Hermack's escalating pursuit of Caven and his pirates, fueled by duty and culminating in a personal oath of vengeance for Sorba's death.

General Hermack abandons the V-Ship’s original mission after deducing that the sudden loss of a beacon’s signal is not mechanical failure but deliberate sabotage by space pirates targeting argonite. His …

On the V-Ship’s flight deck, Hermack’s frustration over Sorba’s delayed radio contact curdles into a personal vendetta. Warne’s attempt to rationalize the tactical limitations—‘We haven’t the manpower’—only sharpens Hermack’s self-recrimination. …