Anne McCaffrey - Freedom 4 - Freedom's Ransom

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AN ACE/PUTNAM BOOK

Published by G. P. Putnam's Sores a member of Penguin Putnam Inc. / New York

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents

either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously,

and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business

establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

An Ace/ Putnam Book Published by G. P Putnam's Sons Publishers Since 1838 a

member of Penguin Putnam Inc. New York, NY 10014

thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission. Published

simultaneously in Canada

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

McCaffrey, Anne. Freedom's Ransom / Anne McCaffrey. p. cm. "An Ace/Putnam

book." ISBN 0-399-14889-2 (acid-free paper) 1. Space colonies-Fiction. I.

Title. PS3563.A255F75 2002 2001056669 813'.54-dc21

Printed in the United States of America 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

This book is printed on acid-free paper. O

BOOK DESIGN BY JENNIFER ANN DADDIO

In putting together the details required for a book, the author is some-times

thrown out of his/her depth and seeks the help of experts in particular fields

for advice and information.

In this fourth of the Catteni/Freedom series, I required more knowledge

of dentistry than my experience or memory could give me. Dr. Les Latner, DMS,

Los Angeles, and A. M. Price, DMD, were generous with their help in answering

my somewhat rambling re-quests for information.

Thanks to my loyal friend, Lea Day, I was put in touch with Tony Diorio of

Dariene Coffee, Babylon, New York, who gave me infor-mation about the

transport of coffee beans from their various loca-tions and how it is handled.

Wendy Gilbert (aka Hishin) surfed the Web and friends and found out more about

coffee plantations in Kenya, for which I am indebted.

Bobbie Parker (aka Short Wave, aka Jake) improved my under-standing of

satellites beyond the information I found on the Net at various locations. He

put me wise to certain minor space difficulties and even designed the KDM

ships that transported my heroic crew on their space adventures. It's not so

much gaining information as inter-

preting it correctly for my needs that is my major problem. Therefore, all

mistakes are mine!

My son, Todd J. McCaffrey, a licensed private pilot, was once again on the

spot with accurate landing-type protocols.

I also wish to let it be known that I am grateful for the encour-agement and

help I received from chat line participants on my Web site. They were

wonderfully generous with their time, thoughts, and en-couragements. They even

let me use some of their real names and not just their on-line nicknames. As I

have met very few of them, I hope I did not offend in my portrayals from just

a name and chats on-line.

My collaborator, Margaret Ball, found me more information about the Masai

and their tribal system.

And finally, my thanks to my daughter, Georgeanne Kennedy, for her

careful editing and comments. My deepest gratitude to Susan Allison at Putnam

Berkley for her continued encouragement and es-pecially for her patience.

This book is respectfully dedicated to the people I've met on my chat line:

here-with listed in their on-line nicknames. I apologize in advance if I have

forgot-ten anyone, and this list is current even to newbies as of June 19,

2001.

Many of you gave me your time, encouragement, and often explicit help

throughout this book. I am pleased to have met all of you listed below. Ciao.

Alettah Corsaith

Ambrosius C'ris

An Dark Steps

Anareth Debbiedamoodymom

Angele Dianna

Anneli Draig

A'ron E lfinfriend

Aviendha Elrhan

Barbie Emma

BD Freev

Beck/Coelura Gail

Belarion Gill

Betsy Gizmo nine

Birgit Grainne

Bonnbon Grey Bear

Bowser Gynna

Brina Habit 2

Cami Happy Butterfly

Cheryl Heideth

Chris Hishin

Cindy No

Clueless Jax

Jeffrywith 1 e Jenna, Trivia Lady John

Jojo Jor Jorine Khricket Kismet K'Nan Koolness Kris raven Kyky

Lady Cygnet Laurel

Leia Little Bit Loiosh L'rry Mallory Marie MasterHarper 57 Mavron

Melissa Michael Miranda Moomin Mousertx Mpatane

Natalie NCC2235 Nemkitty Nemlee Nirgal Peanuts Princess Jennifer Quixotic

Ranen

Rapunzel Raz Rimmer Rogue Wolf Rosli

Rube Simon Sparkies S'ran l Sokar SW

Tail Kink2Enniem Tankiawee Thalarob Thunderchild Tsarina Wendy

Wolf Shadow York Harper

PREFACE

hen the Catteni, mercenaries for an alien race called the Eosi, invaded Earth,

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

across the planet and removing entire urban populations. These they

distributed throughout the Catteni worlds and sold as slaves along with other

conquered species.

A group rounded up from the prisons on the planet Barevi, a hub of the Catteni

empire, was dumped on an M-type planet of unknown quality, given rations and

tools, and left to deal with the conditions of the planet. Chuck Mitford,

former marine sergeant, took charge of the mixed group, which included sullen,

pugnacious Turs, spiderlike Deski, hairy Rugarians, vague Ilginish, and gaunt

Morphins, with Humans in the majority. Astonishingly enough, there was one

Cat-teni, Emassi Zainal, who had been shanghaied onto the prison ship. Though

there were those who wanted to kill him immediately, Kris Bjornsen, latterly

of Denver, suggested that he might have valuable information about the planet

on which they were stranded. Zainal's knowledge of the planet's predators,

scant as it was, saved their lives.

Installed in a rocky site, with cliffs and caves to give them protec-tion,

Mitford quickly organized a camp, using the specific abilities of

each species and assigning tasks to everyone in this unusual commu-nity.

However, the planet was soon discovered to be inhabited-by machines, the

Mechs, which automatically tended extensive croplands and the six-legged

bovine animals. The colonists quickly learned how to dismantle the machines

and design the sort of equipment they needed.

In a confrontation with yet another slave ship, dropping off more prisoners,

the colonists got hold of aerial maps of the planet. Among the features of the

maps was what appeared to be a big artificial installation, presumably

constructed by the original owners of the planet. A member of the discovery

team launched a homing device more for curiosity than intent. Both the Eosi

overlords looking for Zainal and the genuine owners of the planet noted the

release of the device. An Eosi search crew sent to bring Zainal back to face

his familial duty to be an Eosian host failed. The owners of the planet, whom

the colonists named the "Farmers," came and were revealed as peaceful life

forms with no connection to the Eosi. The Farmers made it clear that the

colonists were welcome to stay, and even acted to protect them from the Eosi.

As they explored the new world together, Kris learned that Zainal had a

three-phase plan-one that he hoped would end the domina-tion of his people by

the Eosi and, incidentally, would include the lib-eration of Earth. Zainal

explained to Mitford and to other naval, airforce, and army personnel how he

meant to proceed-initially by capturing the next Catteni ship to drop slaves

on Botany.

The successful execution of Zainal's plan netted the colonists not one but two

usable spaceships. Even with the capability of leaving Botany, Zainal was

often heard to say, "I dropped, I stay," a defiant at-titude, and a phrase

that became a rallying cry for the Botany colonists.

While the Eosi surveillance satellites were on the other side of the Botany

world, the two ships now available to the colony were able to successfully

infiltrate Barevi and acquire much-needed fuel and sup-

plies. Kris, who had already learned enough Catteni to deal with mer-chants,

and other Catteni-speakers disguised themselves to accom-pany Zainal on this

mission. While there, they rescued a number of Humans whose minds had been

wiped by the Eosi. While on Barevi, Zainal also made contact with dissident

Emassi, Catteni leaders also pledged to end Eosian domination.

With Zainal's first efforts so successful and Botany safe, the colonists

were more than ready to follow his leadership. To continue his efforts to free

not only his own people but also Earth's, a special mission was sent to Earth,

where an active underground movement was already eroding Catteni occupation.

In Freedom's Challenge, Zainal risks his life in a bid to destroy the

Eosi with the help of the dissident Catteni hierarchy and wins free-dom for

Botany and other enforced colony worlds inhabited by Hu mans. But that was the

first phase of his plan. Kris knows Zainal well enough to understand that he

still intends to make contact with the Farmers and discover their home world.

But that wish is yet again in-terrupted when the colonists discover that most

of the technical ma-terials they need have been looted from Earth and are now

stored on Barevi. As the Barevian merchants insist on being paid to surrender

the loot, Zainal and Kris must again face the necessity of leaving Botany and

finding a way to ransom the materials they desperately need to help both Earth

and Botany.

Kamiton's messenger came in a Baby-type fast scout, and Jerry Short, the duty

officer in the hangar, immediately in-formed Zainal of its imminent arrival

and request to land.

Zainal, in turn, called Kris, Peter Easley, and Dorothy Dwardie, as members of

the Botany Management Board, to join him. He had good relations with Kamiton

and wanted to keep everything "above-board," Kris's often-used idiom for

openness. He recognized the call sign of the scout as one that Kamiton

frequently used so he was somewhat prepared for bad news but did not warn the

others, preferring that they take whatever news came with this messenger

without any predisposition. It might not be bad news. But why else would

Kamiton be sending a messenger, which suggested something he did not wish

broadcast on the Botany comm lines?

Kamiton had chosen a nephew of Zainal's, firstborn son of Zainal's favorite

sister, which confirmed Zainal's premonition that the news was bad. As Kris

often did, she compared the new arrival to her beloved Zainal. She did not

expect any familial resemblance, although she noticed as the young man-

probably in his mid-twenties approached that he was slightly shorter than

Zainal but still tall for a Catteni. He had the heavy build of the true

Catteni, born and

adapted to Catten's heavier gravity. His grayish skin and yellow eyes were

expectable. Zainal's Botany tan had altered his skin tone to a more vibrant

shade of taupe and made Paxel seem drabber by com-parison. But it was in the

features that the main difference was plainly visible. She had always liked

Zainal's nose, which was not as fleshy as most Catteni. Certainly, Zainal's

mouth was better shaped, not as thick as Paxel's and far more flexible, often

giving her hints as to his mood. It was severe enough right now, though; she

noted the little flattening of his lips, indicating that he found this

situation disagree-able and wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.

She suspected then that he was anticipating a problem.

So, in his capacity as one of the governors of Botany, Zainal greeted his

nephew Paxel affably and offered him coffee-a great new favorite of Catteni.

Paxel grinned, showing three gold caps, a sight that caused Kris to have to

hide an astonished grin. Zainal covered her astonishment by introducing Paxel,

name and rank, first to Dwardie. "This is a sister's firstborn, Emassi Paxel.

I make you known to Eminent Dwardie, and my mate, Excellent Lady Emassi Kris,

and Pe-ter Easley." He reached for the message, which Paxel somewhat re-

luctantly handed over.

It bore Kamiton's name, plus the characters that confirmed that other Catteni

officials were aware that a message had been sent to him. That did not bode

well. He waved Paxel to a chair at the table in the hangar office. Then he

broke the seal and could not suppress a grunt of dismay. When he had digested

its import, he tossed the let-ter across the table to Kris, who could read

some Catteni, though probably not all the diplomatic terms and courtesies. The

gist of the message stood out as if written in red: "Barevi merchants will not

sur-render any Terran goods retrieved by the Eosi or Catteni captains."

Paxel's eyes had mirrored astonishment when Zainal gave the message first to

Kris, rather than to Peter. Very few Catteni women were ever consulted on

matters of significance.

"You mean, they need a bribe to give us back anything?" she de-manded,

outraged. "And sent your sister's firstborn with the news so you wouldn't kill

him out of hand?"

Zainal managed not to grin at her quick understanding of the ploy. She flicked

the message across the smooth table toward Peter. "What?" Dorothy Dwardie was

equally incensed. She read the note over Peter's shoulder.

"They're very acquisitive, the merchants of Barevi," Kris said, having dealt

with them during her enslavement on the trade planet and more recently during

her clandestine visit disguised as a Catteni officer.

"They don't mind dealing in stolen goods?" Dorothy asked, frowning at the

message that Peter peered at in a total lack of com-prehension, for it was in

Catteni script.

"Most if not all of what they sell has been `acquired,' one way or another,"

Kris said, watching Paxel's reaction.

"Business is at a standstill now that there is no new material com-ing in from

Eosian"-Paxel cleared his throat-" development." "Development?" Peter echoed,

glaring at the young man. "Polite terminology for forced acquisition," Kris

translated com-posedly. "However, knowing how Barevi operates, this doesn't

sur-prise me," she said, indicating the message. "I didn't think we'd get

anything back without a quid pro quo."

"A what?" Zainal frowned at words he didn't understand.

"Old Latin saying. Something for something," she told him in a low voice.

"But we must have the loot returned to us," Peter said, "since the production

lines for many essential parts are no longer functioning. The spare parts that

the Catteni `acquired' could rectify a great many useless vehicles:'

"Agreed, to the necessity to repossess the parts, especially those

communication elements," Kris said.

"Business on Barevi is at a standstill, and the merchants refuse to surrender

trading goods," Paxel repeated, as if that was the most im-portant

consideration.

"Even if we used the same technologies . . ." Peter began, irate. Kris held

up her hand. "It's a fine sample of Catteni psychology," she said, smiling at

Paxel. Being a firstborn was some protection for Paxel as far as his treatment

as the messenger was concerned, but Kris did not intend to mince words or

exchange false courtesies. "It drops, it stays-until it's paid for-one way or

another," she went on, using the slogan facetiously in an effort to relieve

the tension in the office. "We were promised restitution of materials forcibly

removed from Earth's manufacturing facilities," Peter said. She gave him a

long, cool look.

"The merchants require compensation." "That's piracy," Dorothy said, equally

annoyed.

"That's business," Kris said. "I know the merchants. They love haggling. It's

a way of life. Besides which, we've already made use of many pirated

commodities that the first Barevi expedition brought back." She gave Dorothy a

quelling look. Dorothy probably hadn't considered those goods as "loot" since

they had been paid for, at least at the Barevi market. Now Kris could wonder

if the merchants had been paid for the tab run up against a bogus ship's

account. Oh well, that was for the Catteni accountants to resolve.

"But Kamiton--" Peter began.

"Supreme Emassi Kamiton," Paxel said, "promised in good faith what

regretfully he cannot now deliver. He is trying to resolve a deli-cate

situation for all concerned." His bow to Zainal was full of respect.

Zainal was impressed by Paxel's poise and tried to hide his disap-

pointment at finding many of his own, perhaps too ambitious, plans now being

thwarted by Barevian high-handedness. Establishing easy communication links

between Botany and Earth was vital as the pres-ent connection was fragile and

subject to more delays than mere

distance. The "spurt" technique of communications, developed for contact with

the Martian colony, was ideal for shooting wads of messages from Earth to

Botany and reduced, somewhat, the time lag, but he had hoped to install

similar links to the other forced colony worlds that would strengthen Botany

in the new balance of power in this part of the galaxy-at least in having easy

communication with like-minded, Terran-populated worlds.

The restoration of some basic commodity manufactories in the food

industry, flour mills and food preservation, was essential not only to revive

local economies and open the infrastructure of the damaged urban areas, but

also to provide trade goods to the now hungry mar-kets of Barevi. The setback

of having to ransom what the Barevian merchants had lying about useless in

their stalls was a further insult. Of primary importance was the repair and

recommissioning of power sources that had fallen in the initial Catteni

onslaught, or later when the Resistance forces were trying to force the

Catteni conquerors off Terra. The restoration of easy communications was vital

to the re-construction effort. It was imperative to know where relief supplies

were most critically needed as well as how to help relieve local emer-gencies.

Priorities had to be assessed by appropriate experts and on-site information

was needed to do so. He would like to see comm sats above the other nine

Catteni worlds and links to Catten and Barevi. He grinned at Paxel: messages

would then be easier to send and less dangerous to give. He wondered idly if

Kamiton had quite antici-pated the problems he was facing as the new leader of

the Catteni. Certainly, when the man blithely promised the return of looted

ma-terial-and Zainal had specifically mentioned what had been trans-ported to

Barevi, since he already knew how many captured goods were on display in. that

marketplace-Zainal had been dubious, even then, about the possibility of an

easy repossession. Kamiton was obvi-ously not enjoying as much support as he

had anticipated or Zainal had hoped for. So Kamiton had dumped the problem

back in Zainal's lap.

Zainal could bluster and threaten but, as he had no retaliatory power or armed

forces, his threats were empty. Zainal had no effective way to force Kamiton

to comply. His priority had been to secure Botany's autonomy and that of the

other Terran forced-colony worlds. The martial arm of Catteni was still intact

even if the Eosi had been destroyed, and Botany was in no position to succeed

against the formidable Catteni fleet-especially now that the Farmers' remark-

able and impervious bubble had been removed from the space around Botany.

Kamiton would not have permitted an armed and defensible Botany nor had Zainal

suggested it. He had aimed instead for restor-ing all the forced immigrants to

their home world-if they wished to go-and independence from Catteni

interference if they elected to stay. Botany was the most tenable and

developed of the enforced colonies, so this had been quite a concession on

Kamiton's part. Pos-sibly it had come under review and criticism from the

conservative Catteni, who were now in charge of their home world.

"But we have nothing more than food stores to ransom the goods we need,"

Dorothy said, adding, "that is, if I have properly under-stood what you said.

A quid pro quo. Something for something."

"`Ransom' is the right word, Dorothy," Zainal replied, nodding graciously

at her.

"And we can't in conscience use the Farmers' stores," Kris replied. She and

Zainal had been leading opposition to that. "At least not for such a purpose.

Feeding the hungry on our own world is one thing."

"Feeding the greedy on Barevi is not," Peter said firmly. "Have we nothing

else with which to barter?" Peter was fascinated by Paxel's dental work, Kris

noticed. He caught Kris's eye. "See what Mike Miller has in."

She nodded, understanding what he meant.

"An ounce for what quantity of goods?" Zainal asked in quick comprehension.

"Kris, if you would be good enough to contact

Mike?" He jerked his head toward the main communications bank in the hangar.

"First we have to know what we have. And perhaps, Paxel, you would be good

enough to suggest commodities."

Kris smiled at Paxel and rose gracefully. "Be right back." She couldn't

help lapsing into a provocative stroll since Paxel was obvi-ously watching

her. She was by no means vain about her tall, lithe fig ure or her long,

blond, attractively arranged hair. She didn't consider herself beautiful even

if Zainal often told her that he thought she was but she knew that she wasn't

unattractive.

She made her way into the main hangar where Jerry Short was sit-ting,

looking extremely nervous.

"It's all right, Jerry, we aren't killing the messenger," she said with a

grin.

"I heard tell the Eosi did allatime," he replied, not completely re-

assured.

"The Catteni is a nephew of Zainal's."

"I don't think that would have bothered the Eosi."

"Neither do I, but Zainal is not Eosian. Would you please see if you can

get Mike on the comm?"

"Mike Miller?"

Kris took what looked to be the most comfortable of the three battered

chairs facing the comm unit.

"The very one."

"Why? Do we need more gold for teeth?" Jerry asked over his shoulder as he

looked up Miller's comm-unit number and tapped it in. "Now, you know, that's a

very good notion, Jerry," she said, smil-ing at him. One of her private

priorities was going to be new chairs for this place so no one would have back

and coccyx problems from long hours on duty. "I wonder how many spare-part

packages we could get for an ounce of dust?"

"How much dust does it take to build a gold cap? And do we have any

dentists on our roster?"

On another board, Jerry tapped in a sequence. "I'll find out." Just then

Mike's gravelly voice answered the prime call.

"Miller here. What can I do you for?"

Mike was in a good mood, Kris thought at his jocose greeting, and she

hated to spoil it.

"Kris here, and it's what I can do you out of again, Mike. I'm beg-ging.

Have you mined anything valuable enough to use for ransom-ing our equipment

back from the merchants on Barevi?"

"What?" The force of that simple word reminded Kris that Mike had a

reputation as a brawler: a big energetic man who had done hard physical labor

all his life and would have been a match in a brawl even with a Catteni. Maybe

they should take him with them to Barevi. By the same token, maybe she should

not. While Zainal had not yet mentioned a large mission, Kris knew that it

would be necessary and would require every other Catteni-speaker. "As I heard

it, all they've got is goods they looted from Earth. Thought they were

supposed to give it over to us."

"That was the general idea, but it evidently doesn't work for the

Barevian merchants."

"Thought Zainal had figured out how to make them," Mike said and started

cursing under his breath.

"They've got crates of stuff they can't use, which they won't re-lease

until something is paid over. So we just have to cut bait and ran-som what is

most needed, Mike. I don't like it any better than you do, and Zainal is

apoplectic." Which was hyperbole but she knew that Zainal was not at all

pleased by the situation. Terrans had had to swal-low considerable amounts of

pride since the day the Catteni invaded Earth, and most people had had to do

worse.

"You're in luck, Kris. We've been mining that diamond pipe Sergei found.

Beautiful stones. Collectors would pay a premium rate for them," he added,

with an upward inflection that suggested im-

mense curiosity. "Uncut, of course, but it's the `water' of the original

carats that's important. Let someone else have the stress of cutting the stone

to make the most out of it. Didn't think they'd be useful so we've been

screening for industrials. The big stones are not something anyone here would

want to spend colony credits on."

"Why? Could you put your hands on more?"

"Why? It was the Eosi who collected gemstones in the Catteni economy. I

heard they were all gone."

"I wonder who'd want gemstones if now they're all gone." "Good question, Kris.

Anyone got answers?"

"There were a few who hadn't come to the big Council and are still alive and

free, somewhere in the galaxy. But I doubt they'd know where the others kept

their proceeds."

"Would they put in an appearance where they could be caught?" Mike asked,

surprised.

"Not likely. All I care about now is that the Barevian merchants will take

what we have to offer in exchange for what we need. We'll sort out the ethics

later."

"Well, caveat emptor, then."

Kris chuckled to hear Latin for the second time that morning. "Yes, indeed.

Have you much gold?"

"Actually, we do. Bart Crispin was keen-eyed enough to spot some nuggets

and flakes in one of the streams up here and we've had the devil's own time

keeping everyone at work in the mine shafts. I let them go prospecting in the

evening. Ain't much else exciting to do up here." "D'you speak any Catteni,

Mike? Does anyone else up there? We might need to muster you for the aid of

the party."

"New faces would be nice, even if they are Catteni bastards. In fact, you can

put me on record as saying that if I could suss out what they are selling, I

might be able to suggest other likely items to secure what we need."

"I'll tell Zainal of your willingness to be in the ransom party," she

said, knowing that Mike would not be a prime candidate, though she might be

doing him a disservice. He managed difficult miners hand-ily enough. If he

could keep his temper, he might be an asset.

There was also the minor problem that she didn't think Barevi merchants

would deal with a woman, beyond selling her food or fab-ric. She'd managed

before only because she was in a Catteni uniform, disguised and bearing proof

of her captain's authorization. She didn't care to be in disguise again unless

it was absolutely vital.

"How much gold is available?"

"Its value depends on the rate of exchange, but I've over thirty pounds

of dust, a bagful of forty-five nuggets of various sizes, and a couple of bars

where we melted down the little stuff so we wouldn't lose the flakes." She

quickly jotted down a note about the variety of raw materials. "About a

hundred pounds each of tin, copper, and zinc. I'm told the Catteni are in

chronic need of raw materials."

"Thanks, Mike. I'll get back to you," she said, signing off the line. She

gathered up her notes, thanked Jerry with a nod, and went back to the office,

where she passed Zainal the note without comment. When he pointed to her

scribble of "gold," she tapped a front tooth. "The main point is, Paxel, if we

bring goods, will the mer-chants trade?"

The young Catteni leaned forward, opening his hands wide in en-treaty.

"Any business will be welcome right now, I think." He gave Zainal a knowing

smile. "With the Eosi gone, and no new devel opment available, they are

feeling a pinch they haven't known in decades."

If Kris said "too bad" to herself, she smiled winningly at Paxel. "Can Kamiton

guarantee their `cooperation'?"

Paxel shrugged diffidently. "He expected their cooperation before now,

especially since your people have provided so many unusual items for Barevi

markets and Barevi wants to continue the influx.

Barevi has a reputation to maintain." He grinned. "So the need is al-ways to

have many new items to intrigue and entertain customers." "I wouldn't have

taken the Catteni culture as consumer-oriented," Peter remarked.

"Never mind that they can't use half the stuff they have in stor-age," Zainal

said, leaning back in his chair and smiling. "They always did display a wide

variety of goods."

Paxel grinned back. "There are always Emassi to supply. Our scout ships, as

you should know, Zainal, often use trade items when en-countering a native

species."

"Ah, yes," Zainal murmured.

"I always wondered," Dorothy remarked with an acid-sweet smile, "what they

first offered Terrans in trade. Beads?"

"Those records are sealed," Paxel replied, but his eyes sparkled. "Do you

think someone sold you out to the Catteni?" Zainal asked, giving her a sharp

look.

"`Take me to your leader' was never a headline prior to the in-vasion

fleet," she said noncommittally. "But that didn't mean there weren't private

deals made."

"Nor that it was a very equable trade," Peter remarked, "whatever was

offered."

"Beads probably, or was it tomahawks and firearms?" Dorothy said with a

very bright smile.

Paxel's reference to scouts and ships reminded Zainal of a very important

fact. All scouting-mission reports as well as booty were processed through

Central Barevi Air Traffic records, as well as where slave ships had taken

their cargoes, so all the records they needed to repatriate Terrans were on

file at Barevi-somewhere. Now that he had a legitimate reason to go to Barevi,

he could possibly accomplish a lot more than just reclaiming loot. A gold

nugget in the appropriate hand and he might be able to review those records.

The Resistance movement had lists identifying which ships had landed in which

ma-

jor population centers on Earth, and now he could find out where the various

ships had deposited their cargoes. So he'd be able to repa-triate specialists

vitally needed back on their home worlds. Zainal had no idea how he might

accomplish such an exchange.

Lives were wasted on the mining planets. More workers had al-ways been

available to the Eosi "development" program. New sup-plies of workers had been

one of the primary aims of Eosi searches. The other had been finding planets

with the raw materials necessary to supply the ever-increasing requirements of

the Eosi. The Turs had been the first reasonably intelligent species the Eosi

had found and were almost as difficult to deal with as Catteni. The Rugarians

had been slightly more cooperative, but the Deski had been physically un-

suited to the hard labor required of captives. The Terrans were phys-ically

more suited to such arduous work. It was likely to prove difficult to exchange

the current laborers at those facilities.

This Barevi trip might provide him with more information than Kamiton wanted

him to have, but since the opportunity had been dropped into Zainal's lap, he

would "stay" with it. It was also a chance for him to take his sons into a

Catteni world where, he hoped, they would absorb more of the training they

would need to function as adults. The Masai on Botany, where he had sent the

boys to study a warrior culture, had done well with them, but they needed more

than that to cope successfully in the Catteni culture. He would find a tutor

for them at the hiring hall in Barevi. He was pleased that they had learned

English-albeit with a Masai cadence-but they needed to acquire an adult

Catteni vocabulary and adult Catteni skills. Kris al-ways wanted to see more

of his sons, and this would be a good op-portunity. They had toughened and she

would no longer feel "sorry" for them and treat them with the softness so

often exhibited by Ter-ran mothers. Not that he doubted Kris's sincere desire

to do well by her mate's offspring. He had a lot to get under way now that he

knew what the situation on Barevi was and how Botany could mitigate the

problem. He would wind up this conference with Paxel and send him back-

unharmed-to Kamiton, he hoped not much the wiser of how things were

progressing on Botany: save that there were Catteni-style cargo ships, KDLs,

lying idle outside the landing field.

"Well, Paxel, delighted to see you and do give my greetings to your mother, my

favorite sister, and your sire. And to Kamiton, of course. I expect there will

be no trouble if I arrive in one of the cargo ships?" "No, none at all.

Kamiton asked me to encourage you."

"To solve the problem, no doubt."

"I believe he hopes you can," and Paxel leaned in a little on the fi-nal

word, and then realized that might have been less than diplomatic but had the

sense not to try to retrieve the error.

"I'm sure he does," Zainal replied amiably, smiling. "Expect us within five

days."

"Or perhaps a little later," Kris said. They'd particularly need Chuck

Mitford's assistance and possibly that of some of the others who had returned

to help rebuild Earth. "There's a lot to organize, es pecially as some of our

more fluent Catteni-speakers are currently on Earth and will need to be

recalled."

"That is all too true, Paxel."

Paxel nodded. "It is up to Zainal, and you, to set the time of re-turn,

Excellent Lady Emassi," he said, giving her a polite but stiff nod of his

head. Plainly he was surprised that a woman would enter into

a conversation with a male, especially one of Zainal's status. But, even on

Catteni, certain mates did have special privileges, and doubtless he knew her

reputation since he had addressed her with her honorary Catteni title.

"Then we shall collect the members of our delegation," Zainal said,

straightening up and looking Paxel in the eye, "and inform Kamiton that we

shall presently arrive on Barevi and settle this oner ous problem once and for

all. I need the security codes presently in ef-fect at Barevi."

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