Pages 412-460 Summary

Murbella watches the Battle of Junction from a no-ship command center. Explosions circle the planet, while Teg attacks the Citadel. Odrade's vital signs transmissions stop, after she confirms Spider Queen's presence. The millions from Lampadas are shared among the Reverend Mothers in "Extremis Progressiva," guaranteeing that some survivor will represent them. To Murbella, the battle seems like a circus - until real bodies fall - then she regrets the waste, recalling her parents. Metaphors vanish and she sees bloody violence, familiar yet new. It is eerily quiet near Teg's position. He loses his Command Pod to a laser strike and everything but his comlink, along with backups. He reads off his aide for the foul-up but is happy to hear the last pockets are bottled up. A report comes from the Flat, where a hundred have perished trying to escape into...