"And what, pray tell, was that?" Sarah asked acidly.
"A point, but it wasn't just psychologists and psychiatrists that got the treatment. There were heads of state and government departments and whatever NASA personnel they could find. All kinds of specialists." Kris realized she was talking more to reassure herself than Sarah. And she wasn't sure she was convincing. "Well, with all the information that's come back, the High Command," and she managed a grin, "are sure to come to some conclusions. I'm sure Dorothy would have told Leon Dane, at least, since he's still more or less chief medic."
"Well, it's not something we just ask about, is it?"
"Nope, but that doesn't mean we can't find out if it's been discussed;' Kris muttered under her breath. "That's the downside of being away from here. You can't keep up with what's happening."
Sarah raised her eyebrows and regarded Kris with a wry grin. "Look who's talking? You've been traveling the galaxy and I'm stuck at home…
Oops!" She caught Kris' arm, then pointed to the cluster of torches at the dark edge of the settlement. "Demonstration!"
They were not so far away they didn't hear the gasp as the latest arrivals witnessed the emergence of night crawlers. They could hear male shouts of surprise and alarm and female cries of terror. They saw plainly the shadows of a milling throng, wanting to put distance between themselves and the wet, slimy denizens of the night ground. A chant began, and from the depth of the voices, the two friends decided that was a Maasai response to danger.
"I'm glad they're on our side," Kris said.
"Me, too, and Joe won't be on mine if I don't get home," Sarah said and turned off toward her own home on the flagstone path where their way parted.
WHEN KRIS REACHED THEIR HOUSE, Zane was asleep andZainal busy with papers on the table, so she slipped in to check on her son. He'd grown inches in the weeks she'd been away. What else had she missed of his development?
Zainal grinned at her. "He walks well now."
She pulled up another chair to sit beside him, their bodies barely touching at shoulder and thigh. She had worked herself into a nervous wreck on the walk home, thinking about Dorothy's theory. WeLl, eavesdroppers never heard anything good, about themselves or other matters: as just demonstrated.
But maybe Zainal could reassure her. She was certain to have nightmares tonight, remembering the blank looks of the Victims as they had been led off the two K-ships.
"Zainal?" she began and then noticed he was dealing with figures and time slots, and entry windows through the Bubble. "What's being planned now?"
Zainal leaned back, tossing the pencil to the table and stretching until his tendons cracked which made her shudder. The sound made her wince, thinking of bodies on a rack.
"Kamiton met some of the other leaders, and I must agree with some of their ideas." Zainal linked his fingers together across the back of his broad head. Which reminded Kris of the burning question.
She put her hand on his upper arm in brief apology. "The Eosi couldn't come up with a means to turn off all our minds, could they?"
Zainal tipped his head back, roaring with laughter, and she had to hush him. Zane would sleep through a great deal of noise but not a bellow like that.
He slipped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze, his face against her cheek.
"They've only one of those mental helmets. They could scarcely cope with the millions of you Humans, and that's what they'd have to do.
Though Ray asked Kamiton, too, if it was possible. It isn't! It would be bet ter if we could put the Eosi under that device." He made a grimace, a new trait of his which made him seem all the more Human. She'd caught the surprise in Kamiton's eyes over Zainal's facial reactions. Very un-Catteni, probably. "Of course, their enlarged heads wouldn't fit so we can't use that as a way of cutting them down to size."
She grinned back at him. "So?"
"So, since Kamiton needs to get back, we are going to see what other mischief… is that the right word;' and his yellow eyes twinkled at her, "we can get into. Actually," and he retrieved the pencil to tap it on the various sheets that she realized were now laid out in a semi-circle on the table, "Beverly wants to dazzle them with surprises everywhere. Everyone who went back to Earth is all for it:' His expression was solemn. "Your planet had taken a terrible beating and still won't succumb to practices the Eosi have always found effective. If not being able to get through the Bubble has been frustrating Mentat Ix, why not prod them elsewhere! Frustrate them more! Confuse them! Harry-I thought that was a man's nameharry them until they don't know how to deal with the various strikes we'll make:'
"Well, there're ways to totally confuse a computer;' Kris said, "and make it blow up. Could there be a way to do that to the Eosi?"
"Kamiton thinks it's a good way to go;' Zainal said, with a sly grin. "He says it might be the right way, too."
"So?" and she pulled one of the sheets toward her which Zainal then deftly shifted back.
"So, since Kamiton can get access to all the recognition codes, and find out which ships of which class have been destroyed or believed lost, we can make our fleet into a much larger one:'
"By changing the code name?"
"And where it appears. For instance, as Emassi Venlik, I need to bring back all the metals I had to off-load in the asteroid belt. First, as Emassi Kulak, I will go to a mining planet and acquire a load…;' He interrupted himself. "Walter Duxie says he can't mine enough to make a full load of interesting stuff, so we go where they are mining it. Then, we take that load back to Catten." He stopped and took a deep breath. "I wish to bring my sons to safety here," and he looked her squarely in her eyes.
"Of course," Kris said quickly. "They would be at risk if the Eosi found out you're still alive."
"There is one who is sure I am," Zainal said in a heavy voice.
"Your brother?" And when he nodded, she went, "but where are your sons now?"
Zainal clenched his teeth a moment before he answered. "With my sire."
"Aren't they…" and she stopped because it was obvious from the pain in his eyes and the tension in his body that they were not safe. "Kamiton's seen them?"
Zainal nodded.
"Well, it's an easy way for me to increase my family," she said in an airy tone.
"I will be their father but you will not be able to mother them;' he said, surprising her. He held up his hand. "They are now too old to be moth-ered.
But if you can be their friend, that will help integrate them."
"We've managed to integrate everything from Deski to Maasai, there should be no problem with integrating two Catteni boys."
Zainal gave an odd snort. "They will be safer here than on Catteni and Kamiton wants to bring his. Though he would prefer to bring his woman and set her and them in one of the closed valleys. We may have to assume responsibility for any other young who might be used as hostages by the Eosi against the activities of their sires."
"I'd think…" but she stopped when he put his hand over hers. "Okay, it's your call. So are we all going back to Catten with you?" She really didn't want to: that heavy gravity had been a killer, but she wouldn't desert him for such a specious reason.
"Drassi Kulak proved very useful," he said with a grin.
"So, once we've delivered all this ore, what else is on the agenda?"
Zainal smiled. "Karoitoh can find out the other places where Humans have been dropped. Some of them are very bad places, where many deliveries of workers have to be made, and we may not find any Humans left. But we will make the effort."
"Oh."
"Three of the ships, with a change of ID, will go back to Earth and see what else they can… what does Chuck call it… liber-"
"Liberate;' and Kris grinned.