Drifter's War by William C. Dietz

Author:William C. Dietz [Dietz, William C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Science Fiction
ISBN: 0-441-16815-9
Publisher: EReads
Published: 2008-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

13

Rola-4's world came apart with unexpected suddenness.

She was working in her kitchen, kneading dough for the midday meal, when the shouting began. It was incoherent at first, like that of the almost grown, so she ignored it.

The youngsters got unruly at times but the males would sort them out. A good cuff behind the ear would send them packing! Rola-4 smiled at the thought.

Five years earlier she had been part of such a group, following Neder-32 the way a trailer follows a tractor, until he had finally noticed her and posted his vows in the village square.

Ah, those were the days! All mischief and fun.

"Gaaa?"

Rola-4 turned toward the center of the room. She brushed an insect off her forehead with the back of her hand. It left a white smudge on her lavender skin. Neder-33 was a chunky little thing, and like most two-year-olds into everything. He wore nothing but a diaper and sat right in the middle of some well-worn toys. Neder-33 held the disk up for her inspection. "Gaaa?"

Rola-4 laughed. "No, not 'gaaa.' Say 'disk.'"

"Gaaa."

Rola-4 smiled as she accepted the disk. "You are hopeless. Just like your father. He is the one who forgets to take these off and brings them home. Where did you get this anyway?"

Neder-33 pointed a stubby finger at the floor. "Fla."

Rola-4 nodded agreeably. "Floor. You got it from the floor."

Like all married females Rola-4 wore a pouch around her neck. It contained the single earring her husband had given her on their wedding day, the name tag issued to the first Rola-4 during the time of the ancients, and a lucky stone she had found as a young female. She fished the pouch out from under her dress, slipped the disk inside, and made a note to return it. God might need it.

The shouting was louder now. Rola-4 heard a cracking noise followed by a loud scream. She grabbed Neder-33 and was halfway to the back door when it crashed inward. A rectangle of bright sunlight hit the opposite wall. It disappeared as the alien stepped in to block it. He wore a helmet, armor, and a lot of equipment. His weapon was aimed at her chest. The voice had a hollow artificial sound.

"Make no attempt to escape. Go to the front door. Step outside and join the others."

"Neder-32." Her lips shaped his name but the sound refused to come. Rola-4 backed away, turning to put the bulk of her body between the alien and her child, trying to think. Why, oh, why did the thoughts come so slowly? Was there something she could do? Something she had missed?

The front door opened before she reached it. Another alien appeared. He gestured with his weapon. "Hurry up, geek."

"Geek?" Rola-4 asked herself. What did that mean?

A gun barrel jabbed her in the back. "Move it."

Rola-4 walked toward the square. Others were herded out to join her. Myla-6, Tusy-35, Armo-9, and many more. Males, females, and children. All were herded toward the main square.

Rola-4's head swiveled left and right.

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