After the governing body of the Commonwealth votes no-confidence in triumvir Tri-Jema, she sends Dylan visit an augur who is said to be infallible. Dubbed Citizen Eight, the augur aims to take Tri-Jema's place as triumvir and remove Dylan from command of the Andromeda.

The Andromeda investigates the site of a reported Nietzschean attack on a Commonwealth battleship, but find no debris and no sign that any conflict occurred.