Read Online Beowulf's Children by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Steven Barnes - Free Book Online Page A
Tags: SF, Speculative Fiction
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got problems from the mainland. Give Zack too much to think about, we'll overload the system."
"No possible relationship," Edgar said. He jerked a thumb at the screen where the eel swam steadily around and around in the tank. "No way that's going to explode."
Say what? Justin said, "Explode?"
"Well, I agree again," Joe said. "But Zack may not. Justin, you're gonna love this."
"Yes," Toshiro said. "Most serious. Baffling."
"What in the world are you talking about?" Justin asked.
"Linda's working the new stuff up in the waldo room, let her tell you," Joe Sikes said. "We've had little problems at the mining site before. This is a big one, but maybe it's just more of the same."
"Which will do well enough," Toshiro said.
"You sound worried."
Toshiro shrugged. "Concerned. A setback."
"Hell, you're not going to live long enough to go back to Japan no matter what happens," Justin said. "So you can stop worrying."
Toshiro smiled politely.
"Well, it's true," Justin said. "Coming back with me?"
"Thank you, I am on duty here," Toshiro said.
Justin nodded and crossed the large central control room toward the green door at its far end.
"That wasn't very nice," Joe Sikes told him. He jerked his head toward Toshiro, who was now absorbed in some kind of computer game involving medieval Japanese warriors.
"Well, yeah, you're right, but it's still true," Justin said. "There's no way we'll build enough industry to fire up Geographic and go back to Earth or anywhere else. Not that I'd go. I can't figure why he wants to."
Edgar Sikes shrugged. "Beats me, I guess. I asked him once."
"What'd he say?"
"Roots."
"Eh?"
"Roots. Can't say I blame him. How'd you feel if you were the only white kid here?"
"I don't think I'd notice."
"Toshiro does," Edgar said. "There were four Orientals in the Earth Born, but they're all dead in the Grendel Wars. Anyway, that's what he said. I asked him why he wanted to see Earth again, and he said ‘Roots.' "
The waldo room was at the rear of the telecommunications building. "Cassandra, ready or not, here I come," Justin said, and waited for the door to open. It didn't. He frowned.
"Sorry, I've been doing some reprogramming," Edgar said. "Let Justin in, please, Cassandra." The door swung open.
He was immediately assailed by a sweet-sour triple dose of Eau de Diaper. His sister Linda was seated at the robotics control panel. Her blond pigtails made her look even younger than her seventeen years. She leaned back into a thick leather chair, silvered goggles covering her eyes. She might have been asleep. A hand-carved cradle that could have been built in the fourteenth century, but in fact was a product of Carlos's workshop, stood next to her workstation. A three-month-old baby watched as if he knew what his mother was doing.
Joe shushed the baby unnecessarily, then tiptoed over to Linda and planted a big juicy one on her lips.
Sis leapt out of the illusion sputtering, waving her hands in alarm.
Then she pulled her goggles off, and sighed.
"Joe Sikes, I hate when you do that." She peeled off her headset, and stood to hug Justin.
"Hey, Cad," he said to the baby. The three-month-old was still fat and wrinkly, his stubby little fingers reaching out and trying to grasp a chunk of the world. His watery blue eyes struggled to focus.
Linda had discovered boys when she was fourteen, and when she was fifteen they discovered her right back. She had been extremely popular and enjoyed every minute of it, a dozen lovers in as many weeks. Then she was pregnant, and suddenly she was tired of casual sex, tired of popularity, tired of the game.
And bang, she was attached to Joe Sikes, elderly, slope-shouldered, hardworking Joe Sikes. Justin remembered thinking it was pure lust. His little sister was one of those rare women who became almost ethereally beautiful as she swelled and neared term. If so, lust had ripened into something more stable-but a palpable erotic haze still shimmered in the air between them.
"No possible relationship," Edgar said. He jerked a thumb at the screen where the eel swam steadily around and around in the tank. "No way that's going to explode."
Say what? Justin said, "Explode?"
"Well, I agree again," Joe said. "But Zack may not. Justin, you're gonna love this."
"Yes," Toshiro said. "Most serious. Baffling."
"What in the world are you talking about?" Justin asked.
"Linda's working the new stuff up in the waldo room, let her tell you," Joe Sikes said. "We've had little problems at the mining site before. This is a big one, but maybe it's just more of the same."
"Which will do well enough," Toshiro said.
"You sound worried."
Toshiro shrugged. "Concerned. A setback."
"Hell, you're not going to live long enough to go back to Japan no matter what happens," Justin said. "So you can stop worrying."
Toshiro smiled politely.
"Well, it's true," Justin said. "Coming back with me?"
"Thank you, I am on duty here," Toshiro said.
Justin nodded and crossed the large central control room toward the green door at its far end.
"That wasn't very nice," Joe Sikes told him. He jerked his head toward Toshiro, who was now absorbed in some kind of computer game involving medieval Japanese warriors.
"Well, yeah, you're right, but it's still true," Justin said. "There's no way we'll build enough industry to fire up Geographic and go back to Earth or anywhere else. Not that I'd go. I can't figure why he wants to."
Edgar Sikes shrugged. "Beats me, I guess. I asked him once."
"What'd he say?"
"Roots."
"Eh?"
"Roots. Can't say I blame him. How'd you feel if you were the only white kid here?"
"I don't think I'd notice."
"Toshiro does," Edgar said. "There were four Orientals in the Earth Born, but they're all dead in the Grendel Wars. Anyway, that's what he said. I asked him why he wanted to see Earth again, and he said ‘Roots.' "
The waldo room was at the rear of the telecommunications building. "Cassandra, ready or not, here I come," Justin said, and waited for the door to open. It didn't. He frowned.
"Sorry, I've been doing some reprogramming," Edgar said. "Let Justin in, please, Cassandra." The door swung open.
He was immediately assailed by a sweet-sour triple dose of Eau de Diaper. His sister Linda was seated at the robotics control panel. Her blond pigtails made her look even younger than her seventeen years. She leaned back into a thick leather chair, silvered goggles covering her eyes. She might have been asleep. A hand-carved cradle that could have been built in the fourteenth century, but in fact was a product of Carlos's workshop, stood next to her workstation. A three-month-old baby watched as if he knew what his mother was doing.
Joe shushed the baby unnecessarily, then tiptoed over to Linda and planted a big juicy one on her lips.
Sis leapt out of the illusion sputtering, waving her hands in alarm.
Then she pulled her goggles off, and sighed.
"Joe Sikes, I hate when you do that." She peeled off her headset, and stood to hug Justin.
"Hey, Cad," he said to the baby. The three-month-old was still fat and wrinkly, his stubby little fingers reaching out and trying to grasp a chunk of the world. His watery blue eyes struggled to focus.
Linda had discovered boys when she was fourteen, and when she was fifteen they discovered her right back. She had been extremely popular and enjoyed every minute of it, a dozen lovers in as many weeks. Then she was pregnant, and suddenly she was tired of casual sex, tired of popularity, tired of the game.
And bang, she was attached to Joe Sikes, elderly, slope-shouldered, hardworking Joe Sikes. Justin remembered thinking it was pure lust. His little sister was one of those rare women who became almost ethereally beautiful as she swelled and neared term. If so, lust had ripened into something more stable-but a palpable erotic haze still shimmered in the air between them.
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