[Discussion 6/6] Bonus Book || Tiamat's Wrath by James S.A. Corey || Ch. 43-end (The Expanse book #8)

Welcome to our final discussion of Tiamat's Wrath by James S.A. Corey.    This week, we will discuss from chapter 43 through the end of the book. The Marginalia post is here. You can find the Schedule here.  

Discussion questions are below, but please also feel free to add your own thoughts and questions.  One note - this is a very popular book series and TV show, but please keep in mind that not everyone has read or watched already, so be mindful not to include anything that could be a hint or a spoiler!  Please mark spoilers not related to this section of the book using the format > ! Spoiler text here !< (without any spaces between the characters themselves or between the characters and the first and last words).  Feel free to discuss previous books in this series (Expanse #1-7) but please avoid sharing details from the show, short stories, or future books, as well as any non-Expanse media.  Thanks!

>>>>>>CHAPTER SUMMARIES<<<<<<

CH. 43 - ELVI:  Elvi enjoys talking to Cara and Xan about her research, which bothers Cortazar because he sees them as only test subjects and repurposed corpses.  Both scientists are called to an emergency meeting with Ilich and Trejo.  They are informed of the massive invasion by the resistance.  Given that Laconia is under attack, it will look suspicious if the High Consul can't make a public statement.  They decide it is best to fake a video of Duarte and prepare a smear campaign to use against anyone who tries to discredit their video as fake.  When they attempt to scan Duarte in his uniform, he is agitated and won't sit still.  Elvi shows him compassion and Duarte responds by looking at her with love and interest.  Then he gets up and… erases parts of Cortazar’s chest and head, killing him!  Everyone leaves the room in shock. Elvi is sure it happened because Duarte somehow knew about Cortazar's plans for Teresa.  Trejo has bigger fish to fry.  He will make the video himself as the (self-appointed) head of Laconian military, and he warns Elvi not to speak of surrendering again, upon pain of execution.  He gives Elvi full access to all of Cortazar's systems, confirming her suspicion that Cortazar had been holding things back from her. 

CH. 44 - NAOMI:  As the resistance leader, Naomi reflects on what she has learned from Bobbie about waging a campaign and teaching your enemy a lesson.  The point is to draw them out of their comfort zone and into the fight on your terms.  Naomi and her resistance fighters teach Laconia that they can't rely on backup coming to save them. They prove that the resistance has 1300 systems ready to resupply them, while Laconia only has the one.  They barrage Laconia with an endless stream of torpedoes and debris, not aimed at population centers, but relentlessly battering Laconian defenses to show the resistance is playing the long game. And they make sure that, despite taking some losses themselves, the resistance never destroys the Laconian ships that attack and then retreat.  This is meant to lull the enemy into a false sense of security about the success of attacking the resistance forces.  And then, when they're sure that Laconia has learned everything they've taught, the resistance lures their protection warship away so they can attack the Laconian docks and shipyards.  The Roci is just turning around to flee Laconian airspace after the attack when they receive a message from the surface: Amos’ evacuation request! 

CH. 45 - TERESA:  It's Teresa's birthday, and she is getting the party every 15 year old girl dreams of: the same decorations she's had since she was 8, a ballroom full of dignitaries and coerced classmates in formal wear, and the obligation of giving a speech that makes excuses for her absent, braindead father.  Yay? Seeing Elvi, Teresa tries to find out if their research vessel could be used to escape the rebel attacks, but it seems unlikely.  A few days later, as Teresa chokes down breakfast, she realizes she has everything she needs to make an escape.  She heads to Holden's cell and demands access to question him about the attacks, then takes down the guards with their own stun weapons. Holden is understandably confused and surprised the whole time, but he's willing to go along with it. Teresa finds Amos' old belongings and activates the beacon that will request evac.  Then she tells Holden that they'll have to be quick about getting to the rendezvous point because her tracker will make it easy to find them. 

CH. 46 - ELVI:  Going through Cortazar's files, Elvi discovers that he had been manipulating Duarte the entire time and getting increasingly jealous of the High Consul’s protomolecule transformation.  Elvi comes across notes that point to “Holden’s plan” for Teresa and is shocked to think her old friend might have been trying to destabilize Laconia by getting a teenager killed.  Fayez and Elvi discuss their predicament as they prepare for Teresa’s birthday party.  Fayez suggests they could make up a scientific research mission and use the Falcon to escape, but Elvi thinks it is too risky given the shooting war in the sky. At the party, Teresa's questions about the research vessel come off as a loyalty test given that earlier (assumed private) conversation. Later, when Ilich alerts Elvi to Holden's escape, she immediately worries that he's gone after Teresa. She and Fayez bust down the girl's door, but find only Muskrat, who leads them to Teresa and Holden at the edge of the palace grounds.  Elvi begs Holden to give up his murderous plot, but Teresa explains it is her escape plan. Holden confesses that his only plot was to undermine Cortazar and get Elvi put into his position as a way to avoid a protomolecule disaster.  Elvi decides to let Holden and Teresa escape while remaining behind so the science remains in her hands and not in the control of Laconian stooges.  

CH. 47 - NAOMI:  The resistance ships begin their assault on the Laconian construction platforms with Naomi coordinating from the Roci as she struggles to decide how to best handle the evac request from the surface.   Naomi decides they will trust the evac signal is genuine and has been triggered by Amos and/or Holden, but they've got to fulfill their role in the mission first.  Rail guns are also firing from the planet’s surface, which they didn't expect, highlighting the age and spottiness of their intel.  The resistance loses a ship and the Roci takes some damage to their outer hull.  Nevertheless, the mission is a success and all the platforms are destroyed. As they head towards Laconia for the pickup, the Roci gets an assist from two resistance ships who take out the surface rail guns and the final platform.  Naomi orders everyone to retreat as planned, leaving the Roci alone in Laconian airspace.  Alex is confident that he can land them safely on the surface despite damage affecting their aerodynamics.  Naomi has a moment to reflect on her journey since the Canterbury before they begin the descent.  

CH. 48 - TERESA:  Teresa and Holden flee… or trudge, due to the snow and Holden being out of shape.  Teresa is determined to escape, and Holden is quiet in the face of her angry insistence that they press on.  Muskrat continues to follow despite Teresa’s protestations.  Eventually, a security team catches up with them. Ilich orders Teresa to get in the cart and return with him, threatening to shoot Muskrat when she refuses.  Just then, Timothy-Amos shows up - black-eyed and protomolecule-patched like Cara and Xan - to take out the guards. When Teresa confirms Ilich isn't on her side, Amos kills him, too.  Then, Alex and the Roci are there to scoop everyone up, including Muskrat.  Teresa realizes she doesn't even need to declare herself or bargain with the crew for safe passage, because everyone has just accepted her as a passenger. Amos says “we're home” and goes off to find a safe way to secure Muskrat while Teresa watches in awe as THE Naomi Nagata reunites with Holden. Teresa isn't sure what she feels, if anything, as her entire world retreats from view and she leaves everything she knows behind. Unfortunately, they don't get very far before the Laconian ship the Whirlwind has them target-locked. 

CH. 49 - NAOMI:  Jim immediately starts talking like the captain again, and Naomi - de facto admiral of the resistance - doesn't even care; in fact, she relishes it, because she's so happy to have him back.  Once they get underway, she briefly gets to be captain again before Teresa takes over in response to the Laconian magnetar battleship they encounter. The Laconian admiral demands they surrender but Teresa takes over comms and declares she is on a secret mission at her father's command. Terrified, the Laconians let them go.  Naomi tries talking to Amos about his experiences and how he has changed, but he is characteristically casual and vague about it all. He does admit to not completing his mission because he couldn't kill “Tiny”. With Teresa, Naomi discusses the struggle of finding privacy on a crowded ship, and Teresa expresses a desire to go somewhere new because she doesn't like ship life. Jim and Naomi puzzle over what to do with her and how to help her not just find a place to live but a way to be cared for. The OG Roci crew have a farewell ceremony for Bobbie before committing her body to space.  Privately, Jim and Naomi have a touching moment alone. Jim assures her that he's okay because he won the long, terrible game he was forced to play, and he got to come home in the end. 

CH. 50 - ELVI:  The Laconian state media feeds are telling a filtered, incomplete story of what has happened. Duarte 's condition is still a secret, but it's getting silly to try and conceal it, at least in Elvi’s opinion.  Elvi has a meeting with Admiral Trejo about her future role. He tries ordering her to prioritize weapons and the war over Duarte, the alien enemy, or her research. She puts her foot down: Trejo can have her arrested for insubordination or some other military crime, or he can let her set her own goals.  She strongly suggests he find a way to gracefully get out of the war with the underground rebels because Laconia has bigger problems. Elvi intends to get the Falcon back online and head out to that huge green diamond because it seems like the Rosetta Stone that will unlock the knowledge of the protomolecule and its history.  Next, Elvi checks in with Fayez, who is just waking up and still halfway hoping they can run away. Elvi realizes that she is no longer trapped by Laconia and she'll have to come to terms with the fact that she is actively choosing to do this work. Fayez might be disappointed, but he knows who he married and he is content to be by her side as she works to protect humanity.  Finally, Elvi heads to the lab where she assumes full control of the research facility and announces some big changes.  First and foremost, the Pens of protomolecule-infected prisoners will be shut down. They have plenty of samples and subjects for research purposes, and she insists they should leave the discipline and executions to Trejo's military. As for Cara and Xan, Elvi sets them free and asks if they'd be willing to help her with her work.  

EPILOGUE - HOLDEN:  Holden is teething, and it's a bit undignified. As the autodoc takes care of his physical recovery, Holden reflects on how his emotional reactions are a bit jetlagged.  He has a lot of trauma he still needs to deal with. The comfort of Naomi's presence helps.  She is the Big Boss now since she is the leader of the underground, but Holden is gradually slipping back into his role as the Roci captain. He heads to the machine shop to check in with Amos, who hasn't visited the autodoc yet.  Amos, with his gray skin and all-black eyes, admits that the autodoc doesn't really know what to do with him anymore. When Holden gently introduces the question of whether Amos is really Amos, the mechanic insists he is the same guy, just somewhat changed by his experiences like the rest of them.  They all know some new things after their ordeal, and Amos says one of those things is that the entities Duarte pissed off that are Medina are going to kill everybody.  Holden says he knows it, too.