In some ways, the Cike seems just as disorganized as the rest of the Nikara military—there’s no real reason given for Ramsa blowing up a building, and killing two Nikara soldiers isn’t a good look. Rin is struggling with the transition to adulthood here. Giving up her armband means fully stepping away from student life into that of a soldier, and her emotional difficulty in doing this suggests she isn’t ready. Enki’s role in the Cike, meanwhile, further develops Jiang’s ideas of how to properly use drugs. But though Enki strives to steer the Cike away from addiction, there’s something about this job that leads people there anyway. Drugs might give Cike a leg up in their work, but ultimately, drug use seems to condemn them.