Chapter Five

SecUnit pursues a rescue mission to retrieve Hirune from the facility's engineering pod while managing revelations about Wilken and Gerth's betrayal. After battling combat bots using hacked drones, SecUnit successfully retrieves Hirune but discovers that Wilken was sent to kill Abene and Miki. SecUnit freezes Wilken's armor and begins planning how to deal with Gerth, who remains on the shuttle and poses a threat to the rest of the team.

SecUnit establishes a private alliance with Abene, positioning itself as her principal client and security asset against Wilken and Gerth's doubts. When Wilken proposes sending SecUnit alone into the engineering pod as a distraction, SecUnit agrees but actually plans to hack the combat drones stationed there. SecUnit successfully seizes control of 29 drones and uses them to attack the two combat bots in the engineering pod, creating chaos that allows SecUnit to retrieve Hirune from the hub floor. While escaping through the facility's lift system, SecUnit discovers that Wilken has betrayed the team—she returns to attack Abene and Miki, attempting to kill both while claiming it's not personal. Miki intervenes, losing its hand in the firefight, and SecUnit responds by hacking Wilken's powered armor through the feed, freezing her in place. SecUnit leaves Wilken's armor vents open but alive. Abene argues against killing Wilken, citing the need for testimony against GrayCris. SecUnit blocks communication with the shuttle to prevent alerting Gerth and analyzes the situation: the combat bots were always part of the facility's original manifest, not sent by GrayCris specifically to kill the team. This suggests GrayCris may have intended the bots to eliminate Wilken and Gerth as loose ends. SecUnit and Abene deduce that Gerth is likely waiting for a signal from Wilken before acting against the shuttle crew. The chapter ends with SecUnit beginning to formulate a plan involving the geo pod, though it acknowledges the plan is probably bad.