The Limiting Factor returns to Chiark Orbital, descending past Plates toward Ikroh. Gurgeh, withdrawn after the mission, slept in storage for much of the journey and is awakened two days from home. On the lawn outside his house, he parts from drone Flere‑Imsaho and asks whether it aimed the mirror-field ricochet that killed Nicosar; the drone replies, "I am not going to tell you," and departs.

Inside, Yay Meristinoux and Chamlis Amalk-ney greet him with warmth and mulled wine. Gurgeh recounts the mission from departure to the Empire’s collapse. His friends share local news and changes on Chiark, grounding him in familiar life even as the trauma lingers.

Gurgeh notices a mounted trophy: the husk of Mawhrin‑Skel. He gives it to a pleased Chamlis. Yay stays the night; they share intimacy that offers brief solace. Later, sleepless, Gurgeh steps onto the balcony, contemplates the stars and his memories, and finds a little dust in his pocket, overcome with emotion.

The narrative shifts to an epilogue by an “old drone,” admitting it observed, intervened when asked, and sometimes invented inner details. It hints Gurgeh might have deduced the truth from a disk-shaped hole in Mawhrin‑Skel’s casing. The signer identifies as Sprant Flere‑Imsaho Wu‑Handrahen Xato Trabiti—also “Mawhrin‑Skel”—confirming the drone’s authorship and Special Circumstances’ hidden manipulation.