Vorian Atreides returns to Kepler with nine surplus military ships provided by Emperor Salvador Corrino. The agreement protects Kepler from future slaver raids: Imperial troops will guard the planet for a year, then leave the ships behind while Kepler’s people learn to defend themselves. Vorian feels relieved that his loved ones will be safe, but the bargain burdens him because it requires him to leave Kepler.

Vorian lands in the valley and is welcomed by cheering villagers, rescued captives, his daughter Bonda, Tir, and Mariella. The settlement is already rebuilding after the raid, and the gratitude of the people moves Vorian more deeply than Imperial pageantry. Seeing Mariella also makes Vorian reflect on his unnaturally long life, his past loves, and the cruel life-extension treatment Agamemnon forced on him centuries earlier.

During the celebration, Vorian announces that the Emperor has declared Kepler off-limits to slavers, that armed ships will remain in orbit, and that more weapons will be supplied for local defense. The people celebrate what they see as a great victory, but Vorian is pained because he intends to leave without telling anyone except Mariella.

That night, Vorian and Mariella return to their repaired home. Vorian reveals that Salvador’s condition for protecting Kepler is that Vorian must disappear permanently, because his renewed popularity could unsettle the Imperium and make him a tool for other factions. Vorian asks Mariella to come with him, even suggesting that their children and grandchildren might join them, but Mariella refuses because Kepler is her home and her family’s life is rooted there.

Vorian briefly considers hiding on Kepler under another identity, but rejects the idea because discovery could endanger the planet. Mariella reminds Vorian that they always knew his agelessness would eventually force him to move on, and she accepts the separation despite their grief. Vorian tells Mariella he plans to go to Arrakis, hoping its long-lived desert tribes and melange-rich environment may offer insight, and he promises to find a way to remain in contact.