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Chapters (50)
  1. Cover
  2. MARAUDER
  3. HISTORICAL ARCHIVES SUBSECTION C/5 category ALPHA
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. EPILOGUE
  46. TIME LINE
  47. SHOAL TRILOGY
  48. EVENTS FOLLOWING EMPIRE OF LIGHT AND PRECEDING MARAUDER
  49. Acknowledgements
  50. Also by Gary Gibson

<Make it very clear to Gregor that there will be consequences if he does anything harmful whatsoever to Bellhaven or anywhere else for that matter. Even if I dont make it back from here alive, some other version of me will find him and all the rest of his cronies, no matter long it takes.>

<Other versions?> Gabrielle was clearly befuddled. <I dont understand.>

<Theres more than just one Magi ship, Gaby, and theyve all got copies of my mind squirrelled away inside their memory banks. Did they tell you if theyve got a nova mine on board that ship of theirs?>

<They did,> sent Gabrielle. <Theyve already launched it into an orbit around the sun, and theyre threatening to detonate it if the Wanderer turns on them, or refuses to negotiate.>

<Then heres another message,> sent Megan. <Are you listening, Tarrant? The Wanderer is a machine. It has a single purpose: to destroy its creators enemies. It has no sense of self-preservation, except insofar as its continued existence allows it to pursue the purpose it was programmed for. Threats just dont work on something like that. If it thinks attacking another ship is worth the potential gain, itll go ahead and attack. Thats why it attacked me, and thats why its going to attack the Ingersoll: because the net gain of its getting hold of a nova drive far, far outweighs any resulting risk to itself. Got that?>

<Got that,> Gabrielle replied. <Its good to hear from you again, Megan. I just wish it wasnt under such horrible circumstances. I>

Their connection was cut, again without warning.

Megan opened her eyes and peered around the grey-tiled room deep within the Ship of the Covenant. Something was wrong. She could sense it.

She glanced to one side and saw the Librarian standing there. There was something subtly wrong with its outline, as if it had been warped out of shape.

Whats happened? she asked. Whats wrong with you?

We were wrong, replied the Librarian. The Wanderer wasnt trying to hurt us during its attack. It was distracting us, so that it could plunder data.

THIRTY-SEVEN

Gabrielle

Well? asked Schelling. Did the Wanderer get our message?

Gabrielles whole body felt cramped after emerging from the sensorium, her skin slick with sweat and her jaw aching.

Im pretty sure it got it, she said, hungrily sucking in air. Bash looked as if the experience had been just as rough for him as well. His head was tipped back, his mouth open and his chest rising and falling with hummingbird-like rapidity.

Pretty sure doesnt cut it, snarled the General. We need to be sure it understands very clearly whatll happen if it doesnt start cooperating.