The Taelon's hire a spindoctor who brings on a reporter onto the mothership. Unfortunately the mothership is at this time hijacked by a replicant who wants to get the ship into Jaridian space.

Two unidentified Taelon piloted shuttles appear, unscheduled, in earth airspace, dogfighting. Liam wonders why Da'an took off to an unknown location. Sandoval is sent to locate the surviving Taelon, noted to be unco-operative. Zu'or disrupts Da'an's Karpag on the moon base home world recreation. Liam finds Ba'li, who claims to have come to help humans retake earth. Augur severs Ba'li's commonality link. Ba'li fingers Da'an as the architect of Taelon strategy across the galaxy to defeat the Jaridians. Ba'li turns into an Atavus and goes to kill Da'an.