Stone Dogs by S. M. Stirling

Author:S. M. Stirling
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Science Fiction, War
ISBN: 9780671720094
Publisher: Baen
Published: 1990-07-28T07:00:00+00:00

The family was waiting for her in the ringroad plaza by the south side of the Castle Tarleton grounds. Her brother John and Mandy, sitting at a table under an umbrella and talking. Looking exactly what they were, Landholders in from the provinces, down to the broad-brimmed hats and conservative Tolgren 5mm's… David, their latest infant, cooing and gurgling in the arms of stout Delores, his brooder-nurse; Jolene, Lele… and Marya, with Gwen. Gwen.

"Momma! Momma!" The small red-headed form bounced erect and ran toward her, toddler's tunic flying. "Momma!" She leaped up.

"Ooof." She was heavy, for a five-year-old; that was the denser bones. Incredibly strong. Yolande grabbed her under the armpits and swung her in a wide circle, laughing up into the face that smiled back at her.

"Zero-G!" the child cried. "Zero-G, momma!"

Yolande darted a look of apology at her brother, and tossed her daughter up with a swoop-catch. "There yo' go, spacer! And—one and two and three and dockin' maneuver." She gave the child a smacking kiss and hugged her.

Gwen's arms tightened around her neck, and she pressed her head against her mother's. "Love yo', momma," she said.

"Love yo', too, my baby Gwennie," she said.

"I am not a baby! I'm Gwen," she replied firmly.

"Indeed yo' are, light of my life." Yolande signed to Marya. "Here, now stay with yo' Tantie-ma for' a minute, an' hush."

John and Mandy were smiling indulgently at her, hands linked.

"I gathah the news is good," her brother chuckled. Mandy was using her beltphone to call for the car; the family had rented the latest for their stay in Archona, a superconductor-electric with maglev capacity on the few stretches of road relaid for that luxury.

"Yo' are lookin'," Yolande said, buffing her nails, "at the newest Cohortarch in the Directorate of War."

"Well, well, well, we Ingolfssons are movin' up in the world," he said, with a swift hard embrace. John had never been more than a Tetrarch, or wanted to be. He and Mandy did their Territorial Reserve duty, and that was enough distraction from Claestum and its folk. "Even as I dragged yo' appalling offspring through the zoo and amusement park. Wotan's stomach, the things they do with rides these days! While Mandy shopped the estate into bankruptcy; we'll need a Logistics Lifter to get the loot—"

He winced theatrically as the tall blond woman dug him in the ribs. "Gwen didn't enjoy those rides half as much as yo' did," she said. "Do I quarrel with yo' gettin' every toy Biocontrol dreams up fo' the credulous planter? Like those steakberries?" John winced more sincerely; the high-protein meat-mimicking fruit had proven a beacon for every vermin, pest, scavenger, and grub in Italy. Their son began to cry softly. "I could scarcely take Davie along with yo' and Gwen, now could I?"

They glanced over to the nurses. Delores was just lifting a full breast out of her blouse and brushing the engorged brown nipple across the infant's mouth; she rocked the child and crooned, smiling, as he suckled.

"That

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