Chapter 18

SecUnit 003 (Three) pilots a damaged shuttle carrying rescued clients to the transport Perihelion, establishing first contact and delivering critical news that Murderbot 1.0 has been captured by hostile forces on the colony surface. The transport Perihelion and its human crew must now coordinate a rescue operation while Three offers its expertise in stealth retrieval, leading to the abandonment of Perihelion's plan to bomb the colony in favor of a distraction-and-extraction strategy.

Three piloting the shuttle makes initial contact with transport Perihelion, which seizes control of the shuttle and docks it. Three finds Ratthi and Amena waiting—humans whose names appear in HelpMe.file—and medical personnel including temporary captain Arada. While the injured clients receive medical attention, Three relays Murderbot 2.0's message that the original Murderbot has been captured by hostiles on the colony surface. The humans and Perihelion become agitated upon learning that five additional crew members (Turi, Martyn, Karime, and two others) have been located. As they reach the space dock and establish comm contact with the surface team, it emerges that Iris, Thiago, and Overse are still on the colony attempting to locate the captured Murderbot. Perihelion reveals it has armed 32 pathfinder missiles and threatens to bomb the colony to secure the Murderbot's release. Three intercepts this plan privately, warning that hostage scenarios lead to failure, and offers its specialized retrieval expertise in exchange for Perihelion returning the rescued clients to the remaining task force. After humans on the surface—particularly Iris and Thiago—argue that bombing will harm innocent colonists and suggest negotiation as a distraction tactic, Perihelion agrees to abandon its destruction plan in favor of a coordinated distraction-and-extraction operation.