Anne McCaffrey - 2nd Wave

SECOND WAVE

Acornas Children

ANNE McCAFFREY
and
ELIZABETH ANN SCARBOROUGH

This book is dedicated to the owners,

Julie and David McCulloch, and staff of the

Elevated Ice Cream Company and Candy Shop of

Port Townsend, Washington,

where much of this book was written.

Our characters seem to really enjoy joining us and the laptop

in the plush booths with the red tabletops and telling us

about their adventures while we drink green tea

and eat Guittard dark chocolate ribbons.

Contents

The scream awakened Khorii from a deep and well-earned sleep.

Khorii reached under the table and retrieved Khiindi, something that

You need more rest, Khorii, Jaya said. Youve been working

I told you the trip would tire you, Elviiz scolded.

Paloduro and its sibling planets, Rio Boca and Dinero Grande,

Hey, gang, come aboard! You got to hear this. Hafiz

Seeing her human grandfathers made Khorii more homesick for her

Narhii is not going in that thing alone, Hruffli said.

No, Khorii! Elviiz said, holding her back when she would

For the first time, Narhii felt like kicking and screaming,

Every world between LoiLoiKua and Paloduro reported itself clear of

Although an orphan, Marl Fidd was not without connections. He

Khorii had imagined that without Elviiz or Marl aboard, life

No wonder all the children were crying! Khorii said aloud

It is she, as I saw it would be! An

The brilliant thing about going straight to jail was that

But I want to see them-in person, Narhii argued.

As more and more of her new family returned from

Marl blinked hard, looked away, purposefully tracked the Manas progress

Elviiz could not seem to power down. He should have

The truth was, as long as Khorii was busy in

Moonmay Marsden approached Khorii, a basket hanging from the crook

Congratulations, Elviiz, youre finally a real boy. Elviiz looked up,

Khorii didnt have to ask Khiindi what his problem was,

What are you doing here, Marl? Khorii demanded, trying to

If that aint just like an offsider, a rough-edged

The settlers of Rushima were delighted to receive their overdue

The Mana was a much more interesting ship than the

Captain Beckers storage asteroid was on the outermost fringe of

Linyaari environmental suits were less bulky than those the humans

They must have saved the ballroom for dessert, Captain Bates

Nisa started to stand. Youre a right bastard, Coco, she

Hes not really a brutal captain, as the breed goes,"

T he scream awakened Khorii from a deep and well-earned sleep. Swinging her feet out of bed, she stood for a moment, disoriented, trying to determine the source. Had she dreamed it? But, no, there it was again. Childish, high-pitched, feminine, andinvasive. It was in Khoriis mind as well as in her ears.

Sesseli!

She ran for the door to her room and tripped over the cat.

Khiindi Kaat, please move, she said to the smallish, fluffy, gray-striped cat who gave her an offended look. After all, she had assaulted him just when he was setting about on his errand of mercy to see what was making his friend Sesseli scream like that. If only these stupid bipeds didnt find it necessary to put doors in ones way.

Khorii lifted him with her hoof and moved him to one side so she could open the door.

Finally! Khiindi thought.

He sprinted out ahead of her down the hall to the dormitory room occupied by their young friend, the charming six-going-on-seven-year-old Sesseli, an orphan from Maganos Moonbase.

Khorii yanked open Sesselis door and ran in, expecting to find the child injured at the very least. Possibly worse. Instead, Sesseli was standing at her rain-streaked window, which overlooked the former town square of the mostly deserted city of Corazon. Khorii thought at first that perhaps a thunderclap or a particularly close bolt of lightning had frightened the child. But in that case, wouldnt she be backing away from the window instead of crowding close to it? Besides, the soundproofing in the dormitory was excellent, and Khorii herself hadnt heard any thunder. The monsoon outside sounded like nothing more than the patter of rain on her own window.

What is it, Sess? she asked, using thought-talk so as not to startle the child further. Khorii was an expert at thought-talkall adult members of the Linyaari were. Khoriis whole home planet routinely communicated that way. Sesseli, though human rather than Linyaari, was herself a telepath with telekinetic abilities. Like Khorii and Khiindi, she was a member of the very young crew of the Mana, a supply ship whose crew and former owners had all died in the recent space plague with the exception of Jaya, the captain-in-training.

The captain now in charge, former astronavigation instructor Asha Bates, was right behind Khorii, entering the room so fast she stepped on Khiindis tail. With a yowl that made Sesseli jump, Khiindi hopped on the bed, out of the way of clumsy feet, and from there was scooped up by Sesseli, who buried her face in his fur.

It moved, the child said. It moved all by itself. I didnt make it, honest.

What moved, sweetie? Captain Bates asked, stepping around Khorii to join Sesseli at the window.

That. The marker, she said, pointing. The former city square had become the final resting place for masses of the plague victims, each huge grave marked by a plascrete stone with the pictures of each dead faceor if the face was too far gone to be identifiable, some other identifying objecta ring, a watch, an amulet or scrap of clothing. The names of those who could be identified before burial were also attached. For fear of the horrible disease that had swept the galaxy, these dead could never be given more individual burials, but at least any surviving descendants who showed up later would be able to learn the fate of their relatives or friends. It was the best the children and mostly elderly adults remaining in Corazon, as in other stricken areas, could do for the less fortunate.

It is probably just the rain, Sesseli, Khorii said, trying to reassure her. It got muddy enough around the marker to loosen its moorings and it slipped.

Or could it have been looters? Captain Bates asked. Maybe they were messing around there and destabilized the stone, so it shifted as the ground settled or something. That could have been what you saw, pet.

Unless theres another telekinetic around here we dont know about, Hap Hellstrom said from behind Khorii. Like the others, Hap was part of the Mana s crew. All of them except Jaya had boarded the stranded supply ship while it orbited Maganos Moonbase, forbidden by the schools administrators from landing. The school on the moonbase and all the students and teachers as well as the moonbases managers, Khoriis human grandfathers, Calum Baird and Declan Giloglie, and their wives, were fine. The rescue party from Khoriis home planet, Vhiliinyar, had, with her help, scoured the moonbase and its nearest world, Kezdet, eradicating all traces of the plague, which had not yet become entrenched there.

Paloduro, the planet of which Corazon was the chief city, was where the plague had seemed to originate. It had been cleansed by Khoriis parents before they became so exhausted they contracted a mutant form of the illness, which made them carriers. They had returned to Vhiliinyar with their human friend Captain Becker, his feline first mate, Roadkill, suspected sire of Khiindi, and his android first mate Maak, creator-father of Khoriis android friend, tutor, protector, adopted brother, and often her main source of annoyance, Elviiz.