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.
"You're a man of many talents, aren't you, Zainal?" she said when he had finished the lob.
"Not so many," he said in an abstracted tone. Then he put pencil and paper to one side and, catching her arm, pulled her against him, all his attention on her.
"How about standing a double watch with me tonight?" she asked, almost coyly. She disliked "coy' because girls who are five-foot ten don't do "coy' well but Zainal had changed many of her attitudes.
He ruffled her hair which was growing long again and would soon have to be braided or it would get in the way.
"I can possibly do that, he replied amiably.
"Sometimes, Zainal," she began, tsck-tscking in surprise, "you sound more American than I do."
"That's good?"
"I mean, it's great you've learnt English so well so quickly."
"I like to learn something else quickly and well," he said and nuzzled her neck, biting her ever so gently.
"Are lovebites part of a Catteni wooing?"
"Wooing?" he asked against her neck.
"Making love."
"I think so. I have not loved a Catteni." His phrasing made her catch her breath. If he hadn't loved a Catteni, did he love her? Don't be stupid, Kris girl. He's an Emassi where he comes from and has met Eosi. He's too important for a girl like you from ol' backwater-"f-the-galaxy Terra. But her arm, of its own accord, tightened around his neck and she kissed his cheek. His smooth cheek.
"Don't you Catteni ever need to shave?" She had no idea what possessed her to ask a question like that then, but that was her all over.
He laughed down at her. "Shave? Ah, take off face hair. No face hair on Catteni." Then he rubbed his cheek against hers.
"HEY, YOU HAIRY LOT," Sarah called from the campfire, unaware of the topic of their conversation.
"DINNER!" Zainal slipped his arm about her waist and pushed her off towards the fire and their dinner.
"When we stand watch tonight, I do not think we stand long," he said so only she could hear him, "though of course it can be done that way, too."
"Whatever," she managed to reply though the idea fascinated her.
Over the stew, Joe Marley was full of speculation about the prospect of a reaction to the homing capsule.
"Maybe it is not homing," Zainal suggested.
"What else could it be?" Joe replied. "Nothing's been blown up anywhere, if it was a torpedo, or Mitford would have told us. Besides, those mothers are big, complex affairs. It was fuelled, too, judging by the stink it left behind. So, possibly it could be a homer."
"True.
"And maybe now we've got into this place," and Joe jerked his finger at the maw of the garage, the orange light so dim they could not even see the tail of the first plane, "we might figure out how to get into the seaside facility."
"Not if we have to take Aarens along with us to get it to open," Kris said firmly.
"Bert comes," Zainal said.
"If we have time for it before the mecos' makers come back at us," Joe said gloomily.
"It could take decades for the homer to reach its destination."
"Then what good is a homer?" Joe demanded. "No, to be efficient, and these Meco Makers are damned efficient engineers, it would have to reach home in a relatively short period of time." He wasn't happy at the thought of what response would be made.
"Why borrow trouble, Joe?" Kris asked.
"Well, it's only smart to think ahead, to plan for contingencies.
"That's Mitford's job," Kris said easily. "And Worry's.
Let him do that for all of us." Her stomach was full and it was great to be able to lounge around the fire, close to Zainal, and knowing he was close to her and would be closer once they got Joe and Sarah off to their own bed.
"Honest, Zainal, d'you think we'll get a response soon?"
"We get one sooner from Catteni is my say, he said, hands clasped behind his head, his eyes gleaming gold in the firelight. He looked both alien and wonderfully familiar to Kris.
"Why? Would they have put up a satellite er something?" They had to explain what kind of satellite Joe meant and Zainal agreed that Catteni had such equipment.
"But they do not yet believe in the Mecho Makers.
Though maybe since - - -" and he paused, a slight frown creasing his forehead.
"Since that captain came?" Kris said,- prompting.
Zainal grinned at her. "He believe and is able to act without order." "Was he under Eosi orders to come here, then?" Zainal shook his head. "He came to get me."
"But you were dropped and you stay," Sarah said, teasingly.
Kris, who was aware that that had been a far more significant encounter than anyone else could know, glanced quickly at Zainal to see how he reacted.
"I stay," he said and then grinned.
"But he might have activated a warning device?" Joe asked, getting the matter straight in his own mind.
"That is possible.
"So they would know something's been launched." Zainal nodded.
"Maybe they won't drop any more unwilling pioneers on us then," Sarah said hopefully Zainal chuckled. "They had more Terrans to drop in safe place. Many more."
"Oh Lord, however will we manage?" Sarah cried.
"We've done very well so far," Kris said with some asperity.
Sarah and Joe were late droppers-in and acting as if they'd been here all along. Well, what's wrong with that? Kris chided herself. At least they want to be part of this cra colony.
"So we have," and Zainal unfolded himself from the ground. "We take first watch," he added casually.
"No, you'd fall asleep after all that lugging of bodies up and down that clifface," Joe said as casually.
"We should do something about feeding Aarens," Sarah remarked with no enthusiasm for the task. "And changing him or that Hopper will sure stink tomorrow' "He's not awake," Zalnal said with a shrug.
"You didn't hit him too hard, did you, Zainal?" Kris asked wistfully.
"Naw," Joe answered. "I've been checking him. Zainal just decked him right proper, that's all. Something we've all wanted to do, I might add.
"Oh God, oh God, oh God, not you, too?" Kris said mischievously.
That brought a laugh from the others.
The comunit beeped and Joe answered it. "Bert checking in, are you?… Naw, we wouldn't go off and leave you to explain to the Meco Makers. We're about ready to sack out now. Found nothing new, all right Oh…Well, we have had a day full of surprises, at that.
You'll stand first watch? Oh, that's good of you, mate.
You got the place to watch from all right. Over and out.
Then he grinned at Zainal. "He's first watch. He'll wake me.
And I'll wake you. I'll check Aarens again now."
"Just give me a shout," Zainal said. He held out his hand to Kris who let him pull her up and into his arms as Sarah disappeared into the dark after Joe. In the firelight, his eyes were golden. "I do not know your thought, Bjornsen," he said, "but I am lucky you were in the thorn-bushes of Barevi."
"You think you were lucky? Mter all that's happened since then?" She leaned back against his arms to catch the look in his eyes.
"You change my life. Not many change a Catteni."
"No, I don't think many do," she could agree wholeheartedly.
"Now, there is a long time before we stand our watch." There was devilment in his yellow eyes as he looked down at her. "What shall we do with all that time by ourselves?"
"Hmmm, oh, I think we can find something to do." And, of course, they did.
L "EN VOl Sergeant Chuck Mitford kept to himself the news that Aarens had sent off what appeared to be a homing projectile. Damn the man! Just like him to act with malicious intent. Before he'd heard who was leading the patrol, he'd been eager for the expedition to the putative control facility. Another chance to show off how clever Dick Aarens was. And the man did have a genuine -mechanical bent. All the experts agreed. But that didn't keep him from being a royal pain in the butt! And he'd been equally eager to devolunteer when he knew that he'd have to deal with Zainal. And that the Bjornsen girl was part of the team.