Hadrian spends the night hiding in a loading dock, unable to sleep and struggling with Emesh’s heavier gravity, thick air, oppressive heat, and alien environment. At dawn he studies Borosevo, a low, sprawling city of cracked buildings, green canals, and a dominant palace, then uses the palace and his memory of where he woke to reason his way back toward the starport.

At the starport terminal, Hadrian tries to ask after the Eurynasir and Captain Demetri Arello. His ragged appearance alarms the staff, and a uniformed clerk checks the logs but claims no ship by that name is listed. When Hadrian presses the matter, security beats and ejects him, leaving him hungry, thirsty, and increasingly afraid that the ship may not be at the port at all.

After more searching and a tense exchange with a city prefect, Hadrian finds his way to a reclamation depot on the edge of the sea, where damaged ships are stored and salvaged. He sneaks past the gate, moving through hangars full of scarred lighters and empty vessels while hoping to find the Eurynasir or learn what happened to it.

Hadrian encounters a squat dockworker named Skag, then another named Bor, and recognizes Hadrian’s stolen signet ring on Bor’s finger. When the men attack rather than explain, Hadrian fights despite exhaustion and Emesh’s gravity. Using his noble combat training, Hadrian breaks Bor’s arm and pulls the ring free, reclaiming the one stolen item that most clearly marks his identity.

More workers arrive, led by Gila, who recognizes the danger implied by Hadrian’s ring but still orders Hadrian off the worksite. Gila reveals that the Eurynasir was empty when it entered the system, that its crew had taken the shuttles and left Hadrian in fugue, and that the ship has already been moved up-well for refitting. Hadrian demands his letter and other belongings, but Gila says everything was thrown away, forcing Hadrian to retreat with only his ring and no clear path forward.