In a darkened warehouse, Virginia, Theodora, and Holiday await Sevro while the captured Duke of Hands panics. Sevro and Pebble descend from the rafters, trading barbs with Virginia and her team. Tension flares as Sevro derides the Republic and prioritizes his daughters, while Virginia challenges his abandonment of duty and the chaos his hunt has caused on Luna.

Pressed about Pax’s whereabouts, Sevro refuses to betray Victra. Virginia then deduces the situation: a fourth party seized the children, a ransom was offered to Victra, and Sefi demanded ore ships and a claim on Mars. Virginia outlines her strategy to allow Sefi to take Cimmeria’s helium assets, withdraw Republic forces, and convert the move into an alliance and helium contract, conserving strength for the looming Gold war.

Confronted with Virginia’s plan and authority, Sevro’s resolve cracks. One by one, the Howlers reveal themselves and, at their silent urging, Sevro returns to duty. Virginia immediately assigns him to handle the Duke of Hands using a controlled interrogation.

Sevro activates Virginia’s program on the Duke’s psychoSpike. The Duke’s memories project Syndicate locations and, shockingly, repeated images of Dancer, implicating him in dealings with the Syndicate. Theodora and Virginia observe as the process continues into a second phase.

The psychoSpike wipes the Duke’s personality, leaving him tabula rasa while Virginia preserves his mind on a chip for analysis and potential reconditioning. Planning to refashion him as a Splinter asset, Virginia answers Sevro’s question about Dancer with a clear intent: they will address the betrayal by communicating, not escalating.