On Chiark Orbital, Jernau Morat Gurgeh endures a staged missile shoot and a university gathering, where he easily beats Stemli Fors at Four-Colours. The rude rogue drone Mawhrin-Skel needles him; the elder drone Chamlis Amalk-ney and Professor Boruelal discuss a shy prodigy. Gurgeh debates boredom, risk, and meaning, then attends a Tronze fête where he agrees to play Stricken against Olz Hap.

Beforehand, a supposed Contact drone visits Gurgeh privately, gauging his willingness to travel; Hub later confirms a secret ship’s fleeting visit but denies the drone’s identity. On a train, Gurgeh loses a Possession match through a fluke hidden-piece clash, tasting a sharp thrill at near-disgrace. That night he plays Stricken with Olz Hap; she aims for the legendary Full Web. Cornered, Gurgeh listens as Mawhrin-Skel offers illicit intel on bead positions. He accepts limited help, misses the Full Web, but wins by points, then crushes a Possession wafer in shame.

Mawhrin-Skel later assaults and paralyzes Gurgeh on a coastal path, blackmailing him with verified recordings relayed to the SC Mind Gunboat Diplomat. Gurgeh confirms the peril via Hub and Chamlis: such evidence could be trusted. Soon a real Contact drone, Worthil, arrives and reveals Azad: an empire in the Lesser Cloud where a vast game determines rank and policy. It invites Gurgeh to travel nearly two years each way to learn and play, stressing secrecy and the stakes.

Gurgeh wrestles with the commitment, the risk to his reputation, and Mawhrin-Skel’s ultimatum. After the drone destroys his terminal and sets a deadline, Gurgeh accepts Contact’s proposal on condition Mawhrin-Skel be reinstated to Special Circumstances. Worthil agrees to try. Farewells in Tronze follow; Gurgeh receives a gift from Chamlis and boards the demilitarized GOU Limiting Factor, bound to rendezvous with GSV Little Rascal and then the Empire of Azad.