The Expanse, #2
Caliban’s War
by James S. A. Corey
Contents
Chapter Four: Bobbie
Overview
Bobbie survives the Ganymede massacre but wakes injured, drugged, and under interrogation by Martian intelligence. Captain Thorsson suspects Bobbie’s platoon caused the battle, but Bobbie’s knowledge of her old suit’s video system helps recover proof of the monstrous attacker.
The recovered evidence shifts Bobbie from possible scapegoat to crucial witness, potentially preventing an all-out Earth-Mars war. As Bobbie begins recovering, she learns she is being sent to Earth with a grief counselor, placing Bobbie at the center of a larger political crisis.
Summary
Bobbie Draper regains consciousness in fragments after the battle on Ganymede. A corpsman reaches her damaged suit and reassures her, then Bobbie blacks out again. Bobbie later wakes on a hospital stretcher, realizes medics may have removed her from her armored suit, and then remembers that her entire platoon was killed, making that concern feel shameful.
In the hospital, Captain Thorsson of naval intelligence forces Bobbie awake despite a doctor’s warning that stimulants could endanger her. Thorsson tells Bobbie that her platoon is dead, that fighting between Earth and Mars has caused massive destruction and casualties on Ganymede, and asks why Bobbie’s unit fired on and destroyed the UN outpost at dome fourteen. Bobbie insists that her platoon did not start the fight; a monstrous, mutant-like creature attacked the UN troops first and then massacred the Martian Marines.
Thorsson initially treats Bobbie’s account as a lie because communications and uploaded combat data were missing, local hardware was destroyed by the falling orbital mirror, and Bobbie’s suit video appeared to be static. Bobbie remembers that her older Mark III Goliath suit uses a different video compression system and demands the techs check it properly. The suit is brought in, and Petty Officer Singh confirms the mistake before retrieving the stored video.
As the recovered footage begins to play, Bobbie collapses from the drugs and her injuries. When Bobbie wakes again, Dr. Trisha Pichon angrily condemns Thorsson for interrogating a concussed and internally injured patient. Thorsson admits Bobbie’s help was crucial because the footage may have prevented Mars and Earth from escalating into all-out war, and he apologizes for not believing her.
After some recovery time, Bobbie is eating hospital food when Dr. Trish, Thorsson, and Captain Martens visit. Dr. Trish says Bobbie will be released the next day, and Thorsson introduces Martens, a Marine chaplain and grief counselor who will accompany Bobbie on an upcoming trip. Bobbie resists counseling, but Martens explains that Bobbie has suffered severe trauma and will face intense pressure when they reach Earth, surprising Bobbie with the news that she is being sent there.
Who Appears
- Bobbie DraperInjured Martian Marine survivor who proves a monster killed her platoon and UN troops.
- Captain ThorssonMartian naval intelligence officer who interrogates Bobbie and later accepts her evidence.
- Dr. Trisha PichonBobbie’s doctor, furious that Thorsson endangers her patient for an interrogation.
- Captain MartensMarine chaplain and grief counselor assigned to accompany Bobbie on the trip to Earth.
- Petty Officer Electrician’s Mate SinghNavy technician who retrieves Bobbie’s suit footage after recognizing its old video system.