Part One: Web of Worlds

Chapter 1

Zen Starling, a teengaer, and Nova, a human droid, ride the Damask Rose through an unknown planet (Yaarm), whose terrain consists of plains and lakes. The train stops and Nova sees that there are unusual aliens on the planet. Nova decides to see the aliens.

Chapter 2

Zen and Nova leave the train to see the aliens and Nova communicates successful with one of them. The large aliens are Herastec; they look like giant moose, except that their fur is replaced by something that looks like old canvas fabric, and they have beady black eyes and starfish-like hands on the base of their three feet. Nova successfully communicates with them and they find an old train station and a marketplace.

Zen and Nova sleep together at night on the Damask Rose, since they are in a relationship.

Part Two: Popsicle Girl

Chapter 3

"19-year-old"/96-year-old Chandi Hansa gets pulled out of a freezer prison by human droids. After a while she reunites with someone.

Chandi and her friend ride a train to planet Grand Central where the Noon family rules the universe. Chandi has been released to talk to Empress Threnody Noon.

Chapter 4

The person Chandi is with is Kala Tanaka, a royal adviser. There are two important figures of the Grand Central palace, Rail Marshal LyssaDelius and Threnody Noon (her throne is called the "Flatcar Throne of the Empire"). Kala and Chandi approach Threnody and the Queen says that Chandi was released because Prince Tallis Noon deserved to get robbed by Chandi. They also talk about an old man named Raven and a teen named Zen Starling. Threnody then determines that Chandi will be Threnody's new servant.

Chapter 5

Servant life for Chandri isn't bad, but she still is ordered around. Chandi also goes with Threnody to her sacred trip to Mars, to where her ancestors from Earth traveled to. Earth, also unoccupied at this time, has a desert=like terrain.

On the train back to Mars, Threnody and Chandi talk about life at the Graham Central Palace and their families. Threnody mentions her partner Kobi Chen-Tulsi, who was supposed to marry her as part of an alliance marriage, but broke off when she became empress.

Part Three: Broken Moon

Chapter 6

Kobi Chen-Tulsi is traveling with his cousin Rolo to planet Karkatargh, where the Prell family resides in a palace others call "Crab Castle", since it looks like a crab.

The book gives us some history about the Prells: they claim to have made the Rails that connect the universe together. Also some information about the Guardians: if corporations made the Guardians or the reverse. It also mentions a few noble families that remained after centuries since the Rails were created: "the Noons (of course), the Albayeks, the Nguyens, and the Khans." There are also smaller familes that control a single station, like the Chen-Tulsis. 

Kobi and Rolo arrive at Crab Castle and Rolo thinks that Kobi is interested in Laria Prell. At dinner, Laria tells Kobi that her uncle Elon Prell hires twins born on Prell-controlled planets to work for him. Elon has twin bodyguards named Shiv Mako and Enki Mako. After dinner, Rolo and Kobi give a PowerPoint on how an alliance marraige between the Prells and the Chen-Tulsis would work. After the presentation, Elon declares that his niece, Laria Prell, will marry Kobi Chen-Tulsi.

Kobi and Rolo argue for a bit before going to bed.

Chapter 7

The Chen-Tulsis go hunting with the Prells on genetically-modified animals. Their mounts are genetically modified horses with zebra fur and their hunters are hound dogs. Laria and Kobi talk for a bit before Laria goes ahead. Kobi falls down a snowbank and he is forced to walk back to Crab Castle alone.

Kobi walks back to Crab Castle alone and sees trains exited and entered Broken Moon. He realizes they are Wartrains.

Chapter 8

Kobi is attended to by medics before telling Rolo about what he saw. Rolo tells him that the Prells are going to seize the Flatcar Throne and that Elon will be Emperor. After Rolo chastises him, Kobi escapes.

Chapter 9

Kobi escapes on a train to planets "Frostfall, PityMe, Lifthrasir, Chiba, and Golden Junction...." . As the train moves, guards try to kill Kobi and Kobi calls Rolo and Rolo tells him that the Mako twins were ordered to tell the people on the train that Kobi is a terrorist. The guards barge in as Kobi desperately sends a message to Thernody, saying that the Prells will attack planet Grand Central, as he is shot to death.

Part Four: Railwar

Chapter 10

Chandi goes to the Azure Room in the Grand Central Palace (for the midsummer ball), where the room imitates that of planet Malapet. Chandi doesn't like the party so she goes to the Waterfall Room for a while.

Threnody doesn't like the party. After the party, attendants cleans up the room and Threnody gets a message that Kobi Chen-Tulsi has been killed.

Chandi is about to leave, when Threnody comes into her room bawling about Kobi Chen-Tulsi and they watch the footage of his murder. Chandi pulls up a timesheet of the trains and says that the one on Chiba is delayed because the jungle planet is covered in a planet called the "Weltkraut", which has big leaves. Suddenly, there are gunshots outside at the Grand Central Palace blows up.

Chapter 11

Threnody and Chandi disguise themselves and escape the Grand Central Palace.

Chapter 12

Laria Prell arrives with her uncle Elon Prell on a wartrain to planet Grand Central. The planet is a horrible mess from the bombs and, as soon as the train stops, a guard reports to Elon that Threnody is dead. Elon Prell is now King of the Network.

Threnody and Chandi make their way through a dinosaur park. Chandi checks a map on her headset and then destroys her headset.

Chandi and Threnody find a "Railforce retirement home", where old trains reside.

Chandi and Threnody find the man in charge of the place and ask him to them the trains.

Chapter 13

Chandi, Threnody, and the old man look through the trains and one of them, the Courageous Sniper, wakes up. Threndoy suggests going to the Dog Star Line, while Chandi says thy'll head for "the Spiderlight Line or the Eastern Doubt." Then guards barge into the building and Threnody and Chandi hide while the caretaker is shot. Then, the Ghost Wolf, one of the trains, prevents Chandi and Threnody from being shot and barges out of the storage room onto the tracks.

The Ghost Wolf barges through Prell drones and goes onto another planet.

Chapter 14

The Ghost Wolf, Chandi, and Threnody are on planet Toubit, a beach planet. Toubot Transit Authority Adminstrator Ozcelyk stops them, but the Ghost Wolf keeps on moving. The train then gets on the Dog Star Line.

Chandi and Threnody travel through some planets, like planet Fugazi where gasoline made up the rain and the lakes are make of napalm. Chandi and Threnody talk about their backstories and Chandi mentions her arrest on planet Ayaguz by the police/"Bluebodies". Threnody mentions nothing.

Chapter 15

As Chandi and Threnody go into the next planet, Pnin, the Ghost Wolf finds a news station that claims that Priya Noon is the heir to the Flatcar Throne, which Threnody kept her from. Threonody screams that the statement is a lie. The story finishes up be also saying that Elon Prell will marry Priya Noon and the Prell-Noon line will be established. Threnody is unsure of the situation, but thinks about how to get the throne back when the Ghost Wolf finds a gate that leads to station Dedesmor, planet Tristesse. A Guardian, a hologram that protects planets (or something like that), stops Chandi and Threnody and the girls make their case that they will be killed by the Prells if they don't get access. The Guardian lets them through.

Chapter 16

On planet Tristesse, Yanvar Malik is playing chess at a hotel with Morduant 90, a golden hologram. He lives in Raven's old hotel, claiming for himself. It is called "The Terminal Hotel". Then, the Ghost Wolf pulls into station Dedesmor and lets Chandi and Threnody off.

The human droid staff serve the three food at one of the five restaurants at The Terminal Hotel. The planet Tristesse consists of a gas moon Hammurabi in the sky, a sea called the Sea of Sadness, and some islands. Some of the food comes from the planet itself. They talk about Threndoy's role at the Grand Central Palace and why Mordaunt 90 has different versions of himself.

Threndoy goes to bed early and Chandi goes to her room. At midnight, Chandi gets up and sees Yanvar in a Terminal Hotel garden, looking at the view of the planet.

Chapter 17

Mordaunt 90 knows about the Timetable Authority, the lines Coalsack Junction and Luna Verde (their planets are (in order) unknown (station Baidrama), Nokomis, Glorieta, and Przedwiosnie) and the Dog Star Line (leads from Przedwiosnie). The hologram goes for a walk in The Terminal Hotel gardens.

Threnody and Mordaunt 90 go into the Datasea via Mordaunt 90 and encounter the Twins, interfaces that look like a white girl with black hair and a black girl with white hair connected to each other. The Twins hiss at Mordaunt 90 and say they will block a K-gate. Mordaunt 90 and Threnody leave the Datasea.

Chapter 18

Mordaunt 90 is being attacked by the Twins and Threnody orders the Ghost Wolf to defend Mordaunt 90. Then, the droid staff of The Terminal Hotel attack them. Yanvar is killed.

Part Five: Strange Stations

Chapter 19

9 months later, Nova watches Zen skinny-dip in the ocean on planet Night's Edge. He does it to see the Night Watchers; whale-like aliens that glow blue and amber, are very friendly, and are known for their calls.

Zen gets out of the ocean and asks Nova to see them, but she denies since she isn't a normal human. They walk back to the Damask Rose after Zen puts his clothes back on. 

Chapter 20

The book mentions allies Nova and Zen have made along the way. At a bazaar, Zen's headset identifies two Herastec twins Koth and Atalai, who are interested in entertainment across the galaxy. The Herastec are aliens from planet Yaarm. They talk about their potential destinations for Zen and Nova.

Chapter 21

The book mentions The Blackout was a virus that caused the destruction of a few planets, although Night's Edge isn't destroyed, but has Railmaker artifacts on it. Zen, Nova, Koth, and Atalai walk further into the bazaar and find Deekas (live on unknown planet), Chmoiis (live on unknown planet), and the Kraitt (live on the Shards of Kharne). The four approach them and their leader introduces herself as the Tzeld Geld Karneiss. The Tzeld notices Zen and Nova and bows in respect and leaves. Zen and Nova talk about where they want to go when the Damask Rose says she is attacked by the Kraitt. Zen and Nova rush down there, only for Nova to be taken prisoner.

Chapter 22

Zen runs after the Kraitt, but they are gone quickly. He goes back to Koth and Atalai, to which the other aliens are saying that Zen and Nova are not Ambassadors for Humans. Koth and Atailai are in shock, but a Deeka informs them that the Kraitt steal things, not people. Zen escapes the crowd to the Damask Rose in the confusion.

Chapter 23

Nova is thrown in the Tzeld's carriage on the Kraitt train and her translator tells her that "Tzeld Geld Karneiss" means "Vicious Queen from Kharne" or "Vicious General from Kharne". The Tzeld hisses that the Yaarm gate has been sealed so no other creatures can get through and that they need Nova to make more machines. Nova tries to escapes, but the Kraitt pin her down and remove her head.

Chapter 24

Zen notices a train called the Ghost Wolf going through Yaarm. He gets on the Damask Rose and the train says that it's "like Raven's Thought Fox". The Damask Rose and the Ghost Wolf introduce themselves as Zen gets off of the train and Chandi Hansa and Threnody Noon find Zen. Chandi, Threnody, and Zen introduce themselves and Threnody relies that Mordaunt 90 is gone.

Mordaunt 90 is collecting pebbles on a beach when Zen, Chandi, and Threnody find him and take him back to the Ghost Wolf and the Damask Rose. They talk about how to get Nova back.

Chapter 25

The Kraitt and Nova arrive on the Shards of Kharne, in which planet Kharne has been blown up, but somehow was shattered like glass. Nova's head is thrown into the Tzeld's car, which takes them to the Kraitt's cavern home. The Tzeld's car has two skulls in it, which are her sisters Shantis and another Kraitt. Tzeld mentions that when Kraitt females reach adolescence, they fight to the death until one sister remains. The group arrives and the Kraitt throw Nova's head into a room where her files are hacked into.

Chapter 26

Zen, Chandi, Threnody, and Mordaunt 90 head back through Night's Edge to search for Nova. On one planet, the Damask Rose's maintenance spiders paint the train black, which reminds Zen of his old Motorik friend Flex, who died and is now part of the Damask Rose. They talk about their plan to rescue Nova.

Chapter 27

Nova is bored as the Kraitt hack into her files.

The Tzeld's visits become more frequent and the technician handling Nova's files is killed by Tzeld's tail band. The Tzeld forces Nova to give up all her file. The next day, the new technician is killed by the Tzeld's tail band as ALL Nova's files are being uploaded.

Chapter 28

As soon as they get to the Shards of Kharne, Chandi and Threnody pose as traders from the Network Empire to sneak Zen in. The Kraitt let the goods in and, while they are not looking, Zen gets out of the package he was in and hunts for Nova.

Chapter 29

Chandi and Threnody are presenting the Tzeld Gekh Karneiss with maintenance spiders when Chandi blurts out that Zen is stealing Nova and that the trip is a trap.

Zen finds Nova's head in the technician's room as Kraitt soldiers trap him. Suddenly, a giant crab-like alien with wasp controlling and swarming it appears. Zen doesn't know him, but it tells him that it's his old friend, Uncle Bugs.

Chandi compares the Kraitt to the group "the Deep Six Crew", whose leader was "Ramon Gul" and was stationed on planet Ayaguz. Threnody escapes to find Zen and Chandi tells the Tzeld that Zen and the Damask Rose are gifts for her when the Neem (Hive Monks) attack them.

Chapter 30

Zen is shocked to see Uncle Bugs and he says that the Insect Lines are real. Zen finds that Nova's head has been seriously dismembered and the other Neem help him free her and escape. They run into a few Kraitt on the way before getting Threndoy and heading to planet Zzr,zrrt in the Nestworld.

The Tzeld hisses at Chandi, believing her to be a part of the Neem, but Chandi says the attack wasn't planned.

Chapter 31

The band heads over to planet Zzr'zrrt, where the Neem live. Uncle Bugs says that a Hive Monk was disguised as a Kraitt and that Kharne is Zzr'zrrt's neighbor. The Neem repair Nova while Zen and Threnody eat.

Chapter 32

As soon as Nova's fixed, she heads over to the food carriage, where she heads over to Zen. "Zen held her. He pressed his face against the side of her face, breathing in the soft vinyl smell of her, like the smell of a new toy. He kissed gently the collar of fresh synthiflesh around her neck that marked the join where her head had been reattached." Threnody stops them and relizes they are on planet Zzr,zrrt.

Uncle Bugs takes Zen, Nova, Threnody, and Mordaunt 90 to the Mother-hive, the Neem leader. The Mother-hive allows Uncle Bugs, some Neem, Mordaunt 90, Zen, Nova, and Threnody to discover the Black Light Zone, where it is believed the ancestors of the Neem live.

Chapter 33

Chandi Hansa fights the Tzeld Gekh Karneiss in order for her to be a part of the Kraitt. After the battle, the Tzeld announces that Chandi is one of them and gives her a black, glimmering dinosaur claw-dagger ("Shantis's blade"), in which to kill Zen and the others with. The Kraitt are hacking into a morvah (a train-like creature) to do their bidding in the Black Light Zone.

Part Six: Black Light Express

Chapter 34

The Ghost Wolf and the Damask Rose get fueled up for the journey. The Neem carriage gets called the Black Light Express (ROLL CREDITS!).

A maintence spider with Flex, a dead human droid's, memory spray paints the Damask Rose with images of planets Zen and Nova have been to and spray paints the Ghost Wolf with a white wolf on it. Nova and Mordaunt 90 watch it.

After six days of getting ready, the Damask Rose, Ghost Wolf, and Black Light Express start going into the Black Light Zone.

The band finds dead planets that have turned into ice and plan to turn back, when they find a dead planet with a station on it.

Chapter 35

The Neem, Zen, Nova, and Threnody explore what looks like a dead ice planet that belonged to the Railmakers. Threnody goes with interface Mordaunt 90 and the Neem, Zen, and Nova stick together. Zen and Nova find a Worm machine basement and Nova finds a computer. She connects to it and loses consciousness. 

Chapter 36

Threnody and Mordaunt 90 explore the station.

Zen calls for help as he doesn't know what happened to Nova. The Neem tell him that Nova is attached to the old computers of the station. Zen continues exploring the station and finds little silver metal balls like marbles. He takes them and the Neem finds him with them. Then, Threnody notifies Zen that there's a train coming.

Chapter 37

Zen assumes it's the Kraitt, but Uncle Bugs says no. Zen and the Neem go back to where Nova is and the Damask Rose says that the Kraitt are almost there. Zen tries to wake Nova up, but she doesn't wake up. The Neem and Zen go back to the platform and find that the Kraitt train is "a Kraitt morvah, long horns jutting from it's metal prow. Lizard warriors were scrambling from its carraige windows and swarming up onto the roofs to man the big guns there." The Kraitt train pulls into the station and the Tzeld Gekh comes out of the train and throws a Neem corpse onto the ground. Chandi Hansa, who is know part of the Kraitt, announces that the Neem Nestworld, Zzr,zrrt, has been destroyed and that everything on the planet belongs to the Kraitt. Zen asks Chandi how the Kraitt got through and Chandi says that Nova helped the Kraitt. A Neem hisses that the planet belongs to them. The Tzeld orders her soliders to fire and they kill a few Neem as Zen and Threnody runs for cover.

Threnody runs into a tower to watch the battle and the Kraitt seem to be winning, when holograms, known as Station Angels, appear and frightened the Kraitt. The Kraitt evacuate to plan their next attack and the Ghost Wolf goes after them.

Zen and Neem find Nova waking up from being connected with the old Railmaker Datasea.

Chapter 38

Nova tells Zen that she saw the battle through the computer and that the Neem are not descended from the Railmaker robots. She says she also found a K-gate that leads to a entirely different world.....

The Tzeld and the Kraitt regroup as Chandi sneaks away from them to rejoin Threnody.

Threnody runs with Mordaunt 90 to a place where ancient trains are and the Damask Rose calls the Ghost Wolf back. They explore the place as Mordaunt 90 has flashbacks of the place. They find a train with the number "03" on it and Mordaunt 90 says it leads back to Earth. Threnody messages Zen that she found a way to Earth.

Chapter 39

As soon as everyone groups up, Mordaunt 90 confesses that he and the other interfaces back then killed a Railmaker out of fear. They then all plan what gate to use to get back to the other planets. Nova guesses they could go to "Far Cinnabar? Vagh? Khoorsandi? Anaiskalan?" and Threnody says that have to go to Khoorsandi because they won't be seen at the Fire Festival. 

Nova activates one of the Worms, a metal snake that creates tracks for trains, with one of the metal balls Zen found. She programs it for Khoorsandi and Chandi Hansa appear. They all see her as a traitor, but she says she wanted to betray the Kraitt to warn the other planets. All the Neem, except for Uncle Bugs, decide to go back to the other Nestworlds to protect them.

The Ghost Wolf take all the Neem back to the Nestworlds, and the Damask Rose takes Nova, Zen, Chandi, Threnody, and Uncle Bugs to Khoorsandi. Zen thinks about telling his adventures to his adoptive mother and his adoptive sister, Myka, in city Cleave on planet Summer's Lease.

Part Seven: Sunbird

Chapter 40

Zen, Nova, Chandi, Threnody, Uncle Bugs, Mordaunt 90, and the Damask Rose travel to moon Khoorsandi, which is planet Anahita, a gas giant. Every four years, Anahita pulls Khoorsandi in and vent, geysers, and volcanoes erupt. The best place to watch it is in the Spinal Mountains on Khoorsandi. Mordaunt 90 passes out during the trip. Once they arrive at Fire Station, the press, Nilesh Noon (Threnody's uncle), and Kala Tanka gather around to see the band, only to be freaked out by Uncle Bugs.

Chapter 41

Laria Prell is summoned to the Grand Central Palace conference room and Elon Prell is displeased with the new news about the Web of Worlds, broadcasted from Khoorsandi. He sends Enki and Shiv Mako and Laria Prell to see if the story is a hoax or not, but Elon believes it to be a hoax.

Chapter 42

The band is taken to the Phoenix, a hotel on Khoorsandi, and are put in the Imperial Suite. Tala thinks that Chandi should be put back in the freezer prisons and says that Zen is dangerous. Threnody says that Zen didn't kill the previous Emperor/Threnody's father.

Zen sees that the Fire Festival is about the begin, when Nova finds him. They watch the scene as Threnody approaches them and says that Mordaunt 90 is awake.

Mordaunt 90 tells the band that he was talking to the Guardians, interfaces that act like God, in the central room of the Imperial Suite. Threnody and Zen then decide to go with Mordaunt 90 to the Datasea to talk with the Guardians.

As Chandi is trapped on the Damask Rose, she thinks of a way to escape.

Chapter 43

Zen and Threnody are in the Datasea and Zen recognizes the Guardians: Anais Six, Shiguri Monad (a peacock with a thousand eyes on her tail), Indri (a human-cat hybrid), Ombron and Leiki (shapes that rearrange themselves), Sfax Systema (a woman who can turn into butterflies), the Vostok Brains (elf-like creatures), Vohu Mana (a shy person), and the Twins. The Twins hiss at Zen and Threnody and the Guardians argue about the Web of Worlds. Most of them plan to keep it a secret while the Twins say they have a better plan.

Chapter 44

Laria Prell and Shiv and Enki Mako travel to Khoorsandi on the train Sunbird. Shiv and Enki tell Laria that she will remain on the Sunbird as the twins scout the Khoorsandi area.

Chapter 45

Nova watches the Fire Festival as she gets a message from the Damask Rose that there is a message. The message is from Laria Prell that Shiv and Enki Mako will kill Zen, Threnody, Nova, and the others. Nova tries to wake Zen up.

Zen, Threnody, Mordaunt 90, and the Guardians are thrust out of the Datasea by Nova, who warns them of Enki and Shiv Mako. Zen and the others rush downstairs to the hotel lobby to see that Enki is shooting everyone. Nova puts a virus in Enki and kills him. Shiv and Enki Mako are revealed to be the interface version of the Twins.

Chapter 46

The power shuts down during the Fire Festival Parade and people are panicking. Zen, Nova, Threnody, Uncle Bugs and Mordaunt 90 head to the Damask Rose in time. The train is hearing a Railbomb and Uncle Bugs regroups with some Hive Monks. The Damask Rose goes after the Railbomb.

Chandi feels the Damask Rose moving.

Threnody and Zen talk about the Twins on the Damask Rose as the train chases the Railbomb with Nova.

Chapter 47

Nova plans how to diffuse the Sunbird (the Railbomb) with the Damask Rose. Shiv Mako jumps onto the train.

Zen puts on his headseat to talk to the Guardians as Nova diffuses the bomb.

Nova jumps onto the Sunbird.

Shiv Mako breaks into the Damask Rose.

Chandi Hansa escapes her prison and approaches Shiv Mako.

Nova hacks into the Sunbird and attempts to diffuse the bomb.

Zen and Threnody bargain with the Twins about the Sunbird and their discovery about the Web of Worlds. Threnody is instantly thrown out of the Datasea when Shiv Mako attacks her.

Zen is still talking with the Twins when he threatens them after they mention the bomb.

Chandi Hansa kills Shiv Mako with her Kraitt knife.

Nova diffuses the bomb and stops the Sunbird.

Chapter 48

Chandi has killed Shiv Mako, but was also injured by him. Threnody rushes Chandi to the Damask Rose's sick bay, where she is cared for. Zen enters the sick bay and says his negotiation was a success and asks where Nova is. The Damask Rose decides to get Chandi and Threnody to a hospital before finding Nova with Zen.

Chapter 49

Zen contacts Nova and she says she diffused the Railbomb, but wants to see Zen in person.

Zen rides the Damask Rose to find Nova. As soon as he finds Nova on the tracks, she says she will go through the K-gate and explode with the Railbomb to protect everyone. Zen and Nova say goodbye before Nova goes with the Railbomb and Zen goes with the Damask Rose.

Borrowed 01/02/2019-01/23/2019