Chapter 89: Darrow: The Only Path
Contains spoilersOverview
Darrow unites the Rim, Republic, Daughters, and Volk under a fragile Covenant: a ten-year alliance and a joint war on the Society, with amnesty and bounds on the Volk. Sevro returns; Volga breaks Fá’s warsaw; Aurae calls for unity. A joint fleet departs, and aboard the returning Archimedes, Darrow mourns Cassius and recommits to the final campaign.
Summary
Darrow emerges from the Raa bunker three weeks after Lysander’s devastation of the Garter and surveys ash-drowned Plutus, where the Daughters and Volga’s forces aid survivors. Sevro arrives, and he and Darrow mourn Cassius while Sevro castigates Diomedes for sparing Lysander. Despite mutual distrust, the leaders agree to meet.
On a burned hill, Volga and Diomedes clash until Volga breaks Fá’s warsaw to defuse the moment. Darrow presents the Covenant. Its terms: amnesty for all Daughters, due process for all Colors, the Volk sworn never to venture beyond the Belt, a ten-year Rim–Republic military alliance, and a joint declaration of war on the Society. All sign in blood. Darrow urges trust; Aurae delivers a plea for unity.
Volga and Lyria offer condolences for Cassius; Diomedes outlines Rim fleet movements and pledges to rendezvous in the Core. Athena keeps her fleet with Darrow but remains on Io to tend the people, naming Cheon to fight in her stead. Aurae, serving as Diomedes’s emissary, comforts Darrow, saying Cassius died knowing he was loved.
A mismatched joint armada departs Io, tense with old injuries between Volk braves and lowColor crews. En route, an unseen ship hails them: the Archimedes. Darrow boards with Sevro.
Inside, Darrow finds Cassius in a Bellona torpedo and grieves. With Sevro, he enters Cassius’s room, sifting through keepsakes and Institute footage that capture their lost youth. Darrow silently promises Virginia and Pax he is coming home with an army and an armada to end the war.
Who Appears
- Darrow
Protagonist; brokers the Covenant on Io, mourns Cassius aboard the Archimedes, and vows to return to the Core with an army.
- Sevro au Barca
Reunites with Darrow, condemns Diomedes’s restraint, grieves for Cassius, and helps recover Cassius’s effects aboard the Archimedes.
- Diomedes au Raa
New Hegemon of the Rim; signs the Covenant, plans fleet movements, and commits to rendezvous in the Core.
- Volga
Volk leader aiding Io; breaks Fá’s warsaw, signs the Covenant, and pledges support against Lysander when the time comes.
- Athena
Leader of the Daughters; provides relief on Io, signs the Covenant, keeps her fleet with Darrow, and remains to aid civilians.
- Aurae
Pink singer and emissary; appeals for unity, comforts Darrow about Cassius, and affirms trust between Rim and Daughters.
- Lyria
With Volga; prompts the ash-mark of shame, grieves Cassius, and departs with the Volk.
- Gaia
Diomedes’s grandmother; scornful of allies and protocol-minded, bristling at the Daughters and Volk.
- Cassius au Bellona
Fallen knight; his body is recovered, his keepsakes reveal his past, and his death galvanizes Darrow’s resolve.