Portia repeatedly calls the Lightfoot while Helena struggles to understand because Helena’s translation system remains tuned to octopus visual language. Viola stops replying, and Helena, remembering Baltiel’s ancient records, fears that the Nod infection has reached the ship after taking Meshner.

Helena studies the watching octopuses and sees widespread terror about the plague of Nod, along with hidden exchanges between some of them. Those covert signals suggest forbidden knowledge, recent violations of prohibition, and warnings to be careful, implying factions among the octopuses and fear of discovery by their own peers.

Viola sends a scrambled message that Portia interprets: the thing from the station has Meshner. Portia then notices a separate octopus data stream that Helena had missed. It contains the Lightfoot’s position and the movements of several octopus vessels, including one shadowing the ship with signs of combat readiness.

Helena demands an explanation from the octopus interrogators, but the answer is confused and emotionally tangled. She understands only the essential truth: some octopuses decided the visitors were a threat and acted independently to destroy them. The attack was already underway before the diplomatic exchange could matter.

Kern reports incoming homing missiles and tries to deploy countermeasures, but also focuses on regaining contact with Meshner through his implants because she says she needs him. The transmission cuts off mid-sentence. Later, Portia finds an octopus reconstruction showing the Lightfoot struck despite Kern’s efforts, its drive section ruptured, the damaged parts jettisoned, and the ship sent spiralling down into the inner planet’s atmosphere.