Holsten wakes choking on burning-electrics fumes as his suspension chamber fails. Startled rescuers wrench the lid open, but their calm, rehearsed reassurances only fuel his fear. Seeing unfamiliar, neatly presented people in worn shipsuits, Holsten suspects impostors and demands answers, then hurls the broken lid and bolts from Key Crew.

He races through corridors stripped of panels and wiring, the ship looking flayed and diseased. Startled workers do not stop him, and he finally ends up cornered in the observation cupola. Surrounded by a dozen strangers in patchwork shipsuits, he lashes out in grief and confusion, lamenting humanity’s constant infighting aboard the Gilgamesh, and breaks down.

The group identifies themselves as Engineering—actual crew descendants maintaining the ship. One woman reveals she is Ailen’s granddaughter. They explain they are fixing widespread failures and that repairs will take as long as necessary. Holsten’s energy ebbs as he confronts the scale of the crisis and the time that has passed.

When “special instructions” are invoked, Holsten realizes the summons comes from Lain. Accepting there is nowhere to run and that these are not savages but the ship’s keepers, he agrees to accompany Engineering to meet Lain.