Oh.

: That first one is what I was calling 'attack mode', but I don't see any link
: with the later behaviour of going to the second room.
: Not sure what you were getting at there - or if you were
: implying any link with your opening comment.

I was thinking that the normal "attack" behaviour was perhaps a charge to the high level of the cargo bay, and that it sometimes was simply not being triggered for whatever reason. But I just checked and you're right, the two behaviours are completely different (the "attack" behaviour is a relaxed patrol just into the adjacent corridor).

: (is it a cargo bay
: actually?)

It's a big room full of crates and combat vehicles, and there's a wide passage that connects it to the grav lift room. I don't think the game explicitly says what it is, but I've always thought of it as one, and I've heard other people refer to it as such.