The provided text is an extensive excerpt from "Ceremony," the third book in "The Darkwar Trilogy" by Glen Cook, as indicated by the title and front matter. The narrative follows the central character, Marika, a powerful "silth" (a dominant female caste) who deals with the aftermath of devastating nuclear attacks, leading the construction of massive orbital mirrors to combat a planetary ice age, a massive undertaking that drastically reshapes their society. Intertwined with this major environmental project is Marika's ongoing hunt for the rogue Serke faction and her littermate, Kublin, who has become a powerful "wehrlen" (warlock) and leader of a brethren (male caste) rebellion, a conflict that ultimately culminates in Marika's decision to pursue interstellar exploration, leading to first contact with an alien species—the humans. The final chapters describe Marika's return to a homeworld besieged by both the brethren and hostile aliens, leading to a grim final stand where she assumes ultimate power to protect her race, fulfilling her self-prophesied role as a doomstalker.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.