"You should have another before he is much older," Raisha said.
"Ha! Won't need to if we import more kids."
"Has that wild group settled in with the Maasai?"
Kris chuckled. "They've had no choice."
Raisha nodded with satisfaction.
"I think Zane'll have to spend the night here… a big meeting this evening. I'll feed and bathe him first:'
"This good boy's always welcome."
ZAINAL WAS NOT IN THEIR COTTAGE so Kris let Zane wander about the place while she cleaned up from their hurried departure the previous day.
All the time her mind kept working through possibilities, but any bright ideas that occurred required more knowledge than she had of Eosian habits and habitats, information she did not have on hand. Even if Nitin was so pessimistic, she had the feeling that Zainal and Kasturi were not.
Her com unit buzzed, and Beggs informed her in his prosaic manner that her presence was requested for twenty hundred hours at the hangar for an emergency session of the complete Council. She opened her mouth to thank him when he closed the connection. She didn't like him and he knew it, but Beggs was the sort who would do his duty though it choked him.
And he was efficient. With the com unit in hand, she called the infirmary to ask how Kamiton was.
"He's left," was the report from the agitated receptionist. "Dr. Dane tried to keep him in for observation, but he just walked out."
"He's all right then," Kris said, chuckling. No Cartertl worth the rank of Emassi would let a thing like a near brush with death keep him abed. So he'd be there at the meeting. That meant that Tubelin would probably side with Zainal, so it would be three Catteni for and one against.
No, she shook her head, correcting herself. The meeting was about other matters entirely. While wiping out the Eosi would be the answer to many problems, that wasn't the panacea for all the woes that currently beset Humanity.
That was the subject of the meeting.
John Beverly addressed those who crowded into the hangar. When the numbers attending exceeded space available, a com system was hurriedly set up to allow those outside to hear what was being said. Kris noted with approval that the four Maasai chiefs were there, with Hassan Moussa whispering translations.
"Our last trip to Earth showed us what the Eosi are doing to our planet… stripping it of anything valuable and destroying what they do not understand. They are also systematically shipping Humans out as slave labor. The old, the very young, the infirm, the injured or sick are being left to fend for themselves and many will die. We cannot, here on Botany, continue to provide succor to those, much as we would like to. There is a finite limit to what Botany can provide.
"However, Kamiton has been able to supply us with the information of the other planets-some of them as habitable as Botany-where Humans have been dropped, as we were, to make the best of what was avail able. We want to check on these. If necessary, support them with tools, medicines, and other supplies. That will mean healthy people to take back to Earth when it's ours again. I'd like volunteers to go with our-"and he paused to emphasize the recent acquisitions"-G-ships to show them how.
There are five other drop"-and he grinned to use the term"-planets that we know of and we want to visit each. We also know of four installations where, according to Kasturi, Humans are being used as slave labor in appalling conditions. Some of our Maasai were sent to an ice planet. We want to free those we can. Right under Catteni noses, so to speak;' And Beverly flashed a smile when someone demanded to know how. "Pretend we're Catten/shifting work forces. We've inside help now besides Zainal."
And he turned to indicate the four dissident Catteni seated to one side of the table. "We can't emancipate-" and again that roguish grin on the air orce general s face"-all the slaves but we can try.
"Why?" someone roared. "They'll be half-dead. I don't mind helping now and then, but all the time?"
There was considerable support to that complaint.
"I know, I know," John said. "Altruism can go too far. And if we can, we will disperse these folk on some of the other planets we know about.
"Don't lose sight of the fact that the reason for these forays is to spread confusion among the Eosi and the Emassi in charge by a series of totally unexpected shifts of personnel and material which will disappear completely.
The Eosi don't like mysteries."
"Yeah, but won't they just retaliate by killing more of us back on Earth?"
"They might, if they could see the connection;' John Beverly said.
"We'll be using Catteni ships they haven't yet realized we have. How can they hold Earth responsible when Catten/are the only ones involved?
"Meanwhile, Catteni dissidents will be mobilized-and there are many Catteni who want to be free of Eosian domination just as much as we do."
"You going to use that dust to kill those bastards?" someone shouted.
John Beverly paused a moment, smiling. "Doesn't take long for rumor to circulate Retreat, does it?"
There were good-natured chuckles.
"We now have a means, but we don't have a way."
"Set up a Ways and Means Committee then;' some wit shouted and laughter greeted that suggestion.
"We have. Any ideas are cheerfully received. Now," and John looked down at his notes, "we're making another foray to Earth, to collect supplies, visit the other planets where Humans have been dropped, so I'm asking for some of the First Drop to come along in case we can help. Zainal's making another run to contact other dissidents."
Suddenly Gino Marrucci, who had been in the bridge on com link watch, came rushing up the steps to the platform and whispered something in Ray's ear.
He rose. "We may not be able to implement those plans just yet;' he said. "Gino says there's a massive attack force approaching. We may just have annoyed the Eosi too much."
"What do we do now?" a woman wailed in the silence that followed the announcement.
Kris had no trouble identifying the wailer as Anna Bollinger.
"I think we go out the back door NOW;' Zainal said, gesturing for John Beverly to nominate his crews.
"What if the Bubble bursts?" Anna screamed.
"Don't be so stupid, woman." And Aarens was on his feet and faced her.
"The Farmers design much better than the Eosi do:'
Kris smothered her laugh. Anna's panic did spread. Those at the head table rose to try and restore calm. Beverly didn't waste any time, but pointed out those he wanted as crews for his ships. He took them off with him, gathering other men and women as he went. The hangar was emptying rapidly, with many running outside to look up in the darkening sky to check on the Bubble's distant nebulosity.
Many watched the barrage all night long. In some places, the force of the repeated assault turned the Bubble a glowing orange. There is no noise in space, of course, but there was plenty on the com sat link. Those who gathered in the bridge rooms of Baby and the two K-class in the hangar lis tened to the sharp exchange of Catteni and Eosi commands. Kris had joined Zainal and the other Catteni at the bridge installed in Ray's office where the ex-admiral and the rest of the Council followed what they could of the attack.
"Mentat Ix seems to be in charge," Ray said, looking at Zainal. "All the orders seem to be issued in his name."
Zainal only nodded as he reached for paper and pencil and, with Kami-tons help, listed the force trying to batter down the Bubble.
"Both the new AA-ships;' Kamiton said, "and five of the big H's that have been refitted with missiles;'
"Ah," and Nitin was cheered up slightly. "I hear Niassen is commander of one of the H's. He's useless."
"All he has to do is follow orders," Kasturi said, grinning.
"Isn't Redinit on that H?" asked Tubelin.
"Yes, I believe he is," Nitin said. He had supplied Zainal with the captain and crew complements of most of the ships the Eosi had been using against the Bubble.