Screwface wakes Darrow before dawn and leads him from the Mound to a barrier beach. There, Darrow witnesses Martian soldiers undergoing a solemn sea baptism, clutching Martian soil and facing death from radiation. Feeling alien to his own people and ashamed to intrude, Darrow withdraws, unsettled by the distance his wars have placed between him and the miners he once followed.

Across the water, dozens of six-story obelisks drop through the flickering city shield and settle offshore. Darrow and Screwface swim out and climb one just as shuttles arrive. Engineers haul the obelisks to shore and open them, revealing vast stores of medicine, food, and materiel—most critically, radiation treatments stamped with the winged heel—enough to save thousands.

Inside an obelisk, Darrow finds a message from Virginia. She explains the obelisks were fired by new guns after attempts to send ships stalled, shares volatile Luna intrigue, and says Pax is likely safe with Sefi and will be ransomed. She vows to come to Mercury by May 1 and urges Darrow to believe in their people and endure. The promise steadies him.

Darrow walks with Thraxa to the warroom, recalling Daxo teaching Pax that joy is fleeting but worth remembering. Thraxa vows vengeance if her family is harmed. They enter the council to decide how to answer Atalantia’s offer.

Harnassus announces the Senate’s order: arrest Darrow and surrender. He rejects it, sending a one-word reply—“Bloodydamn”—and unleashing a full particle barrage that burns a dreadnought in orbit. Atalantia strikes back as shields reclose. Officers openly back Darrow; he takes the chair, resolves to deliver his people home, and orders the Master Maker Glirastes summoned.