Chapter 27

Carl and Donut are transported to a greenroom for their appearance on the caprid talk show Plenty of Plenty, located on the ocean floor. Lexis, a production assistant, briefs them on what to expect while revealing that the Open Intellect Action Network has seized control of all major ships in orbit and that a mysterious third party is now protecting Katia's facility in South Asia.

Carl and Donut arrive via teleportation at a greenroom for their scheduled appearance on Plenty of Plenty, an ocean-floor production facility. Carl struggles with his kangaroo suit while Donut searches for snacks. Lexis, a human production assistant previously seen on Odette's show, enters and explains she's been reassigned to help with the broadcast after After Hours went on hiatus and the insurgency created staffing chaos. She reveals that the Open Intellect Action Network—the faction Carl defeated in Faction Wars—has executed a swift military takeover of all major ships in orbit using the Homecoming Queen, now equipped with functioning enhancement-zone weaponry. The AI's escape from containment enabled their victory. When Donut asks about Katia's safety, Lexis provides limited information: Prime Minister Victory and the Syndicate's temporary headquarters are on the Eastern Seaboard dealing with native resistance, and in South Asia, where Katia remains, a mysterious third party has appeared and is protecting the kinder facility, though its nature is confused and unclear. Lexis receives an alarming alert on her datapad—showing an image of a small child—that visibly terrifies her, though she refuses to elaborate. She then pivots to briefing them on caprid customs for the upcoming interview, explaining that the show involves being judged by roughly a dozen caprid interviewers in a roundtable format called an interlocution, where being asked a question is considered a compliment. She vaguely instructs them to "exert" themselves at the end without clarifying what that means.