The Rowan
- Автор: Маккефри Энн
- Серия: Tower and the Hive #1
- Язык: английский
- Жанр: Научная фантастика
Электронная книга - «The Rowan». Краткое содержание книги:
The kinetically gifted, trained in mind/machine gestalt, are the most valued citizens of the Nine Star League. Using mental powers alone, these few Prime Talents transport ships, cargo and people between Earth's Moon, Mars' Demos and Jupiter's Callisto.
An orphaned young girl, simply called The Rowan, is discovered to have superior telepathic potential and is trained to become Prime Talent on Callisto. After years of self-sacrificing dedication to her position, The Rowan intercepts an urgent mental call from Jeff Raven, a young Prime Talent on distant Deneb. She convinces the other Primes to merge their powers with hers to help fight off an attack by invading aliens. Her growing relationship with Jeff gives her the courage to break her status-imposed isolation, and choose the more rewarding world of love and family.
Isthia had helped her convince the pro teen Council that the Tower facility was a priority.
"We're sort of used to doing for ourselves, you know," Makil Resnik, the provisional Governor and Labor Manager, had told her.
"Anything we can't make ourselves, we do without." Hold it, Rowan, Isthia advised when she felt the surge of the Rowan's protest. "We can make a great deal ourselves mostly, Makil. We may even get through the winter without suitable clothes. But we must import seed and medical supplies. We've got too few survivors to risk any on the horns of false pride." "You got a point there, Isthia. Even so, can't spare a big team to help. Got to open the Benevolent Mine right soon. They'd just hit a big seam of platinum." "I can do a good deal of the contracting myself but I need someone with electronic skills," the Rowan said, managing a calm tone.
Resnik consulted his compack, tapping keys with a blunt thick fore-finger.
"Zathran Abita's the one she needs," Isthia said calmly.
"She knows more about Towers than Jeff did. Give her a team of kids to scrounge. With any luck, she'll find most of what she needs in the salvage sheds. Oh, and Jeff has those I-beam specifications for you."
You've all this down to a fine art, haven't you, Isthia? the Rowan said, appreciating such deft manipulation. Was it you who taught him how to charm?
No, I learned in self-defense against his father. Bear that in mind! Isthia turned her smile from the Rowan to Resnik, her manner acquiescent and grateful.
"Little thing like you can refit a Tower herself?" Makil asked, peering at her appraisingly. "Hmm. When d'you want to start?" She who hesitates loses her advantage, Isthia drawled.
zerrs occupied at a suitably sedentary task that'll keep him out of mischief A little fresh air and exercise will do you good.
"No time like the present," the Rowan replied, deciding to ignore the fact that Isthia was manipulating her as easily as she did everyone else around her. Why weren't you made Governor?
The rich sound of Isthia's chuckle echoed in the Rowan's skull. A nursing mother would make an awkward Governor. Otherwise… "I can detach Zathran only two days. Then he'll be needed at the mine, when we've got the adit cleared.
Sooner we get a mine running, sooner we'll have something to cheer about." "You've already done marvels," the Rowan assured him, slightly distracted by Isthia's asides. Then she wondered if she would manage.
She'd never done anything like this before.
You'll do fine! Jeff told her. His mental tone was considerably more vibrant today than his physical condition. The Rowan knew that he struggled to overcome his injuries. And when you're stuck, you can always call on me to bail you out!
Ha!
By the end of the first day the Rowan found herself exceedingly encouraged by the result. With a half dozen mid-teens, she had gone through the open sheds where the salvaged items were stored. She had reviewed her requirements with Jeff, to see what he thought she might be able to find among the salvage. Having quick-witted kids who knew where to look among the bewildering aisles and sheds was one advantage: being kinetic and able to shift what was found immediately out to the Tower shack was another. The list of needed parts was reduced drastically by the end of that day. But before she could make the best use of Zathran Abita, she needed items like carbon brushes, two more large magnetic coils and slip rings, as well as small transducers and some circuit boards, which she could only get with Reidinger's assistance.
The unexpected fillip in the day was discovering three burgeoning Talents in her young team. The oldest girl, Sarjie, had a definite metal affinity and could assay metallic content, discern metallic fatigue or flaw in any piece she handled. She tossed more into the meltdown bins than on the pallet for transfer to the Tower.
Fourteen-year-old Rences could snatch the shape of what the Rowan wanted from her mind and unerringly locate it among hundreds of rods, pipes, fittings, coils, and other "junk". Morfanu was struggling to understand a kinetic ability and the Rowan deftly guided her efforts into more positive channels.
Sarjie had no telempathy: Rences' was limited to shape finding (he preferred to see drawings or pictures of what was required), and Morfanu could not project. They needed years of training to refine their innate abilities.
For someone who had always worked with mature, trained Talent, and those mainly kinetic or telepathic, the Rowan found the association with new abilities a fascinating experience.
You've got a lot of patience with them, Jeff said approvingly.
You've tired yourself out, the Rowan accused, furious that she hadn't been keeping a watch on him along with her salvage operations.
It wasn't my head that was opened. Jeff sounded irascible and, remembering Isthia's cautionary words, the Rowan aborted a scathing retort. Sandy 's read me the riot act. But the drafts for the mine reopening are finished. She felt his sense of satisfied achievement.
He was a difficult patient, hating to be incapacitated when he was most needed, railing at medical restrictions and supervisions.
The day after major surgery, he had insisted on taking on paperwork: freeing up uninjured personnel. Sandy slipped enough of a sedative into a "restorative" drink to send him to sleep for several hours. That night, fretting because he hadn't finished the task he'd set himself that day, he refused to stop work. So, the Rowan simply shut him down into sleep.
In the small hours of that night the Rowan, tapping as lightly as possible into the generators that supplied the hospital's power, contacted Afra with the order for the most urgent items. He was reassured by her touch and reassured her that all was still functioning smoothly there, but he wasn't certain how long that would last.
Relieved, the Rowan then curled up on the cot beside Jeff's bed and told herself to go back to sleep.
Don't try that on me again, Rowan, Jeff told her when she finally let him wake up late the next morning. He was livid at her high-handedness.
At least you've the strength today to get mad, she replied, unrepentant. There was more color in his face and more vigor visible in the monitoring graphs. And quite likely strength enough in that fist of yours to handle a spoon. Your breakfast's ready.
He glared at her, his eyes glinting as he imaged what he would like to do to her.
Tsk, tsk! How bizarre! she responded very sweetly. With careful kinesis, she lifted his upper-torso, inserting several pillows behind his back before she spread a napkin over his chest. Any day now you're strong enough to try that, my own true love, I shall give in gracefully to the inevitable. Will you return the compliment now? Here's your breakfast!
"Now," she went on pleasantly, "I have to figure out when is the best time to use the tower, so as not to brown out.
Reidinger caught up with her on her fourth morning on Deneb.
ROWAN! HOW IN HELL DID RAVEN GET YOU THERE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION?
It was as well, the Rowan thought with grim humor, that she was on Deneb instead of Callisto. He'd have singed her shields out with that roar.
Perhaps I was wrong to assume that you would prefer Jeff Raven alive? she asked acidly and grinned at such a suave throttling of Reidinger's officious outrage. She wished she could have seen his face at that moment. She followed up that shock by a clear image of Jeff as she had first seen him, adding a macabre view of the gaping chest wound.
She followed this with Jeff's current appearance, palely sleeping after his chest wound had been dressed. Even with her assisting Rakella's kinetic manipulations, it hadn't been an easy ten minutes for Jeff. The medical facilities here were reduced to the medieval by the bombardment. Which reminds me… I sent in a Top Priority Emergency order for replacement parts and unless you want me lodged permanently here on Deneb, they'd better be 'ported out this way NOW!