The runup to the battle is just as complicated and could fill an article all its own with all the intrigue and double-crossing, but in short, The Other is downloaded into Agatha Heterodyne's head and begins scheming with her Geisterdamen and Tarvek Sturmvoraus, with double-crossing being tossed in on all sides. In the meantime, the news of Prince Aaronev's demise, coming immediately on the heels of the revelation that Agatha is not dead, leads Baron Wulfenbach to suspect the Other's involvement, and to respond appropriately with a massive slaver-quarantine strike via a fleet of airships.