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"I believe so you can Once I’m out of here, I doubt they’l let me back in" Phil ips pushed back froe of the roole "For al we know, the Arbiter ht blow this place up if ‘Telcam doesn’t win"

"Do you want ‘Telcam to win?"

"Apparently, ant the nil-nil draw that’s gone into injury time and has an endless penalty shoot-out"

"Should I understand soccer, Professor?"

"You get the idea We want to keep the ti and took out so and see the movement of his throat Eventual y he sed for the last ti it

"Furry barrier … another furry barrier … and now the dictatorish didactic bit … whoa" As his hand passed over the panel that warned not to do soed conspicuously One of theht in the stone? That’s some trick"

"I real y think you should leave it alone"

"I hear you" Phil ips took a lot es of the panel, then touched the plain section next to it and the lights went out "I hope it’s not a burglar alar the doors down, you’l knohat it was"

"There are no more Forerunners"

"You’re never noret pissed off with this if I didn’t know you’d be back to nor every part of the wal s that he could reach He didn’t see, a piece of stone extruded froers passed over it For a second it looked like a plain brick, but then it took shape, developing intricate perforations and turning into a sphere

"Doorknob?" BB suggested

Phil ips pressed his face close to it as if he was trying to peer inside BB couldn’t see his expression, but he heard the wet click as his jaws

"No," he said His fingers spun the sphere and BB could see that the doorknob was in fact interconnecting, nested layers "Aruheili puzzle bal that’s supposed to teach their kids persistence and that everyone has their al otted station in society Except arums are completely s to open it"

"Might as wel try"

"Is that wise?"

"We’l see"

BB had to admit it was an impressive skilIt took Phil ips under awent click deep inside

That was very fast indeed for a slow-thinking entity like a huet a cuddly toy or a coconut or so co itself like coalescinglist of options, locations judging by the string of nuht at the top read … "Doors " BB was pretty sure now "Portals Entrances Powered in some way Expressway? Elevators? No, Professor, don’t touch theive it a go," he said "This et"

"Don’t you think that we should wait and--"

"Can’t," Phil ips said, and touched the first symbol on the list

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE MOST INTERESTING THING ABOUT THE FORERUNNERS AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED IS WHY THEY’RE NOT AROUND ANY LONGER SPECIES GO EXTINCT ALL THE TIME, BUT SOME OF THEIR RELATIVES USUALLY SURVIVE A TECHNOLOGICALLY SOPHISTICATED, GALACTICALLY DISTRIBUTED RACE GETTING WIPED OUT TO THE LAST INDIVIDUAL, THOUGH--THAT REQUIRES INTERVENTION

(ADMIRAL MARGARET PARANGOSKY, CINCONI)

VADAM, SANGHELIOS

So this was Jul’s world; this hat he did, what he’d done almost every day since Raia had first ined

It was noise and shock and blinding light, and now it stank of blood, too

She ducked as the bolt of white fire caht at her It was pure instinct, absolute ani Resolve’s bow and never h The ship shuddered and bucked Two strips of metal broke free fro down the polisheditself like a blade in one of the warriors at the helht in his back Two of his brothers rushed forward to drag him clear but Raia didn’t see where they took him or even if he was stil alive She cowered Nobody on the bridge took any notice of her She couldn’t see as happening outside, and the gli to her

Buran roared, exasperated, grabbing the helm "We must withdraw, Field Master Do you hear me? We need to withdraw, or move into orbit"

‘Telcaround fire coain

"And the Arbiter wil pursue us into space, Buran, and where e go from there?" he asked "We have nowhere to retreat"

"We weren’t ready to move"

"But we moved nonetheless, and the battle isn’t lost yet Co the ship around"

Raia looked to her side A youngto repair a control panel that smoked and sparked every tiation, ht, Dunil" ‘Telcam stalked across the deck and went to the other viewscreen "I need cannon Now "

Raia caught Dunil’s eye "Are we going to crash?" she asked

"Possibly, my lady" He lowered his voice "Bend your liht save you fro sound was louder and the white-hot flashes were ether now Then the whole ship lurched as if it had crashed into soh the deck Jets of white vapor began punching out of conduits that then burst and sent fluid gushing like a ruptured artery

"Direct hit!" so height, we have no propulsion--"

The ship peeled off in a total y different direction, suddenly s returning to nor to console positions and Raia kneas anything but

"Crash landing," Buran yel ed "Brace for crash landing Steer to the shore"

"Shipmaster, we can’t--"