Chapter 11

SecUnit analyzes the memory gaps in ART's archives and discovers that a Barish-Estranza explorer ship arrived in the system before ART's crew disappeared, indicating ART was compromised shortly after first contact. The team discusses implications for finding ART's crew and locating the explorer vessel. Meanwhile, Thiago confronts SecUnit about its influence over Dr. Mensah, and SecUnit reveals the GrayCris attack that prompted Dr. Mensah's medical leave.

SecUnit begins analyzing ART's archived data to identify memory gaps, discovering that ART encountered a Barish-Estranza explorer ship and received a distress signal before its crew vanished. The timeline reveals ART was compromised during the docking sequence with the explorer's shuttle, with significant sections of memory deleted and altered. SecUnit reports findings to the team in a private feed conference: Arada, Overse, Ratthi, and Thiago examine evidence that the Targets came from one of the Barish-Estranza vessels, not from Eletra and Ras's transport. Thiago conducts a deeper neurological scan on Eletra in Medical, finding her augment clock shows impossible time readings, supporting memory manipulation theories. The team recognizes they must locate the B-E explorer and ART's potentially imprisoned crew. ART prepares pathfinders for a possible planetary search. Amena continues questioning Eletra in her bunkroom, learning details about the Pre-Corporation Rim colony's discovery and Adamantine Explorations' involvement before a hostile buyout destroyed the original databases. Eletra reveals Barish-Estranza later acquired the recovered data and launched the salvage project, though she claims ignorance about alien remnant recovery protocols. After the conference, humans take mandatory rest periods. SecUnit searches the Barish-Estranza shuttle docked in ART's module, finding it empty but confirming traces of human presence. While analyzing shuttle logs with Amena present, SecUnit addresses her questions about the Marne incident and its relationship to Dr. Mensah, explaining it was a threat assessment. ART encourages SecUnit to express care for Amena directly. Thiago enters the bunkroom corridor where SecUnit sits with sleeping Amena and confronts SecUnit about wielding leverage over Dr. Mensah, claiming she abandoned her council term due to fear rather than genuine medical need. SecUnit reveals the GrayCris attack on Dr. Mensah at the council offices by showing Thiago the helmet camera footage—three augmented operatives breached the secure meeting, with SecUnit neutralizing them while Station Security officers fell. SecUnit clarifies that Dr. Mensah chose medical trauma treatment at Central Medical and that SecUnit made continued participation in Arada's survey contingent on her starting treatment. Thiago appears conflicted and withdraws. SecUnit reflects on the confrontation's poor outcome and potential consequences upon return to Preservation. ART identifies a solution to the targetDrone camouflage problem using matching interference patterns and completes engine repairs. At the chapter's end, ART announces it has located one of the Barish-Estranza vessels and is moving to intercept. A separate interview excerpt reveals SecUnit's internal conflict about its origins.