The chapter opens with a flashback to the beginning of the story, when the narrator explains that he was a young man obsessed with the idea of creating intelligent robots. He decided to come to the sigma fleet to try his hand at making the best robot. He went through many trials before he came to the fleet, and after that, he became unemployed. When he finally arrived at the tekson factory, he was about to complete his life-long goal. He feels ashamed of himself for being a coward, and wishes he could clear his name.