At a formal event Mr. Eaton panics when Commander Neal fails to respond and presses Lea to fix it. Lea admits her husband Zaiden went abroad the day they married and they've never been together, which prompts her sister to urge divorce and promise to bring a new suitor, Clayton. Outside, a beggar is expelled and a woman produces expert shooting that shocks onlookers; someone identifies her as the Lady General and even Mr. Eaton is surprised. The key turn: Lea's sister orders Clayton summoned immediately, forcing a race between Clayton's arrival and Mr. Eaton's attempt to find Neal.