Crisis On Doona

by Anne McCaffrey

  Kelly was proud that her mother and father were two of the original colonists. Over the quarter century since that historic Treaty, Admiral Sumitral of Alreldep had continued to negotiate with Hrrestan, Hrriss’s father and chief of the Hrruban village elders, to make room for more Humans who wanted to leave overcrowded Earth and more Hrrubans with a similar desire. The talks had been successful, and the population of Doona had increased a thousandfold. Men and women who had lived in cramped, crackerbox-sized apartments on Earth had built homes and ranches in the fertile river valleys and settled down with room to stretch out.

  No limit had actually been set on how much land each settler could claim, so long as waste, pollution, and senseless destruction of resources were avoided. As well as the native urfa, Vic Solinari, who had come to Doona as the storemaster, had elected to raise sheep and goats, his share of the precious breeding stocks sent from Earth. To keep the grasslands healthy, he rotated their pasturage every season to another part of their land. Typically Doonan, he also had a stable of horses, Kelly’s favorite animal as well as cats and dogs.

  It had been four years since Kelly had seen a living animal except Humans and Hrringa, the lonely Hrruban minding the transmitter grid in Alreldep block. Elated and exhilarated, she screeched greetings to a flock of goats milling around in a pen, and sighed with happiness as a cluster of young colts galloped in play across a fenced meadow not far from the house. It was wonderful to be home. Kelly legged Calypso into a canter down the hill toward town, revelling in the rhythmic gait and the joy of being back in the saddle again.

  DR. BEN ADJEI had estimated the day this year—and he hadn’t been wrong in twenty years—when the great reptiles would migrate from the salt marshes to the low-lying desert fifty kilometers inland to lay their eggs. Only offworlders bet against him, the local population shrewdly inciting them to do so.

  A Sighter had landed her small copter behind the Reeve ranch house early in the morning to alert Todd that the egg-heavy female snakes were arriving in the desert and beginning to burrow into the dunes. Immediately, Todd called a meeting of leaders of the Hunt at the colony Assembly Hall. They had gathered from all over Doona and had been staying in or around First Village for the last few days, in case Ben Adjei’s estimate was off a bit.

  For the past fifteen years, Todd and Hrriss had been in the first line of Hunters. Their rapport was instinctive: they seemed to read each other’s mind. They never took unnecessary chances or risked lives, theirs or others. Their impressive tally of kills and captures of the dangerous reptiloids had reached legendary totals. As they grew to an age when their parents would permit it, they came to lead the Hunt and had done so now for ten years.

  “You could see them in the underbrush, swarming toward the sands,” Lois Unterberger informed the leaders who had congregated at the Reeve residence, the usual Hunt headquarters. Excitement made her brown eyes wide, showing white all around the irises. Her dark hair was intricately braided and pinned tightly to her scalp. “Hundreds of them, like a river, pouring onto the dunes and disappearing into burrows. I followed the leading edge all the way from the salt marshes. Hrrel is still in his copter over the dunes, watching until I get back.”

  “This is it,” Todd said excitedly. “Lois, you fly back and keep an eye on the snakes. We’ve got to know the minute they start to leave. Dar,” he instructed another Sighter, “go and check the snake blinds along the way to make sure everyone knows the snakes are coming and to stay inside. Take two of the Lures with you, and drop them at the vulnerable points we discussed.”

  “Gotcha! I’m away,” Dar Kendrath said, dashing for his small craft.

  “And keep in touch!” Todd called after him. “We need to know the moment the snakes start to move out!”

  Dar threw him a salute from the seat of his copter as the vehicle took off.

  “We’re ready,” announced Lou Stapley, who was in charge of the Beaters, who helped to keep the snakes in train by thrashing the undergrowth with flails or beating drums and cymbals.

  Wranglers, very experienced riders, were in charge of each horse platoon. Their main concern was spotting the nervous rider who could panic his mount. Or a horse who suddenly decided he had had quite enough snake hunting in his lifetime.

  Hrrula, one of the Reeves’ oldest friends, was both the leader of Team Two and a Wrangler. “Everrryone is prrrepared,” he assured them.

  “Great,” Todd said, checking them off on his list. All the preparations were falling together nicely.

  “We’ve got the pass blocked toward the Launch Center,” Jesse Dautrish said, scratching his jaw. “Let’s hope it looks impassable to snake eyes. But it won’t take long to clear it after the Hunt’s over. The bridges have thorn barricades as well as mines, just in case the snakes try to cross the easy way.” Though the snakes could swim, the banks of the rivers upstream were too sheer and deep for them to get a belly-hold. “I need another shower,” he added, scratching his waist. “Damn dust settles in every pore.”

  Jesse’s assistant, Hrrol, brushed at her short, tan fur, sending up clouds of dust. “All the charges are laid near rrrsidences and rranchess.” she said. “Here’s your copy back, Hrriss.”

  “Well done,” Hrriss told the attractive Hrrol, and passed the list to Todd.

  “Okay, okay,” Todd said, calling the Hunters to order. “Let’s go. Spread the word, we gather the Hunt at noon, and we’ll ride out as soon as we get the word from the Sighters. Robin, see you at the feast later.”

  “Right, Todd!” called Todd’s youngest brother, running for his horse. “Good hunting!”

  Todd and Hrriss saddled their mounts and rode to the Assembly Hall to wait for the rest of Team One. Horses were still the primary form of individual transportation on the colony world. Doonan-bred horses were one of the colony’s most important assets and trade goods, especially on Hrruban-settled worlds. Hrrubans were fascinated by the gentle quadrupeds, and were natural riders. The breeding of horses, rescuing the beloved animal from near extinction by careful genetic husbandry, was done on nearly every ranch on the planet, both Human and Hrruban. The Doonan style of saddle and bridle included gems and other valuable pieces easily obtained from the planet’s generous storehouse of precious minerals.

  The style, which echoed the formal wear of the Hrrubans themselves, seemed unbelievably ostentatious to denizens of Earth, to whom a single one of these gems represented additional comforts not yet purchased. When gems could be picked up in riverbeds and rift bottoms and polished with little effort by the finder, it was difficult for young Doonans to take the awe and greed over such trinkets seriously. Todd was proud of the way his gray gelding, Gypsy, looked in the new tack he’d made, aglitter with gilding and pretty stones, many of which had no commercial value, but some of which were worth enough alone to buy a change of status on Earth.

  The colony folk had also rediscovered handcrafts. Doonan/Rralan crafts were so well thought of that goods of that origin commanded a good price off-world: pottery; needlecraft; weaving; stone, metal, and wood sculpture; jewelry; and leatherwork. An object made of the porous rla wood could be dyed in rainbow colors before it was painted with rla sap to seal and harden it to the consistency of stone without the weight. Todd’s saddle frame was made of rla, giving him a sturdy seat that required no effort for his mount to carry. He needed to travel light, because the Hunt was hours of hard riding.

  Gypsy danced beneath him as other Hunters and their horses gathered around them on the common. The gray gelding had caught some of the excitement Todd was feeling. The hard work of the last two weeks was about to payoff. He and Hrriss exchanged grins of relief.

  “Do you know, for a while I was afraid no one else was coming when the shuttles were late arriving?”

  “Not coming!” the Hrruban echoed, mocking disbelief lighting his eyes. “Many spend the time between Hunts looking forward to the next one.”

&nbs
p; A slender horsewoman on an Appaloosa mare rode down the hill toward the square, standing in her stirrups and waving. Todd recognized the flame-bright hair on sight and vigorously waved back.

  “Hey, Hrriss, Kelly made it back!”

  “Good!” Hrriss said, raising his own long arm to return her salute. “One more good backup rrriderr to keep order among the aliens.”

  “Hey, gal, welcome home,” Todd shouted when she was near enough to hear him over the pounding of Calypso’s galloping hooves. “Mike said you were trying to make it in time for the Hunt. And you haven’t changed at all!”

  She plumped back in the saddle, to signal the mare to halt, and eased her between Gypsy and Rrhee, Hrriss’s mare. Now, grinning, she snapped her fingers, her expression mock-wistful. “Gee, and I worked so hard to create a new image.”

  “Don’t bother,” Todd replied, grinning back. “The one you got’s not bad enough to put anyone off. Exactly.”

  “Oh, you! Hrriss, how are you?” and she turned to the Hrruban. “Heard you guys got drafted on that Hrrethan ‘do.’ ”

  Todd and Hrriss exchanged quick glances. How had Kelly heard of that? But then, she was an Alreldep trainee.

  “Verry well,” Hrriss answered, dropping his jaw. “The speeches lasted many hours. If it were not for the pleassure of having a functioning transportation grid, the people of Hrretha would most gladly have forgone the honor of having so many eminent speakers.”

  “Spacedep and Codep both sent representatives,” Todd added. “I was a little surprised to see Varnorian there himself, instead of sending a deputy as Spacedep did.”

  “A good thing you went to keep them honest,” Kelly said, making a face. “I’ve been hearing all about the two of you from my little cubbyhole in Alreldep block! You’re considered to be quite a pair of heroes there.”

  Todd waved her words away embarrassedly.

  “You must tell us all about your experriences, as soon as the Hunt is over,” Hrriss said, showing his fangs in the widest Hrruban smile.

  “Absolutely!” she promised them.

  Kelly’s mention of Alreldep brought back to Todd the full memory of his ship’s passage into the interdicted zone around Hrrilnorr, and the fact that two weeks had gone by and there hadn’t been the least hint that their “rescue” had been recorded, or even mentioned to the Treaty Council.

  He would be interested to know if she had heard any rumors: especially one that might suggest the beacon had been planted by factions unsympathetic to the Doona Experiment. This was not the time to bring up such a sensitive topic. Riders needed their wits about them in the Hunt. Plenty of time to take her aside and get her reactions later on.

  “That medical kit been renewed lately?” Todd asked her, nodding at the roll neatly strapped to the cantle.

  “You bet. Mike made it up special,” and Kelly gave him a wry sideways glance, “in case you fall off again!”

  Todd snorted. “And when was the last time you saw me fall off?” he demanded in mock outrage.

  “You have two to your credit,” Hrriss said, his eyes narrowing slyly. “Did not Ken say it takes thrrree falls to make a rider?”

  Todd laughed and patted his sides tenderly. “More like two hundred, friends.”

  The rest of Team One began to close up to the leaders. Two more old friends, Hrrin and Errala, from one of the distant Rralan villages, rode up behind and greeted them happily. The three shook hands with the Hrruban mates. Todd checked them off his list.

  Places in the teams were always reserved for friends and friends of friends. The prestigious first six Hunter teams had to open further to admit highpowered guests whose inexperience sometimes tested the experience and skill of their hosts. But their presence meant a healthy contribution to the success of the Hunt and thus had to be tolerated.

  Hrrubans and Humans in equal numbers joined the ride every year. Though Hrrubans required slight alterations to the standard saddle to accommodate the difference in their skeletal structure, they were keen on any opportunity to ride their beloved hrrsses. Ocelots, gifts to the Rralans from their Human friends, prowled alongside their masters’ mounts, waiting for the signal to go. The spotted hunting cats were among the few animals that were fearless in the presence of snakes, and kept down other pests that troubled the settlements. The more skillful, working in teams of four or five, even brought down young snakes and killed them.

  Hrrula skillfully guided his horse to join theirs, followed by the rest of Team Two. The sudden crowd caused Hrriss’s two pet ocelots, Prem and Mehh, to go on guard. He swung off his mount to soothe them. Hrriss found that he did not recognize most of the Hrrubans who made up Team Two. They were undoubtedly visitors, probably from the new colony worlds. Hrrubans who lived on Rrala did not have such a wild, predatory look when discussing the Hunt, and those who still lived on Hrruba were revolted by the thought of slaying fresh meat. Though understandably excited about the pursuit and kill, Rralans were more concerned with staying alive throughout the Hunt. Hrriss calmed Prem, who seemed to have caught his agitation. The fierce little cats had been a gift from Todd and had already proved themselves in battle with the snakes. It seemed they were as eager as he was to confront them again.

  Each team leader checked in with Todd as soon as he or she arrived in Assembly Square. Inessa, Todd’s younger sister, hailed them from Team Six, waving a throwing stick. Hrriss poked his friend in the elbow and pointed to Inessa. They both waved. Since their older sister, Ilsa, had married and returned to Earth, Inessa and her two younger brothers, Dan and Robin, took it in turns every year to ride with the Hunt or help guard the family ranch. Hrriss, the only offspring of his parents, used to envy Todd his many siblings until he found that they regarded him as an extension of Todd.

  Suddenly Todd groaned. “Will you look at that? Spare me!” He tossed his head in the direction of the Assembly Hall, to their left.

  Obediently Hrriss and Kelly glanced that way. From the doorway, a young man swaggered out wearing the very latest in hunting pinks, and boots that had to have cost the equivalent of starfare between Earth and Proxima Centauri. He swung a six-foot length of polished wood between his fingers.

  “Don’t they ever read the advisories we send out on what kind of protective clothing to wear for rough riding?” Todd said in a low but disgusted tone.

  “But, Todd, he’s trying. I heard him tell me that he researched both hunting garb and polo accoutrements and decided on this compromise as being appropriate,” Kelly said, her eyes brimming with devilment. “I heard him every mealtime, in fact.”

  “And you didn’t warn him?” Todd shot her an aggrieved glance.

  “What? And ruin our fun?”

  “He was on the ssshuttle with you?” Hrriss asked.

  “Indeed, and at my table. That, dear hearts,” Kelly said, amused, sitting back in her saddle to watch their expressions, “is Jilamey Landreau, Spacedep’s nephew. He’s harmless.”

  “I’ll give you any odds, Kelly dear old thing, that he’s going to be trouble for whatever Team he’s on,” Todd said, summing up the stranger with a practiced eye, as Jilamey mounted the horse chosen for him with a modicum of expertise, though the quarterstaff proved an immediate encumbrance. “I don’t like the stable he comes from.”

  “It is not the stable he comes from that should concern us, Zodd,” Hrriss assured him, his eyes glinting mischievously, “and his trouble will be in conzrolling his hrrss. He will not be in our way.”

  “Ah, but he said he’s on Team One,” Kelly replied, delighted at the shock on Todd’s face.

  He fumbled for the Team list in his pocket. “I’ve got a J. Ladrulo ... Oh, no.”

  “I wondered at him being on Team One,” Kelly said, her face full of mischief. “I thought you knew what you were doing. However, don’t worry about him. I’ll make him my responsibility. I owe him a couple.” Now her eyes took
on a gleam similar to Hrriss’s, her expression bland. “For aspersions cast like bread upon the surface of our table.”

  “You’re mixing metaphors again,” Todd said, ready for the banter they always enjoyed. “Didn’t they teach you anything useful at Alreldep?”

  “How to manage little men like Jilamey, sweetheart,” she said, giving him a coy and insincere smirk. But she sighed as Jilamey urged his animal over to Todd and Hrriss.

  He threw them a jaunty salute and banged the quarterstaff painfully against his knee. The horse snorted, flicking an ear at such an unusual appendage. “Lo, Kelly. Didn’t think I’d have the pleasure of your company so soon again, much less with Team One. Jilamey Landreau, at your service. Nearly missed my chance—shuttle was late. I’ve heard all about your local menace. Read up on the subject, too. I’m expecting great things of this day. I want to catch a really big snake. I’m assured that you’re the best. My friends”—he threw a sly glance over his shoulder at his ship companions—“could only get on Teams Three and Four.”

  And why he wasn’t with them, instead of complicating Team One, Kelly did not know. She’d have a small talk with the village elders later, she assured herself. Punctiliously, she introduced Todd, Hrriss, Hrrin, and Errala to Jilamey. At least he had enough manners not to gawk at the Hrrubans.

  “Landreau, you say?” Todd asked with cool courtesy. “Not any relation to Admiral Landreau, by any chance?”

  “The Admiral’s my uncle. That’s why I got on your team.” Jilamey grinned amiably.

  “Isss zat so?” Hrriss said, taking up Todd’s lead. “I find it amazing that he would perrmit one of his kin to take parrt in a Snake Hunt.”

  “Why not?” Jilamey appeared surprised. “Supposed to be the best hunting available.”

  “The Admiral told you that?”