Vernor Vinge: The Children of the Sky

Ravna was too shocked to speak. She gave him a vague shake of her head.

Jefri rolled right on: “I watched you for seven tendays, up close, in terrible circumstances. I’ve learned things about you I never knew, things you don’t know either. See, whether you’re right or wrong about the Blight, you’re every bit the kind of princess you used to talk about … and compared to that, I am an incompetent child.”

Jefri paused and looked away. Somehow, Ravna didn’t think that he was waiting to hear her response—which was good, because she couldn’t think of a thing to say.

His gaze turned back upon her. “But you know, I am Sjana and Arne’s son. And as Tycoon endlessly reminded us, I am Johanna’s brother. There will come a time when you think more of me.”

And then Jefri ended their discussion in a new way. His arms swept around her, drawing her into a thorough and uncompromising kiss.

• • •

Ravna remained on the rock after Jefri and Amdi departed. After all, she had come up here to consider the most important things: The next thousand years. And now, the last five minutes.

The sky gleamed too bright to see any star except the lowering sun. No matter. When Ravna was on Oobii ’s bridge, she kept one special spot marked. Even here, even without her tiara, she could point toward that spot, just thirty lightyears out, the best estimate of the Blighter fleet’s location. So far, there had been only that one Zone temblor, back in year two. Pray I have Jefri and the Tines and the time to prepare. Down Here, we have the edge.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vernor Vingeis the author of the Hugo Award–winning novels A Fire Upon the Deep, A Deepness in the Sky, and Rainbows End . His other novels include The Peace War and Marooned in Realtime. He also wrote the seminal short novel True Names . He has won two Hugo Awards for shorter works, and two Prometheus Awards for Best Libertarian Fiction. A mathematician and computer scientist noted as a visionary proponent of the Technological Singularity, he lives in San Diego, California.

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