Amanda sees through this ruse, of course, but Tak's troops are already in town, both in disguise and plainly dressed for massacre. The first shots are fired in the NeedWant, where Lt. Bebe blends his Indogene face into the pinkmeat crowd through that fancy genetic alteration that makes him look completely human. When he manages to take out one of the shooters, he solidifies his cover, earns Nolan's trust and is moved to the front lines of the strike force.
Nolan's first tactical move is to take the militia through the tunnel Tak burrowed under the town. He hopes to surprise the enemy, but Bebe literally blows up his plan when he isolates the citizens from the Generals and throws a bomb in their midst. He also stabs Irisa in the shoulder and gets off a near-fatal shot on Alak before Nolan finally takes him out.
Their Plan A tanked, but fortunately, Doc Yewll has an idea so crazy, it just might work. Tak camped his troops right by the stasis net which, properly charged, acts just like a bomb. If they send someone through with a remotely controlled detonator, they can rig the whole thing to make Tak's camp go kablooey. Sure, the bearer of that detonator will die, but nobody said it came without a downside.
Meanwhile, Stahma is doing what in some circles would be called "tripping balls." She and Kindzi close their eyes and it's like they're on this super-trippy ship full of purple aliens, no joke! Kindzi tells Stahma of the rivers of blood that will flow once she and her multitudinous family dominate Earth. T'evgin, returning home from a journey to town for supplies (which, incidentally, turned into a skirmish with a Casti soldier about to murder a human family), immediately brings Kindzi and Stahma back from their virtual fantastic voyage and beats his daughter for revealing so much. His mouth and robe are bloody from the Casti throat he ripped out with his nine rows of teeth (we exaggerate only slightly) as he promises Stahma that, though total and merciless domination was their initial design, he has seen things that have changed his mind. Does it make us gullible that we believe him? Or just romantic?
Kindzi hates this news more than the part where they don't get to kill Stahma for knowing too much, and storms out. Omec teens, amirite? They never like their father-lover's playthings. Stahma not-so-subtly suggests that T'evgin kill his daughter.
Unbeknownst to her, Stahma has been offered a pardon through her husband's soon-to-be heroic deed: he's the one who will deliver (in his arm!) the detonator into Tak's camp. Datak's not doing much this afternoon, just hanging on The Shaming Rack and reminiscing over all the ways he failed his father and lost his honor, so he's like, "Yeah, sure." Once in Tak's tent, he offers the baloney negotiation terms to the General and begs to stay. As a gesture of his fidelity, he cuts off his left arm using his charge blade - the one that his father gave him, and that Tak stole when they first met. Once Datak and his arm are sundered, he politely excuses himself and runs as far as he can as Tak and his army are blown to smithereens.