Holden and his crew disembark at Tycho Station and are greeted personally by Fred Johnson, who emphasizes Tycho’s political protection and ushers them to comfortable quarters. Suspicious of Fred’s motives, Holden demands answers before settling in. In the suite, Fred shifts to a hard, candid tone and frames war between the Belt and Mars as mutually catastrophic.

Fred outlines a third path: treat the Canterbury and Donnager destructions as crimes, not acts of war. He argues there is a window to investigate, negotiate jurisdiction, and place blame in a way both sides can accept, culminating in a criminal trial. Because Holden’s crew are the only eyewitnesses to both events, Fred wants their testimony to secure him a seat at the negotiating table. In exchange, he offers protection and free run of Tycho. Holden accepts.

Later, the crew disperses to unwind. Naomi drinks and performs raucous karaoke; Amos pursues an expensive escort; Alex boasts about Martian dart skills and plays in the back. Holden briefly imagines intimacy with Naomi but refrains and leaves, feeling isolated amid Tycho’s bustling corridors.

Drawn back to the Rocinante, Holden straps into the cockpit and then his bunk, haunted by memories of Ade and Captain McDowell. He acknowledges Fred’s plan as the rational way to prevent escalation but longs for retribution against the unknown attackers. Torn between justice and vengeance, he finally tries to sleep to the quiet heartbeat of the ship.