Babylon's Ashes

How it opens

Michio Pa, captain of the Connaught, forces the colony ship Hornblower to surrender under a Free Navy order that conscripts its ship and cargo. Then a message from Marco Inaros calls her to a meeting of the inner circle at Ceres Station, two weeks away at a hard burn. On Pallas Station, Marco orders the harbormaster to pack the station's warehouses into containers and fire them off into the void, saying Pallas stays a target for the inner planets as long as the goods are there. Back aboard the Pella, his son Filip hears from Karal that his mother, Naomi, is still alive, and that the rest of the ship already knew.

Who you meet early

• Michio PaMichio Pa commands the Connaught, a ship built for the Martian navy, and has led the Free Navy's conscription of colony ships. The core of her crew is her plural marriage.
• Evans Garner-ChoiEvans Garner-Choi is the XO of the Connaught and Michio Pa's newest husband. He has started to doubt Marco Inaros, pointing to plans that changed and targets who survived.
• Marco InarosMarco Inaros is captain of the Pella and admiral of the Free Navy. The Free Navy holds Medina Station at the heart of the ring gates and has closed the gate to through traffic.
• Filip InarosFilip Inaros is nearly seventeen and serves in the Free Navy aboard the Pella with his father, Marco Inaros. He took part in the attack on Earth.
• KaralKaral is an older Belter from Marco Inaros's old crew under Rokku, now at his side on the Pella. He keeps a wary eye on Rosenfeld's guards.
• Rosenfeld GuoliangRosenfeld Guoliang is an old friend of Marco Inaros and one of the Free Navy's inner circle, tattooed with the OPA split circle and the V of the Voltaire Collective. He has brought his own guard aboard the Pella for the burn to Ceres.