Нэнси Кресс - If Tomorrow Comes

She had no idea what she, what any of them, might find on Terra. Twenty-eight years would have passed there by the time their ship landed. She had left a planet facing political, economic, and environmental struggles so violent that they mirrored the Darwinian arms race of R. sporii verses its virophage. Not an unapt comparison, not at all.

Branch said, “I wonder how long before we jump.”

Neither Marianne nor Claire answered him, because there was no answer. All they could do was wait and see.

She had a headache, right behind her eyes. Well, no wonder—little sleep, too much stress, and anyway she was too old for this. From now on, she would stay put.

“I have a headache,” Branch said.

Claire frowned and touched her own forehead. Had they all caught a last bug, the Kindred equivalent of a cold? Well, it didn’t matter, not compared to the bigger adventure. Some of their band—she’d almost thought “lahk”—had stayed on Kindred to rebuild, because humans always do.

She wished them well.

The stars blinked out, and the ship jumped.

I would like to thank my beta readers, all three of whom were a tremendous help with this novel: Douglas Pressley II, US Army, for his help with military matters; Dr. Maura Glynn-Thami for sharing her medical expertise and providing me with “doctor words”; and my husband, Jack Skillingstead, for his always valuable literary insights.

I would also like to thank my agent, Eleanor Wood, for her indefatigable efforts on my behalf.

Beaker’s Dozen

Beggars and Choosers

Beggars Ride

Crossfire

Crucible

If Tomorrow Comes

Maximum Light

Probability Moon

Probability Space

Probability Sun

Steal Across the Sky

Tomorrow’s Kin

Nancy Kress is the bestselling author of multiple science-fiction and fantasy novels, including Beggars in Spain , Probability Space , and Steal Across the Sky . Kress is the recipient of the Nebula, Hugo, Sturgeon, and Campbell awards. Her fiction has been translated into multiple languages, including Klingon.

@nancykress/ nancykress.com, or sign up for email updates here.

Thank you for buying this Tom Doherty Associates ebook.

To receive special offers, bonus content, and info on new releases and other great reads, sign up for our newsletters.

The author and publisher have provided this e-book to you without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied so that you can enjoy reading it on your personal devices. This e-book is for your personal use only. You may not print or post this e-book, or make this e-book publicly available in any way. You may not copy, reproduce, or upload this e-book, other than to read it on one of your personal devices.

Copyright infringement is against the law. If you believe the copy of this e-book you are reading infringes on the author’s copyright, please notify the publisher at: us.macmillanusa.com/piracy.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

IF TOMORROW COMES

Copyright © 2018 by Nancy Kress

All rights reserved.

Cover art by Stephan Martiniere

A Tor Book

Published by Tom Doherty Associates

175 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10010

www.tor-forge.com

Tor® is a registered trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.

The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

ISBN 978-0-7653-9032-5 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-0-7653-9034-9 (ebook)

eISBN 9780765390349

Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.

First Edition: March 2018