavy losses before rejoining Lysander. When Lysander asks why Gaia lives despite Atlas killing other family members, Fá ends the meeting with a grim jest: a son does not kill his mother.