Welcome! We’ve now met every major character, set up every plot thread, and now it’s time to watch the sparks fly.

A quick rundown-reminder of where all the pieces are on the board:

The Boys: Sentenced to “Community Service”

Basilisk: Waging war after a massive artillery strike on their planet

Litany: Launching a first strike on Basilisk after one member of Parliament seized absolute power

Vinna and Kroyzdt: Still stuck apart, for now

Nikolai: Shipped off to spy on Basilisk, where they met Elias and V

Nyphs: Still doing their thing

Inkling: About to throw a wrench into wartime alliances

Zipporah: Escorting Terry back to her Boltzmann sanctuary world

Ilzo and 49: Off to some new strange destination

Lemnus and Isaac: Pondering their lives, considering leaving the Family

Anisa and Obshchak: Still squaring off as friendly courtroom rivals

Sawtooth: Unknown

Here we have a lovely shot of a shrine on Kiefer-161, flying some vexils. And if you’d like to see the cover for Part 8 in advance, head to Patreon!