Lysander leads a meticulously staged Rain on Io, placing himself at the spearpoint of a Gold vanguard as the Lightbringer tears into an unexpectedly large Ascomanni fleet. Pytha pulverizes enemy ships at long range, Praetors carve the formation, and hostage-laden cosmosHaulers are boarded with precision to spare civilians. With Pallas commanding in orbit, Lysander focuses on the ground, exploiting sabotaged batteries and absent shields over Plutus.

Breaking the pulseDome first, Lysander and Cicero shatter an Ascomanni flight, then silence an anti-ship gun where a dying, collared Green was forced to fire. New Shepherds and Praetorians drive the rout; those who hide are isolated by jamming and cleared building by building. At the spaceport, Rhone’s century ambushes tribes fleeing to ships. Fenixa reports the defense broken, but Lysander orders lifesaving operations instead. He and Cicero breach a cosmosHauler, kill the guards, and find thousands of caged lowColors; Cicero, wounded by a spear through the thigh, reassures them and helps free captives.

Amid soot and chaos, hearthcraft descend with water, rations, and medics. Cicero refuses treatment to triage civilians, then cauterizes his own wound and returns to the fight. At Rhone’s command post, Demetrius and Drusilla report Kyber and Markus have freed Moon Lords and a Raa—Gaia—at the Arbor of Akari. Rhone escorts Lysander, disciplines his dragoons for insolence, and reminds Lysander to keep to the agreed script with the Rim lords.

At the Arbor, Lysander assures the humbled Moon Lords that his control is temporary and aimed at restoring their stewardship. Gaia, aged and hollow, demands guns. Armed by Rhone and Markus, the Moon Lords summarily execute Ascomanni and Volk prisoners, then return to kiss Lysander’s cheek and declare themselves “Indebted.” When Gaia asks after Diomedes, Lysander claims they did not see him and vows vengeance for Io. He promises to rally Ganymede and carry war to Europa to destroy the Volk and deliver Fá’s head—revenge Gaia demands be slow and with fire.