When the countdown reaches zero, Volyova announces she never gave the order to fire. Sajaki calmly demands she surrender her bracelet. She passes it to him, having booby-trapped it: The memory-plastic polymer constricts when worn by anyone whose DNA does not match hers, tightening around Sajaki’s wrist and cutting into bone. Hegazi physically removes the bracelet, his metal hands covered in blood. Sajaki’s wrist is severely damaged but his medichines begin repairing the wound. Volyova refuses to relinquish control of the cache. Khouri enters the bridge, firing the plasma rifle at the ceiling, distributes weapons to Volyova and Pascale, and takes stock. The group agrees Sajaki is incapacitated and Hegazi unlikely to act alone, so Sylveste is permitted to take Sajaki to receive medical attention. Pascale confirms Sylveste’s eye-bomb was a bluff. Volyova produces a spare bracelet and orders all cache-weapons to return to the ship, but their icons turn red, indicating they are arming to fire.

Sun Stealer seizes control of the six cache-weapons and fires them at Cerberus against Volyova’s commands. The weapons strike the planet’s artificial surface, cracking the crust and exposing the machinery beneath. After depleting munitions, the weapons drift into useless orbits. Sylveste, returning from escorting the injured Sajaki to the medical bay, finds the attack has occurred without Volyova’s authorization.