Holsten is removed from cold storage by a mass of people whom he doesn’t recognize. They are all long-haired and dressed in gray, and the appear malnourished and sickly. He is kept in a cage for nearly a month with an old terminal and a commandment to translate everything without the help of any of his previous research. A different group of people eventually releases him from the cage, and he is brought to Lain, who is much older and rougher than he last saw her. In the intervening years, Guyen has created a cult in pursuit of becoming one with the ship and achieving immortality at the likely expense of the rest of the human race. The moderate success that he has had so far has led to the installation of AI structures in the ship that protects Guyen in cold storage, so Lain has not been able to stop him. She convinces Holsten that the danger is real and that they must work together to stop Guyen.

The next Portia, who is a great priestess of the Messenger, emerges from her molting cocoon. There are tensions between Great Nest and the other spider temples. The religion of the Messenger is now the primary form of government in Great Nest and beyond, though there are different interpretations of the Messenger’s signals and plans.