As the living construct continues to infect the Federation ships and cause them to turn on each other, Dal realizes the only option is to destroy the Protostar.

Jankom points out that destroying the protostar core would destroy everything and everyone around them for fifty million miles.

Rok suggests they detonate the core just as they protojump, spreading the energy release across space-time.

Hologram Janeway recommends replicating an escape pod and ejecting before the detonation. Dal points out that with the auto controls fried, someone will have to stay behind to detonate it manually.

Dal offers to do it as captain and since he can’t enter Starfleet Academy as an Augment. Hologram Janeway points out she can do it too. This way there’s no loss of life since her program can be duplicated and stored on an isolinear chip.

They fly the Protostar out of the field of ships firing on each other. They get the ship ready to jump and detonate.

On the bridge, Hologram Janeway discovers her program has grown too big to save onto a chip. But when Dal checks in with her, she gives him a chip and doesn’t let on that anything is wrong.

They bid farewell to the ship. Hologram Janeway tells them serving alongside them was an honor, and they leave. Left alone, she sighs.

The crew’s shuttle exits the shuttle bay. Hologram Janeway brings the core online and gives the order to, “Go fast.”

From the shuttle, the crew watch as the Protostar goes supernova as it jumps, leaving a streak of light and energy in its wake.

In the battlefield, the ships stop firing on each other. Vice Admiral Janeway orders a search for the crew of the Protostar.

On the shuttle craft, they realize the plan worked. Dal inserts the chip Hologram Janeway gave him. A video recording plays. She explains her program couldn’t be duplicated and saved. The crew mourn her sacrifice.

One month later, Starfleet is debriefing at headquarters on what they’ve learned about the Protostar’s detonation. At the point of impact, it created an interspatial rift, a wormhole. Through the rift, one of the stations picked up a message from Chakotay sent from 52 years in the future.

Hologram Janeway’s last action was to duplicate the parameters of the Protostar’s first time jump, giving approximate coordinates for how to find and rescue Chakotay.

An officer rushes in and informs Janeway the Protostar crew has been found.

Janeway defends the crew to the Starfleet tribunal.

The crew waits outside for the verdict. Janeway comes out to tell them that all charges have been dropped. Regarding Starfleet Academy entrance, they will not be granted fast-tracked admission as that wouldn’t be fair to other applicants. However, Janeway has convinced them that five of the crew will be her warrant officers in training under her personal command.

The crew member who won’t be joining them is Gwyn. She plans to find Solum before the Federation makes first contact to try to prevent their self-destruction.

The crew undergoes examination and assessment by Starfleet. Rok is offered a chance to pursue studies in xenobiology. Jankom shows off his engineering skills. Zero gets a new containment suit.

Dal and Gwyn sit together, looking at a model of the universe and talking about their time together. Gwyn tells Dal she knows where Solum is, where her homeworld is. Dal realizes The Diviner is still out there.

Dal tells Gwyn he doesn’t want her to leave. Gwyn understands and kisses him. She promises they’ll see each other again.

The others watch Gwyn’s ship take off. Suddenly a hanger near them opens up and reveals a new Protostar-class ship. Janeway joins them. She tells them she has bigger plans for them. They follow her towards the buildings. Dal turns to look back as Gwyn’s ship disappears into the sky.