Hiya!
No worries about the "long comment," I'm happy to help you get this to the table!
So, the Conrad Crew each have their own specialities, as well as Drives, that are meant to help the Warden guide their likely job/location.
Fern is a "ground operator" and accompanies the PCs into C/A. Isabelle is the "EVA specialist" intended to help with the Hangar stuff (and eventual Jump Drive installation). El is the pilot, she sticks to the Conrad. The Captain is keen to help the heist on station, but goes wherever the PCs think they'll need him.
Of course, all this is subject to PC intervention, if they insist on changing up the status quo. Or if the NPCs decide to independently seek to accomplish their Drives. But if PCs leave without cryopods/Jump drive/Warp Core, E/R bounty hunters will capture them and they'll end up in an Everett's Moon gulag.
And yes, certain Doom Clock events advance the end of the Track, bringing C/A closer to crashing into the rings. (There's some clarifying text in the version 1.3 that's on its way next week!) This also scrunches some of the ending events, though it's likely there'll be enough going on that some events would probs be irrelevant anyhow.
Hope that helps! Lemme know how it goes!