Children of Time (novel)

Children of Time is a 2015 science fiction book by Adrian Tchaikovsky. It is the first novel in the Children of Time series; it is succeeded by Children of Ruin.

Stats

• Author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
• eBook
  • ISBN: 978-0-316-45249-6
• Audiobook
  • Release date: 2017-05-02
  • Length: 16h31m
  • Narrator: Mel Hudson
• Succeeded by Children of Ruin

Plot details

People

Avrana Kern, Doctor

A scientist who led the Brin-2 to seed a world with the Barrel and Flask.

Bianca

(C?): A female spider friend of Portia.

Karst

(C?): Head of security of the Gilgamesh. (C5.3): Assists Lane rebel against Guyen, although isn't allied with Lane.

Fabian

(C?): A male spider attendant to Portia. Loyal and eager to help.

Guyen

(c?): Leader of the Gilgamesh.

Holston Mason

(p1c2.1): A human refugee on the Gilgamesh. Conversant with old Earth languages. Lane's lover. Clief classisist.

Isa Lane

(p1c2.1): A friend of Holston. (c3.1): Chief Engineer.

Portia

(C1.1+): A female spider whose personality persists, like others, across generations. Is the main spider whose viewpoint is followed throughout history.

Sering

A saboteur who destroyed the Brin-2 in order to prevent Kern from seeding the planet with intelligent non-human life.

Skols

(c3.1): A leader of anti-colonist movement.

Viola

(C4.6): A spider scientist who discovers genetics.

Places

Earth

(p1c1.1): Human civilization's origin planet. (p1c1.3): Destroyed by war along with most colonies by superweapons and a data virus.

Kern's World

(C1.1): A planet made habitable by humans and Earth life via terraforming technology. Intended to host Kern's animal exaltation project in preparation for receiving human colonists.

Things

Brin-2

(C1): Kern's interstellar craft.

Gilgamesh

(C?): A generation ship launched by Earth's survivors following the toxic thaw of the doomsday ice age. Is the generation ship launched to colonize Kern's World.

Kern's World

(C1.1): A terraformed planet designed to host Dr. Kern's animal exaltation project.

Uplift nanovirus

(C1.2): A symbiotic artificial organelle present in organisms of Kern's world designed to direct evolution to promote formation of a stable society. Originally designed to uplift simians brought by Kern on the Brin-2 to seed the planet, but following the demise of said simians during a terrorist attack, the nanovirus has had to improvise.

Narrative

Part 1: Genesis

Chapter 1: Just a Barrel of Monkeys

Kern and her crew (~19?) arrive at a planet (to be terraformed?). Kern waxes proud and egoistic. Kern reviews the plan to seed the planet with primates who would be infected with a nanovirus which would make changes to their genomics on the fly in order to create a race of intelligent laborers for future Earth colonists. A Barrel (of monkeys) and a Flask (of nanovirus) would be left behind as the Brin-2 proceeded onward to other projects

A saboteur destroys the Brin-2. Kern escapes to the Flask and is the only survivor. The barrel burns up. The flask survives and seeds the planet. Kern decided to upload her mind into the Flask's computer for the duration of the wait for rescue from Earth.

Chapter 1.2: Brave Little Huntress

00:32:32

Portia, an 8mm predator spider hunts a Saitodes (?) Spider hunter. While preparing a plan, Portia encounters a male of her own species who she views as an ally. The male serves as bait to distract the Saitodes so Portia can land the killing bite.

Portia and the male have many successful hunts together and mate, producing offspring. The nanovirus works in them and their children to improve their intelligence.

Chapter 1.3: The Lights Go Out

00:40:12

Kern is woken by the Flask computer. Kern learns that a war around Earth snuffed out civilization. A data virus was transmitted to all colonies, disabling all colonies and terraforming projects. The computer tells Kern that Kern's mind being uploaded offered the computer resistance since mind uploading was an experimental technology not addressed by the data virus. The computer asks Kern to make a command decision.

00:52:10 End.

Part 2: Pilgrimage

Chapter 2.1: 2000 Years from Home

00:52:18

Holston Mason awakens on the Arkship Gilgamesh. Holston finds his awakening to be uncomfortable which indicates something went wrong.

1837 years have passed on the Gilgamesh. 5% of cargo has been lost.

Holston Mason finds himself awakened by the other crew so he can translate a radio broadcast. Holston Mason identifies the message as a distress beacon in an old Empire language. The message origin is several hundred years voyage away.

Holston petitions to stay awake for longer than usual. Holston has sex with Lane.

Chapter 2.2: Earth's Other Children

01:06:30

Portia hunts with a clan. Her matriarchal species culture is described.

The nanovirus has elevated invertebrates due to programming that made it avoid uplifting close cousins of the primates.

Portia considers the star that acts differently from the other traveling stars.

Chapter 2.3: Enigma Variations

01:21:55

Holston awakens along with most of the crew of the Gilgamesh.

Lane finds a second signal besides the distress beacon from the satellite. Holston finds math problems in the second signal. Holston urges caution. Gilgamesh government orders answers to the math problems be transmitted. Transmission of the answers causes cessation of the distress beacon.

Chapter 2.4: Poor Relations

01:40:20

Portia's tribe meets with another tribe. Portia trades domesticated aphids in exchange for information.

The nanovirus fails to deactivate after uplifting the spiders since the deactivation conditions assumed infection of primate hosts, not invertebrates. The nanovirus information transcription function for interhost communication is commandeered by the spiders for conscious sharing of information via body fluids (e.g. male sperm).

Portia's trade talks break down and Portia asserts dominance via violence.

Chapter 2.5: All These Worlds are Yours

01:59:10

The Gilgamesh government sends drones to disable the Brin-2. The Brin-2 hacks and disables all but one of the drones. The Brin-2 nearly disables the Gilgamesh but Holston prevents destruction by transmitting the Brin-2's own distress beacon signal back at them. The Brin-2 brings online Kern.

Holston and Lane negotiate a communication protocol with Kern. Kern demands the Gilgamesh leave Kern's planet alone due to the presence of the Elevation project currently underway. Holston talks with the hybrid mind of AI/flesh Kern who now inhabits the remains of the Flask. Kern speaks in two voices: one a precise and computer-like, another borderline insane.

Holston informs Kern of the fate of Earth: an ice age following a technological doomsday followed by a poisonous thawing. The Gilgamesh is one of several ark ships carrying Earth refugees. Kern hacks the Gilgamesh to verify its records. Kern adamantly refuses to permit human colonization of Kern's planet. Kern gives the Gilgamesh starcharts with directions and access codes to other terraforming projects.

Chapter 2.6: Metropolis

02:39:35

Portia considers ants. The nanovirus has elevated ants into an unconscious difference engine which can solve problems as a whole but does not have a "hive mind". Borders can be established with ants. Ants use fire and smelt metal tools.

Portia witnesses an ant ceremonial dance centered on a crystal that an ant with a metal wire carefully touches. Portia notices the dance abruptly halts as soon as the Traveler falls below the horizon.

Portia steals the crystal, the eye of the gods from the temple of the ants.

Chapter 2.7: Exodus

03:01:00

Guyen, the commander of the Gilgamesh, considers the offer of Avrana Kern. Guyen agrees to leave but retreats the arkship to a gas giant. Kern releases control of the Gilgamesh.

Guyen orders a colony to be established at a moon of the gas giant of Kern's planet's system while the Gilgamesh visits the planets Kern recommended.

The last remaining drone transmits video of the planet surface. The drone operator directs the drone to explore, searching for the "monkey" species the Kern personality and Empire records about an ancient "exaltation program" hinted at. The drone explores the forest canopy but is suddenly attacked and destroyed by what later analysis determines to be a meter-long spider creature.

Part 3: War

03:10:50

Chapter 3.1: Rude Awakening

03:10:56

Holston Mason awakens during a mutiny battle aboard the Gilgamesh. Holston is held hostage by a faction not wishing to be left behind by Captain (?) Guyen on the moon. About a year has passed since Holston talked with Kern.

Chapter 3.2: Fire and the Sword

03:25:15

A warrior Portia of the great nest on the shore of the western ocean is present at the Seven Trees metropolis. Portia thinks about her culture's focus on memorizing the internally consistent radio signals. Portia fights an ant colony on the front lines. The ants have developed glass and flamethrowers. Portia fights with her slingshot so the ant horde does not reach the Great Nest.

Chapter 3.3: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

03:43:00

Holston and Lane are imprisoned. Holston talks with their prison guard and determines that mutineers did not want to be left behind when Kern's planet was available. Lane let slip that Holston could communicate with Kern and so the mutineer leader, Skols, decided to capture Holston in order to increase the probability a shuttle of mutineers could survive a trip to Kern's planet.

Chapter 3.4: By the Western Ocean

03:55:15

Portia returns to the Great Nest from defeat after the loss of Seven Trees. The ant colony, although not aware of Great Nest, will eventually expand to overcome the Great Nest at some point, depressing Portia.

Portia is forlorn while visiting the Great Nest. Portia ponders emancipation for males in exchange for their assistance in battle but quickly tosses the idea as taboo.

Portia witnesses a priestess of the radio crystal stumble. A male relays a summon by Bianca, one of the foremost scholars, to her.

Chapter 3.5: Bearing a Flaming Sword

04:10:45

Holston, Lane, Skols, and the mutineers depart the Gilgamesh on a shuttle and make for Kern's planet. Holston negociates with Kern, sending the drone footage captured from the surface of the planet. The information silences Kern.

Chapter 3.6: Dulce et Decorum est

04:41:03

Portia meets with Bianca who works with males.

Chapter 3.7: War in Heaven

05:01:20

The mutineers flee to Kern's planet. Kern takes over the shuttle and drone pursuing the mutineer shuttle, sending them back to the Gilgamesh but is unable to take over the mutineer shuttle due to Lane's foresight and preparations. Holston distracts Kern with pleas to logic and distress signals long enough for the shuttle to begin atmospheric entry. Kern fires a laser that cuts the shuttle in half as it descends.

Chapter 3.8: Asymmetrical Warfare

05:16:38

Portia and other warrior females don a stealth beetle scent and infiltrate an ant colony. A large flashing light occurs, distracting the ant colony scouts, enabling easier entry. After half of the warriors are killed due to imperfections in their stealth, the chemical weapons each warrior carries deploy, causing the ants to cease acting. Bianca arrives and loads new instructions via tamed ants, effectively giving the spiders control of the ant colony, giving them a strategic weapon against the greater ant colony. The control mechanism spreads exponentially through the ant colony, forcing them to become allies to the spiders.

Chapter 3.9: First Contact

05:38:18

The mutineers land. Holston suffers a broken rib. A mutineer exploring the perimeter is eaten alive from the inside by an ant. Flamethrower ants attack the mutineer shuttle and its occupants, resulting in the fiery destruction of said shuttle. The mutineer leader shoots a spider after a staredown. The second shuttle lands and Gilgamesh security gun the mutineers, leaving Holston and Lane alive; one mutineer, a scholar, escapes into the forest.

Chapter 3.10: Giants in the Earth

Portia considers the giants that arrived from the sky. Instead of considering them as hostile entities that killed both ants and spiders, Portia decides to capture the one escapee in order to unravel the mystery presented by the one living giant.

Chapter 3.11: This Island Gulag

06:08:50

Holston is resigned to cold sleep at the gas giant moon colony until the Gilgamesh returns.

Chapter 3.12: A Voice in the Wilderness

The spiders analyze the giant until it dies in captivity. They conclude it was a simple manual laborer due to its lack of communicative ability.

The spiders develop telescopes and examine the Messenger as well as a second source of signals in the sky. The signals seem chaotic and malevolent until it disappears.

Part 4: Enlightenment

06:21:20

Chapter 4.1: The Cave of Wonders

06:21:30

Holsten wakes up on the Gilgamesh and builds an index of Imperial records. Guyen requests a private record.

Chapter 4.2: Death Comes Riding

06:32:30

Plague arrives at the Great Nest.

Portia, a priestess and scientist, has predicted the plague due to high population density. Incest caused by females wishing to keep secrets in genetic memories have caused immune system deficiencies. Portia is unable to detect viruses which she suspects exist. Great Nest population is collapsing.

A male Portia had sent to a plague zone returns with some immune spiderlings despite losing all his friends to cannibalism from the plague zone's native spiders.

Chapter 4.3: Notes from a Gray Planet

06:45:45

Gilgamesh humans hold a meeting about the fungus planet.

Chapter 4.4: Inquiring Minds

06:57:25

Portia is despondent as the plaque tears apart civilization. Bianca, exiled for her heretical radio transmitter experiments, presents an electrochemical battery to Portia and proposes crafting a device to contact the a messenger without a crystal as a last ditch effort before their understandings are lost to the plague. Portia suddenly is inspired to create a plan in response to the loss of understandings and invites Bianca to participate. Portia promises to help Bianca contact the Messenger in return.

Chapter 4.5: Dreams of the Ancients

07:14:00

Holsten is called by Guyen to personally examine an ancient machine. Lane piggybacks on Holsten's spacesuit comms. Holsten deduces the machine is an Emergency Upload machine.

Chapter 4.6: The Messenger Within

07:35:15

Portia, Viola, and Bianca research a cure for the plague. They analyze immune baby spiders. Viola reveals she discovered a book in each spider (genetics) and an inner book that has been affecting the first book (nanovirus). Portia rallies as many scientists as she can using the new discoveries to produce a serum containing the genetic material offering immunity as well as nanovirus. Bianca, mad with the plague, becomes the first test subject for the serum.

Chapter 4.7: Not Prince Hamlet

07:52:50

Holston shares with Lane that Guyen's secret project is to restart a mind uploading machine. Holston and Lane have sex.

Chapter 4.8: Age of Progress

Portia's serum saves the Great Nest but many have died, including Viola. Bianca is damaged and speaks with difficulty but survived. The serum represents a revolutionary new technique of sharing understandings between adults without needing to wait for an entire generation to pass.

Consensus is reached among Great Nest spiders that answers to the Messenger's problem set must be transmitted and a message "We are here" must be sent.

Chapter 4.9: Ex Machina

08:10:30

Brin-2's systems, a.k.a. Eliza, transform upon receipt of the spider transmission. The system revives Kern to complete consciousness. Kern recalls a dream in which she repelled human wanderers from contaminating her planet. Kern deduces that such events actually happened. Eliza informs Kern that her body is no longer capable of existing independently from the sentry pod. Kern approves the sentry pod's plan to bootstrap a communication language with the exalted monkeys; Kern orders the pod to transmit the message: "I am your Creator. I am your God."

Part 5: Schism

08:19:05

Chapter 5.1: The Prisoner

08:19:13

Holston awakens on the Gilgamesh to find himself captured by Lane's faction of rebels who are fighting against Guyen. Lane explains that Guyen seeks immortality via the mind upload machine and has revived a large number of loyal humans to enforce his will. Guyen's loyalists have lost intelligence over the generations. Guyen attempted to recruit Lane but Lane rebelled and stole Holston's casket. Lane believes Guyen is promising Kern's world to his followers; Guyen has revived so many humans that the Gilgamesh is in a downward spiral despite auto-repair technology Lane's engineers found around the gray planet. Holston resents being woken and has not lost confidence in Guyen yet.

Chapter 5.2: In God's Country

08:43:15

The Temple of the Great Nest attempts to carry out the Messenger's commands to construct technological artifacts.

Portia visits the heretic astronomer Bianca, offering a pardon if Bianca would renounce her claims that the Messenger is a small metallic object in orbit visible using telecopes.

Chapter 5.3: Old Friends

09:16:05

Chapter 5.4: The Right to Life

09:32:57

Fabian is returned to Portia after he went missing from Portia's peer house.

Fabian asks Portia to fight for male rights. Portia refuses. Fabian reveals he has developed a generalized computing architecture; Fabian offers his technique to Portia in exchange for her help in emancipating male spiders. Portia refuses.

Fabian frees the heretic Bianca using his technique. Bianca agrees and the two escape to Seven Trees.

Chapter 5.5: The Oldest Man in the Universe

09:57:35

Holsten visits Guyen. Guyen is kept unnaturally alive using machines. Guyen's past attempts at the mind uploader failed. Guyen plans to destroy Kern and conquer the Kern's planet. Guyen has been upgrading the Gilgamesh for war. Guyen denies being mad. Guyen says only he can carry through the long term plan to save humanity. Guyen preserved Holsten so Holsten, the historian, could record his great deed of saving humanity.

Chapter 5.6: Resource War

10:14:50

Fabian defends the Great Nest against a Great Nest Army sent to take the Seven Trees mines. Fabian uses his ant reprogramming technique to turn Great Nest ants against Great Nest spiders. Fabian has secured the reprogramming technique from being taken by force. Fabian demands equal rights for male spiders from Seven Trees; Seven Trees acquiesces, given Fabian's monopoly on the reprogramming technique.

Chapter 5.7: Ascension

10:47:30

Holsten dines with Guyen. Holsten sees Guyen is almost sane but has forgotten the value of human life when flippantly writing off the moon colonists' demise as the death of traitors. Holsten privately observes the moon colonists were almost entirely made up of people completely unaware they had been assigned to the moon colony, much less traitors fighting to avoid being cut off from the main technological center, the Gilgamesh.

Holsten, outraged, loudly announces Karst has been in talks with Lane. Holsten's outcry causes confusion. Lane attacks, killing Guyen. Guyen, who has been slowly uploading himself for years, dies, but his scanned copy awakens and begins taking over the Gilgamesh completely.

Chapter 5.8: Conquering Hero

11:08:05

Following the defeat of Great Nest, Fabian maintains rights he won for male spiders of his house. Fabian muses on using electronics instead of ants for computation.

Portia has disappeared.

Fabian is assassinated in his laboratory.

Kern is frustrated that her monkeys have made such slow progress implementing her plans to build a technological workshop into which she can download herself. The Brin-2 is failing. Kern wishes she could help the monkeys prepare for the coming of the Gilgamesh.

Part 6: Zenith, Nadir

11:29:35

Chapter 6.1: The Balloon Goes Up

11:29:40

Portia feels overwhelmed by the progress of technology of civilization.

The Sky Nest is described.

Portia, Fabian, and Bianca plan to use a high altitude balloon to meet the Messenger.

Chapter 6.2: An Old Man in a Harsh Season

11:47:12

Holsten awakens to the smell of burning. Holsten's suspension machine was malfunctioning and so he had to be cut out. Gilgamesh engineering was to wake Holsten up and relocate him into another suspension machine, but Holsten runs, fearful of what fresh hell he has woken up into. Holsten vaguely remembers meeting a man who wanted to be god who escaped into the ship's computer. Eventually, Holsten is calmed down and notified that he has been summoned by the Gilgamesh's leader.

Chapter 6.3: Communion

12:02:25

Bianca describes the Sky Nest's mission is to permit a private conversation with God, the Messenger.

Bianca suspects that the Messenger is working from flawed assumptions about spider civilization. Bianca wants to send the Messenger information outside of the global spider surveillance apparatus which monitors all radio transmissions for heretics attempting to talk to God outside established channels.

Bianca plans to send Messenger a bitmap image of the Sky Nest via image processing ants.

The Messenger stops their incessant demands and immediately demands Bianca for more images. Bianca realizes that the Messenger is blind.

Bianca sends an image of the interior of Seven Trees. The Messenger goes silent. Bianca waits for a reply while growing cold in the Sky Nest.

Chapter 6.4: Epiphany

12:17:00

Kern reevaluates her memories of communications with the inhabitants of her planet. Kern asks Eliza for guidance but finds her biological component to be incapable of rational thought. Kern realizes that the spiders are cousins of humans. Kern remembers that the goal of her project was to elevate minds in ways different from that of homo sapiens. Kern realizes that, although they are different from what she expected, the spiders are still her children.

Kern broadcasts to the spiders: "I am here. I am here for you."

Chapter 6.5: Things Fall Apart

12:30:20

Holsten meets Lane, now an old woman. Lane explains that the task of rooting out Guyen and maintaining the Gilgamesh required her crew of engineers use up their lives. The Gilgamesh has a functioning education system. Lane explains the end goal remains that of Guyen: settle Kern's planet even if it means displacing the local inhabitants.

Lane shows Holsten his daughter, a fetus preserved for future implantation into an artificial womb. Lane asks Holsten to lead the Gilgamesh to take over Kern's planet so their daughter can grow up on a decent world.

Chapter 6.6: And Touch the Face of God

12:57:25

Bianca, Portia, and Fabian prepare to launch the Starnest from the Skynest with Portia and Fabian on board.

Portia and Fabian launch an ant-powered radio relay satellite. Ice causes a malfunction, forcing Portia to venture outside to break the satellite free before its rocket ignition sequence ignites the Sky nest's hydrogen balloons. Portia successlly detached the satellite but lack of heat rejection causes her to lose consciousness. Fabian pulls Portia aboard by a safety line but insufficient oxygen is present to allow them to survive.

Fabian loses radio contact with ground control but Kern hears him. Fabian explains a plan to save Portia. Fabian performs a mating dance causing Portia to unconsciously consume him. With only Portia breathing, the oxygen supply is now sufficient and Portia regains consciousness after landing. Portia goes on to help develop safety improvements to space vehicles but never flies again.

With the successful spacecraft launch, Kern is able to explain the threat of the approaching invaders.

Part 7: Collision

Chapter 7.1: War Footing

13:27:37

Holston wakes and attends a Key Crew meeting. Karst is the main leader. Karst explains Gilgamesh weapons have been developed to burn the Kern satellite and Gilgamesh electronics have been hardened against EWAR assault. The plan is to burn the landing zone and a perimeter and kill anything that moves in order to ensure safety of the Gilgamesh colonists.

Holston suspects Karst, the last general of humanity, is cracking under the strain of command or is drunk.

Roughly 30 hours before the engagement, Holston is assigned to analyze the transmissions of the Kern satellite in order to see if it can be negotiated with. Holston identifies non-Imperial transmissions that resemble something Dr. Kern might have used to warn visitors from approaching. Holston notices much unexplainable radio activity.

Holston is unable to solve the mystery for why so many weak transmissions appear to originate from the planet. Holston sleeps. Karst sends out attack drones. Holston reports to Karst that Dr. Kern prohibits approach; Holston cannot communicate to Karst the subtlety of the mysterious transmissions; Karst denies Holston permission to send transmissions to the planet, hoping Kern doesn't notice the Gilgamesh approaching.

Drones relay video footage of Kern's planet. The planet now has vast threads extending from and linking panoply orbital installations, of which Kern's satellite is but a single node.

Karst declares whatever new entities guard the planet must be destroyed since the planet is the Gilgamesh's promised land.

Chapter 7.2: What Rough Beast

14:00:40

Bianca prepares the Great Sky Nest to defend the world against the Giants.

Spider space soldier technology is described.

Portia prepares to fight on the front lines in space.

Chapter 7.3: Maiden, Mother, Crone

14:12:55

Karst passes the buck to Lane who is ordered to be revived. The engineer that accompanies Holston to revive Lane defends the shipborn engineers when Holston questions their aptitude as tribal savages who can only perform actions by rote.

Upon awakening, Lane recommends Holston talk to Kern. Holston contacts Kern's satellite but receives a message in the same odd dialect of Imperial C that he thought was being broadcast by the Kern satellite and bounced off the planet. Holston suspects the broadcast may have originated from some planetary inhabitants but refuses to consider the possibility that the planet is inhabited. However, Holston deciphers from the odd dialect a message that basically translates to an offer to negociate. Karst notes an offer to negotiate is very different from Kern's previous hardline denial of permission to settle the planet.

Lane, Holsto, Karst, Vitas, and others discuss a plan of action.

Vitas explains the Prisoner's Dilemma and the threat of the unknown space spider constructs dictates they must reject the offer to negotiate; the Gilgamesh cannot tolerate any risk since it is the last remnant of humanity. (Baltakatei: Hopefully someone shoots Vitas at some point.) Vitas says the spiders are an ancient experiment gone wrong.

Lane decides Kern's satellite must be destroyed since too much is at stake.

Gilgamesh drone lasers destroy the satellite; the remains fall from orbit.

Chapter 7.4: End Times

14:42:00

The spiders watch the death of Messenger.

Fabian speaks with Kern who persists. Kern is glad the spiders have been given such a simple and obvious demonstration of aggression.

Kern thinks about what part of her might have died in the satellite. Kern lives in a colony of 100 million insects.

Gilgamesh fires its lasers at the Web.

Kinetic projectiles are launched from the web as threads under tension are cut.

Portia and other warriors land on the Gilgamesh directly and begin close-quarters combat.

Chapter 7.5: Maneuvers

14:55:32

The Gilgamesh crew track damage. An initial rock volley causes some minor damage and loss of cargo.

Karst vows to burn the orbital web structures and the biosphere. Vitas vows to develop a bioweapon to genocide the spiders from the surface of the planet. Holston silently muses that the fight to secure a habitable world will result in loss of said habitability.

Holston receives a planetside transmission from Kern. Holston requests to negotiate; Kern informs Holston that she has no power; the spider civilization is in charge. Holston requests to talk to Eliza. Kern says whatever Eliza was died with the satellite the Gilgamesh destroyed. Kern stops responding.

Eventually, external video camera feeds indicate the presence of spiders on the Gilgamesh hull exterior.

Chapter 7.6:

Portia and her fellow warriors methodically disable sensors, treating the Gilgamesh like an ant colony. An electromagnetic pulse weapon aimed to disable the spiders' electronics is completely ineffective due to the biochemical nature of spider tech.

Chapter 7.7: The War Outside

15:15:41

Karst leads soldiers to kill the spiders on the Gilgamesh.

Spiders invade the interior of the Gilgamesh. Humans fall victim.

Karst fights until his group is overcome.

Chapter 7.8: The War Inside

15:45:15

Portia fights the giants inside the ship. Their objective is to spread a biological agent tested against mice. Portia verifies the giants fall victim to the agent. The agent's effects are permanent.

Chapter 7.9: Last Stand

Holston and Lane hear Karst fall victim to the spiders.

Vitas shuts down environmental systems after witnessing her lab assistants fall ivctim to an airbourne weapon. Vitas continues to manufacture a bioweapon. Vitas falls victim to the spiders when they breach her sealed room.

Holston and Lane are the last ones in the control room. Holston and Lane hear Karst wake up and calmly ask for Holston and Lane. Karst claims the spiders are people. Holston is horrified at the transformation in Karst's attitude. The spiders enter. Instead of clubbing a spider in the end, Holston embraces Lane.

Chapter 7.10: The Quality of Mercy

16:13:20

The biological weapon was a nanovirus payload tailored to modify the human brain to trigger two-way empathy between giants and spiders. All conscious giants of the Gilgamesh have been infected.

A small group of giants is brought down to the planet's surface on a shuttle. Portia observes the giants appear content, especially the old dying one that lies down on the ground with the help of another giant.

Part 8: Diaspora

16:24:16

Chapter 8.1: To Boldly Go

16:24:20

Helna Holsten Lane is aboard Voyager that is preparing to depart.

A melding of human and spider science is described following the joining of the Gilgamesh's population with spider civilization. Mental, physical, and sensory barriers for humans are not necessarily barriers to the spiders and visa versa. The Voyager is a living bioengineered fusion-powered spacecraft with a symbiotic ant colony, a crew of 70, genetic material for hundreds of others, and hundreds of thousands of understandings. The Voyager is an exploration ship.

Technology overcame the communication barriers.

Portia is the commander of the Voyager. Portia talks with the Voyager whose mind is a child of Kern's mind.

The Voyager travels to investigate an interstellar signal. The origin point is a terraformed world recorded in the Gilgamesh's records.

See also

• Wikipedia:Children of Time (novel)
• Children of Ruin

External links

• bk4, reboil.com