“Yes,” she said, though in truth she had all but forgotten making the request.
“Then it is my pleasure to inform you, Mestra, that an unregistered ship has come from deep space to assume Standard Orbit GG-12.”
“Her name?” Elaeli was glad that the representative of Inspace Control could not see her face; she’d gotten a local reputation for icy, unwavering calm, and one look at her now would destroy that image forever.
“She calls herself Night’s-Beautiful-Daughter”—the representative’s voice stumbled over the unfamiliar Eraasian syllables—“and her pilot claims to be a survivor of Swift Passage Freight Carrier Number Forty-two.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I won’t forget your help. If you could do one thing further—”
“Whatever the Mestra wishes.”
She paused, gathering her thoughts. “Keep the ship’s people away from military intelligence and the gossip lines,” she said, once she was able to speak without fear that her voice would break or quiver. “And bring them straight to me. Do this discreetly, and you can count on my gratitude.”
She closed the communications link and returned to the porch, where she stood for a long time looking outward at the clear blue promise of the sky. She had been wrong, she thought; it seemed that she had not lost the capacity for strong and distracting emotions after all. Especially hope.
In memory of Vickie Bunnell, Dennis Joos, Les Lord, and Scott Phillips; and with gratitude to Jeff Caulder, John Fifer, Robert Haase, and Wayne Sanders. Lives spent in service, and not forgotten.
TOR BOOKS BY
Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald
MAGEWORLDS
The Price of the Stars
Starpilot’s Grave
By Honor Betray’d
The Gathering Flame
The Long Hunt
The Stars Asunder
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this novel are either fictitious or are used fictitiously.
THE STARS ASUNDER
Copyright © 1999 by Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.
Tor® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
Edited by Patrick and Teresa Nielsen Hayden
A Tor Book
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
Tor Books on the World Wide Web:
http://www.tor-forge.com
eISBN 9781466803640
First eBook Edition : October 2011
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Doyle, Debra.
The stars asunder / Debra Doyle & James D. Macdonald.—1st ed. p. cm.
“A Tom Doherty Associates book.”
I. Macdonald, James. II. Title.
PS3554.09743414S73
813’.54—dc21
99-24561 CIP
First Edition: June 1999
Table of Contents
Title Page
Authors’ Preface - [for those who have been here before]
Acknowledgments
Prologue
1: Year 1116 Eraasian Reckoning
2: Year 1116 E. R.
3: Year 1116 E. R.
4: Year 1116 E. R.
6: Year 1116 E. R.
7: Year 1117 E. R.
8: Year 1118 E. R.
9: Year 1122 E. R.
10: Year 1123 E. R.
11: Year 1123 E. R.
12: Year 1123 E. R.
13: Year 1123 E. R.
14: Year 1123 E. R.
15: Year 1123 E. R.
16: Year 1123 E. R.
17: Year 1123 E. R.
18: Year 1123 E. R.
19: Year 1123 E. R.
20: Year 1123 E. R.
21: Year 1123 E. R.
22: Year 1123 E. R.
23: Year 1124 E. R.
24: Year 1124 E. R.
25: Year 1124 E. R.
26: Year 1124 E. R.
27: Year 1126 E. R.
28: Year 1126 E. R.
29: Year 1128 E. R.
31: Year 1128 E. R.
32: Year 1128 E. R.
33: Year 1128 E. R.
34: Year 1128 E. R.
35: Year 1128 E. R.
36: Year 1128 E. R.
37: Year 1128 E. R.
38: Year 1128 E. R.
39: Year 1128 E. R.
40: Year 1130 E. R.
41: Year 1130 E. R.
42: Year 1130 E. R.
43: Year 1130 E. R.
44: Year 1130 E. R.
45: Year 1130 E. R.
46: Year 1130 E. R.
47: Year 1130 E. R.
Epilogue
Copyright Page