Miller, cut off from Holden’s crew and haunted by Julie Mao’s memory, sits alone on Tycho weighing his isolation and the temptation to give up. He reaches out to Diogo for leads, then listens to a new feed: Eros is broadcasting disjointed voices and system noise, the station’s death-throes turned into sound. The grim chorus underscores Miller’s sense that he no longer fits anywhere.

Seeking work, Miller interviews with a low-end warehouse manager who rejects him as overqualified and politically risky after the Thoth raid and Dresden’s death. The exchange confirms that Miller cannot simply start over; his reputation and choices have consequences that close ordinary doors.

Miller meets Fred Johnson, who makes clear he will not protect Miller for killing Dresden and will “hand-feed” him to the wolves if negotiations require it. Accepting the risk, Miller takes an independent security consultant role, offering his firsthand experience with Eros, Thoth, and the Rocinante as his value.

Asked to identify Tycho’s biggest problem, Miller answers “containment”: secrets will leak, and every power will try to obtain the protomolecule. He advises either defending Eros or eliminating it entirely. Concluding destruction is safest, he proposes ramming Eros sunward with the Nauvoo and denying access until it reaches the corona. Fred calculates the implications and, despite foreseeable outrage from the Mormons, begins to consider the plan.