Murderbot crosses a crowded transit ring mall disguised as an ordinary augmented human, trying to avoid attention while traveling alone through Corporation Rim space. It reflects that SecUnits are normally shipped as cargo, not allowed in public areas, and that despite hacking its governor module and escaping company control, it is still legally considered property. Its main concern is reaching another transport without being recognized as a rogue SecUnit.

While skimming a public newsburst, Murderbot sees an image of itself from Port FreeCommerce, standing behind Pin-Lee and Ratthi after the DeltFall disaster. The report mentions that Dr. Mensah bought the SecUnit who saved her, but journalists mistake Murderbot for a generic human bodyguard rather than identifying it as the purchased SecUnit. The released security footage also shows moments from the DeltFall crisis, including Murderbot finding bodies and Gurathin and Pin-Lee discovering Mensah and Murderbot after the explosion, but Murderbot confirms there are no clear shots of its face.

The rest of the report summarizes the political and legal fallout: GrayCris is under pressure from Preservation, DeltFall, and other non-corporate entities, while multiple groups are also fighting over liability and jurisdiction. Because the story is already old and does not expose its identity, Murderbot concludes that most people would assume it is still traveling with Mensah and the others. Even so, the sight of itself in the news unsettles it and reinforces its desire to leave quickly, hide, and think about the personal question that now guides its next move.

Murderbot heads for the outgoing bot-driven transports, choosing not to risk heavily monitored passenger systems. It decides on a destination where it hopes to get an important answer, first considering a cargo transport and then switching to a long-range university-owned research vessel making an automated cargo run there. After hacking station security and slipping through the docks, Murderbot contacts the research transport, offers it media in exchange for passage, and claims to be a free bot trying to return to its human guardian. The transport accepts and opens the lock, giving Murderbot a covert way to continue its journey.