Herschel
Names: HerschelHersch
First appears in Book 3: All These Worlds, chapter 22 (Derelict)
Appearances
What you know
Book 3: All These Worlds
- Ch 22Herschel and Neil explore the derelicts cautiously, avoiding SUDDAR sweeps in case they activate ants.
- Ch 22Herschel decides to study the Others' unknown power technology themselves rather than hand it to Bill.
- Ch 24Herschel and Neil plan to power up Hulk-1 with a nuke in place in case anything dangerous activates.
- Ch 27Herschel and Neil are eighth-generation Bobs, self-described 'pondscum', hoping the find will earn them recognition.
- Ch 33Herschel and Neil are now Project Leaders of the Derelicts Project, giving status reports at moots.
- Ch 33Herschel suffers from stage fright, which Neil helps cover.
- Ch 36Herschel and Neil are the two Bobs in charge of the Bellerophon, building stasis pods in its cargo bay during transit.
- Ch 38Herschel theorizes the Others may be an underground, agoraphobic species who manufacture inside ships rather than in open space.
- Ch 38Herschel and Neil are Bobs crewing the Bellerophon, with a teasing, bickering friendship.
- Ch 57Herschel and Neil have prepared the Bellerophon's bays for up to fourteen million pods.
- Ch 62Herschel realizes the Bellerophon, with thirty-two mover plates, could descend into Earth's atmosphere and carry everyone.
- Ch 62Herschel lowers the ten-kilometer Bellerophon to two thousand meters, where it fills with air and loads refugees by enclave.
- Ch 64Herschel reports the evacuation two-thirds done, with a couple more hours needed.
- Ch 66Herschel flies the Bellerophon out of the atmosphere and dodges Others' zaps using SCUT warnings, revealing to the Others that the Bobs have FTL comms.
- Ch 66Herschel promises Neil he will tell Will about Cuba afterward, knowing Will knew people there.
- Ch 66If the Bobs win, Herschel plans to return, build the remaining stasis pods, and take everyone to 82 Eridani.
Book 4: Heaven’s River
- Ch 4Herschel and Neil collect the Pav's ingots at New Pav aboard the Bellerophon, payment arranged by Jacques.
- Ch 4Herschel and Neil have personally set up at least five colonies over decades of system-hopping.
- Ch 4Herschel fears war with a technologically superior alien species is statistically inevitable and could exterminate humanity.
- Ch 4Herschel and Neil decide to plant a human colony far outside human space, perhaps the Perseus arm, to ensure humanity's continuity.
- Ch 10Herschel believes most Bobs have turned to navel-gazing, and those heading outward like Phineas, Ferb, Icarus and Daedalus are running away.
- Ch 10Herschel plans to mass-produce AMI-controlled Heaven vessels using Pav-deal materials and send them ahead to scout systems for a colony.
- Ch 47Herschel and Neil have pressurized the Bellerophon's control cavern and given their mannies tiny SURGE drives for free-fall flight.
- Ch 47Herschel and Neil have kept their research unpublished, unsure whether they want it public yet.
Book 5: Not Till We Are Lost
- Ch 7Herschel is repairing the Bellerophon's SURGE drive en route from New Pav to Omicron2 Eridani, fifteen years out.
- Ch 10Herschel expects FAITH to tighten control gradually, boiling-frog style, to avoid provoking protests.
- Ch 10Herschel decides to survey the Ever Onward membership and warn them, but not yet involve Will.
- Ch 10Herschel and Neil are determined to get their descendants off Romulus before protests become illegal.
- Ch 66Herschel and Neil built a lounge with manny pods so they can entertain visitors in real life aboard their ship.
Connections
- friend ofNeilNeil calls Herschel 'brother'
- leadsDerelicts Project
- leadsHulk-1
- ally ofNeil
- ally ofRiker
- related toHulk-1co-operates the ship with Neil
- createdEx-Man-1
- inHulk-1
- enemy ofFAITHFAITH regards the Bobs as abominations
- ally ofEver Onward
Key moments
- Book 3 · Ch 22Exploring the Others' derelicts
Herschel and Neil enter a damaged Others' cargo vessel in the Delta Pavonis Kuiper belt and find an intact, non-fusion power core, a potential new technology.
- Book 3 · Ch 24Exploring Hulk-1's bays
Herschel and Neil number Hulk-1's 864 cargo bays, cut into bay 1, find inert Others' drones, and dismantle one to confirm they are dormant.
- Book 3 · Ch 24Power-up plan
After tracing Hulk-1's wiring, Herschel and Neil's simulation shows the carrier can be powered up in a stable state.
- Book 3 · Ch 27Hulk-1's power core activated
Herschel and Neil successfully activate Hulk-1's alien power core from a safe distance, discovering an enormous power output.
- Book 3 · Ch 27The colony-ship idea
Bill scolds Herschel and Neil for their secrecy, then is stunned by their proposal to turn Hulk-1 into a giant colony ship for Earth's population.
- Book 3 · Ch 33Derelicts Project update
Herschel and Neil present the Bellerophon plan to the moot: fly the repaired derelict to Earth with mover plates and build stasis pods on the way.
- Book 3 · Ch 38Bellerophon maintenance woes
In interstellar space, Herschel and Neil restart the Bellerophon's power core and, after the mover plates lose sync a third time, decide to add eight more plates.
- Book 3 · Ch 50War moot
At a moot, the Bobs review the defense buildup, Bellerophon findings and weapons research; Neil warns the Others may already be circling toward Sol.
- Book 3 · Ch 56Bellerophon arrives
As the council ends, Herschel and Neil arrive at Sol, offering a way to get humans out of harm's way.
- Book 3 · Ch 57Bellerophon reaches Sol
Herschel and Neil arrive and learn from Will that the Others' fleet is coming and there are six million too few stasis pods for Earth.
- Book 3 · Ch 57Evacuation triage
Will decides to evacuate the largest enclaves first, knowing nearly half of Earth's people will be left behind.
- Book 3 · Ch 62Plan to save everyone
Herschel realizes the Bellerophon can enter Earth's atmosphere; with Bill, Will and Neil he decides to carry the remaining six million unpodded people too.
- Book 3 · Ch 62Bellerophon evacuates Earth
Herschel lowers the Bellerophon into Earth's atmosphere; a thousand transports load enclaves into its bays over ten stops, with sixteen deaths at the first.
- Book 3 · Ch 64Evacuation logistics under pressure
Neil, Will and Herschel deal with sanitation, food and water for the refugees while Bill warns that the battle is turning and the evacuation must hurry.
- Book 3 · Ch 66Bellerophon flees Earth
Herschel lifts the loaded Bellerophon off Earth and dodges a series of Others' zaps thanks to SCUT warnings, then runs from the battle.
- Book 3 · Ch 66Cuba destroyed
An Others zap hits Cuba before its 150,000 people can be evacuated, killing everyone there.
- Book 3 · Ch 70Victory and the end of the Others
Bill tells Herschel and Neil that the Battle of Sol is won at heavy cost, and reveals that Daedalus and Icarus have destroyed GL 877, ending the Others.
- Book 3 · Ch 70Refugees return home
The Bellerophon unloads its waking refugees back to Earth while those in stasis stay podded until the remaining pods are built.
- Book 3 · Ch 74Bellerophon departs for 82 Eridani
With the remaining humans podded aboard, Herschel and Neil leave Earth and set course for 82 Eridani, taking humanity off the endangered list.
- Book 4 · Ch 4Ingot collection at New Pav
The Bellerophon loads the Pav's ingots, payment for the autofactories; the Pav remain curt toward the Bobs.
- Book 4 · Ch 4Plan for a distant colony
Herschel and Neil resolve to add mover plates and carry Great Exodus stasis pods to found a human colony well outside human space.
- Book 4 · Ch 10Ever Onward responds
Herschel and Neil learn their colony idea drew interest from Ever Onward on Romulus and decide to contact them, expanding the plan to include AMI scout vessels.
- Book 4 · Ch 47Will proposes joint expedition
Will visits Herschel on the Bellerophon, reveals his secret ship and Ever Onward plans, and proposes leading while Herschel's colony ship follows.
- Book 4 · Ch 47Ex-Man-1 unveiled
Herschel and Neil show Will their flying mannies and the Ex-Man-1, a shape-shifting manny built of microscopic ants; Will suggests a senior-Bob review when ready.
- Book 4 · Ch 57Will reveals his departure
Will tells Bob he left 82 Eridani in a mini-Bellerophon a year and a half ago to escape politics and travel with Herschel and Neil.
- Book 5 · Ch 7Bellerophon drive repairs
En route to Omicron2 Eridani, Herschel nears completion of the Bellerophon's SURGE drive repairs, planning a full systems test after stowing the pusher plates.
- Book 5 · Ch 7FAITH gains ground on Romulus
Neil brings news that FAITH is polling far better than expected in Romulus's election, possibly due to backlash from the Starfleet War.
- Book 5 · Ch 10FAITH wins on Romulus
FAITH wins the Romulus election. Herschel and Neil worry about the Ever Onward Society and resolve to get their descendants off Romulus, starting with a membership survey.
- Book 5 · Ch 66Planning Operation Bug-Out
Will visits Herschel and Neil by manny and agrees to take thirty thousand evacuees from Romulus in his hold, rendezvousing outside detection range.
- Book 5 · Ch 69Evacuation of Romulus
Will, Herschel and Neil use AMI-controlled drones to lift about thirty thousand Ever Onward members off Romulus into the Fargo before the military reacts.
- Book 5 · Ch 69Escape through WormNet
With warships launching, the Fargo and Bellerophon accelerate toward a hidden wormhole that will be expanded for their escape and then collapsed.