Ephraim, confined aboard a Julii ore hauler bound for Mars, frets over Sefi’s mine-seizure plan. Denied drugs by order of Sefi, he spars with Ozgard the shaman, who insists Ephraim’s survival is tied to the Queen’s. Ephraim accidentally eats Ozgard’s “spirit berries,” triggering an intense trip as the fleet approaches northern Cimmeria.

Through the haze, Ephraim reviews the operation: only some mines will be stormed directly; most rely on skuggi and sympathetic Reds to infiltrate retired tunnels, slip exhaust ducts, seize power nodes, and drop the anti-air guns, clearing a path against Quicksilver’s defenses and hunter-killer robots. He doubts their readiness and anticipates heavy losses.

In the hangar, Ozgard conducts a raw, rousing ritual; Sefi and Valdir lead Valkyrie and Stormbreakers in the first wave. As the doors open, Ephraim sees Mars and Nike below, and realizes the plan’s opening move worked—Freihild and the skuggi have lowered the grids and silenced the sky guns, while Alltribe ripWings suppress hidden missile sites. The Obsidians descend en masse toward the mines.

Carried by euphoria and ceremony, Ephraim ignores Ozgard’s warning, jumps without armor, and hurtles into an open mine. Believing he carries a rifle, he lands among hunter-killer robots only to discover he holds a mop. As the machines turn on him, Sefi and Valdir arrive with their vanguard and the battle erupts.