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Golden Son Timeline (739-742 PCE)

Summary:

A timeline of events within the Red Rising universe during the time frame of the second novel as well as the time-skip after the end of the first book, pieced together from references across all Red Rising novels and comics.

Last Update: 06/29/2024

Spoilers for all Red Rising novels and comics, including Light Bringer.

Notes:

Much like with my Red Rising, timeline, this timeline will incorporate events that take place before, after, and during the novel's main events but are within the same calendar years and/or outside Darrow's narration. It will also cover the events that took place in the calendar years between the ending of Red Rising and the beginning of Golden Son.

 

Except when given by the source material, all specific dates are my best estimate based on context clues in the text regarding the timing of key events.

 

Days of the week are calculated based on the indications that the Society and Solar Republic are indicated to still follow the same 365-day-with-leap-years calendar that the US does in real life, the fact that October 17, 753 PCE is confirmed to be a Tuesday, and the assumption that 740 PCE is a leap year.

 

This timeline contains spoilers for all Red Rising media, and is routinely updated to reflect new information, from details I missed when making the timeline to spoilers from the most recent releases.

For those who wish to avoid spoilers for the latest Red Rising books, this is your warning to read at your own risk.

Work Text:

739 PCE

  • Kalindora and Atalantia plant a bomb on Anastasia and Brutus’ shuttle on Octavia’s orders.[01]
  • Atlas au Raa is sent on an expedition to the Kuiper Belt in order to defend terraforming operations on Pluto from Ascomanni raids.[01]
  • Octavia uses the Pandemonium chair to erase Lysander's memories of his parents.[01]
  • Ephraim and Trigg take a one month round-trip cruise to Venus aboard the Heart of Venus.[02]
  • Marius au Raa is sent to Luna as a hostage in Octavia's court to keep the Rim in line.[03]

740 PCE

  • Atlas reports back about the situation in the Kuiper Belt after losing all but two of his ships in an ambush.[01]
  • Octavia appoints a new Fear Knight after ordering Atlas to maintain radio silence until his mission is complete.[01]
  • Narol and Loran fake their deaths in Lykos to join the Sons of Ares full time.[04]
  • Paleron au Raa is born.[05]
  • Dr. Liago begins his research into crafting the Night Lily flower.[06]
  • Venetia au Rein retires, leaving the position of Morning Knight vacant.[07]

June - August:

  • Cassius au Bellona arrives on Luna.[08]

October-November:

  • Lorn au Arcos retires from his position as the Rage Knight and moves his household from Mars to Europa.[07]
  • Darrow leaves for the Academy under the sponsorship of Nero au Augustus sometime in late October or early November.[07]
  • Mustang leaves Mars on or after the day of Darrow's departure to attend the Politico school on Luna under the sponsorship of Octavia au Lune.[07]

December:

Tuesday, December 07:
  • Mustang begins attending the Politico school on Luna.[09]

741 PCE

  • Ephraim ti Horn purchases an Omnivore-540.[10]
  • Brea is born on Mars.[11]

January:

Saturday, January 07:
  • Darrow begins his lessons on fleet command at The Academy.[12]

May:

  • Sevro and the Howlers depart Pluto on Mustang's summons.[13]

August:

  • While refueling on Triton, Sevro is approached by Dancer and told the truth of Darrow's identity.[13]

October:

  • Darrow’s year at The Academy comes to an end after Karnus au Bellona ambushes and destroys his flagship Quietus.[07]
  • Karnus and his cousins confront Darrow in the gardens of the Academy's central hub and beat him on camera.

November:

  • Sevro and the Howlers arrive on Luna.[13]
  • Pliny persuades Nero to end Darrow's contract at the Summit.[14]
Friday, November 25:
  • The Augustan fleet departs Mars to attend the Summit on Luna.[15]

December:

Friday, December 16:
  • Darrow is informed of the impending expiration of his contract as the Augustus fleet arrives in orbit over Luna.[15]
  • House Augustus lands on Luna for the Summit.
  • Victra takes Darrow to the Lost City to meet with the Jackal and discuss an alliance against Pliny.
  • Darrow saves Adrius when Evey and the Sons of Ares attempt to assassinate him by bombing the Pearl Club they're in.
  • Darrow follows the Sons to their base, where Harmony informs him of Eo's secret pregnancy and Dancer's alleged death.
Saturday, December 17:
  • The decennial Summit begins.[15]
Monday, December 19:
  • Darrow provokes a civil war between Augustus and Bellona by dueling Cassius at the Summit Gala.[15]
  • Mustang takes Lysander prisoner and gives him to the Howlers as a hostage.
  • Aja and the Paretorians attempt to assassinate House Augustus, but are stopped when Darrow threatens Lysander.
  • Aja beats Quinn before House Augustus escapes Luna aboard a Stork.
  • Darrow and Sevro commandeer the Vanguard and appoint Orion as the new captain after renaming the ship Pax.
  • Sevro reveals to Darrow that Dancer is alive and told him that Darrow was really a Red.
  • Darrow and Mustang share a late night meal in the cafeteria.

742 PCE

  • Aurae enters the service of House Raa as a spy for the Daughters of Athena.[16]
  • Vega is born in a Blue Sect on the Rim.[17]
  • Mora is born on Mars.[18]

January:

Monday, January 16:
  • Nero holds a war meeting where Darrow proposes a plan to raid Ganymede and The Academy to obtain leverage and ships.[19]
  • Darrow and his retinue break off from the House Augustus fleet and begin sailing toward Europa to recruit Lorn au Arcos.
Tuesday, January 17:
  • Nero leaves for Ganymede with his own strike team while Mustang heads for the Academy and the rest of the Augustus fleet is sent to lead the Sovereign's forces on a wild goose chase.[20]
~Wednesday, January 18-Sunday, January 29:
  • Mustang is captured by Karnus and Pliny when she attempts to raid The Academy.[21]
Sunday, January 29:
  • Lorn's first great-granddaughter is born.[22]
Monday, January 30:
  • Darrow arrives on Europa and convinces Lorn to join his cause.[19]
  • Nero raids the shipyards of Ganymede, where he is ambushed and captured by Fitchner and Cassius.[20]

February:

Wednesday, February 01:
  • Darrow and his forces depart Europa with Lorn and his household.[19]
  • Mustang arrives with news of Pliny’s betrayal as the fleet sails away from Europa.[19]
  • Mustang and the rest of Darrow’s council sit down to discuss their next move.
  • Darrow and Mustang discus philosophy at night before Mustang grows frustrated with his pushing her away.
Thursday, February 02:
  • Darrow and his allies board a captured supply ship to smuggle themselves aboard Pliny's fleet.[19]
  • Darrow tells Ragnar the truth of who he is and where he came from.
Friday, February 03:
  • House Bellona takes control of Agea as part of Pliny's deal with Octavia.[19]
  • Darrow and his allies retake the Augustan fleet from Pliny and sway the Augustan bannermen back to their side.[19]

March:

Thursday, March 02:
  • Octavia au Lune arrives on Mars.[23]
  • Sons of Ares drill through the grates in Agea's perimeter walls to prepare a passage into the city for Darrow.[24]
Friday, March 03:
  • Darrow invades Mars with an Iron Rain.[07;15]
Friday, March 10:
  • Darrow wakes up after the battle and Mustang catches him up on what he missed.[07;15]
  • Darrow and Mustang have sex before joining their friends for breakfast.
  • Sevro arrives in the evening to tell Darrow that Harmony, Mickey, and Evey have been captured by The Jackal.
Saturday, March 11:
  • Darrow and the Sons of Ares rescue Mickey, Evey, and Harmony from Attica.[07;15]
  • Darrow reunites with Dancer in Agea and learns how Fitchner became Ares.[07;15]
Sunday March 12:
  • Darrow brings Mustang to Lykos.[07;15]
Monday, March 13:
  • The Jackal arrives in Agea for the Triumph and notices Virginia's absence.[07;15]
Tuesday, March 14:
  • The Jackal and Roque betray House Augustus during Darrow’s Triumph in Agea.[07;15]
  • The Battle of Deimos occurrs after Mustang realizes that a coup is underway and thwarts her brother's assassins.
  • Sevro and Ragnar discover that Fitchner is dead and the Sons of Ares base was destroyed.[25]
  • Sevro and the Howlers evacuate Darrow's family from Lykos.
  • Kavax and Daxo organize and evacuate the legions loyal to Darrow as Adrius and Octavia's forces take power on Mars.
Wednesday, March 15:
  • The Battle of Deimos occurs.[26]
Thursay March 23:
  • The heirs of the Moon Lords kept in Octavia’s court as hostages escape Luna with the help of Mustang’s spies.[27]
Saturday, March 25:
  • The heirs of House Raa steal the 8th Fleet garrison from dry dock on Callisto.[07;15]
  • The moons of Jupiter declare their independence from the Core along with Saturn and Uranus, starting the Second Moon Lord Rebellion.

May:

Saturday, May 27:
  • The Sword Armada attacks the Rim under the command of Imperator Roque au Fabii.[07;15]

June:

Tuesday, June 13:
  • After his interrogation has finished, The Jackal consigns Darrow to solitary confinement sealed inside a stone table.[28]
Wednesday, June 14-Friday, June 30:
  • Society forces execute a body double of Darrow to make his friends stop looking for him.[28]

July:

  • Sevro uploads footage of Darrow's carving to the holoNet.[29]
  • Calliope is captured after failing to assassinate a Bonerider at an Agea Pearl club and has her tongue removed by The Jackal.[30]

December:

  • Pax Augustus is born.[15]

Sources

[01] In Dark Age Chapter 37, Pax says that as of 754 PCE, the death of Octavia’s daughter and the beginning of Atlas’ mission to the Kuiper Belt was “around fifteen years ago,” and that Atlas had been told to go radio silent “one year in”. Back

[02] Dark Age takes place in 754 PCE, and Ephraim mentions in chapter 37 that he vacationed aboard the Heart of Venus “some decade and a half ago.” Back

[03] Iron Gold chapter 25 establishes that Marius au Raa was 13 when Lysander last saw him before the former's escape from Luna after Darrow's Triumph in 742 PCE. According to Dark Age chapter 09, Atlas was sent to Octavia's court when he was 10 years old. Assuming that this was the same for all children of the Moon Lords held hostage in Octavia's court, this would mean that Maris arrived on Luna in 739. Back

[04] When Darrow visits Lykos a few days before his triumph at the end of Golden Son, his mother tells him that Narol and Loran had supposedly died “two years ago.” Dark Age takes place in 754 PCE, and Virginia says in Chapter 91 that her father’s death at the end of the novel was “twelve years before,” putting the end of Golden Son in 742 PCE. Which means that Narol and Loran faked their deaths in 740. Back

[05] Lysander indicates in Iron Gold chapter 36 that Paleron is 13 years old in 753 PCE. Back

[06] In Iron Gold chapter 23, Liago tells Lyria that by October 16, 753 PCE, it’s taken him thirteen years to perfect the Night Lily. Back

[07]  In Golden Son chapter 08, the Jackal tells Darrow that Lorn and Venetia “both retired this year.” However, the Graphic Audio adaptation changes it to “last year.” This is because GS consistently indicates that Lorn moved to Europa after retiring, and Light Bringer chapter 88 establishes that Lorn left Mars shortly before Darrow set off for The Academy.

The beginning of Golden Son takes place “almost a year” after Darrow said goodbye to Mustang on Mars, and House Augustus arrives on Luna for the Summit two months later according to GS chapter 04. GS chapter 25 picks up 1 month after the Summit Gala, and Daxo says in chapter 27 that it’ll be a few more months before his mother and sisters reach them from Neptune. When talking to Vixus in Morning Star chapter 04, Holiday indicates that Niobe participated in the Battle of Deimos, which means that the Lion’s Rain had to have taken place roughly 2 or months after the war meeting in GS chapter 25.

Morning Star chapter 02 establishes that Darrow is held captive for 12 months after his Triumph, and MS chapter 37 places his rescue in March 743. So his Triumph took place in March 742, meaning that the Summit had to have occurred in December 741 at the latest. This would be consistent with the “winter fairyland” theme of the Gala, which evokes imagery associated with Christmas and other late-December holidays through Darrow’s description of snow-covered pine trees in GS chapter 11.

This puts Venetia and Lorn’s retirement in 740 PCE. Since the theme of the gala places it in December 741, and Darrow graduated from the Academy two months prior, this further narrows down Lorn’s retirement to October or November of 740, depending on when in October the beginning of GS occurred. Back

[08] In Iron Gold chapter 48, Lysander mentions that Cassius had “killed eleven men in the bleeding place since summer,” and that it’s winter when this scene takes place, by which point Darrow has already left for The Academy. This puts Cassius’s move to Luna sometime in the summer months of 740.

Light Bringer chapter 04 supports this when Cassius mentions that the last he saw of Apollonius was in a Martian brothel “fourteen years ago,” and LB chapter 02 places the beginning of the novel in late 754, as Octavia’s death in 743 PCE is referred to as “eleven years ago,” while Apollonius mentions how Cassius would tag along when he and Karnus went clubbing together. Back

[09] Virginia mentions in Dark Age chapter 26 that she “knew Atalantia for a little more than a year.” The theme of the gala implies that the Summit occurs later in December 741, as the snow-covered pine treese evoke imagery associated with Christmas and other prominent December holidays, so her arrival on Luna would’ve most likely occurred in early December 740. This would be consistent with Dancer’s line about how Golds have structured many social programs around “the seventh day of each new Earth month,” and how Darrow in late October 741 refers to their goodbye on Mars as “almost a year ago,” putting her departure no earlier than late October or early November, since Darrow’s line implies that either he left before she did or they both left on the same day. Back

[10] When Holiday runs the prints on Ephraim's gun in Iron Gold chapter 50, finding a match in his employer's records dated 741 PCE. However Iron Gold chapter 14 establishes that Ephraim was already working for Piraeus when he and Trigg first met, and Dark Age chapter 37 establishes that they had already been dating as of 739 PCE. So logically the date Holiday provides refers to when he registered his ownership of his Omnivore gun with the company records. Back

[11] According to Maeve in Dark Age chapter 67, Brea was “not on thirteen” when she was taken by the Red Hand as a wife. Lyria estimates in chapter 65 that she’s “maybe twelve”, indicating that she would’ve turned thirteen sometime in 754 PCE, putting her birth year in 741 PCE. DA chapter 65 establishes that the day Lyria met Brea was approximately two weeks after the fall of the Pandora, which occurred when Xenophon pretended to be exchanging Pax and Electra for Lyria and Volga. DA chapter 23 establishes that the exchange was set to occur approximately 12 weeks after Ephraim kidnapped the children at Quicksilver’s party, which Iron Gold chapter 35 places in November. IG chapter 50 establishes that Ephraim and Lyria first met on Tuesday, October 17th, and chapter 31 establishes that the pendant Ephraim gave Lyria to smuggle the sleeping gas in was completed a week and a half later, three days before the party, putting the party on November 1st, 753 PCE. This puts Lyria’s meeting with Brea in mid-February 754, putting Brea’s birthday sometime after February 741. Back

[12] Fitchner indicates in Red Rising chapter 20 that the standard academic year at The Institute lasts for 10 months. Assuming that the same holds true for The Academy, Darrow graduating in October 741 during what he calls “the final weeks of the game” in GS chapter 03 would put the start of his school year in January. Following the same logic of Dancer’s reference to the 7th day of each month being a major cultural fixture of The Society calendar in RR chapter 10 would put the beginning of Darrow’s time at The Academy on January 7th. And the lack of any mention of Darrow spending time at The Can before school started implies that all students time their journeys to arrive on the first day, just like at The Institute in Red Rising. Back

[13] Quinn mentions in Golden Son chapter 17 that they’ve been on Luna for “several weeks” by the time of the Gala, indicating that they arrived on Luna sometime in November or early December. Since the Gala would be in late December, and I’ve generally seen people use “several weeks” when referring to a timespan greater than 1 month but less than 2, sometime in November is the safest bet for when the Howlers arrived. This would mean that Sevro’s meeting with Dancer during their layover on Triton three months into their voyage would be in August, with the Howlers leaving Pluto in May. Back

[14] Nero tells Darrow in Golden Son chapter 04 that the decision to terminate his contract after the Summit was made “a month ago”. Back

[15] In order to narrow down the timing of the Gala and events surrounding it, we need to narrow down when the events leading up to Darrow’s Triumph in March 742 take place.

In Dark Age chapter 37, the 9 months that Darrow spent inside the Jackal’s table are references as 270 days. Since Darrow’s capture also included 3 months of interrogation after the Triumph before he was placed inside the table, we can logically conclude that the 30 months of interrogation was 90 days, as 270 days in the table translates to nine 30-day months. This means that exactly 360 days pass between the end of GS and the beginning of Morning Star.

MS chapter 08 establishes that Darrow’s briefing on the war takes place 3 days after his rescue from Attica, and chapter 12 places Mickey’s arrival in Tinos to carve him and Victra 3 days after the briefing. Chapter 11 establishes that the day of Mickey’s arrival is a Thursday, putting Darrow’s rescue from Attica on a Friday. Counting backwards 360 days puts the Triumph in GS chapter 51 on a Tuesday.

Iron Gold chapter 23 establishes that October 16, 753 PCE is a Monday. This is likely a reference to the book’s original planned release window of late 2017, as the 2017 calendar also has Octobe 16 fall on a Monday. If we assume that the 753 PCE calendar corresponds to the 2017 one, then the 742 and 743 calendars would correspond to the 2006 and 2007 calendars, respectively. This leaves March 7th and March 14th, as the only possible dates for the Triumph to occur.

The epilogue of MS establishes that Pax Jr. was born 9 months after the Rain in GS, and IG chapter 39 indicates that he’s still 10 in November 753, indicating that the Rain was also in March 742. Morning Star chapter 10 establishes that the Raa and Codovan attacking the 8th Fleet garrison on Callisto marked the beginning of the Second Moon Lord Rebellion, and Darrow places that event 11 days after his Triumph. According to Dancer in MS chapter 10, it took Roque's fleet 63 days to arrive at Ilium, and by March 743, he'd been there "for nearly 10 months," putting his arrival in May 742.

The only date for the Triumph that fits with all of these details is March 14th, 742 PCE.

Darrow was in a coma for a week after the battle according to GS chapter 43, and spends the day at Caragmore after breakfast. Chapter 45 establishes that it’s early morning when he arrives in Attica and that he’s “seven hours behind this time zone.” Depending on the time of day, this would indicate that the time is at or close to midnight in Caragmore by the time he reaches Attica. This puts Mickey, Evey, and Harmony’s rescue from Attica on the next calendar day after he wakes up from his coma.

The tone of Darrow’s reunion with Mickey in GS chapter 46 implies that their reunion in Agea after the rescue takes place on the same day. However, Fitchner’s comment about how “the others will be wondering where you are” when he says he needs to go back indicates that he didn’t go to Lykos until at least the following day. On top of the number of hours that Darrow spent flying back and forth across multiple continents and potentially time zones, he would’ve still needed time to gather all the provisions needed to give the Reds of a Lykos a feast, and coordinate with Mustang to invite her to join him there.

Furthermore, it’s late at night in Lykos when Mustang leaves Darrow in the tunnels, and various details about the geography of Mars in GS, DA, and LB imply that Lykos is located in Cimmeria. So it would’ve been well after midnight by the time Darrow returned to Agea. And GS chapter 51 established that there was enough time left in the day on the night before the Triumph for Darrow and The Jackal to get drunk. But it also cannot have been more than a day or two between the visit to Lykos and the Triumph, since multiple characters react to Mustang’s absence like it’s a new thing, which becomes less easy to believe the more days there are between the two events.

So, the most plausible sequence of events has the Lion’s Rain on March 3rd, Darrow awakening from his coma on the 10th, rescuing his friends from Attica on the 11th, and returning to Lykos on the 12th.

After Daxo’s mention in GS chapter 27 that his mother and sisters will be a few more months in arriving, they are not mentioned again until Mustang says that Daxo’s sisters will sort out his attempt to grow a Mustache. This suggests that his sisters are here in person now to do so, indicating that their arrival occurred at least a few days before the Triumph to coincide with Holiday referencing Niobe’s presence at the Battle of Deimos in MS chapter 04. Since Mustang only mentions visiting Kavax in orbit in GS chapter 43 and Daxo is at Caragmore in GS chapter 44, without a mention of the other Telemanuses, the Telemanus women had to have arrived somewhere between the 11th and the 13th.

If we count the months that pass between the Gala and their arrival on Mars in terms of 1 month being a shorthand for 4 weeks, then 12 weeks before either date would put the Gala on December 17th, 18th, or 19th. And all three dates are associated with the ancient Roman holiday Saturnalia, which is apocryphally cited as the origin of the Christmas tree whose imagery the pines at the gala evokes. Saturnalia celebrations were held in the Roman Forum, a.k.a. the collection of buildings at the center of the city of Rome, and a public banquet. In fact, Saturnalia was originally celebrated on December 17th according to our contemporary Julian calendar, but eventually expanded into a 3-day celebration from the 17th to the 19th. And GS chapter 04 establishes that The Summit is also a 3-day event. So what could be more in-character for a civilization obsessed with ancient Rome than to have the date of their major 3-day political and social event coincide with the date of the most well-known Roman holiday that occurs in the same calendar month?

So, if the first day of the Summit is on December 17th, then House Augustus’s arrival and Darrow’s meeting with Harmony would’ve occurred the day before on December 16th. The 3-week travel time established in GS chapter 04 would put the Augustan fleet’s departure from Mars on November 25th. Back

[16] Aurae says in Light Bringer chapter 52 that she's known Diomedes for thirteen years, and chapter 53, which takes place on the same day, refers to Darrow's meeting with Romulus before the Battle of Ilium in 743 PCE as twelve years ago. Back

[17] Lysander comments in Dark Age chapter 02 that Vega, the pilot of the Raa’s ship taking them to Mercury is “not yet twelve years standard” at the time of the Battle of the Ladon. DA chapter 37 establishes that the fall of the Pandora, which occurs about 4 weeks after the Battle of Ladon when Xenophon sends a shuttle up to ostensibly collect Volga and Lyria per Sefi's deal with Ephraim, took place 12 weeks after the beginning of November 753, putting the battle of Ladon in early January 754. The reference to Vega being not yet 12 suggests that she will be turning 12 that year, putting her birth some time in 742 PCE, but after January. Back

[18] Maeve mentions in chapter 67 that as of February 754 PCE, her youngest daughter Mora is “not yet twelve,” indicating that Mora will turn 12 at some point in 754 later in the year after February. Back

[19] GS chapter 25 establishes that House Augustus “fled Luna a month ago,” and chapter 27 has Darrow state that it will take him another two weeks to reach Jupiter. Darrow mentions in GS chapter 28 establishes that it's night on Europa when he reaches the moon, and chapter 34 establishes that Lorn brought all 3 million members of his household off of Europa. This would've kept them from leaving for several hours at minimum, because even if they left all their belongings behind, as LB chapter 77 implies Lorn himself did, that many people would still take a significant amount of time to move. Especially because Morning Star chapter 39 had the Obsidian migration from Mars' south pole take 24 hours to move 800,000 people. So it would've potentially taken Darrow two days for his fleet to leave Jupiter. Possible even three, given that Orion telling him they have three days until they get to Hildas in GS chapter 30 is accompanied by a comment that the rest of House Augustus will have beaten them there.

It would be consistent with the fact that Darrow’s conversation with Daxo and Kavax in chapter 30 and Mustang’s comments about Theodora’s exhaustion imply that Mustang brings them news of Pliny’s coup soon after leaving Europa. Mustang mentions that Pliny thought Darrow was waiting for a confirmation code when he didn’t show up at Hildas, implying that they were delayed at Europa long enough that they would’ve already reached the place if they had left on the same day.

It also makes sense when you factor in the timing of Pliny’s meeting that Darrow interrupts in GS chapter 35.

Per GS chapter 34, it took 15 hours for the supply ship Darrow’s team hid on to reach Hildas station, which is in line with how Morning Star chapters 51 and 53 portray Darrow taking torchShips and shuttles from his ship to the Pandora within a matter of hours in each direction, despite the fact that MS chapter 51 indicated that the rest of the fleet would take two days to catch up once the Pandora was taken. GS chapter 35 establishes that it’s lunch hours when they board the Invictus to retake it from Pliny, meaning their boarding of the camel ship occurred on the previous day. Darrow’s mention of trying to apologize to Mustang before they boarded implies that they got on the ship the morning after their conversation in his stateroom after their strategy meeting, putting Pliny’s defeat two days after she brings news of the coup.

If it took two days for Lorn to evacuate his household from Darrow arriving on January 30th, then it would put Pliny’s defeat on February 3rd. This makes the most sense because Victra mentions in GS chapter 51 that House Bellona had the Citadel for a month. There’s no mention of the city being one of those that surrendered during the month-long time-skip between chapters 24 and 25, but there’s no mention of it being besieged or infiltrated either.

So, what makes the most sense is if control of Agea was handed over to House Bellona on the day that Pliny and the bannerman he tempted to his side were to formally surrender to Octavia as part of the deal he made. Back

[20] In Golden Son chapter 25, Nero says “tomorrow, Praetor Licenus will take command of this vessel and its fleet and lead the Sovereign’s fleet on a chase, while I take a small strike group of corvettes and frigates to the Gas Giants. With them, I will raid the shipyards of Ganymede.” Since Europa is closer to the surface of Jupiter than Europa, and has a faster orbit (3 days for Europa to orbit Jupiter compared to Ganymede’s 7), Darrow’s battle on Europa and Nero’s failed raid on Ganymede would’ve realistically taken place the same day, even if Darrow had several hours’ head start, because he had a greater distance to travel.

Meanwhile, the fact that Darrow's forces didn't see Nero's raid on Ganymede on their sensors at any point between their arrival on the inner moon and their departure would only be plausible if the two moons were on opposite sides of the gas giant at the time of their respective battles, as Light Bringer chapter 78 establishes that getting closer to Jupiter can cause interference on a starship's comms. Back

[21] Mustang’s capture has to occur sometime before Nero and Darrow reach Jupiter, as she mentions in Golden Son chapter 31 that Pliny showed her the holo footage of her father’s raid on Ganymede while they were already on the way to Hildas Station. Back

[22] Lorn tells Darrow in Golden Son chapter 28 that his great-granddaughter was born the night before the Reaper’s fleet arrived. The fact that he doesn’t specify which one indicates that this is his first great granddaughter. Back

[23] Golden Son chapter 37 establishes that Octavia's heavy shuttles were observed landing in Agea the night before the invasion. Back

[24] Golden Son chapter 39 establishes that the Sons of Ares started drilling through the grates in the walls of Agea the night before the invasion and worked through the night. Back

[25] Darrow indicates in Morning Star chapter 20 that Sevro and Ragnar discovered that Fitchner was dead at about the same time as the massacre at the Triumph, and Kavax describes what he and Mustang did during the Jackal’s coup. Back

[26] Darrow mentions in Morning Star chapter 50 that the Battle of Deimos occurred the night after his capture at The Triumph. Back

[27] Morning Star chapter 40 establishes that the children of the Moon Lords who were kept as hostages in Octavia’s court escaped 9 days after the Triumph. Back

[28] Morning Star chapter 02 establishes that Darrow was placed into the box after 3 months of interrogation. Dark Age chapter 36 establishes that the 9 months Darrow spent in the box were exactly 30 days each for a total of 270 days, indicating that the 3 months of interrogation lasted for 90 days after the Triumph.

Meanwhile, Dancer states in Morning Star chapter 08 that the Golds executed a fake Darrow at the Citadel nine months before March 743 to make people stop looking for him. These details put both events in June 742. From a strategic standpoint, it makes the most sense for the Jackal to do the fake execution after he's already put the real Darrow inside the box in order to reduce the chances of a rescue attempt actually succeeding. Back

[29] Sevro says in Morning Star chapter 10 that the rebellion spilled into open war about eight months before mid-March 743, and that releasing the footage of Darrow's carving wad the trigger, putting the beginning of the rebellion sometime in July 742. Back

[30] The Jackal states in Morning Star chapter 02 that he and the Boneriders took Calliope prisoner eight months before March 743, putting her capture in July of the previous year. Back