Rite of Passage

Shaken by recent events, the crew struggles on. Tiki blames Mika for Mario's death. Even Beatrice grieves for Mario. Mika is told that Hiroto's chances of recovery are slim. Mir steals the Shaft and goes off to Ganymede to confront Sergei about his betrayal. Mika pursues her, but is unsuccessful in bringing Mir back. So Sofia is sent after both Mir and Mika. Meanwhile, Dolce finally finishes debugging the Shaft. On Niven Base, Mir confronts Sergei, who says he was waiting for her to come and everything is as planned. A new type of Ring appears in space and attacks the Bilkis.