Chapter 58: Fading Light
Contains spoilersOverview
Cassius murders Sevro, subdues Darrow and Mustang, and frees Antonia, reversing the power dynamic aboard the Morning Star. He escapes with the captives in a shuttle, contacts Aja, and secures a promise to spare Mustang. Aja reveals ArchGovernor Augustus lies in wait at Luna, exposing a broader Sovereign trap.
Summary
Sevro is shot in the chest by Cassius and dies in Darrow’s arms as Antonia jeers from her cell. Cassius beats Darrow down, holds Mustang at razorpoint, and—at Mustang’s urging that the Sovereign will want Darrow alive—stays his trigger. He retrieves Antonia’s passcard from Sevro’s body and frees her.
Antonia humiliates and disarms Darrow, seizing the team’s datapads and razors. Cassius and Antonia restrain Darrow in a prisoner harness, cram him, Mustang, and Sevro’s body into a crate, jam cameras, and push the container through the hangar. They launch shuttle S-129 unchallenged, smuggling the captives off the Morning Star.
Broadcasting an Olympic distress code, Cassius identifies himself as the Morning Knight to the Loyalist assault-runner Kronos. Aja au Grimmus answers by holo, and Cassius and Antonia display their captives—Darrow, Mustang, and Sevro’s body, which Antonia calls “the body of Ares.” Aja, excited, orders them to rendezvous and come under escort to the Citadel.
Cassius insists on a guarantee that Mustang will not be harmed; Aja gives her word, citing political need. She directs them to hold for docking instructions from the Lion of Mars and reveals a strategic shock: ArchGovernor Augustus is already on Luna with his fleet hidden on the far side, having laid a trap for Darrow’s forces.
Who Appears
- Darrow of Lykos
Narrator; beaten, bound, and captured after witnessing Sevro’s killing; transported as Cassius and Antonia escape.
- Cassius au Bellona
Shoots Sevro, overpowers Darrow and Mustang, frees Antonia, escapes by shuttle, and negotiates Mustang’s safety with Aja.
- Antonia au Severus-Julii
Freed from her cell; humiliates Darrow, seizes gear, aids the escape, and presents Sevro as “the body of Ares.”
- Virginia au Augustus (Mustang)
Subdued and crated with Darrow; prompts Cassius to keep Darrow alive; her safety becomes Cassius’s bargaining point.
- Sevro au Barca
Shot in the chest by Cassius; dies, later displayed as Ares’s body during the escape.
- Aja au Grimmus
Answers Cassius’s distress call, promises Mustang’s safety, and reveals Augustus’s fleet and the Luna trap.