Chapter 46: Darrow: The Sun Is Down

Summary

• The chapter follows Darrow and his crew on their spaceship, the Archimedes, expecting a battle but finding a massacre instead.
• The Rim Armada, consisting of the Dragon and Dust armadas, has been thoroughly destroyed, leaving Darrow and others shocked and confused.
• Ambush by Fá’s fleet is suspected, raising questions about the Obsidian leader's strategic capabilities.
• Darrow perceives a deep sense of loss, and candid discussions among the crewmembers reveal their emotional states and concerns.
• There are no survivors, with only haunting distress signals from dead crews being picked up.
• They intercept a signal from Athena, informing all her cells to evacuate to Helisson, suggesting a fallback plan due to a drastic situation ("The sun is down").
• Aurae, a member of Darrow's crew with deep cover experience in the Raa household, suggests going to Sungrave to contact Athena.
• The crew retrieves a survivor tethered in debris, who turns out to be Diomedes au Raa, a high-ranking Gold warrior.
• Darrow opts not to torture Diomedes for information, suspecting he may cooperate since his armada was destroyed.
• The atmosphere on Ilium is eerie and filled with tension as the crew moves cautiously through space, aware they are still in grave danger.
• Sevro, Darrow’s comrade, is distraught with jealousy and confronts Darrow about being outdone by Fá.
• The chapter ends with a grim reflection on war, the loss of honor among fighters, and the harsh realities faced by even the strongest warriors.