Four

Rickar wakes from a haunted dream about the fall of Anjiin and struggles with confinement aboard the Carryx warship. He encounters Campar in the common room where they discuss the realities of captivity, connection, and the violence they expect ahead. A Sinen arrives with a Rak-hund to announce they are entering a conflict zone.

Rickar Daumatin awakens in his cell aboard the Carryx warship from a distressing dream where he confuses past and present, trying to reach Dennia before Anjiin fell. He reflects on his lost aspirations—a career path that seemed reasonable before his capture—and contemplates the psychological toll of captivity. The animal quarters on the ship consist of small private cells opening onto a central common room. Rickar searches for his acquaintance Campar and proceeds to the food dispensers, where he converses with Vaudai, a large alien creature, about their location in the Carryx military structure and the likelihood they are heading toward combat. After eating sparse rations, Rickar waits for Campar. The narrative then shifts to Campar, who has just left Ghati's cell after an intimate encounter. Campar finds Rickar in the common room and they discuss the nature of connection in captivity. Rickar warns Campar about attachment and potential loss, referencing Dennia's death and his own trauma. Campar argues for finding small pleasures in their constrained circumstances rather than surrendering to despair. Their conversation is interrupted when a Sinen guard arrives with a Rak-hund—a creature Campar recognizes as resembling a weapon he associates with past violence. The Sinen communicates with the Budon of Luus aliens via their translating devices, and after the guards depart, the half-minds deliver an announcement to all captives: they have entered conflict space and should prepare for violence. Rickar leaves to return to his cell, and Campar begins laughing at the absurdity of preparing for the unknowable.