Murderbot and Mensah leave the maintenance backbone before reaching the port security barriers, then take a maintenance pod up to the port level. Murderbot checks that they look uninjured and calm enough to avoid station security alerts, hides its weapon in a shoulder bag, runs its human-disguise code, and takes Mensah’s hand so they can pass through the embarkation area more naturally.

As they move through the port, Murderbot cautiously hacks the top-level station security administration feed, expecting GrayCris to pressure the port into letting Palisade search for them. Mensah suggests talking to seem normal, and asks why Sanctuary Moon is Murderbot’s favorite serial. Murderbot admits it was the first show it watched after hacking its governor module and that it made Murderbot feel like a person; Mensah replies that Murderbot is a person, but Murderbot insists it is not legally one.

The conversation exposes Murderbot’s fear of Mensah’s friendship and vulnerability. Murderbot abruptly tells Mensah that the company shuttle will take Mensah and the others to the company gunship, but Murderbot will not go with them. Mensah says she can protect Murderbot, but Murderbot frames that protection as ownership, and Mensah stops herself from arguing, saying only that she wishes Murderbot trusted her.

Then Murderbot’s station-security alert triggers: authorization for a non-station security operation is moving through the human supervisors, and the port emergency klaxon sounds. Lockdown barriers close just before Murderbot and Mensah can reach the shuttle area. Murderbot sees three Palisade SecUnits entering the port and, unable to hack the barriers in time, sends a plea through station security channels asking that Mensah be let through because GrayCris will kill her.

A supervisor raises one barrier just high enough for Mensah to crawl under, and Murderbot gives Mensah the bag to make her think Murderbot will follow. Once Mensah is through, the barrier closes, and Murderbot lies over the feed that it will find another ship. Murderbot takes control of the port drone fleet, blinds the stationary cameras, and prepares to fight the three hostile SecUnits rather than let them reach Mensah.

Murderbot uses hacked hauler bots, cargo lifters, and drones to create chaos in the darkened private docks. Murderbot disables two Palisade SecUnits, but the remaining opponent proves to be a Combat SecUnit that can hack Murderbot’s bot-control code and withstand damaging hits. Murderbot tries to distract it by offering to hack its governor module and free it, but the Combat SecUnit only says it wants to kill Murderbot. As Murderbot starts losing ground, Mensah shouts over the feed that Gurathin is manually opening another barrier; Murderbot runs for it, is hit in the knee, scrambles under the opening, and fires into the gap as the Combat SecUnit reaches after it and the barrier slams shut.