Viki, Jirlib, and Brent recover in the house infirmary after the Plaza Spar rescue. Brent is worst injured, but stable. Major Thract has interrogated the children; none of the kidnappers survived, with at least one suicide implied. Sherkaner Underhill comforts them and admits everything has changed. Viki, convinced by their captors’ discipline, suspects the Kindred.

Overwhelmed by grief, Viki flees to the attic room she shared with Gokna and confronts the permanence of her sister’s death amid their shared hobbies. She reflects on the different strengths of her parents—Underhill’s boundary-pushing inventiveness and Victory Smith’s disciplined authority.

Victory Smith arrives in formal uniform and speaks candidly. She and Sherkaner tried to shield the children, but that created risks. She acknowledges the children also broke rules, yet praises their composure under pressure and the rescue they enabled, while noting the hard lesson of risking Birbop.

Smith lays out a new approach: some military tutoring and training, but more importantly a change in mindset. The family must act as a multigenerational team—five children plus both parents—with talent enough to be the best. She warns of growing, long-term danger and says service to the Crown may sometimes require action outside visible chains of command.

After Smith departs for urgent meetings, Viki’s grief is tempered by purpose. She resolves to embrace the team her mother has defined—Jirlib, Brent, Rhapsa, Little Hrunk, herself, and their parents—believing that learning and coordinated action can make their loss meaningful.