All eight crew members survive, complete decontamination, reveal their mission to Preservation, and regroup around the colony’s medical and legal rescue.
All eight members of the ART Crew return to Perihelion after captivity aboard the explorer and flight across the colony surface. Turi, Karime, and Martyn remain isolated for three additional cycles, while Seth, Iris, Kaede, Tarik, and Matteo recover from injuries. Their quarantine knowledge lets the group repair infected Murderbot without retransmitting alien code.
The crew accepts Preservation’s confidence after learning Murderbot’s GrayCris history, and both groups agree to protect one another’s secrets. Martyn supplies remote biological expertise during the SecUnit’s treatment; Kaede and Matteo help design isolation and repair procedures; Iris and Karime work with Pin-Lee on the colony’s legal defense.
Alien contamination invalidates the university’s original clean-colony charter strategy, while residue on ART’s drive prevents wormhole travel without specialist decontamination. The crew sends a buoy to the university and remains in-system to make recommendations for treating or relocating the colonists. With Preservation’s responder arriving first, the crew gains security, legal expertise, and a possible alliance against Barish-Estranza’s claim.
Eight recovering university adults in clean dark-blue crew clothing and assorted medical stabilizing packs, visibly bruised and exhausted but reunited aboard their transport after captivity and quarantine.
ART’s reunited crew becomes the human coalition linking decontamination, colony relief, and legal resistance. Their willingness to rescue Murderbot also opens a place the SecUnit may choose to join.