“You’re a man of many talents, aren’t you, Zainal?” she said when he had finished the job.
“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 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 learned 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 love bites part of a Catteni wooing?”
“Wooing?” he asked against her neck.
“Making love.”
“I think so. I have not loved a Catten.”
His phrasing made her catch her breath. If he hadn’t loved a Catten, 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-of-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 toward 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 fueled, 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 Mecho 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 Mecho 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 know 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 believed 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 crazy 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 cliff face,” 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,” Zainal 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 Mecho 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 thornbushes of Barevi.”
“You think you were lucky? After 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’envoi
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.
“D’you know about them?” Aarens had ranted. “D’you know she’s sleeping with that Cat?”
“If she is, it’s her own business, Aarens, and I wouldn’t put on that innocent look were I you,” Mitford had replied. “You’re quite the lover boy on your own, aren’t you? However, I’m warning you, I get one more complaint of harassment and, not only will I put you in the stocks every night so we’ll know where you are, I’ll get Dane to castrate you. Get me?”
“You wouldn’t dare?” That had shaken the mechanical genius because he knew all too well by now that Mitford did not make false promises.
So Aarens had taken the initiative the first chance he saw. But then, there would have been no message in the homing device, if that’s what it was. Perhaps the Mecho Makers would ignore its return. False alarm.
Mitford sighed and linked his fingers behind his head. He’d hate for all he’d built out of sfa here on Botany to go down the tubes. He was rather proud of what order he’d been able to achieve out of nothing. And it had been pure heaven to be without any smartass captains and lieutenants with their smartass West Point training to tell him half of what he did wasn’t in the Book. Well, it wasn’t because he was writing this book himself.
He hadn’t wanted the job but he’d come to enjoy it. Starting off fresh and making one world the way it should be. Not many men get that chance.
Tomorrow morning, he’d start on contingency plans. One thing sure, they might be in for some serious trouble from the Mech Makers for messing up their machines. They’d probably have to leave the garages and barn facilities, so he’d better scout for more caves where they could hide and carry on in spite of owner occupation.
And then there were the Catteni. Would they maybe have dumped some sort of a satellite spy eye to orbit the planet? To see if there was any contact with a technically advanced species who had a prior claim on the planet? He’d have to check with Zainal. Mitford had a hunch that more went on in that early morning meeting with the Emassi ship than Zainal had reported. But he respected Zainal far too much to grill him. That guy was honorable and people were beginning to see him in that light. Which was another load off Mitford’s shoulders. If the Emassi were up to something that would affect Botany, Mitford was pretty certain Zainal would level with him.
Mitford grunted and muttered to himself, “I drop, I stay.” And chuckled. Glad he hadn’t listened to those who’d wanted to waste the Catteni on that field.
He wasn’t all that happy that the Bjornsen girl had taken up with him, though. He’d’ve fancied her himself. A leader had a few privileges. Damned few.
He suspected nothing was going to change the Catteni’s plans for Botany. This was such a convenient dumping spot for all the troublesome dissidents the Catteni couldn’t handle on Earth…and Barevi.
Well, possession is nine-tenths of the law. Only what law applied to Botany? He’d make it his if he could. He was getting pretty good at this governing business. Making a better show than either Democrats or Republicans ever had.
Or would they all be caught between two master races…the mysterious Eosi and the even more unknown quantity of the Mech Makers? Could be interesting. Could be fatal. Well, he wouldn’t worry about that. This was a large continent.
He must remember to get in more bark sheets or have someone start to manufacture paper. They’d need more copies of the maps, geographical and spatial. Surely there was someone among his lot of individuals who knew how to make decent paper! He fumbled at his breast pocket, got out the slip of bark he kept there and one of the newer, more streamlined pencils and jotted down a note. There! Tomorrow he’d start figuring out how to cope with invasions. Would he, as planetary leader, get a chance to confront representatives of either faction? Hmmm. Maybe he could get them to accept a compromise? They turn the planet over to him. Fat chance of that but Mitford chuckled at his presumption. ASS-U-ME, he thought, remembering the old axiom of assuming too much. Whatever!
He’d get his six hours’ sleep first, get his mind rested for the duties of the morning. Operation Fresh Start, as he had facetiously called it on the morning he had “assumed” command of this mixed bag of individuals, was moving into a new phase and he’d better be ready for it. So he turned over, socked the fluff-filled pillow into proper order, and slept.
* * *
THE LAUNCH HAD BEEN OBSERVED, THE SPATIAL direction of the torpedo noted, and the report forwarded to those concerned with such matters.
Click here for more titles by this author
Ace Books By Anne Mccaffrey
The Tower and Hive Series
THE ROWAN
DAMIA
DAMIA’S CHILDREN
LYON’S PRIDE
THE TOWER AND THE HIVE
The Freedom Series
FREEDOM’S LANDING
FREEDOM’S CHOICE
FREEDOM’S CHALLENGE
FREEDOM’S RANSOM
Freedom's Landing Page 34