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 more they dug, the stranger the story became. The Meridians recorded that the Wanderer had been on the losing side of some kind of war, but there were no records to indicate who that war had been fought against, or why.
All of this was incidental, however, to the fact that the Wanderer had apparently been blessed with a cornucopia of knowledge far in advance of that possessed by the Meridians. For a species like the Meridians, however, knowledge was the only commodity of true value.
The Schellings reasoned that if the Wanderer still existed, and if it could be persuaded to impart some of the same knowledge that had triggered a technological and scientific renaissance amongst the Meridians, then the entire balance of power would shift heavily in the Three Star Alliances favour and then the Accord would finally be forced to come crawling.
Megan finished her coffee and let the bulb float away from her. But if this . . . thing, this Wanderer, is so advanced, she asked, what could we possibly have to offer it in return, assuming it does even want to trade? Its not just going to give us whatever we ask for without expecting something in return, is it?
She looked between the two men, noting that their expressions were suddenly neutral.
You already have something in mind, she said slowly, but youre not going to tell me what it is is that it?
That has to stay a secret between me and Anil, said Tarrant, and, of course, a few members of the Schelling family. He shrugged amiably. Sorry.
Megan made a face. She never liked being kept in the dark. You really think that if we can find this thing, itll really make that much of a difference to the Alliance?
Just a few scraps of scientific knowledge gleaned from the Alyeska digs were enough to make the First Families enormously rich and powerful, said Tarrant. Imagine, then, what the Wanderer could do for us.
Megan leaned back, her fingers tapping a staccato rhythm on her couchs arm. Tarrants enthusiasm was infectious. It still doesnt give us back control over our fleets, she pointed out.
Tarrant leaned towards her. If this works out as well as we think it will, well be returning home with enough advanced scientific data to revolutionize our society completely. Well be able to license that data to the Accord in return for full control of our fleet again. Theyll bend over backwards to give us what we want.