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.
So one at a time." He repeated the advice in lingua Barevi, speaking with a fluency that Kris hadn't expected.
Arnie was helping Mitford on the crates, but some of those who had been lounging on the ground behind the barricade got curious and wandered up to Kris and Mahomet.
"What's with the Cat?"
"Mitford's going to question him," said the lankier of the two, a good head taller than Kris and nearly as tall as Mahomet.
"OK, Murph, give Arnie a hand with the supplies now," Mitford said, jumping down. "Now, Cat, tell me why we should keep you alive."
"What is needed to know?" Mahomet asked in Barevi, his voice even, his manner diplomatic.
Kris let relief flood through her. Thank God he had sense enough - for a Catteni - to know how dangerous his situation was.
"Where we are. Who lives here. Any bad animals.
What can we eat that won't kill us." Mitford tapped the blanket where his ration bars were stashed. "These won't last long." Mahomet let out a dry rasp, tried to clear his throat to form words. Kris knew he'd be as dry as anyone else but she didn't dare ask for the favour of water for him.
She mustn't be seen to favour, much less help, him.
"Here, give me that cup, Bass," Mitford said, snapping his fingers at one of the onlookers who had a cup in his hand.
"Huh? Give a Cat a drink?"
"If that helps him tell us what we need to know. Give it. You've been guzzling water for the past hour."
"I like that!" But Bass handed over the cup. "I want it back." Mahomet held up his own cup and with a nod of his head towards Bass accepted the water Mitford doled out. He took a small sip, rinsing his mouth, and then a longer one.
"1 remember some details. This planet surveyed. I did not read all.
"What did you read then?" Mitford demanded.
"Longer day, mild climate,.. - He frowned, trying to find the words, "species not other found. Three types deathly." He paused for another sip and then circled the cup to indicate the field. "Better go from here soon.
Open field dangerous."
"Then why was we put down here?" Arnie demanded from his vantage on the crates. "So we could all get killed?"
"No,' Mahomet shook his head, a rueful grin on his lips. "To live, to fight what is here. This how Catteni settle planets - the not easy ones." He finished the water then, knocking it back in his throat, tapping the cup on his teeth to be sure he had received the last drops.
Then he stood there, his eyes going slowly from one face to another and coming back to Mitford's.
"How'd you get sent off with all of us?" the sergeant asked.
Mahomet gave him a long look, a slight frown on his face. "Say again?" He surprised them by asking in accented English.
"You are here, too, Kris said, rephrasing the question.
"Why?" He didn't look in her direction and shrugged. "I kill. I escape. I am - - - took. Day not over." He shrugged again.
"You killed another Catteni?" Mitford asked and when Mahomet nodded, "And they deported you for that?"
"Day not over."
"That rule you were talking about?" Mitford asked Kris and she nodded. "Why'd you kill a Catteni?" Mahomet gave a little snort, and the expression on his face suggested that they were not going to believe him.
"He insulted Emassi and he kill four strong slaves no reason."
"Slaves? Like we were?" Mitford turned his thumb against his chest.
Mahomet nodded.
"Guy's too clever," Arnie said in a growling tone. "Clever enough to lie his way out of being killed."
"I don't happen to think he's lying,' Mitford said slowly. "I heard something the day of that riot.
Some Cats'd been hunting another Cat captain who'd killed their patrol leader."
"Patrol leader," Mahomet repeated, recognizing the words and nodding his head. "I kill. Not wise "His lips twitched and then he added, "Cat." Suddenly everyone was aware of a weird noise.
"Down. All down, sffll!" Mahomet said as he dropped flat to the ground. The urgency m his voice and his tone of command was compelling.
"You heard him," Mitford said and gestured furiously at those on the crate. "Get down, you fools. Lie still." The noise got louder and louder, piercing eardrums.
Some of those in the process of getting up lay back down, covering their ears. The two Deski who had been issued their knives moaned and cowered against the crates.
A shadow out of the west preceded the shape that overfiew the field while the weird sound became an ungodly whistling shriek.
Whatever it was was big and it swooped suddenly. Some unfortunate let out a terrified scream which trailed off as the flying monster departed with its prey. Kris saw brief struggles of ouffiung arms and legs and then all movement ceased. The weird noise cut off as abruptly.
"What the…was that?" Arnie cried.
"Deathly," Mahomet said. Then he pointed to the tree shapes at the upper edge of the field. "Watcher?" he both asked and suggested to Mitford. "Alert by call?"
"Many of them things around?" Mitford asked.
"Don't know. One is not enough?" Mahomet asked in a droll tone.
"Yeah, one's enough. Murph, you got a loud voice, you and Taglione, get up there and play sentry. Anyone see who it got?" he called up to those at the far end of the crates who would have had a better view.
"Didn't see. Looked like one of us."
"Would be. We got more meat on our bones than the Deskis," and Mitford looked over to the spindly creatures who were still cowering and moaning against the crates.
"Do you Deskis know what those are?" He asked one of them in lingua Barevi. They both shook their heads but lowered their hands from their ears.
"Sound hurt Deski ears," Mahomet said, rising to his feet and dusting himself off. "They hear faster. Send them watch."
"Good idea, Cat,' and Mitford issued the orders. The Deskis both tried to slink away until Mitford called Murph and Taglione to escort them.
Mahomet said one brief spate of sounds at them and they instantly obeyed.
"You speak Deski?" Mitford asked the Catteni.
"Deski, Morphinis, Turski, Rugash," Mahomet said.
"Ang-leesh not many verds," he added in English.
"Unnershtan better talk ssslow."
"Well, now we're cooking," Mitford said. He looked around at his allies, nodding especially at the recalcitrant and dissatisfied Arnie. "I don't think I got the message across to some of the aliens here." Mahomet nodded. "Easy to say not unnershtan - - doan like order." Mitford barked out a laugh.
"Damned well told, Cat.
I think we keep you alive a while longer."
"Thank you." And Mahomet briefly inclined his upper body towards Mitford.
"Name? Rank?" the sergeant asked the Catteni, ignoring the mutters of disapproval at that decision. When the mutter grew louder, he turned fiercely around. "Look, you sorry lot asked me to take command. Don't buck me when I make a command decision. Someone's got to. I say this mother is worth more to us alive - until he proves otherwise. Already saved somebody's neck from the flying thing. You don't like it, go it on your own.
Get me?" The human protest subsided and Kris felt her knees wobbling with relief. She was also dry-mouthed again from stress.
"So," Mitford turned back expectantly to Mahomet.
"Name. Rank."
"Zainal, Emassi," he said, but Kris knew that wasn't the Catteni word for captain.
"Mitford, Sergeant. I outrank you, he added in such a bland-faced lie that Kris coughed to hide her guffaw.
"I'm going for some more water," she told Mitford and walked off without waiting for any permission.
"Water good," Mahomet Zainal remarked in an even tone.