Avrana Kern reflects on her limited emotional capacity as an artificial intelligence partly implemented through ant-based computing. Memories of her former human life surface, but Kern deletes an unwanted recollection of Professor Douglev Haffmeier. Kern also reviews her recent connection to Meshner’s implants and recognizes, while avoiding the full implications, that Meshner may have suffered neurological damage from the experience.

Kern monitors Meshner and Fabian as Meshner and Fabian secretly continue research into translating Portiid experience for a Human mind. At the same time, Viola and Zaine debate whether to approach the inner planet and its human-made signal. Kern encourages the plan because it may help recover Helena and Portia, but Kern also hides a personal motive: she wants to contact the signal’s apparent sender, Erma Lante, and hopes Lante may be something like Kern herself.

Kern admits to herself that Meshner’s mind temporarily expanded her capacities, leaving Kern dissatisfied with her ordinary limitations. When Meshner suffers another brief implant-related attack, Kern links in under the pretext of crew safety and greedily uses the moment to experience expanded, alien sensory access again, even though Meshner may be harmed.

Later, Meshner tells Fabian that one of Fabian’s Portiid Understandings has translated successfully. Meshner has experienced eight seconds of Fabian’s failed courtship from Fabian’s perspective, including not just action but emotional force: hope, shame, fear, ambition, and resentment. Meshner realizes the translation works but may be dangerous because the sensations persist, leaving Meshner shaky, overloaded, and uncertain whether the experiment is wise.

Meshner then turns to the signal from the inner planet, partly to be useful under Zaine’s impatient gaze. Hours later, Meshner joins an argument between Viola and Zaine about the signal’s contents. The material resembles an Old Empire natural history document full of biochemistry, taxonomy, ecology, and food webs, but the described organisms match nothing known. Zaine argues it is fictional or automatically generated speculation, while Viola sees the possibility of truly alien life and scientific vindication for their losses.

During the debate, Meshner experiences sensory bleed and hears Kern privately through Meshner’s implant, commenting on Viola’s fascination and the value of studying life unrelated to Earth. The voice then vanishes, leaving Meshner unsure whether Kern truly spoke through Meshner’s mind or whether the event was another implant malfunction.