With Eagle Rest in lockdown and Olympia glowing with candlelit unrest, Ephraim and the children are summoned by Sefi and shuttled off-world. During a three-day, windowless transit, Pax practices Tetkjr prayers with Ozgard and recounts Obsidian lore and Ascomanni rumors, while Electra paces and Ephraim worries about what crisis awaits.

They dock with the Heart of Venus, a decaying baroque cruise liner now crammed with Mercurian Obsidian veterans. Freihild greets them amidst bivouacs and dust. Passing ruined attractions and an ominous aquarium, they reach the Starboard Theater where Sefi, Valdir, Xenophon, and Valkyrie veterans watch a broken Wagner hologram.

Sefi calls her Pink, Amel, forward, then exposes his alleged espionage to a Gold relay. Gudkind leads skuggi who butcher and burn Amel, a stark demonstration of Sefi’s purge. Sefi then announces a coup on Luna: Virginia reportedly killed by a mob, the Martian ArchGovernor assassinated, Sevro captured, and multiple leaders slain. Xenophon cites the source; Valdir resists believing Amel’s guilt. Pax bolts in shock, and Electra condemns Sefi for withholding the news.

Turning to strategy, Sefi reveals Julii aid and hidden troop movements, projecting schematics of Cimmeria’s helium mines. She declares her intent to seize the continent as an Obsidian homeland within a week, aiming to lower defenses quietly instead of waging a planet-breaking assault. Valdir objects, but Sefi insists on subtlety and legitimacy. Under pressure, Ephraim agrees his skuggi will attempt the infiltration.