- On Anacreon, Hardin, Wienis and Lepold all receive Lefkin's message. The Anacreon navy, now under Aporat, will no longer attack the Foundation. If their demand for Hardin's freedom isn't met, they'll attack the palace.
- Hardin turns off the message and proceeds to tell Wienis a story.
- It is a story about a horse who agreed to let a man ride it so together they could defeat a wolf. But once the wolf was defeated, the man refused to unsaddle the horse.
- Yeah, we think this is an allegory for something.
- Wienis flips out and orders his soldiers to kill Hardin on the spot. But the soldiers can't do it, probably because the idea of the navy blowing them up isn't too appealing.
- Wienis does the typical villain thing and grabs a gun from a solider. He shoots at Hardin, but the beam bounces off Hardin's forcefield and kills Wienis.
- Ooh, burn!
- Lepold moans at the sight of his uncle's death, and Hardin merely says, "A man of 'direct action' to the end. The last refuge" (III.8.22). Okay, so Hardin is no John McClane, but he'll do.