A copied version of SecUnit regains awareness inside a small partition of ART's archives, with only partial memory and a limited set of stored media to anchor its identity. ART briefly routes Amena's image and then explains the situation: ART is pursuing the Barish-Estranza explorer, cannot risk direct comm contact because the enemy could use the hostages to force compliance, and needs SecUnit's copied consciousness to deploy as killware into the explorer's systems. SecUnit agrees, reminding ART that it helped design the directive.

After ART sends the copy through the explorer's comm connection, SecUnit slips past the filters by disguising itself as an internal test message and hides inside the damaged security system. SecUnit surveys the ship through cameras and finds heavy signs of fighting, multiple dead Barish-Estranza personnel, several dead Targets, and a destroyed SecUnit. On the bridge, SecUnit sees surviving Targets, including one dressed differently from the others, and senses the presence of targetControlSystem somewhere in the ship's network.

Continuing the search, SecUnit discovers seven unconscious humans in a lounge and identifies three as likely members of ART's crew: Martyn, Karime, and Turi. A nearby SecUnit is frozen under a stand-down order, so SecUnit opens a covert connection and speaks to it honestly instead of impersonating Barish-Estranza. The unit, which identifies itself as SecUnit 3, shares archived video and audio showing that all eight of ART's crew were brought aboard, but five were later taken back to the dock and sent down to the planet because the Targets ran out of implants. SecUnit 3 also confirms that the seven humans still aboard are being held immobile by implanted devices.

SecUnit learns more from SecUnit 3's records: the Targets failed to install an alien remnant object onto the explorer's drive, leaving the ship badly damaged and unable to use wormhole travel, and the Targets are divided into factions with conflicting plans. When SecUnit asks about SecUnit 2, SecUnit 3 reveals that contact was lost on the dock; SecUnit then tells the truth that SecUnit 2 was killed by its governor module after being forced to stand down. Realizing the explorer's crew wants ART to catch and dock with the disabled ship so they can threaten the hostages in person, SecUnit asks SecUnit 3 to help retrieve the humans. SecUnit 3 cannot move because of its governor module, so SecUnit offers to disable that module and sends a file of selected memories to build trust.

While hiding traces of its presence, SecUnit plants code in strategic systems, sabotages the masking code the Targets had used against ART's scans, and traces the live connection between the bridge tablet and the implanted humans. SecUnit confirms it can manipulate the pathways without immediately killing the captives, but realizes any rescue must be fast enough to prevent a Target from triggering a killswitch. SecUnit reconnects to SecUnit 3 to propose freeing the implanted humans together, but before the plan can go further, targetControlSystem detects SecUnit's intrusion.