Five

The swarm takes a new host and experiences the overwhelming sensations of inhabiting human consciousness while carrying fragments of its previous host Ameer Kindred's memories. Later, Jessyn grapples with the emotional toll of her research team being scattered due to political upheaval, finds solace in her brother Jellit's discovery of a potentially artificial structure in space, and is then shocked to learn that Samar Austad has been killed.

The chapter opens with the swarm's perspective as it inhabits a new host body, experiencing the complexity of human sensory input and discovering it now carries memories and feelings from its previous host Ameer Kindred—fondness for pickled foods, a memory of a boy named Elial, and resignation to death. The swarm realizes it has traded purity for experience and cannot return to its former state. It then encounters Samar Austad outside a building and speaks to him, though the swarm's internal thoughts remain enigmatic. The narrative shifts to Jessyn and Irinna in a courtyard at Irvian, discussing the dissolution of their research team. Irinna hopes their work together will continue, but Jessyn reveals she may not pursue her own research project due to her dependence on her brother Jellit's support for her mental health struggles. The conversation ends painfully, with both women aware they are likely to be separated. When Jessyn returns home, she finds Jellit excited about astronomical data showing what appears to be an artificially structured object within a gravitational lensing effect—possibly a probe from unknown origins. Jessyn encourages him to investigate further, finding momentary peace in this discovery that places her personal struggles in a larger cosmic perspective. However, this moment is interrupted when Campar contacts her with urgent news: Samar Austad has been killed and security forces may contact Jessyn.