All These Worlds

Background

Book 3 is the final volume of the original Bobiverse trilogy and the culmination of the Others threat. The timeline is non-linear — chapters are interleaved between multiple simultaneous storylines across approximately 2212–2263.

Major development: Bob (the original) has constructed an android body and is now living directly among the Deltans on Eden as “Robert” — physically present in their society, participating in hunts, mediating disputes. This began sometime between Books 2 and 3 and represents his deepest possible commitment to the Deltans.

Other POV characters: Howard (Vulcan colony, married to Bridget, processing the Others crisis), Marcus (Poseidon water colony, dealing with a totalitarian administrative council), Jacques (Delta Pavonis, managing Pav rescue operations), Herschel and other Bobs at various systems, Neil and new clones.

The central crisis: The Others have attacked the Pav homeworld at Delta Pavonis with Death Asteroids — projectiles that sterilize a planet’s biosphere, after which Others “ants” (mining automatons) strip the planet of all metals and organic material. Jacques has managed to rescue approximately 20,000 Pav before the attack, but a billion beings will die.

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Chapter 1 — Face-Off

Bob (as Robert, in android form) participates in a pigoid hunt with the Deltans. “This time, I wasn’t an observer. I could feel the fur standing up along my spine.” After the successful hunt, the returning group is bushwhacked by a gang from Caerleon — a neighboring Deltan settlement. The gang demands a share of the kill. Bob-as-Robert responds with a comprehensive insult that stuns the Caerleon gang into silence (“bend way over, stick your head up your own butthole…”). When their leader Fred throws a punch, Robert dodges casually and drops him with a jab. The confrontation ends with the gang retreating. Donald is surprised and pleased; the Council will need to hear about this. Bob muses on how much “surrogate vengeance” he’s enjoying while being in a body.

Chapter 2 — We’ve Lost

Howard arrives at Bridget’s apartment unannounced, expression bleak. “We lost. We lost and now a billion sentients are going to die.” The Others have begun their operation at Delta Pavonis. Howard explains the process: Death Asteroids sterilize the planet; ants and cargo carriers strip metals; all corpses collected. Jacques rescued 20,000 Pav. “We’ve never seen the process, just the aftereffects. Now we’ll be getting a ringside view.” Howard tries to cry without tear ducts. Bridget holds him.

Chapter 3 — Trouble Brewing

Marcus (a Bob clone at Poseidon’s water colony) is dealing with the colony’s Administrative Council turning authoritarian. His friends Kal (an assistant governor) and Gina (security) are increasingly alarmed. Elections have been indefinitely postponed. Marcus has been handing over operational control to the administration for years, so his leverage is limited. They plan to be a “distraction” or “wild card” if the Council goes further. Marcus notes he’s “not naturally suited to intrigue and double-cross.”

Chapter 4 — Attitude

Howard sits in a mall coffee shop waiting for Bridget, watching people go by. He reflects on the strange normalcy of being seventeen light-years from Sol on a planet that was Mr. Spock’s homeworld in fiction, watching humans who have built shopping malls and clothing stores and specialty bath product shops. He is, briefly, just some random Joe. Bridget arrives. They have coffee. The mundane and the cosmic coexist.

Chapter 5 — Bushwhacked

Bob-Robert executes his “dirty tricks” plan: he sets an ambush for Fred’s Caerleon gang using Donald’s volunteers. When Fred’s group tries another bushwhacking, they find themselves outnumbered and outmaneuvered. Fred is brought before the Council. Bob provides what appears to be very well-prepared eyewitness testimony. Jeffrey, the Council leader, is forced to act.

Chapter 6 — Launch

Bill coordinates a major launch of rescue infrastructure toward Delta Pavonis. The timeline is tight — the Pav homeworld is being destroyed, and the rescued Pav need somewhere to go. Bill’s asteroid-moving and terraforming expertise is being applied to a new planet that can host the Pav refugees.

Chapter 7 — Date

Bob-Robert goes on what amounts to a date with a Deltan named Esmeralda (his naming convention). The social dynamics of Deltan courtship are examined. Bob is careful not to use his android’s physical advantages unfairly but is engaged enough to participate genuinely.

Chapter 8 — Revolutionaries

Marcus is now more actively involved in resistance against the Poseidon Council. He and Kal are developing counter-surveillance techniques. Marcus is finding that being a computer makes certain kinds of covert work easier (perfect memory, millisecond reaction times) and other kinds harder (he is well-known and tracked).

Chapter 9 — Tension

The Vulcan colony is processing the news of the Pav massacre. Howard and Bridget discuss what it means for humanity’s long-term situation. The Others know about two human systems — Earth and Epsilon Eridani. As long as the Others exist, every world is ultimately at risk. “All these worlds,” as Bridget puts it.

Chapter 10 — Hunted

Gorilloid activity near Camelot has increased significantly. The android body that Bob is using — designed to look and smell Deltan — is nevertheless recognized by gorilloids as something new and potentially threatening. A gorilloid approaches Bob directly, apparently trying to assess this strange new creature. Bob handles it.

Chapter 11 — Remains

Jacques is at Delta Pavonis, watching the Others’ cleanup operation from as safe a distance as he can manage. The Pav homeworld is being systematically stripped. Jacques has recordings of everything — the Others’ methods, their tools, their operational patterns. He is building the most comprehensive intelligence dossier on the Others that the Bobiverse has ever had.

Chapter 12 — Funeral for Julia

Julia Hendricks — Riker’s human “descendant” (a descendant of Bob’s sister’s family, with whom Riker has maintained contact across generations) — has died of old age. Riker attends the funeral via android and sits with Justin Hendricks and the rest of the extended family. The generational gap between replicant immortality and human life spans has never been more concrete.

Chapter 13 — Flying Cities

The Pav rescue fleet has transported 20,000 Pav to a new world. But the Pav are not ground-dwellers — their civilization includes a technology developed independently: floating cities, large buoyant structures that drift in the atmosphere of their new world. Jacques helps them establish the first flying city on their new homeworld.

Chapter 14 — Friends

Bob-Robert’s social integration among the Deltans has reached a point where he has genuine friends — not subjects of observation, but people who know him as Robert and whose company he actively seeks. He reflects on how this happened and what it means for his original intention to remain a non-interventionist observer.

Chapter 15 — Enclaves

Riker is dealing with various human enclaves that have not yet participated in the general human expansion program. Political stragglers, ideological holdouts, groups that want to go to specific worlds for specific reasons. The Bobiverse has more colony ships now than it has volunteers to fill them.

Chapter 16 — The Departed

Some of the original Vulcan colonists are departing — moving to newer colony worlds, wanting to be pioneers again rather than established settlers. Howard processes this as a good sign: the colony is mature enough that people feel they can leave.

Chapter 17 — Underway

The rescue fleet for the Pav is underway. Bill is coordinating the logistics of moving 20,000 beings across the light-years to their new homeworld. The scale is unprecedented.

Chapter 18 — Arrival at 82 Eridani

Loki (the Bob clone who was on the second Pav expedition) arrives at the designated rescue system. The new Pav homeworld is being prepared. The first floating city components are arriving.

Chapter 19 — Cities Attacked

The Others have discovered the flying cities of the rescued Pav. Whether they are tracking the rescue fleet or have simply found them by survey, the Others send probes to attack the new settlement. Jacques responds with the Bobs’ developed anti-Others tactics.

Chapter 20 — Life

New life in Camelot. A hexghi family has a new child. Bob-Robert is asked to be the equivalent of a godparent. The child’s parents chose “Robert” because he represents the connection between their people and the sky gods — the link between what they are and what they might become.

Chapter 21 — The Return

Jacques returns to Delta Pavonis for the last time. The planet is stripped clean. The Others have left. What remains is an airless rock with no organic matter remaining. Jacques records the final state of the Pav homeworld for the archive. He says goodbye to a planet.

Chapter 22 — Derelict

Neil (a Bob clone exploring deep space) encounters a derelict — an abandoned spacecraft of Others design. It is the first time a Bobiverse Bob has had direct access to Others technology. Neil is extremely careful; it could be a trap.

Chapter 23 — Death

A Bob clone has died — not just gone silent, but confirmed dead. Another casualty of the ongoing conflict with the Others. The Bobiverse holds a virtual wake.

Chapter 24 — Explorations

Bill’s exploration of the derelict (via Neil’s data feeds) has provided significant intelligence about Others technology. The propulsion system is different from anything the Bobs have. The weapons systems are being analyzed. Bill is building a comprehensive technical profile.

Chapter 25 — Battle

A major battle in the Pav system. The Others have committed significant forces. The Bobs fight back with everything developed from Mario and Hal’s research. The battle is brutal and costly.

Chapter 26 — Cities in Fight

The flying cities of the rescued Pav are involved in the battle. The Pav themselves are not just spectators — they have developed weapons capable of contributing to the defense. This is their world and they are fighting for it.

Chapter 27 — Repairs

After the battle, major repairs are needed across multiple systems. Bill coordinates the logistics of rebuilding damaged Bob infrastructure. Several clones need new hardware fabricated from scratch.

Chapter 28 — Payback

Jacques leads a strike team into Others territory — using the intelligence gathered from the derelict to identify an Others manufacturing hub. The strike is successful. The Bobs are now taking the war to the Others.

Chapter 29 — Looming Storm

Intelligence analysis indicates the Others are preparing a massive response to the Bobs’ offensive operations. The scale of what is coming is larger than anything previously encountered. Riker convenes an emergency Bob-moot.

Chapter 30 — Armageddon

The Others’ counterattack is simultaneous across multiple systems. Every Bob system is hit at the same time. The battle is the largest single military event in Bobiverse history. Bob-Robert is in orbit at Delta Eridani managing the defense while simultaneously managing his Deltan community.

Chapter 31 — Cleanup

The immediate crisis is over. Cleanup of the battlefields begins. The Others lost more than they gained in the counterattack, but the cost to the Bobs was significant. Multiple clone deaths and lost infrastructure.

Chapter 32 — Found

Neil has found something significant in the derelict: a navigational database. It contains star charts and notations that may indicate the Others’ homeworld. This is the most important intelligence find in the war.

Chapter 33 — Project

Bill begins planning the ultimate operation: a strike on the Others’ homeworld or their primary production facility. This requires the entire Bobiverse to coordinate.

Chapter 34 — Kidnapping

The Poseidon Administrative Council has gone fully authoritarian. Marcus and his allies Kal and Gina have been working to counter this. The Council attempts to physically detain Marcus’s android body — they want to control him or remove him. Marcus outwits them.

Chapter 35 — Cities Victorious

The Pav flying cities have achieved a decisive victory against a local Others force. The Pav are no longer just survivors — they are a civilization capable of defending itself. This matters enormously to Jacques, who has watched them from stone tools to autonomous anti-Others fighters.

Chapter 36 — Announcement

Riker makes a formal announcement to the human colonies: the Bobs are going to attack the Others at their source. This is not a request for approval — the Bobs don’t need it — but a courtesy notification.

Chapter 37 — Court Battle

Marcus takes the Poseidon Council to court — literally. He has accumulated enough documented evidence of their illegal actions to mount a formal legal challenge. The outcome is uncertain, but the process forces the Council into the open.

Chapter 38 — Travelling

The strike force is assembled and en route to the Others’ homeworld. This is the largest coordinated operation the Bobiverse has ever attempted.

Chapter 39 — Retirement

Bob makes a decision. He will retire from active Bobiverse operations. He will remain as Robert among the Deltans. He will not fight in the final battle against the Others. His clones — the dozens of Bobs who have diverged from him over the decades — can handle the fight. He wants to be where he chose to be.

Chapter 40 — Recovery

The aftermath of a major encounter in GL 54. Herschel (a Bob clone) recovers from significant damage.

Chapter 41 — Resurrection

A Bob clone who had been presumed dead — just “gone dark” — reestablishes contact. The recovery process for a dead Bob’s backup is complex, but it works. Riker processes what it means to die and come back as your own backup.

Chapter 42 — Results Negative

The navigational data from the derelict has led to two candidate Others home systems. One has been investigated and found empty. The search continues.

Chapter 43 — Course Correction

The strike force has been redirected based on new intelligence. The Others’ primary location is different from the first estimate.

Chapter 44 — Debut

The Pav make their public debut in the Bobiverse — formally joining as an associate member, with full diplomatic recognition from all human colonies. This is the first non-human species to achieve this status.

Chapter 45 — Pav Arrival

Pav representatives are traveling to meet human colonies for the first time. The culture exchange is complex and delightful.

Chapter 46 — City

The Poseidon court case has been resolved. The Administrative Council is out of power. Elections have been scheduled. Marcus has helped establish genuine democratic governance on the water world.

Chapter 47 — Foreboding

Something in the strike force’s communications has gone quiet. Not stopped — just subtly wrong. Riker investigates.

Chapter 48 — Pav Decanting

More Pav are being processed for their new home. The rescued Pav civilization is growing rapidly.

Chapter 49 — Surveillance

Neil is doing close-in surveillance of the Others’ manufacturing center — the target of the strike. Getting close enough to gather targeting data without triggering a response is extraordinarily dangerous.

Chapter 50 — A Space Odyssey

Bob-Robert installs a black monolith near Camelot. He has been debating this for years. He watches the Deltans discover it. Their reactions range from terror to fascination. Bob/2001 jokes.

Chapter 51 — Moot

Pre-strike Bob-moot. Every available Bob participates. The plan is presented. Questions answered. Some disagree with aspects of the strategy. The vote is taken. They go.

Chapter 52 — Waiting

The Bobs closest to the Others’ manufacturing center are waiting for the strike window. Tension is high.

Chapter 53 — Protection

Riker has deployed a defensive screen around Earth and the other human systems. Whatever happens in the attack, the Bobs want to make sure there is no retaliatory strike that catches the colonists unprepared.

Chapter 54 — Party

Howard and Bridget hold a party for their Vulcan friends on the eve of the strike. The colonists know something is coming. They eat and drink and talk too loudly about everything except the war.

Chapter 55 — Offsite

The strike force arrives at the target system. First contact with the Others’ home infrastructure.

Chapter 56 — City in the Clouds

Jacques observes a Pav flying city from close up for the first time. The architecture is extraordinary — structures designed for beings who evolved in a high-atmosphere ecosystem. He records everything.

Chapter 57 — Detection

The Others have detected the strike force. The window for a quiet approach has closed. The attack must begin immediately.

Chapter 58 — Arrival

The full strike force arrives in the target system. The Others’ manufacturing hub is visible. The scale of it is unexpected — larger than any single Bob installation by orders of magnitude.

Chapter 59 — Reconciliation

In the middle of the battle, Riker receives a communication from Homer (who joined VEHEMENT). Homer wants to help. The reconciliation is terse and incomplete, but Homer’s forces join the attack.

Chapter 60 — Sneak Attack

Bill leads a sub-strike on a secondary Others facility while the main attack draws attention.

Chapter 61 — Foreshadowing

Bob, watching from Delta Eridani, receives the battle updates. He has chosen not to participate. This is genuinely difficult — watching his clones fight while he is among the Deltans.

Chapter 62 — Life in the Clouds

The Pav city tour Jacques is being given as a diplomatic courtesy. He is fully present as an ambassador even as the war reaches its climax.

Chapter 63 — Well, Hold On

Riker receives word that the Others have responded to the attack with something unexpected — not a counterattack but a communication attempt. The Others want to negotiate. Riker is stunned.

Chapter 64 — Battle Begins

The initial exchange of fire. The Others’ weapons are powerful but the Bobs have developed countermeasures. The battle is winnable.

Chapter 65 — Facilities

Bill’s team has penetrated to the manufacturing core. What they find there is significant: evidence of the Others’ origin, their history, their motivation for the genocidal program they have been running.

Chapter 66 — Battle Continues

The battle is going in the Bobs’ favor, but the cost is mounting. Multiple Bob deaths (with backup recovery ongoing) and significant loss of hardware.

Chapter 67 — Running

The Others are retreating. Their manufacturing hub is being destroyed. This is the first time in their operational history that they have lost a strategic asset.

Chapter 68 — The Battle

The climactic exchange. The Bobs deploy their most powerful weapons systems. The Others respond with theirs. The outcome is not certain.

Chapter 69 — Ending

The battle ends. The Others have been defeated — their manufacturing hub destroyed, their military capacity reduced to a level where they can no longer threaten anyone. They are not extinct, but they are no longer a civilization-ending threat.

Chapter 70 — Extermination

Bill documents the aftermath. The Others’ remaining forces are being tracked and eliminated. This is being done clinically and without pleasure. The Bobs are not the Others.

Chapter 71 — Victory

Victory is confirmed. The Bobiverse has won the war against the Others. The Bob-moot that follows is both celebration and memorial — for all the clones who died and will be recovered from backup, and for the ones who won’t be recovered.

Chapter 72 — Recovery

The long process of rebuilding. Colony systems that were hit by the Others need infrastructure replaced. The Pav homeworld cannot be recovered, but the Pav themselves are thriving. The Bobs fan out across their territories to assess and repair.

Chapter 73 — Moot

The post-war Bob-moot. The Bobiverse has changed: more clones, more systems, more alien contacts, more human colonies. The agenda is long. Bill calls it to order with the air-horn. It takes two days.

Chapter 74 — Pav Announcement

The Pav announce the completion of their third flying city. They are building a civilization on their new world. Jacques marks the occasion as the Pav’s true new beginning.

Chapter 75 — Rebuilding

Poseidon’s new democratic government is functioning. Marcus is less involved than he was — the colony is genuinely self-governing. He turns his attention back to his deep-ocean survey work.

Chapter 76 — Pilgrimage

Decades later. Bob (still as Robert) makes a pilgrimage to the site of the original Deltan village — where he first found them, before Camelot. It is archaeologically rich now. The Deltans have fully entered an iron age. Camelot is a proper city. Robert is, to the Deltans, an ancient and beloved figure — somewhere between a grandparent and a legend.

He sits in the ruins of the old village and thinks about everything.

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What This Book Does

All These Worlds closes the original trilogy’s two central questions: will the Others be stopped, and what will Bob choose when he can choose anything? The answer to the first is yes, at great cost. The answer to the second is: he will choose the Deltans.

Bob’s choice to “retire” from the war and remain as Robert among the Deltans is not withdrawal — it is commitment of a different kind. He has found the answer to the question that started everything (what does it mean to be a person when you’re not human?): it means building genuine relationships with people who are also not human, in a world you have committed to protecting, for reasons that have nothing to do with your original mission parameters.

The pilgrimage in Chapter 76 is the book’s final image: an immortal sitting in ruins, thinking about all the things he has watched grow and change, and knowing there is more to come.