A Rim corvette approaches the vast dreadnought Annihilo above Mercury, carrying Lysander, Diomedes au Raa, and Seraphina au Raa. Lysander reflects on the ship’s history burning Rhea and surviving Ceres, and on Cassius’s death, which enabled this bid to unite Rim and Core against Darrow. He respects Diomedes’s honor and skill, seeing him as a rare counter to Core duplicity.

Diomedes instructs Lysander to report a longer transit time to Atalantia to hide Rim ship speed, revealing Rim caution about Core treachery. He seeks Lysander’s help to restrain Atalantia’s impulses but warns the Rim will not support any bid for a Lune throne. Seraphina arrives, scornful of the mission and eager for war, sharpening tensions with barbed contempt while Diomedes reins her in.

The party’s dynamics broaden: their juvenile pilot Vega symbolizes Rim practices, while Lysander’s pilot Pytha hides, traumatized by Rim abuses. Lysander worries Seraphina might provoke duels, and that Dido’s private orders could override Diomedes’s authority. Diomedes probes Atalantia’s nature; Lysander describes her as brilliant, ruthless, and intoxicating, wary that she will see him as a rival due to his Lune inheritance.

Lysander recalls Atalantia’s past affection, his ties to Glirastes, and the coveted Mind’s Eye, yet fears Octavia’s warning about vanity and rivals. He admits he cannot predict Atalantia’s reaction and notes that without a scar he cannot legally inherit, but the threat remains. As they prepare to board, Diomedes confesses conditional fear of meeting Atalantia and clear fear of his uncle, the Fear Knight, underscoring the peril of their diplomatic gamble.