22. Living in Interesting Times

Bob and his team are attacked by multiple groups of Quinlans in Galen Town—first a small ambush, then a rescue operation involving Skeve, and finally a coordinated assault. After fighting off their attackers and discovering someone broke into their hotel room, they flee the town by diving into the Arcadia River, realizing they've attracted too much dangerous attention to stay.

Bob's group experiences escalating violence in Galen Town. An initial ambush leaves Bob struck by a tranquilizer fléchette (a drug-filled projectile) from an air-powered gun, but he and his team defeat their attackers. A second group arrives and rescues Skeve, a local they'd been tracking, suggesting a connection to a "Resistance" faction. Bob posts a roamer (a small surveillance unit) in their new hotel room. While the team meets at the Growling Guppy pub, the roamer alerts Bob to a home invasion by four armed individuals. The group notices they're being followed by patrons who leave the pub simultaneously. As they walk back to their hotel, they find themselves surrounded by eight Quinlans with large knives who attack in a coordinated assault. Using martial arts training superior to normal Quinlans, Bob's team defeats all eight attackers without serious injury. Recognizing they've become too conspicuous and facing continued pursuit, they decide to leave Galen immediately. They circle around town to an isolated beach, dive into the Arcadia River, and form a raft to travel downstream, planning to find a library in the next town and potentially investigate the Resistance further. They hand control to AMIs and return to virtual reality.