For We Are Many

For We Are Many is the second book in the Bobiverse series, following the adventures of Bob Johansson—an engineer who was killed in a car accident and resurrected as an artificial intelligence housed in a self-replicating spacecraft called a Heaven vessel. The novel spans from 2167 to 2221 and follows multiple clones of Bob as they explore distant star systems, establish human colonies on alien worlds, and encounter an existential threat from a vast alien civilization known only as "the Others." The story weaves together threads of exploration, colonization, technological advancement, and interspecies relations, while maintaining the series' blend of hard science fiction, humor, and character-driven drama. As the Bobiverse expands across dozens of star systems, Bob's clones must learn to cooperate, manage relationships with humans, and ultimately confront an enemy that threatens not just humanity's survival but the survival of every intelligent species in their region of space.

The novel opens with Bob observing the Deltans—an intelligent bat-like species on the planet Eden—as they hunt and gradually adopt his technological innovations. Bob has become something of a "sky god" to them, introducing tools and techniques that improve their survival. However, his efforts create unforeseen complications. Bob discovers evidence of a large flying predator species called hippogriffs and theorizes that these creatures drove the Deltans from their original territory. When hippogriffs attack Camelot (the Deltans' new settlement), Bob responds by destroying their island rookery with an asteroid strike—an action that so traumatizes the Deltans that the council banishes him from their society. Bob must then watch from a distance as Archimedes, his closest Deltan friend, grows old and raises a family, unable to openly participate in their lives.

Meanwhile, Howard—one of Charles's clones—arrives at Omicron 2 Eridani to help establish a human colony on the planet Vulcan alongside a hostile colonist population from the FAITH enclave led by Minister Cranston. Howard deals with dangerous wildlife, sabotage from the environmental terrorist group VEHEMENT, and the challenges of supporting multiple colonies. He develops a close friendship with Dr. Bridget Sheehan, a biologist, though circumstances prevent them from acting on deeper feelings. Mulder, assigned to Poseidon (an entirely ocean-covered planet), discovers that the world's giant aquatic life and floating plant mats can support human colonists, though the ecosystem is highly competitive and dangerous.

At Epsilon Eridani, Bill works on numerous projects including terraforming Ragnarök and completing the Android Project, creating physical bodies that allow Bobs to interact with the biological world. Bill also completes the SCUT (Subspace Communications Universal Transceiver), enabling instantaneous communication across interstellar distances—a breakthrough that allows the scattered Bobs to finally coordinate in real time. This technology revolutionizes information sharing and becomes central to the growing Bobiverse network.

The first major crisis emerges when Mario discovers evidence of a catastrophic civilization known as "the Others"—a hive-like insectoid species that systematically strips star systems of all resources and life, extracting metals and using planets' ecosystems as food sources. Mario documents destroyed systems at Beta Hydri and Zeta Tucanae, finding only dead worlds and mining equipment. He and other Bobs establish relay stations and scout systems to map the Others' expansion, discovering they are constructing a massive Dyson Sphere around a star in their home region.