Freedom's Landing (13 page)

“Sergeant Mitford?” A man called, standing up so he could be seen, “Any ideas
why
we got dumped here?”

“Zainal says Cattenis do this to settle some planets. They come back at intervals to see if anyone's still alive and breathing.”

“Then we won't get off?”

“I didn't say that,” and Mitford's voice was grim. “But they have to land to take a look-see, don't they? There's no guarantee it's them'll take off in the ship, is there?”

That comment brought a lot of hopeful murmurs and muffled remarks.

“And one good reason to be friendly to the one Catteni we got on our side,” Mitford went on. “Any other questions?”

“Then who's farming this planet?”

“Good question and I don't know the answer.”

“Does the Cat?”

“Our Catteni ally,” and Mitford paused to be sure everyone caught his use of the full name, “does not, as his knowledge of this planet is almost as spotty as ours…except he'd heard that some of the indigenous specimens are dangerous. Outside of this camp, you keep your eyes and ears open. Or live long enough to tell us what you saw or heard.”

“Gee thanks, sarge,” and a ripple of laughter ran through the crowd.

“Everyone's in remarkably good spirits,” Kris said to Greene.

“Amazing how a full belly improves your outlook.”

“Some bastard stole Patti Sue's rations,” she added.

“Doesn't surprise me,” Greene replied in a low voice.
“We can get her more. Or should you keep them safe for her?”

“After what Mitford said about having more than my fair share? Thank you, no.”

“Ooops! Hmmm. Well, I don't think she'll lose 'em again. Maybe you should trade buddies with Sandy.”

“A thought,” Kris replied, knowing even as she spoke that she'd be conscience-stricken if she did. “Why should I saddle her with Patti?”

“She's one tough lady and will watch out for the girl,” Jay said. “And someone's going to have to watch for her because she's sure one nervous kid.”

Kris sighed.
Decisions, decisions.
But she wasn't going to be tied by Patti Sue to the cave and not get some “exercise.”
And
she'd survived on her own on Barevi so she was confident she could be useful as a scout or food hunter here on…wherever they were.

She cupped her hands to her mouth before she could think twice. “Hey, sarge, does this planet have a name?”

Mitford looked up, trying to see her in the darkness beyond the firelight.

“Bjornsen? Zainal, you guys name your planets?”

Zainal stepped into the firelight. “Only numbers,” he said in Barevi, shrugging.

“What about ‘Bounty'? Like in
Mutiny on the
…” a woman called.

“Alcatraz?” “Be positive—El Dorado.”

The exchange of names and opinions stirred an uproar which Mitford let go on for a while before he held up his hand.

“Murphy found some sort of chalk. He'll put it by the cave entrance and those of you who can write”—there were laughs—“can put up your choice of name. We'll settle the matter tomorrow right here,” and he pointed to the fire, “when we issue tomorrow's progress report. Got me?”

“Gotcha!” was bellowed back at Mitford from every corner and the word bounced about the ravine.

“Okay, then. Sentries, take your positions. You'll be relieved at first moonrise. Dis-MISSED!”

Despite the military order, Mitford was grinning as he stepped back from the fire and into the darkness beyond it.

“C'mon, Patti Sue,” Kris said, rising to her feet. “I want to find Sandy and see where she's sleeping. That way you'll know who to go to tomorrow.”

Patti Sue was clutching her arm again. “Tomorrow? You'll be going? Where? You can't leave me!”

“Honey, I can and I will,” Kris said. “You'll be all right. You heard Mitford. No one's going to mess with you.”

“But supposing…”

“Shut up, Patti Sue,” Kris said firmly, giving the girl a shake. “I can't baby-sit you every minute of the day.”

“Oh,” and Patti sank back in on herself.

“Now, Miss Patti,” Greene said in a soothing voice, making no move toward the frightened girl, “you
will
be safe. Sandy and I are supposed to inventory the supplies we've got and what's been brought in. We may have to use the walls for our records but I got some of the chalk Murphy found and you can be our secretary. Is that what you did on Earth?”

“Secretary?” Patti's voice took on a little substance. “Yes, I was secretary. A good one, but…”

“You've just been promoted to the job here,” said Greene so kindly that Kris could have kissed him.

“You heard Mitford, we all have skills that he can use, Patti Sue,” she said and, with one hand around the girl's waist, eased her along the ledge to the entrance. “We'll just find Sandy. We'd better move along now or we might miss her. She's good people.”

“But
you're
my
buddy
,” Patti Sue said in a quavering tone.

“Yes, I was,” Kris' conscience forced her to say, “for the trek, but that's over and we're here. Besides, Sandy's a good cook and it's a smart idea to be on the right side of the cooks, you know. Now let's find her.”

They did, grilling the last of the day's catch.

“Sentries get what's left over,” she said, taking in Patti Sue's terror-stricken face and smiling reassuringly. “Patti Sue, you just sit here, right by me.” And she physically manhandled Patti Sue into the space she wanted her in. “You go on now, Kris, so Patti Sue and I can get acquainted.”

Give the woman her due, Kris thought, she didn't even blanch at the idea of having Patti Sue hanging on to her. As Kris hastily departed, Greene on her heels, she heard Sandy telling the girl that she had a daughter about Patti's age and where had she come from on Earth.

“You can't be saddled with that one any longer,” Jay said as they made their way down to the bonfire.

“‘And there's no discharge in the war,'” Kris chanted out, resorting to Kipling.

“Huh?”

“Nemmind. Can you see Sarge or Zainal?”

“Beyond the fire, I think.”

It was an easier climb down than up, so she realized that wider, better steps had been carved out of the cliffside at some point during that day.

They had to wait their turn to speak to Mitford as there was no lack of volunteers for the scouting and hunting parties. Maybe another day Kris could go to the caves to see the stores with her own eyes.

“Got room for me on a scouting party tomorrow, sarge?” Kris asked when he looked around and saw her. When he spotted Greene behind her, he scowled. “Oh, I left Patti Sue with Sandy but I've got survival skills.”

“Yeah, you did well on Barevi,” Mitford said, but she thought, for a moment, that he had other plans for her.

“The skills're good anywhere…in the universe…” And she grinned. “'Sides, I had a good rest today, gutting beasties.”

Mitford hesitated until he saw Zainal watching him. “Go with our ally. You're safer with him.”

“I am?”

“You better believe it.” That came out as a growl. “Rendezvous at last moonset. Same cave? Good, Zainal'll know
where to find you.” He started to turn to those waiting behind her.

“Sarge, someone stole Patti's rations while she slept.”

Mitford nodded to Jay Greene. “Mark a package with her name then, Greene, and keep it in stores. At best, she'll get used to dealing with a male again. Next?”

And he looked beyond them to others waiting patiently for his attention. Kris and Jay moved off.

“I don't know if that was an insult or not,” Jay murmured drolly.

“Well, I'll know it's safer in your care and she'll get fed.” “Patti Sue'll always get fed,” Jay said cryptically.

*   *   *

KRIS COLLECTED PATTI SUE FROM SANDY, TRYING
to ignore the look in the girl's eyes which suggested she had doubted that Kris
would
return for her. Sandy asked which cave they were stashed in and she'd just change her bedroll into it.

Kris escorted Patti to the water containers for a drink, and then to the latrine cave and showed her how to take care of that basic problem before they retired. There was one woman fast asleep and snoring along the inside wall. So Kris directed Patti Sue to lie next to her, then she stretched out and there was space left for Sandy, at least, and probably someone else. Because her noise would keep everyone awake, Kris leaned over and, shaking the woman, suggested that she turn on her side. Sleepily the woman complied and then Patti sighed deeply in appreciation as she made herself as comfortable as possible.

Not that Kris needed any help getting to sleep. She didn't even turn once—that she remembered.

THE PANORAMA FROM THE TOP OF THE CLIFF WAS
breathtaking—and Kris needed to get her breath back after the climb Zainal had led his squad on. Before them stretched in a westerly direction—as far as the eye could see—the large neat fields, punctuated by streams that glistened as sparkling ribbons in the morning sun. Some of the fields were occupied by grazers whose form was difficult to decipher at this distance. Off to the south there was a huge body of water, but whether it was an ocean or a lake could not be ascertained.

This party was also told to hunt and Zainal had said tersely that it was best to hunt farther from the camp. To this all the experienced hunters agreed. There was little grumbling from the humans about the Catteni—or none after they'd been on the way an hour, for he set them a bruising pace and sheer human perversity required the eight members of her species to keep up with Slav, the Rugarian, and the two Deskis, Zewe and Kuskus—or that was what their names sounded like.

Mitford's claim that the Deskis were useful was borne out when the spindly creatures seemed to ooze up cliffs. They didn't have suckers on their feet, but that was the impression you got, Kris thought. They stood firm behind the ropes they let down for others. So did Zainal, who was the first humanoid to follow. Some way or other, in the five ascents made,
Kris always seemed to get hauled up by Zainal, who grinned each time he handed her safely onto the next level. She felt oddly pleased by his continued attention…considering the fact that it was all her fault he was on this planet anyhow.

A day on Botany, which was what Kris privately decided to call the planet, was longer than Earth and Barevi, so they'd been going quite a long time before the sun was at zenith, which was when Zainal called a meal-break halt on the summit. The ration bars would have gone more easily with some water to soften them though they'd all had a good drink at the last stream. Kris, dangling her legs over the edge of their vantage point, munched away and looked at the view, trying to figure out what crops were being grown, and for whom. As far as she could see, the land was cultivated or used as pasture, yet Zainal had repeatedly said the planet was not inhabited. So who was nurturing it and why? Considering that the harvestings were stored in caves, could the consumers be cave dwellers, residing deep within the planet? That would explain why there were no cities or visible occupants. Not that Kris was eager to meet troglodytes.

The range of hills, of which this was an outcropping, loomed behind and around them, spreading to the east. Mitford had marched them northward from the field on which they had been dropped by the Catteni, up the ravines until the caves had been found. But those had showed no signs of occupation, past or present, even by the local wildlife, which apparently favored forested and vegetated areas. Curiouser and curiouser, Kris thought.

Just then the Rugarian, Slav, uttered an odd cry and pointed, his oddly jointed furry arm directing everyone's attention to the northwest. Kris could see nothing but more rolling fields in their neat patchwork arrangements.

Shielding his eyes, Zainal peered out and jabbered something to the Rugarian, who gave his head a sharp affirmative nod.

Zainal turned to the others. “Slav has seen what is different…not animal.” He made a cube shape with swift gestures.

“Any people?” Kris asked, thinking that the presence of geometrical objects might indicate another drop point and more castaways. Not that she really wanted more people whose needs had to be considered.

The field was a fair distance away, though there were two little forests to traverse and in each the guys with slingshots brought down some of the alien birdy-like things and enough rocksquats to make the hunt worthy of the name. Kris had coaxed one of the hunters into letting her try her hand with the sling when he didn't need it. By the time they had reached the second woods, she was getting closer to the target she aimed at.

“Wait'll you see a covey of the critters,” Cumber suggested, “and then, if you miss what you're aiming at, you might hit something else.”