"Previously on The Expanse..." "Her name was Julie Mao." "I flew half-way across the solar system to find her." "But I was too late." "I'm truly sorry to be the one to have to tell you this, but your daughter is dead." "Her father had turned her into an experiment." "Proceed as planned." "He had lots of help." "They unleashed some "thing" on a station full of Belters." "No one knows what it is or does." "I met some good people who are trying to stop it." "I hope there are others." "We barely got out of that hellhole alive." "Hell, goddamn..." "Some didn't make it." "We're the only ones who know what's happening on Eros." "All I want now is to find the ones responsible and burn the bastards down." "We saved a few." "We should've saved more." "We will." "Five tangos on the ridgeline." "We're blind here!" "Still can't paint the tangos!" "We're pinned down!" "No shelter here." "We're dust if we don't move." "Cover me!" "Grab target data when those bastards try to light me up." "Got it, Gunny!" "Travis, right flank!" "Hillman, left!" " Roger, right." " Roger, left." "Targets incoming on my nine, high!" "Travis, can you shift left?" "Negative, I've got incoming on the right!" "They're lighting her up!" "Hillman, stay at your nine!" "Travis, throw everything at your six!" "Where's the love, guys?" "Three tangos painted, Gunny." "Four!" "There's one more out there!" "Five targeted!" "That's all of 'em!" "Tango's down." "We own this crater." "Three-four Olympus, 612." "Your best course time by almost three minutes." "Good work, Gunny." "Nice job, kids." "Return to drop." "You wait until you see our next run, Lieutenant." "The skies will be crying just to please us." "No more "next runs" Gunny." "You're shipping out." "Rumor is you're heading to Phoebe Station." "So say your good-byes and kiss your mommies." "It's going to be a long trip." "Don't worry, Hilly, your inheritance will still be there when we get back." "Damn right it will, Travis." "How many terraformers her family own, anyway?" "All of them." "Hmm." "Son of a bitch." "I'll catch up with you in a minute." "Roger that, Gunny." "Someday." "So, other than being blasted by 50 times the lethal limit of radiation, you're doing surprisingly well." "Who knows, maybe you'll develop superpowers that you can use." "That'd be perfect for you." "That infection on Eros, it didn't get on the Rocinante." "So, stop beating yourself up." "You made it." "Maybe we should let the guys on Tycho handle this." "Then whatever's in there will belong to Fred Johnson." "Roger that, boss." "Whatever the Anubis crew put in there, that safe is designed to protect the hell out of it." "You okay?" "I need to pee." "I'm peeing right now." "Perks of the vac suit." "Go." "I got this." "I'm not going anywhere." "Because you miss this." "The days when we'd work on a core, just the two of us, not having to say ten words together all day." "Lifetime ago, huh?" "Take it easy." "Temp gauge." "That's a cryogenic chamber at the core." "It's losing power." "Which also means whatever it was freezing is going to become..." "Unfrozen." "There you go." "Clean as a whistle." "All right, step right up." "What happen if one of us infected?" "We'll cross that bridge if we get to it." "You mean you gonna space us." "You know we're all taking this test, right?" " It's just a precaution." " That why the door to this room stay locked from the outside, ke?" "You Martian, keya?" "This a Martian ship." "Haven't seen a Martian ship dock at Eros for years." "Or an Earth ship, for that matter." "Now all we see is the prison barge." "Or transports, full of tourists looking for cheap gambling, and cheap sex, which is good, ya, 'cause it keep our children with jobs." "I'm sure Earth and Mars, they're fixing to send out relief ships." "Yeah, yeah." "I see the newsfeed." " Traffic jam to Eros!" " Hey, give me that arm!" "I think maybe you wanna space us, whether we test positive or not." "Give him your arm and shut your mouth." "Or I space you myself." "All right!" "Nobody is spacing anyone." "Low-life sebakawala." "We should go back." "Whatever happen, maybe it's over now." "Maybe some still left alive." "Lot more could've been saved." "You even try?" "Look at that." "All clear." "And the quarantine of Eros Station continues to be a source of debate, as relief organizations testify before the General Assembly, urging the U.N..." "Jurisdictional issues..." "Hey, you been having trouble..." "What?" "Working the plumbing?" " No." " Which end?" " Alpha, omega?" " You know..." "'Cause I just took an explosive..." "Never mind!" "Never mind." "Okay." "At least we get to keep our hair." "Hooray." "That Julie Mao went through the same shit." "I bet she didn't bitch about it, right?" "Don't talk to me while I'm dying, kid." "And why won't we help Eros?" "Because they're only Belters." "Somehow less than human?" "Because Eros is some backwater that doesn't deserve basic humanitarian aid?" "See, they picked Eros to test their weapon on because they knew nobody would give a shit about 100,000 Belters." "They'll answer for it." "Truth and justice." "You still believe that, after everything you saw?" "Yeah." "Yeah, I'm gonna hold onto that for a little while." "Me, I don't care much if justice gets involved." "I just..." "I just want them dead." "Hey." "I never did say it, but thanks." "For getting me off Eros." "I wouldn't have made it without you." "Thanks for the lift." "And the cancer." "Shit." "Madam, did our government build those stealth ships that destroyed the Donnager?" "I want your viewers to listen closely." "The engines in those ships were built by the OPA operatives working for Fred Johnson." "Fred Johnson was a military hero who became infected with the cause of his own enemy." "He turned his back on Earth." "With his own fleet, he believes he can go from being a terrorist to a statesman." "He cannot." "My father taught me something." "Never listen to what people say." "Just watch what they do." "Hello?" "Madame Secretary." "Hello?" "You must leave the area now!" " Hello?" " The signals are being jammed." "Hold on, I can't hear you." "The U.N. ship is down and on fire." "Archangel is secure." "We have Archangel." "Archangel was not on the vehicle." "Protomolecule seems to behave uniquely in each subject, mutating rapidly in each different biomass." "The level of the information density required for the variety of outcomes I'm seeing is of a magnitude" "I can't explain." ""Protomolecule." They gave the goddamn thing a name." "Phoebe Station is where it all started." "These must be the Martians that Lopez told you about." "They were infected on purpose." "These are lab notes." "The only way to see what it's evolving into is by feeding it a larger biomass." "He's talking about Eros." "In making your decision, consider this," "Phoebe was an extra-solar object trapped by Saturn's gravity eons ago." "What if it were merely a delivery system?" "A way to send the protomolecule to our solar system?" "It begs the question, sent by whom?" "And why?" "Did he just say what I think he said?" "He said, "Extra-solar object"." "First proof of extraterrestrial life." "And it's just more death." "You still got a beat on that signal that you guys intercepted leaving Eros, huh?" "Yeah." "Of course we do." "What the hell are we waiting for?" "You've got an address." "This is a gunship..." "We have no idea what's waiting there." "No idea how long they're sticking around." "Maybe they already know that you picked up their scent." "We're not going in blind." "Tycho first." "Cap's right." "Nobody asked you, no-neck." "The protomolecule." "What are we going to do with it?" "Simple, we stick it on the end of a torpedo and we fire it into the sun." "Yeah, that'll do it." "Hang on." "What if there was a way to use that sample to create a vaccine?" "Maybe still help those people on Eros?" "Those people are beyond help." "You don't know that." "None of us know what we're dealing with here." "And until we do, that is too important to destroy right now." "Well, I'm not keeping it on the Roci." "I won't take that risk." "I sure as heck don't want to share a bunk with that." " Hell no." " Then we'll hide it." "Where?" "Out here." "No one knows we have it." "No one even knows we made it off Eros alive." "It'll be safe." "There's an idea." "I could take a look around." "See if there's a good spot." "All right." "Alex, do it." "She's doing it again!" "You can do it!" "You can do it!" "You got this!" "Hey, hey!" "You owe me a bottle." "Ganymede bourbon, not the cheap shit, eh!" "Gonna put in for new gear one of these eons?" "Oh, come on." "Me and this armor have been through the shit together." "We got a history." "I can picture it, now." "You, in that suit, planting the Martian flag in the Statue of Liberty's tiara." "Earth won't even be a real fight." "Thirty billion lumps of shit, watching vidscreens, stuffing their faces full of free drugs all day." "Hell, we should invade right now." "You know the second-most dangerous thing in the solar system next to a Martian marine, is a U.N. marine?" "Whoa, the Earther chimes in!" "Yeah, I'm more Martian than you, Hilly." "My parents had to sacrifice to have a kid on Earth, immigrate here when I was five." " Mmm-hmm." " We chose Mars." "Mars chose us." "Hey, hey, he has a point, Hillman." "The only thing that makes you a Martian is falling out of your mother's gravity well." "How many brothers and sisters you have?" "I lost count at 40." "Travis can't hide from Earth by putting on that Martian armor." "His bones are all wrong from growing up in full G." "We'll keep him anyway." " Hey!" " Watch it!" "All right, kids." "Keep it business." "Well put, Gunny." "Lieutenant." "Briefing in five." "I think I hear something." "Violins." "Schubert in D-minor." "I think the Lieutenant has the hots for you, Bobbie." "Shut your hole, or I'll assist you with that." "C'mon, take one for the team." "That way we'll always have the inside scoop." "I would do him, if he buttered his bread on the same side as me." "I don't use sex as a weapon, little ones." "I use weapons as weapons." "You'll be landing on Phoebe Station, securing the facility until we get a science team in for a deeper investigation." "After Phoebe went silent, the Donnager was sent to investigate." "Every one of the bodies was frozen to the walls of the ice tunnels." "It looks like they were incinerated." "It's possible there was a fire or chemical spill." "But all of the data cores have been wiped clean." "This is a cover-up." "We still don't know what any of it means, or whether or not Earth was involved." "Expecting any U.N. elements?" "We don't anticipate engagement." "Lucky for them, because there isn't a team on this ship that doesn't want payback for the Donnie." "In any case, we will keep it business." "Not rumors." "Aye, Lieutenant." "Prep your teams." "Dismissed." "Gunny." "Up here." "I know that you and your team did a rotation on the Donnie." "I knew people on that ship too." "Captain Yao was a friend." "But still, nobody knows what really happened." "We know those stealths were Earth-built." "So says Fred Johnson, mouthpiece for OPA terrorists." "And now Earth is accusing him." "We will not be led into war on anyone's leash." "I was a private during the Vesta blockade." "Half the Earth's fleet was headed to Mars, to annihilate its former colony." "If they couldn't have what we built, they were going to pound it back into dust." "We went to bed every night thinking that we would wake in nuclear fire." "Luckily for everyone, cooler heads prevailed." "We all grew up with that story." "Because it was a warning." "We've managed to avoid a shooting war with Earth up till now." "That's our job." "To make sure that that war never happens." "And because of Vesta, we pushed back the terraforming project." "Fifty years and 50 more." "All those resources to the military." "Now, none of us will live to see an atmosphere over Mars." "That was the price." "But it's still worth fighting for." "Be safe down there." "There's been a development." "The Martians dispatched a ship to Phoebe Station," "I know." "What are you doing about it?" "Well, that depends." "I'm assuming there's nothing left to find there." "Is there?" "Routine scrutiny would've passed muster, but this feels urgent." "Like the Martians know something." "You need to get boots on Phoebe first." "That sounds like your mess." "And sending a U.N. warship to a meaningless outpost like Phoebe will just draw more attention to it." "If you want a weapons system from my project, then it's our mess." "Sell the U.N. on a story." "Make it stick." "We need to talk about Eros." "Mars and Earth may be busy pointing guns at each other, but those quarantine beacons won't keep people away from Eros forever." "There's already a lot more do-gooders than we expected." " Next will be the looters." " Then get rid of them." "Yes." "Of course." "I'll sacrifice what's left of my credibility for a few short-term trinkets." "SADAVIR." "You're witnessing a discovery that could rewrite the story of humankind, but your imagination takes you as far as putting the boot heel to your former colony." "This was Julie's spot." "Far from the house, where no one could find her." "Where she could find her adventures." "She taught herself to shoot a bow and arrow at this tree." "Nine years old." "Just woke up one morning, and taught herself." "My Julie." "Even losing her was worth it." "She's a sacred part of it now." "So don't talk to me about sacrifice ever again." "This'll kill any cancer that dares try to grow inside you." "Ow!" "How long I got to wear this?" "Rest of your days." "But you won't be able to procreate." "I'm sorry." "It's all right, I put swimmers on ice in the Navy." "I'd never want to see another one of me running around anyway, so..." "If you need a few more days, we..." "No, no." "A ship needs a captain." "I don't know how you've managed without me." "Yeah, we've all been a wreck." "All right." "Now that we're all done being irradiated," "I'm think I'm gonna go." "I'm gonna go check out this famous coffee machine you keep talking about." "Other way!" "If you and I have something we need to get sorted out, we should get to that." "Yeah?" "We're here now." "Your pal, Semi?" "You're upset about that, right?" "I had nothing against him." "I thought he was a decent guy." " Decent guy?" " Yeah." "Do you think you would've got off Eros without him?" " No." " Ah." "But he wasn't a good enough friend to wait for you." "No, no, no." "Semi was right." "It was stupid to wait." "But Naomi made the call, end of story for me." "And when your pal pulled a gun, might as well have shot himself in the head..." "Here's what I see, okay?" "You seem kind of like a trigger-happy whack job to me." "So, let me lay it on the table for you, all right?" "You shot my friend, like some street rat." " Wow." " So..." "If you need to square up, you know where I am." "Otherwise, you should move on." "Because you're poisoning the air on..." "Stay down, Miller." "Amos!" "Amos!" "No!" "Amos!" "Amos, stop." "Amos, stop it." "I told him to stay down." "Okay, okay." "Just go." "Go." "Are you okay?" "Watch the deck." "Come in." "Chrisjen." "Thank God." "Are you all right?" "Perfect excuse not to quit drinking, huh?" "This is our fault." "We put you in the crosshairs." "We never should have made you the public face" " against Fred Johnson." " It was my choice." "Listen, we're going to beef up your security detail..." "I'm already taking care of that." "Intel says it was the Black Sky faction of the OPA." "They caught wind of an assassination plot." "An occupational hazard in my family." "Maybe you should take a few days." "At least skip the meeting." "No." "I'll be in in five minutes." "They're mobilizing for war." "Martian ships are moving throughout the system." "The Morrigan to Titan." "The Africanus to Callisto." "And the Scirocco to Phoebe." "What are you recommending?" "That we secure all our bases in the Outer Planets and head off their ships wherever we can." "Most of those bases are low-level research outposts or cargo waystations." "If we place our ships in the paths of theirs..." "They'll know we're ready for any planned acts of aggression." "We share all those bases." "They have no right!" "Mars doesn't want war." "They want to get back to terraforming and building domes for their people." "Sir, if we de-escalate," "I am convinced that they'll respond in kind." "And erode our position if Mars decides not to give peace a chance?" "Sir, we're the most powerful nation in the system." "We need to act like that." "Pride isn't power." "And what vast font of battlefield wisdom are you drawing from, Admiral?" "I advise that we deploy our fleet to secure any base that might become a Martian foothold." "Madam." "Do you concur?" "I do." "Re-deploy the fleet." "Am I bothering you?" "Yeah." "I was just, um..." "Organizing all my stuff here." "Then I realized..." "I don't have any stuff." "This thing with you and Amos..." "I'm pretty sure he's not your fella, right?" "Sematimba was a good man." "He's more like your kid." "Your 200 pound, homicidal kid..." "Caught in a terrible moment, and he did what he thought he had to." "So did Amos." "Antenna's busted." "Amos is different." "Yeah." "Okay, very different." "But he's not crazy and he's not evil." "He's just always needed someone to help him out with the world." "And he picked you." "Congrats." "Do you know that old story, Pinocchio?" "No." "No, I don't." "Never mind then." "Oh, I get it." "I think." "You're, uh..." "Kind of like his guide star, right?" "Lighting the way, and all, through the dark." "Like Julie is to you." "How long, you and her?" "Never met her." "I only saw her that one time." "After they'd already killed her." "I spent a lifetime watching all the evil shit people did to each other." "Nothing "got to me" anymore." "Holden was shocked by Eros." "I was shocked it hadn't happened a long time ago." "But Julie..." "I wake up some nights, and I see her standing right there." "I know it's bullshit, but..." "She's right there." "She takes my hand." "She tells me," ""You belong with me."" "I'm pretty sure I don't belong here." "This ship." "So you're leaving us already?" "You gonna just walk out into space?" "Uh-huh." "What kind of pathetic Belters are we?" "We used to be a lot better at losing." "Then we need to stick together." "Yam seng." "The UNN Nathan Hale is on a direct course to Phoebe Station." "When we accelerated, they matched." "And now the Nathan Hale is burning us." "At this rate they're going to beat us there." "Why would Earth suddenly care about Phoebe Station?" "Must be something there they don't want us to find." "But Command was unequivocal." "Under no circumstances are we to allow Phoebe to fall under U.N. control." "Prepare your team for drop." "Who's gonna feast on Earth's sky" " and drink their rivers dry?" " MMC!" "Who's gonna stomp their mountains" " into fine Martian dust?" " MMC!" "Till the rains fall hard on Olympus Mons," " who are we?" " MMC!" " I can't hear you!" " MMC!" " Who are we?" " MMC!" "Good to see you, Cotyar." "If you'd known it was me, would you have come?" "Probably not." "The last time I saw you was at Charanpal's funeral." "I suspect my son would have been going gray by now, too." "You seem pretty relaxed for someone who nearly got blown up." "You sure a walk in the park in full view of the drones is a good idea?" "I don't believe lightning strikes twice." "What do you want?" "I want you on my security detail." "I've been out of the network for a decade," "I handle freight security for a small firm with the Luna run." "Spare me the bullshit," "I know all about your freelance work." "You're a first-rate spy with a Robin Hood complex." "You like screwing over the powerful to help the little guy." "You break the law and you don't get caught." "You've kept a scrapbook on me." "Don't flatter yourself." "You have skills which I thought might be useful someday." "And this shadow government?" "I assume they're working with Fred Johnson?" "I have no love for Fred Johnson..." " Ah." " But in this matter, his hands are clean." "Then you're one hell of a liar on the news." "A little theater, to buy some time." "I'm being set up." "When my investigation dead-ends," "I'll make an excellent scapegoat." "Who are the players?" "Undersecretary Errinwright." " Christ." " I assume others." "Do they suspect you?" "If they did, I'd be dead already." "I don't have time to waste." "I need a spy." "Are you in or out?" "All right, cowgirl," "I got a nice little resting spot for that nasty blue goo." "How you doing out there?" "Good." "The proximity detectors are ready to go." "Now if anyone comes near this missile, we'll know it." "You okay there?" "I think all that radiation failed to give me superpowers." "Usually, when we're in dangerous situations, you hide your nerves by asking weird, inappropriate questions." "Huh." "Do I?" "Mmm." "I hope that hasn't been irradiated out of you." "Was sort of endearing." "No." "No, I don't think it has." "So..." "Do you like space gladiator movies?" "Hey, I just lost Holden's mic." "Can you hear me through the mask?" "Yeah." "I can only imagine what you saw on Eros." "Or what it was like to nearly die that way." "We did not choose this, but this is our fight now." "We're the only ones who know what's going on down there." "The only ones with a chance to stop it." "Tell me that you're okay." "This crew is depending on me." "You've put your lives in my hands." "I'm okay." "Ha ha!" "Here, here." "Oh." " Sorry." " It's all right." "Sorry." "What the hell?" "This is a ground operation, why are we firing missiles?" "Command must have forgot to check with us first, Private." "Game faces on." "We still have our orders." "UNN command confirms that the MCRN Scirocco fired five missiles in response to the Nathan Hale's hard-burn towards Phoebe." "My God, they've done it." "Not yet." "It takes two to play war." "There's a 20 minute delay from the A.O." "By the time we get a full assessment, the Hale and the Scirocco could both be dust." "We have to anticipate the worst." "Phoebe's a backwater science station." "What are they trying to protect?" "It doesn't matter." "They're making a move." "As we speak, the Martians could be preparing a strike all over the system." "Have any of their other ships changed course?" "Or launched?" "Or done anything provocative?" "Madam, by the time you see it on that display, it will be too late..." "I know how the thing works." "Answer my question." "As of 20 minutes ago, no." "That doesn't sound like a first strike to me." "The missiles are a message to back off." "Nothing more." "The Captain of the Hale will likely fire back on the Scirocco, as he's authorized to do." "The MCRN will retaliate." "Phoebe may be the spark, but it will not end there." "The Captain of the Hale knows what's at stake." "He's a man of restraint." "He's one of our finest." "You know Captain Yvgeny?" "Since he was a little know-it-all at the Academy, debating me in philosophy." "I promise you, sir, he is the same wise man he was back then." "The wise thing to do right now is to target the MCRN fleet." "System-wide." "Mars isn't stupid enough to start a war that will end civilization over a rathole like Phoebe." "Let this saber-rattling play out." "We'll hold, until we hear from the Hale." "God have mercy on us all." "I didn't know we shared Captain Yvgeny as a friend." "An exceptional man." "Yes." "Who never went to the Academy." "Command, the Nathan Hale has not fired on the Scirocco." "Their missiles were not intended for us." "I repeat, their missiles were not intended for us." "Command, be advised, we are standing down." "The Martians were targeting Phoebe Research Station, which sustained multiple direct hits." "The ice moon fractured under the barrage and the fragments spiraled into Saturn." "It's completely gone." "Wish I had your hat for you, amigo." "Are we even now, or, uh..." "I still owe you one, don't I?" "We'll figure it out." "Alex!" "Yeah." "What's the emergency?" "Okay, it's kind of an emergency." "So, listen." "I'm thinking to myself, I'm thinking, how often do we all just hang out together and just talk, you know, without work?" "No, no, without work." "Hey!" "Listen, listen, listen." "So I'm thinking to myself, and I say to myself, "Self," ""we ought to just do that, right?"" "So." "Vee-o-walla!" "That's lasagna." "It's "voila"." "Sit down." "So that, my hungry friends, is a Kamal family recipe." "It's a staple of the Mariner Valley." "Now, granted, we had to improvise a little bit, without any real cheese, or wheat, or tomatoes or anything." "Damn, Alex, you're getting us really excited about this lasagna." "Now, don't go judging it before you taste it, Earther." "It's not bad, Martian." "You know, I remember a time on Ceres when there was real cheese?" "They busted that black-market curd-cartel on ninth level." "Real cheddar, from real cows." "Damn, they had cheese in the street for weeks," "I remember that." "Coming out of every nook and cranny." "Bricks of cheese and wheels of cheese, and peace, love and brotherhood, as long as that lasted." "Then, it was gone." "I busted that cartel." "Yeah, it was me and Star Helix." "We confiscated about one thousand kilos of high-grade cheddar." "It was bound for some luxury spa on Titan." "That stuff was out of Vermont, too." "Craziest thing, though, the whole shipment disappeared from the evidence lock-up that night." "So, it just vanished." "Yeah, the, um..." "Security cameras shorted out." "What?" "Nobody saw nothin'." "So the Governor of Ceres gathers all the Star Helix cops together for an ass-tearing." "This guy wants to know what is the plan for catching these dubious, nefarious cheese thieves, right?" "So he's there, he's tearing us a new one." "Meanwhile, the whole room stinks like cheese farts." "I think I know that Governor." "Teddy the Detector, this guy was not!" "Who?" "Teddy the Detector!" "Yeah!" "The little kid, the little robot, teaches you about the air sensors, no?" "I think I'm too young." "Teddy the Detector detects..." "Goddamn, that was great cheese." "You're right." "Cover me!" "Grab target data when those bastards try to light me up." "Got it, Gunny!" "Travis, right flank!" "Hillman, left!" "Roger, right." "Roger, left." "Targets incoming on my nine, high..." "Same old shit, "Hurry up and wait," huh?" "Look, Gunny, we..." "We got an Intel flash the Hale was carrying 10 times our number." "We weren't going to send you down to a slaughter." "One of us is worth 20 of them." "They wanted something on Phoebe and we vaporized it." "I'd say the fight's coming, soon enough." "I hope you're wrong." "Earth knows the price of escalation as well as we do." "You said our job is to prevent a war with Earth." "Ever wonder if we've got it backwards?" "Maybe we can't have the dream of Mars, until we've had that war..." "They're lighting her up!" "Three tangos painted, Gunny!" "Four!" "The Nathan Hale was going to reach Phoebe ahead of the Scirocco." "Mars clearly wasn't willing to let that happen." "What was on Phoebe that Mars didn't want us to find?" "We'll never know now, will we?" "Sir, we precipitated this by sending a ship to Phoebe in the first place..." "They weren't firing on the Hale." "They intended to miss." "A first shot across the bow." "Thank heaven Captain Yvgeny has a cool head or we'd be already glassing each other's cities." "Mars destroyed an abandoned and expendable base." "A warning for us to stop shadowing their vessels." "Phoebe Station was a joint facility run by an Earth corp." "The only Intel saying it was abandoned came from Mars." "And now two-thirds of their fleet is heading for Earth." "You think that's just a training exercise?" "They're burning sunward, that doesn't mean they're getting ready for an invasion." "Admiral Nguyen's point is well taken." "We must make a strong response." "Then let's speak in a language that Mars understands." "Their helium and titanium supply lines, which we help defend, are vital to their terraforming efforts." "If we threaten to shut them down..." "A trade embargo?" "No, what we need to do is order the Nathan Hale to take out the Scirocco now..." "If we go this way, we're going to be watching each other's ships fall from the skies..." "Sir, if I may." "The Deep Radar Station on Deimos." "It's mostly automated, minimal personnel, casualties will be light." "You want us to attack a Martian moon?" "That's a declaration of war." "No, it's a warning." "It's a goddamn serious one, but that's the point." "It shows that we're willing to strike at the heart of their territory." "Degrade their command and control at the same time." "I like it." "A base for a base." "I don't know how we can get much more proportional than that." "I'd need a resolution from the Security Council first." "We'll call for a vote immediately." "They'll back you." "Sharing the blame does not change what this is." "Fleet Command will not..." "I will not support this escalation." "Are you saying you won't carry out a lawfully given order?" "If that's the case, Admiral, I'm afraid" "I'm gonna have to ask..." "No need to pretend this is a request, sir." "I step down as Fleet Commander." "Rocinante, you are cleared for station dock at berth C4." "They ditched the gas freighter disguise." "Be interesting to hear why." "You're damn right, it will." "Shall I meet them on the dock with guns?" "We'll start with conversation." "Prepare for docking clamp capture." "God!" "God, I hate space." "You're gonna want to hear this story." "Now what story is that?" "Maybe it's the one about why the rock I sent you to exploded into a nuclear fireball?" "Or what happened to the OPA operative" "I tasked you to find?" "Or, maybe it's the story of where the hell you've been since then, without one goddamn word of communication back to me." "We were on Eros." "We barely got out alive." "And the only reason we're here now is to see if you want to do something about it." "We're wasting our time here." "Let's get out of here." "This guy's no soldier, he's too busy counting' bolts." "Who the hell is this asshole?" "I'm the asshole who found your operative." "Her name was Juliette Andromeda Mao." "In case you're interested, she died, alone, on Eros, waiting for you" "OPA chair-jockeys to come help her." "What happened on that station?" "It wasn't a biohazard emergency." "Someone was testing a weapon." "Julie uncovered a plan to unleash this thing on Eros." "She tried to stop it, she got infected." "It was something new." "A life form." "Possibly extra-solar in origin." "An alien life form?" "According to the gymonk who discovered it on Phoebe." "Whoever unleashed it on Eros dosed everyone with radiation to spread it faster." "They set up cameras and sensors, in advance." "Eros is an experiment on Belters." "Everybody down there is dead, they're dying, they're being studied, like bugs under a microscope." "And they're beaming the data here." "It's an abandoned communications relay." "At least some of the people responsible for Eros are gonna be there." "If we want answers, we have to take that station." "It's floating dark, barely registers on radar but it's got a habitat ring, which means someone's home." "The first thing we have to get past is this." "Mmm-mmm." "That's a stealth ship." "Like the ones they used to kill the Donnager." "We have a gunship of our own." "Slugging it out with a stealth is not gonna get it done." "If you want to take that station, you need to land an assault team." "Do you have any idea of the resistance inside?" "No, we don't." "That's why we're talking to you." "You're the military genius." "Well, I don't do that kind of thing anymore." "And the OPA is not an army..." "We're going, with or without you." "And if you'd seen what's happening on Eros, you'd be right there with us." "Julie died for the Belt." "She believed everything you guys say you're fighting for." "Don't waste it." "Welcome to Tycho Station." "Now this is all commercial districts around here." "Restaurants, bars, brothels, all that good stuff." "Supply depot's about four sections in." "They're a friendly bunch, they'll have whatever you need." "Union offices are about two levels down from here, and the Tycho Station admin, just past that." "Y'all can apply for assistance at either one of those, if you need." "Now your lodgings are gonna be right around that corner, all right?" "But I can set you up and get you transport if you want to go somewhere else, so don't be shy." "Hell, I can even get you a job, if that's what..." "I don't wanna bunk, or a job." "I wanna fight the inners who kill my home." "This locale has been rated three star." "Amos, I think we should check in on them once they get settled." "You do that." "They're rock hoppers, right?" "They don't have the skills for this place." "Be a shame if they get stuck in group housing, with some shitty job, right?" "Yeah, that'd be a real shame..." "You know the only reason they infected Eros is because it's got the poorest Belters in the system, right?" "The ones no one gives a shit about..." "Are you trying to make yourself feel bad about this?" "I'm gonna feel better when I watch those assholes burn." "Look, I'm for killing whoever needs killing." "But it's not gonna make you feel better." "The ones we saved, we only saved by accident." "We should have saved more." "We saved us." "Crew comes first." "If we'd have went back for strays, we'd end up dead, like them." "We should've at least tried." "We could've filled the Roci with people, but we didn't." "What the hell does that say about us, huh?" "You can talk all day long about, you know, looking out for yourself..." "Minding your own business, just trying to survive." "It all boils down to an excuse, and that excuse ain't worth a good goddamn when the world is burning down around you." "Doing nothing is just as bad as doing the wrong thing." "Being a bystander..." "I mean, what kind of people are we, that we only help..." "I'm sorry, darlin', I think that seat is taken." "Your kopeng say he buy me drinks if I sit here and listen to you." "Oh..." "Inventory says we have 7,200 out of 10,000 rounds." "If Alex burned 2,800 just getting out of the Donnager, we may have a problem." "Fourteen-millimeter spanner, please." "Where the hell do we get more when we run out?" "Ybe the MCRN does mail order for their stolen ships." "Fourteen-millimeter." "Sorry." "You seem annoyingly calm about all this." "No." "I'm scared shitless." "Feeling guilty as hell." "Please God, stop trying to take credit for every damn thing that's wrong in the universe." "I'm talking about all of you." "Being caught up in this..." "Alex wants to do something." "Amos doesn't do anything he doesn't want to." "And if you think I'm going along just because of you..." "You never wanted to be on the same team as Fred Johnson, or be tangled up with the OPA again." "I ran with some bad people once." "Stupid kids with OPA tatts and big ideas." "I got involved in some things, and innocent people died." "So I said never again." "But this time it's different." "After Eros?" "Are you scared?" "I'm angry." "So..." "Do you think the others have a sense about what's going on with us?" "I mean, Amos, in particular?" "We can make a public announcement, get everyone on the same page." "Or take out an ad." "No, it's just..." "I was never clear about how you two..." "You know." "Well, I asked if you were a couple once." "What did he say?" "He said he'd be okay throwing me into space without my helmet, but that you wouldn't like it." "Sounds like Amos, 16-millimeter." "It's kind of hard to explain." "He's like a brother." "We look out for each other." "You sure he's clear on that?" "Pretty sure." "You did hear the part about him throwing me off the ship without my helmet, right?" " I did." " Great." "'Cause I'm really liking us not threatening to kill each other anymore." "You threatened to kill him?" "Just the one time." "Let's try to behave." "And if we can't behave, we tread lightly." "We have bigger things to worry about anyway." "All I can tell you is that we're assaulting a station and are expecting heavy resistance." "I need 50 people with combat experience." "They'll get top hazard pay and first dibs on the new equipment contracts." "My people have those contracts for three years..." "And it time someone else get a go at the tit." "We will honor those existing contracts." "But we'll be adding 30 more positions to the Nauvoo." "The rest will come from other bids, all new work." "Yeah, go on, coyo." "Keep licking the Earther's hand, maybe he toss you a few more scrap from his table." "It's not news to me that Black Sky resents my position here." "But trust me, now is not the time for factions or debate." "There's OPA and there is OPA." "You?" "You're just an Earther playing Belter." "We don't need you giving us orders, and we don't need you picking our target." "Me and mine, we just hack a U.N. drone on Earth." "Came this close to wasting that wupo Avasarala." "That is how you get the inners' attention." "And how do you suppose that's gonna play out?" "Don't know yet." "But we've got cells on Ceres, on Pallas, Hygea." "When we hit the inners 100 more time, we gonna find out." "Well, I'm sorry I wasted your time." "You not wasting my time, Earther." "You're the one who don't belong here." "Maybe it's time real Belter took what should be ours." "Like Anderson Dawes on Ceres." "Maybe now..." "Maybe now is our time." "What happened on Eros wasn't a plague." "It was a genocide on Belters, done by those who think we're weak." "Divided." "One thousand different tribes scattered across the Belt, who could never unite and fight back." "Well, we're going after those who killed Eros." "Tell that to your factions." "I need 50 good fighters." "Send your best." "That son of a bitch." "Goddamn!" "Don't beat yourself up." "That's your best run yet." "It's that goddamn rail gun." "Soon as that stealth points its nose at us, we're done like dinner." "All right, listen." "Don't lose the big picture." "Our cargo freighter disguise is only gonna fool them for so long." "The breaching pods are defenseless." "You have to flush out and engage that stealth ship or the pods will never make it to the station." "Load it up again." "Hey, uh, your ship keeps getting killed." "If we start further away, they nail us with torpedoes." "Get too close, it's that rail gun." "Yeah." "It sounds to me like you're just picking which kind of dead, pal." "Well, Alex is playing alone right now." "We get a full crew, it'll be different." "Yeah, a crack team of space commandos, you guys." "Listen, I hope you understand if I ask you sit this one out." "Close quarters battle can get kinda hairy." "What the hell use would I ever be on a ship?" "Nah," "I'm going down with the assault team." "Have you seen the breaching pod?" "It's a beer can taped to a rocket." "You're not gonna like the ride." "Fred's trying to land 50 pissed off Belters and seven different OPA factions on that station." "I mean, somebody's gotta keep these idiots from shooting each other." "Oh, I ain't sitting this one out." "All right, then." "I'll go clean out my cabin." "Leave it." "It'll be waiting for you when you get back." "That son of a bitch!" "God damn it!" "I'll have..." "Gin and tonic with a lime." "You're not as invisible as you think you are." "I'm not on a covert op." "I would've pegged you as a scotch drinker..." "I don't drink often." "You're entitled to celebrate." "Your transfer went through this afternoon." "Jupiter fleet." "Good command." "And Nguyen gets my old job." "Much obliged." "Deimos was the smallest move the Secretary General could swallow." "Big symbol, minimal body count." "Anyone with half a brain knew we were not going to leave that room without an escalation." "I'm honored you think you gotta justify your actions to me..." "I'm simply telling you how your tantrum got you sidelined." "And how does that help your larger cause?" "Well, when your war breaks out," "I'll be out there minimizing the body count." "Enjoy your drink." "Sit." "Is that an order?" "If that'll make you sit your ass down, yes." "Please." "Get him a proper scotch, please." "Lagavulin." "Now, why don't you grow a pair and tell me what you really think." "We're just two people having a drink." "No ranks." "Here, I'll get the ball rolling." "I'm a smug old bitch, who enjoys playing with life and death on her big chessboard." "A snake in a sari..." "With dead eyes and a poison tongue and the solar system is in tatters because of people like you and Errinwright." "Despite your delusions to the contrary, you, Madam Undersecretary, may be the worst person I have ever met." "Feel good getting that out of your system?" "That was the plan, wasn't it?" "Yeah, it did." "Now, why don't you grow a pair and tell me why you're here." "Tell me about Fred Johnson." "When he joined the OPA and everyone lined up to stone him, you stayed quiet." "Why?" "There was plenty said about him." "I understand it's hard to watch a war hero..." "You don't understand shit about Fred Johnson." " Enlighten me." " Oh, then you want" " the real story?" " Yes, I would." "I got this from someone who was there, someone I trust." "Your predecessors in the previous administration buried it." "The Belters who seized control of Anderson Station had been trying to negotiate for days." "U.N.N. Command was jamming their comms, but when the Belters finally gave up," "Colonel Johnson wasn't told that they'd surrendered." "If he knew, he would have never called that strike in." "Why wasn't he told?" "Because the powers that be wanted to send a message to the Belt." ""Defy us, we wipe you out." Message sent." "And Fred Johnson switched sides, why?" "As a revenge against Earth?" "The U.N. pinned a medal on his chest for Anderson Station." "He was a hero to Earth and despised everywhere else." "All based on a lie." "But you know what?" "He never said a word." "Didn't even try to clear his name." "Just walked away." "So does that make him a hero or a traitor?" "I don't know what it makes him." "But I know that he's an honorable man who held onto his soul, and that is a tough thing to do in this line of work." "Not bad." "But I prefer beer." "She's buying." "Didn't think he had that in him." "I need you to do something for me." "I'm sure I'm going to love it." "I need to send a communique, off everybody's radar." "No traces back to me." "I want to talk to Fred Johnson." "That is treason, isn't it?" "It certainly is." "Beeline pattern on Rocinante." "Holden." "You copy?" "I copy." "So far, so good." "The Rocinante is completely hidden in our radar shadow." "Your team ready?" "It's getting to be that time." "Roger, that." "All right, people, here we go." "Just stay loose and focus on your job." "We all know what we're in for." "We know what we gotta do." "Lids on and button up." "Copy that." "Oy, Beltalowda!" "We put these cans together in a hurry, it'll get a little bumpy when the thrusters fire." "Bumpier than this?" "When you hit the ring, the pod will seal to the hole." "The station shouldn't vent any air." "But keep your helmets on anyway, in case." "Try not to puke in it." "Uh, question." "What's the go-signal for the, uh..." "For the assault?" "That will explode and turn into a door." "Good hunting!" "Tenye wa chesh gut!" "Stay away from da owkwa!" "Stay away from da owkwa!" "Star Helix!" "What you doin' here?" "You lose a bet?" "Okay, Naomi." "Empty us out." "De-pressurizing." "Alex, the alarm." "I'm on it." " I hate this part." " You gotta do it." "They'll be poking holes in us." "Yeah, but this feels like we're agreeing to it." "All right." "Air is in the tank." "Rocinante is ready to roll." "This should be interesting." "On your mark, Colonel." "I thought I was done with all this." "Sending people to their deaths." "Before or after you spaced the Black Sky guy?" "Everybody here is a volunteer." "That was the old trick." "Getting them to believe that it was their own idea." "Rocinante, we are a go." "Alex?" "Make us look like something that got dropped." "You got it, hoss." "Hey, Holden!" "Holden!" "Didn't the Navy teach you to stow your gear before you went into maneuvers?" "Attention, this is the freighter" "Guy Molinari to all vessels within range." "This is a legal notification that we are on approach to a loose cargo container and have filed a salvage claim." "Any interference with our property will result in civil action." "Hey!" "Hey, when did you soldier up?" "Last time I saw you, you were..." "You were stealing sewer water from the Griegas." "Wouldn't have if I knew they were paying in Earther scrip." "But you used to that, right, Star Helix?" "Hey, man, no need to get nasty." "No, really!" "What you doing here?" "I was on Eros." "No shit." "You see what they did there?" "Wasn't pretty." "We gonna burn 'em all down, owala." "Make 'em pay!" "Did they just cut us loose?" "Nah, we with our own air now, is all." "You look like you see your own ghost." "I just..." "Hate..." "Space..." "What kind of Belter are you, pampa?" "Don't worry, I grew up on ship like this." "My uncle Mateo had this rock hopper." "He take me along sometime." " I don't care..." " My uncle was a hero." "He died fighting the inners." "He put me out the airlock first, because he had love for me." "Now I fight like he did." "You're still talking." "If another Belter ship don't see the blast and come for me, I still be on the float." "All this just bonus time for me, sasa ke?" "Stick next to me, okay?" "I'll look out for you when we land." "Oy, pampa." "I keep an eye on you, old man." "Come on, hoss." "Give me the word." "We should be close enough by now." "Heat her up!" "Sensors are up." "Where's that stealth ship?" "It's supposed to be here." "Heads up!" "We got a bogie on the far side of the ring!" "They're going after the Molinari!" "Shit, I'm on it!" "Hang on!" "Naomi, what's our status?" "The hulls have been breached but the core reactor's okay." "O2?" "Checking." "We're breathing, it must be good." "We're okay." "Zero G, now!" "I put the station between us and them, but I don't know how long I can keep it that way." "She's real sluggish to port!" "Aw crap!" "We're down a thruster." "We've lost a feed line to number 16!" "I see it, inner hull at C-9!" "I can patch that!" "Amos, stay put!" "One hard maneuver and you're done." "We don't get that thruster back, then we're all done." "I'm going." "Launching breaching pods now." "I see the problem." "I'm going to need a few seconds to fix it." "Amos, hurry." "We don't have much time." "Rocinante." "Alert." "Are you seeing this?" "There's a gun on the ring!" "Looks like an old anti-asteroid cannon." "It's a dumb gun for breaking stray rocks, it can't hurt us." "No, but it'll kill the hell out of those breaching pods!" "Shit!" "Alex, can we take them out?" "No, we're too close for torpedoes." "I'm gonna have to clear the station to fire the PDCs." " Do it!" " Roger!" "What the hell was that?" "Sorry, partner, that was us getting our ass kicked!" "God damn it!" "I need that thruster!" "All right, give me a few seconds!" "The cannon will be on the breaching pods any second, we have to protect the landing team." "That stealth is nearly on our tail." "We let them get one more clear shot at us, it's gonna cut us in half!" "Jim, we gotta move out!" " Hard burn now." " No!" "We do that and Amos is dead!" "We lost a pod!" "Done!" "Amos, we're about to do a high-G maneuver." "Give me a second!" "Okay, secure!" " Alex, move!" " About f... ing time!" "Surprise, assholes!" "Nice work, Alex!" "Well done!" "Whoo-hoo!" "Oy, papa, look like nobody home maybe." "Hey!" "Stop!" "Stop!" "Hold your fire!" "Aw, Jesus." "You okay?" "It was a gel round." "Invincible, me!" "Gimme that." "They're all using gel guns, not even fitted up to repel boarders." "They look like prison guards." "So what the plan, boss man?" "All right." "Staz, split them up into four groups." "Five of you guys come with me." "Stay sharp." "Everybody stay sharp and watch the doors and corners." "Doors and corners are where they get you." "You four, with him, huh?" "Go, take your men that way." "You down there." "Alex, which pod was Miller on?" "I'm on it." "Miller was on the other pod." "He made it." "Sorry, buddy." " You okay?" " Yeah." "Did we win?" "Rocinante, we're proceeding to hard dock." "We'll see you in the station." "All right, everybody on the floor!" "Show me some hands!" "Now!" "Hey." "Shit, man..." "Hey." "Come on, get up." "Turn it back on!" "Give it back!" "Cease fire!" "Cease fire, God damn it!" "Stop!" "Diogo!" "Get this guy outta here." "Nothing happens to this guy!" " Get him outta here!" " Got it, Star Helix." "I need these scientists alive, guys!" "Guys..." "Everybody stay here." "Nobody move." "All right, turn it off, dirtbag!" "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their species." "You." "Have we met?" "Up." "Get up." " Miller, stand down." " Oh, good." "This station is now under OPA control." "What would it take to make you guys go away," "Colonel Johnson?" "Weapons?" "Money?" "Political favors?" "My benefactors are powerful..." "Get his ass out of here." "Let's go." "Idiots." "Every scrap of data in this facility has been encrypted." "We know what you were doing on Eros." "Nobody knows what we're doing on Eros." "And every minute I have to spend playing games with you, takes me away from that work." "You're in an excellent bargaining position." "Tell me what you want and we'll negotiate." "You're going to help us make a vaccine." "No." "That goes against everything we're trying to accomplish." "You infected a station full of Belters..." "They were infected to save us all." "You're gonna have to be a hell of a lot more specific than that." "We made a discovery on Phoebe." "An extra-solar lifeform." "We found your lab notes on the Anubis." "Maybe you can appreciate what it is." "An organism that can repurpose other life forms and use them to evolve." "Into what?" "That's what we're trying to find out." "In a controlled, isolated environment that can be sterilized if it gets out of hand." "You could've fed it a vat of bacteria." "I'm not interested in the cosmic fate of bacteria." "The protomolecule is proof that we're not alone in the universe." "And our ticket out of the limitations that bind us to these pathetic little bubbles of rock and air." "If we master it, we can apply it." "Apply it to what?" "To everything." "We become our own gods." "Imagine human beings able to live in hard vacuum without a suit, or under the crushing atmosphere of a gas giant." "Or able to hibernate long enough to travel to the stars." "That's why you were willing to start a war?" "Have you heard of Genghis Khan?" "He built one of the greatest empires in human history." "Killed or displaced a quarter of the entire population on Earth during his conquests." "Today, that's the equivalent of 10 billion people." "Eros is hardly a rounding error by comparison." "And that justifies all of this?" "Of course it does!" "The protomolecule wasn't sent here by accident." "Earth was its target." "It was sent to hijack life on our planet for its own ends." "You can't save Eros." "All you can do now is waste the data and ensure that every man, woman and child on that rock died for nothing." "The data will erase itself if anyone other than me tries to decrypt it." "Without this work, humanity will be left unarmed, ignorant, vulnerable, to an enemy who's already fired the first shot." "I don't care who controls the project." "So long as I can get back to my work, with no restrictions." "So we have an understanding?" "We're going to need complete access to the data." "As well as the names of everyone responsible for setting this in motion." "Done."