Chapter 37: Lysander
Contains spoilersOverview
Dido confronts Lysander and Cassius over a recovered halcon-7 safe and demands its code, but Cassius only offers it in exchange for freedom. As allies waver and time runs short, Diomedes defends guest-right while Dido escalates with a coercive threat. She reveals her daughter’s murder at Mars, placing blame on Cassius and sharpening her motive for vengeance.
Summary
Dido reveals that her krypteia have found the hidden safe. Lysander details the halcon-7’s analog lock and internal plasma charges, underscoring their leverage and the risk of forced entry. Dido presses them to open it, promising friendship, but Lysander and Cassius hold the line.
Cassius offers terms: their ship, pilot, surviving crew, and freedom, after which he will transmit the combination at safe distance. Dido exposes a secondary detonation code feature, doubting any promise sent once they are away. Cassius swears he would send the proper code, a lie Lysander recognizes.
Bellerephon urges speed, citing Vela rallying legions at Karath and nervous allies needing proof. Diomedes rebukes threats, invoking House Raa’s guest-right and ancestral honor. Dido rejects the delay and insists they trust her; Cassius repeats his terms, and Lysander backs him.
Dido escalates by summoning Pelebius’s “pet,” a jar of noxious yellow liquid borne by a Violet, while Obsidians take positions behind the guests. She delivers a raw elegy on motherhood and grief, recounting her daughter Thesalia’s death at the Mars summit. Naming those she holds responsible, Dido ends by accusing Cassius au Bellona, making her personal vendetta explicit as leverage for the code.
Who Appears
- Dido au Raa
Matriarch of House Raa; demands the safe be opened, escalates coercion, and blames Cassius for her daughter’s death.
- Cassius au Bellona
Negotiates to trade the safe’s code for freedom, lies about sending it, becomes target of Dido’s vengeance.
- Lysander au Lune
POV; explains the halcon-7’s protections, supports Cassius’s refusal to yield the combination.
- Bellerephon au Raa
Presses for speed, citing Vela’s mobilization and allies’ impatience; advocates obtaining the evidence.
- Diomedes au Raa
Defends guest-right and House honor, resisting threats against Cassius and Lysander.
- Seraphina au Raa
Watches negotiations; appeals to Lysander, but yields to Dido’s pressure.
- Gaia
Elder at the table; reacts to the arrival of the jar, offering brief commentary.
- Pelebius
Summoned by Dido to bring in his “pet,” signaling coercive intent.
- Unidentified Violet servant
Carries a glass jar of noxious yellow liquid, heightening the threat.