Darrow castigates himself for trusting Tactus as the stork climbs from Luna into a no-escape kill zone. A Blue pilot coolly outlines their fatal odds while Augustus remains stoic, urging them to die like Golds. With communications jammed and capture imminent, Darrow seizes initiative, ordering a course straight for the dreadnought Vanguard to change the paradigm. Augustus nods assent; Mustang plots the angle.

In the launch bay, Howlers suit Darrow and Sevro into starShells. Victra helps seal Darrow in and steals a brief kiss before he is cocooned in the spitTube. Fear presses in, but Darrow centers himself, recalling his father’s lesson to act at terror’s crest. Mustang primes the launch as the hull shudders under near-miss fire.

They trade gallows Latin before the railgun hurls them into space. Darrow momentarily blacks out under the g-forces, then streaks alongside Sevro toward the Vanguard. Missiles cannot lock without thruster signatures; flak and railguns miss on too short a fuse. The pilot’s shot is perfect, carrying them unpowered toward the bridge as the dreadnought’s shields spool too late.

Through the bridge glass, Darrow glimpses Blues and Golds scrambling. He opens with his pulseCannon, then tucks and drives his armored mass forward with a last thruster burst, smashing into the thick bridge window. Committing fully to the helldive, he aims to break the enemy’s command heart in a single, suicidal strike.