Chapter Twenty-Four: Anna

An abrupt high-g deceleration crushes the Thomas Prince to an instant stop, injuring Anna in her cabin and turning nearby corridors into scenes of catastrophic trauma. Disoriented and in pain, Anna encounters multiple fatalities and finds poet Alonzo Guzman mortally wounded and unable to move, but the ship’s systems are on emergency power and comms are down.

Tilly finds Anna, administers military-grade stimulants and painkillers from a first-aid pack, and helps her reach a working security post. The security officer reports the ship endured a near-instant stop that only gripped the hull, causing widespread internal injuries. With triage overwhelmed, teams prioritize rescue and body recovery.

On a security display cycling through persons of interest, Anna notices images tied to the Rocinante incident. Tilly corrects a misidentification, stating the woman shown is Clarissa “Claire” Mao, Julie Mao’s sister, whom Tilly knew socially. Anna connects Clarissa to the earlier UN ship explosion and Holden’s framing, insisting Clarissa is aboard.

Security runs facial recognition and flags a likely match for Clarissa in hangar B—an emergency area—just as an airlock cycle alarm appears. Overwhelmed, the officer defers action, focusing on mass-casualty response. Convinced of the danger, Anna steals a military taser despite Tilly’s protests and, fixated by the need to stop Clarissa, resolves to pursue her, even considering EVA gear.