Are you sure about that? She stepped slightly closer. I remember what it was like to wander through all those worlds that every one of these ships has preserved inside it. Tens of thousands of worlds and cultures spread over hundreds of thousands of years and more. How do you know that precisely just the information you need isnt already buried somewhere inside your memory banks?

This is possible, the Librarian agreed. Do you know when this meeting might have occurred?

Nearly two million years ago, she replied.

The time of the very earliest Magi cultures?

Megan nodded. The history of the Large Magellanic Cloud was one of constant expansion and contraction, of different civilizations and species coming to the fore at different times. Each successive civilization had built on the ruins of those that preceded it. And its also at just about the same time, she continued, that the Core Transcendence first encountered the Makers here in this galaxy. The Core Transcendence sent an expedition out to the Large Magellanic Cloud to contact those early Magi in order to try and find out if they knew of a way to fight the Makers.

And? asked the Librarian.

And they came back empty-handed, she said. But not without having learned that this early Magi culture supposedly had a means of preventing the Makers from expanding any further one thats been lost ever since.

I presume, said the Librarian, theres a reason why they came back empty-handed?

She spread her hands. Thats just it. I dont know why they did. All I know is that, according to the Wanderer, all this time theres been a way to stop the Makers to wipe them out forever. But the ancestors of the people who built you didnt want to share it with the Core Transcendence.

And this leads you and the Wanderer to believe that the means you refer to remains buried somewhere within the collective memories of the Magi ships.

Its possible, isnt it? she asked. God knows, we need at least to try. But unless you can locate that data yourself, were going to have to try something drastic.

Such as? asked the Librarian.

She held her breath for a moment. Such as letting the Wanderer have direct access to your memory banks.

Do you really think that would be wise, said the Librarian, given the Wanderers apparent tendency towards the unpredictable?

Its a question of priorities, replied Megan. If you dont do this, the Swarm will reach human space, and weve got no way to repel it. Your programming will prevent you from allowing this to happen and thats why you found a way to warn me, by letting me know the Swarm was on its way.