Twelve

Zakalwe regains consciousness in the brig of the clipper Osom Emananish, with Beychae confirming their situation and that the ship is limping toward Murssay on backup drive. A military demand arrives from Murssay’s Balzeit Hegemonarchy to uplift Zakalwe and Beychae before reaching the station; the captain complies. Balzeit only take Zakalwe aboard a decrepit shuttle that barely survives reentry to a storm-lashed airfield.

On landing, priests and troops with blue-circled foreheads kneel to Zakalwe, chanting his name. Taken by train to the capital, the high priest Napoerea proclaims him a foretold savior and asks him to lead their war against the Glaseen Empire. A covert Culture scout missile relays Sma’s plea: guide Balzeit to victory; Culture aid cannot be provided. Zakalwe accepts command and discards ceremonial robes for a field uniform.

Surveying fronts and morale, he diagnoses priestly interference and poor doctrine. He orders an organized withdrawal from Shenastri Province to stretch enemy logistics, halts road attacks to clog routes with refugees, and directs a costly mass raid on the refineries that stalls the Imperial advance. He proposes a “decapitation” plan: sacrifice the rickety spacecraft Hegemonarchy Victorious as a kinetic strike on the Imperial Court, unnerving the priests who value it as a symbol and escape route; they delay approval.

Zakalwe fortifies mountain passes, mines runways, and rotates the air offensive between supply lines and forward units. As the Empire pushes into the foothills, he funnels them into valleys, attempts a dam trap (charges fail), and shifts elites to seal gaps. He evacuates priests from the citadel to prevent interference and sets a bait: thin city defenses to draw a knockout thrust while retaking the main pass behind the spearhead.

When two Imperial divisions push through toward the capital, Zakalwe counter-attacks from the passes, switches air power back to the front, and drives a broad retreat into rout. Divisions stranded by rains and quagmire surrender en masse; the exhausted spearhead reaches the city with few tanks and no artillery ammunition. The Imperial Court sues for peace; a truce is declared at midday as Zakalwe watches from the citadel.

Skaffen-Amtiskaw and Sma arrive with grim news: a precarious interstellar bargain demands an Imperial victory to secure Cluster-wide peace. At dawn, Humanist-backed operations will seize the priests and neutralize Balzeit forces if needed. Zakalwe must depart immediately. He refuses to flee that night, asks them to return at dawn, and explodes in fury after they leave.