At a sleazy bar near Atlas Interplanetary Docks, Ephraim tries to claim a booth from two thugs. A Gray Howler—Holiday ti Nakamura—arrives, her presence enough to quiet the room and secure the booth. The place stirs memories for Ephraim: it is where he first met Trigg, the man he loved.

Outside, Ephraim confronts Volga, an Obsidian who tracked him out of concern. He harshly denies their friendship and sends her away. Back with Holiday, they drink and trade barbs about Mercury’s Rain, Hyperion’s crime task force, and the Rising’s pardons. Ephraim rails at the amnesties and recalls his time as a scar hunter; Holiday argues he could have stayed to make a difference.

Holiday invites him to rejoin and help unwind the Syndicate, but Ephraim refuses. Their talk turns cruel. He blames her for Trigg’s death; she warns his grief will consume him and says she won’t return next year. She leaves abruptly, shaken by a message on her datapad.

Alone in the rain, Ephraim drinks, watches a recording of Trigg’s death, and throws his datapad into the abyss. He climbs the rail to jump, but three pale-faced men in black dusters drag him back. Before he can react, one punches him unconscious, turning his despair into a new, unknown threat.