Paul Collins - Earthborn The

Bruick's jabbers were growing in number, and it was rumored they now numbered at least a hundred, including children.

Sarah's family had had several skirmishes with them, and each side had suffered casualties. In the meantime, Sarah consoled herself with the fact that their transmissions had reached several new settlements and they had made personal contact with like-minded people. Her own family had grown by another thirteen older kids and several children in the past week alone. Whereas she welcomed new members to the family, she was only too well aware that half of them were loners with no history. As she had infiltrated Bruick's camp, she knew he had done the same to hers.

And the biting cold didn't let up. Their food supply had dwindled, and they relied more and more on Gillian's knowledge of food gathering.

Sarah had relented on several occasions and allowed the growing family to take up residence in old settlements that they found rundown and overgrown with weeds. In several of these they had found established tenants, who seemed nonplussed that there were other humans around.

"My main problem with staying here is that everyone will get too comfortable," she told those gathered about her. Besides, she thought bitterly to herself, she couldn't achieve anything just sitting in a camp day in and day out. Maybe she was being selfish? Then again, she wasgrooming both Welkin and Elab to take her place should her malady get worse. That sort of tuition had to be done in the field, not hanging around a homestead all day.

"Being too comfortable doesn't seem to bother Bruick," said a lanky kid with blond hair.

"No, it doesn't, Lars," Sarah said. He was one of the newcomers. Most of them had been decent kids, in need of Sarah's discipline and organizational skills. Others, like Lars, were more rebellious. He'd been in charge of his own little group and was reluctant to give up his authority. Nothing she couldn't handle, she told herself. Besides, he was a strong, able-bodied kid with natural skills others found hard to master. His bowmanship was second to none, as was his ability with the laserlite.

"So why don't we stay here for a while?" Lars asked. "We can't keep sleeping in boxes." A murmur of agreement rippled through the gathering.

"I'm coming to that." Sarah took a look at each of their expectant faces. "We're all agreed that the Colony troopers will be back. Yeah?"

They nodded. Confirmation had reached them early that week over the radio. Already Sarah had set up a relay with three other families, all of whom had had minor run-ins with the Skyborn. Colony was on the move, and now that winter was fast retreating, Sarah knew it would be only a matter of time before ground forces would march on them.

"Intuition's a fine thing." Lars was about to interrupt her, but Sarah held up her hand. It was an unwritten law that her raised hand meant silence. "Bruick's a crafty bugger. He'll have something else

going for him. He wouldn't be stupid enough to hole up in a stockade. His fortifications might be safe from us—we'd never breach their walls—but Colony would wipe them out in five minutes flat."

"Then why hasn't it?" asked Devan, another recruit.

"I rest my case. But if you need it spelled out to you, he may have wrangled a deal with them."

"What would Bruick have that Colony would need?" Devan asked contemptuously.

"That's what we need to find out, but history's full of strangebedfellows," Sarah replied. She got up and stretched her aching limbs. "It's getting late. Lucida's crew has set up the antenna again. Reckons it'll be fully operational by the morning. We'll broadcast for a couple of days and move on. Any problems?"

"Yeah," Lars mumbled.

Gillian's eyes blazed. It was a hereditary fire that Sarah recognized instantly. "That's settled, then,"

Sarah said before Gillian could say anything.

Gillian joined Sarah outside. Gillian's cold stare followed Lars and Devan as they walked off.

"Don't be angry with them," Sarah said mildly. "They feel as impotent as the rest of us. Devan's not a bad cook, either." She patted her stomach. "He's been looking after me."

Sarah's words brought Gillian's head around slowly. "It's mostly Lars," she said bitterly. "Him mouthing off like that spreads doubt. Why doesn't Con or Budge or someone have a word with them?"

"Bully them, you mean?" Sarah chided.

Gillian's face creased in frustration. "You know what I mean. Why can't they just see that individually we're just so many annoying bugs to be smashed underfoot, but together we're something more?"

Sarah's lips formed a smile. "Habit of a lifetime. Can't change it overnight."

"Other habits need changing, too."

Sarah frowned. "Such as?" she asked.

"I reckon we've been on the defensive too long. We should think about taking Colony."

"Attack Colony?" Sarah was genuinely shocked. "We wouldn't stand a chance, Gillian. You know that better than anyone." She stared at her sister narrowly. "This isn't about Colony, is it?"

"You may have the others tricked, but not me. Something's wrong. You've not been eating that much, you're always going for naps, and you've been pushing a few of the others really hard. Especially Welkin, Con, and Elab. Like maybe you're not going to be around much longer." Tears welled in her eyes and Sarah dabbed them away for her.

"I thought I was hiding it pretty well," Sarah observed. She'd even padded her clothing to hide her emaciated body.

Gillian shook her head. "You look awful. Everyone knows something's wrong. Why do you think that idiot Lars is being so cocky? He's so stupid he probably thinks he's going to take over the family in some power struggle."

"I think my chosen few would have something to say about that," Sarah said.

"Two of them are Skyborn," Gillian reminded her. "Lars, Devan, some of the new people—they don't trust them."

"More fools them," Sarah told her. "Are you sure you don't like Lars?"

"Like Lars?" Gillian said incredulously. "Him?" she added scornfully. "I'd rather die."

"Hmmm," Sarah mumbled. "Just making sure, girl."

"Welkin's the one for me," Gillian said firmly. "He's cool, he's smart, and he's going to live a long time."

"But he's rather backward in coming forward?" Sarah suggested wryly.

"It's just his culture. Skyborn kids his age don't think about . . . well, you know. But we do. Now that we're safer, we should think about breeding."

Sarah hugged her sister. "I can see it's time to tell you a few things."

"Sarah! I know all about that!"

"I know you do. But what I've got to say is much more important than what you're thinking." Sarah smiled at Gillian's frown. She brushed her hand across her sister's spiky hair and led her off into the night.

Sarah called a secret meeting of the committee. Her once tanned face was now sallow and gaunt, her eyes like glazed marbles, her mouth shrunken as though her teeth were missing. It had been barely three

weeks since her first attack of disorientation and nausea. And a week after her night-long talk with Gillian.

"Cancer," she self-diagnosed. She shrugged at their communal gasp. Cancer my foot, she thought, looking briefly at Gillian. It wasmore like the wasting disease, but different. Maybe she'd caught whatever had killed Marjel and Kaaron. But she had darker suspicions than that.

"Sarah—"

"Hold it!" Sarah held her hand up until the committee fell silent.

"It's just another wasting disease. I've been watching friends die for I don't know how long. I've lived longer than anyone. So now it's my turn. At least I still have my senses, my faculties." She took a lingering look at each of their distraught faces. "You kids are the best, and I've pushed you all hard this past month, for good reason."