The chapter opens with a discussion of the four-year war between the Republic and the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire spent four years fighting the Republic over its autonomy, and the war ended with the defeat of the Republic. The Republic has lost all of its naval forces, and now has no choice but to rely on the Ottoman fleet for its defense. This is because the Republic's fleet is so small that it can hardly hold a single battle. This means that the Republic will soon lose its ability to defend itself. The main reason for the war, the narrator tells us, was the invasion of the island by the Ottomans, who used the island as a staging ground for their attack. The island's king was killed by the attack, and his possessions were taken away by the Turks. The narrator believes that the Turks are passing down the knowledge of the conquest to their sons. He tells the story of how the owl, a member of the Revolution, set the island on fire, and then the Turks killed the king and took his possessions, including the knowledge that they could pass down from one king to the next. This was the beginning of the end for the Republic, he tells us. He says that if the Republic had chosen him for the Paradis mission nine years ago, he would never have been able to protect the island. He asks the narrator to show him the armor that he will inherit if he is able to defeat the queen.