Facing fallout for backing Holden over Fred, Miller commands OPA security to clear the Nauvoo. Confronted by peaceful Mormon resisters, he orders a nonlethal gas that sedates them, then oversees hours of sweeps to remove stowaways and undo sabotage. The loss of the Mormons’ generational dream weighs on him as he listens to the eerie Eros data feed and endures being denounced by a prisoner.

Tugs haul the Nauvoo from Tycho’s cradles to a safe ignition point; it will take weeks to reach Eros, while Miller plans to arrive earlier to mine and quarantine the rock. He calls Fred Johnson, confirms fission mines are loading, and notes Fred’s veiled concern over the Rocinante leaving with the protomolecule sample. Fred challenges Miller’s trust in Holden; Miller frames it as judgment, not faith.

Alone, Miller reflects on Julie Mao’s choice to join the Belt, her inevitable doom under Protogen, and why he loves her. At the dock, he boards the cramped Talbot Leeds with Diogo and the mixed OPA crew, who celebrate unexpected news: Mars has obliterated Phoebe with nuclear strikes, seemingly recognizing the protomolecule’s threat.

Encouraged yet skeptical of any Mars-OPA alignment, Miller returns to the Eros feed and steels himself to finish one last task. The Talbot Leeds departs on a punishing thirteen-day burn with scheduled breaks, carrying fission mines to seal Eros for years and support the Nauvoo’s ramming attempt, while Miller draws strength from his imagined Julie.