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Michio Pa was the former Executive Officer of the Behemoth, the OPA battleship formerly known as the Nauvoo. Who then joined the Free Navy, only to then break away and rebel.

In the TV series, her part as it appeared on the Behemoth and told during season 3 is merged with that of Drummer. However, a character sharing the name Michio does appear beginning in season 5.

Appearance[]

Pa is rather short for a Belter, being the same height as Bull (an Earther). She still has the slightly elongated bones and enlarged head characteristic of Belters, however. She is of East Asian descent.

History[]

Background[]

Fred Johnson replaces Bull with Pa as XO of the OPAS Behemoth, due to the better optics of a Belter being in that position instead of an Earther. Bull recognizes Pa as far more competent than Ashford, but still butts heads with her, particularly over his choice to execute a drug dealer. While she initially rejects Bull's proposal to relieve Ashford of command, she later supports his coup against the captain due to Ashford's growing mental instability, placing her in command of the ship. During Ashford's countercoup, she is able to hide away in time, but is injured in the fighting and unable to assist Bull and his comrades. After Ashford is stopped and the Station releases the ships, Pa holds a eulogy for Bull and all her other fallen crewmen.

After the events in the Ring space, Pa grows disillusioned with the OPA, and feels particularly betrayed by Fred Johnson for promoting her to the position of XO for political reasons rather than her skill. She, thus, leaves the OPA and spends the next few years doing odd, semi-legal jobs, until she meets other Belters that would eventually become members of her family. She is eventually recruited by Marco Inaros.

Michio Pa was responsible for determining which of the research group personnel from Thoth Station would be traded to the Martians to support Admiral Duarte’s plan for Laconia, eventually choosing Paolo Cortázar.[1]

She comes into her own, as captain of the Connaught. She has joined and aligned herself with the Free Navy and is given command of many newly "acquired" Free Navy ships to block passage through the gate system.

In addtion to holding command over the Connaught, she has a fleet within the Free Navy. This includes Panshin, Solano, Witch of Endor, Serrio Mal and a dozen more.

She is part of a ketubah, a seven person marriage group that makes up the permanent main crew of the Connaught. With them as Belters, she observes The Doctrine of One Ship.[2]

They are given specific orders that they can use deadly force to stop any ship, UN, Martian or OPA, from trying to enter the gates to colonize or explore other worlds. It is revealed that Michio Pa has an odd, superstition and almost downright fear about the open, uncharted space beyond the ecliptic. In her eyes, stopping ships from traversing there, was more of doing them a favor than anything else.

During the Free Navy's exodus from Ceres, Marco Inaros gives Michio Pa command of all of the Colony Ships that they've captured so far. She has orders to stock and provision them for nearly 3 years worth of supplies and food and scatter them about, using them as "Storage" ships for later recall and use by the Free Navy. During this time, she along with Anderson Dawes, has become disillusioned with Marco. In Pa's eyes, he is no better than Fred Johnson and the man she loathed, Captain Ashford. She, with the support and backing of her ship's literal and figurative family, plans a coup against Marco's careful and strategic plan to withdraw from Ceres. He has it carefully calculated so that each piece puts the UN and Mars in a very burdensome situation.

She allies herself with Carmondy, a fellow shipmate and "family" member aboard her ship the Connaught. He's military trained and initially led many of the boarding parties and raids to take Colony Ships and get things settled down on board, and handle supply capture, distribution, and pacification of the Colony crew. She reveals to Carmondy her plan of mutiny against Inaros, and he at first decides to ignore the offer, even threaten to go to Inaros with the information. Pa then sends out a broadcast and immediately declares her intentions, net wide. She threatens to destroy the colony ship that Carmondy is currently stationed on, The Hornblower. With no other chip to play, he concedes.

Pirate Fleet Rebellion[]

Michio Pa is, by default, the de facto leader of the pirate fleet aboard her ship the Connaught. This band is made up of most defectors to Marco's Free Navy Fleet. Many of the Marco's chosen "cabinet" of OPA leaders to help him lead the Free Navy see his slow departure from the original goal of the faction as a problem, and begin to break off their support of him. Michio Pa, due to what seems like her natural ability to lead and charismatic pull, is a magnet for these defectors. Soon there is a rebellion to the rebellion, and Pa begins her own "pirate fleet" that departs from the Free Navy and finds itself allying with the enemy of her enemy, Holden and crew of the Consolidated Fleet.

Michio Pa is nominated by James Holden as head of the Belter-run Transport Union.

Michio is succeeded as President of the Transport Union by Tjon, Carlos Walker, Nico Sanjrani, and then Camina Drummer.[3]

Trivia[]

References[]

  1. The Expanse Novella The Vital Abyss
  2. "The Expanse: Babylon's Ashes", Chapter 5
  3. The Expanse Novel Persepolis Rising - Chapter 1: Drummer
  4. The Expanse Novel Babylon's Ashes - Chapter 15: Pa
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