BooksBarbecue
Back Excession
Chapters (108)
  1. About the Author
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Dedication
  5. 1 - Outside Context Problem
  6. I
  7. II
  8. III
  9. IV
  10. V
  11. VI
  12. 2 - Not Invented Here
  13. I
  14. II
  15. III
  16. 3 - Uninvited Guests
  17. I
  18. II
  19. III
  20. IV
  21. 4 - Dependency Principle
  22. I
  23. II
  24. III
  25. IV
  26. V
  27. 5 - Kiss The Blade
  28. I
  29. II
  30. III
  31. IV
  32. V
  33. VI
  34. 6 - Pittance
  35. I
  36. II
  37. III
  38. IV
  39. V
  40. VI
  41. 7 - Tier
  42. I
  43. II
  44. III
  45. IV
  46. 8 - Killing Time
  47. I
  48. II
  49. III
  50. IV
  51. V
  52. VI
  53. VII
  54. VIII
  55. 9 - Unacceptable Behaviour
  56. I
  57. II
  58. III
  59. IV
  60. V
  61. VI
  62. VII
  63. VIII
  64. IX
  65. X
  66. XI
  67. XII
  68. XIII
  69. XIV
  70. 10 - Heavy Messing
  71. I
  72. II
  73. III
  74. IV
  75. V
  76. VI
  77. VII
  78. VIII
  79. IX
  80. X
  81. XI
  82. XII
  83. XIII
  84. XIV
  85. XV
  86. 11 - Regarding Gravious
  87. I
  88. II
  89. III
  90. IV
  91. V
  92. VI
  93. VII
  94. VIII
  95. IX
  96. X
  97. XI
  98. XII
  99. XIII
  100. XIV
  101. 12 - Faring Well
  102. I
  103. II
  104. III
  105. IV
  106. V
  107. VI
  108. Epilogue

Amorphia shrugged. ‘The bird is a spy,’ it said flatly. ‘Has been from the first. It got its reports to the outside by encoding them on a bacterium and depositing them on the bodies of people about to be returned for re-awakening. I knew about it twenty years ago but let it pass after checking each signal; it was never allowed to know anything the disclosure of which could pose a threat. Its last message was the only one I ever altered. It helped facilitate our escape from the attentions of the Yawning Angel.’ Amorphia grinned, almost childishly. ‘There’s nothing further it can do; I set the scout missile on it to punish it, really. If it distresses you, I’ll call it off.’

Dajeil Gelian looked up into the steady grey eyes of the cadaverous, dark-clad creature for some time, quite as if she hadn’t even heard the question.

‘Amorphia,’ she said. ‘Please; what is going on? What is really going on?’

The ship’s avatar looked pained for a moment. It looked away, towards the plant the scout missile had been hiding underneath. ‘Whatever else,’ it said awkwardly, formally, ‘always remember that you are free to leave me at any time; this GCU is entirely at your disposal and no order or request of mine will affect its actions.’ It looked back at her. It shook its head, but its voice sounded kinder when it spoke again; ‘I’m sorry, Gelian; I still can’t tell you very much. We are going to a place near a star called Esperi.’ The creature hesitated, as though unsure, gaze roaming the floor and the nearby seats. ‘Because I want to,’ it said eventually, as though only realising this itself for the first time. ‘Because there may be something I can do there.’ It raised its arms out from its body, let them fall again. ‘And in the meantime, we await a guest. Or at any rate, I await a guest. You may not care to.’

‘Who?’ the woman asked.

‘Haven’t you guessed?’ the avatar said softly. ‘Byr Genar-Hofoen. ’

The woman looked down then, and her brows slowly creased, and the dark feather she had caught fell from her fingers.

III

III

[stuttered tight point, M32, tra. @n4.28.867.4406]
xLSV Serious Callers Only
oEccentric Shoot Them Later

Have you heard? Was I not right about Genar-Hofoen? Do the times not now start to tally?

∞
[stuttered tight point, M32, tra. @n4.28.868.4886]
xEccentric Shoot Them Later
oLSV Serious Callers Only

Yes. Two three three. What’s it doing - going for some kind of record? Yes yes yes all right you were correct about the human. But why didn’t you have any warning of this?

∞