The Expanse 5: Nemesis Games [1] Quiz

Answer: To steal stealth technology

Marco Inaros, Filip's father, was preparing to reveal his new Free Navy. He was going to do so after making attacks on the UN, the Martian Congressional Republic, and Fred Johnson's faction of the Outer Planets Alliance. To pull off his ambush, he needed the latest stealth technology from the Martian labs.

After stealing the technology, rocks struck the base on Callisto to cover their tracks, so no one outside of the Free Navy knew that anything had been stolen.

Answer: Amos' adoptive mother Lydia had died

The story of Amos' life in Baltimore was written in the novella "The Churn". Amos' biological mother died early in his life, and her friend, Lydia, took care of Amos. Back then, he was known as Timothy.

Amos got off Earth and did not return until he heard that Lydia had died. She was his last connection to Earth. After settling her affairs, he figured he would never return again.

Answer: Amos fought them in the showers as soon as he was able

Amos was having trouble processing his feelings about Lydia's death, and entertained many violent fantasies. He did not "process" his anger on just anyone, as much as he might want to, but he was looking for an outlet for his anger. When a long-haul gang tried to extort him during his trip back to Earth, that was all the impetus he needed.

If passengers on the charter ship got violent, the crew could pump knock-out gas into the cabin to stop the fight. That's why all violence happened in showers, where there were no cameras.

Answer: Filip was Naomi's son

Naomi became a parent with Marco Inaros at a young age, back when they were running in the same Belter crew. Naomi was not a violent person; wanting to help Belters with peaceful means. Marco was the opposite. These differences led to their breakup, and Marco tried to gaslight Naomi and withheld access to their newborn son. After a failed suicide, Naomi cut all ties with Marco and fled, eventually joining the crew of the Canterbury.

Fifteen years later, Marco sent Naomi a message saying that their son, Filip, was in trouble, and she was dragged back into the life she thought she had escaped.

Answer: Ships going missing when passing through the ring gates

Monica showed Holden a video of a ship entering a Ring Gate, but not coming out on the other side. Looking at ship transit records would reveal that a small but noticeable number of ship were going missing around the Ring Gates. There were actually two different reasons why ships were going missing, and both would become plot points in the next novel, but in this book, Monica's investigation would get her into trouble with some shadowy people.

Answer: Talissa was exasperated to see him

In the previous novel, "Cibola Burn", Alex had a talk with Basia Merton about the importance of family and being honest. Alex had had to come to terms with his own failings during that conversation. He had left his wife, Talissa, a decade ago without even telling her.

In "Nemesis Games", Alex went back to Mars to get proper closure with her. Talissa was exasperated when she saw Alex. She had processed their divorce in her own way and had moved on, so when he showed up unannounced, she was unimpressed. Alex had once again acted without considering Talissa's feelings, showing he still had some learning to do.

Answer: Knuckles

Nobody from the Rocinante crew, Naomi's new family, knew about her old nickname. When Cyn called her "Knuckles", she was transported back to her old life, and picked up her old friendships easily.

In a later book, Jim called Naomi "Knuckles" to communicate that he was still distressed without alerting the people listening in.

Answer: Investigating missing military equipment

Bobbie and Avasarala first worked together in "Cibola Burn," the second Expanse novel. Even though Avasarala was an Earth politician, Bobbie trusted that she wanted to avoid war at all cost, and did not want Mars or the Belt to suffer while pursuing Earth's interests.

Martian military equipment was going missing, which could mean something bad was going to happen to the frail peace that existed in the solar system. Bobbie was investigating the missing equipment to help Avasarala keep the peace intact.

Bobbie was also working with Veteran's Affairs, to help other Martian military personnel transition to civilian life.

Answer: Bobbie was being interrogated and tortured

It was not that Bobbie was investigating missing military equipment that got her in trouble with these particular shadowy figures. It was that she had been seen talking to Alex. They wanted to know how she was working with the crew of the famous Rocinante gunship. Alex helped Bobbie fight off or kill the interrogators, but they both needed to visit the hospital after. Alex had gone to decline to help Bobbie, but changed his mind after seeing how serious the situation was.

In the TV Show adaptation, it was Alex who was drugged and interrogated, and Bobbie who came to save him.

Answer: Clarissa was in a maximum security prison

The Pit was a maximum security prison deep in the Earth built to contain dangerous individuals with enhancements (such as Clarissa's implants). Clarissa was not a name, but a number, in the prison, and she was given blockers to prevent her from using her implants.

Clarissa had changed in prison. She acknowledged that what she had done in "Abaddon's Gate" was wrong, and was genuinely remorseful. She was not happy in prison, but had made peace with idea of spending the rest of her life there. She was just happy to have company when Amos showed up.

Answer: Monica was kidnapped

Monica's investigation, similar to Bobbie's, attracted the attention of some dangerous people. Operatives were everywhere, including on Tycho Station. Two kidnappers were able to enter her quarters without setting off alarms, abduct her, and then doctor the security camera footage.

When Tycho security was not able to find Monica, Fred Johnson locked down Tycho Station, stopping any traffic in or out, to make sure the kidnappers would not get away. Holden and Fred found Monica in a shipping container by tracking the signal from her hand terminal to her wearable interview rig (a contact lens with a camera).

Answer: Fred's bodyguard

Monica Stuart's kidnapping on Tycho Station meant Fred Johnson had a mole in his organization. Until he knew who it was, the only person he was able to fully trust was an outsider (a situation Fred was very displeased to be in). As the only person Fred could trust, he hired Holden to be his personal bodyguard, a job Holden was ill-suited for. Fred let Holden know that he was a bad bodyguard after he was attacked in his own office on Tycho.

Answer: Commander Winston Duarte

Commander Winston Duarte was sympathetic to Alex when they met. Alex didn't know at the time that Duarte was the man responsible for Martian equipment going missing, and that he had tipped his hand by talking. Duarte recommended Alex continue his investigation by talking to Carlo Henderson Charles, a senior programmer. By the time Alex got to Charles's apartment, he had apparently already committed suicide.

In the TV Show adaptation, Alex never met Duarte. Instead he met Admiral Sauveterre and Lieutenant Babbage. These two characters were in the epilogue of "Nemesis Games", when their ship disappeared as it transited through the Ring Gate.

Answer: William Sakai, Tycho lead engineer

Fred Johnson had Sakai brought into an interrogation room and merely said, "So, I think we know what this is about." That bluff was all it took to break Sakai and reveal him as the mole. Sakai thought that Earthers were arrogant and patronizing, including Fred himself, and happily allied himself with Marco Inaros. Sakai was sent to the brig while Holden vowed to go over every inch of the Rocinante to make sure it hadn't been sabotaged.

Sakai had replaced Sam Rosenberg as Tycho's lead engineer after Sam had been executed in "Abaddon's Gate", the third Expanse novel.

Answer: They drugged Naomi and kidnapped her

Naomi gave her friend Cyn one last hug goodbye before they parted ways, except Cyn turned it into a bear hug and held her in place while Karal used a syringe to drug her. Naomi would be a prisoner of Marco's for the rest of the novel.

Making sure Naomi came along (kidnapping her, if necessary) was Marco's idea. In the TV Show adaptation, it was Filip's idea to bring along Naomi, much to Marco's displeasure.