"Trance says the relief supplies are ready for transport, and Tyr's security squads and the volunteers from the Drift are on board." "Good." "Good news and bad news from the Pythians." "The good news is that the earthquakes from the comet strikes have stopped." "The bad news is that the entire planet is now shrouded in dust." "Anyone who wasn't starving is now freezing to death." "You know, someone is going to burn for this." "Awarding a terraforming contract to Nightsiders was no stroke of genius." "By Divine grace, I touch the shadow and reveal the light." "I am the darkness become light." "I am the darkness become truth." "I am the darkness become the Way." " Rev Bem." " Yes, Andromeda." "Sorry to interrupt, but there's a message for you." "It's labeled "Urgent"." " Who is it from, please?" " Another Wayist." " Someone named Brother Thaddeus." " Thaddeus Blake?" " Clear all moorings." " Dylan, wait." "You cannot leave the Drift." "Not yet." "There's something I think you need to see." "The Hajira called it Serendipity, the accidental discovery of something wonderful." "But now they've been discovered, too, by slavers working for uranium miners." "The slavers raided two nearby settlements in the last three months, and we expect an attack on this Mission in no more than a few weeks." "Brother, I understand you've made some powerful friends." "I could use their help." "Now." "The long night has come" "The system Commonwealth, the greatest civilisation was fall and now one ship, one crew are about drive back the night, they'll gush up the light of civilisation on the starship Andromeda hope lives again" "." "So, you're just gonna take off and let me, uh, clean up that mess on Pythia?" "We've got two emergencies, two ships, and two captains The math works out perfectly." " Yeah, I guess." "Are you sure you don't wanna trade?" "I've got a little more combat experience than you." "No offense." "None taken." "I've got this delivering cargo thing pretty much down." "This isn't just any cargo drop." "Millions of lives are depending on you." "If you find yourself in a tough spot, don't forget:" "Rommie's an old pro at this." "You'll be glad she's around." "What if you find you've bitten off more than you can chew?" "Well, then, we'll just have to fight a holding action until you finish your relief mission and fly to our rescue." "No pressure." "I hope we hid the Maru well enough." "We wouldn't want the slavers spotting it from orbit." "Nah, they'll never find it." "Well, unless they use a deep radar sweep." "As Harper would say, that would suck." "You know Rev, there are some words that should never trip across the tongue of a Magog." " And "suck" is one of them." " Well, I'll make a note of that." " Behemial." " Brother Thaddeus." "You made it!" "Blessed be." "We built the stockade last year." "The Hajira are the descendants of human settlers who lost their technology after the fall." "But the culture they developed, the poetry they find in everyday life, it's extraordinary." "I came here to teach them basic literacy, modern medicine, engineering, and of course, to open their eyes to the Way." "As you opened mine so long ago." "Looks like your reputation precedes you, Rev." "Indeed." "This is Tiama." "She leads our hunting parties." "Brother Thaddeus said you would bring a warship, and that the slavers would never, ever be able to land." "We didn't bring a warship, and we didn't bring an army, but we did bring weapons to help you defend yourselves, if you're willing." "Trance, I'm downloading all the formulas for Than antibiotics into the nano-cauldron." "Thanks, Rommie." " Harper, tell the courier we're still at least five jumps away." " Check." "Meanwhile, I'm playing solitaire in the officer's lounge." "Shouldn't I be barking orders?" "Something other than sitting on my hands waiting for an update?" " A good captain knows when to delegate." " I'm all for delegating." "I just need to be in the loop, same as Dylan." " Fair enough." "Perhaps the commanding officer would like to ask Tyr why he and his mercenaries  are stealing from the relief supplies." "Thank you for the tour." "But I must ask..." "your people seem somewhat infatuated with me." "I'm sorry, Brother." "It's just...we've never seen a Magog before." "To us, it's almost like a visit from the Anointed." "Just because I am the same species as the Anointed... ..does not make me the same person." "But still...to share his heritage, to be able to see through the same kind of eyes as the being who founded Wayism." "What a blessing that must be." "A blessing." "Yes, I suppose it is." "Tell me, what do you know of the Anointed?" "The Anointed was a Magog who came to Earth and met a holy man." "The man became the host for the Anointed's progeny." "While they hatched and grew strong, the man taught the Anointed about humanity's great teachers:" "Saint Buddha, Saint Jesus, Saint Lao-Tse, Saint Tialard." "The Anointed listened, and the Way was revealed to him and his children." "That is one interpretation." "Strike!" "Parry!" "Riposte!" "Retreat!" "Retreat!" "Parry!" "Riposte!" "Feint!" "Strike!" "Good work, Tiama." "The rest of you, keep it up!" "This isn't a game." "Tiama." "Mother thought when we were born that I would be the troublemaker." "I am sure she told you this so it would not come to pass." "She didn't have to tell me anything." "I remember her thinking it." "We all remember what our parents knew." "Are you saying you have some kind of genetic memory?" "Of course." "Everything our parents knew up until the moment of our birth, we know as well." "I have my parents' memories, and their parents, and a dozen generations' back." " Didn't Brother Thaddeus tell you?" " No." "He didn't." "We'll plant automated sensors here, here, and here, and rig them through a central relay here." "Captain, you're teaching the Hajira to use forcelances." " To defend themselves, yes." " And to kill the slavers?" "Only if the Andromeda doesn't get here before the enemy." "There has to be another option." "We can evacuate." "If we leave, won't the slavers just attack another village instead?" "Probably." "And eventually they'll find you again." "Which is why I prefer to make a stand." "By teaching the Hajira how to kill?" "Please, I beg you." "Don't do this." "It could destroy them." " How?" " He needs to know the truth." "The Hajira have genetic memory." "They inherit memories from their parents?" "Arun, tell him what you told me about your great-grandfather's wedding day." "Oh, Prabo was so nervous that morning, he bit his fingernails until they bled." "It had rained all night, and he was afraid the weather would keep the guests away." "But when the day dawned, warm and clear, Prabo knew the Divine had blessed his union with Sasha." "And that night proved he was correct." "The moon was rising in their window when they..." "I, uh, I" " I get the picture." "I was afraid that if the news got out, it would only make the Hajira more valuable, and bring more slavers." " You see what's at stake?" " Yes." "If we teach the Hajira to read, their children will be born literate." "But if we teach them to kill every Hajira forever will know what it's like to commit murder." "And that's worse than creating generations of slaves?" " I believe it is." " And I don't." "But it's not my decision or yours." "If the Hajira want to leave, I'll take them." "If they want to fight, I'll teach them." "I don't want to hurt anybody, but this is my home." "And I'll fight for it." "Friend of yours?" "I don't even know her name." "But you could say she was my mother." "She gave me life." "Or perhaps it's more honest to say I took it from her." "But you've made it count for something." "That's why we're here." "My Magog parent committed a terrible crime against this woman." "No matter how blameless a life I now lead, my soul will always be tainted by the circumstances of my birth." "Being here, surrounded by such innocence, I realize how deep the stain runs through my heart." "You didn't ask to come into this universe the way you did." "Nor did the Hajira." "But they are born with an innocence and a gentleness I aspire towards." "When they look at me, I do not see fear in their eyes." "I see wonder." "Innocence is a beautiful thing, Rev, but it's also a luxury one I'm not sure the Hajira can afford." "What have you done?" "I'm sorry, Captain Hunt." "I can't allow you to put weapons into the hands of these children." "Dylan, the forcelances...he's destroyed them all." "Congratulations." "You just sold the Hajira into slavery." "I saved their souls...their innocence." "Saved them from what?" "When the slavers come, they're gonna grab every able-bodied man, woman, and child they can find, and kill anyone who gets in their way." " Our faith will protect us." " Oh, really?" "Well, then why the hell did you call for help, if you believed that your faith could protect you from a gauss rifle?" " Do not underestimate the power of faith." "Every night before I sleep, and every morning when I wake, I pray." "I pray for strength strength to rise above the instincts that compel me to kill all living things to make them my food, or the hosts for my progeny." "Faith, Dylan, is the only reason anyone here is still alive." "My faith." "Tyr, how can you defend them?" "Your mercenaries are robbing us blind." "They're simply attempting to make sure that this entire endeavor is worth their time." "I didn't think you'd have a problem with that." "You've got the genetically engineered intellect." "You tell me what Dylan will say when he finds out." "If he found out, he would make a futile appeal to my conscience, after which he would eject the thieves into deep space through the missile tubes." "Which would make him feel better, but it wouldn't solve his problem." " And what's his problem?" " Logistics." "He needs these people, like them or not." "You need them as well." "However, your problem is different." "Your problem, I can solve." "I can arrange for you to receive a reasonable percentage if you'll look the other way." "Define "reasonable"." "Captain Hunt and his band are building new weapons." "Now he isn't just teaching them how to kill." "He's teaching them how to think like killers." "Dylan is only trying to give the Hajira a fighting chance." "Life isn't a battle." "It's a test of faith." "I taught you that." "For which I will be forever grateful." "But we all approach the test in our own way." "We reflect, Dylan acts." "I will not allow my children to be corrupted by violence!" "But you used force to compel the Hajira to retain their innocence!" "You took away their option, their choice!" "Was that not violence?" "Trenches are in place." "Charges are set." "We're as ready as we're ever gonna be." "Are you ok?" "I'm worried." "Well, good." "You should be." "We're about to go into battle." "No." "No, no." "It's not that." "I have Arun and more cousins than I can count." "No matter what happens, I'll live forever in their memories." "I'm worried about you." "You're all alone." "No one shares your memories." " What happens if you die?" " I'm not planning on dying." " But it's possible." " Anything's possible." "You could live forever, you know?" "Like us." " Tiama, I..." " We could make children." "They would remember for you." "And when they grow up, they would protect us, like you do." "I tell you what." "When you have children someday, you can teach them to protect themselves, and they can remember for us both." " I will." " Good." "The slavers." "What do you mean "They dug a trench"?" "Somebody's been playing soldier out here." "Wire, pungi sticks, couple of land mines, and that's just what we can see." "Wayists and their books." "The Talmud, the Bible, and the Lancer Counter-Insurgency Operations Manual all on the same shelf." " Very eclectic." " Boss, where you going?" "To start a debate over how many Wayists can dance on the end of a pike." "It's not the Wayists you have to worry about." "It's me." "Nice antique." " What is that, a Mark 5, or a Mark 6?" " I can arrange a closer look." "We both know what's gonna happen." "A lot of people are gonna die...yours, mine." "Now, mostly yours." "And neither of us wants that to happen." "So what do you say you give up thirty villagers, we call it a day." "I've already called it a day." "Fine." "I'll go as low as fifteen." "I'll even let you pick 'em." "Throw in a couple of old ones if you want." "You want fifteen?" "I'll give you fifteen." "Fifteen minutes to get off this planet and never come back." "We were so close." "Are you sure?" "Absolutely." "Please, do not do this." "Lay down your weapons, all of you." "No one has to die today." "A Magog." "The arms of the way are wide and embrace many." "Y'know Boss, the hold's pretty full." "True." "And the bonus that I'd pull down for fifteen of your mudfoots wouldn't cover the cost of my ammo." "So why ruin the day with a lot of unnecessary bleeding and screaming." "I guess some days you eat the bear, and some days the bear eats you." "So?" "So, apparently my wish is Andromeda's command." "I could make her sing "I'm a little teapot", if I wanted to." "Did you?" "More to the point." "I ordered her to blind her internal sensors to Cargo Bay Eleven, and then forget all about it." "Who knew A.I. command protocols could be so useful." "Bay Eleven." "I'll tell our friends to move their souvenirs." "Great." "You know we're going straight to hell for this." " You're still armed." " The slavers' ship hasn't left." "They're coming back." "Whatever hope the Hajira have flows from you, not from the weapons that you wield." " Now you sound like Blake." " You think he's naive, but the Thaddeus Blake I know walked into a horde of Magog on Kingfisher and made them yield to the Way." "I understand what Blake means to you and what he's done for you, but you have to let me do my job." "Fight if you must." "Kill if you must." "But only if you must." "If I'd deployed one Nova bomb, just one, I could've stopped the Long Night before it began." "I didn't." "I was standing at the edge of the abyss, and I blinked." "And now people like Tiama and Arun pay the price for my hesitation." "I won't make that mistake twice." "You committed an act of mercy." "You erred on the side of hope." "And that is why you will win." "There are no stronger weapons than mercy and hope." "Yeah, maybe so." "But I would still prefer a platoon of Lancers." "They're on the move!" "Back to the village now!" "Go!" "Get everyone inside on the floor!" "The slavers don't want to take us, they want to kill us!" "GO NOW!" "Go." "Home." "They said they would leave!" "Would you stay down." "Violence can't be the answer." "Faith." "Faith is our only hope." "Wait, Blake" "Blake!" "Blake!" "No!" "By Divine grace I touch the shadow and reveal the light!" "In light there is truth!" "In truth, freedom from dark things!" "I am the darkness become light!" "I am the darkness become the truth!" "You...you are...you are the merciful hand..." "I hope you find your peace." "Fire Team Bravo, Fire Team Bravo." "Drive Hunt toward me." "Over." "Where is he?" "Talk to me." "Anyone on Fire Team Bravo, Report!" "Fire Team Bravo asked me to tell you they have a better plan." "They want to go home." "Boss!" "We're in bad shape, Boss!" "They got numbers and terrain, not to mention Hunt and his pet Magog." "Stupid!" "Useless!" " Sound the recall." " Sure thing." "SZABOS!" "Kid!" "Kid!" "Kid!" "Ok." "Just relax." "Just relax." "Just breathe." "High Guard, are you listening to me?" "I hear you." "Hear this." "This isn't over, and not by a long shot." "So you get ready." "Your turn's coming." "The slavers are gone." "The fires have burned out." "Now we gather to remember our dead." "Lessick, you always wanted to see the ocean, but never could find the time to make the journey." "We remember you." "Jenna, you told Father that you wanted a son, even while you secretly hoped for a daughter." "Mother, I remember you." "Eunice, you dreamed of the stars while you watched your flock on the mountain." "We remember you." "I will speak for Blake." "Brother Thaddeus was my teacher and my friend." "He loved all the children of the Divine, even when we failed to love one another." "Thaddeus Blake, I remember you." " They live in us." " In us they live." "Thaddeus, I'm sorry." "I feel somehow I failed you here." "I've struggled so hard to find the path to peace, but I am not as pure as you." "I never will be." "All I can do is strive to follow your example and to make the wise choice." "You speak with the dead." "Perhaps." "Perhaps I speak with my memories of who they were." "Brother Thaddeus was a good man, but he wasn't perfect." "It never occurred to him that maybe we were the only ones who had the right to decide our fates." " What fate do you desire?" " To be free." " The slavers will return." " And we'll fight them." "But we need your help." "The slavers are afraid of you." "They know you're an angel who protects us." "They know you're Magog." "I may have been able to scare away a few lightly armed slavers, but no Magog can defeat an army." " I am afraid I am not your savior." " Then we'll die!" "And no one will ever speak with us again." "Multiple distress signals, both from the colony and from an orbital habitat." "No one said anything about an orbital habitat." "Things are much worse than expected." "Blowback from the comet strike has caused severe structural damage to the orbital." "They're trying to evacuate, but they don't have enough ships." "How many Than are we talking about?" "The orbital housed several hundred thousand Than." "We can help, but it will take several days to ferry them all to safety." "Dylan and the Magog will be on their own for longer than they expected." "If we leave, the Than in that orbital will die." "Are you telling me I should just abandon Dylan and Rev?" "I'm not telling you to do anything." "I'm giving the Captain options." "Shift course for the orbital, best speed." "Dylan'll just have to take care of himself." "Give me the strength to follow the path." "To give and not to count the cost." "To struggle and not to heed to the wounds." "I am the darkness become the light." "I am the darkness become the truth." "I am the darkness become the Way." " Arun, have you seen Rev Bem?" " Not since last night." "Brother Thaddeus was training me to succeed him, but I never imagined I'd be called so soon." "Rev went into the forest last night to meditate." "No one's seen him since." "You know, Tiama's missing, too." "I don't know where they are, but I'll help you find them." "Tiama's my sister." "I'm responsible for her...for all of them." "That's why I need you to stay here." "I'll find our lost sheep." "You take care of the flock." "...water." "My pain belongs to the Divine." "It is like the air..." " What in the hell's going on?" " Dylan, I am sorry." "This is all my fault." "Forgive this child." "She knows not what she does." "Don't touch her!" "She's been infested." "Not infested." "Blessed." "He is our Anointed, and I have made myself our host." "I am mother to an army." "An army of angels to protect us." "When those things hatch, they'll eat right through her." "And kill us all." "You told me that when I had children of my own, I should teach them to fight." "You said they could remember for us." "Do you know what they'll remember most?" "That a man came from far away to fight and die for us." "And that we loved him." "She used Blake's surgical kit, extracted my genetic material, and implanted it in her body." "I made myself a vessel to save Serendipity." "Tiama, you haven't saved anything." "You'll be dead inside a week, and we'll be surrounded by Magog." "They're monsters." "My children." "They can only be monsters if I am a monster." "You don't think I'm a monster, do you?" "No, you're not a monster." "Rev..." " You know what I have to do here." " Perhaps there is an alternative." "What?" "Each Magog contains a small amount of DNA from its host." "Hajira transmit their memories to their children." "Dylan, if that happens here, Tiama's offspring may be something we have never seen before: Magog born innocent." " You don't know that." "What Tiama has done may be the best hope for the Hajira." "Dylan, good can still come of this." "Have faith." "Is that what you're telling me?" "What I am asking is:" "Stay thy hand and trust in the Divine." "You trust what you know." "I'll do the same." "Eternal life grant unto her..." "Walk in the light, child of the Divine." "This is not for your eyes to see." "Go now!" " Dylan, it's done." " Understood." "Rev, how long does it take Magog to grow to full size?" "That depends on food." "Very fast if well fed." "Tiama said there were flocks of sheep in the hills." "That should take care of the food." "Find out if those Magog retain enough of Tiama's memories to be useful to us." "Dylan out." "Four weeks." "I've seen clan wars better organized than this operation." "Oh, Tyr." "You're just grouchy because the Pythians think that you're their savior rather than some stone-cold killer." "Which reminds me." "You and I need to have a discussion about the contents of Cargo Bay Eleven." "It's time." "Dima, set the charge." "All right, people, here they come." "Let's bring it!" "Nobody home." "Faith." "Trap!" "Fall back!" "Nice try, Hunt." "You got some of my men, but I'm still here." "Now about those fifteen heads you owe me." "They won't be enough!" "Rev, are they ready?" "Physically, they have matured." "As for their souls, only the Divine knows for certain." "We're on our way." "Hunt out!" "Second squad, this way." "Inside!" "Move!" "C'mon!" "Go!" "Go!" "Hurry up!" "Cover the main entrance." "My squad'll flush 'em out." "Go!" "Hawkins, we're less than a hundred meters from your position." "Hold tight and keep them penned in until we get there." "Give." "Move." "Ah-Ah." "That's far enough." "Weapons down." "Tom bet me you'd try to take me hostage." "I'd owe him fifty thrones if you hadn't killed him." "You brought this on your own men, not me." "Spare me the hero act." "You're not fighting me for some noble cause, here." "Hell, there aren't any noble causes left to fight for." "The truth is, you do it for the same reason I do it." " It's the only thing you're good at." " Maybe so." "But I'm damn good." "Dylan!" "Dylan, help!" "Come quickly!" "Dylan!" "Dylan!" "Dylan, they killed the slavers, but they're not stopping." "They're infesting the Hajira!" "No!" " No more killing." " I don't want to kill anyone." "I'm giving my family the gift I was given..." "life." "All that Tiama was, I am." "Unfortunately for you, giving life is taking life." "But she's right." "Just like you were right." "We're like sheep, too weak to protect ourselves in a universe filled with predators." "Arun, are you insane?" "Turning your people into Magog is not the solution." "Thaddeus Blake taught me the Way." "Perhaps Arun can do the same thing here teach them to be protectors instead of killers." "Besides, there's been too much death here today." "Which brings us back to faith, huh?" "What can I say?" "Those Than looked awfully hungry." "We forfeited our profit and earned the wrath of our own guards by double-crossing them." "For what?" "The pleasure of knowing a whole batch of baby bugs are getting named Beka and Tyr?" "I can die happy." "Oh, Tyr, one thing." "Those mercs said you cashed out your share in advance." "Captain Valentine, you wound me." "Please." "All I know is the next time we go to Cavanaugh's, you're buying." "The Eureka Maru has come out of slipstream." "Guess they didn't need us after all." "Man, it's good to see you." "This Captain of the Andromeda gig...you can have it." "If it isn't Rommie giving you attitude, it's Tyr trying to pull a fast one." " Are you ok?" " Yeah." "Fine." "Hey, do you want to talk about it?" " Yeah, I'd like that very much." " Whenever you're ready." "Thanks." "Beka, I, uh, I read the Pythians' report on the relief mission." "You did a good thing down there." "I'm proud of you." "I'm given to understand that your genetic material has become the foundation for an entire race of warrior priests?" "I'm intrigued." "And, perhaps, a bit jealous." "I can understand why a Nietzschean would say that." "What would a Wayist say?" "We saved paradise by introducing the serpent."