Asimov's Science Fiction: July 2013 Read Online Free Page A

herbs, goat butter, and candied peaches for dessert. The rich fresh food did, in fact, upset my digestion,and the medical alert went off again, and I shut it down, again. The parameters were set too conservatively, which on a mission was fine, but on vacation? You were supposed to overindulge on vacation. I could imagine the
Raja Ampat
's physician down-loading the record and raising an eyebrow at me. Assuming I ever went back. Never mind. A couple of pills took care of the problem. In that, at least, I'd come prepared. Alien world, indeed.
    Over dinner, we talked about the baby. They were arguing names. Wendy was on the list, but I shot down the idea as too confusing. Eva, I liked.
    After dinner, Zelda and Mim went out to check the barns, lock up the goats for the night, and turn on the perimeter fence. The original terraformers had imported coyotes to serve as the ecosystem's apex predators and as pest control for the inevitable rodent infestations, and they'd become a problem for farmers with livestock. The fence had motion-activated laser deterrents that singed without killing. Zelda didn't want to kill the predators. The canines had mostly learned to stay away.
    I helped Tom clean up the kitchen. He was of average height, with broad shoulders, his brown skin burnished by sun and wind. A farmer's life seemed to suit him. Back in the day, when Zelda and Mim had first hooked up, we'd had a f ling. Recreational and satisfying. Could have grown into more, maybe. I could have come with them to Ariana, but I'd picked Mil Div. One of those long-gone forks in the road.
    He kept throwing sidelong glances at me, a wry smile on his lips. Finally I said, "Why don't you pour me a glass of wine and we can talk." So he did, and we sat across the kitchen table from one another.
    He took a sip. "Zelda keeps thinking you'll be ready to retire soon and finally come stay with us. We could use the help."
    I flushed, because as far as they were concerned, I was on vacation. I hadn't told them about the review, about my attempt to resign, or anything. How much did Tom guess? "I've thought about it," I said, quietly, cryptically.
    "You didn't tell everything about what happened on Cancri Four, did you? What else happened?" His eyes widened. "They're not kicking you out, are they?"
    "No, not yet," I said. "But I offered to take early retirement."
    Was that a f lash of hope in his gaze, and did my heart sink a little, seeing it?
    "My offer was not initially accepted," I added. "I'm supposed to be here thinking it over."
    "I'm glad you came," he said, heartfelt. It wasn't just Zelda who wanted me to stay.
    My eyes stung, yet again. I was never usually this weepy. "I have a confession," I said, studying the ruby liquid in my glass. "I'm amazed you guys have made it this long. I'm amazed
you've
stuck it out this long. I love those two dearly but they drive me crazy sometimes."
    Tom said, "I like it here. I want a family. This is a good family. Zelda and Mim are the right kind of crazy." He ducked, smiled. The love in the room was thick, apparent. "With the sprout on the way...we've decided on three. But I think we can talk the natal council into a couple more. We've got the space and savings for it."
    "Five kids. You want five kids?"
    "I want a
big
family. Can't get that on a starship." He held out the vision like bait. Five little Zeldas running around... No, five Zeldas, Mims and Toms. With a herd of goats and fifty acres of farm, with blackberry brambles and apple trees. Like something out of a story. A myth.
    "I'm in awe." My stare had become a bit glazed, thinking of five little Zeldas. I couldn't imagine it. It had never occurred to me to imagine it. It still didn't.
    "You shouldn't be. This is what everyone used to do. But what you do..." He shook his head in vague explanation, as if he didn't even know what I did. Maybe he didn't. He continued, "If you decide you want a family, this is the place for it. But I guess you
    kind of have a family