307 Delta-V – The Expanse Podcast – Tales From The Rocinante

May 25, 2018 | The Expanse Podcast - Tales From The Rocinante | 1 comment

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Delta-V

This episode Timestamps

[5:03] News
[8:02] Episode Recap
[15:58] Feedback
[None Book Discussion

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This week we discuss season 3 of The Expanse with the seventh episode titled “Delta-V”.

In this week’s podcast after sharing some news from The Expanse, I talk about the most recent episode. I end the podcast with some great listener feedback.

News

Help save The Expanse by signing the petition

The Physics of accelerating spacecraft in The Expanse

If you would like to preorder season 3 of The Expanse on DVD or Blue-ray you can purchase them via Amazon. USA or Canada.

Or listen to the audiobook version through Audible

Episode Recap

Delta-V

The episode opens with Chrisjen Avasarala addressing the United Nation. As we see the Protomolecule vessel that emerged from Venus transform into a giant ring in a stable orbit beyond Uranus.

She encourages the people of Earth to choose peace and to unite together with citizens from Mars and The Belt for the purpose of facing the unknown together.

A panel of civilian religious leaders, artists and intellectuals are sent out to investigate the Ring.

——-

In the depths of space, Moneo, a Belter Slingshot racer aboard the Y Que sends a message to his girl after setting a new course record for his Jupiter Six run.

A few months later, still setting records while shooting past Saturn Moneo receives a reply from Evita she’s tired of waiting for him and has hooked up with Moneo’s brother.

To try and win her back he alters his trajectory around Uranus so that he will pass through the Ring, becoming the first Human to do so.

——-

187 days after the formation of the Ring, the assembled fleet of Earth and Mars ships is finally approaching it.

On board the Roci, Holden, Amos and Alex are joined by a film crew documenting the life of the Roci and it’s crew.

Monica, the reporter interviewing them is getting under their skin and they are reluctant to cooperate with her, but since her company is funding the legal costs in their fight against Mars over ownership of the Rocinante they put up with her questions.

She probes into each of their lives showing some knowledge of their backgrounds. About Alex’s family back on Mars, about Amos’ miraculous luck being an Earther on Basic to winning the lottery to place him in an apprenticeship program. She probes deeper about his history in Baltimore and how there’s no record of him growing up there, although there is a record of a mob boss by the name of Amos Burton. Amos shrugs it off as coincidence and then gets defensive when she won’t let up.

Monica tries to apologize and even tries to flirt with him but he blows her off.

She later spies on Alex while he’s communicating with Bobbie who has been reinstated into the M.C.R.N. He mentions that his wife has filed for divorce. He’s visibly upset but understands it’s for the best.

Monica’s cameraman has a conversation with Amos. We find out that Prax and Mae have returned to Ganymede where he’s helping to rebuild the station. Amos misses the Botanist. The cameraman also flirts with the mechanic but he gets turned down as well.

Later after another failed attempt to get a rise out of Holden Monica heads off to do some editing while her cameraman, left alone, makes his way to the bridge and accesses a control panel.

——-

On board the O.P.A.S. Behemoth, head engineer Naomi Nagata interrupts a drug transaction between two Belters. She tells the dealer she doesn’t want to see that sort of thing anymore.

She joins Captain Drummer to welcome aboard the OPA Naval officers lead by Commander Klaes Ashford who is to be Drummers first officer. The two have a rocky history together. She works for Fred Johnson and he works for Anderson Daws, both of whom have come to terms and are tentatively working together for the betterment of the Belt.

The retrofit of the Behemoth is still underway, transforming the generation ship into the biggest battleship in human history. It sounds impressive but many of the ship’s systems were not built to withstand the rigours of battle.

When a construction skiff goes astray Naomi manages to gain control of it and bring it back on board. The pilot, who she recognizes as the man he saw buying drugs earlier is dead.

When Naomi confronts Drummer about the skiff pilot and the drug deal the Captain takes matters into her own hand. She confronts the pixie dust supplier and is about to space him, to Naomi’s protests, when Ashford stops her.

He reminds her that they are not rock hoppers anymore. They are now part of a legitimate society and they have to obey the laws of that society. If they want to be treated like equals by Earth and Mars they need to start acting the part.

Furious, Drummer addresses the assembled crowd telling them they have one standard shift to put any contraband they possess into the airlock without repercussions. She then starts to tell them what will happen to anyone caught with contraband after that time but Ashford interrupts her and announces that anyone caught afterwards with contraband will be put in the brig and sent back to Ceres station where they will be incarcerated.

The airlock quickly fills up with contraband but Drummer isn’t happy. She tells Ashford that it’s not who they are.

When he questions Naomi why she is there, she tells him she thinks it’s time for the Belt to stand up and show everyone who they really are. He tells her she should tell that to Drummer.

——-

On the U.N.N. Thomas Prince, Reverend Anna Volovodov, part of the civilian delegation questions whether or not the Protomolecule is a life form or not. Although nobody knows for sure, she’s told it’s technology created by an extremely intelligent intelligence.

A repair team from the Thomas Prince heads over to the Seung Un, Ren, the team leader orders newbie Melba to perform some simple tasks while he works on something else. He reassures her that the first long-haul trip like this is always the hardest. If she has any questions or just wants to talk she can come to him.

Once alone, she opens a neighbouring panel and activates a mysterious device inside. She seems nervous when Ren returns but he doesn’t take much notice, chalking it up to her being a rookie.

On their way back to their skiff, Ren realizes he forgot his flask where Melba was working. He notices something amiss with the compartment next to where she was working and discovers the hidden device inside.

She tells him she really wishes he hadn’t looked, then she does something in her mouth and attacks the larger man, easily overpowering and killing him before collapsing herself.

———

On board the Y Que, Moneo powers back on his systems and receives a message from Evita, She’s impressed by what he’s attempting and tells him she was wrong and that she will be eagerly waiting for him when he gets home.

As he approaches the ring he is warned off my M.C.R.N. ships. He tells them he’s complying but that it will take him a minute to power up his drive.

At a ballistic speed enters the Ring, only to be stopped almost dead as he breaks the plane. The force of the instantaneous deceleration reduces Moneo’s body to a pulp as his ship enters the Ring.

——-

Back on the Roci, Holden is in his stateroom washing up when he hears a voice, he looks to his bunk and sees Miller sitting there. Not believing what he sees his blinks his eyes and Miller is gone.