On Akeso, Caleb trains Marlee in combat maneuvers while displaying a deeper, healthier connection with Akeso. When Marlee damages a tree, Caleb is able to regrow its limbs.

Richard visits his old friend Graham Delavasi, who is running a fishing lodge in the Seneca mountains. Richard tries to convince Graham to come work for CINT, to no avail.

In the Asterion Dominion, Nika puts her original body into stasis, opting to continue to use the kyoseil-saturated body Dashiel crafted for her. When asked why, she says it’s because kyoseil is the answer to everything.

The Rasu attempt to attack Mirai, only to find it protected by a Rift Bubble. They probe the other Axis Worlds, then settle for attacking one of the Adjunct colonies. The Advisors decide not to defend the colony, as they need to conserve their resources for now.

After being regened following his death while freeing Namino, Joaquim bumps into Selene. He doesn’t remember their time together while trapped on Namino, so she fills him in over drinks, and they end up sleeping together. When he sobers up, his inherent hatred of all things Justice leads him to reject her and storm out.

Alex attempts to teach Nika how to visit sidespace and open wormholes, but the kyoseil blocks Nika’s attempts to do so. Alex also learns of Nika’s lost memories.

Miriam sees Malcolm for the first time since his escape from Savrak, and they ruminate on the thorny questions surrounding regenesis. Malcolm takes a leave of absence to search for Mia, who has vanished.

Mia has constructed a false identity on Pandora and renounced her former life. She’s working on her new tech shop when the news announces that Malcolm, thought killed in the Savrak mission, is alive and well. Though overjoyed, she realizes that him dying a second time would destroy her and decides not to contact him.

Caleb tracks Mia down and visits her. He tries to convince her to contact Malcolm, but she refuses. He then presents her with a plea deal offer from Richard that will keep her out of prison (but prevent her from ever holding government office again). She reluctantly agrees to consider it.

Mia is visited by a local thug, who tries to shake her down for ‘protection money.’ Shortly thereafter, she meets a man named Enzio Vilane; charming and friendly, he presents himself as a local businessman, but Mia suspects there is more to him. She does some research and discovers that Vilane is actually the secret son of Aiden Trieneri, former cartel leader and lover of Olivia Montegreu. He’s also the leader of the up-and-coming Rivinchi cartel. When she next encounters Vilane, Mia tells him she knows who he is; his charming demeanor vanishes, and he threatens her.

Eren is mourning Cosime in solitude at their home on Hirlas when he receives a visit from Maion, his shadowy Yinhe friend. Maion tells him how their former boss in the anarchs, Danilo Nisi, is putting together a new Anaden government; when Maion reveals that Nisi is actually the true Corradeo Praesidis, Eren is intrigued enough to pay the man a visit. Eren agrees to work for Corradeo, on one condition.

After being blown up by Eren on Savrak, Torval elasson-Machim awakens in a regenesis lab. He quickly commandeers a new warship and returns to Savrak and inflicts significant damage in a bombing campaign. Torval then goes to the Anaden elasson confab on Epithero.

Frustrated at his lack of progress in reigning in Ferdinand’s rebellion against Concord, Corradeo poisons the elassons with a drug that severs their connection to the integrals, rendering them unable to undergo regenesis. He then allows Eren to fulfill his condition, and Eren kills Torval as revenge for Cosime’s death. Fearing he is next, Ferdinand flees Epithero.

The new Savrakath military leader, Brigadier Ghorek, surveys the widespread damage inflicted by Torval, then implements a plan to strike back against Concord, which involves a stealth antimatter bomb.

Nyx elasson-Praesidis pursues the mission her grandfather sent her on: to find the missing Praesidis Inquisitors. She discovers that Kolgo elasson-Praesidis has set himself up as a savage warlord on a backwater planet, where he’s committing vile crimes. She continues her search and locates two additional Inquisitors, Lontias and Ziton, and they agree to accompany her. The three travel to Ares, where Corradeo has moved after bringing the elassons into line. Corradeo convinces Lontias and Ziton to help him form a new Anaden government.

Marlee visits Morgan at her bar on Chalmun Station Asteroid, intending to seduce the woman. Instead, she finds Morgan on a drinking bender, upset over how Malcolm is alive when Brooklyn Harper is still dead. When Morgan wakes the next morning, she decides to find out where Mia is hiding, then sends Malcolm a message with the details.

While closing up her shop for the night, Mia is attacked by armed intruders. They are about to shoot her when Malcolm arrives on the scene and kills the attackers. They have an emotional reunion, but when he won’t revoke the ‘no regenesis’ clause in his will, she demands he leave. He begs her to come home with him and talk things through, but she refuses. He finally relents and departs.

In the aftermath, Mia decides to take Richard’s plea deal offer and leave Pandora behind. She meets with Richard and signs the plea deal, then gives him all the information she’s collected on Enzio Vilane.

Kennedy tries to coax kyoseil out of its Reor armor, hoping to use adiaK in ship hulls. However, though it does so for Asterions, the Reor won’t release the kyoseil for her.

Corradeo sends Nyx and Eren on a mission together to find Ferdinand, much to their dismay. They discover that Ferdinand has been murdered while trying to secure a false identity, and argue their way through a brief investigation. Despite their disagreements, however, Nyx then asks Eren for help dealing with Kolgo.