The pilgrims arrive at Chronos Keep, which is not only recently abandoned but has signs of bloodshed. They opt to spend the night there before going on; however, their group is no longer a prime number, which superstition says appeases the Shrike. Rachel does not count, as the pilgrims must decide for themselves to make the journey. The Ouster war begins above them. While watching the battle’s bursts of light, they spy a tall, hooded figure walking toward the Time Tombs. The Consul reluctantly pulls out an old comlog (a communication device) to set the background for his story.

His grandfather, 19-year-old Merin Aspic, was a Shipman on a spinship, a ship used mostly for interstellar travel, helping to build and install farcasters. While working above Maui-Covenant, he went to the planet with a friend. His friend Mike convinced him to leave the boring isle to which they were restricted and fly off on hawking mats to a festival of inhabitants on Firstsite, another isle. At a masquerade there, Merin met 15-year-old Siri and fell in love. They spent several days together until Siri’s cousin Bertol, the son of a Separatist (a rebel movement that opposed Maui-Covenant’s incorporation into the Hegemony), attacked and killed Mike for being with the Hegemony.