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Fledgling
...A Liaden Universe® Adventure
by
Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
...the story of Theo Waitley and how she came to have a "kind of complicated" problem to lay before the delm of Korval.
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In the Garden with Evening Coming On
An Auctorial Discursion
attached to Fledging
by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
There. It was said. All that was left was to hear what he said in response.
Kamele closed her eyes and sipped coffee. Fresh-roast it was, and fresh-ground from a bag of blue beans Jen Sar had brought back from one of his fishing trips. It was an aromatic blend, whispering hints of chocolate and sweetberries.
"A child in the house is a joy." That was what he said, gently and respectfully. Kamele felt her shoulders relax. She smiled and opened her eyes.
Across the little stone table, Jen Sar's answering smile was slightly awry. He glanced down into his cup as if he wished the coffee were. . . something stronger, then looked into her eyes.
"I am aware," he said, and his voice now was. . .careful, "of the custom on Delgado. One decides for oneself when the time is proper to. . .invest. . . in a child. The custom upon my homeworld is. . . somewhat different. I ask, therefore, if the child . . .partakes of my gene-set."
She frowned at him, and set her cup down. He raised a hand, the twisted silver ring he never took off winking at her from his smallest finger.
"Please. I know that I should not ask, and indeed that I have no right to know. It is, however, not merely vulgar curiosity that moves me to break with custom."
Kamele went cold. Jen Sar leaned forward and put his hand over hers were it lay next to her cup.
"I am beyond clumsy," he said wryly. "Kamele, I'm not ill! Surely there were tests done, certifications made -- whoever you chose! But there is something you should know, if you've gotten a child of me."
He tipped his head, face earnest; his hand was warm on hers, his fingers braceleting her wrist, a comfort.
Surely, she thought, there was room here for custom to meet halfway. Jen Sar was an intelligent man, and ...usually tolerant of Delgado ways. That he asked this of all questions, signaled, she thought, a strong cultural imperative.
Kamele took a breath, opened her mouth to tell him -- and closed it, unable to force the words out.
"This is idiotic," she muttered, turning her head to look out over the dusky garden. Her words danced back to her on the little breeze and she gasped, her eyes flashing back to his face. "I didn"t mean --" she began...
But Jen Sar, as usual, seemed to know exactly what she'd meant.
"The burden of custom is not lightly put aside," he said. "As we have both now demonstrated. Perhaps a simple 'no,' if the child is none of mine?"
That was certainly fair enough. Kamele met his eyes. And said nothing.
"Hah." He smiled, ruefully, she thought "So, then, the thing that you must know is that. . .those of my Line, as is said on Liad -- siblings, cousins, parents -- tend to have . . .very quick physical reflexes. Many, indeed, become pilots. Since many of us also have a . . .certain facility. . .in mathematics, and as Liad depends upon its trade, this is not too odd a life-path."
He paused, watching her face. Kamele nodded to show she was following him, and after a moment he continued.
"Here on Delgado, where the trade is in knowledge, there are few pilots, and, perhaps, very little understanding of those whose genetic heritage is predisposed toward quickness."
She frowned slightly. "She wouldn't have to be a pilot, after all. . ."
"Indeed she would not," he assured her. "However, until she is grown into her body and learned to . . .control. . . her reflexes, she may produce some . . .unexpected results." He shook his head. "I do not wish you to be uninformed -- or unprepared. So I must confess that the raising of a child who partakes of these genes is. . .sometimes a challenge to those who are themselves very much of the Line."
Kamele smiled. "I think adults always find children a challenge," she said. "The moreso with our own children."
He returned her smile. "I think you are correct," he murmured, and withdrew his hand, slowly, teasingly.
Kamele picked up her cup and sipped, pretending that his tease left her unaffected.
Undeceived, Jen Sar picked up his own cup, and turned his head to survey the flowerbeds. She had that sense of him . . .stepping away, or -- no. Stepping aside. At that moment, he looked back to her with that wide, sweet smile she saw so rarely.
"Kamele?" he said softly.
She lowered her cup, stomach tightening. "Yes?"
"Thank you," he said, and touched her cheek, his fingers delicate. "A child in the house is a joy, indeed."
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Saltation
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Things you should know
Fledgling in serialized format is a draft. This
means it may bear little or no resemblance to a final published novel,
should there ever be one. It may be perfect, word for word (though
experience tells us this is not the way the smart money should bet). What we are providing is a rare opportunity to observe the writing process.
We don't know how many chapters there will be. We're free-form writers,
and while we do have a working outline, it is (1) vague, and (2)
subject to change without notice.
What are the rules?
What you can do:
1. Read the posted chapters free of charge
2. Link to this page or any internal page. (Here are a few icons)
3. Pass the word among your friends
4. Print the chapters out for your own ease of reading
5. Discuss the work in the Fledgling Live Journal community
6. Donate
What you can't do:
1. Copy the work and sell it. Fledgling is copyright by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. In addition, Liaden
Universe® is a registered trademark. That means the universe, the
characters, the story and the right to sell it belong to Sharon Lee and
Steve Miller.
Who are we?
Sharon Lee
and Steve Miller are the authors of a dozen collaborative science
fiction novels, and many short stories, largely set in the Liaden
Universe®. For more information about Lee and Miller and their work,
drop by the Liaden Universe® website.
Base page created December 1, 2006 by Sharon Lee
Chapter updated April 9, 2007
technical revision posted April 9, 2007
Update March 15, 2008, 12:10 p.m. EDT
copyright © 2006-2007 by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
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