Children of Strife

Children of Strife is a 2026 science fiction novel by Adrian Tchaikovsky that is the third sequel to Children of Time. It is preceded by Children of Memory.

Stats

• Prev: Children of Memory
• Author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
• Publication date: 2026-03-17

Details

People

Alis

(b4c2.1) A researcher collaborating with Bianca, Leus, and Polonius. Is pulled out of a simulation on Imir by Avrana Kern due to cognitive errors.

Anbar Ilshir

(b4c8.1) Marduk engineering chief.

Avigael Kern

(b4c4.3) A Kern instance that budded off the main group and asserted her own right to an independent existence. Helps Cato and Alis rescue the remainder of their crew.

Avrana Kern

(b4c2.1) Pulls Alis out of a simulation on Imir.

Bartilow

(b4c8.5) A Classisist of the Marduk. Witnesses the creation of a cult around Hartmand's invitation to his loyalists of Earth. Sees the first tendrils of invasive growth within the Marduk.

Bianca

(b4c2.1) A researcher collaborating with Alis, Leus, and Polonius.

Changing Thing

(b4c11.3; a.k.a. Mira) A mysterious sometimes humanoid entity vulnerable only to fire that Neco brings Four Dragon Hold.

Cosimir

(b4c6.2; a.k.a. Lamya Cosimir) Engineering Chief of the ark ship Nergal.

Domus

(b4c1.1) Underseer AI for Pancreator. (b4c5.6) Killed, along with all non-biological digital systems, by a signal from Earth.

Gerey Hartmand

(b4c1.1) Tyrannical leader of the terraforming project aboard the Pancreator. Resentful terraforming competitor to Avrana Kern.

Goscari

(b4c6.2) Science Chief of the Nergal. A young-looking man with fluffy hair.

Hannoy

(b4c6.3) A tall thin old woman of management whom Cosimir meets.

Hieron

(b4c8.1) Marduk science chief.

Ken Pil

See Pil.

Kieraven

(b4c8.4) A former Hoarder in childhood who lost his eyes during a raid. Had their Security aptitudes tested indirectly by undercover Project Management agents while still working in the crime ring.

Lamya Cosimir

See Cosimir.

Leus

(b4c2.1) A human researcher collaborating with Alis, Bianca, and Polonius.

Mira

(b4c2.4) Alis's therapist. (b4c2.6) Awakens using Alis's personality after landing on Hartland. (b4c4.4) While still dazedly using Alis's personality, encounters and is shot by Neco Kasmar. (b4c9.5) A Nodan mind repository. (b4c11.3; a.k.a. Changing Thing) Is sent Neco to be their representative.

Neco Kasmar

(b4c9.2) A Hartland native and resident of Four Dragon Ford. Witnesses Mira dissolve a pig from the inside.

Ottis Milner

(b4c1.1) Assistant to Hartmand. Likes meetings.

Palline

(b4c6.2) A courier on the Nergal.

Peligrent

(b4c6.2) Cosimir's second. A depressed-looking man.

Pil

(b4c1.1) Assistant to Hartmand. (b4c10.6) Dies by suicide while Conflating.

Polonius

(b4c2.1) A male spider researcher collaborating with Alis, Bianca, and Leus.

Redina Kott

(b4c1.1) Assistant to Hartmand. Skilled at hiding emotions. Enjoys watching coworker drama.

The Seven Hoarders

(b4c8.4) Nepotistic oligarchs (?) of Earth during the Age of Arkships who inhibited meritocracy in favor of their own personal gain.

Sui Dorcheson

(b4c1.1) Second Visionary of the Pancreator, alongside Gerey Hartmand. Judged lacking by Kott.

Places

Earth

(b4c1.1) Origin of Hartmand and the other Pancreators.

Four Dragon Ford

(b4c9.2) A human settlement on Marduk amid continuous conflict with The Life.

Imir

(b4c2.1) A world hosting a kilometer-scale machine that records people and creates simulated worlds for them to inhabit.

Hartland

(b4c3.1) Name given by Hartmand to the planet he and the other Pancreators terraform.

Marduk (world)

(b4c11.3) What the inhabitants of Four Dragon Ford call their world.

Things

conflation

(b4c5.1) A process of mentally communing with the planet Hart.

Life, The

(b4c11.3) The sapient interconnected flora and fauna of Marduk that is constantly inhibiting the expansion of human settlement.

Marduk (arkship)

(b4c6.4) Arkship originally meant to be captained by Olumo but instead given to Kamya Cosimir, former Chief Engineer of the failed Nergal. (b4c8.1) Arrives at Hartman's world.

Nergal

(b4c6.2) An ark ship that Lamya Cosimir, Goscari, and Peligrent hoped to ride away from Earth. Crashed during an engine test.

Pancreator

(b4c1) terraforming ship/station

Pangu

(b4c6.4) An early arkship from Earth that, like many of its generation, both encountered grave problems shortly after disembarking but managed to safely return to Earth orbit under the command of Captain Olumo, making him a hero.

Dissenter

(b4c4.3) The squid-designed ship that fragmented into two sections, one of which Alis, Cato, and Avigael Kern inhabit. Cato nominally considers himself captain of this craft although Avigael is in direct control of all aspects.

Narrative

The First Age (The Age of Terraforming)

The initial terraforming of the planet Hartland. Primary POV: Assistant Visionary Redina Kott.

The Second Age (The Age of Arkships)

The Marduk’s journey from Earth to Hartland. Primary POV: Captain Lamya Cosimir.

The Third Age (The Age of Exploration)

The exploration of Hartland by a misfit Portiid-Human-Stomatopod-Nodan-AI crew. Primary POV: Alis.

Children of Strife chapter summaries

§	Description	Characters
1.1	Kott physically enters Hartland's quarters. Kott finds Hartland arguing with Dorcheson. Kott announces Pil is harming the terraforming project.	Kott, Hartland, Dorcheson
1.2	Hartland gathers the rest of the crew. Kott privately criticizes Milner's insistence on holding meetings with artificial personality models of investors. A summary by Kott about how Hartmand stole a planet from Kern. How Hartmand's rapid terraforming project has repeatedly failed. Kott privately believes her data linking is responsible. How Kott believes Hartmand will murder one of his Visionaries and so Kott tattle-telling on Pil improves her survival chances. Hartland confronts Pil who says he has saved the project.	Kott, Hartland, Dorcheson, Milner, Pil
1.3	Kott and Pil get high together. Kott notices Pil acting strangely. Kott clears her blood chemistry of mind-altering substances and notices the sixth terraforming failure is unlike the previous failures. Kott sees microbial fiefdoms rising and competing against others instead of global mass death. Pil says he applied Kott's own method to the terraforming microbes. Kott does not understand Pil but knows she must tell Hartland what Pil has done to avoid Pil implicating her.	Kott, Pil
1.4	Pil demonstrates he has given independence to the terraforming microbes which now are evolving uncontrollably. Instead of instant global failure, the planet's microbial life fights itself and the terraformer extermination tools to survive.	Kott, Hartland, Dorcheson, Milner, Pil
2.1	Alis meets with her research companions but is confused by their findings. Avrana Kern speaks to her, beginning to disconnect Alis from a simulation.	Alis, Kern
2.2	Alis protests disconnection, espousing delusions of grandeur. Alis notices her research companions are empty. Alis argues with Kern, not convinced that she has been taken out of the simulation completely. Kern says that Alis has been given up on for hundreds of years. Alis chases Kern through a large ark ship corridor, unable to catch up. Alis enters a cold sleep pod. Alis feels herself in plastic container, not unlike a metamorphosis cocoon of a butterfly and fights to break free.	Alis (POV), Kern
2.3	Alis finds herself disoriented and drowning. A large scary shrimp-like creature approaches her which she slaps away. The creature brutally punches Alis, caving her chest in on the left side. Thanks to the trauma, Kern finally establishes subverbal contact with Alisʼs implants. Using a robotic spider, Kern supplies oxygenated blood to Alisʼs brain, bypassing her mortally wounded circulatory system. Alis asks Kern to let her die so she can sooner restart a fresh loop of the simulation. Kern informs Alis that she is no longer in a simulation.	Alis (POV), Kern
2.4	Kern tells Alis that Alis did spend much longer than a human life time within a simulation machine attempting to discover its memories of its creators. Alis recounts that she and her colleagues eventually discovered that the machine learns people that dive into it and adjusts simulations sycophantically to appease the expectations of said divers. Kern affirms Alisʼs memory on this matter. Kern goes further and recounts that Alis emerged from the simulation mentally damaged, unable to see other people as real and thus injured many people. Kern shares that Alisʼs body was changed to filter pain. Kern says Alis has the ability to cope with traumatic experiences like having her chest caved in since, at her core, Alis does not feel what she experiences is reality. Kern says the water-filled ship they are on is filled with misanthropes like Alis. Alis learns the shrimp creature is a stomatopod named Cato. Kern tells Alis she isn't Avrana Kern. Alis, confused by the overwhelmingly inconsistent fact pattern checks out mentally.	Alis (POV), Kern, Cato
2.5	Kern says she is Kern, but not Avrana Kern. Alis learns from Kern that she has been kept in a therapeutic coma and maintained as cargo, ignored by the ship's crew. Cato signs to Alis an urgent message that a disaster has endangered half of the shipʼs crew which ventured out some time ago and is imperiled in the inner region of the local solar system. Kern explains that Cato does not wish to render aid to his crewmates alone and prematurely awakened Alis in order to help him.	Alis (POV), Kern, Cato
2.6	Fake Alis wakes disenters herself from the soil. She is in a dark forest at night with stars visible in the sky. She grapples with her incomplete memory and wonders where her fellow crewmates are. A growl frightens her from the dark.	Mira (POV)
3.1
3.2	Kott observes the repeated failures of the terraforming team to produce any life on the planet that does not resemble bugs. Pilʼs change to the microbial life causes the evolution of trees occasionally, but for the most part it is a green mono culture of bugs, bugs, and more bugs. Terraformer Dorcheson attempts to eradicate all life in order to reset the project. Most bugs are killed off in a planetwide slaughter caused by degradation of their shells and joints. However, quickly the life reverts again back to bugs. Hartmand calls an all-hands meeting to point blame.	Kott (POV), Pil, Hartmand, Dorcheson
3.3	Pill is tried by Hartmand and a jury of his peers of Dorchester, Kott, and Milner. Pil is sentenced to confined isolation in his cabin. Dorchester continues to attempt extermination but fails. Kott visits Pil, thinking that she may be able to use his creativity to secure her survival at the next outburst from Hartmand who continues to be frustrated that bugs persist in occupying the planet he is trying to terraform. Kott visits Pil and finds him at a workstation with seemingly complete access to the planetʼs data feeds going to the terraforming ship. Kott surprises Pil when she tells him he has created life on the planet; Pil seems to regain his mad erudite persona and composure when Kott goes further and says Pil has created a system on the planet. Pill shows that he has established a computer network using Kott's techniques to turn the planetʼs life into a computer. Pil explains that Dorcheson's extermination chemicals are simply an instruction that the planet's microbial life executes but not before the life creates new instructions for itself. Pil injects Kott with a microbial agent that nullifies her integral nano machine defenses.	Kott (POV), Pil, Hartmand, Dorchester, Milner
3.4	Pil medically transforms Kott into the god of the planet by hooking up her nervous system to the control system for evolving and shaping planetary flora and fauna. Kott relishes in the power that she has been given and creates almost Earth-like analogues of creatures that she knows of. Kott is then woken up in her human body to see the Pantheon surrounding her, including Pil. Kott sees herself as the goddess of this world.	Kott (POV), Pil
3.5
4.1	A brief history of stomatopod biology, physiology and culture. A discussion about their ability to one-Shot kill each other with their powerful punches. How Cato is uncertain whether Alis will be of help in the current crisis.	Cato, Alis
4.2	A summary of Cato's stomatopod cultural heritage and biological psychological biases. Cato needs Alisʼs assistance but is too proud to do so unless Alis submits humbly and deferentially; Cato feels no guilt at mortally wounding Alis when she woke up confusedly flailing at him. An explanation that the rest of the crew went exploring signs of human artifacts in the nearby solar system and then broadcast a distress signal. Kern recommends Alis print herself a space suit. Alis continues to fear Cato but has translation equipment online to understand his visual signing.	Cato, Alis, Kern
4.3	Kern explains to Alis that she herself is a Kern instance that decided to exist independently after experiencing some significant events. Kern tells Alis to call her Avigael Kern to differentiate herself from the wider interstellar Avrana Kern mind. Avigael tells Alis that Cato is an old fighter who has been engaged in a conflict of his own making which has now involved Alis and others of the Dissenter. Cato and Alis see the absurd sight that lured the rest of the crew to explore. Avigael detects a survivor's signal.	Kern, Alis, Cato
4.4	A fake Alis with missing memories crawls from a crash site. She vomits out blood and bones. Fake Alis encounters a woman smaller than herself. The horrified woman shoots Fake Alis cleanly through the chest. Fake Alis recovers to her own surprise. The horrified woman flees. Fake Alis is confused by her memories of being in the simulation. Fake Alis decides to pursue the woman.	Mira (POV), Neco
5.1	Kott yearns to be plugged back into the planet again having been disconnected forcibly after a month-long induced coma. Hartmand and company begin manually terraforming the planet via a process Pil calls Conflation. They remove the bugs. After some time though, the bugs returned in earnest, evolving to overtake the more pleasing tetrapod endoskeletal life that Hartman wished for. Kott receives permission to Conflate with the planet again and does so in limited capacity under intense scrutiny. Kott inhibits bug evolution and promotes endoskeletal evolutionary pathways. However, life on the planet seems to be hard-coded to favor the recurring evolution of bugs again and again. Events on Earth begin to take their attention.	Kott (POV), Pil, Hartmand
5.2	Events on Earth accelerate. Hartmand and company receive word that war has taken over an entire continent. Various of their colleagues are killed. Hartmand regrets not being present to exploit the chaos with his own supporters. Hartmand expects to receive word of evacuees of his own loyalists departing Earth to migrate to Hartland. Kott notes that Hartmand has not been keeping Earth abreast of Hartland's developments. Kott decides to murder Hartmand and Dorcheson for their glee at the news of political instability on Earth.	Kott (POV), Hartmand, Dorcheson
5.3	Kott schemes against Hartmand and the other pancreators. Kott plans to secretly give the bugs an evolutionary advantage and then pin the blame on Pil. Kott, Hartmand, and the other crew take turns undoing each otherʼs Conflation work. Hartmand insists on sculpting predators; Milner sculpts herbivorous prey.	Kott (POV), Hartmand, Pil, Dorcheson, Milner
5.4	Kott emerges from conflation. Kott realizes that she and the other pancreators have finally created something of value for the first time. Kott recognizes they were parasites on Earth, extracting value for profit. The pancreators mock and scoff at fall of Earth as they receive word that various technological disasters are making the planet uninhabitable. Hartmand and Dorcheson joke that someone should have done something to prevent disaster. Kott prints a knife but cannot push herself to slit her wrists to kill herself.	Kott (POV), Hartmand, Pil, Dorcheson
5.5	Hartmand cheers on the collapse of Earth for the power vacuum that he and his supporters will one day be able to fill. Kott grapples with her nascent empathy. Hartmand continues to vovaliize faith that his followers from Earth will soon arrive. Kott dives into conflation. She is unexpectedly secretly joined by Pil. Pil proposes he and Kott mutiny against the others.	Kott (POV), Pil, Hartmand
5.6	The pancreators watch the final throes of advanced human civilization in Earth's solar system. A final broadcast is received that disables Domus and cuts power to the ship.	Kott (POV), Hartmand, Pil
6.1	A very brief summary of inevitably uninhabitable conditions on Earth following its technological collapse.
6.2	Cosimir, Goscari, and Peligrent witness the fall and destruction of their ark ship Nergal.	Cosimir (POV)
6.3	Hannoy approaches Cosimir at mealtime to tell her she has the aptitude to be a captain. Cosimir reflects that to be captain material is to be a ruthless bastard willing to dispose of human lives if survival requires. Cosimir tells Hannoy as much and is invited by Project Management to meet.	Cosimir (POV), Hannoy
6.4	Hannoy introduces Cosimir to Captain Olumo. Cosimir recalls his history as captain of the Pangu, one of the early failed ark ships that managed to return to Earth safely. Hannoy plays a translation of an audio recording of Hartmand to Cosimir; Hartmand invites his followers to settle his planet if they are deprived. Olumo confesses he cannot serve as Captain due to radiation exposure he suffered while aboard the Pangu.	Cosimir (POV), Hannoy, Olumo
6.5
6.6
6.7
6.8
7.1
7.2	Cato, Alis, and Avigael find the corpse of spider. Helena. Cato saves Avigael from being captured in a plant trip.	Alis (POV)
7.3	Cato, Avigael, and Alis breach and board the derelict Arcship. They find cargo pods full of corpses. Alis recalls the failed arkship of Imir.	Cato, Alis, Avigael
7.4	Alis retrieves a Kern robot. Excavation. Cato finds evidence a survivor recently escaped the ark. Avigael suspects Mira.	Cato, Alis, Avigael
8.1
8.2	Cosimir orders the immediate settling of the planet below them.	Cosimir
8.3	Hieron leads a team to explore the kernel from which the orbital elevator plant is growing. Hieron find four corpses of the ancients. She brings back samples to the Marduk. A sample awakens and grows.	Hieron (POV)
8.4	Kieraven leads a landing party. Fennec (?) takes an experimental breath. Kieraven and company gun down a mega fauna they agitated.	Kieraven (POV)
8.5	Cosimir broadcasts Heartland's habitability. Bartilow witnesses the birth of a cult around Hartmandʼs recording. Bartilow sees invasive flora aboard the Marduk.	Cosimir (POV), Bartilow (POV)
9.1	Mira remembers her artisanal primary identity while being injured by a beast of Hartland. Mira forces the beast to swallow her body whole.	Mira (POV)
9.2	Neco witnesses Mira dissolve a pig after being vored. Flees to Four Dragon Ford.	Neco Kasmar (POV)
9.3	How Portiafabian came to be.	Portia (POV), Fabian, Avigael
9.4	Mira follows Neco to Four Dragon Ford. Mira recalls Arkship languages and hails the fortress settlement. Mira hungers for the experiences of its inhabitants.	Mira (POV), Neco
9.5	Avigael recounts to Alis that Mira is a Nodan entity who must be retrieved for the planet's sake.	Alis (POV)
9.6	Mira continues to plead for the fortress inhabitants to listen to her but is only continuously shot. The gates open for melee forces to defend upon her.	Mira (POV)
9.7	Avigael describes how the trauma of escaping the derelict arkship and landing on a hostile planet may cause Mira to go feral. Under enough damage, Mira may be lost.	Alis (POV), Avigael, Cato
9.8	Fortress forces continue butcher Mira. Mira finally retaliates, absorbing her attackers. Udin orders flamethrowers to be deployed which ultimately drive Mira back into the forest.	Neco (POV)
9.9	Mira fights to maintain individuality and consciousness. Mira is driven away by fire. Mira flees into the woods where flora and fauna continuously reject and attack her.	Mira (POV)
10.1	The visionaries fight for survival and thenselves aboard their derelict dead ship.	Hartmand, Pil, Kott (POV), Milner, Dorcheson
10.2	Kott wanders the Pancreator. She sees a glow. Pil shows Kott the biological Conflation interface with the planet is still operational despite the loss of Domus. Pil invites Kott to resume influencing the terraforming activities.	Kott (POV), Pil
10.3	Kott and Pil work to restore systems of the pen creator despite the dwindling cognitive resources available to the diminishing biodiversity available within the planets below.
10.4	Caught explains to Hartmand, Dorchester, and Milner how she restores power with biological systems. Dorchester demands that the pen crate should be purged of all biological growth. Pill promises to restore communications with Earth thus appealing to Hartmand who gives his blessing to the plan.
10.5	The remaining Pantheon stabilizes the Pancreator.	Kott (POV)
10.6	Kott and Pil argue. Kott resolves to murder Pil. Pil commits suicide. Kott finds Pil's body overgrown with fungal growths and flora.
11.1	A summary of stomatopod evolution and history.
11.2	Cato suits up to deploy to the surface with Kern and Alis. Portiafabian also desire to join the expedition against Avigael's advice but Cato permits. Avigael pushes back against Cato's militant attitude so Cato agrees to being deterrents in addition to lethal weaponry.
11.3	Command appoints Neco to be ambassador to the Changing Thing. Neco is escorted by the Life to speak to Changing Thing. Neco converses with Changing Thing which laments that Mira is holding itself back from becoming the world. Changing Thing, against Mira's protestation, consumes Neck in search of understanding.	Neco (POV), Mira, Ellan, Mezclo, Udin
11.4	Portiafabian grapple with their their mixed mind. Cato pilots the drop ship containing Abigail himself, Alice and Portiafabian to the planet surface. Winged creatures rise up from the canopy below and attack the medusoid dropship.	Portiafabian (POV), Cato, Alis, Avigael
11.5	Cato engages in close combat pterosaurs attacking the dropship. Cato dispatches hostile pterosaurs and drops to the planet surface satisfied.
11.6	Neco Converses with Mira in a virtual world of peaceful green.	Neco (POV), Mira
12.1	Caught iscon's pills corpse in a far corner of the pen Creator. Caught claims credit for pills, polarized light controls system and chairs. The management role of the planets with the other remaining three pen creators. All continues for some time until it ends.
12.2	Caught dreams about colonists from Earth, arriving and destroying heartland.
12.3	Caught and the other pen creators continue to shape the world. Their physical and mental health declines. Milner tells caught that something great has happened.
12.4	Milner discovers The life has established itself in the vacuum of space spreading fronds and flowers outside of the pen creators hull. Cut internally. Despairs at the prospect that the life within the pen curator will go on perpetually.
12.5	The remaining pen creators hold in all hands. Dorchester proposes constructing a new station. Parks bend proposes descending down to the planet to live in their creation. Milner has no proposal and research his confidence that the life will provide. Caught offers, no suggestion and simply laughs.	Kott (POV)
12.6	Caught investigates yet another infestation of bugs. Caught witnesses. Ken pill speaks to kott through a body composed of bugs.
13.1	Hiring pleads to customer for time to research further into the organism on the planet. Engineering reports to cosmere that the plant has infected the ship. Tendrils eat away at the superstructure of the Marduk.	Hieron pov
13.2	Summary of how the beanstalk infected the Marduk. The life becomes aware of the invader.	The Life (POV)
13.3	The old fated final battle for the Marduk. Over the course of 48 hours, the life invades and conquers the Marduk adopting an increasingly intelligent strategy of evacuating compartments. Cosmere orders and immediate evacuation of the Marduk to the planet's surface.	Cosimir (POV)
13.4	Kieraven leads evacuation of cargo onto shuttles. Ilshir abandons duty to attempt rescuing Hieron. Bartelow convinces Cosimir to evacuate. Hieron witnesses a body made of plants appear within her doomed lab. Hieron dies.	Kieraven (POV), Cosimir (POV), Hieron (POV)
13.5	Kieraven makes camp. Kieraven is pleased to hear Cosimir is in the next and last shuttle. Night falls. Kieraven sees a dragon-human chimera watch the colonists in the rain.	Kieraven (POV)
13.6	Cosimir and Kieraven establish a colony. Kieraven plans to establish a second settlement. Enelisse Jesper, former subordinate of Goscari of the Nergal, reports to Cosimir.	Kieraven, Cosimir (POV), Enelisse Jesper
14.1	Alis, Portifabian, and Cato take stock around the downed ship. The shipʼs Avigael Kern instance is dead. They consult with the orbital ship Avigael. Cato fires an explosive warning shot at armed humans that approached, injuring Alis.	Alis, Portifabian, Cato, Avigael
14.2	Ellan convenes with other leaders to review intelligence of the new party of invaders (Cato, Alis, Portiafabian). Ellan in Four Dragon Ford parleys at a distance with Alis who worryingly resembles the Changing Thing. Alis mentions Earth. Ellan strongly warns the intruders to go away.	Ellan (POV), Udin, Mezclo, Alis
14.3	Alis and company walk to meet Mira, followed by local humans whom Alis warns to keep their distance. Alis talks to the gelatinous biome that is Mira. Mira says the world is eating her and so she must eat it back in turn. Alis offers assistance; Mira requests Alis enter her to stabilize her memories. Mira pulls in Alis into herself.	Alis (POV), Avigael, Cato, Portiafabian, Mira
14.4	Cato retreats from an explosive expansion of Mira following its ingestion of Alis. Avigael translates Cato's desire for the local humans to assist him. Cato, Portiafabian, and the humans travel back to the fortress.	Cato (POV), Avigael, Portiafabian
14.5	Avigael demands to know the history of the world and why it, one of her worlds, turned so hostile. Mezclo recounts a summary; Avigael's haughty dialogue offends the humans. A Neco puppet interrupts the discussion. A beast agent of The Life arrives and destroys the Neco puppet with bites, claws, and acid. The beast proclaims in Classicist language that the people must destroy such things with fire or acid or suffer punishment. Avigael irritatedly recognizes the face of the beast as that of Gerey Hartmand.	Ellan (POV), Mezclo, Udin, Neco, Mira, Portiafabian, Avigael, Cato
15.1	Kott finds evidence of Pil's mind imprinted in insect infestations that occur repeatedly across the planet. Kott confesses she misses him. Pil invites Kott to join him.	Kott (POV), Pil
15.2	Kott contemplates transferring her mind into the plantary ecosystem-based connectome as Pil inadvertently did.	Kott (POV)
15.3	Kott calls a final meeting. Kott dies when the Life finally breaches their last habitable section of the Pancreator while Conflating.	Kott (POV)
15.4	Kott awakens in the bodies of her favorite feline predator. Kott discovers, after being repeatedly predated by sabertoothed beasts, that Hartmand persists as she did. Kott discovers Hartmand, Dorcheson, and Milner all secretly counted on immortality within the planet's biomass and did not intend to save one another. Dorcheson inhabits wild swine. Milner inhabits rodents. Hartmand inhabits apex beasts. Kott screams in horror across all her bodies that she cannot die.	Kott (POV), Hartmand, Dorcheson, Milner, Pil
15.5	Kott spends countless time predating Pil and Milner. Pil unexpectedly warns Kott of changes coming. Kott hears the first shuttles descending from the Marduk.	Kott (POV), Pil
15.6	Gerey Hartmand calls a meeting to discuss the arrival of the Marduk. Hartmand says the people should be driven to the planet to worship him. Dorcheson says the invaders must be exterminated.	Kott (POV)
16.1	Alis parleys with Mira and Neco. Neco explains the lore of the Life and its brutal desire for entertainment and worship. Mira asks Alis to find a way for the world to leave her alone so she can regain control and become fully Mira again.	Alis (POV), Mira, Neco
16.2	Avigael recalls Hartmand was a terraformer she disliked and wouldn't put past engineering a world with life that facilitates the creation of monsters. Avigael and Portiafabian conclude that Mira's Nodan nature found the artificially engineered Life a highly vulnerable information processing platform, thus explaining her massive growth.	Portiafabian, Avigael
16.3	Kott hears Hartmand's call for a meeting. Kott attends. Kott consults with Pil who struggles to recall who Kern was. Pil opines that being killed off by the planetary infection agent brought by the newcomers may not be so bad.	Hartmand, Kott (POV), Pil
16.4	Cato listens impatiently while Avigael and Portiafabian converse with residents of Four Dragon Ford. Avigael asks Cato to retrieve Alis. Cato commandeers the locals' laser cutter and flies away to retrieve Alis.	Cato (POV), Avigael
16.5	Kott takes an interest in Cato. Kott makes contact with Cato.	Kott (POV), Cato
17.1	A history of stomatopod policy regarding exploration behind their seas.	Cato
17.2	Kott tempts Cato to kill Mira. Avigael Kern fights Kott's electromagnetic interference. Kott resorts to calling Gerey for help, revealing Kern is in orbit around the planet.	Kott (POV), Cato
17.3	Mira describes her predicament. Mira asks Alis for a grave favor to save an innocent. Cato arrives.	Mira, Alis
17.4	Cato considers killing Mira. Kott eggs him on . Alis emerges and walks towards Cato.	Cato (POV), Kott, Alis
17.5	Avigael and PF discuss plans. AG says Hartmand Will not help. Many beasts cry Kern and attack Four Dragon Hold.	AG, PF
17.6	A history of the expansion of Cato's recent star-faring ancestors. How portiids helped stomatopods settle a significant isolated region of space. How his region of star-faring stomatopods, seeded by hundreds of thousands from Kern's World, were annihilated by Cato's winning faction. How the entire space-faring civilization was reduced to only 620 stomatopods by the time portiids came to check up on them. Alis steps boldly into Cato's killing zone. Kott encourages him to kill. Cato, sobered by memories of his mass killing of his fellows, chooses not to dominate.	Cato (POV), Kott, Alis
17.7	The spider bot falls still. Mesclo laments how the planet has actively impeded the development of her ancestors. Mesclo blames the bot and the others who fell from the sky for antagonizing the Life. Mesclo considers stamping it but desists. The bot speaks Avigael Kern's voice, identifying herself as the Kern that the Life approaching to attack Four Dragon Hold called out. A bloody Cato returns sprinting back with Alis.	Mesclo (POV), Avigael Kern, Cato, Alis
18.1	Alis returns to FDF on Cato. Alis feels a mental weight. She notes the haphazardness of the anatomy of beasts of the Life. Alis declares she and Mira have a plan.	Alis (POV), Cato, Avigael
18.2	Cato feels shame at not having killed. Alis. Cato recalls the greater shame of being one of only 72 survivors following the escalation. Kato helps defend the besieged settlement. A legged dropship from his ship arrives. Cato notes Portifabian embodies the dropship; Cato anticipates grave futures of war between rival AIs. Avigael Kern bellows a taunt and leads the besiegers towards Mira.	Cato (POV), Avigael, Alis, Portiafabian
18.3	Mesclo almost dares to board the walking ship to join Alis and the others to see the battle between technological gods. Mesclo laments almost but not quite being equipped to understand events.	Mesclo (POV)
18.4	Kott polls opinions of the pantheon and none are interested in deëscalation. Milner is distracted looting. Dorcheson is unrepentantly murderous. Hartmand is insecure brash bravado. Pil is senescent as always. Kott starts a direct dialogue with Avigael Kern via a monkey form on the striding dropship. Kott and Avigael share backstories. Avigael Kern decides to share her plan with Kott.	Kott (POV), Avigael.
18.5	Cato contemplates a philosophy of coöperation. Cato remembers Portiids offering help to him, a mass murderer of his fellow stomatopods. Cato decides to help Mira, Alis, Avigael, and Portiafabian.	Cato (POV)
18.6	Alis calls to Mira. Cato reluctantly steps forward to give Mira his eyes. Hartmand interrupts, charging forward in his spoked beasts. Kott's small mammals and Pil's arthropods attack Hartmand and Dorcheson's beasts en masse.	Alis (POV), Cato, Mira, Hartmand, Avigael, Kott, Pil
18.7	Mira carefully injects herself into Cato's body. Mira desperately holds back her hunger to devour Cato completely. Mira succeeds in reigning herself in and studies what Cato sees through his nerve tissue. Mira rallies the rebellious mass of herself to use this information and the local biomass she has already disassembled and analyzed to open a communication channel through the unsecured circularly polarized light information network to speak directly to Hartmand and company.	Mira (POV), Cato
18.8	Mira expands herself into the planetary biological information network. Mira becomes a leviathan intent on relocating the pantheon to where they can do no more harm to other minds. Kott, Milner, and Dorcheson accept the deal. Pil regrets trapping the pantheon given the harm that has caused; Pil accepts a permanent end to himself. Hartmand protests but sputters out ineffectually, having lost his supporters.	Mira (POV), Kott, Hartmand, Dorcheson, Milner, Pil
19.1	The beasts besieging Four Dragon Ford disperse. The inhabitants beg nearby settlements and rebuild. Mezclo accompanies an expedition to examine and possibly burn the pulsating infestation. Mira manifests a body and explains the world will be kinder from now on and asks the people to help her remain so. She and the mass dissolve. Mezclo contemplates the Archivist task of educating and healing a damaged people now freed from tyranny.	Mezclo (POV)
19.2	Neco awakens in a panic to free-fall. Neco awakens with her mood stabilized by drugs. Alis explains to Neco that she now has a new body and life separate from the amalgam Mira nonconsensually absorbed her into. Alis offers to return Neco to Four Dragon Ford or to accompany them on their exploration spaceship. Neco accepts the offer to explore.	Neco (POV), Alis
19.3	Portifabian in the dropship and Avigael in the rest of the ship prepare the Dissenter to leave Marduk orbit. They prepare to return to the Panspecific community.	Portifabian
19.4	Cato refuses to give Mira his sight. Alis and Cato discuss their philosophies about exploration and plans for the future.	Alis (POV), Cato
19.5	Dorcheson, and Milner are transported in jars to Imir for download into the simulation. Kott and Mira talk in the virtual tea party. Kott requests an independent body; Mira agrees to grant the request.	Mira (POV), Kott
19.6	Hartmand remains on Marduk within the bodies of his human-faced monsters. Hartmand is hunted down to eventually one last body starving on a mountain. Hartmand curses Mira who berates him for not learning to decouple enjoyment from dominion over others.	Hartmand (POV), Mira

See also

• Wikipedia:Children of Strife