The chapter opens with a description of a dog-eat-dog fight between the Volscians and the Bastardians. The Bastardian soldiers have been crushed by the enemy's high-velocity, small-caliber bullets, which are being developed for use by the barjacks. The only weapon that can be used against them is the high-capacity, high-resin ammunition, which is being developed by the "barjack industrial bureau" . The colonel tells the men that they must use every means to defeat the enemy. He tells them that rumors have it that an agent of the "angel of death" has been sniffing around the activities of the zalems, and that if they can defeat him, they will be able to avenge their defeat. He then tells them to move up their troops so that the enemy does not notice them. The captain tells the colonel that he does not want to get into a firefight because he is not sure that he likes killing so much. He says that he has been thinking about the concept of freedom all through his travels, but after seeing the lone wolf, he realizes that it is not necessarily a way to freedom. He decides to go back to the city and find a place to hide for the time being.