A young boy wakes up and finds his parents listening to the audio-signal that is talking about the war. He tells them about the model spaceport he is building with friends. His parents keep discussing the war, and Tony finds out they are losing the war against the Pas-udeti. Tony leaves, telling them he is going to spend the day in Karnet with his robot. Tony gets a ride on a truck driven by a Pas-udeti. Tony naively discusses the war with him, pushing him too far with his questions, to the point that he gets kicked off the truck. He gets on a public bus, where he helps a young female Pas carry her armload and talks with her. She ends the conversation by warning him that maybe today is not a good day for him to be here as everyone is upset. Tony meets his friends, who are distant and cold. He asks what changed since yesterday, to which the young Pas say that their fleet is winning the war. They get mad when he asks why that matters. Tony tells his robot they better go back home. One of the young Pas-udeti throws a rock at the robot, so Tony pushes him away angrily. A crowd of hostile Pas-udeti throw rocks. The crowd closes in, destroying the robot, but Tony escapes safely as a Terran scout ship shows up to save him. His parents apologize for letting him leave this morning. Tony tells them that he learned of the Terran defeat, to which his mother soothes him, saying him more reinforcements are coming. His dad contradicts her, telling her their time has come. It will be a slow retreat, and the Pas-udeti will get their planets back, but he declares that the Terrans will give them a run for their money the whole way.