Ceremony by Glen Cook

is it? How much damage did they do?”
    “The raiders? None at all. Unless you count a little caused by one of the wrecks. It ploughed through an area where we had some materials tethered. We’ll have to replace a few hundred sections of beam that got warped.”
    “That’s all?”
    “Evidently you took them completely by surprise. I hear there’s a great deal of despair among the recidivists down on the planet. This was supposed to be a killer blow.”
    “Then the other darkships did get there in time to keep them from wrecking everything.”
    “Not exactly.”
    “What?”
    “They ran away. The Serke. Before the darkships ever arrived. We heard the warning, but for a long time we did not know what had happened. Actually found out from a captured rogue.”
    “But... “
    “Marika, nobody knew you were out there. I mean, some of the workers remembered a darkship nosing around, but they didn’t know whose it was. You didn’t tell anybody where you were going or what you were up to. Meth only started wondering about where you were after we captured the rogue and could not find any silth missing who were supposed to be out there at the time. Meth were talking about a ghost darkship for a while. Then when nobody could find you anywhere down below... Marika, you have to stop doing that kind of thing. You could have died trying to get back. If you had told somebody what you were up to, anybody, silth could have gone looking for you. It’s hard to save somebody when you don’t know they’re in trouble.”
    “All right, Bagnel. Don’t get excited. I get the message. It doesn’t matter now, anyway. Everything turned out for the best. I’m safe.”
    He scowled. There was much more he wanted to say, but he held his tongue.
    Marika said, “The problem has become how to protect the mirrors. They would have destroyed the project but for the accident of my having been out there. Two of those ships were carrying bombs like the ones they used on TelleRai.”
    “Accident? What accident?” There was an odd glint in Bagnel’s eyes.
    “What is it? I don’t like the way you’re looking at me.”
    “You always discount the notion that you are fated. I don’t like superstition any more than you do, Marika, but this time I really have to wonder.”
    “Don’t you start. I get enough of that nonsense from silth. Anyway, if you assume I am a fated thing then the mirror would have been destroyed. Isn’t the pattern one of destruction? That’s what they keep telling me.”
    “Maybe that was to prepare you for the turnaround.”
    “Enough of this, Bagnel. I won’t have it from you. It’s pure silliness.”
    “As you wish. I came to see how you are. I have my answer. You’re as nasty as ever. And those who had hopes of your early demise will be disappointed again.”
    “Right. I intend to keep disappointing them, too, because I intend to outlive them all. I have too much to get done to waste time dying.”
    He looked at her hard, surprised by her intensity. “Things such as?”
    “The project has reached takeoff. It is running itself. Not so?”
    “Pretty much.”
    “This misadventure got me to thinking. There is very little I can contribute now, unless it’s protection. Or if I just help lift materials from the surface. The rest of the engine is running on its own impetus.”
    “So?” He sounded suspicious.
    “So I think it’s time I went looking for trouble instead of waiting for it to come to me. No smart remarks! Remember when I was young? Remember how the novice Marika always jumped to the attack? She hasn’t been doing that since she got older. That antique factor in your quarters that time was right.”
    “You’re so old now? About to turn into one of your Ponath Wise meth? Eh? Eh? I know. You attacked even when you didn’t know what you were attacking. Yes, I remember that Marika very well. She was a fool, sometimes. I think I like today’s Marika a little better.”
    “Fool. That Marika made