Holden and Miller remain in sick bay for days as newsfeeds argue over Eros’ fate and interplanetary tensions surge. Martian frigates blockade Pallas, a Ganymede revolt leaves sixteen dead, and Ceres seizes Martian ships. Holden, uneasy about Naomi after his failed overture, forces himself to ops, where Amos departs and Naomi plays a message from Fred Johnson.

Fred reports Tycho cracked the Donnager data cube Naomi left: it contains EM sensor logs from the pursuit and battle. Naomi and the Rocinante’s software find no hidden message. Remembering Lieutenant Kelly died to deliver it, Holden questions its value and considers what Mars would want from such data.

Holden proposes the logs encode drive signatures. He links the dataset to the Rocinante’s friend/foe database and treats it as identification by propulsion radiation. Miller suggests sending clues rather than conclusions implies a desire for independent verification. The ship’s analysis flags standard light-cruiser engines from Bush Shipyards—Earth-built—prompting Naomi’s alarm.

Holden immediately broadcasts the dataset to everyone. Miller explodes, citing a pattern of misdirection: the Canterbury looked like Mars, the Donnager looked like the Belt, and now the evidence points to Earth. He warns that public accusations without certainty only widen the war. Holden counters that radical transparency thwarts secrecy and may draw broader scrutiny.

The Rocinante then arrives at asteroid BA834024112, where Julie once left a fortune chained. A long, black stealth ship—nearly invisible to sensors—lies tethered there, likely the same type that killed the Canterbury. Despite the risk, Holden and Miller agree to go aboard.