Chapter Six

Pursued by Palisade SecUnits through a station lockdown, Murderbot and Mensah fight their way through the private docks toward a company shuttle. Murderbot deploys combat code to disable approaching hostiles but faces a superior Combat SecUnit, ultimately sacrificing itself to get Mensah safely aboard the shuttle and away from the station.

Murderbot and Mensah navigate the embarkation zone by hand-in-hand, maintaining a calm appearance to avoid triggering security alerts. As they approach the private shuttle docks, Murderbot detects that Palisade operatives have been authorized to search the port and the emergency klaxon sounds, initiating a full lockdown. Hard barriers seal the gates, trapping them on the embarkation floor as three Palisade SecUnits advance through the fleeing crowds. Murderbot hacks the security feeds and pleads with human supervisors to let Mensah through; one supervisor opens a barrier just wide enough for her to escape to the shuttle while Murderbot remains trapped. Unable to follow, Murderbot turns to combat, taking control of station drones and reactivating hauler bots and cargo lifters using Deploy&Delay code to create chaos and cover. The fight escalates across the dock floor as Murderbot disables two SecUnits through precise strikes, but the third—a Combat SecUnit—proves far more capable, quickly hacking Murderbot's code and neutralizing the bot distraction. Murderbot attempts to reason with the Combat SecUnit, offering freedom and resources, but it refuses. As the situation becomes hopeless, Mensah signals from the shuttle side that another barrier is opening. Murderbot makes a final desperate run, gets shot in the knee, but dives under the opening barrier and fires on the Combat SecUnit's armored arms thrust through the gap, forcing it to withdraw as the barrier slams shut.