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

The Culture had had lots of minor OCPs, problems that could have proved to be terminal if they’d been handled badly, but so far it had survived them all. The Culture’s ultimate OCP was popularly supposed to be likely to take the shape of a galaxy-consuming Hegemonising Swarm, an angered Elder civilisation or a sudden, indeed instant visit by neighbours from Andromeda once the expedition finally got there.

In a sense, the Culture lived with genuine OCPs all around it all the time, in the shape of those Sublimed Elder civilisations, but so far it didn’t appear to have been significantly checked or controlled by any of them. However, waiting for the first real OCP was the intellectual depressant of choice for those people and Minds in the Culture determined to find the threat of catastrophe even in utopia.

‘Almost. Maybe,’ agreed the apparition. ‘Perhaps it’s a little less likely to be so with your help.’

Genar-Hofoen nodded, staring at the surface of the table. ‘So who’s in charge of this?’ he asked, grinning. ‘There’s usually a Mind which acts as incident controller or whatever they call it in something like this.’

‘The Incident Coordinator is a GSV called the Not Invented Here,’ Tish told him. ‘It wants you to know you can ask whatever you want of it.’

‘Uh-huh.’ Genar-Hofoen couldn’t recall having heard of the ship. ‘And why me, particularly?’ he asked. He suspected he already had the answer to that one.

‘The Sleeper Service has been behaving even more oddly than usual,’ Tishlin said, looking suitably pained. ‘It’s altered its course schedule, it’s no longer accepting people for Storage, and it’s almost completely stopped communicating. But it says it will allow you on board.’

‘For a brow-beating, no doubt,’ Genar-Hofoen said, glancing to one side and watching a cloud pass over the meadows of the valley shown on the dining room’s projector walls. ‘Probably wants to give me a lecture.’ He sighed, still looking round the room. He fastened his gaze on Tishlin’s simulation again. ‘She still there?’ he asked.

The image nodded slowly.

‘Shit,’ Genar-Hofoen said.

III

III

‘But it makes my brain hurt.’

‘Nevertheless, Major. This is of inestimable importance.’

‘I only looked at the first bit there and it’s already given me a thumping case-ache.’

‘Still, it has to be done. Kindly read it all carefully and then I’ll explain its significance.’