The Butcher of Anderson Station
Chapters - James S. A. Corey
Story: The Butcher of Anderson Station
Fred Johnson, now a disgraced UN Marine colonel, is drinking in Belter bars on Ceres when he is kidnapped by Anderson Dawes of the OPA. Through interrogation and flashbacks, the story reveals what happened at Anderson Station: Fred led a marine assault to retake the station from Belter insurgents, authorising heavy weapons that killed civilians, only to discover afterwards that the Belters had been trying to surrender and that the UN negotiation team had deliberately withheld their surrender to send a political message. The insurgent leader, Marama Brown, had taken the station to protest a cargo surcharge that was causing malnutrition and developmental problems in Belter children, including his own daughter. When Fred confronted his superiors about the suppressed surrender message, General Jasira dismissed his concerns and rewarded him with a Medal of Freedom. Dawes, recognising that Fred's guilt has made him suicidal, cuts him free and offers him a choice: die uselessly, or use his expertise to advocate for the Belt as a member of the OPA.
POV: Fred Johnson·On page: Anderson Dawes