Avrana Kern monitors the first-contact meeting inside the water-filled bubble through the transparent wall and through Helena and Portia’s suit and implant telemetry. Because Kern’s attention can run in many parallel tracks, Kern also studies the octopus civilization’s signals, especially the three ships nearby. Kern finds their communications constant, noisy, and difficult to interpret, concluding that the aliens seem to broadcast almost continuously.

Amid the chatter, Kern detects a separate signal that unexpectedly consumes her attention. The signal does not come from the octopus ships or their oceanic planet, but from another world farther inside the system. Quick scans suggest this inner planet is more Earth-like, and the transmission is in Imperial C, Kern’s native language from the ancient human civilization.

The discovery implies that ancient humans may have reached that world and may still exist there. Kern understands that this should produce shock, hope, and awe, but Kern’s digital self cannot summon the depth of feeling expected from a human mind. The absence itself becomes a fixation, drawing more of Kern’s capacity and threatening essential ship functions before Kern restrains herself.

To experience the emotions Kern cannot generate alone, Kern uses Meshner’s still-open implant without permission and extends into his augmented neural systems. Meshner’s implant is configured to translate human and Portiid sensory and emotional data, allowing Kern to borrow a facsimile of his emotional responses. While inside, Kern also notices and repairs several obstacles that have hindered Meshner’s attempts to understand Portiid experience.

Kern withdraws when alarms indicate both system strain and an external problem. The ships and ambassadors remain mostly stable, though Portia shows alarm during contact with the octopus envoy, while Meshner suffers another medical emergency aboard the Lightfoot. Kern realizes Kern’s intrusion caused or contributed to Meshner’s crisis, but delays any confession because first contact is still underway.

With Kern’s attention overloaded by the alien meeting, Meshner’s emergency, and the Imperial C discovery, Kern’s automatic impulse to answer the transmission proceeds unchecked. Kern sends a simple acknowledgement in Imperial C. Moments later, the situation collapses into disaster.