Thirty-Two

Brun oversees training at the slurry tanks, pushing back on eager redesigns as he prioritizes reliability for infant nutrition. A new woman, claiming to be Clae Audin from Dyan Academy, arrives with a plausible history tied to Else Yannin. Brun remains wary but with Tonner gone and urgent needs mounting, he agrees to evaluate her.

Elsewhere, the swarm-self—now embodying Clae—reflects on remaking her body and identity, abandoning Jellit out of visceral revulsion. Drawing on Carryx archives and old human memories, she tests her persona in public, using pheromones and specific recalled incidents to convince Ennil Day she has always been on the periphery.

Dafyd consults the Deep Lothark through a Soft Lothark host, learning that overt control would draw scrutiny: the Deep Lothark both can and cannot command its enforcers. With returning humans imminent and logistics pressing, Dafyd weighs reintegration policies while anticipating the arrival of former friends like Jessyn and Campar.

Clae then confronts Dafyd, insisting she will not revert to Jellit and that her expertise is essential to the protein program. When Dafyd resists, Clae asserts autonomy and hints at harder choices. Dafyd relents, shares his growing work with the Deep Lothark’s covert culture, and presses for a way to contact the enemy. Clae cannot reestablish communications, but Dafyd sets the aim: coordinate an attack on the empire’s core by assassinating the Sovran and exploiting the resulting chaos.