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.
Everyone seemed very pleased. Bart was grinning like he'd just won a lottery.
"What's up, Bart?"
"They found food. A mountain of it." Then he recalled himself to his duties and turned the pieces cooking on his fire before they were reduced to char.
"Where? Things we can eat?" Kris found herself regarding the french-browned food hungrily.
"I guess so, or why roar so much?" he said with a shrug.
Kris took herself where she could hear what was being roared.
"Mountains of food!"
"Some kinda storage cave. Like a silo."
"And other doors we couldn't open…yet!"
"They'd have to be saving for centuries. "No-one near, no footprints, just cracks in the stone, like something real big stood there." She worked her way through the excited people towards the front of the cave, hoping to see someone she could ask for specifics. The storage cave bit worried her. It suggested that Zainal's information had been incorrect.
You don't store things, especially food, where there's no bodies to eat it.
Scratch tests will give you a quick idea," an Asian was saying in a firm voice. "They worked on some of the game you guys caught, as well as the roots and berries."
"Can we use the same method for the Rugarians and the Deskis, Matt?" she heard Mitford's voice ask.
"Gee, I don't know, Sarge. I was paramedic for human types."
"Zainal, can you ask "em?" Mitford switched to Barevi.
"Yes. I will ask," and Kris saw a movement among those crowded around Mitford as Zainal left to make his enquiries.
"OK, listen up!" Mitford's voice assumed parade ground volume. "I need some volunteers - you, you, you and you. Roll up your sleeves.
We got samples we need to test.
Suddenly the press of bodies thinned out as many decided not to be "volunteered' for any other bright ideas Mitford had in mind.
"Was food all that was found?" Kris asked as she moved towards Mitford.
"Isn't that enough?" a woman asked in an irritable voice.
"It's a help, surely, but we need so many things to set up a habitable place.
"Habitable? That's a laugh," the woman said and moved away from Kris.
"All that food could be a laugh, too," Greene said, appearing at her side, "if we can't stomach it."
"Anyone got any idea why there are such stores?" Kris asked him. "And what will happen if the Three Bears find Goldilocks?" She gestured to indicate they were cast as Goldilocks.
"Nope. Zainal hadn't any idea either. He insisted that the Catteni survey said the planet was uninhabited "With sentient life-forms?" "Mmmm. Yes, he did make that distinction," Greene replied and then grinned. "Scared the hell outa even the sarge when they came across metal doors, fer God's sake, across the cave entrances."
"How'd they get in, then?" Kris asked.
Greene chuckled again. "We got guys in this outfit with some very interesting skills." Kris grinned back at him. "Where are these sesame caves?"
"A good half-day's trek from here, so don't worry. And no road in or out. How'd they get crops in there without something that makes big tracks is puzzling."
"Stray mechanical things are more nervous-making than some honest-to-god alien creatures," Kris said.
"If you say so. Only the sarge has sent a detail to scout about and see if they can figure out how and from where the silos got filled.
He's calling a meeting this evening, anyway, to explain everything.
We might even have more to eat then, too." Greene licked his lips and Kris found herself- doing the same thing as the tantalizing smells were wafted towards them on the breeze. "I could've eaten a whole one by myself."
"You didn't finish off your bars, did you?"
"Hell no, and watch yours, will ya? As I said, we got guys, and gals, with taking ways as well as interesting skills."
"Oh, Lord, Patti Sue," Kris said and, ducking around Greene, started back to where the girl still slept.
She paused long enough to ask Bart if she could take Patti's share to her.
"I can count on you to give it to her and nobody else?" Bart said, fixing her with a stern eye.
"Yes, you can," Kris said solemnly, and found herself a rock on which to carry the hot meat.
Patti Sue was still asleep. Her food packet was gone.
Someone had rolled the girl over to get at it. Kris fumed and then decided that Patti Sue would just have to take some responsibility for herself. She leant over, careful not to tip the hot meat onto the dirty floor of the cave, and shook Patti Sue's shoulder. The girl's reaction - flailing about with hands and kicking out with her feet was so unexpected that Kris ended up juggling the hot meat from hand to hand, trying to keep it from dropping to the floor.
"Hey, Patti. Easy now, gal. Don't make me drop your food. It's hot,' she cried, trying to duck away from the girl's windmill of limbs.
"Kris?" Patti's voice broke and she stopped her battering.
"Ohhhh, you scared me."
"Didn't mean to. Sit up, will you.
This's hot! Use your sleeve Patti rolled down the overlong cuff and, using it as a pad, took the piece from Kris, who set about licking her fingers, as Patti regarded her portion suspiciously.
"Don't ask what it is "cos no-one's named the thing yet but it tastes pretty good and it is hot."
"I don't think I could eat anything - - -) Patti said and held it out to Kris.
"No way, gal. You eat it. Think of it as the fried chicken your mother used to make - - -"
"No'm, I won't, "cos she couldn't cook worth doodly," Patti said in the only personal comment yet to pass her lips.
Eyes closed, she then pulled her lips from her teeth and took a tiny and tentative bite. "Oh! It isn't bad, is it?" And opened her eyes, eating with more relish. "Or maybe it's "cos I'm so famished."
"Patti, you didn't think to hide your bars, did you?" Kris asked gently.
Patti looked up at her and her face fell. "No, why should I?
No-one would…" and with one hand she felt anxiously beside her and under her blanket, her face falling into tragic lines as she realized that her packet was gone. She started moaning and nearly dropped the meat.
Kris propped her drooping hand back in the direction of her mouth.
"So eat that, and we'll share. It's not the end of the world because they've found a storage cave with food in it."
"Cave? Food?" Patti seemed to shrink in on herself with fear. "There are Catteni living on this world, too?"
"No, not according to our live Catteni expert Patti's eyes got wider with her fright. "A Catteni - - "Eat!' Kris said urgently. "There was one Catteni dropped along with us and he's not a bad guy. He won't bother you -"
"Oh, oh, oh," and Patti moaned all the time she nibbled at the meat.
Kris had heard about dainty eaters but Patti took the prize.
Kris stayed with Patti Sue then, as much because the girl was so preternaturally frightened of every footstep in the corridor outside, every shadow that interrupted the torchlight into their cubby, as because she was also tired. Her hands and arm muscles ached from her stint at dressing meat and she had a couple of little nicks from kife cuts which were annoying. Then she remembered her first-aid kit and dabbed them with the yellow liquid It stung briefly but she knew that the Cat disinfectant would reduce any chance of infection.
She suggested a dip to Patti Sue but when she had to tell the girl how to get there and the primitive conditions, Patti just curled up, hugging her knees to her chest, and moaned.
"You're going to have to stop moaning, girl," Kris said, driven to it. "I don't mind, but there are others who will. We're all in the same condition - smelly, scared and suspicious. So you're not alone."
"But "Patti Sue began, her eyes wide and distressed, as she once again began to either apologize or explain.
She shut her mouth for a long moment. "You're right.