As months pa.s.sed, she learned how to summon the ghosts of the dead Magi Librarians and quiz them about their history. In turn, they taught Dakota her true purpose: the one they believed she had been brought to Nova Arctis to fulfil.

After a few years, she began to understand just how much was required of her, and just how much would be at stake throughout the galaxy if she failed.

Corso listened to the desperate sound of his own breath, as he counted down the seconds to his death. He was sufficiently preoccupied, and it took a moment before he realized a comms light on the command console was blinking.

Someone was trying to communicate with him.

He lurched upright. Information was scrolling across a screen, too rapidly for him to follow.

It appeared something else had taken control of the Piri Reis. Piri Reis.

'Piri!'

No answer.

He hammered at the controls, but they failed to respond.

The ship lurched violently.

For millennia, the three Magi vessels had lain in their silent graves, waiting for the arrival of a Pilot.

The first Pilots were older than dust, half-forgotten Magi who had flown these ships to this lost, lonely system even as the Shoal hunted down the last of their numbers. Those first Pilots had enjoyed countless virtual years within the memories of these three craft, but even that near-eternity of subjective experience eventually gave way to the gradual pace of external time and entropy.

In the end, death had claimed even them.

Bright rivers of white-hot lava spat and flowed in the depths of Ikaria's great chasm, sending searing light up towards the ridge on which the three derelicts lay. The one Dakota had entered finally rose from its resting place, bright energies flickering around its skeletal spines.

As the ground fell away from beneath it, pockets of gas detonated from deep within the chasm walls, sending boulders and debris tumbling down on the two remaining vessels.

Vast fissures began to tear through Ikaria's crust, and the planet shifted in its...o...b..t as it rapidly lost ma.s.s to the searing heat of the nova.

Above it all, the Piri Reis Piri Reis floated like a dragonfly above the open door of a furnace. floated like a dragonfly above the open door of a furnace.

Thirty-three.

'Corso? It's Dakota. Can you hear me?'

Corso jerked around, astonished. For a moment he'd thought she was right there beside him, but the voice he heard had come through the Piri's Piri's comms system. comms system.

'I'm here, Dakota. I really, really really hope you've got some good news.' hope you've got some good news.'

'Can you activate the external cameras?'

'I don't know,' Corso admitted. 'I can't get the Piri Piri to respond. Where are you? Are you still down there? I'm deaf and blind up here. I have no idea what's going on.' to respond. Where are you? Are you still down there? I'm deaf and blind up here. I have no idea what's going on.'

'What's going on is that it's a f.u.c.king miracle you're still alive. I need you to do something. I can see from where I am that the Piri Reis Piri Reis is badly damaged. The cargo section and aft, right?' is badly damaged. The cargo section and aft, right?'

'Yeah, part of it's been sheared off, best as I can tell. I think you're going to be sleeping in the command module for a while.'

'A lot of primary systems can still be controlled manually, just not very efficiently. You understand?'

'I do.'

'I'm on my way up, aboard one of the derelicts. I'm going to tether it to the Piri Piri and then we can get the h.e.l.l out of here.' and then we can get the h.e.l.l out of here.'

Corso hesitated. The idea that she had somehow succeeded was strangely difficult to accept. It was only at that moment he fully realized just how thoroughly he'd expected to die. That he might actually survive . . .

'Now listen to me, Corso. There's an extendible cable system at the back of the Piri, Piri, same stuff they use for building skyhooks. The only problem is the winch system, and how badly it got damaged during the missile impact. The Librarian thinks the cable itself might be fine, though. All I need you to do is release the cable manually, then I can take care of the rest.' same stuff they use for building skyhooks. The only problem is the winch system, and how badly it got damaged during the missile impact. The Librarian thinks the cable itself might be fine, though. All I need you to do is release the cable manually, then I can take care of the rest.'

Librarian ?

'Release it how?' he demanded.

'You won't need to go outside. Are the lights on-on the main console?'

'Yeah.'

'OK, key in this sequence.' She recited a list of numerals and letters, and he entered them. More lights began to flash, and Corso felt a low vibration pa.s.s through the deck.

'OK. Something happened, but I can't tell what. Dakota . . . who's this Librarian?'

'Long story. I'll be over there in maybe ten minutes. There'll be time to explain later.'

Corso stared at the console. You don't say. You don't say.

The derelict shot upwards, achieving escape velocity within seconds of lifting off. Beneath, the shelf on which the derelict had sat for so very long finally collapsed into the fire far below it.

A blister formed on the Magi ship's skin as it rose towards the Piri, Piri, which was still spinning helplessly. Once it had achieved orbit, a black figure emerged from within the blister, crouching low against the hull, peering out from amid the twisting spines. which was still spinning helplessly. Once it had achieved orbit, a black figure emerged from within the blister, crouching low against the hull, peering out from amid the twisting spines.

Dakota stared out beyond the derelict's flickering energies towards the Piri Reis, Piri Reis, allowing the zoom on her filmsuit to pick out the cable steadily extruding from the tiny craft. Her thoughts then merged with those of the derelict, whereupon the Magi vessel altered its coa.r.s.e minutely. allowing the zoom on her filmsuit to pick out the cable steadily extruding from the tiny craft. Her thoughts then merged with those of the derelict, whereupon the Magi vessel altered its coa.r.s.e minutely.

The derelict matched speeds with the Piri. Piri. Meanwhile the instructions Corso had already entered had caused the cables to extend from her ship. Dakota watched as the near end of the first cable slid between the spines and came towards her. She scuttled aside, watching as the cable was absorbed into the derelict's hull. Meanwhile the instructions Corso had already entered had caused the cables to extend from her ship. Dakota watched as the near end of the first cable slid between the spines and came towards her. She scuttled aside, watching as the cable was absorbed into the derelict's hull.

The cable became taut, and slowly-very slowly-the Piri Reis Piri Reis was drawn in towards the derelict. was drawn in towards the derelict.

Dakota didn't need to see the surface of Ikaria to know what was happening there: the Librarian was feeding images directly into her implants. Vast explosions rippled across the planet's molten surface, rising upwards like fiery blossoms. Burning dust rose upwards, filling the s.p.a.ce around the brilliant corpse of Nova Arctis with deadly light.

As long as she stayed there within the shelter of the spines she was safe-at least for the moment. The s.p.a.ce-time distortions generated by the transluminal drive, still powering up, acted only as a temporary shield at best.

Come on, come on.

The Piri Piri was drawing closer, pulled tail-first in between the spines, like prey reeled into the mouth of a s.p.a.ce-borne predator. was drawing closer, pulled tail-first in between the spines, like prey reeled into the mouth of a s.p.a.ce-borne predator.

The Librarian spoke to her.

In a civilization as old as that of the Magi, knowledge was paramount. When a civilization had millions of years of acc.u.mulated cultural wisdom to draw on, some of its most powerful citizens were inevitably those who controlled access to that knowledge.

The Librarians, in a sense, were were the Magi. Their membership had been drawn from dozens of now long-extinct species, but their purpose-their recognized collective ident.i.ty-had been in existence longer than many of the cultures that once supplied its members in the dim and distant past. They had always been jealous guardians of their knowledge. the Magi. Their membership had been drawn from dozens of now long-extinct species, but their purpose-their recognized collective ident.i.ty-had been in existence longer than many of the cultures that once supplied its members in the dim and distant past. They had always been jealous guardians of their knowledge.

Creating the ships Dakota had until very recently known only as derelicts had been their idea-the Magi's gift to posterity: a way for minds on worlds not yet born to understand the nature and the legacy of the Maker threat.

The Piri Reis Piri Reis was finally drawn fully inside the embrace of the derelict's spines. Dakota pushed her way over the hull to her own ship, then grabbed on to the cable and pulled herself along towards it. was finally drawn fully inside the embrace of the derelict's spines. Dakota pushed her way over the hull to her own ship, then grabbed on to the cable and pulled herself along towards it.

They were still deep within Ikaria's shadow cone, sheltered from the full force of the nova blast, but that wouldn't be the case for very much longer.

The temperature of the Magi ship's hull was rising rapidly, towards levels that would far exceed even its astonishingly high tolerances. And as they drew away from Ikaria, accelerating with increasing force, the cone of shelter cast by Ikaria's shrinking shadow cone grew narrower and narrower.

She had now to make sure the Piri Reis Piri Reis was thoroughly lashed to the Magi vessel. Otherwise it might not survive the final, hard burst of acceleration prior to the transluminal jump. was thoroughly lashed to the Magi vessel. Otherwise it might not survive the final, hard burst of acceleration prior to the transluminal jump.

There were other cables that could be manually wound out from the Piri Reis's Piri Reis's hull and attached around the much larger vessel. It hurt her to notice where the missile had ripped part of the hull away. She estimated it had lost almost a fifth of its total ma.s.s. hull and attached around the much larger vessel. It hurt her to notice where the missile had ripped part of the hull away. She estimated it had lost almost a fifth of its total ma.s.s.

No time now for regrets. She watched while the end of another cable was drawn into the derelict's pale flesh.

The Piri Reis Piri Reis was finally as secure within the derelict's embrace as it ever would be. was finally as secure within the derelict's embrace as it ever would be.

She found her way to an airlock on the exterior of the Piri Reis, Piri Reis, and was thankful when she found it still opened. She cycled through, letting her filmsuit melt away as she climbed naked back inside the command console that she'd been so sure she'd never be seeing again. and was thankful when she found it still opened. She cycled through, letting her filmsuit melt away as she climbed naked back inside the command console that she'd been so sure she'd never be seeing again.

Pale-faced and wide-eyed, she looked like a ghost to the staring Corso.

I am am a ghost, she thought. The old Dakota was gone for ever. She'd lived a lifetime amid the derelict's stacks while her fragile body had nestled within its pale flesh. a ghost, she thought. The old Dakota was gone for ever. She'd lived a lifetime amid the derelict's stacks while her fragile body had nestled within its pale flesh.

'There's no time for questions,' she stated firmly, pushing by him. It was strangely like walking into a house remembered from the earliest days of childhood and finding it unchanged, everything exactly where she had left it.

She tried to match her memory of Corso to the man standing before her, pale and frightened. She remembered him with fondness, but in too many ways he was a stranger, someone she'd known a long time ago.

'Dakota . . .'

She glanced at him, saw he was looking at her strangely.

'Long time no see,' she said awkwardly. He frowned in confusion.

'Excuse me.' She stepped past him and towards a console.

There were things she'd forgotten-the smell of her ship's interior, for one. It smelled . . . stale. She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again, and remembered.

'We need to use the Piri Reis Piri Reis to help boost the derelict, and we need to do it quickly,' she explained. to help boost the derelict, and we need to do it quickly,' she explained.

She saw the befuddled expression on his face and reached out, touching his chin with her fingers. After her long sojourn in the Library, it felt like an eternity since she'd touched-let alone spoken to-another human being.

'The best way I can put it is that we're going to tow tow the derelict,' she continued. 'It needs to pick up a certain velocity before the drive will fully activate, which is where the the derelict,' she continued. 'It needs to pick up a certain velocity before the drive will fully activate, which is where the Piri Reis Piri Reis comes in.' comes in.'

'But that'll use up the last of our fuel. . .'

He was feeling too confused to be any help, so Dakota hit a b.u.t.ton. She pictured the Piri Reis Piri Reis suddenly leaping forward, the cables taking up the strain, and the derelict nudging up behind, its own sublight engines powering it silently forward. The whole process was entirely inertia-free so long as they remained encompa.s.sed by the derelict's spines. suddenly leaping forward, the cables taking up the strain, and the derelict nudging up behind, its own sublight engines powering it silently forward. The whole process was entirely inertia-free so long as they remained encompa.s.sed by the derelict's spines.

She could see that Corso hadn't even realized they were accelerating.

Outside, the Piri Piri strained at the cables buried in the derelict's flesh like a dog straining at its leash-the last of its fuel now burning up in intense fusion heat that sprayed across the Magi ship's spines. strained at the cables buried in the derelict's flesh like a dog straining at its leash-the last of its fuel now burning up in intense fusion heat that sprayed across the Magi ship's spines.

They slid out of the shadow of the dying, shrinking world and into the full glare of the furious inferno beyond. At first the superheated plasma flowed around the localized distortions created by the Magi ship, but even that would not prove sufficient.

The derelict's primary structure had been manufactured on the surface of a neutron star, deep within a stellar factory complex that had spanned light years. Even so, it couldn't survive indefinitely in such an overwhelmingly extreme environment. Slowly, very slowly, as the hull became superheated, it began to bubble at the extremities, revealing the skeletal structure underlying its spines.

Thirty-four.

'So are you going to try and shoot me now?' Dakota asked mildly. 'Or are you going to be sensible and wait until we're out of here?'

Dakota had turned her back on the console, facing him with arms folded across her naked chest. There was something so bizarre about this situation, Corso found it hard not to think it was made some kind of joke. He watched as the filmsuit flowed back out of its hidden recesses and totally coated her body within moments.

'I don't know what you're-'

She punched him with one black-slicked fist, the a.s.sault so sudden and so unexpected he simply went reeling away from her. Corso bounced off the opposite bulkhead, then grabbed on to the for there and stared back at her in shock.

'What the h.e.l.l are you doing?' the h.e.l.l are you doing?'

'No, Lucas,' she told him. 'You listen to listen to me. me. You were going to try and take the derelict away from me. I won't be happy if you deny it.' You were going to try and take the derelict away from me. I won't be happy if you deny it.'

'What? No, I . . .'

She pushed herself away from the console and was across the cabin in a moment, pinning him to the wall with one hand at his throat.

Under other, better circ.u.mstances he might have been able to defend himself, but he'd had too little sleep for too many days, and had been put under too much stress. Corso struggled, but was held firmly in place.

'Listen, I don't know what you think I was going to do, but for G.o.d's sake . . .'