Chapters (50)
- Cover
- MARAUDER
- HISTORICAL ARCHIVES SUBSECTION C/5 category ALPHA
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- EPILOGUE
- TIME LINE
- SHOAL TRILOGY
- EVENTS FOLLOWING EMPIRE OF LIGHT AND PRECEDING MARAUDER
- Acknowledgements
- Also by Gary Gibson
The truck had changed direction, clearly headed towards the same smoke trail. When she had looked out through the rear, she could see the other trucks still following them. The terrain became rougher, requiring numerous detours to avoid scree and scattered boulders.
After another hour or so, they had passed over a low hill when the truck accelerated again. It bounced violently over stony ground, although they were still nowhere near the source of the smoke.
At that moment, she pressed her face to the glass in time to see someone running as if pursued by all the demons of hell. Black shapes drones of some kind darted through the air, rapidly converging on the figure before it collapsed. Gabrielle wondered if a ship might have crashed, and this was a survivor struggling to avoid capture by the Freehold. Perhaps, she thought hopefully, the Accord had already begun a counter-attack.
The truck came to a halt not far from where the figure lay. At first Gabrielle thought it was dead, then saw the figures limbs moving weakly. Despite the bulky clothing, instinct made her sure it was a woman. A drone hovered directly before the figure, its recording lenses focused on her.
She heard Tarrants voice clearly from the cabin up front. Son of a bitch, he exclaimed.
Then there was a sound like the slamming of a fist against the ceiling of the truck.
Son of a bitch! he repeated, louder this time.
As he made his way back through, he looked to Gabrielle like someone whod just seen a ghost. She watched him unlock the two rear doors of the truck, freezing air rushing inside as they swung open.
The two Freeholders quickly followed him outside, without either of them giving her so much as a glance. Gabrielle adjusted the seal on her mask and followed them out of the truck, curious despite herself.
As their eyes met, the other woman had stared at Gabrielle with an expression of bleak despair mixed with astonishment. Gabrielle had the strangest feeling that she knew this woman from somewhere, yet she felt sure she had never set eyes on her before.
Before long the new prisoner was lifted up and bundled into the back of one of the other trucks, while Gabrielle was guided back to her own. Soon they had caught up with the rest of the convoy, Tarrant again choosing to ride in the company of the Freeholders.