Freedom's Challenge (Catteni Sequence, Book III)

The inhabitants of Botany live in the protective cover of a space bubble from the terrible Eosi who for centuries have existed by subsuming members of the Catteni race. Despite the protection, the Botany Council knows it has to destroy the Eosi, and a desperate and daring mission ensues.

“Readers will savor [McCaffrey’s] works for generations to come.”

—Starlog

Praise for Anne McCaffrey’s Freedom series

Freedom’s Landing

“McCaffrey has created another set of winning protagonists and a carefully detailed, exotic background.”

—Publishers Weekly

“There are enough problems and mysteries involved in establishing a colony to keep things interesting and to promise intriguing developments to come.”

—Locus

“Not for nothing do her fans call the author ‘the Dragonlady’...She crafts a sci-fi adventure that will please followers of the genre and of the author.”

—Dayton Daily News

“Exciting and totally convincing...There can be only more action in the sequels McCaffrey presumably plans.”

—Booklist

“The narrative hits an admirable groove.”

—Kirkus Reviews

Freedom’s Choice

“A fun adventure...Delightfully audacious.”

—Locus

“This episode of the Freedom saga is as exciting and convincing as the first.”

—Booklist

“The setting is crisp and expertly detailed, and the plot spins out smoothly...Readers will be eager for the next installment in the series.”

—Publishers Weekly

Freedom’s Challenge

“The action is fast-paced and riveting, and the characters—human and of other species—are well limned and exhibit great individuality. McCaffrey continues to amaze with her ability to create disparate, well-realized worlds and to portray believable humans, convincing aliens of varied sorts, and credible interactions between them all. A very satisfying tale.”

—Booklist

“Rip-roaring adventure no science fiction fan could possibly resist.”

—RT Book Reviews

Freedom’s Ransom

“Touching and humorous.”

—Publishers Weekly

“McCaffrey is masterly at creating universes and characters so memorable that readers can slip comfortably back into [her] world...Full of humorous events as well as excitement, the fourth entry in McCaffrey’s Freedom series will be relished by fans.”

—Booklist

Praise for the bestselling novels of
Anne McCaffrey’s Tower and Hive series

The Rowan

“A reason for rejoicing.”

—The Washington Times

“One of the best McCaffrey novels.”

—Locus

“The Rowan introduces readers to the Gwyn-Raven dynasty...complete with an interstellar love affair steamy enough to attract those not usually interested in science fiction.”

—Calgary Herald

“A well-told tale...McCaffrey’s popularity is immense and justified.”

—Booklist

Damia

“Dynamic.”

—St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Holds the reader spellbound [with an] artful weave of romance and humor that infuses her characters.”

—Calgary Herald

“McCaffrey interweaves an engrossing romance with a coming-of-age story as she examines the issue of responsibility in a society where survival depends on the abilities of a gifted few.”

—Publishers Weekly

Damia’s Children

“Winning, carefully developed young characters, an attractive alien society, and an enemy drawn with more than a touch of mystery.”

—Publishers Weekly

“McCaffrey’s fans won’t be disappointed...Fascinating in its exploration of the brain’s potential and untapped powers.”

—The Calgary Sun

“McCaffrey skillfully combines elements of family, adventure, action, and the intriguing possibilities of psychic phenomena.”

—The Toledo Blade

Lyon’s Pride

“McCaffrey’s protagonists remain as warm and appealing as ever.”

—Publishers Weekly

“McCaffrey continues to spin a good tale...All in all, a rich, compelling novel.”

—Booklist

“Another exciting episode in the thrilling epic of the Rowan...Read and enjoy!”

—RT Book Reviews

The Tower and the Hive

“Readers looking for intelligent, heroic adventure will find it here, and Rowan fans will be especially pleased at this felicitous closing of a popular SF series.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Fans of the series will plunge right in.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“The fifth installment in the author’s Rowan series brings to a satisfying culmination the tale of three generations of a uniquely gifted family while leaving room for future novels. McCaffrey’s skillful storytelling and fluid writing...make this a necessary purchase.”

—Library Journal

“McCaffrey maintains the high quality of characterization of humans and aliens alike, and, once again, she skillfully interweaves the plot threads, making it easy to follow the action on all fronts.”

—Booklist

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
CHALLENGE

ANNE MCCAFFREY

Table of Contents

Don’t look back in anger, I hear you say.

Acknowledgments

I HAVE, AS USUAL, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TO make for some of the material used in Freedom’s Challenge.

Especially helpful was Dr. Susan Edwards, Ph.D., social cognitive psychologist, author of Men Who Believe in Love, who helped me with the social and trauma techniques, which have been used so successfully to help the victims of catastrophes, both personal and public (such as hostage situations), in recovering their personalities and self-confidence.

Margaret Ball, bless her heart, had all the Swahili and hunted down information about the customs and traditions of the Maasai tribes of East Africa. Fortunately, she also speaks Swahili, though I didn’t have to use that much, since so many of the tribal chiefs are fluent enough in English.

I also wish to thank Georgeanne Kennedy for her careful copyediting and invaluable suggestions of what she wanted to know “more about” in this story. What errors a spell-check, even the most advanced ones, do not catch, the sharp eye of the intelligent reader does. And I give my spell-check a lot of hard names to cope with. Thank goodness it can’t complain...ALOUD!

Preface

WHEN THE CATTENI, MERCENARIES FOR A RACE called Eosi, invaded Earth, they used their standard tactic of domination by landing in fifty cities across the planet and removing entire urban populations. These they distributed through the Catteni worlds and sold them as slaves along with other conquered species.

A group rounded up from Barevi, the hub of the slave trade, were dumped on an M-type planet of unknown quality, given rations and tools and allowed to survive or not. A former marine sergeant, Chuck Mitford, took charge of the mixed group, which included sullen Turs, spider-like Deski, hairy Rugarians, vague Ilginish, gaunt Morphins, with humans in the majority. There was also one Catteni who had been shanghaied onto the prison ship. Though there were those who wanted to kill him immediately, Kris Bjornsen, lately of Denver, suggested that he might know enough about the planet to help them.

He remembered sufficient from a casual glance at the initial exploration report to suggest they move under cover, and preferably rock, to prevent being eaten by night crawlers, which oozed from the ground to ingest anything edible.

Installed in a rocky site, with cliffs and caves to give them some protection, Mitford quickly organized a camp, utilizing the specific qualities of the aliens and assigning tasks to every one in this unusual community. However, the planet was soon discovered to be inhabited—by machines, which automatically tended the crops and the six-legged bovine types. After being caught by the Mechs, Zainal, the Catteni, with his scout party, not only escape but rescue other humans trapped by the Mechs in what proves to be an abattoir.

However, human ingenuity being rampant among the mixed group, they soon learned how to dismantle the machines and design useful equipment.

Zainal, in a conversation with one of the Drassi drop captains, gets not only a supply of the drug which will keep the Deski contingent from dying of malnutrition, but also aerial maps of the planet. And discovers a command post, presumably built by the real owners of the planet. While it has obviously not been used, a mechanically inclined member of their scouting party launches a homing device.

Both the Eosi overlords looking for Zainal and the genuine owners of the planet note the release of the homing device.

The search to bring Zainal back to face the consequences of his delinquency continues. But Zainal manages to lure the searchers into the maws of the night crawlers and acquires their scout vehicle.

Meanwhile, six more drops of dissidents from Earth and a few other aliens have swelled the population of Botany, as the planet is now called, to nearly ten thousand folk: some of them with skills that benefit the colony and improve conditions. Zainal, now with a constant companion in Kris Bjornsen, and others explore this new world.

What Kris slowly discovers from her “buddy” is that Zainal wants to implement a three-phase plan: one that will end the domination of his people by the Eosi and, incidentally, bring about the liberation of Earth.

Following this agenda, Zainal explains to Mitford and other ex-naval, air force, and army personnel how he means to proceed: by capturing the next ship which drops more slaves on Botany. This plan necessitates some alteration when the next ship turns up in such poor condition that only quick action saves it from blowing up. But the captain has sent out an emergency message and looks forward to being rescued from the planet. By a clever plot, the rescue ship, which is a new one, is captured by Zainal and “other Catteni” staff, thus giving them two operational ships, plus the bridge equipment of the one they have now cannibalized for parts.

Because Zainal was dropped on Botany, his brother Lenvec has had to take his place, becoming subsumed as a host for an Eosi. The Eosi is somewhat amused by his host body’s violent hatred of his brother. And soon becomes obsessed with finding the runaway.

An immense ship does a flypast of Botany and replaces the machines, which the colonists have salvaged to provide themselves with useful vehicles and equipment. At this reminder that they live on Botany on sufferance, the entire colony decides that they should show goodwill to their unknown landlords by leaving the farmed continent on which they were dropped and moving to a smaller, unused continent across a small strait. They are in the process of moving when the Mentat Ix, hosted in Lenvec’s body, does a search of the planet to find the missing Catteni. Without success.

No sooner does this inspection tour end than the real owners of the planet, who accept the appellation of Farmers, arrive in unusual form. They seem able to give personal messages to all they meet: the important news is permission for the colony to remain. They also protect it with a most incredible device, a Bubble, which surrounds the entire planet while still permitting the sun’s rays to filter through even as it impedes the exit of the Eosi ship. Once free of the obstacle, the Mentat orders its ship to fire on the Bubble, which has no effect on it. The impenetrable protection of this planet infuriates the Mentat who decides that the shield must be broken and the recalcitrant colony disciplined. To this end, the Mentat retires to its home world to accumulate an armada. And also to probe the minds of human specialists to see what knowledge they must possess.

The two ships owned by the colony are able to leave the protection of the Bubble, while the two Eosi satellites are on the other side of the world, and succeed in raiding Barevi for much needed fuel, supplies, and more plursaw for the Deski’s diet. Kris, who had already learned enough Barevi to deal with merchants, and others accompany Zainal. While there, they learn of the plight of Humans whose minds have been wiped by the Eosian device with which they had enhanced the basic intelligence of the Catteni race. From Barevi, Zainal makes contact with dissident Emassi who are also pledged to end Eosi domination. Having found slave pens full of the mind-wiped Victims of the Eosi, the Botanists are unable to leave their compatriots to sure death in slave camps. So they contrive to take over yet another ship. Between the two, they are able to rescue several thousand Victims, irrespective of the problems this might cause the colony.

Zainal’s first two phases have been successful: the planet is safe and they have ships with which to seize additional supplies. But will he be able to talk the colony into supporting his third-phase plans? And liberate not only Earth but also the Catteni from Eosi domination?

Chapter One

WHEN ZAINAL HAD ORGANIZED THE DATA he wanted to send to the Farmers via the homing capsule, he let Boris Slavinkovin and Dick Aarens fly it down to the Command Post for dispatch.

“You have a nasty sense of humor, Zainal,” Kris said when the hatch of the scout vessel Baby closed behind the messengers. She had been surprised by his choice of Aarens, considering the man’s behavior on their first visit to the Command Post.

“Well,” and Zainal gave a shrug of one shoulder and an unrepentant grin, “Aarens has had experience sending one off. Let him do it official this time. As a reward for his improvement.”

“What improvement?” Kris still had little time for the self-styled mechanical genius who had deliberately launched a homing capsule without authorization on their first trip to the Command Post.

They both stepped back from the takeoff area, as much to avoid the fumes as the wind, although Boris lifted the little craft slowly and cautiously. They watched as it made an almost soundless vertical ascent before it slanted forward and sped off, disappearing quickly in the dusk of what had been a very long and momentous day.

The wide landing field that stretched out level with the immense, Farmer-constructed hangar could accommodate a half dozen of the K-class ships that had arrived today. They now were out of sight, within the vast hangar. At the far end of the landing area grew small copses of the lodge-pole trees: young ones in terms of the age of the mature groves above and beyond the hangar. In the nearest of those groves the cabins of the colonists were being constructed, out of brick or wood, in separate clearings to allow the privacy that everyone preferred. Farther up the slope were the infirmary, which today was crowded, and the huge mess hall, which served food all day long and well into the long Botany night. The largest building that faced Retreat Bay was the administration, where Judge Iri Bempechat held court when necessary, with the stocks just outside as a reminder that offenses against the community would be publicly punished. The building also held the living quarters for the judge and...