Edge of Dark by Brenda Cooper Page B

With no spin gravity, they had no easy slide home.
    Already, the air smelled of decay.
    At the foot of the landing platform, Katherine cried out. She knelt next to the body of one of the jalinerines. Its neck and at least two legs had broken when it fell. Kinship. Chrystal’s favorite. She shuddered and gave a little cry.
    Jason pulled Katherine away from the crumpled body, whispering, “I know. I know. Let’s see if any are alive.”
    Yi glared at him.
    Chrystal glanced back at the body and told Yi, “Maybe just you and I should go.”
    â€œNo. No. I’m coming,” Katherine insisted. “I can do this.”
    â€œWe stay together.” Jason said it as a command.
    Chrystal took Katherine’s hand in hers. They had been in other tough situations. Katherine always came through.
    Two of Sugar’s herd had died quickly, as pieces of the barn had fallen on them, and another had been hit on the side of the head with a rock and lay on its side, breathing but blessedly unconscious.
    Yi pulled out his gun. His eyes betrayed his hatred of the situation. Chrystal was proud of him and sorry for him and grateful that he was willing to do such a hard thing. She held Katherine as Yi silently checked the safety and the setting on the weapon and activated it with a sharp squeeze. The gun made no noticeable sound as he fired it, but Katherine jerked in Chrystal’s arms as if he had shot her. Jason looked away.
    Next, they found Missy, one of the youngest in the herd, awake and bleating pitifully. Katherine put a hand out and touched the animal’s forehead, and Missy flinched as if startled. “What happened to her?” she asked. “I don’t see any injuries. Gravity?”
    Chrystal asked, “Can she see?”
    â€œWhy?” Katherine stroked the animal’s neck.
    â€œThe bastards towed us too fast for them. We were protected,” Yi gestured toward the habitat above them, “But they experienced high gravity for a long time. It would be tough. Blood would pool in strange places, and they would go blind before the stress alone killed them. She’s not dead because we didn’t get fast enough for that. Maybe we came close.”
    Katherine glared at the roof as if were possible to see the Next somewhere above them.
    Jason held his hand out for the weapon. Yi stood by his side until the jalinerine—Missy—stopped making noise. Yi hugged Jason and then slapped his back. “There’s only Sugar left.”
    Katherine had gone silent and grim. Chrystal just wanted it to be over. They knew what they’d find; they needed to do it and go on.
    Somewhere across the meadow, something fell from the ceiling and clattered onto a rock, making a loud bang. The group of them clustered closer together. Katherine called out, “Sugaaaarrrrrr.”
    Nothing.
    They separated again. This part of the meadow had escaped the worst damage. Here and there, they passed a piece of trash or a rock out of place. They walked carefully around a tree with a broken trunk, a rock lodged in the fork of its shattered branches.
    Katherine’s voice echoed, bouncing off of the metal inside of the broken meadow. “Shhhhuuuggggggarrrrrr.”
    In the eerie half-light, the grass still looked beautiful even though the tips had browned. The paths of the broken streams crunched under Chrystal’s footsteps.
    They found Sugar near three scraggly meadow trees. She had a scratch on her neck, laced with dried blood, and one on her knee that she’d been able to lick clean. At least one leg had broken.
    Katherine gave a little cry and then started talking to her. “Good baby, good baby. I’m so sorry, baby.” Tears streamed down Katherine’s face.
    Chrystal knelt next to Sugar, touching her neck. The last of their creations, the best. The leader of them all. Sugar’s eyes were filled with pain. “I’m so sorry,” Chrystal crooned. “So