Chapter Forty-Two: Miller
Contains spoilersOverview
Miller summarily kills Dresden, severing trust with Holden and the Rocinante. The OPA strips Thoth while Miller helps manage prisoners, then returns to Tycho. Horrific Eros feeds validate the threat, but Amos confirms Miller’s exile from the crew, leaving Miller isolated and haunted by Julie.
Summary
Miller executes Antony Dresden mid-briefing despite James Holden’s shouted protest. Holden demands justice and denounces Miller, while Fred Johnson ends the confrontation and resumes the operation. Holden cuts ties, telling Miller to find his own ride. Fred promises passage to Tycho but offers no judgment.
During the prolonged occupation of Thoth, Miller applies his cop skills to prisoner control, uncovering numerous hidden weapons among Protogen staff. As OPA teams strip the station and evacuate captives, Miller reflects on “posthuman” detachment and his own capacity for necessary violence. Exhausted, he departs with OPA forces, haunted by Dresden’s pitch and visions of Julie Mao.
Back on Tycho, Miller hot-bunks with Diogo and watches war news that ignores Thoth. A young OPA veteran shows Miller newly decrypted Eros feeds: grotesque protomolecule growths reconfiguring the station and its victims, seemingly building something. The footage reinforces that killing Dresden prevented further “deals.”
Miller approaches Naomi Nagata and Amos Burton at the observation bar to make peace. Naomi is uneasy and leaves. Amos levels with Miller: Holden won’t have him back, and neither will the crew; Miller’s pattern of unilateral killings clashes with Holden’s ethics. Miller accepts the judgment, left isolated and accompanied only by Julie’s imagined presence.
Who Appears
- Miller
Executes Dresden, aids OPA prisoner control, returns to Tycho, views Eros feeds, and is rejected by the Rocinante; haunted by Julie.
- Amos Burton
Speaks plainly to Miller, confirming Holden’s decision and the crew’s refusal to take Miller back.
- Naomi Nagata
Uneasy meeting with Miller; hints at OPA pressure on Holden, then leaves before Amos delivers the final message.
- James Holden
Condemns Miller’s execution of Dresden, expels him from the Rocinante, and remains absent from later meeting.
- Fred Johnson
Maintains control after the shooting, orders decryption and evacuation, pays Miller, and gets him back to Tycho.
- Antony Dresden
Protogen executive summarily shot by Miller during negotiations; his death triggers the rift with Holden.
- Diogo
OPA youth who shelters Miller in a cramped Tycho apartment during Miller’s return.
- Diogo’s friend (unnamed)
Young OPA veteran who shares decrypted Eros feeds with Miller and calls him a hero.
- Julie Mao
Appears in Miller’s visions, a forgiving presence underscoring his isolation.