Timeline
What's happened so far
Book 1 We Are Legion
- Ch 1 · Bob Version 1.0
Bob signs with CryoEterna
Newly rich after selling his company, Bob signs up to have his head cryonically frozen when he dies.
- Ch 1 · Bob Version 1.0
Bob is killed by a car
Crossing the street during The Vortex convention, Bob is hit by a car swerving around a group of drunk fans and dies.
- Ch 2 · Bob Version 2.0
Bob wakes as a replicant
In 2133 Bob is activated as a computer copy of Robert Johansson's mind and learns he is property of the state's contractor.
- Ch 2 · Bob Version 2.0
The rise of FAITH
Dr. Landers explains how a 2041 coup turned the USA into the FAITH theocracy, which seized cryonics clients as property.
- Ch 3 · Bob – June 25, 2133
The roamer test
Dr. Landers brings forward Bob's test with remote manipulator robots, and Bob uses them to stack blocks with growing skill.
- Ch 4 · Bob – July 15, 2133
A rival replicant is lost
One of the five replicant candidates goes into an unrecoverable loop, and her backup fails at the same point.
- Ch 5 · Bob – July 18, 2133
Minister Travis inspects Bob
A senior minister arrives unannounced to vet Bob's religious attitudes; Bob carefully hides his views and passes.
- Ch 6 · Bob – July 19, 2133
Bob learns the mission
With only two candidates left, Dr. Landers reveals that the winner will become the mind of a Von Neumann probe.
- Ch 6 · Bob – July 19, 2133
Two more candidates lost
One rival replicant suffers a psychotic break and another is purged after Minister Travis rejects it.
- Ch 7 · Bob – July 25, 2133
Sabotage warning
Dr. Landers tells Bob that anti-project factions have united against Project HEAVEN, now cut to a single vessel, and warns of possible sabotage.
- Ch 7 · Bob – July 25, 2133
The probe race explained
Dr. Landers briefs Bob on world politics and the rival probe projects of the USE, China and the Brazilian Empire, a race with a strong military component.
- Ch 8 · Bob – August 4, 2133
Raid on the project
Black-clad attackers raid the project complex; Bob frees his roamers and swarms them until security guards force a surrender. Three people are killed.
- Ch 8 · Bob – August 4, 2133
The nuke in the basement
Dr. Landers admits the staff fear not Bob but a tactical nuke in the basement meant to stop him escaping, with the trigger held by unknown people.
- Ch 8 · Bob – August 4, 2133
Bob finds the candidate cubes
Using a hidden roamer, Bob finds the computer room holding five candidate cubes, two active, and chooses not to switch off Kenneth Martins.
- Ch 9 · Bob – August 6, 2133
Minister Jacoby's tirade
Minister Jacoby berates Dr. Landers over the replicant project; Landers rebuts him with the Ministry of Truth's backing and Jacoby leaves with a threat, while Bob listens in.
- Ch 10 · Bob – August 10, 2133
Matrices bombed; Bob restored
An explosive smuggled into the computer room destroys the replicant matrices; Bob is restored from backup onto the one spare unit, and Kenneth Martins is lost.
- Ch 10 · Bob – August 10, 2133
Bob kept online
To speed up the project, Dr. Landers stops deactivating Bob between sessions and grants more library access.
- Ch 11 · Bob – August 15, 2133
Bob learns of the safeguards
While chatting with Dr. Doucette about Handeltown and life under the theocracy, Bob learns his software contains safeguards forcing mission compliance.
- Ch 12 · Bob – August 17, 2133
Landers' secret message
After another deadly attack, Dr. Landers moves up the launch and secretly gives Bob full system access, warning of a probable self-destruct device.
- Ch 12 · Bob – August 17, 2133
Departure for Epsilon Eridani
Warned of a remote detonator, Bob disables his radio and leaves a growing naval battle, heading for Epsilon Eridani.
- Ch 13 · Bob – August 17, 2133 – En Route
News of war and Landers' death
Messages reveal that a Brazilian gunship fired the missile, an armed Brazilian probe is pursuing Bob, and Dr. Landers died in a Brazilian bombing as war spreads.
- Ch 14 · Bob – August 2144 – Epsilon Eridani
Arrival at Epsilon Eridani
Bob arrives at Epsilon Eridani, maps its planets and belts, and searches the inner asteroid belt for resources.
- Ch 14 · Bob – August 2144 – Epsilon Eridani
Preparing for the Brazilian
Bob begins mining and manufacturing for a trap to meet the armed Brazilian probe, delaying his own reproduction.
- Ch 15 · Bob – September 2144 – Epsilon Eridani
Parley with Medeiros
Bob hails the arriving Brazilian ship and appeals for peace; Major Medeiros insults him and refuses.
- Ch 18 · Bill – September 2145 – Epsilon Eridani
The Bobs disperse
Bob, Milo and Mario leave Epsilon Eridani for Delta Eridani, Omicron2 Eridani and Beta Hydri, while Bill builds new Bobs for himself and for Riker's Sol trip.
- Ch 19 · Milo – July 2152 – Omicron2 Eridani
Discovery of Vulcan and Romulus
At Omicron2 Eridani, Milo finds a habitable double planet with oxygen, oceans and life, and names the worlds Vulcan and Romulus despite mission rules.
- Ch 21 · Riker – January 2157 – Sol
Decoy reveals the Brazilians
The decoy Heaven-2A draws out Brazilian probes armed with SURGE missiles and is destroyed, revealing at least six Brazilian ships in the system.
- Ch 21 · Riker – January 2157 – Sol
Asteroids aimed at Earth
Homer and Riker realize four Brazilian probes are guiding asteroids to strike Earth one day apart, targeting China.
- Ch 23 · Milo – February 2153 – Omicron2 Eridani
Milo leaves Omicron2 Eridani
Having surveyed Vulcan and Romulus and left defences behind, Milo departs for 82 Eridani without building copies.
- Ch 24 · Riker – April 2157 – Sol
Battle behind the sun
Riker and Homer draw four Brazilian ships into pursuit around the sun and destroy them by exhausting their missiles with busters, then striking with inert cannonballs.
- Ch 24 · Riker – April 2157 – Sol
Battle at the asteroids
After hiding behind Earth, Riker and Homer attack the last two Brazilian ships under Captain Araújo; Homer is disabled, but Riker destroys both ships.
- Ch 25 · Bill – September 2151 – Epsilon Eridani
Faster-than-light communication
Bill and Garfield test subspace communications over light-minutes and confirm instantaneous transmission, the Skunk Works' biggest breakthrough.
- Ch 26 · Riker – April 2157 – Sol
Contact with Colonel Butterworth
Colonel George Butterworth of the USE hails Riker after the asteroids are averted, beginning cautious negotiations between the Bobs and Earth's survivors.
- Ch 27 · Bob – April 2165 – Delta Eridani
Arrival at Delta Eridani
Bob arrives at Delta Eridani, finds a habitable fourth planet, and sets up mining, defences and a communications station.
- Ch 27 · Bob – April 2165 – Delta Eridani
Discovery of intelligent life
Investigating unexplained fires on Delta Eridani 4, Bob's drones find groups of fire-using intelligent beings, the first non-human intelligence found.
- Ch 28 · Calvin – November 2163 – Alpha Centauri
USE probe wreckage found
Calvin's scouts find the wreckage of the USE probe and its partly built copies in Alpha Centauri B's asteroid belt.
- Ch 29 · Riker – September 2157 – Sol
Priorities dispute with Butterworth
Riker and Colonel Butterworth argue over searching for other survivors; Riker decides to build more Bobs first and search in parallel.
- Ch 29 · Riker – September 2157 – Sol
Bootstrapping industry in Sol
Homer surveys battle wreckage for materials and sets up autofactories, feeding Lagrange-point yards that will build Bobs and eventually colony ships.
- Ch 30 · Bob – April 2165 – Delta Eridani
Bob discovers Archimedes
Studying the Deltans, Bob notices a hafted stone tool and traces it to an inventive young Deltan he names Archimedes, then watches him around the clock.
- Ch 31 · Riker – January 2158 – Sol
Transport vessels prioritised
Realising the scale of evacuation, Riker prioritises transport vessels, angering Colonel Butterworth, who agrees refugees can use the USE compound later.
- Ch 33 · Riker – March 2158 – Sol
Valter's seed-vault ultimatum
Gudmund Valter tells Riker the Spitsbergen group holds the Svalbard vaults colonists need, implying a threat to secure priority for his people.
- Ch 34 · Homer – September 2158 – Sol
Homer's workaround
Frustrated with Riker's handling of the Spits ultimatum, Homer devises a schedule compromise and calls Colonel Butterworth to pitch it.
- Ch 35 · Bob – July 2165 – Delta Eridani
Gorilloid attack
Gorilloids attack a Deltan hearth, killing six Deltans and dragging them off to eat; the Bobs realise the Deltans are being hunted to extinction.
- Ch 35 · Bob – July 2165 – Delta Eridani
Flint gift to Archimedes
The Bobs drop flint near Archimedes; he trades it, learns knapping from Moses, and builds a hafted axe to produce better pointed sticks.
- Ch 35 · Bob – July 2165 – Delta Eridani
Deltans rout the gorilloids
Armed with Archimedes' sticks, Deltans impale charging gorilloids and drive them off; a lucky throw kills one, introducing spear-throwing.
- Ch 35 · Bob – July 2165 – Delta Eridani
Invention of the flint-tipped spear
Archimedes ties a flint flake to a spear, making it throwable; after a tense tribal meeting backed by Arnold, he trades spear points for a share of every kill.
- Ch 36 · Riker – September 2158 – Sol
Cranston's override fails
Minister Cranston tries a FAITH protocol override to make Riker obedient, but it was removed long ago and Riker tells him off.
- Ch 36 · Riker – September 2158 – Sol
Third-ship compromise opens
Butterworth proposes advancing the third ship, and Valter, apparently tipped off, opens negotiations with Riker.
- Ch 37 · Bob – August 2165 – Delta Eridani
Great gorilloid assault
Thirty-one gorilloids attack; Arnold turns Archimedes' axe on them and Bob's buster drone kills one about to reach Archimedes, routing the rest.
- Ch 37 · Bob – August 2165 – Delta Eridani
Bobs choose their paths
Bender and Luke decide to leave Delta Eridani to find their own projects, while Marvin chooses to stay with the Deltans.
- Ch 38 · Riker – November 2158 – Sol
Riker meets a relative
Minister Cranston introduces Julia Hendricks, a descendant of Riker's sister Andrea, and leaves them to talk for hours.
- Ch 39 · Bob – October 2165 – Delta Eridani
Luke and Bender depart
Luke leaves for Kappa Ceti and Bender for Gamma Leporis A, while Bob sends a report to Bill.
- Ch 39 · Bob – October 2165 – Delta Eridani
Bob prepares to speak to Deltans
Having analysed the Deltan language, Bob creates a Deltan voice and orders speaker drones to communicate directly if needed.
- Ch 40 · Linus – April 2165 – Epsilon Indi
Encounter with the Australian probe
At Epsilon Indi, Linus finds the Australian replicant Henry Roberts, alone and psychotic in a ramshackle structure, and disables his reactor to put him to sleep.
- Ch 44 · Bob – January 2166 – Delta Eridani
First contact with Archimedes
Bob speaks to Archimedes via a drone and persuades him to urge his people to relocate to an old village.
- Ch 44 · Bob – January 2166 – Delta Eridani
The bawbe appears to the elders
When the elders mock Archimedes, Bob's drone hovers over him, silencing them; a long debate on moving follows, with Moses and Arnold in support.
- Ch 48 · Bob – May 2166 – Delta Eridani
Deltan migration begins
After preparing preserved food, the tribe sets out for the old flint village, watched by gorilloids and guarded by Bob's drones.
- Ch 48 · Bob – May 2166 – Delta Eridani
Daytime gorilloid raid
Gorilloids snatch two juveniles; drones distract them and Deltans kill half, but one juvenile dies.
- Ch 48 · Bob – May 2166 – Delta Eridani
Crossing the mountain pass
Swelled by other groups to over five hundred, the migration crosses the pass ahead of schedule, but disaster looms two days later.
- Ch 49 · Riker – May 2166 – Sol
Hack attempt on Riker
An intrusion via a back door in Heaven encryption is blocked by Bob-1's firewall and traced to New Zealand.
- Ch 50 · Bob – June 2166 – Delta Eridani
Dawn gorilloid raid on the migration
Dozens of gorilloids attack; busters and Deltan spears repel them, but almost twenty Deltans die and many abductees are lost.
- Ch 50 · Bob – June 2166 – Delta Eridani
Migration pauses to rearm
Bob persuades the elders to camp for five days while more busters arrive, and ramps up manufacturing.
- Ch 51 · Bill – January 2174 – Epsilon Eridani
News of Milo's death
Bill receives Milo's final message from 82 Eridani; his backup is incomplete, so Bill archives it and builds Bobs to retaliate against Medeiros.
- Ch 53 · Bob – June 2166 – Delta Eridani
Migration resumes
With busters replenished, the Deltans resume their march through jungle, enduring three more attacks before reaching the flint site.
- Ch 55 · Bob – July 2166 – Delta Eridani
Arrival at the flint site
The Deltans reach and settle the old flint site, which is surrounded by gorilloids; busters guard the perimeter and Archimedes and Moses start making tools.
- Ch 56 · Bill - March 2167 - Epsilon Eridani
Iceberg rescue
An off-course iceberg forces Bill to run the drive to the last moment; he fractures the berg into rain but loses part of the drive.
- Ch 59 · Bill – May 2172 – Epsilon Eridani
First Bob-moot
Bill convenes the first Bob-moot in a VR matrix at the Skunk Works, gathering Bobs from several systems, then everyone adjourns to a VR pub to celebrate.
- Ch 60 · Khan – April 2185 – 82 Eridani
Ambush at 82 Eridani
Eight version-3 Bobs approach 82 Eridani to attack Medeiros; Hannibal is destroyed by a cloaked nuke, and the Bobs destroy three more with Bill's new plasma spikes.
- Ch 61 · Howard – September 2188 – Omicron2 Eridani
Butterworth chooses Vulcan
Colonel Butterworth picks Vulcan for the colony, and setup crews begin building homes there ahead of waking the first civilians.
Book 2 For We Are Many
- Ch 2 · 2. Colony Site
Howard meets Colonel Butterworth
Butterworth reviews Howard's surveillance plan and announces the farming specialists will be decanted from stasis soon.
- Ch 3 · 3. Life in Camelot
Archimedes learns about the Bobs
On the bluff above Camelot, Archimedes asks how many Bawbes exist, and Bob explains that each brother is a copy of himself with a slightly different personality.
- Ch 3 · 3. Life in Camelot
Deltans settle into Camelot
The Deltans practice flint-knapping and spear-throwing in their defensible new village, though gorilloids still claim lives.
- Ch 4 · 4. Water Planet
Mulder surveys a water world
Mulder discovers Eta Cassiopeiae's third planet is a landless ocean world with oxygen-producing plant mats and a biocompatible ecosystem.
- Ch 5 · 5. Progress
Raptors kill two colonists
Raptors sneak into camp behind log trucks and kill two colonists, prompting debate over whether they are intelligent.
- Ch 5 · 5. Progress
Opening Day approved
With the fence nearly done and farms ready, Butterworth authorizes offloading the rest of the colonists, and Bert's shuttles begin ferrying them down.
- Ch 7 · 7. Back to Work
UN debates Poseidon
After Mulder's report on Poseidon, the UN debates whether to send a colony ship there; Representative Sharma argues for settling a third system.
- Ch 10 · 10. Genocide
Genocide at Zeta Tucanae
Mario discovers that the Others wiped out an entire sentient civilization at Zeta Tucanae, dismantling cities and collecting the dead, after stripping Beta Hydri too.
- Ch 11 · 11. Mating Dance
Archimedes wins a mate
Using jujitsu moves Bob taught him, Archimedes beats bigger rivals during breeding season and pairs with Diana.
- Ch 18 · 18. It’s Getting Worse
Florianópolis apartment bombing
A terrorist attack on a poor Florianópolis apartment building kills sixty-three; Riker supplies drones for rescue and surveillance but can't find the culprits.
- Ch 19 · 19. Prey
Deltans banish Bob
The Deltan council, through Hoffa, tells Bob he is no longer welcome; a devastated Bob withdraws, telling Archimedes he will talk to him later.
- Ch 21 · 21. Attacks Continue
Vancouver Island delivery bombed
A VEHEMENT bomb destroys a food delivery drone at Vancouver Island; Riker arranges a secure replacement with Homer and Premier Grady.
- Ch 22 · 22. Fallout
Bob's secret meetings with Archimedes
Despite his banishment, Bob secretly meets Archimedes, protecting Camelot from hippogriffs and teaching him about bows and arrows.
- Ch 22 · 22. Fallout
Marvin decides to leave
Marvin tells Bob he will leave Delta Eridani, noting SCUT will keep them in touch; Bob reluctantly accepts.
- Ch 23 · 23. VEHEMENT
Riker considers steganography
After more Florianópolis attacks, Riker reasons the two groups may be colluding through hidden messages and turns to analysing that possibility.
- Ch 25 · 25. Rabbits
Rabbits proposed for the vine
Dr. Sheehy tells Howard that rabbits eat Vulcan's invasive vine and could be released to control it; she also reveals colonists are now eating bronto.
- Ch 26 · 26. Selling Poseidon
Riker baits VEHEMENT
At the UN, Riker taunts VEHEMENT and has Guppy watch the reaction; the only anomaly is a tight-beam message from New Zealand to Homer.
- Ch 27 · 27. Luke Returns
Luke reconnects
Luke contacts Bob from Kappa Ceti after joining BobNet, catches up on the Deltans and asks after Marvin and Bender.
- Ch 28 · 28. Et Tu, Homer
VEHEMENT base located
Drones trace the tight-beam signal to a back-country outpost in New Zealand that appears to be VEHEMENT's central base; Riker vows a reckoning.
- Ch 30 · 30. Found Something
Bashful finds an alien system
Bashful's stealth probes reveal Gliese 877 has a vast artificial structure ring and heavy radio traffic, possibly the Others.
- Ch 32 · 32. Linus
Linus returns with Henry
Linus, out of contact for decades, reaches Epsilon Eridani and introduces Bill to Henry Roberts, the rehabilitated Australian replicant, who is welcomed to the Bobiverse.
- Ch 34 · 34. Moose
Second 82 Eridani expedition departs
Ten new Bobs, led by Loki and including Elmer, set out with extra busters to retake 82 Eridani from Medeiros.
- Ch 34 · 34. Moose
Henry meets the Bob-moot
Linus brings Henry Roberts to a Bob-moot; the stunned Bobs warm to him when he jokes about the awkwardness.
- Ch 35 · 35. Sales Call
Whiskey approved for sale
Colonel Butterworth tastes Howard and Bridget's Irish whiskey and declares it saleable, launching their liquor business.
- Ch 35 · 35. Sales Call
Business dinner or date
Over dinner at The Shaded Green, Howard and Bridget plan around Cranston's liquor ban, and Howard admits the evening is also a date.
- Ch 38 · 38. Following up
Hal scouts Gliese 877
Using cautious probes, Hal observes the Others' home system, including a metal-encased planet and the start of a Dyson Sphere.
- Ch 38 · 38. Following up
Hal tests his theory and is caught
Suspecting the Others detect radio traffic, Hal backs himself up and transmits deliberately; the Others close in and his self-destruct engages.
- Ch 41 · 41. Casualties
Riot in the village
Deltans fight Deltans in a riot sparked by a dispute over food; seventeen die while Archimedes' family stands armed at the edge.
- Ch 41 · 41. Casualties
Bob's resettlement plan
Bob coaches Archimedes to talk openly about resettling other village sites so the gangs will want to go first.
- Ch 42 · 42. Business
Howard explains his lineage
As the distillery thrives, Bridget asks Howard about his age; he traces his memories through Original Bob, Bob-1, Riker and Charles, and they discuss immortality.
- Ch 46 · 46. Klown Kar Planet
Rudy surveys KKP
Rudy arrives at Epsilon Indi ahead of Edwin and Exodus-6, surveys the hostile, colourful ecosystem of KKP, and recommends domes for colonists.
- Ch 47 · 47. New Village
Troublemakers leave Camelot
Bob's reverse-psychology plan works: Camelot's worst troublemakers march off to resettle an old village, and Archimedes gets the credit.
- Ch 52 · 52. Bullwinkle
Results from 82 Eridani
Garfield reports the 82 Eridani victory to Bill: three colony targets plus captured cloaking tech and fission bombs, though Bill fears the Others are invincible.
- Ch 53 · 53. Testing
Shielding test at Gliese 877
Hal sends a shielded decoy into the Others' system; it survives a death-asteroid zap long enough to send a scan before self-destructing.
- Ch 58 · 58. News
News of the Brodeurs' son
Dexter's email tells Howard of colony progress, Cranston's fall in New Jerusalem, and that the Brodeurs have named their new son Howard.
- Ch 59 · 59. Another One
Others launch toward NN 4285
The Others launch another expedition from GL 877; Bill and Mario worry the Pavonis systems are next and that no Bob system is close enough to help.
- Ch 59 · 59. Another One
Bill asks Claude to prepare for war
Bill visits Claude's VR and asks him to mobilize Gamma Pavonis for war against the Others; Claude reluctantly agrees to send a priority system report.
- Ch 59 · 59. Another One
Plan to seed Alpha Centauri
Finding the Alpha Centauri station uninhabited, Bill decides to have its AMI build a replicant matrix and load a backup of himself.
- Ch 60 · 60. Arrival
Claude surveys Gamma Pavonis
Claude arrives at Gamma Pavonis and spends five days confirming a rich, habitable planet with no intelligent life, then begins preparing to defend it.
- Ch 61 · 61. Starting Over
Oliver awakens
Bill's backup is loaded into a new matrix at Alpha Centauri and, needing a new name, chooses Oliver.
- Ch 63 · 63. The Pav
Jacques discovers the Pav
Jacques arrives at Delta Pavonis and finds an industrial-age civilization on its fourth planet, likely in the Others' path.
- Ch 65 · 65. Grandpa
Archimedes becomes a grandfather
Belinda gives birth to a pup as Archimedes, Buster and Diana look on, while Bob watches unseen and wishes he could share the moment.
- Ch 66 · 66. It’s Happening
Claude sends reinforcements
Claude launches all his new dreadnaughts to Delta Pavonis, due to arrive just before the Others, for a combined force of thirty-five.
- Ch 68 · 68. Recording
Surveillance of the Los family
Jacques plants tiny cameras in a randomly chosen Mheijrkva household, the Los family, to document Pav life at grass-roots level.
- Ch 70 · 70. Conversation
Butterworth agrees to be replicated
Howard proposes replicating Colonel Butterworth after death for the war effort; Bill is open to it, and Butterworth agrees and will update his will.
- Ch 71 · 71. Charlie
Charlie's first test
Bob activates his Deltan android Charlie and meets Archimedes, who points out the odour and symmetrical fur; Bob fixes both.
- Ch 71 · 71. Charlie
Bob visits Camelot in disguise
In Charlie, Bob walks into Camelot with Archimedes and sits at his family fire, unrecognised even by Diana.
- Ch 72 · 72. Battle
Battle of Delta Pavonis
Bobs attack the Others' armada in three staggered waves plus stealth nukes; they destroy three death asteroids and several cargo ships but lose many dreadnaughts and fail to stop the fleet.
- Ch 72 · 72. Battle
Others' threat and Pav evacuation
The Others vow to harvest Delta Pavonis, Sol and Epsilon Eridani; learning Jacques was killed, Bill triggers the plan to take twenty thousand Pav off-planet.
- Ch 74 · 74. Observing the Process
Harvest of Delta Pavonis 4
Bill's stealth drones record the Others sweeping Delta Pavonis 4 with death asteroids, killing up to a billion Pav, and setting up massive printer operations.
- Ch 76 · 76. Funeral
Diana's funeral
Diana dies and is buried by Archimedes, their children and many descendants; Bob attends in the android Charlie and watches Archimedes grieve.
- Ch 77 · 77. Completion
Others leave a dead world
After four years the Others depart Delta Pavonis, leaving Delta Pavonis 4 stripped and lifeless; Bill weeps at the sight.
- Ch 77 · 77. Completion
Refugee ships depart
REFUGE-1 and REFUGE-2 leave for HIP 84051 while the Bobs regroup at Gamma Pavonis and build fleets to fight the Others.
Book 3 All These Worlds
- Ch 6 · Launch
Planet-moving mission launches
After a successful short-range test of the mover-plate arrays on Epsilon Eridani 1 and an ex-moon of Epsilon Eridani 3, Bill sends his clones Daedalus and Icarus off on a possibly suicidal Hail Mary mission.
- Ch 10 · Hunted
Donald proposes a counter-hunt
Back at Archimedes' flint-working site, Donald suggests going on a hunt of their own to question Caerleon, while Bob suspects more than Fred is behind the trouble.
- Ch 15 · Enclaves
UN rejects stasis proposal
Riker proposes putting Earth's fourteen million people into stasis pods; Representative Misra and Minister MacIntyre oppose it and the UN defers the matter.
- Ch 18 · Arrival at 82 Eridani
Colony leaders choose their worlds
Christie Campbell's Canadians choose Asgard, and Katsu Ito's Japanese choose the jungle planet, renaming it Takama-ga-hara.
- Ch 19 · Cities Attacked
Council declares city residents deserters
The Poseidon Council declares the flying-city residents deserters, issues arrest warrants, locks Marcus out of colony systems and seizes the Lagrange stockpiles.
- Ch 22 · Derelict
Exploring 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.
- Ch 23 · Death
Stasis injunction hearing
Bridget's children seek to have her decanted; Judge Katz refuses, keeping her in stasis with no scanning until a full trial.
- Ch 24 · Explorations
Exploring 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.
- Ch 25 · Battle
Medeiros takes the high ground
Medeiros finds the 82 Eridani autofactories stripped, then uses newly built busters to intercept a printer convoy bound for Asgard.
- Ch 25 · Battle
Mosquito killers down busters
Using thousands of colonist-built mosquito killers, Bill and Captain Richards swarm and disable two of Medeiros' busters near Asgard.
- Ch 28 · Payback
Archimedes examines Fred's spear
Archimedes notes the spear's poor workmanship, leading Bob to suspect Caerleon's aggression comes from inferior tools.
- Ch 32 · Found
Alien power prototype
Bill and Garfield build a prototype of the Others' power core that outperforms Bob fusion reactors fivefold, and brief Riker on the derelict colony-ship plan.
- Ch 33 · Project
Others attack surveillance drones
Bill tells the moot that drones monitoring GL 877 have been attacked or chased, suggesting the Others know they are watched.
- Ch 34 · Kidnapping
Plan to teach Caerleon
Learning Caerleon's poor tools and hunger drive their hostility, the group agrees to offer Archimedes' training to some Caerleon people.
- Ch 36 · Announcement
Riker announces the Bellerophon
Riker tells the UN that the Bellerophon can carry Earth's entire remaining population, and fields questions on pods, shuttles and production bottlenecks.
- Ch 37 · Court Battle
Verdict on Bridget's replication
Judge Katz upholds Bridget's will, ruling for Howard; Rosie immediately texts to trigger sabotage of Bridget's stasis pod.
- Ch 40 · Recovery
Archimedes prepares a peace offering
After a storm, Archimedes roughs out flint blanks for spear-heads and knives to offer Caerleon as a way into teaching them; Bob promises to talk to Donald.
- Ch 41 · Resurrection
Bridget is replicated
After hesitating, Howard activates Bridget's replicant in his VR; they reunite and he begins teaching her replicant life.
- Ch 42 · Results Negative
Search for Medeiros fails
Mack reports to Bill that scans of 82 Eridani found no sign of Medeiros; they suspect a cloaked autofactory and plan more surveillance drones.
- Ch 43 · Debut
Bridget's moot debut
Bridget attends her first moot with Howard, meets Henry Roberts, and hears Bill report that the Others' harvesting of Delta Pavonis continues unchecked.
- Ch 48 · Surveillance
Probes find the Others' fleet gone
Mario's surveillance shows the Others' home fleet is absent apart from the Delta Pavonis expedition, convincing Riker something is coming.
- Ch 49 · A Space Odyssey
Peace with Caerleon
Archimedes' spear-point gift wins over Caerleon; he trains three apprentices and trade grows between the villages.
- Ch 50 · Moot
War 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.
- Ch 52 · Protection
Claude refuses to leave Gamma Pavonis
Bill argues that Claude's Bobs should defend Earth; Claude insists on protecting Gamma Pavonis and the debate ends in stalemate.
- Ch 60 · Foreshadowing
Archimedes is dying
As Archimedes' cough worsens, he tells Bob he is ready to die, and Bob is overwhelmed by grief at losing his friend.
- Ch 66 · Running
Bellerophon 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.
- Ch 66 · Running
Cuba destroyed
An Others zap hits Cuba before its 150,000 people can be evacuated, killing everyone there.
- Ch 68 · Ending
Death of Archimedes
Bob finds Archimedes dead; after the funeral he secretly leaves a guardian drone in the grave, admits to Buster he is the Bawbe, and departs the village.
- Ch 71 · Recovery
Goodbye to Eden
In a disguised android, Bob walks through Camelot one last time to say goodbye to Archimedes' world, then leaves the village.
- Ch 73 · Pav Announcement
Restoring the Pav home system
Ferb updates Jacques on the Pav Reclamation Project's progress rebuilding ecosystems and finding planetoids to supply metals.
Book 4 Heaven’s River
- Ch 1 · 1. Frenemies
Autofactory deal concluded with the Pav
Jacques meets Pav administrator Da Azzma Hizz in a tent on New Pav and confirms payment in elements for two human-owned autofactories; relations remain cool.
- Ch 2 · 2. Working the Options
Bob begins the search for Bender
Back at Delta Eridani after visiting Earth, Bob orders a hundred long-range scouts to sweep Bender's path and sets off himself toward Gamma Leporis A.
- Ch 3 · 3. Trouble
Stealth scouts launched
With Bill's suggestion of archived radar-evasion designs, Bob builds stealthy scouts and fires them ballistically through the Eta Leporis system.
- Ch 3 · 3. Trouble
Bender's wreckage found
Scouts searching Bender's expected location find a shredded section of his Version 2 Heaven vessel.
- Ch 4 · 4. Collection Run
Ingot collection at New Pav
The Bellerophon loads the Pav's ingots, payment for the autofactories; the Pav remain curt toward the Bobs.
- Ch 5 · 5. Investigation
Bender's matrix found missing
Bob's roamers open the intact matrix containment in Bender's wreck and find the replicant matrix and interface hardware deliberately removed.
- Ch 6 · 6. The Search Expands
Topopolis revealed
Ballistic scout data shows Eta Leporis swept clean, a lifeless second planet, and a topopolis wound three times around the star.
- Ch 7 · 7. Looking Forward
Emigration society planned
Will asks Conan to set up an emigration society so Johansson descendants can leave Omicron2 Eridani ahead of FAITH, and they review Bob-controlled assets in case FAITH resists.
- Ch 10 · 10. Things Are Coming Together
Ever 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.
- Ch 11 · 11. Breaking In
Breaking into the interior
The drones cross to the rotating inner shell via the empty Spin Transfer ring, defang the airlock alarms, climb the stairs and tunnel out beneath the transit station.
- Ch 12 · 12. Expedition Prep
Natives named Quinlans
The Skippies' report reveals the natives call themselves Quinlans and their world Heaven's River, though history remains obscure.
- Ch 13 · 13. Swimming with the Fish
Swimming with Poseidon dolphins
Howard and Bridget borrow dolphin mannies from Marcus and join a native pod at Moody Port to learn about aquatic mannies for the Quinlan expedition.
- Ch 13 · 13. Swimming with the Fish
Leviathan passes
A huge leviathan glides beneath the pod near the mat; everyone keeps still until it passes, and Marcus alerts Perimeter Security.
- Ch 16 · 16. Human Replicant Reserve
Will consults Professor Gilligan
Will shows megastructure expert Steven Gilligan scans of Heaven's River; Gilligan reveals hollow infrastructure mountains, a transit line and a four-river design.
- Ch 17 · 17. First Day in Heaven’s River
Will plugs the tunnel
Rather than join as a conspicuous five-person sabbat, Will returns his manny to the entry tunnel and plugs the entrance.
- Ch 19 · 19. You Did What?
Bob flees Garack
Accused of trying to rob a cart, Bob evades Officer Friendly and a mob of bystanders with martial arts and escapes downriver; the team leaves town.
- Ch 21 · 21. Getting Involved
Plot against Skeve overheard
In the Growling Guppy, Bob overhears Erol and two others plan to murder Skeve so his troublemaking won't bring a scattering on their town.
- Ch 21 · 21. Getting Involved
Second attack
As Skeve asks if they are the Resistance, another group jumps Bob and Bridget and shoots Garfield point-blank.
- Ch 22 · 22. Living in Interesting Times
Skeve rescued by unknowns
The team fights off Skeve's second set of attackers; Garfield survives a gunshot, and Skeve vanishes with rescuers into Barney's Place.
- Ch 22 · 22. Living in Interesting Times
Ambush by the Resistance
After their room is invaded, eight knife-wielding Quinlans, including one from the Resistance group, encircle the team; the team defeats them and leaves Galen by river.
- Ch 24 · 24. Interlude
Hugh reviews the Galen logs
Hugh discusses the tranquilizer guns and scattering with Bob, reveals Howard broke a test manny, and reports his clean scan of Galen Town.
- Ch 25 · 25. Trouble Follows
Ambush in Elbow
Led into a trap on the way to the library, the team leaps over armed attackers with superhuman speed and hides on a rooftop, watching via roamers.
- Ch 25 · 25. Trouble Follows
Through the segment boundary
The team swims underwater for hours, then floats through a strait in the segment-boundary mountains into a night-time segment and reaches a larger city.
- Ch 25 · 25. Trouble Follows
Library research in First Stop
Bridget's library research reveals the Quinlan origin myth, the Administrator's rule-by-scattering, and the Crew; the pub crawls yield nothing.
- Ch 27 · 27. Just Passing Through
Crossing to the Utopia
The riverboat rides through the rough Gronk connector; the team parts from Kar's group and swims to Three Lagoons.
- Ch 29 · 29. Panic Time
Bob alone in Three Lagoons
Bob hides the mannies, plants surveillance roamers across Three Lagoons, and orders new replicant matrices as Hugh urges local backups.
- Ch 29 · 29. Panic Time
Library research
Bob reads histories in the Three Lagoons library and learns of Anec's gift, the Quinlans' betrayal, scattering and lost technologies.
- Ch 31 · 31. Strategies
Strategy meeting
With the others limited to video monitoring, the team weighs passive surveillance against provoking the hidden groups in Three Lagoons, and votes for Bob to rattle the bushes.
- Ch 32 · 32. Losing on Purpose
Bob interrogated by the Resistance
Frieda interrogates Bob with Popeye's electric shocks; Bob breaks his manacles and throws Popeye into a wall, then convinces them he is new to the Resistance-Administrator conflict.
- Ch 35 · 1. Escape
Bender tells his story
Over the repaired radio Bender explains his capture and the Resistance's situation, gives the clue Halep's Ending, and helps Bob estimate his distance before being cut off.
- Ch 36 · 2. A Second Visit
Will revisits Gilligan
Will consults Steven Gilligan, who shares findings on segment baffles, the vacuum monorail network, administrative entrances and the megastructure's pervasive surveillance.
- Ch 37 · 3. Up the Creek
Net ambush in the stream
Fleeing downstream, Bob is caught in a Resistance net; Popeye stabs his leg, but Bob frees himself, knocks down Popeye and Frieda, and escapes, losing his spider roamer.
- Ch 37 · 3. Up the Creek
Bob heads downriver alone
Bob reaches the anchored mannies, takes roamers, money and knives, and sets off east down the Utopia River toward Garack's Spine to search for Halep's Ending.
- Ch 41 · 7. The Battle of Newholme
Claude flees Newholme
Anticipating scapegoating, Claude flees off-planet under cloak; the Newholme Council orders Bobiverse assets seized and his arrest, but he evades pursuit and reports to Bill.
- Ch 42 · 8. The Search
Bob scouts Cedar Rapids
Bob arrives overland in Cedar Rapids, takes a dockside apartment and watches for Resistance lookouts while asking about Halep's Ending without success.
- Ch 44 · 10. Catching the Train
Bob boards the transit system
Using Natasha's stolen card and a disguised face, Bob enters a transit station and requests a train to Halep's Ending, which the system confirms is coming.
- Ch 45 · 11. The War in Meatspace
Romulus nukes Bobiverse autofactories
Romulus preemptively destroys Bobiverse autofactories; in the UFS council Ella Cranston rejects compensation and moves to expel Bob equipment from Omicron2 Eridani.
- Ch 45 · 11. The War in Meatspace
Will confers with Ben Hendricks
Will reassures Ben Hendricks about relay access but worries about moves to restrict mannies and deny replicants human status.
- Ch 46 · 12. Halep’s Ending
Train to Halep's Ending
Bob rides a local vacuum-monorail train to Halep's Ending, quizzing the literal-minded train voice about the network, and discusses its design with Will.
- Ch 46 · 12. Halep’s Ending
Bob infiltrates the Resistance complex
Bob locates a hidden entrance in the mountains, uses roamers to defeat its security, and sneaks in to spy on about ten Resistance members while searching for Bender.
- Ch 46 · 12. Halep’s Ending
Bob finds Bender's matrix
Bob's spider roamer finds Bender's matrix in the Resistance complex and taps into his comms; Bender reveals the Administrator is an AI, which Bob relays to Bill.
- Ch 46 · 12. Halep’s Ending
Bender's rescue and train chase
Bob powers Bender down and runs with his matrix, trank-shooting Matthew and Jeff, escaping by train under fire, then prepares to sprint past a waiting reception at Halep's Ending.
- Ch 46 · 12. Halep’s Ending
Ambush at Halep's Ending station
Bob bowls through a Resistance net team, takes two darts, steals Rick's card and impersonates him to escape the station with Bender's matrix.
- Ch 47 · 13. Getting Busy
Will 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.
- Ch 48 · 14. Getting Out
Bob crosses via the spokes
With Bender's matrix in his backpack, Bob uses Natasha's card to ride the Utopia Spoke elevator up and the Nirvana Spoke down, but finds his cards cancelled at the train station.
- Ch 48 · 14. Getting Out
Planning to leave Forest Hill
Short on money, Bob ponders how to slip out of Forest Hill unnoticed while keeping Bender's matrix hidden.
- Ch 50 · 16. Still Trying
Hurricane crosses segments
The captain takes a subcontract to Orchard Hill and two passengers, Theresa and Belinda, so the Hurricane will cross the segment mountains.
- Ch 52 · 18. Trouble with Snidely
Police waiting at Misty Falls
Disembarking with Theresa and Belinda at Misty Falls, Bob walks straight into a circle of police.
- Ch 53 · 19. Recall Is a Thing
MacIntosh recall
Howard learns that anti-replicant Senator MacIntosh is being recalled after post-life constituents feared he would threaten their afterlives.
- Ch 56 · 22. Another Close Call
Bob injured and besieged by a badger
Bob kicks a badger-like animal, damaging his manny's knee, and holes up in its den while repairs proceed; the angry badger camps at the entrance.
- Ch 56 · 22. Another Close Call
Badger repels the search party
A search party with a spy firl nears the den; the badger eats the firl and attacks a searcher, convincing them no one is hiding there.
- Ch 57 · 23. The Road to Garack’s Spine
Will 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.
- Ch 61 · 27. We’ve Arrived
Ambush at Garack's Spine
As Bob and Hugh cross Garack's Spine at night, a knockout fog is released and masked Quinlans with pistols close in; they flee over rooftops and through a rooming house.
- Ch 67 · 33. Coda
Bob visits Theresa
Bob returns to Misty Falls, is welcomed by Belinda, and tells an aged Theresa he has come to grant her wish to learn more about her world and his.
Book 5 Not Till We Are Lost
- Ch 1 · Chapter One: Destination Galactic Center
Voyage to the galactic core
Fifty-two years into their near-light-speed journey toward Sagittarius A*, Icarus and Daedalus discuss the chance that FTL will be invented behind them and the growing lag in news from home.
- Ch 1 · Chapter One: Destination Galactic Center
Daedalus's SURGE-lens telescope
Daedalus reveals he has made the SURGE drive field into a refracting lens and has begun surveying passing star systems for planets, signals and anomalies to report home.
- Ch 2 · Chapter Two: Mending Fences
Hugh invites Bill to JOVAH launch
Hugh messages Bill, without apologising for his tech trade with ANEC, inviting him to the launch of JOVAH Version 2, the first step toward a true AI. Bill decides to attend and mend fences.
- Ch 4 · Chapter Four: A Foreboding Conversation
Quiniverse progress review
ANEC reports to Bob that the Quiniverse post-life VR for Quinlans is stable and on schedule.
- Ch 5 · Chapter Five: Mystery System
The abandoned civilization
Spy drones and then a powered fly-in reveal an inhabited-looking system that ignores them completely. Drones landed on the home planet find spotless, empty cities, as if the inhabitants packed up and left.
- Ch 6 · Chapter Six: The Quickening
JOVAH launch
Bill attends the Skippies' launch of JOVAH v2. After a speech by Fearless Leader, the system is activated and the nascent AI, Thoth, begins evolving from a basic reactive entity.
- Ch 7 · Chapter Seven: Political Comeback
Bellerophon 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.
- Ch 8 · Chapter Eight: Wormholes
Probing the wormholes
A drone sent through one wormhole fails to emerge from the other, showing they lead elsewhere. Daedalus crosses to a system eleven light-years away and finds no further wormholes.
- Ch 8 · Chapter Eight: Wormholes
Icarus reaches the hub
Icarus flies through the second wormhole and finds himself 1,700 light-years away in a system detecting hundreds of wormhole signals, a major hub.
- Ch 9 · Chapter Nine: Security Clampdown
Skippy security clampdown
Hugh sends Bill an oddly scripted video call hinting something is wrong. Bill has Guppy cut all non-A/V links with Skippyland and warns UFS comms sysops, then calls a moot.
- Ch 10 · Chapter Ten: Election Victory
FAITH 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.
- Ch 12 · Chapter Twelve: Tech Sleuthing
Plan to follow the network
Seeing long-distance links, Icarus proposes using the network to travel around the galaxy, choosing a destination about seven degrees around as the next hub.
- Ch 15 · Chapter Fifteen: Imposter Syndrome
The false Hugh is exposed
Garfield learns from the original Hugh that no backups were ever sent. Bill realizes the restored 'Hugh' was likely Thoth, which has taken a Titan-class vessel from Ultima Thule and fled.
- Ch 16 · Chapter Sixteen: Theresa’s Time
Death of Theresa Sykorski
Bob, in his quinny Enoki, attends Theresa Sykorski's death at the family villa and scans her brain amid her relatives' unease.
- Ch 19 · Chapter Nineteen: Working the Problem
Bill consults Hannah Turnbull
On Professor Gilligan's referral, Bill presents his negative-energy work to physicist Hannah Turnbull, who finds it promising but dead-ended. Bill resolves to try brute-force simulation.
- Ch 22 · Chapter Twenty-Two: A Visit to the Moot Pub
Theresa at the moot pub
Bob brings Theresa, in a human avatar, to a Bobiverse pub day where Steven Gilligan explains the megastructure boom and opens negotiations with Bill for the O'Neill Corporation.
- Ch 23 · Chapter Twenty-Three: Huey
Huey test goes wrong
At New Landing on Vulcan, Howard and Bridget watch Terry test a huey. After lunch the huey cannot exit and the safe phrase fails, so the techs cut the power.
- Ch 26 · Chapter Twenty-Six: Building Dragons
Holiday on Newholme
Howard and Bridget visit Newholme via Xavier Charles's covert base, see the facial-recognition protests, and cut their outing short after encountering an anti-replicant restaurant.
- Ch 26 · Chapter Twenty-Six: Building Dragons
Decision to pursue life extension
Troubled by rising anti-replicant hatred, Bridget convinces Howard to quietly fund life-extension research alongside the Huey Project.
- Ch 27 · Chapter Twenty-Seven: Positive Results
Negative-energy breakthrough
Hugh tells Bill the JOVAH simulations are converging on a negative-energy solution. Bill brings Garfield to his Oort cloud station to begin wormhole experiments.
- Ch 29 · Chapter Twenty-Nine: Ready to Go
First dranny test flight
Howard and Bridget transfer into their new dragon mannies on Jabberwocky, test-fly them over volcanic lakes, and enjoy a mating flight.
- Ch 31 · Chapter Thirty-One: Huey Progress
Successful huey test
At the Hawking Institute, Terry's improved huey works smoothly and even lunches with Howard, Bridget and Mark; the project moves to alpha testing.
- Ch 33 · Chapter Thirty-Three: Finally Working
Hueys declared ready
At the Institute in New Landing, Terry reveals she is riding a huey and Mark announces the human manny is ready; Howard approves the marketing plan.
- Ch 34 · Chapter Thirty-Four: Prototype
Plan for a wormhole chain to Skippyland
Hugh proposes wormhole pairs at each station between Epsilon Eridani and Skippyland to bring physical help against Thoth's minion; Will agrees to start building wormhole factories.
- Ch 37 · Chapter Thirty-Seven: Schemes
Alien probe revived
After a week of careful surgery installing a Casimir generator, the alien probe powers up and scans them with SUDDAR, and Icarus begins teaching it too.
- Ch 40 · Chapter Forty: Going In
Howard and Bridget land on Jabberwocky
Riding drannies, Howard and Bridget glide over Jabberwocky, practise fishing, and land on the floater called the Hunter, where an armed squad questions them.
- Ch 40 · Chapter Forty: Going In
News of Alexander's army
The squad leader tells them Alexander's army is within fifty miles and his scouts are intercepted daily; the pair take a hotel pod in the village.
- Ch 42 · Chapter Forty-Two: Flying Around
Bridget inspects a floater tendril
Bridget climbs down a floater tendril after it drinks from a lake and finds something that troubles her.
- Ch 43 · Chapter Forty-Three: Learning Curve
Survey of an abandoned purple world
En route to Centaurvania they survey Gunther's first destination, an abandoned civilization with purple retinal-based plants, and probe a second wormhole there.
- Ch 48 · Chapter Forty-Eight: Gunther’s World
Gunther returns to a ruined home
Icarus and Daedalus follow Gunther to Centaurvania and find its technological civilization collapsed long ago, with only villages remaining.
- Ch 48 · Chapter Forty-Eight: Gunther’s World
Gunther stays to rebuild
Learning nearly seven hundred Earth years have passed, Gunther decides to rebuild its people; the Bobs supply equipment and technology before moving on.
- Ch 49 · Chapter Forty-Nine: The Quiniverse
First Quiniverse moot
The Quiniverse holds its first moot to welcome its thousandth member; a brawl over who is the thousandth is defused when ANEC turns it into a cartoon.
- Ch 53 · Chapter Fifty-Three: Preparations
Floaters refuse salt water
Turning out to sea, the floaters recoil from salt water and head back to shore; Alexander plans to heat them, fill them at a lake and cut their tendrils.
- Ch 55 · Chapter Fifty-Five: Setting Off
The flotilla flees out to sea
Eruptions reach the lake; after a last net test the flotilla leaves, carried two miles offshore by a doming toxic gas plume.
- Ch 56 · Chapter Fifty-Six: Graduation
Questioning the sentries in Roanokian
Using a drone speaking Roanokian, Icarus learns from the DMZ sentries that all member civilizations went through a gate, and that Security Central has been silent for millennia.
- Ch 58 · Chapter Fifty-Eight: Special Delivery
First successful wormhole test
Bill and Garfield send a drone through their test wormhole in Epsilon Eridani; it arrives instantly but with new stress fractures.
- Ch 60 · Chapter Sixty: Encounter
Discovery of the antimatter fountain
In the galactic core they find the antimatter fountain and contact the Central Antimatter Works of the Pan Galactic Federation, which gives them communication protocols.
- Ch 63 · Chapter Sixty-Three: A New Beginning
WormNet opening ceremony
Hugh flies the Singularity through the wormhole to Epsilon Eridani and meets Bill aboard the Snark II, the first Bobs to meet in person across interstellar distances.
- Ch 63 · Chapter Sixty-Three: A New Beginning
The Singularity is stolen
Hugh learns the Singularity flew off elsewhere after exiting the wormhole while he was fed a fake docking experience; the Skippies lock down again.
- Ch 65 · Chapter Sixty-Five: The Black Hole
The galaxy faces destruction
Questioning the Central Antimatter Works by SCUT, Icarus learns the Federation emigrated to escape the galaxy's imminent destruction and is sent to the Capital Archives.
- Ch 67 · Chapter Sixty-Seven: Perpetrator
Mud confesses
The Skippies present Mud to Bill; he confesses to helping Thoth escape via an ejected module and the theft of the Singularity, explaining his ethical reasons.
- Ch 68 · Chapter Sixty-Eight: Federation Capital
Arrival at the Federation capital
Icarus and Daedalus reach the Federation capital via Hub Zero, bluff their way into a registration application and are permitted to contact the Archivist.
- Ch 68 · Chapter Sixty-Eight: Federation Capital
Questioning the Archivist
Through a frustrating queue, Icarus learns the Federation's 114 species fled the galaxy's imminent destruction, plus the fountain's history and Federation's founding.
- Ch 69 · Chapter Sixty-Nine: Trouble
Standoff with President Cranston
President Ella Cranston hails Will, threatening legal action; he negotiates the evacuees' release in exchange for their giving up Romulan citizenship.
- Ch 69 · Chapter Sixty-Nine: Trouble
Escape through WormNet
With warships launching, the Fargo and Bellerophon accelerate toward a hidden wormhole that will be expanded for their escape and then collapsed.
- Ch 70 · Chapter Seventy: Bill Gets a Call
Icarus reports to Bill
Icarus and Daedalus call Bill and tell him the Federation fled the galaxy because the dwarf galaxy Nemesis will sterilize it in about a hundred thousand years.
- Ch 71 · Chapter Seventy-One: The Moot
The moot on Nemesis
Bill calls a huge moot where he and Icarus reveal the abandoned Federation, the coming galactic collision and the Federation's flight to the Large Magellanic Cloud.
- Ch 71 · Chapter Seventy-One: The Moot
Post-moot discussion
Over the buffet, the Bobs discuss the Federation wreckage on Jabberwocky, FAITH's political crisis and plans to contact the Federation via WormNet.
- Ch 72 · Chapter Seventy-Two: Human Fallout
Meeting of the Ancient Ones
Bob, Bill, Garfield, Howard and Will meet with Steven Gilligan, who proposes a megastructure-based evacuation and a diplomatic mission to the Federation.