BooksBarbecue
Back Daughter of Eden
Chapters (68)
  1. Title page
  2. Dedication
  3. Part I
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Three
  7. Four
  8. Five
  9. Six
  10. Seven
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. Twelve
  16. Thirteen
  17. Fourteen
  18. Fifteen
  19. Sixteen
  20. Seventeen
  21. Eighteen
  22. Nineteen
  23. Twenty
  24. Twenty-one
  25. Twenty-two
  26. Twenty-three
  27. Twenty-four
  28. Twenty-five
  29. GAIA YOUNG. SUBJECTIVE IMPRESSIONS.MISSION DAY 20. 20:25 MT.
  30. Part II
  31. Twenty-six
  32. Twenty-seven
  33. Twenty-eight
  34. Twenty-nine
  35. Thirty
  36. Thirty-one
  37. Thirty-two
  38. Thirty-three
  39. Thirty-four
  40. Thirty-five
  41. Thirty-six
  42. Thirty-seven
  43. GAIA YOUNG. SUBJECTIVE IMPRESSIONS.MISSION DAY 22. 20:05 MT.
  44. Thirty-eight
  45. Thirty-nine
  46. Forty
  47. Forty-one
  48. GAIA YOUNG. SUBJECTIVE IMPRESSIONS.MISSION DAY 25. 15:30 MT.
  49. Forty-two
  50. Forty-three
  51. Forty-four
  52. Forty-five
  53. Forty-six
  54. Forty-seven
  55. Forty-eight
  56. Forty-nine
  57. Fifty
  58. Fifty-one
  59. Fifty-two
  60. Fifty-three
  61. Fifty-four
  62. Part III
  63. Fifty-five
  64. Fifty-six
  65. Fifty-seven
  66. Fifty-eight
  67. Also by Chris Beckett
  68. Copyright page

Starlight shrugged. She wanted to get back to what she’d been talking about. ‘Anyway, the reason I spoke of the fights over the ring is that I wanted you to understand how important Earth is to us, and how much even the smallest thing from Earth means to us. And because of that – I’m sorry to say it, but I’m not sure you Earth guys really understand this – because of that, every single little thing you say and do will change the whole story of Eden forever.’

This was such a different Starlight from the one I’d known when I was a kid. Back then, all she was interested in was having as much fun as she could. Now she was trying to speak for all of Eden.

‘The truth is—’ began Gaia.

‘The truth is you didn’t expect to find us here,’ Starlight said. ‘I know that. Your science told you it was impossible for the children of just one man and one woman to survive and carry on like this. But we are here, and we’ve been waiting for you for generations and generations. Most people here think you’re going to take us all back to Earth, or bring all the good things you have on Earth across the sky to Eden. Many many people think you’re Gela herself who’s come back to—’

Gaia shook her head. ‘Honestly, Head Woman, I’ve done my best to stop that. I keep telling folk I’m not Angela Young, that the only connection I have with Angela is that one of my ancestors was her sister, but no one seems to believe—’

‘Strongheart doesn’t want to ask you this,’ Starlight said. ‘In fact Strongheart doesn’t want to say any of this stuff to you, because he’s so proud to be the one who was Head Guard when Earth came back, but you need to tell us: what can you really give us, and when are you going to leave?’

The Earth people looked at each other. Gaia drew breath.