The chapter opens with a soliloquy by a soldier who has just returned from battle. The soldier tells us that the battle has been going on for three days and that he's not used to it. He says that the soldiers are losing men at a rapid rate and that there's nothing he can do about it. The doctor has told him that the waves of soliton will eventually destroy the soldiers and kill them. The next plan was to use a time bomb to destroy the waves, but that didn't work out so well. He's also worried about the queen, who's been sentenced to death. He theorizes that the queen is trying to kill her pride by making her fear death. The minister says that dying is a part of the job of a soldier and that she'll never fall apart. He tells her that if she leaves now, she won't be able to undo the damage. He orders her to go and help the queen.