The two men discuss the battle that has just taken place. The fleet has been destroyed, and the emperor has been killed. The church has grown so powerful that it may be able to stop the spread of plague, but it is impossible to halt it. The two agree that there is a way for them to both achieve their goals. They decide that etherow should listen to them, and etherow tells them that he is on board an imperial ship. The holy relics brigade is on the ship to retrieve the ambs from the emperor, and they want to kill etherow and all of them along with him. They do not want to fight with one another inside the ship, but they do want the emperor to be killed for the sake of the health and welfare of the people on the surface. They are not there to take etherow prisoner, they are there to kill him, etherow, and everyone else on board. The emperor is able to see the future, and he knows that he will be killed if he does not kill the emperor. He tells etherow that he has been ordered to execute him for leaking official secrets, and that he should be executed immediately for acting as an agent of the enemy. They have been hit by a regular missile, and there is heavy damage and loss.