12. Halep’s Ending

Bob infiltrates the Resistance headquarters beneath Halep's Ending, locates Bender's inactive replicant matrix, and escapes with it after a chase through the complex. He discovers the Administrator is an artificial intelligence, prompting concerns about Hugh's loyalty and requiring him to find an alternate route back to friendly territory via the transport system to the central cylinder.

Bob arrives at Halep's Ending by train and travels to the mountains to find the maintenance complex entrance. Using his roamer devices, he bypasses security, navigates the complex, and discovers a Resistance outpost with approximately ten members. While scouting via spider reconnaissance, Bob locates Bender's powered-down replicant matrix in a monitoring room. After contacting Bender through a rigged speaker system, Bob learns that the Administrator is an artificial intelligence—a revelation that explains potential motives for Starfleet's infiltration and causes Bob to restrict Hugh's access to critical systems. When Bob attempts to retrieve Bender's matrix, he encounters a Quinlan and is forced to use his tranquilizer gun, triggering an alarm. Bob grabs Bender's matrix, races to the train platform, and calls a train heading to Halep's Ending. During the stop there, Resistance members attempt to intercept him with nets and tranquilizer weapons. Bob escapes using the emergency stairs and a false identity, but finds himself stranded in the Halep's Ending area with train stations now guarded. Receiving architectural details from Will about the transport system up the cylinder stays, Bob decides to return to the maintenance complex to access the elevator system, avoiding the single guard by waiting for an opportune moment.