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Kirin Foss, a livesuit infantry soldier, participates in a combat mission to destroy an alien hive structure and secure a prisoner liberation camp on Lirebas, during which his team suffers devastating casualties including their commander Simeon. The chapter then shifts to reveal Kirin's recruitment and training, his relationships with fellow soldiers including Piotr (who cannot speak), and the slow, horrifying realization that the livesuits are consuming their hosts' bodies as they age in service.

The chapter opens with Kirin executing a dangerous mission to plant explosives on an alien hive-bridge structure. When attacked by a creature in a bromine river, his left foot and ankle are severely damaged. His team, led by Corval, manages to extract him and complete their objective. The narrative then flashes back to Kirin's decision to enlist, prompted by his friend Piotr joining the military after learning of humanity's losses in the war. Kirin leaves behind his partner Mina and his life on Kaladon to undergo brutal livesuit infantry training. After completing intake, he meets Corval on his first combat drop and begins a series of operations fighting alien forces across multiple worlds. Years pass in subjective time as Kirin participates in dozens of missions, forming bonds with teammates including Ross, Gleaner, and Noor. The narrative returns to the present with Kirin learning that Mina has died—blocked by military censors from sending him a final message because she had become involved with anti-military factions. Kirin and his team are reassigned, with Ross, Corval, and Noor departing to new units. Three new soldiers arrive: Santos, Smith, and Michah. As Kirin undergoes a medical scan, Piotr visits him and expresses his intention to reenlist. The scan reveals a horrifying truth: Piotr's body is being progressively replaced by the livesuit material—his throat, jaw, and head are mostly black synthetic fibers with only scattered remnants of living tissue. When Kirin questions whether the suits ever come off, he realizes the horrifying deception: soldiers are never meant to leave service alive, their bodies slowly consumed and replaced by the suit until nothing human remains. Piotr, either unaware or deeply conditioned, continues to advocate for reenlisting and serving, his humanity already mostly gone.