Chapters 37-40 Summary

In Chapter 37, de Soya reveals his plan to travel to the closest Ouster controlled world. The modification's of Aenea's ship and hawking mat are from the Ousters, so de Soya believes Aenea is on her way to meet them. He risks letting the archangel ship technology falling into enemy hands, so he sets the ship to self destruct if captured rather than fall to Ouster control. The ship exploding means "true death" for the crew. The first Ouster world is Hebron.

Instead of waking in Hebron as expected, de Soya wakes from resurrection in Pacem being cared for by a resurrection priest. He discovers that they were pursued in Hebron, and that the Raphael returned to Mare Infinitus. Resurrection had been started when the pursuit began, and had to be abandoned. Secondary resurrection was unsuccessful and Rettig suffered the true death...