Because the Bebaus brothers" fast‑moving fleet lacked representatives for their newly seized worlds, Lafiel was named Territorial Ambassador of Lobnas II. When he reached Jinto, he learned the planet had been turned into a penal colony by United Mankind and now hosts one million inmates on its sole inhabited island. The prisoners are divided into three sectors: the west for women, the east for men, and a central mixed zone where all detainees are required to be sterilized. Women in the western block sought to leave Jinto for a safer world, prompting men in the east to revolt, seize control of the island, and attempt to halt the women's departure. Meanwhile an hostile fleet approached the system, forcing Lafiel to abandon Jinto.