Caliban's War

Holden finds the bar where Naomi is hanging out with her friends. While he is still afraid of how she is changing him, admitting his fear makes all the difference. Holden speaks with Naomi. He apologizes for his behavior, admits she was right, and asks her to hire back on with the Rocinante. The next day, Prax and Amos meet Holden on the ship to share their lead: Strickland was formerly a scientist named Carlos Merrian, who was fired from his university for violating ethical boundaries. Holden guesses he went to work for Protogen.

Avasarala tries to communicate with people back at the UN, hating the lag time for messages. She continues to receive reports on Venus but is more concerned with what is happening between Earth and Mars. She’s upset that Errinwright was able to use her, largely because “her failure was going to mean more war, more violence, more children dying” (384). She sees Holden’s message and shares it with Bobbie, who recognizes the signs of the protomolecule. Avasarala tells Bobbie about her son’s death, admits that she’s frightened, but points out that violence will never solve either of their problems: “You’ll never kill enough people to keep your platoon from dying. No more than I can save enough people that one of them will be [my son]” (390).

Prax, talking with the crew, realizes that Strickland would likely have transported the children to a place with access to their medicine. He conjectures that they are using the protomolecule to remake human bodies, but they aren’t able to control it, which is why they are implanting explosives into the hybrids as a fail-safe. The one in their hold managed to eject its self-destruct bomb, which means the protomolecule is learning how to get around its constraints. Prax deduces that the people running the experiments are on Io.

Prax reviews his incoming messages, taking comfort in the support of strangers. Then the messages turn threatening and abusive. He sees a newsfeed of Nicola claiming that Prax is violent and that he abused their daughter and probably killed her.

Avasarala sees Nicola’s video and recognizes that someone, probably Errinwright, is orchestrating a smear campaign. That means they’re afraid of Prax. Avasarala consults Admiral Souther for help. She sends message after message but feels frustrated by the distance; “She felt like a world-class musician standing before a full auditorium and handed a kazoo” (406). She suspects that Errinwright and Nguyen are turning to the familiar territory of war because they are terrified of and paralyzed by what is happening on Venus. She learns that Nguyen has ordered six UN destroyers to depart Ganymede, and Martian warships have followed. She concludes that Nguyen is following James Holden and the Rocinante, with the intent to kill him. She warns Bobbie and Cotyar to prepare, then tries to send a message to the Rocinante, but is refused communication access. Avasarala instructs Bobbie to take control of Mao’s ship by force.

Bobbie has the crate marked Formal Wear brought into her room. The marks on her suit remind her of her last engagement on Ganymede. She preps her suit, and Cotyar helps her put it on. In it, Bobbie feels powerful again. She climbs through the decks of the ship, deflecting attacks by security officers. She confronts the captain, who surrenders. Avasarala wants to chase down the Rocinante, so Bobbie reveals she’s found that Mao’s ship is carrying a small racer called the Razorback.

Holden assembles the crew and suggests they form a collective partnership, much like his eight parents did on their Montana farm. He describes how his eight parents joined together to have him to share the onerous baby tax—the way Earth controls population numbers. He suggests a vote. They all vote for Holden as captain. Naomi is an engineer, Alex just wants to fly, and Amos identifies as the mechanic. Naomi takes Holden to her bunk, where he reflects on how sex with her is different from his past encounters. Alex calls to relay a message from an older woman claiming to be from the UN, warning Holden that a UN admiral is after him.

Prax doesn’t enjoy the high G force of their thrust as the ship speeds to meet Avasarala. He thinks about talking to Nicola but feels no connection to her now. Amos presses Prax to confirm that the accusation that he abused his kid is false. Alex calculates that they can catch the racing ship before the destroyers catch up to them. Prax sends Nicola’s money back to her. They meet the racer. Bobbie boards in her armor, intimidating everyone. Then Avasarala boards and begins ordering everyone around.

Avasarala prepares a press release and runs it by the crew. The release claims that Avasarala, Bobbie, and Holden’s crew have joined forces to investigate the attack on Ganymede and bring home Mei Meng. Avasarala talks to Admiral Souther without being monitored, and he admits she’s stirred things up back at the UN. Avasarala gathers the crew and shows them Bobbie’s footage of the hybrid’s attack on Ganymede. Prax notes that the creatures are breaking from their programming, just as he surmised. Holden describes the one they fought on his ship. Prax conjectures that Strickland kidnapped the immuno-compromised children because they would be easier to program with the protomolecule.

Prax reviews the reports from Venus and notes that energy spikes there correlate with the hybrid creatures’ attacks; he guesses the protomolecule can communicate instantly across distances. Avasarala sends a message to Errinwright telling him to call off the program because it won’t work. Errinwright’s response is to send destroyers after the Roci at high speed.

Holden doesn’t quite know how to take Bobbie: He’s fascinated by her allure but threatened by her powerful size. He explains the ship’s defense systems to Avasarala but can’t see how they could escape an assault by destroyers. Holden wants to tell everyone in the world what is going on, but Avasarala advises him to contact Admiral Souther instead. Holden doesn’t like this strategy, so Naomi tells him to also send the intel to someone else he trusts. Holden sends the data package to his mother. Then, as he plots their attack with the crew, Bobbie has an idea.

Bobbie realizes that the Martian ships trailing the UN destroyers likely want to stop a war, just like Avasarala. The Martian command seems skeptical of UN motivations. Bobbie breaks down everyone’s role in a firefight. Holden seems wary, and she reminds him that her rank, gunnery sergeant, means she is proficient with all sorts of weapons. She’ll be the gunner. She finds the chair too small for her and is impatient for the fight, but glad to be back on familiar ground.

When the fight begins, the Roci is hit by three bullets. Three of the UN destroyers are blasted apart, and the other three are heavily damaged. The UN captain surrenders. The Martians have lost two ships, with one damaged, but the Roci is still intact. Alex is impressed by Bobbie’s skills. Avasarala invites the Martian contingent to come to Io to stop the apocalypse.