The ship has been hit by a cannon, but the main body of the ship is still intact, thanks to the efforts of the kunato soldiers. They're about to attack, but they have to stay back because the gauna are coming after them. They need to get the main core out of the way before they can do any damage to the ship. They can't even get close enough to cut through the placenta, because it's so thick. They have to mop it up, but it'll take a while. They bring a stretcher, and the captain is okay. He says they'll be able to come back to the front soon. He's glad they didn't have too many casualties, since they're not going to be sucked into a huge machine gun battle. He wonders how many centuries have passed since they last saw each other.