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.
"You were lucky in that," Jeff said, trying to fathom the nebulous disquiet which she could not express. "Coming to, with mud oozing in on you, scared, cold, hungry, and thirsty and no-one to reassure you was surely the ultimate horror for a three-year-old child. But that's over and done with. Long done with," and he put his arms around her, resting his chin on her silvery hair. "I don't know what you were hoping to see, or find here, love," he added in a caressing tone, his mind soothing against her frustration.
"The miracle is that you emerged alive and had a future which no-one else in the Rowan Mining camp did. Don't keep looking at the past: that can't be changed." "I checked with Immigration, you know," she said, still depressed. "There were three families with the same surname, an older couple and their two sons and wives, so I still have a choice. The Rowan Mining Company was only too willing to open up their records for the Prime," and she muttered bleakly. "I could be the daughter of Ewain and Morag Gwyn or Matt and Ann Gwyn. Both Ewain and Matt were mining engineers and the occupations of their wives was not given. So, although I do remember that my mother was a teacher, I still don't know if she was Ann or Morag.
"Does it matter very much, love?" Jeff tipped her head up to gaze with the intense fondness that his blue eyes could reflect.
"I don't know why it should since I know a lot more about my background now than I ever have, but it does. Especially when I see - and envy - your big family." Jeff threw back his head and laughed aloud, the sound spun away on the wind that soughed down the valley.
"Didn't a large family put you off back on Deneb?" "You Ravens take getting used to," she admitted, burrowing into his shoulder. "I want as many children as I can have." "That's one way of redressing the balance," he said with a chuckle.
"I also want them to know as much about my side of the family as they do about yours."
"Don't tell me you intend waiting until you do?" Jeff pretended dismay.
"I can't." And she opened her mind to reveal what she was only beginning to suspect.
"Rowan!" Then he whirled her about, his mind reverberating with his elation.
Easy on me! I'm having enough trouble with vertigo without you spinning me about like a wheel. But she clung to him and grinned at the effect of her marvelous secret.
When he deposited her gently to the ground again, he pressed her as close to him as possible, and she could feel his mind trying to reach the new life in her womb.
"Not yet, dear," she said in gentle amusement. "At a bare three weeks, it's no better than a tadpole.
He held her from him with mock dismay. "My son, the tadpole." "We don't know "son" yet awhile. Be patient!" "I don't feel like being patient." "Mankind's been able to do a lot of things, but no Talent has ever been able to speed up gestation." "My son," Jeff insisted, his eyes shining as he looked to the future, "the new Deneb Prime!" "Give the child a break!" Rowan protested.
"How else are we going to get a Prime on Deneb unless we produce one between us!" The Rowan's mood altered abruptly and she said in a querulous voice, "That's exactly what Reidinger's been counting on. Damn him. I hate to find myself doing exactly what he wants." "Aren't you happy for yourself, love?" And Jeff turned her face up to his. "I am!" "Yes, I am." But in the deepest part of her, something was not so certain.
"Your own mother says that she never heard of a kinetic having trouble during pregnancy," the Rowan said heatedly, trying not to let her anger get out of hand. Jeff didn't deserve her temper, even if his attitude was infuriating her. "She says that you're behaving exactly the way your father did for your oldest brother, proprietary, protective, paternal and a pain in the neck!" "And I shouldn't be worried about you?" Jeff demanded, pacing her room in Altair Tower.
"You're rail thin, you work long, hard hours, and you don't really feel comfortable taking a day off to get the rest and relaxation you need right now." "You saw the food I put away at dinner? You know I've always done just fine on four hours' sleep. And I do take a whole day off… you won't let me do anything else." Jeff halted midstride, fists planted against his hips: he cocked his head and that sudden marvelous smile of his erased the glower. Why on earth are we fighting with each other? And he held out his arms.
"I don't know," and she gratefully entered his embrace, laying her cheek against his chest. As he usually did, he tucked her head under his chin, one hand gently ruffling her hair. "Except you suddenly won't let me go on as usual just because I'm five months' pregnant. And the baby tells me he's fine." "You're both precious to me, you see," he said, his intense feelings vibrating through her mind. "I'm new at this fatherhood game." "With your mother, aunts and sisters shelling babies like peas?" This time it's my heart's darling who's gestating and that adds a totally new perspective. D'you know they're taking bets on the date Reidinger finds out?
"Who's doing a thing like that?" The Rowan was outraged. "How did they find out?" Jeff threw his head back, laughing uninhibitedly. "My darling, you haven't really looked at yourself in a mirror, have you? You positively glow. And besides, that baby's loud. Maharanjani heard him, I'm sure, which means Bastian does, too. Gerolaman smiles fondly at you when you don't notice it. Most of the other Tower staff have suspicions, especially the way you're eating. And Afra asked me point-blank when you're due." The Rowan made a face. "Trust Afra to know."
"Are you certain he's only a T-4? And were you aware that he has always loved you?" "Yes," she said with a deep sigh. "I'm very fond of Afra: I trust him at the deepest level but…" She fell silent for a long moment. "If you hadn't made yourself known…"
"My timing has always been superb," Jeff replied in a tone of ineffable superiority which dissolved into one of his infectious chuckles. "You could have done a lot worse than Afra." His embrace assured her that Afra had never had a chance.
"Do let me come to Callisto next week. I haven't been back since you took over.
"You don't trust me with your ratty old dome?" "You're dodging, Raven," she said with some heat, trying to wriggle free of his grasp.
"It's my body that's pregnant, not my head - if I may hand your own words back to you - and my head is what gets me from Altair to Callisto. It took me long enough to know I could traveclass="underline" don't restrict me." "Our child is very precious to me, Rowan," Jeff said firmly. "How can you risk him?" "I don't see any risk involved! Oh, you can be infuriating." "I'll make one more point, dear heart. On Altair, Reidinger rarely needs to contact you. On Callisto, he will certainly exchange courtesies…" "How will he know I'm there if we don't tell him?" Jeff cleared his throat, amused. "I remember once suggesting that I could manage Reidinger. I take that back. To the ninth power. That man knows everything about everyone connected to FT amp;T. He'll know you're there and once he establishes contact, he'll know you're pregnant. When he knows that, he's not going to let you go anywhere." "Nonsense!" "So be it!" And it was. Within an hour of her arrival at Callisto, Reidinger was in touch with her.
"Now, listen here, Rowan, it's one thing for that ass-eared Denebian to ricochet about the stars like a…"
Aware of the contact, Jeff had covered his face to conceal his "I told you so" grin. As Reidinger's voice broke off, Jeff raised his hand and began ticking off seconds with his fingers. He had just added the fourth when Reidinger came back.
YOU'RE PREGNANT? And you RISKED yourself 'porting from Altair?
Shock, horror, and fury reverberated so violently in her mind that the Rowan exclaimed.
Reidinger! Jeff's stern voice cut through even as he jumped from his chair to put protective arms about his shivering mate. Ease up!
BY ALL THE HOLIES, RAVEN, I thought you'd have more sense! How COULD you permit such a risk?