76.Pilgrimage

Bob makes a pilgrimage to Earth to visit the location of his original death in Las Vegas, now buried under ice in a frozen snowball world. He reflects on his human life and mortality before deciding to leave civilization behind and explore the galaxy as Homo sideria.

Bob arrives on Earth in an android body, courtesy of Harvey and Howard's designs, to make an emotional pilgrimage to Las Vegas where his first life ended. The planet is in full glacial mode with snow accumulating toward the equator. As Bob surveys the icescape and contemplates his human past—his last conversations with his mother and Andrea, his regrets about his father and Alaina, and the now-forgotten lives of his employees—Bill and Will arrive unexpectedly in android bodies to meet him. They report progress on expanding human colonies: Will notes that 82 Eridani has made Valhalla habitable with three viable worlds ready for the Bellerophon's arrival, and humanity's distribution across multiple systems suggests survival. After this reunion, Bob announces his decision to sever ties to civilization and undertake deep space exploration, intending to establish relay stations to maintain BobNet connectivity. He leaves his android body behind and returns to the Heaven-1B in orbit, engaging the SURGE drive to depart for the stars.