Machine World recap

Earth sends Legion Varus to seize a mineral-rich world in Gamma Pavonis before the cephalopods can secure it. James McGill earns veteran rank, learns that Della bore his daughter, and helps discover sentient native machines. The campaign shifts between rescue, invasion, and political crisis as Claver proposes an alliance with the cephalopods, Turov kills Tribune Drusus to conceal her prior involvement, and McGill destroys a Nairb ship sent to execute him. On Titanium Mountain, Varus learns that the cephalopods enslaved the machines and finds evidence of a wider civilization built on collared labor. A Saurian army later besieges the abandoned legion, but an accidental machine summons turns the natives against the attackers. Claver delays orbital destruction after McGill promises access to Turov's Galactic Key. Varus returns to Earth decorated, Claver is secretly revived, and both men refuse Nagata's offer of immunity for testimony against Turov, leaving the key bargain and several prosecutions unresolved.

Previously: James McGill serves as a legionnaire in Legion Varus, one of Earth's mercenary formations operating under Galactic authority. His prior deployments have left him with an established circle inside the legion. Carlos is a close companion, Centurion Graves and Leeson are officers familiar with his service, and Natasha Elkin is a technical specialist with whom he has an unresolved personal history. Galina Turov has moved into a senior Hegemony position and remains an important authority in McGill's life. Humanity has already made direct contact with the cephalopods, creating consequences that extend beyond a single campaign. The cephalopod threat is not Earth's only concern. Galactic officials administer Frontier 921, and their rules constrain how humanity can defend itself or respond to forces beyond its territory. McGill and his associates therefore enter the new crisis with military experience, complicated loyalties, and knowledge that a local encounter can put the entire planet at risk.

Inspector Xlur summons James McGill to Hegemony Central and orders four human witnesses to kill themselves after questioning them about the cephalopod crisis. Graves and Leeson comply, but McGill shoots Xlur. Turov gives McGill an illegal Galactic Key so he can remove Xlur's latest mental backup, then helps stage the death as an accident. Hegemony scrutiny follows, yet Tribune Drusus persuades Equestrian Nagata to deploy Legion Varus instead of disbanding it. The legion joins an expedition to deny a mineral-rich world in Gamma Pavonis to cephalopod expansion. During training with Dust World dragon walkers, a live-fire clash kills many soldiers, but McGill assumes command and develops the tactic that wins the exercise. Della, his former partner and one of the trainers, later reveals that they have a daughter named Etta and that she is married. McGill then enters a veteran trial rigged by hostile veterans. He turns on those interfering in the contest, survives, and receives veteran rank from Graves despite the opposition.

The expedition reaches Gamma Pavonis under missile attack. Pegasus is destroyed after launching Legion Solstice's drop pods, and McGill's cavalry lands on a frozen, methane-rich planet to search for survivors. The rescuers find old machinery, dangerous river traps, and sentient electromechanical natives ranging from small scavengers to massive guardians. McGill and Kivi establish a simple exchange through drawings, and the camp begins calling the planet Machine World. Carlos and Kivi attempt to understand the machines' radio communication. Della gives McGill records of Etta's childhood and tells him that the original Natasha Elkin survived Corvus and settled on Dust World. This implies that the Natasha accompanying McGill is an illegal duplicate, a secret he agrees to protect. A small machine then brings drawings that appear to warn the humans about both an attack and cephalopod involvement. Large machines approach the camp and pursue McGill's squad. One engulfs and kills Carlos before the soldiers disable it, confirming that at least some of the native machines are lethal enemies even though the smaller messenger may have tried to help.

The cavalry crosses a trapped methane river, defeats a huge native machine, and finds the remains of Legion Solstice in the badlands. McGill uses a machine signal to draw attackers into a prepared fight, allowing Natasha to detect Solstice survivors hidden underground. Centurion Belter leads the remnant, but hundreds of machines trap both legions in the caverns. McGill persuades Turov to delay orbital bombardment and send a single lifter. He and his squad sacrifice themselves while drawing the machines away, enabling most of the trapped force to escape. Anne Grant revives him aboard Cyclops, and the two begin a relationship. Two cephalopod vessels and an Imperial trade ship then arrive. Conqueror Gulf introduces Claver, a renegade former Germanica officer who offers Earth an alliance with the cephalopod kingdom and access to Machine World's wealth. Tribune Drusus rejects the plan. Turov shoots him, admits she prepared the scheme with Claver, and deletes his current backup after McGill forces her to order an attack on the cephalopod ships. She then falsifies the circumstances of Drusus's death.

Cyclops and Minotaur destroy the cephalopod transports, and Claver escapes. Veteran Harris ends his feud with McGill after recognizing the value of his actions during the evacuation. Legion Varus then returns to Machine World to seize Titanium Mountain, a resource vital to replacing its dragon walkers. Turov keeps senior officers out of revival so she can direct the invasion without opposition. The landing lifter is destroyed by enemy fire, and the mixed Varus and Solstice force fights uphill through severe losses. Della leads shielded dragons, while Centurion Belter places professional trust in McGill's cavalry. The legion defeats entrenched cephalopods and survives a joint night attack by cephalopod troops and native machines. After taking the titanium mine, the survivors regain shelter and repair capacity. Carlos and Kivi discover a cephalopod data globe. With Natasha, McGill examines records showing an advanced cephalopod civilization in which altered humans and several other species wear control collars and serve as laborers. A giant cephalopod hidden in the mine attacks Kivi, but McGill frees her and Carlos kills the creature before it can be questioned.

Natasha cannot immediately identify the cephalopod home system from the captured records. Soon afterward, a Nairb vessel arrives to prosecute the expedition for attacking cephalopod ships that were formally at peace with the Empire. The case began with complaints from Claver and has expanded to McGill's other alleged violations. The Nairbs order McGill aboard for permanent execution, and his commanders decide that surrendering him is safer for Earth. Turov refuses to arrange a secret revival. On the Nairb ship, McGill bluffs Claver into helping him escape, discovers contraband cephalopod missiles on Claver's vessel, and takes the weapon after Claver tries to obtain the Galactic Key. McGill kills two Nairbs, commandeers their ship, and destroys it with the cephalopod missile system so the incident can be blamed on the cephalopods. He dies in the destruction. After revival, Legion Solstice repeatedly interrogates him and prepares to erase him permanently. McGill persuades Centurion Belter to move him for a formal deposition, then incapacitates her and escapes immediate custody.

Turov dismisses the case against McGill and returns him to Winslade's cavalry, though other soldiers distrust him. Seven Imperial capital ships then enter Gamma Pavonis. Turov deploys Legion Varus onto Titanium Mountain and withdraws her ships, leaving the ground force to face a vast Saurian army. Varus stops the first assault and fortifies the mine, but roughly sixty thousand attackers surround the position. In the lower tunnels, Carlos and Kivi find cephalopod equipment and a chained young machine. McGill establishes a simple exchange, learning that the cephalopods enslaved the native machines rather than treating them as allies. Carlos accidentally dies while pursuing the released creature, and Natasha begins decoding the translator signal used during the experiment. The Saurians destroy a mine entrance with a fusion shell and press into the tunnels. Leeson, Kivi, and Sargon fall while McGill, Carlos, Graves, and a small remnant resist. Natasha and Kivi's work reveals that Carlos transmitted a summons to a metal feast. Native machines answer it, attack the Saurians and consume their equipment, forcing the invaders back and saving the surviving legionnaires.

The Saurians retreat from Titanium Mountain but remain capable of destroying it from orbit. Varus disperses data capsules so later rescuers could revive the legion if necessary. McGill tells Natasha that another version of her survived Corvus, confirming her status as a twin, and asks for help contacting Claver. Because Claver operates the Saurian ships' broadsides, McGill secretly promises him future access to Turov's Galactic Key in return for preventing the bombardment. Claver delays the strike, is reportedly executed, and sends McGill a deep-link unit. Three months later Minotaur recovers Legion Varus, whose members receive campaign decorations. Turov learns of Claver's role and decides to revive him quietly. Two months afterward, the legion returns to Earth, where McGill renews his relationship with Anne Grant. The revived Claver brings McGill before Equestrian Nagata. Nagata offers both men immunity for testimony against Turov, threatening McGill over Inspector Xlur's murder and Claver over sedition and racketeering. McGill refuses, and Claver withdraws his initial acceptance to preserve his chance of receiving the key. Both remain exposed as Nagata continues building his case against Turov.

The native machines answer a translated summons and attack the Saurians besieging Titanium Mountain, allowing Legion Varus to survive the ground assault. McGill then bargains with Claver, who controls the capital ships' broadsides, by promising future access to Turov's Galactic Key. Claver delays the orbital strike, is reportedly executed, and delivers a deep-link unit. Three months later Minotaur recovers Varus from Machine World, and the legion receives campaign decorations. Two months after that, McGill is home on Earth and renews his relationship with Anne Grant. Turov has Claver quietly revived, despite McGill's suspicions about their continuing arrangement. Equestrian Nagata offers McGill and Claver immunity if they testify against Turov. McGill faces exposure for killing Inspector Xlur, while Claver faces sedition and racketeering allegations. Both decline. Turov remains under investigation, Claver still expects access to the key, McGill has concealed the true terms of his bargain, and Natasha Elkin's status as an illegal twin remains secret. The wider cephalopod threat and the future of Machine World's native population are unsettled.