Anne McCaffrey - Freedom 2 - Freedoms Choice

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divisions disappear. Still, questions arise. Should they settle in and

begin to make this world their home, bearing children and creating a

new

society? Or should they return to Earth and join the battle against the

Catteni oppressors who abandoned them on this planet?.

sequal to freedoms landing

Preface

When the Catteni, mercenaries for a race called Eosi, invaded Earth,

they used their standard tactic of domination by landing in fifty cities

across the planet and removing entire urban populations. These were

distributed throughout the Catteni worlds and sold as slaves along with

other conquered species.

Since slavery did not sit well with many of the first world countries,

the conquerors met with considerably more resistance than had been

anticipated. The size and general brutality of the Catteni soldier

generally inculcated sufficient fear and obedience to inhibit active

resistance on many of their previous invasions.

Catteni had quantities of expendable personnel, they could utilize an

empirical method of discovering which was fertile and friendly, and

which contained dangers making them inimical. A check was kept on

the

survival rate of such inadvertent settlers. If few remained alive, the

world was abandoned. If the survival rate was high, more deliveries

were made. When the imposed population had made the world tenable,

the

Catteni would install an overlord and exact a percentage of the gross

planetary product. Any dissenters to this procedure were then rounded

up and deposited on yet another potential colonial world.

Botany was one such colonial world on which the Catteni, emptying

holding cells on Barevi and Earth, dropped several species to see how

they survived - each other as well as the peculiar, but as yet

unidentified denizens.

The Catteni outfitted each of the unsuspecting colonists with durable

clothing, a blanket and a packet of dry rations. The 'shipment' spent

the voyage in a form of suspended animation and were deposited on the

planet where knives, hatchets and rudimentary medical kits were left for

Zainal, the one Catteni who had been shanghaied in that shipment,

remembered other vague problems about this planet from a cursory

reading

of the original exploration report. Although some of the stranded

people wanted to revenge themselves by taking the Catteni's life, Kris

Bjornsen forestalled the attempt, suggesting that he knew more than

anyone else did about this planet and they'd better keep him alive for a

while. Sergeant Chuck Mitford saw the wisdom in that - and also in the

Catteni's advice to seek higher, stonier ground if they wished to

survive. In a forced march to the safety of the nearby hills, Mitford

realized that Zainal could be useful for quite a few reasons.

Establishing a base camp, hunting for edible life forms and foods,

occupied every one of the survivors under Mitford's command. The

settlers discovered that this planet was not as unoccupied as the

Catteni report suggested. In fact, it seemed to be a planet extensively

farmed by mechanized, highly sophisticated machinery, operating with-

out

any 'live' supervision. On a scouting mission, Kris Bjornsen and Zainal

encountered more humans, as well as representatives of the other four

races also dumped on Botany.

Then he was summoned to a covert meeting with another Emassi

high-ranking official, with an offer to be returned to his rank and

duties: an offer he summarily rejected.

By then, there were sufficient technicians and engineers available to

redesign some of the available equipment into useful appliances and

machines, supplying communications and useful equipment to assist the

settlers.

Using the aerial maps reluctantly supplied him, Zainal led a group to

what might be a command centre on the planet.

However although it had obviously not been occupied for a very long

time, a garage held several aerial devices and smaller missiles of a

homing device design. One of these was deliberately launched by Dick

Aarens.

The launch is observed by interested agencies - and so begins the sec-

ond

part of the Catteni story.

noted

as it headed galactically north and east towards the furthest edge of

the Milky Way. Just as the missile reached the heliopause of the

system, it disappeared. A scan produced no debris; no ion or any other

trace of what had powered its drive could be detected. It had vanished:

a fact that was unacceptable to the monitoring program and caused a

functional error which required internal investigation and repair.

Although its earlier tracking was recorded, the satellite did not - due

to the anomalies - immediately forward the data to its server.

Consequently, without a requisite emergency code, the information went

through several processings before the anomalies were noticed. It was

then immediately reported to the proper authority. A team was

despatched to correct the malfunction, but none was found even after a

complete overhaul and maintenance check of the satellite. The data

was

therefore suspect as a malfunction in itself, rather than the recording

of an event. The planet was, after all, a penal colony; the exiles

equipped with the barest essentials for survival and no technological

equipment whatever. It was only by chance that the report was ever

seen

As they were also father and son, the son was accustomed to his sire's

scowls; he almost enjoyed the reaction, knowing that Zainal's refusal to

return and accept the duty imposed on his rank and family would

blacken

his brother's previously spotless reputation in their father's

estimation.

"He was chosen,' Perizec continued, bashing one huge fist onto the

pervalloy worktop. 'He cannot refuse the summons." 'He did,' Lenvec

said with an imperturbable shrug of one shoulder. "'I'm dropped, I

stay." You know the convention." Perizec crashed both fists onto the

worktop, bouncing everything on it, and scattering the files from the

desk rack. 'An Eosi matter has precedence over any Catteni conven-

tion!

You know that!" The scowl deepened, pulling down the heavy mouth

and

jaw, darkening the gray-toned skin. 'He has known of this duty since he

was presented to the Eosi. Dropped or not, he is to return to accept

that duty." The fists banged emphatically again.

hit

and crashed in the western hunting grounds. No trace was found of him

then, but he was discovered later that night among dissidents who had

been gassed during a riot. Because it was within the twenty-four hours,

one of the crewmen made certain that he remained in the transport

facility and was included in the shipment. He made his presence known

to a second Drop crew. Your office was alerted and I made the run to

retrieve him. He refused . . ." 'I know, I know,' and Perizec flicked

thick fingers to end the recital. 'He must return. The duty is

required of him. We cannot avoid the choosing." He frowned, deep in

thought. 'See to it that the crew who arranged his deportation are sent

to the same destination. They will ensure that he is ready to be

collected when next you land there." 'A thought, sir,' Lenvec began,

"Catteni would not be popular on the planet and may even be prevented

from finding Zainal." Perizec regarded him with a direct anger. "Zainal

survived.

You said yourself that he was the member of some sort of team." Len-

vec

shrugged. 'Zainal is, after all, Emassi, sir, and as clever a man as

you yourself . . ." Perizec grunted at the filial compliment. "He is

will see to it that he is willing to leave when next you land."

"Am I to transport them there?"

"By no means. That would put Zainal on his guard. When is the next

mass transportation scheduled?"

Lenvec consulted his wrist unit. 'In twenty-two days."

"Choose the men . . ' 'A female, too, sir, if I may suggest it. He's

been a long time without . . . companionship." 'An excellent notion,'

and Perizec grinned back at his son.

You have someone in mind?" Lenvec nodded. 'They will all be re-

warded."

He reached to the files and methodically began stacking them in order

he continued speaking. 'This must be completed as expeditiously as

possible. I have told the Eosi that Zainal was sent on a special

assignment and is unaware of their need of him. We have been granted

disaster and disgrace to every blood relation.

"Keep me informed, Lenvec,' Perizec told his son by way of dismissal.

As Lenvec saluted formally, pivoted smartly and left the office, Perizec

began to consider how to punish the stupidity of a mere freighter crew

who had presumed to place an Emassi among transported dissidents.

enjoyed deciding on the exact and perfect punishment for their

presumption and shortly was able to issue the necessary orders. Once

the

rumour was circulated, few Tudo or Drassi would dare to repeat such

treatment, no matter what the cause. That this abrogated one of the

main tenets of Catteni discipline did not bother Perizec. But then his

rank had some privileges, and he exercised all frequently.

As he was supposed to do, the Deski immediately informed the camp

leader

what he had heard on the height above Camp Rock.

which Worrell was now accustomed to. 'You mean, not a Drop?" Coo

shook

his head and then nodded, to be sure he was understood.

Worrell sighed with relief. The damned Catteni had speeded up their

deposits of Colonists' over the past month to the point where there was

barely time to assimilate each new delivery.

"No Drop. No long down. Come,' and Coo gestured with his thin,

oddly-knuckled digits, swooping them down to close with his other hand,

then pause briefly before elevating it again. 'Go.

Soft." And now he put a hand to his ear and pretended to listen hard.

Instantly Worrell began to fret. His nickname 'Worry' was less a

contraction of his surname and more a description of his chief trait.

"A quick Drop, then. A few people at the most. Only what kind?" he

asked himself more than Coo. 'Nearby?" 'Not near-near." Coo dropped

his

head, orienting himself, then shifted his feet slightly to the right so

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摘要：

divisionsdisappear.Still,questionsarise.Shouldtheysettleinandbegintomakethisworldtheirhome,bearingchildrenandcreatinganewsociety?OrshouldtheyreturntoEarthandjointhebattleagainsttheCattenioppressorswhoabandonedthemonthisplanet?.sequaltofreedomslandingPrefaceWhentheCatteni,mercenariesforaracecalledEos...

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Anne McCaffrey - Freedom 2 - Freedoms Choice

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