Edge of Dark (55 page)

The interviewer said, “Let us show you this incredible footage. First, a little backstory. Most of you will remember that Chrystal Peterson was torn apart by the Shining Revolution. We all saw that on the screen. What many of you may not have known is that she had a family. This is the family before they met the Next.” The screen showed a still picture of Chrystal, Katherine, Yi, and Jason standing beside one of the jalinerines in the meadow of High Sweet Home.

“All four of them were brutally murdered and their brains copied into robotic bodies. They became soulbots. Although we were tragically unable to interview Chrystal before the Shining Revolution dismembered her, Chrystal's mother told us that Chrystal herself insisted she was still alive inside of her robotic body. This is the most emotional story we have so far to illustrate the story of the Next returning from beyond the Ring of Distance.”

Satyana sniffed. “Sensationalist spin.” But her grip on Nona's hand tightened.

A new image filled the screen; all four of them walked across a hangar. Four. Chrystal and Katherine walking to meet Jason and Yi. At first, Nona assumed it must be from before she had been reunited with Chrystal.

Then she focused on the background. Charlie stood there, beside Manny. And close by, two Next watched the four come together into a sweet, impossible hug.

Nona should have understood immediately, but it was the Historian who whispered, “Backup copies.”

An hour later, the long breakfast and its surprise were both over. The Historian and his assistants had gone. Nona lifted her cup and struggled to find the right words, but finally she just spit it out. “I'm going to Lym.”

Satyana pursed her lips and set her cup down before turning toward her. “You'll lose the influence you've gained here.”

Nona shrugged, knowing the gesture would frustrate Satyana. “I might. But I need to see Chrystal.”

“She won't be the same. This Chrystal didn't travel with you, didn't talk to the Historian, didn't meet her mother.”

Nona agreed. Her friend had still been brutally murdered, twice, and this new Chrystal had been murdered once. “I don't know what to think about it, or even how to feel about it. But I need to go see her.”

Satyana let out along breath. “Yes, I suppose you do. But you also want to see Charlie, don't you?”

“I already booked passage. I leave tomorrow morning.”

“You have your own ship.”

Nona smiled. “Actually, I have two of them. The
Star Ghost
is already docked at Lym, so it seemed to make more sense to leave the
Savior
here. Besides, she's so big I need crew. I think I would have to start over on that.”

Satyana had the grace to merely grunt. Nona had never brought up the fact that Satyana had hand-picked the crew that had betrayed her and left her to be imprisoned on the Satwa. It had all worked out. But she suspected Satyana knew the details.

“I'll miss you,” Satyana said.

“I'll be back and forth, I think. Surely Dr. Nevening will want to know how things go with the Next on Lym. That will be the real test of all this, you know.”

Satyana sighed. “That and a million other things. Like how successful we become at keeping every other human in the solar system peaceful.”

Nona opted for the simplest response. “I'll miss you, too.”

CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT

CHARLIE

Charlie and Cricket and Jean Paul stood together on a rock scarp near the ranger station. The sky had just darkened to the point that stars and the lights of ships were becoming visible.

“Do you think she's up there yet?” Jean Paul asked, his eyes on the heavens.

“Not close enough to see. Not for another hour.”

Jean Paul fidgeted. “Will you move out?”

“Not yet.” What had happened on the
Star Ghost
might not happen again. “No, I think I'll court her. I think she'd like that better. After all, she may not choose me.” He realized he wasn't entirely teasing. A vast gulf of wealth and experience still separated them.

“Are you crazy?” Jean Paul said. “Anyone would choose you.”

Charlie couldn't see Jean Paul's face in the half-light. “I'm going to meet her in the morning. Then we'll see what happens next. But that will never change the fact that I have your back.”

Jean Paul's voice sounded choked. “I have yours, too.”

Cricket leaned into Charlie, almost knocking him over. He leaned down and hugged her. He wanted to take her with him, but that would leave Jean Paul entirely alone. “I'll be back in a day or so. I'll let you know if I'm bringing Nona with me.”

“I'd like to meet Chrystal and Katherine.”

Charlie didn't have to think too hard. “Do you want to come with me?”

“Sure. I can come.”

“Then you better go pack.”

Jean Paul gave him a quick, sharp hug and went back, leaving Charlie alone with Cricket and a fantastic view of the stars and starships above Lym.

Whatever happened, at least he would be
here
when it happened, he would have sky and stars and waterfalls and wild animals, and the smell of fresh air. Nevertheless, he looked up, feeling the threads of connection between Lym and the Glittering, and the Edge, an unseen vastness so big it made him and his beast tiny. He hugged Cricket close. “We'll make it,” he whispered.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Novels are born in the quiet of a writer's head, but they are burnished in the conversations with others. I want to send out specific thanks to my first readers. Linda Merkens and Gisele Peterson are two of my oldest friends—literally. Like Chrystal and Nona knew each other from childhood, I've known Linda since I was about seven years old and Gisele since I was eighteen. There is a steadiness in old and true friends. Darragh Metzger has been reminding me to let my characters react to events and to remember to describe what they look like for over a decade now. She's a fabulous writer, and I encourage people to check out her books. Two other writers who were extraordinarily helpful first readers are Christopher M. Cevasco and Jennifer Linnaea. Nancy Kress graciously took a look at my opening, and then eventually read the whole novel. Ramez Naam also read an earlier, rougher draft.

Novels see the light of day because agents sell them to editors who make them available. Well, these days, there are a lot of paths to availability. But this novel took the traditional path and I want to thank Eleanor Wood for her constant support and Lou Anders for two roles. Not only is Lou a phenomenal editor, but he is also a really fabulous art director. The cover of the first book set in this world won a Chesley for the brilliant John Picacio, and the cover for
Edge of Dark
is one of the most moving pieces of art I've seen from well-beloved cover artist Stephan Martiniere.

I am grateful for the support of my family, who put up with me disappearing for a week at a time to hide and work on novels or get really public and promote novels. I suspect writers are hard to live with, and writers with day jobs are even harder. I'm often not home, or if I am home, part of me is often in another universe entirely.

And for this book, I want to say thanks to all of the people exploring transhumanism. I'll list a few, but I'll miss a lot. I have not met all of them. Regardless, here goes: Ray Kurzweil, Ramez Naam, Madeline Ashby, Natasha Vita-More, Max More, Charlie Stross, Gray Scott, Nancy Kress, Greg Bear, Vernor Vinge, David Brin, Bruce Sterling, John Smart . . . and there are many many more.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brenda Cooper is the author of
The Creative Fire
and
The Diamond Deep
, Books One and Two of Ruby's Song, as well as the Silver Ship series. Though not intended as a Young Adult novel, book one,
The Silver Ship and the Sea
, was selected by
Library Journal
as one of the year's 100 Best Books for YA and by
Booklist
as one of the top-ten 2007 adult books for youth to read. The other books in the series are
Reading the Wind
and
Wings of Creation
. She is also the author of
Mayan December
and has collaborated with Larry Niven (
Building Harlequin's Moon
). Brenda is a working futurist and a technology professional with a passionate interest in the environment.