Freedom's Landing
- Автор: Маккефри Энн
- Серия: Catteni Sequence #1
- Язык: английский
- Жанр: Научная фантастика
Электронная книга - «Freedom's Landing». Краткое содержание книги:
The alien Catteni value strength and intelligence in their slaves—and Kristin has managed to survive her enslavement while hundreds of other humans have not. But her trial has just begun, for now she finds herself part of a massive experiment. The aliens have discovered a new world, and they have a simple way of finding out if it’s habitable: drop hundreds of slaves on the surface and see what happens.
If they survive, colonization can begin. If not, there are always more slaves.
"Move it!"
Chapter Three
Kris was buddied with a frail-looking redheaded girl with the delicate complexion that often accompanied red hair.
Patti Sue had been one of the last to rouse. She did a lot of coughing but she didn't feel feverish, so Kris decided she must have had some kind of allergic reaction to the drug they'd been given in their soup. Patti Sue spent most of the time apologizing for being a burden. Such slf-effacement bothered the hell out of Kris who was naturally self-reliant and positive: she tried not to be curt with Patti Sue. The only other information the girl gave was that she'd been taken in Detroit. Every time Kris tried to open a conversation or asked a question, Patti Sue would have a coughing fit. The fifth time that happened Kris got the hint Patti Sue had been giving.
She wondered if Patti'd survive until they made it to shelter.
She inserted herself and Patti in column right behind one of the water containers, carried between two Rugarians.
There were Rugarians all around Patti and herself and, at first, Patti kept so close to Kris she almost stepped on Kris's feet a couple of times. Rugarians were sturdy, was Kris's reckoning, so if she did need help with Patti, she'd have it at hand. She'd also seen how some of the human males had looked at the redhead. Hope springs eternal, she thought with amusement, but she was reasonably sure Patti would have repelled any offers of male assistance.
She felt the pull uphill in the muscles of her calves and thighs, but when they reached the tree shapes she saw that the next bit of march would be downhill, along another field. The panorama bothered her but it wasn't until she was halfway down the slope that she realized exactly why. This new field was exactly the same size as the one they'd been dropped in. Tree shapes marched along the borders, and in adjacent fields of the same size. It was too even. Everything was laid out so neatly, far too neatly for a supposedly unoccupied planet.
Only Zainal had not said the planet was unoccupied, had he? He'd definitely said it had indigenous dangers and he couldn't remember what types, only that there were "deathly' creatures. At the bottom of this field was another stream. Brooks created on demand? And another field on the other side, identical to all the others in this area. On the entire planet? Where were the browsers? The ruminants for whom these fields were made? Were they some of the "deathly' creatures?
She looked ahead and saw distant foothills. God, they were a long way away. She looked over her shoulder and saw the four-wide crocodile stretching out behind her. Safety in numbers? It said much for Mitford's leadership ability that he had managed such cohesion from such a diverse group. Well, some of the obedience had originally been inculcated by Catteni force-whips. A lot of people wouldn't have had time to recover from their enslavement and start thinking for themselves. Mitford was obviously counting on that. Whatever saved as many souls as possible, she thought to herself During that long march she found herself resenting Patti Sue's frailty. She'd've preferred being up front with Mitford and Zainal, able to see where she was going: scouting ahead even. She liked being first, not tamely following others. But she'd accepted the responsibility of buddying with Patti Sue and she'd see it through.
By the time the sun had reached a halfway point down the sky, she was supporting more of Patti Sue on the way up the hills. Downhill was easier except that Patti tended to stumble, always apologizing for the trouble she was making for Kris, and telling Kris how good she was to put up with her. Kris had to clench her teeth to keep from telling Patti Sue to shut up and just do her best.
Every hour they got five minutes to rest and get watered, or whatever, although how Mitford knew when an hour was up was beyond her.
Maybe his military training gave him a built-in watch or something.
Whatever, she welcomed the brief respite.
The Catteni sure had a good footwear design in those shapeless fold-abouts. Body heat had moulded hers so faithfully to her long narrow feet that, although her feet were tired, she hadn't raised a single blister or rub. Her leg muscles were complaining about abuse but, after an unknown period of time doing sweet fanny adams, what else could she expect? The spring had gone out of everyone's step, especially the water carriers although Mitford had seen to it that those were rotated every rest period.
Then the word was passed back that they'd take an hour's break to eat. And if anyone had eaten up all their bars, tough titty. They weren't breaking out any spares today.
Kris had had another third before the trek so she munched out on the last third and had half another one. She got Patti Sue to eat all of a bar by feeding it to her bit by bit. The girl's fatigue was not put on.
Her cheeks were gaunt and her breath was shallow. Kris thought she heard rales in her lungs but it may have been simply exertion after long idleness. There wasn't much more travel in Patti.
When the call went back to start again, they were on the edge of a fairly dense plantation. And "plantation' was the appropriate word because the vegetation - trees, whatever - had been set out in rows.
There were several different specimens, judging by what went for leaves on this world; different sizes, too, and a soft mulch underfoot that was a welcome relief from the harder surfaces of the fields, despite their grassoid ground cover. While she could approve of forestation, it was real queer to find it on a planet that wasn't supposed to be inhabited. Although Zainal hadn't exactly said it was uninhabited, had he? she reminded herself yet again.
Kris got Patti Sue to her feet. The girl was so tired she didn't even have the strength to apologize. Kris draped one lax thin arm about her waist, holding it to her with her right hand while she tucked her left under the girl as support. Kris gave a half-hip lurch and carried Patti forward, step by step.
At the next rest stop Kris herself was panting and sweaty. She'd draped Patti's blanket, cup and ration package across her own to free the girl of any burden.
Now she rearranged her accoutrements and when the order to move came she hoisted Patti pickaback as the easier way to deal with the problem. Kris had good strong shoulders and a strong back, and it was much easier, m some ways, to carry the girl than try to keep her on her own feet.
She was moving along at a better clip - they had fallen back from the water carriers some time before. She felt someone touch her shoulder and looked a human straight in his blue eyes. He had straight blond hair.
"Hey, there, ma'am, I'll take her. You shouldn't have to pack her.
"Why not? She ain't my brother but she ain't heavy," 6o Kris replied, moving right along but she smiled gratitude for the offer.
"Naw," the guy said, reaching out to take Patti. "You take my gear and I'll lug her." Patti felt his hands on her and whimpered fearfully, clinging with what strength she had left in her arms to Kris. Kris moved out of the column.
"Tell you what, you carry my gear and that'll make it easier. But I don't think Patti Sue wants any guy around her. You know what I mean." The guy looked shocked for a moment, resenting the implication that he might have an ulterior motive to his offer.
"She won't tell me more than her name and where she came from," Kris said, "and you must have heard how popular us Terran females were with the Cats."