'I'm scared, Kris,' Kathy said as the metal beneath them throbbed with the power of takeoff. Her voice was close to a wail and Kris threw an arm around her shoulders.

'Me too,' Kris agreed. 'Zainal will stop this farce. Just you wait.'

'The accusation is a farce, Kapash,' Zainal was saying, having stormed into the market manager's office demanding an explanation.

'An aggrieved client has every right to file a charge against a merchant who has sold imperfect goods or misrepresented his stock.'

'You know how we have been trading the coffee. You've tasted enough of it to know that our product is exactly as represented.'

Kapash merely smiled up at Zainal, obviously delighting in his discomposure, tilting languidly back in his chair.

'Now, what fine will you levy so that I can pay it and release Kris and Kathy?'

Kapash steepled his fingers, ignoring Zainal's urgency. 'Well now, the standard fee is forty Catteni pieces.'

'Gone up since I was manager, hasn't it?'

Kapash's chair crashed to the floor and he stared hard at Zainal. Then both men heard the rumble of a ship taking off from the dock and Kapash smiled.

'If those women are on that ship, Kapash, you will be sorry for it. They have been falsely accused and you know it.'

'I do?' Kapash pretended an innocence that only made Zainal more positive of his complicity.

'What will it take, Kapash, for you to sign a release form and stop that ship before it leaves Barevi orbit?'

'What will I take, Zainal?' Kapash asked, idly drumming his fingers on his desktop.

'Out with it. I want the ship stopped before it can leave this system. What is it you want?'

'The location of the Eosi treasures.'

'The what?' Zainal stared, in dismay and contempt. 'How would I know that?'

'You were once to be an Eosi host and you would have been informed of such things.'

'No, I wasn't because I never became Ix's host. Do not underestimate the guile of the Eosi, Kapash. They made no one their confidants, especially an unhosted Catteni.'

'But someone knows,' Kapash exclaimed. 'They had so much treasure. So much coin for their rents and deals, and most of the valuables taken from Earth.'

'I'm sure they did very well for themselves, but I have no idea where they stored their possessions. What will you take, Kapash?'

Kapash looked extremely uncomfortable.

'I'm sure you talked with their staff assistants, didn't you?' Zainal continued, not wanting to waste too much time talking.

'They knew nothing,' Kapash said, flicking his fingers. 'And we spoke to every one of them.'

And not gently, either, Zainal thought, but he had no pity to spare for those traitors who had lived extremely well, serving their Eosi masters.

'Something I can give you, Kapash.' Zainal did not dare rush the man and yet there was a need for urgency. Only Kapash could have the ascending ship halted at the space station before it left the system for whichever slave colony was its destination.

'Your coffee beans,' Kapash said, coming to a decision.

'I don't have that many left,' Zainal admitted. 'They have sold well.' He tried to think how many sacks remained on the BASS-l.

'You have a ship. You can go back to Terra for more. You will go back, and I shall have the concession here in the market for as long as I wish.' He scribbled some words on a sheet of paper and passed it across the desk for Zainal to sign.

It was a release for all coffee beans on board the BASS-l.

'Sign the prisoner release first, Kapash,' Zainal said, pointing to the various coloured forms in the cabinet behind the man. 'The blue one,' he said, remembering that detail from his own term as market manager.

'Their names?' Kapash asked, holding his writer over the blue sheet.

'Lady Emassi Kris Bjornsen and Captain Emassi Katherine Harvey.' He spelled the names, watching intently as Kapash wrote. When the form was completed, duly signed by Kapash, and stamped with his office's seal, Zainal signed the release of the beans.

'You will also no longer use coffee as a trade item,' Kapash said. With that, he must have known that he effectively ended Zainal's mission on Barevi. He reached out for the release. Zainal held it out of reach.

Zainal pointed to the communication board to Kapash's right. 'Only if you immediately phone Ladade and order him to keep that ship from leaving Barevi space.'

Kapash seemed to hesitate. When Zainal raised a fist menacingly, remembering how much of a physical coward Kapash was, the man grabbed for the hand unit and made the call.

'Yes, do not give the ship clearance, Commander Ladade. Two of the prisoners have been cleared of the charges falsely registered against them and therefore must be off-loaded... It is entirely necessary, Commander... Yes, and I am on my way to ensure their release. I have the required form... No, not murderers, Commander, but merchants who have been unjustly accused... Yes, yes, most unusual.' He paused a moment, listening to Ladade. There was a flicker in his eyes as if he were experiencing some trouble in convincing Ladade of this necessity. 'And I agree, Ladade. Neither of us needs these troublesome little problems, but I must maintain my reputation as a fair market manager. This matter touches on my honour... Yes, yes, we shall be on our way with the release form.'

Kapash was on his feet, then, disconnecting the call and hastily keying in another command. 'Have my gig ready to depart by the time I reach my dock,' he said and returned the hand unit to its holster. 'Come, give it over, Zainal.' He all but snatched the signed release from Zainal's hand. Zainal reluctantly let it go but, if somehow Kapash reneged on the deal, he would have it back - and break Kapash's neck.

The throb of the ship's engines ceased and Kris began to hope again.

'Has he made them stop?' Kathy asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

'Something has,' Kris said. 'Wherever they are taking us, they haven't had time to go far.' She struggled to recall station protocol.

'Don't they have to get an all-clear from the station?' Kathy asked.

'Yes, they do,' Kris replied, in some relief. 'To be sure all their debts have been paid and to announce their destination. At least that's what Zainal said. Oh, we haven't left this system.'

'No, we can't have.'

Ladade met Kapash and Zainal at the airlock, clearly annoyed at this interruption to his schedule, but he obviously recognized Zainal and that seemed to alter his attitude.

'Ah, Emassi Zainal, I had not looked to encounter you again,' Ladade said almost genially, bringing his hand to his chest in a salute of respect.

Zainal duplicated the salute. 'Nor I, Ladade.'

'You know the two released prisoners?'

'My mate and one of my KDM captains,' Zainal said.

'An officious and spurious complaint was laid against them,' Kapash said, dismissing the matter with a flick of his fingers.

Zainal handed Ladade the release form.

'You know how abrupt such slave traders as Fartov are, lifting before he obtained my clearance for his cargo,' Kapash said, trying to shift some of the onus to Ladade.

From Ladade's expression, Zainal surmised that Kapash was not high in the station commander's estimation or guilty of much fair dealing. Of course, Kapash would get a cut of whatever profit Fartov made on his slavery mission. He shifted his feet restlessly, wanting them to get on with the release of Kris and Kathy before they experienced too much trauma in the fetid hold of the slave carrier.

'Please,' he said, trying not to sound too anxious. Zainal didn't know Ladade except as a very competent station manager. 'Let us get to the business at hand.'

'Of course,' the commander said and gestured for them to return to the gig. 'I have ordered Fartov to await clearance, which he will not receive until we have released the unfairly detained persons. I don't know how you and Kapash settled this most unusual last-minute rescue, but I do not like disrupting my schedule unnecessarily.'

Zainal knew a request for a bribe when he heard one. He considered what valuables he had left and could think of nothing that might tempt the man. 'Have you any suggestion, Ladade, as to how I might ease such disruption?'

'You were to host an Eosi called Ix?'

'You surely are not another person who thinks I know where Ix hid his treasures?' Zainal scoffed. 'If his assistants had no idea, then why would I? I met him twice, I never hosted him.'

Ladade looked unsure.

'Besides which, don't you two think it was odd that a Catteni Emassi was left in the common prison to be transported so opportunely for someone?'

' But you were to be a host,' Ladade said, his eyes bulging with disbelief. Kapash made no comment. In fact, he held himself extremely rigid, a fact that suggested to Zainal that Kapash had been involved in his abduction in some way. Paid to ignore a Catteni in a mixed group, no doubt, since Kapash was notorious for his greed.

'Someone,' and Zainal looked from one to the other, 'evidently saw a chance to get me out of the way permanently.'

'Hadn't thought of that,' Ladade said, rubbing his chin in a pensive manner as he regarded Zainal steadily.

'By the time I was called to be a host, I had already been dropped, and therefore I stayed.'

Ladade regarded Zainal with veiled approval. Once again, Zainal wondered who had been on prison duty at that time. Possibly a vacillating member of the dissidents' had betrayed him for whatever profit such information had reaped.

'I do have one idea, though, which you, Commander, are remarkably well situated to explore.'

'Yes?'

'This station keeps track of all ships in and out of the system, as well as their destinations, does it not?' he asked Ladade.

'You know it does.'

'Have you never considered tracking Eosi ships to see if they made frequent stops at some out-of-the-way or unlikely port?'

Ladade considered this, glancing at the personnel currently busy on routine duties. The three men had been speaking quietly and now both Ladade and Kapash glanced around to be sure that no one had been close to them when Zainal made his suggestion.

'I would happily discuss this with you once my friends have been released,' Zainal said.

'As I would be happy to discuss such a strategy with you, Zainal,' Ladade said. 'Tell Captain Fartov that we are on our way to release two prisoners.'

Then he peremptorily gestured for Zainal and Kapash to board Kapash's gig.

It was awful waiting in the stinking dark, Kris thought, but she would not give up hope until - no, even IF - the ship's engines started up again. Zainal was resourceful. He would not let them be sent to a slave colony. But the waiting was terrible. And as everyone else in the compartment realized that they were being transported beyond hope or help, their moans and weeping were pathetic as well as contagious, and Kris caught back a sob in her own throat. Zainal will come. It was both prayer and litany.

She felt a bump reverberate through the ship's hull. More of an echo than a real concussion. As if a ship had connected with the airlock.

Oh Zainal! Zainal!

She felt hands on her ankle, rough hands actually caressing her foot. She kicked against the grip as hard as she could and felt her foot connect with something soft. Someone groaned and cursed but the grasp on her foot had been broken.

'Don't do that again,' she muttered, her growl very determinedly Cattenish as much from fright as lack of moisture in her mouth.

Almost stunned, she heard the door to their enclosure slide open, the door guide grating against its groove, and a hand light shining in, flickering across faces.

'Zainal?' she cried, hoping against hope that it was him and they were being rescued. Beside her, Kathy stirred and struggled to her feet.

'Kris? Kathy?' an unmistakable voice called.

It was Zainal! 'To the right, Zainal,' she said, needing light to find her way among the tangle of bodies covering the floor.

The hand light swept to shine on her and Kathy. Kathy, already on her feet, gave a little shriek of relief and fled to the doorway. Kris, her knees sore from the earlier fall, had more difficulty getting up. But Zainal closed the distance between them, clasping her tightly in his arms and lifting her out of the prison. The door clanged shut as soon as they were in the corridor. Zainal set her on her feet and gestured to the Catteni she did not know. Kapash she knew all too well, and she looked through him.

'Commander Ladade, this is my mate, Lady Emassi Kris Bjornsen, and this is Emassi Captain Kathy Harvey.'

The commander waved a blue sheet of paper. 'You are officially released as unfairly accused.' I

'I told you we didn't do anything, Kapash,' Kathy said, her voice croaking from her dry throat. She hated that display of weakness in herself. She would rather have stood unmoved by Kapash's attempt to debase her.

'You are free, are you not?' Kapash replied with a nasty smile on his face.

Kris gave him a long, contemptuous glare. 'We did not misrepresent our product and you know it, Kapash.'

He gave a shrug, lifting both hands in a disarming gesture, suggesting that he had only been doing his duty.

'Commander Ladade,' a voice crackled from the ship's communicators, 'to the control room. Ship X11-233 requesting permission to depart?'

The commander gave a little smile. 'If you will follow me.' He turned to port. They did, with Kapash trailing behind them.

Zainal had Kris tightly by the hand, his thumb stroking her fingers. 'Be easy, dear heart. I have wanted a chance to be in the control room. Humour me.'

It took all her concentration to make her legs manage the pace Ladade set and she suspected that both she and Kathy were operating on an adrenaline high that she hoped would last long enough to get them off this wretched station and safely among friends. But they were out of that hideous prison ship. They were safe with Zainal.

Then they were in the control tower of the space station, looking out at the parking lights of ships. One set of lights was blinking, evidently to attract attention.

'X11-233, this is Commander Ladade. Your affairs are now in order and you may depart.'

The usual gravelly Catteni voice, remarkably polite, graciously accepted the permission. Within moments, Kris could see the flare of inter-system thrusters igniting and the ship ponderously moving towards full space - without her and Kathy aboard. She leaned into Zainal, almost fainting with relief. Kathy had taken the nearest free chair, ignoring a dirty look from a subordinate for such impertinence.

'Where is it bound?' Zainal asked, as if he felt required to make some comment. She could feel the tension through his body and wondered what he was after. She realized that his gaze was fastened on the nearest screen.

Shrugging indifferently, Ladade directed someone to bring up the file. Only Kris knew how important that file was to Zainal. She could feel the small sigh he released.

'Zerion 28.4.32. One of the mining colonies,' Ladade said. 'A resource planet that I believe you yourself discovered for the Eosi.'

'I believe you're right, Ladade,' Zainal replied equably. 'I did discover the planet. Too bad it had such rich metal lodes. It would have been suitable to colonize.'

'Please.' Now Ladade gestured for them all, Kapash included, to proceed to the portside door, which turned out to open into his private office, just off the command bridge.

'Perhaps you ladies would like some refreshment,' Ladade said, all courteous.

'Water would be welcome,' Kris said with great dignity, and he waved her to serve herself at the small catering unit. She poured two glasses of water from the pitcher and gave one to Kathy. She finished her glass, trying to sip slowly so as not to upset her stomach. Then, with a movement she hoped would be graceful, her sore knee barely supporting her, she sank into one of the chairs.

'Where would you put the parameters of Eosi Ix's possible stops, Zainal?'

Zainal pointed to the screen on Ladade's desktop. 'If you will bring up his file,' he said, moving to stand behind Ladade so he could see the screen. 'Ah yes, well, if you notice, he makes quite a few trips to those coordinates.' He tapped the screen with a finger.

'Yes, yes, but there's nothing there. Not even a moon,' Ladade protested.

'I think you will probably have to achieve those coordinates and then see what might be in space nearby.'

'But, in space?'

'Where else to secrete something when only you know the place you left it?'

'But... but...'

'I'm sure it will take some searching, but think of the rewards, Ladade.'

'Where? Where?' Kapash came round the desk but before he could see the screen, Ladade altered the display, glaring at Kapash. Zainal straightened but Kris, knowing him as well as she did, saw a gleam in his eyes. Whatever he had wanted to find, he had. She wondered what it was.

'What about Au? Where would he have hidden his treasure?' Eosi Au had once commanded both this station and the Barevi market.

Zainal shrugged. 'You knew him better than I did, Kapash, Ladade. Probably even his habits, if you will stop to think, instead of being blinded by greed, Kapash.'

'You owe me.' Kapash waggled a finger at Zainal, barely able to contain his aggravation.

'Then let us discharge that debt to you with all possible dispatch, Kapash,' Zainal said in such an ominous tone that even Ladade, fascinated by Zainal's theory, looked up from his screen.

'Indeed, Kapash,' Ladade said. 'I will detain you on the station no further.' He motioned towards the door, and Kapash had no option but to leave at such a curt dismissal. He did so reluctantly, despite Zainal's guidance.

'What did you give for our release?' Kris asked in Zainal's ear as they strode along the corridor to the airlock where Kapash's gig was docked.

'The coffee,' he muttered.

Kris was both appalled and pleased to hear that her life had been ransomed by coffee beans. She really did mean a lot to him. But did he mean all the coffee? For someone who had given away one of their most important commodities, he looked oddly pleased. She hoped whatever he had found here was what he had wanted to discover.

She found that she had barely enough strength in her legs to get inside Kapash's gig. Kathy looked frightfully pale and sank instantly into the nearest seat. Pride kept Kris erect on her feet.

'Zainal, is there anything to eat on board? And I'm still thirsty.'

'I'll see.' He rummaged in the small alcove, finding only some Catteni dry rations. He gave one packet to her and another to Kathy and then brought them water. Kathy found a small packet of coffee beans in her tunic pocket and handed them to Zainal.

'Do you have a grinder on board, Kapash?' Zainal asked.

'Why ever would I?' Kapash replied in a surly voice. 'We have some beans.'

'They are all mine, Zainal. Remember that!' He snatched the packet from her fingers. 'And we go immediately to your ship so I may see that no more of my beans are distributed on Barevi.'

'Oh?' Kathy looked up at Zainal, her eyes wide with alarm.

'It's all right, Kathy.'

But on Kathy's face was the dismay he was going to see from everyone else involved in their Barevi mission. Not that he felt any would rebuke him for bartering the beans for the lives of the two women. Zainal winked at Kathy, who was so astonished that she dropped her eyes and continued to chew the hard Catteni rations.

Kris managed to eat enough to let her stomach work on something useful and then leaned back in a seat and thought of the long shower she would take to get rid of the stench of the prison.

Natchi and Erbri appeared at the gangway of Kapash's gig as they disembarked. Ferris was with them, and so relieved was he to see the women being escorted by Zainal that he let out a ululation that startled everyone on the dock. Then he raced away to find transportation.

It was Natchi who helped Kathy onto the small motorized cart that arrived, and it was actually Natchi who paid for the hire when they reached the KDM. Jax and Floss wept with relief when they saw their friends gliding past the berths. Then Clune and the Doyle brothers appeared. Ninety all but carried Kathy on board, seeing that she was by now so weak with shock.

Chuck arrived with Gino and Sally Stoffers, having been summoned back from the marketplace by Ferris. Eric came, too, looking as concerned as everyone else, though he went back to his current patient, whom he had left in the chair with Tavis in attendance.

There was freshly made coffee and Floss sliced bananas, deciding that the last of the ripe fruit would be easy to digest as well as good for them.

Kris and Kathy both finished the snack, grateful for Floss's care and solicitude. Then they decided they would feel better after a shower and clean clothes and excused themselves.

'Well?' Chuck asked Zainal, cocking a bushy eyebrow.

'Kapash, your people took off with the rest of the coffee.'

Then leaning close to Zainal, he asked in a lower tone,

'Was that the price of their freedom?'

'It was,' Zainal admitted.

'Well, they're worth it. They don't look as if they suffered any great harm.'

'Fortunately, no,' Zainal said with such an edge to his voice that Chuck grinned. 'Do you care to inspect our holds, Kapash, to be sure the bargain has been kept?'

Kapash flicked away such a consideration. 'You are an honourable man, Zainal.'

'There were only two full sacks left,' Chuck said, 'and what bagged beans we brought back from the market while we awaited your return.' Heavy in Chuck's eyes was the suspicion that Kapash might have trumped up the charges just to get the beans.

'Shall I give you a refund on your stall rental, Zainal, now that you have no reason to remain?' Kapash asked with studious politeness.

'We still have tradeable goods, Market Manager,' Zainal said with equal courtesy and showed the man to the main exit.

'He did rig it, didn't he, Zainal?'

'It's a possibility,' Zainal admitted, knowing how devious the market manager was. Greed was Kapash's main motive, which, of course, meant that he had seen how popular the coffee was. Zainal left the galley to go to the control room. Curious, Chuck followed and found him lighting up the main computer screens. Zainal entered four letters and sat back, watching the unit deal with that code.

When a menu appeared, Zainal typed in another series and suddenly the screen scrolled down line after line of what Chuck thought were ship IDs.

'And what have you got here, Zainal lad?' Mitford asked, taking another seat.

'I met our beloved space station commander and he very kindly accessed some files for me, updating me - though I'm sure he didn't mean to.' A smile wreathed

Zainal's usually bland expression. 'He gave me the chance to see two of his codes. One, this' - here he struck a save button and then an order to print the entire file - 'is a list of all ship activity in and out of the station for... oh, probably ten years. That's as much as it's necessary to save.'

'And what was the other code, Zainal?'

Zainal went back to the menu and tapped another code. 'This one will take more time and effort,' said Zainal. 'But it might be worth it. It will give us the movements of all Eosi ships in and out of Barevi. I have also learned that the Eosi did not keep their share of earnings in any holding establishment, but secreted their treasures where only they could access them. If we examine their flights and destinations, we might discover where they stopped along the way.'

'Well, a good day's work for all the anxiety. You got Kris and Kathy back, and also found what you've been looking for.'

Paper was spewing out of the printer now. 'Yes,' said Zainal with satisfaction, 'we'll know considerably more about the ins and outs of all shipments of slave labour following the Catteni invasion. I might even find out how much Ladade earned from his cut of the captains' loot.'

'I heard that Ladade is pretty honourable.' The end of that sentence posed a question.

'Depends on your standards of honour,' Zainal replied. He reached over and removed a wad of the hard copy from the basket, riffling through the pages. 'We must get back to Botany and then return to Earth. Did you get any more automotive parts?'

'We got some truck tyres from Nilink, the man you were supposed to deal with earlier, and he was right annoyed when Kapash's men cut him off at the pass, as it were.'

'Did he deliver to us or did you collect from his warehouse?'

'We collected but he has that place well secured.' 'Full?'

'What you got is only a single column of the hoard he has. Whatever did he have in mind when he stocked up on tyres? You can't use them on any Catteni vehicle, and there's nothing you can do with tyre rubber. It's not something you could melt down like metals. By the way, he has batteries, too.'

'You know, Chuck, I think we've gone about this the wrong way round.'

'If you're thinking what I'm thinking, Zainal, indeed we have.' He smiled and chuckled, rubbing his hands together. 'And that'll show Kapash.'

'Speaking of whom, let me just see...' And going back to the original menu, Zainal picked another file and opened it. 'This is exactly what I need: the prison duty roster.' He scrolled backward and stopped at a date. By now, Kapash's name was familiar to Chuck in Catteni script. Zainal finally highlighted the name 'Kapash' and a date.

'Now that wouldn't just happen to be the date we got launched to Botany, would it? With Kapash on duty?'

'Perceptive of you, Chuck. That's exactly what it is.' Now it was Zainal who rubbed his hands together.

'Wish I had access to Kapash's office files,' he muttered, though he was well enough pleased to discover that Kapash had, indeed, connived in his being dropped. For he now had proof that Kapash had been on duty the day he and Kris and the others were sent off to Botany on a slave ship. Kapash's 'duty' should have included the rescue of an obvious Catteni from such a shipment. 'And now I have proof and cause.' An odd, smile played on Zainal's lips but, with a shake of his head, he changed to his customary bland expression.

'Speaking of greed...' Zainal paused, jiggling his fingers on the worktop. 'Where would one least expect to find treasure?'

'Right out in the open?' Chuck suggested.

'Quite likely. Ix was an odd personality, even for an

Eosi.' Zainal chuckled softly. 'It's worth a look on our way out.'

'Our way out?'

'We would be less noticeable then and we can always come back. Meanwhile, I intend to reduce Kapash's greed. A thief should not be allowed to enjoy it.'

'But you gave him the beans for the girls' safety.'

Zainal gave Chuck an odd smile. 'As market manager, Kapash is not only allowed to punish thieves, but he also has to indemnify the merchants for any losses they may incur while their products are under his protection.'

Chuck's jaw dropped open. 'Zainal?'

'He owes me a debt, as one Catteni to another, for unlawful imprisonment, and I shall take no more than is legal to acquit that debt and the several insults to my women.'

For the evening meal, celebrating the safe return of the women, Natchi, Erbri and Tavis were included among the guests. Erbri had brought in a roast of a beef-like animal that was hunted in the forests of Barevi. As the hunters were usually Catteni enjoying shore leave, they often sold their kills to local merchants, though occasionally they had the beasts butchered and took the best cuts back to their ship for better food than their captain would supply. The roast was tender and juicy, and everyone had second servings.

'I have one more task to complete,' Zainal said when everyone, even Ferris, said they had eaten enough. He glanced at Bazil and Peran. 'Then we will lift for Botany.'

'Oh no, I can't do that,' Eric said, looking astonished. 'I have too many clients waiting for crowns and bridges to leave right now.'

'Oh, we'll be back, I assure you,' Zainal said.

'Look, Dr. Eric,' Tavis said, 'you can stay here. My family will be glad to have you as a guest, and I have so much to learn from you.'

'And I will stay, too. Can't I, Dr. Eric? You know how helpful I can be. Please, Zainal, please?' Ferris begged.

'I'll think about that, Ferris. You could be vulnerable.'

'No,' Tavis said with sudden unexpected dignity. 'If he was in the employ of Dr. Eric, of course he must stay. And my family will protect him too.'

'You have learned much already, Tavis,' Eric said kindly. 'Zainal, I really can't leave or all the groundwork that has been laid for dentistry on Barevi will go for nothing.'

'I have no objections to your staying, Eric. In fact, I would prefer it, though it does leave you exposed. Professionally, you are not involved,' Zainal said cryptically. 'However,' and now he stared at Tavis, 'can you keep Eric safe within your family compound?'

'We would pledge his safety if that is necessary, Zainal,' Tavis said with an upward jerk of his chin to show his willingness and determination. 'Emassi Doctor Eric has many, many influential and wealthy patrons. No harm would come to him.'

'Good. We shan't be gone long, but there may be some repercussions.'

'Repercussions?' Eric asked. 'Oh, because no one's going to like dealing with Kapash for their coffee.'

'I did hear something that puzzles me,' Natchi said, looking dour. The old veteran had really enjoyed his early morning cup and a place to sit in the sun. 'That Kapash would be dealing with coffee beans from now on?'

'His supply is limited to what he has,' Zainal said.

'Then he doesn't have the single concession to sell beans?'

'He may think he does,' Zainal said with a smile, 'but this market is free to all traders, and that is not a rule he can bend. As we shall make certain. Now, I have discovered sufficient evidence to prove to me that Kapash was the duty officer at the prison the day we were dispatched to Botany.'

Wide-eyed looks and gasps echoed the surprise of those around the table.

'I knew it, I knew it,' Natchi said, swearing oaths in such a jumble that no one quite caught their sense, which was just as well, Zainal thought. 'Greedy swamp wart. May he drown in his own slime.'

'He might - quite legitimately, if you are all willing to take some risks before we depart tomorrow.'

'What? What do we have to do?' was the eager response to risk-taking.

Even Kathy looked determinedly eager to cooperate, judging by the vengeful light in her eyes.

Zainal propped his elbows on the table but gave first

Natchi and then Erbri a long look.

'I had already intended to take you two back to Botany for your mechanical skills but it might be as well - if you agree to tonight's business - to take you with us for other reasons.'

'Such as?' Natchi challenged.

'We are still missing considerable spare parts-'

'And we're going to steal them so Kapash has to pay insurance!' Ferris bounced up and down in his chair, believing he had perceived Zainal's plan.

'But, Father...' Peran, his more conservative child, protested, glancing at Brone, who evidently had no qualms with what was being suggested.

'Yes, yes, it is wrong to steal, but it is very proper and Cattenish to respond to insult. And Kapash has insulted me and mine once too often. Especially now I have proof of his complicity in my transportation.'

'What proof do you have?' Brone asked blandly.

'I have the duty roster for that particular day, and he was on it as prison warden. That means he was supposed to oversee who was shipped out. I know he had orders to include everyone caught up in the riot, but that did not include a Catteni.'

'And Zainal was certainly not part of that riot,' Kris said firmly, eyeing Brone sternly. 'Neither was I. But I was Terran and unconscious, so I had no chance to proclaim my innocence in the affair.'

'So, what must we do to assist you, Emassi?' Erbri said.

'Since you and Natchi have repaired all those lift glides, can you also help load them?'

'Sure, but all the places you need to get into are secured,' Natchi pointed out.

'Some are even guarded,' Erbri added cautiously.

'Shorting out the security system is no big problem,' Bayes said, as their electrical expert. 'Most of it needs to be repaired. Plenty of faulty lines.' He shrugged. 'Could go any time.'

'You can always get in from the roofs, too,' Ferris said, and Ditsy nodded emphatically.

'Oh, can you? To which storage sheds in particular, Ditsy?' Zainal asked, suspecting that Ditsy had checked out such matters when he was looking around all the storage places.

'Oh, like Nilink's and Luxel's. Cut a panel out of the ceiling and with a lift on the roof we could load it in next to no time.'

'And leave all the front tiers of tyres to make 'em think no one's tampered with their stuff,' Ditsy added.

'Zerkay's merchandise can be handled the same way. Steal the back layers and he won't be much wiser.'

'He was the nicest of the lot,' Kris said with dismay on her face.

'He has no need of the things he looted, and we can't play favourites if we're planning a widespread heist.'

'It's not theft,' Bazil said. 'It's restitution of impounded materials that were stolen in the first place.'

Zainal gave his son a quick look for that bit of sophistry. Brone shrugged as if to imply he had not put such words in the boy's mouth.

'We have to be careful to go for only the things we know we can use or we're cut of the same cloth,' Zainal said. 'Where are our lists?'

Sally Stoffers opened her account book and held out copies.

'Nilink definitely. Natchi, figure out how many lifts we'll need to take the back third of his stock. Kathy, figure out the weight and cargo space this'll take. Fortunately, lifts can be taken right into the ship from the shadows of the dockside. There oughtn't to be too many people up and about in the early dawn. We'll need some light to operate by.'

'We could arrange for some diversions, Zainal,' Erbri suggested. 'Nothing violent, just distracting?' His sugges tion, as well as his expression, was so eagerly helpful that

Zainal saw the merit of it.

'We'll have to figure out exactly when, Erbri, but we would appreciate it and I'll repay any expenses when I can.'

'Your word is good, Emassi,' Erbri replied.

'Good. We mostly need to shift what Luxel's been sitting on - the satellite components - and Nilink's tyres and batteries. They'll be bulky and heavy so we'll need six or seven lifts for those two sites alone.'

'I'll volunteer for that,' Bayes and Clune said simultaneously.

'Brone, you'll stay out of this,' Zainal said when the young tutor held up his hand. 'In fact, Tavis, if you can shift Eric's things, with Brone's help, to your family compound, it will give you both alibis.'

'Indeed, Emassi,' Tavis said, expressing strong relief.

Brone nodded with dignity, an attitude that did him no harm in the eyes of his young charges.

Zainal reached for a writing wand. 'How many lifts have you been able to repair, Natchi?'

'Ditsy helped me, Emassi, but we have twelve in top working order and all powered up.'

'Twelve...' Zainal murmured and started calculating weights and the time it would take to make round-trips from the storage sheds to the ship.

'No one would question our leaving after today,' Chuck said. 'I can stay on board on comm watch.'

'No, I can assume that duty,' Brone said. 'I can also get our port clearance organized. I don't think there'll be any questions about that.'

'Good idea.' Zainal nodded his thanks. 'Now,' and he began to issue specific orders as to how many lifts would go to which destination. 'It won't take more than ten minutes by lift to make it to and from the most distant storage unit - Luxel's - so allowing half an hour for Ferris and Ditsy to load, Erbri, start your distraction at three forty-five. Clune, Chuck, the tyres and batteries will be heavier to load at Nilink's, so if Erbri keeps a good watch, you should get in about the time the boys do. Ninety, you and your brother take another lift behind Clune and Chuck. It's tyres and batteries - and windshield wipers - we can use the most. You've got time to get some rest. You,' and he pointed to Gail, 'have some special signs to make for us.'

'My pleasure. Who will you be raiding, Zainal?'

'Kierse,' he said.

'I'll come along for that,' Kris said.

'Not in your condition. You and Kathy get a good night's sleep. You'll have to be all smiles and sociability when we close down our market spot tomorrow.'

'But what if the thefts have been discovered?' Ferris asked, wide-eyed.

Zainal merely laughed. 'All the more reason for us to be about the business of closing our stall and leaving in good order.'

Very pleased with her assignment, Floss shooed Kris and Kathy to their quarters, saying loudly that Peran and Bazil would help her clear the galley. 'And leave it spotless!'

Zainal would have preferred to keep his sons innocent of the larceny, but since he had announced the reasons behind his actions, he felt they would understand that he didn't behave this way without cause. Revenge for an insult was a proper Catteni ritual under any circumstances, and insult had been done not only to Zainal, but also to Kris and Kathy.

He awakened after a few hours' sleep and went to the galley, thinking that this morning, of all he had recently enjoyed, there would be no hot coffee to savour. He was amazed to find Floss ready to pour him a fresh cup.

'Kapash's men thought they were so smart, Zainal - they thought coffee was just bags of beans,' she said with a laugh as he inhaled the fragrant steam. 'But I had just poured three sacks of raw beans into the roaster when they arrived. They never looked there. Kris will be very pleased, too.'

The rest of the men and boys who followed him were equally pleased, none more than Natchi and Erbri, who had kipped down in the hold for what rest they would have before the dawn's action. So, tugging the lines of lifts out of the main hatch as soon as Natchi declared the docking bay free from casual traffic, they spread out to their various assignments.

Floating above the marketplace so late at night proved an eerie voyage as there were few around, most of them hired guards who would not necessarily think to look above their heads for transgressors, especially since Zainal kept to the deepest shadows, well able to avoid them as they did their rounds to check door locks.

Just as Zainal was hovering over Kierse's storage space, he saw the blue flash that meant Bayes had effected a short in the power system. Such shorts happened so frequently that the guards would not be suspicious. Zainal had had a chance to note that there were sentries near Kierse's shed, so he dismounted the lift and went to the dark alley between Kierse's and his neighbour's units. Wrapping the lead line of the lift around his wrist, he carefully eased himself off to the now unsecured entrance. He was in, lift and all, in moments. With a tiny hand light, he found the materials he wanted from Kierse, in revenge for bearing false witness against Kathy and Kris. He peeked out before he ventured into the side lane and then, lying uncomfortably on his purloined goods, eased the lift up and began his way back to the BASS-l, sticking to shadows whenever possible - which meant he cruised just above the roofs of the sheds.

He heard the noise of the distraction Erbri had promised, though he hadn't a clue what it was. But, as he entered the docking area, there was no one running up and down the corridors, and keeping to the shadows cast by ground lights, he made it back to the BASS-1 and into the open cargo hold without detection. It took only moments for him to find the nets he had assigned for the goods he would retrieve and tip the lift to send its burden slipping into the shrouds. Then he put the lift into its storage brackets. A sudden shadow caused him a moment's panic but when he saw a pair of legs dangling over the side of a lift, he realized it had to be one of the boys. The lift was very heavy and sank slowly. He made his way over and opened the netting so that the contents could be slid into place.

'We could go back for another dip,' Clune said, clearly elated with success. 'We fixed the security lock so it won't come back on again.'

'We must not be too greedy ourselves,' Zainal said, but he thought of what use the tyres would be at their destination and how the rubber was slowly perishing in its current site. 'Let's make sure everyone else is in safe and sound,' he added as the black prow of another lift appeared in the cargo entrance.

He did send Clune and Ninety back for another load of tyres and batteries but after that he called a halt to the operation. Brone reported that Tavis had settled Eric and his equipment safely in the compound and they would see them in the morning. Brone gave the appearance of not noticing the cargo bay's new contents.

Zainal would have preferred lifting as soon as possible now but he had good reasons for wanting possible clients to know that he was leaving. Even appearing at his former site the morning after mass pilferage might deflect blame from him. Gail's signs had already been put up at the stall, announcing its closure. Those who had enjoyed early coffee were milling around, as if hoping to continue their coffee habit against all visible evidence to the contrary. It was also a relief to know that so far the previous night's burglaries had not yet been discovered. Kapash would know soon enough but he would not immediately suspect Zainal. Zainal was surprised to see Kierse among those viewing the emptied premises.

'Where are you going? How will I sell what I have left of that unsaleable stuff from Terra?

'I will tell you when I know,' Zainal answered and started to pass Kierse. The man grabbed his tunic. Ninety Doyle took a step forward but Zainal stopped him with a swift glance.

'But I have to sell it,' Kierse said. 'You've been my first buyer in months.'

'I was willing to buy but you wanted more than I had to pay.'

'I have to return a profit to my investors, you know.'

'That is your problem, not mine.' Zainal chopped at the restraining hand and Kierse did not persist, though his expression remained defeated. There were any number of inflammatory remarks Zainal could have made about greed and the irrationality of stealing things without knowing of available marketplaces - though Zainal now had a novel idea about that little problem.

'And what about more coffee?' Kierse asked plaintively.

'You have enough beans to last awhile,' Zainal said with no sympathy.

'And then?'

'Kapash has the rest of my beans,' he suggested helpfully, and waved farewell to the man, standing in the middle of the aisle in front of their stall, looking bereft, as he hurried off on his next vital errand of the day before someone else detained him.

When Zainal got to the market manager's office to pay Eric's rental on a better stall situation in the first square of the market, Kapash's haughty assistant announced that Manager Kapash was too busy to see to any minor details but he was quite willing to write out the lease for the space Zainal wanted and give a receipt for it and Eric's 'office'. Zainal was relieved not to see Kapash again but he would have liked to have been an insect on the wall when Kapash discovered that he would be responsible for reimbursing the merchants (perhaps with the coffee beans he now owned) for their losses from the burglaries of their supposedly safe lockups. Since Eric had so many prominent clients, including Ladade, who had no use for Kapash, he felt the aggressive dentist would have no trouble, and probably take pleasure in, contending with Kapash if the man was stupid enough to contest a lease signed by his own assistant. Eric was smart enough to make use of Ladade's patronage if needed. Ferris wanted to stay, and Zainal was halftempted to let him, except for Ferris's light-fingered ways that might also make things awkward for Eric.

Bazil and Peran had learned valuable lessons here, but not the ones young Catteni - especially Emassis - should acquire. Brone now had them well in hand and actually liking their lessons. Perhaps, Zainal thought, this venture had primed the pump for a return even if this first visit had not been such an overwhelming success in itself. Although, in some respects, they had achieved more than they had had any right to expect: he had the allimportant information that would be of benefit to Botany and his goals. There were other options now for how to proceed.

And he had another idea that might solve all their problems soon, if not immediately. He wished he could think of a reason to go forward with the plan right now to give the Botany group the resources to buy up everything they had come for, but acting too quickly might cause more problems than it solved. As wise to give the diffident merchants a little time to regret missing the chance to empty their warehouses of useless products. Do them no harm.

Besides which, he thought with humour, they had to leave soon or the bananas would be overripe. Kris had her heart set on producing them at Botany. She had been much relieved to know that, although Kapash's men had taken all the remaining bean sacks in the hold, they had overlooked the beans in the roaster. Kris was glad for anything that diminished the benefit to Kapash of her trumped-up 'ransom'. There would be some beans for Botany as well as bananas.

'We shall get coffee plants the next time we're on Earth,' Zainal told her, to cheer her up. 'I think I remember that someone on one of the plantations told me that the plants would travel well and could adapt to new environments as long as the temperature and the rain were correct.'

'We are going back to Earth, are we?'

'I've got data for folks to figure out which slave ship went where, and who among the missing might still be located wherever they were sold,' he assured her.

She gave a little shudder at how close she had come to being another name on those lists. 'And we've loads of merchandise to ease the current shortages.'

'And we did get the most updated register from Vitali, along with the air charts,' Zainal said, nodding towards the worktop where he kept such things. Then he leaned back in his chair, locking his fingers behind his head.

'Why are you grinning, Zainal?' Kris asked, suspicious of such good humour.

'I think I have justified a short detour I want to make on our departure.'

'Detour?' Kris repeated, mystified.

His grin widened. 'As Chuck said, the best place to hide something is right out in the open.'

'What?'

'I won't say because I could be wrong...' 'Who are you trying to impress now?

'I want to show Botany more results than we've had.' 'I don't think we've done that badly,' Kris said encour agingly. 'Sally said we got the most profit on the coffee beans-'

'Since they cost us nothing-'

'Apart from two lift platforms... and we do have a range of comm-sat parts, the tyres, the batteries and spark plugs - though they're for Earth, aren't they?'

Zainal nodded.

'So you intend to go back to Earth, just for coffee beans and the plants?'

'And possibly to find someone with enough experience to manage a Botany coffee plantation and bean warehouse.'

'And the roasting,' Kris said firmly. 'I don't think I quite got the hang of it.'

'But your attempts saved the beans for us.'

She flushed but managed a tentative smile for him. 'Yes, but it isn't something I planned to do. I still have a score to settle with that smirking Kapash.'

'Oh, last night was a good way to settle that score, dear heart,' he said, pushing himself up out of the chair. On his way out of their 'office', he gave her a warm kiss. 'I wonder if Brone ever had to visit the junkyard.'

She stared after him.

They received permission to clear Barevi port the next morning, with Kathy a willing but slightly nervous pilot handling the disengagement of the docking clamps, easing the KDM into the traffic heading out for the space station. When they had passed the space station with an all-clear to proceed, Zainal motioned Kathy out of her seat.

'But I did it right, didn't I?T

'Yes, indeed you did, Captain, but we're making a short detour,' Zainal said and altered the settings so that the BASS-i veered towards the jumble of waste material in the junkyard. Almost immediately a comm unit buzzed and Zainal answered it.

'You have changed course, BASS-l. Is there a problem?'

'No, I cleared this with your operations yesterday, Captain. We need to see if the junkyard has any spare KDM water tanks. We need one.'

There was an obviously hasty conference at the space station.

'All clear, BASS-1.' Zainal didn't recognize the voice. 'You may proceed. Good luck.'

'I hope that wasn't Ladade,' Kris muttered, more to herself than to anyone else.

'No, it was not,' Zainal said. 'Only the duty officer knew that my flight plan included the side trip.'

'I didn't know we needed a spare tank,' Kathy said.

'I want to see what else is there, in case we DO need it, Kathy,' Zainal said, slowing the forward motion of the BASS-1 as they approached the jumbled elements of the junkyard.

'How are you going to find one in all that?' Kathy asked.

'Oh, one of us may spot what we're looking for. See if you can find anything that looks out of place in its company.'

'Say again?' Kathy asked, confused.

'Brone, come to the control room, on the double,' Zainal said on the interior com.

'Yes, Emassi,' was the immediate response. Brone came with Bazil and Peran, who wedged their boyish bodies into the jump seat next to Kris and strapped in, as they were now in free fall. Kathy had vacated the second officer's position at Zainal's request for Brone but she hung onto the safety rail, not wishing to miss whatever was going to happen.

The loosely spinning objects, some of them sides of battered hulls, twisted structural members, some of them fused together, continued on their intrinsic orbit far from Barevi. Zainal matched velocity and, deftly using his thrusters, inserted himself into the moving mass, adjusting his speed as he edged farther into the swarm.

'Watch the passing parade, crew, and point out anything that looks like it shouldn't be here.'

Bazil gave a snort. 'How would we know what shouldn't be here?' he asked.

'You mean, like that large loaf of bread?' Kathy asked, pointing to a tumbling object whose matte-black angles reflected a gleam from one of the perimeter warning lights.

'Which one?' Zainal asked.

'Oh, I'd put it at eleven o'clock,' Kathy replied, pointing.

'The scan says the contents are metallic,' Brone said, reading the screen's assessment.

'Looks like an immense loaf of bread to me,' Kathy repeated. 'Wrapped with heavy chain, too, so whatever is in it won't fall out.'

Zainal inched the KDM closer.

'There's another one just like it at four o'clock,' Kris said.

'Also full of metal,' Brone said, having checked it out on the screen.

'Now, why isn't the metal just emptied in with all the other stuff?' Kathy asked - because not only were the ship's proximity warnings shrieking, but there were pings as much smaller objects bounced against the hull of the BASS-l.

'Very good point, Kathy,' Zainal said with an air of satisfaction. He switched on the intercom. 'Chuck, stand by the airlock. We're going to try to collect some space garbage. Can you defuse the charge as we did with the comm sat?'

'Sure, Zainal,' Chuck said. 'In a few. I've been checking manifests.'

They were closing in on the loaf when he announced his presence at the airlock, with a handy chain to take the static charge away from the BASS-l.

'Open airlock and be prepared to lose gravity,' Zainal said and deftly hit the altitude thrusters so the broad side of the ship was presented to the intended captive. Then, with a blast on the warning hooter, he flipped off the gravity. Once again, the object sparked as the defusing chain hit it and not long after found itself eased into the airlock and the hatch closed on its prize. 'Stand by, Chuck. We have a possible second.'

On the open link, they could hear Chuck wondering out loud why they needed garbage from an effing junkyard.

'Because they are right out in the open where anyone could see them,' Zainal replied cryptically.

'Oh!' Chuck's response indicated enlightenment. As soon as the second bread loaf was in the airlock, Zainal ordered it closed, the manoeuvre over, and internal gravity was restored.

'Now, we're out of here,' he said, turning the nose of the ship to starboard and easing it, by means of cautious spurts of the forward thrusters, out of the junkyard and safely into open space. 'Captain Harvey, if you would resume piloting, we can proceed, full speed, to Botany.'

'Aye, sir,' she replied, still mystified by the diversion.

'Hey, there's another bread loaf,' Bazil said, pointing at three o'clock.

'Why, so there is, Bazil. Good eyes on you,' Zainal said cheerfully, tousling his son's hair - something he knew

Bazil disliked, but it distracted the boy. 'It'll be interest ing to see if it's still there on our return. Meanwhile, let's go see what we snared.'

Bazil and Peran were both pleased at that invitation.

'Coming, Kris?' Bazil asked.

'For the sake of my insatiable curiosity,' Kris said. Bazil and Peran had both been much nicer to her lately, though she didn't think it had much to do with Brone's influence. The change had started just after she had so staunchly rescued Ferris from Kapash's vengeance. She would miss the boy's cheerfulness, but he'd be fine with Eric and Tavis, and she was glad Zainal had relented and let him stay behind.

'Okay, Zainal,' Chuck said when those from the control room had made it to the lock. 'I never thought I'd be rescuing junk from the deep six.'

'Because they were there, Chuck,' Zainal said. 'Have we got any metal cutters for those chains?' he added as he took full note of the garlands of chain looping the objects.

Ditsy said he had some and went off to the hold where he and Natchi had stashed the tools they used to repair what they found at the Barevian junkyards. The boy didn't have quite enough strength to make the tool bite through the chains, but Brone did. The chains fell away and Zainal opened the first lid and looked in. He gave a long whistle and then pushed the chest over to scatter its contents before the wondering eyes of the onlookers.

'Jackpot!' Ditsy said, kneeling down to scoop up handfuls of the coins that spilled out, and the larger oddments that had been disclosed. 'Hey, look! A crown!' He picked up the huge, jewel-encrusted affair and put it on his head. Its rim fell to his shoulders, being much too wide to sit on his narrow skull.

Kris held up another golden band, and then pulled out from the coins a long rod with a globe on one end.

'This looks like the English sceptre of state,' she said, trying to look queenly. 'Just like the Eosi to enter the Tower of London and steal the crown jewels!'

Zainal held up a beautiful drinking bowl in gold, its jewelled rim sparkling in the hold's overhead lights.

'And that's a Cellini bowl,' she said, pointing to it. 'I've seen pictures of something like it from a museum. The Eosi obviously were in line for the best of the best. What are the coins?'

Zainal sighed. 'We could have used these.' He let some trickle through his fingers. 'Catteni gold bunts, large coin as well as halves and quarters... probably mined from one of the Eosi's holdings or the rents they were paid as landlords. These were minted in Barevi though. See the B stamped on it.' He showed it around the admiring circle.

Fascinated by the heavy coins, Peran began to stack them in piles before casually scattering them back on the floor of the hatch.

'Didn't know there could be so much coin,' he said, awed. 'We'd've got everything we wanted for just this much.' He scooped up a double handful and then let it fall back, tinkling. He chased a piece that rolled away to the edge of the deck, catching it just before it disappeared into a slot by a girder. He carefully replaced it. 'If we went back to Barevi, we could get just about everything else we needed.'

'We probably could, Peran, but not today, I think. I don't want to arouse suspicions,' Zainal said. 'Our sudden wealth would make Kapash as well as Ladade very suspicious.'

'Won't they be suspicious because we made that detour?'

'Possibly, but while they are greedy men, the KDM is faster than any of their ships and I did explain why we went there. Not unusual for a ship to search through a station's junkyard. They would also have to have been watching very carefully to see what we took.'

'But I saw more loaves,' Bazil said.

'And we have other duties to perform right now.'

'They'll keep,' Kathy said.

'I'd love to put their noses further out of joint,' Chuck said, setting his jaw as he remembered all the slights and delays they had suffered at the hands of the merchants. 'D'you think this was a wise idea, Zainal?'

'If we went back now, it would be a stupid move. I asked for a water tank. This is about the right size and conformation to anyone who might have been watching us from the station. They've yet to discover last night's work. I certainly wouldn't want to be back on Barevi when they do. Let's organize the contents. And what's in the other one?'

That chest proved to contain very carefully rolled up paintings, some of which Kris recognized as portraits and landscapes.

'The Eosi really knew what to loot,' she murmured, carefully rerolling one painting.

'They would,' Zainal said. 'And you spotted another loaf, didn't you, Bazil?'

'Yes, Father, I did.'

'Well, we won't go back for it now. We know what we're looking for and Ladade and Kapash will not. We shall hope that the Eosi's deception lasts until our return, when we will search for any other unlikely objects in that junkyard.'

'And they do look like bread loaves!' Kris said, regarding the rounded lids and the rectangular ends, with a shade of respect for such subterfuge. 'Whoever would have thunk it.'

Brone reappeared in the lock with writing materials and started an inventory list. Floss tried on the crown, which fitted her better than it had Ditsy, although she declared that it was very heavy. 'Uneasy is the head...' she said in a 'quoting' tone but did not explain further. Then she spotted a diamond-and-ruby bracelet, which she fastened on her arm. Pleased with that, she started sorting through the coins for other jewellery. The boys found more and shortly had filled both her arms and found rings for all her fingers.

'Never thought I'd see this much ice! Nor so many kinds of rocks,' Floss crowed, striding gawkily around the hatch, her arms held out to display her finery in the manner of a fashion mannequin. 'What would you like, Kris? Diamonds, emeralds, rubies or sapphires? Dress up time.'

Kris was attracted by the translucent glamour of pearls and wound several long strands around her neck, imitating Floss's catwalk posture.

'Way cool!' Floss said when Kris stalked about.

We have to return the crown jewels,' Kris said, almost regretfully, as such items were not much use to them. Only beautiful! She unwound the pearls and put them carefully in Brone's lap. 'C'mon, Floss, we'd better find something more appropriate to wrap those things in. I think I have some coffee bean bags left and enough labels.'

'Beans for the baubles, huh?' Floss said blithely, but she spent the afternoon with Jax, Gail and Kathy playing with the jewellery as they packed and Brone inventoried it.

'Won't buy much in a bazaar on Earth though,' she said once, scornfully. 'Who'd trade this sort of stuff for a loaf of bread?'

'Would you believe a country?' Kris said, remembering her history lessons as she carefully padded the crown in a worn old rag of a towel. 'At that, I think the towel is worth more on the open market. Sic transit gloria mundi.' She gave the crown a final pat.

'Sick transit Gloria... Who's she?' Floss asked, curious.

'It's Latin and refers to the transitory nature of human vanities.'

'Hey, look at me, Gloria. I ain't sick,' was Floss's giggling rejoinder.

'Well, look where all this,' and Kris motioned at the still large pile of jewellery awaiting packing, 'ended up. As junk, orbiting hundreds of miles from civilization.'

'That is, if you can call Barevi civilized,' Floss said contemptuously.

12

No one was happier to see Botany's sphere grow larger in the forward screen than Zainal. Kris was delighted, too, because there were still five good-sized hands of bananas that were ripe but not yet overripe. They'd have to be eaten immediately on arrival. The two bushels of oranges had lasted fine, but the guavas and papayas were only sweet memories.

The last day everyone was busy cleaning up and smartening their downside clothing. Sally Stoffers had worked on a report for a formal presentation to the Council. Zainal issued orders that the BASS-1 be in readiness for a quick turnaround. Kris rather thought that, even if he admitted to wholesale robbery to the Council, they wouldn't take as much offence if it would be received with rapturous gratitude on Earth.

The challenge to their presence came right on the dot of their entry into the sensor satellite's range.

'This is BASS-1, returning to base. We are all well and accounted for,' Zainal said, formally replying to 'Who goes there?'

'Hurrah! It's Zainal back. Did you get everything we needed?' Zainal recognized Worry's voice as duty officer.

'More than we expected, Worry, less than we wanted, but there are distinct alternatives that must be examined,' Zainal replied, wanting to be honest if not explicit. 'Can you call a general meeting for tonight?'

'Can and will. Welcome home, Zainal. All's well here.'

From the size of the crowd that had gathered to welcome the wayfarers at the landing field, Zainal thought that anyone who was off work was there. And lots of the kids, so perhaps they could just hand out the bananas and oranges right there and then. It was afternoon on Botany, a cool, sweet-scented day. And midsummer of the local seasons. That meant he would have time to make another trip to Terra, and if that proceeded with dispatch, he'd still have time to catch the autumnal visit of the Farmers, collecting the harvest from their side of the planet. If the wheat looked to be a good crop, he could, in all good conscience, ask for more to take back to Earth.

Zane and Amy were there, Zane's hand held by Rose Mitford, while Cherry was bouncing Amy to keep her happy. The bustle around her had startled her. Zainal happily counted the KDMs and KDLs settled on one side of the field and mentally assigned them crews and captains for their upcoming missions. That is, if he managed to talk the Council into going ahead with this venture. Maybe the bananas should go to the judge and the older folk, who would remember them from happier times.

It was good to be back on Botany, Zainal thought, as, hand in hand, he and Kris led the crew down the ramp. They had loaded the lifts with the bean sacks and fruits and these came into sight to cheers. Most of the cargo, however, was to remain in place. Sally had done an inventory, as well as the mission accounting.

There were cheers and happy reunions, and during all the fuss, Zainal introduced Brone to Worry and Dorothy Dwardie - when he could get her out of Chuck's arms. He was pleased, and Brone was astounded, by how courteously he was received. Zainal decided that perhaps his wildest imaginings might be feasible. Space was big and there were so few intelligent species. Why be enemies when being allies was far more practical?

There were so many queries fired at him that Zainal moved to the top of the ramp and held up his arms for silence.

'We're very glad to be back, and it's wonderful to see you all. You know that I've called a general meeting for this evening, and we'll give you a complete account of our travels, and our adventures. We didn't bring back all we went for,' and he anticipated the groan, 'but we brought back a lot we didn't expect to get.' He pointed to the bananas. 'We can get more where they came from, but I think the kids ought to have bananas and oranges with their suppers. We do have a hundred and fifty pounds of coffee beans!'

A really enthusiastic cheer greeted that announcement. 'And I think we can probably grow our own beans down on the peninsula.' He pointed to the south and west. There was a wilder and happier response to that suggestion. 'We've more things to talk about and decisions to make because we need to consolidate our position, both on Earth and on Barevi. So save your questions for tonight. Only don't make up any I can't answer.' Good-natured responses to that followed him as he saw Judge Iri Bempechat arriving late on the landing site and beckoned him to wait around for a little private chat.

Kris had gone to hug her children and talk to Cherry and Rose. Amy had 'made strange' with her mother, and Kris was trying to coax a smile from her. Gradually people began to drift to their homes and towards the main buildings of Retreat.

'Yes, Zainal,' Iri said, stumping forward on his cane. 'Your trip was eminently successful, but I perceive from your expression it brought up more questions than it answered.'

'So it did,' Zainal replied, relieved that the judge was so shrewd a man.

'Run them past me.' The judge beckoned for Zainal to accompany him as he stepped into his little motor cart. 'Are you going home?'

'No, I must be sure those ceramic caskets are put in safekeeping. Ninety's in charge of them but I want you to see what they contain.'

'Oh?'

'Eosi treasure - most of which I have no difficulty putting to the colony's use, but some of the items should be returned to their original owners.'

'You found Eosi treasure?' The judge was fascinated. 'What would they have considered "treasure"? And where did you find it?'

'In space, so technically, I think it can be considered the property of whoever finds it.'

'Hmmm... yes, traditionally, flotsam and jetsam are usually the property of the finder,' the judge suggested.

'I'm glad that is your opinion, too, but there are some very beautiful jewels that, apart from not knowing what to do with them, are no use to us. And whole casks of what Kris said are old-masters' paintings. Probably looted from museums.'

'Not even as trade items?' Iri asked.

'Coffee beans and metals are good trade commodities.

Fancy jewels, which in any case would look silly on a Catteni, are not. The Eosi had a huge appetite for acquisition, just for acquisition's sake. I think we can find out which museum owned the paintings. We also found that Earth isn't interested in the nonedible or noncommercial at the moment. There is, however, a considerable treasure in Catteni coin, which I would like to put to use acquiring the rest of the items Botany and Earth need.'

'You are concerned for Earth?'

'Yes, the planet was raped by the Eosi, for the sheer pleasure of acquisition, it would now seem. My plan is to return there as soon as we can resupply BASS-1 and restore to them some of the loot we reacquired. I also have a plan, which I must take up with the Terran coordinators, about establishing commerce with them. And bazaars.' Zainal couldn't help but grin. 'The Catteni captains took anything that wasn't nailed down, as Ninety phrased it, and Earth has gone back to bartering. I think that if we can get them to allow Catteni, or at least the Botany-registered Catteni ships, back in their space to land at their trading points, everyone could find what they need and manage to barter viable objects for Catteni consumption. The market is very slow there and it needs new products. Mostly, it needs to dump unusable merchandise. Earth needs what's sitting in warehouses uselessly. Barevi commerce would improve if we crosstraded, but I'm not sure if Botany, much less Earth, would be willing.'

'We come in peace. Take us to your bazaars?' Iri saw the irony.

'Why should Botany make all the effort to establish a rapport?' was Zainal's next question.

'A good point. Is there a new stable government on Earth, as Chuck said?' Iri asked with hope.

'Yes, a coordination of efforts and resources,' Zainal said, approving what he had seen. 'For instance, we traded medicines from one coordinator's sphere of influence to another's in Africa, and we got coffee beans, which turned out to make a remarkably tradeable item on Barevi.'

'Catteni like coffee?' Iri asked Zainal in his dry way.

'You should have seen what a few pounds of beans could buy us. And you will. I plan,' and Zainal could feel enthusiasm return, 'to obtain coffee bean plants on our next visit to Earth and try them in the southwest, near the Masai lands.'

'I do like a cup of coffee or three in the morning,' Iri said. 'You didn't bring back an espresso machine, did you?'

'No, but I'm sure I can trade for one on Earth. Whatever it is.'

Iri sighed again and put a veined hand with swollen knuckles on Zainal's arm. 'You get to my age and you find that food is about the only thing that tempts you.'

'We have coffee, from the Kenyan mountains, and the milder bean from Santa Lucia.'

'You spanned continents with no problems?'

Zainal nodded. 'Surprise was our main advantage. We were, however, met with courtesy. I'm not so sure how other Catteni groups would be received.'

'Doubtless with suspicion?'

'Possibly, until we clear their peaceful arrival with the Watch Dog security force. I don't know how they would now rebuff a hostile force, but they would know before it reached Earth. Kris said, "once bitten, twice shy". There is also the matter of resources. Catteni enterprise has been cut back considerably since the controlling force is inactive.'

'Kamiton and the others are having more trouble with the transition from the Eosi?'

Zainal nodded and the judge went on. 'History supports the supposition that it's one thing to have a revolution and another to recover from it. Earth is doing the better job. This time,' the judge remarked succinctly. 'And if they have, it will be the first time in the long struggle of humanity. May I live to see it!' He gave a long sigh. 'What else do you plan, Zainal?'

'I plan to use our ships to run between Earth and Barevi, and to start an orderly collection of the products of Catteni mining worlds.'

'What about the rest of our missing folk?'

'That will take far more organizing - and exchanges - than I can currently contemplate, but I was able to secure lists of which slave ship went where. Exchanging workers may be more difficult, if not downright impossible. Your species is admirably suited to the work required to keep such planets and facilities operating. Earth needs the mineral resources as much as Catten does. A little competition might be beneficial. What I envision is cooperation, too, between Catteni and Terrans.'

'Politics has always made strange bedfellows,' Iri remarked.

Zainal did not quite understand his reference as it might apply to their two species, especially as he saw nothing strange about having Kris as his bedfellow.

'Coordinators run Earth, you say?'

Zainal nodded.

'I must think how coordination can best be extended.' He patted Zainal's arm again as they came to the main settlement of Retreat. 'You have done well. You are thinking. It is thinking men we need right now.'

'There is much our two races can exchange to the benefit of both.'

'Then we need more coordination and cooperation.' The judge dismounted from his motor and looked inquiringly at Zainal. 'You called a meeting for this evening?'

Zainal nodded.

'We will then coordinate efforts.' The judge strode away, nodding right and left at those who greeted him.

Zainal went to the main dining room, aware that he was hungry, and hungry for Botanic food. A nice juicy roasted rock squat would taste fine right now, and some tubers. Seed potatoes were another item that he must try to return with. And other Earth vegetables that might do well. Hadn't Kris said one of their drivers had farmed nearby? There was still so much to do and plan. Would he ever be able to drop back to Botany and stay put? Why must duty keep calling him away to attempt the impossible?

Because that was what he had undertaken to do and felt responsible for completing. He wondered if that was what had driven the Eosi. But he was not Eosi: he was a Botanist - no longer a Catteni, but of, and for, this world. And of and for this world, he would do everything possible so that it would continue with all its promise and plenty.

A hand caressed his shoulder and he looked around to see Kris beside him in line waiting to be served.

'Rock squat, please,' he said, pointing to the browned segment he liked. 'You'll never believe how important those rock squats were to us in our travels,' he told the server.

'Really?' The woman was surprised. 'Nice to see you back, Zainal, Kris. And thanks for the coffee beans - even if we still have to ration them.'

'Not for much longer,' Zainal said with the airy confidence that suddenly enveloped him.

Kris also chose rock squat and as they picked other selections from the salad bowls, she paused to point out

Bazil and Peran, sitting with Brone and looking very pleased with themselves.

'I think the teacher is being taught,' she murmured, since Brone's head was turning this way and that, constantly observing those in the hall.

As they looked around for a table, they saw other members of their crew dining with friends and relatives. Floss, Clune and Ditsy were, however, alone at a big table to which Kris and Zainal made their way.

'Good to be home, isn't it?' she said conversationally.

'Well, it's nice not to have to be...' Floss shrugged.

'Apprehensive?' Clune asked, reaching for her hand and smiling down at her.

'Yeah, that's the word. Everyone likes my dress,' Floss added, stroking the fabric down the front over one hip. 'No one has one like it.'

'Nor are they likely to,' Kris said.

'Aren't we going back to Africa?' Floss asked. Clearly she wanted to get more brightly coloured material. It did suit her.

'That's up for discussion,' Zainal said in a tone that suggested an end to that subject.

'We'll have to,' Clune said, lifting his cup of coffee to his lips. 'I'm as addicted to this stuff as everyone else.' He took a sip. 'We'd get clearance just by promising to ensure a supply of coffee.'

'There's more to be done than that,' Ditsy said with some scorn.

D'you miss Ferris?' Kris asked.

'Yeah,' Ditsy said in a bleak tone, slumping in his chair and laying an arm on the table to prop his head on, in a totally disconsolate mood. 'Never thought he'd desert me for a dentist!'

'Speaking of that, we never did get one of his dentist friends to come work here on Botany,' Kris said in mild self-reproach.

'There are a lot of things we didn't get to do,' Zainal said, 'this time!' He gave a sharp nod of his head to indicate that he intended to perform at a higher level soon.

'Think of the things we did do, Zainal! Not too shabby,' Kris replied. Lord, was everyone down in the dumps? Post-something-or-other depression? Kathy Harvey very much wanted to achieve more miracles of repair on satellites, especially with that nice young fellow at the green coords - Wendell? Wasn't that his name? Yes, John Wendell. Kathy had been mopey now and then. It was Jax who had clued Kris in to her interest in the attractive young communications expert who was worlds away from them right now. Oh, well.

Many people came up to have a few words with them and the general drift of the comments suggested to Kris that the majority of Botanists were impressed with the visible results of this first mission, even if it had not been as successful as Zainal had anticipated. He had returned the remaining gold nuggets and flakes to Mike Miller, who had been extremely surprised to receive them. He'd also asked about what other metals were available in good supply: not that anything wouldn't be welcome on ore-starved Earth.

'Shucks. You coulda used it all, Zainal. We don't need it here.'

'I couldn't use it all, Mike, as most countries are no longer on a gold standard. Coffee beans were more acceptable. And the copper, tin, lead and zinc.'

'Who'da thought it?' Mike said, slack jawed with surprise, but he carefully signed a receipt for the gold, and Zainal told him the combination of the digital lock on the safe box.

'Got more of those lesser metals if you need them.'

Zainal did not remark on that, which implied that Mike, for one, approved of further expeditions. Kris smiled and thanked Mike.

'You know,' she said, 'I got the impression from the green coord that the problem might not just be that there is no transport for what resources Earth has left. They need more miners, too. I suspect he could use all who would come.'

She could see that Zainal was turning things over in his mind. He'd been doing a lot of thinking lately, more silent than usual - even for him. Still, she had a few things to ponder herself.

This time she'd bring a lot more flour and rock squats. She began to itemize the other natural supplies of Botany's bounty in terms of how they would trade on Earth. They could share more until Earth recovered its own agriculture.

So Leon Dane's appearance at their table seemed only natural to her, and she broached the subject of their mission to Kenya and the typhoid epidemic. She knew that Leon and his staff had been busy trying to catalogue the therapeutic herbs and roots of Botany. They had done so to provide alternatives for the medicines they'd used on Earth. So far there had been no epidemics of anything except for measles. That had run its course - through the creches, of course, but there had been no serious side effects for any of the children.

'Is it true that some pharmaceutical companies are still operating down on Earth?' Dane asked, sliding into an empty chair and sipping his coffee. 'Best thing you could have brought back,' he added with a grin. 'Really good beans, too.'

Kris sniffed. 'You have some of the Kenyan robustas. My nose got better in Barevi.'

'So I heard,' Leon said with a broad grin. 'So, can I possibly get some stuff on your next trip?'

'You assume there will be one?' Zainal asked, raising his brows in surprise.

'Hell's bells, man, I think that was just the start. You are going to bring back coffee plants, aren't you?'

'Where'd you hear that?' Zainal asked.

Leon scratched his head, contorting his face to aid his memory. 'Dunno now. Probably Sarah McDouall or possibly Chuck. He reminded us about the equatorial peninsula. She thought it would be climatically appropriate for coffee beans and maybe even bananas and sugarcane. Say, that unrefined brown sugar you brought in is the best treat. I did scrounge an orange.'

'Good for you, Leon.'

'Bananas went down well in the pediatric ward. Not that the kids knew what they were. They just liked the taste.'

'Wish we knew more about banana and coffee culture,' Kris said, wistfully.

'Just give us a chance. 01' trial and error is a great instructor,' Leon said airily.

'Ain't it just,' Kris replied, sneaking a glance at Zainal to see his reception of such ideas.

'We'd have to trade for what you need,' Zainal was saying. 'Maybe something you've been using here on

Botany would work.'

'I'll get Sarah to do up some botanical files and slides and see how we can send specimens for their investigation,' Leon said, and slapped his hand on the table as he rose to his feet. 'Gotta go. Just wanted to say thanks.' He drained the last of his coffee and detoured on his way out the door to put his cup in the dirty dishes basket.

'I wish we could do something spectacular for Earth,' Floss said. 'While you were off in Manhattan, we got to talking to some of the airport crews. None of them knew anything about Botany or the Catteni forced colonies. I think everyone wanted to smuggle on board the BASS-1 and come back here.'

'Neither world is problem-free, Floss,' Kris said.

'No, but we got a better deal going here than they do,'

Floss remarked. 'C'mon, Clune, I'm due for my shift.' 'And me for mine,' Clune said, checking whether the other mugs on the table were empty before clearing them off, deftly slotting his fingers through the handles. Zainal turned a surprised expression to Kris. 'She's due for kitchen cleaning and she goes willingly? My, what is it you say about wonders?'

'May wonders never cease,' Kris said. 'I think she learned something from our travels.'

'It would appear so. Now, my dear heart, we have some planning to do.'

'I rather thought we might. You've been very thoughtful lately.'

'More of my' - he raised his right arm in an expansive gesture - 'wild imaginings.' He leaned over and kissed her cheek. 'I have time before the Farmers collect their harvest. And we have gathering of our own to do.'

Just at that moment, Gino Marrucci entered the mess hall and came over to Zainal with a clipboard, on which a sheaf of papers fluttered from the speed of his entrance.

'Hi, glad I caught you, Zainal.' He looked down at his notes. 'Got supplies lined up for all of the KDMs and the KDLs. Did you plan to use Baby, too?'

'She should be ready to fly in case we need her. Did Peter and Aarens manage to figure out a long-distance homing device?'

'Not for the distances we'll have to travel.'

'Well, we can use Baby to check out that old Eosi excavation on our moon.'

'D'you think an Eosi actually hid stuff there, too?'

'It's a remote possibility,' Zainal admitted.

'So were the bread-loaf chests in the junkyard,' Kris reminded him. He gave a diffident shrug.

He went over the supply sheets with Gino and initialled the crews. 'This is all contingent, you know,' he reminded

Gino.

'Every kid, including your own, is out hunting rock squats and the kitchen is prepared to roast and toast until they're all done.'

'Hope someone finds some nests and eggs. We can get an incubator for the trip out and present them with rock squat chicks,' Kris remarked. 'Personally, I don't like rock squat eggs but they're better than nothing.' She had a vision of rock squat farms taking over from the piggeries on the Secaucus meadows, and Murray as a squat farmer. She giggled and waved off Zainal's look of inquiry. There was of course the problem of bringing alien life forms to Earth. The first incursion had not been a success.

Zainal got touchier and touchier during the afternoon and she worried about him. He had done so much already. What did he expect of himself? Certainly far more than others expected of him.

Sally Stoffers called in briefly to deliver a note.

'There never was a quotation on the stock market for the value of Catteni bunts against American dollars or English sterling. But Mike suggested we use the gold rate as a standard: those coins are twenty-carat gold, just enough impurity to keep them from being too soft for use or clipped.' She handed him her note. 'That gives the equivalent, and it's far more than we borrowed from

Mike Miller. That doesn't even include the jewellery, just the coin. The stones in some of those necklaces and rings and stuff would buy what's left of Manhattan. If it was still on the gold standard.'

When Zainal finally decided it was time to go to the evening meeting, he looked more woebegone than ever and Kris couldn't think of anything to cheer him up.

'I didn't get everything I said I would get,' he remarked as they reached the hall. Then he squared his shoulders and walked boldly into the meeting.

It was even better attended than the previous one, which encouraged Kris even if Zainal did not seem to notice. Brone sat in the front row with the two boys, who waved wildly to catch their father's attention before Brone murmured something to them. They both sat on their hands then and tried to contain such unCatteni-like reactions. Ditsy, Clune and Floss sat behind them, and Floss, her hair trimmed and neat around her face, wore the second of her two new dresses: the bright blue patterned one. Their shipmates had taken seats in the same row and were beaming at the entrance of Kris and Zainal, which caused a ripple of comment throughout the hall.

Dorothy Dwardie, Dr. Hessian and the other members of the Botany Management Board, including Worry, took their places on the platform, so this time Judge Iri Bempechat was last in, raising his gavel, preparatory to starting the meeting. A respectful silence fell over the hall.

'As you know, Zainal and his exploratory crew have safely returned and our coffee mugs are full. He wishes to explain in detail what occurred and why. Please give him your complete attention.'

Zainal did not go up on the platform but faced the audience on their level.

'We did well, but not as well as I led you to believe we would,' he said and was surprised when someone booed.

'You got back, you brought us coffee and a whole rake of materials we can't get anywhere else, Zainal. What's your problem with that?' It was Worry who had spoken, and Kris was relieved that it had not been one of the more vocal detractors.

'Sally Stoffers has a record of what I traded the Botany resources for,' Zainal said, pointing at Sally in the audience.

'He did real good, folks. We all did. Got quite handy with bargaining, even when those Barevian merchants were being damned stingy.'

Zainal gave her a grateful nod for her comment.

'I didn't do as much as I promised you I would and could.'

He was not apologizing, Kris realized, but explaining.

'Barevi's a different world now than the one I knew.'

'Yeah, they lost the war.'

'That isn't what I meant,' Zainal replied, exasperated and possibly unable to explain what was prompting him to make this confession. 'Though on balance, I think your planet has made the better adjustment.'

'Good for Earth!' Someone hoisted a clenched fist skyward in an old gesture of supremacy.

'Botany is in an extraordinary situation,' Zainal went on. 'Both worlds are at a crossroads, I think. I know.' Kris could see his chest rise as he took a deep breath. 'I would like to think that we can do more... both for Earth, your planet, and for mine.'

'Invade them?' someone called.

'The Eosi were manipulative and... and evil,' Zainal said. 'They perverted my world and subjugated many more. Many more.'

'That's their problem.'

'No, it is ours as well. We inhabit the same galaxy. There is more we can do to assist recovery on your own world. I would like to have the same discretion to help mine... and ours!' He hurried on lest someone interrupt him. 'The Botany Space Force would be invaluable to both worlds, or I should say, all three, including Barevi.' He took another quick breath. 'I would like you to consider using our ships-'

'The ones we stole from the Catteni in the first place?T

'Yes, those. To bring what's needed on Earth from Barevi. We were able to discover two chests of Eosi treasure with which we can probably buy out everything in all the storage rooms on Barevi and bring it back to Earth. They trade there, you know. If we make the Barevi merchants hire our ships, we can see that everything gets back to Earth!'

'Wow!'

'Hey, man, think BIG.'

'We'd charge the Barevis for the shipping, wouldn't we?T

'What about the captives, Zainal?' a woman asked, nearly a shriek to be heard over the comments from the audience.

'Well, now, I've thought about that a lot, since some of you may know that Kris and Kathy nearly got sent to a slave colony. It's one of my plans. Look, if we start transporting Botany ores and metals to Earth, and to Barevi, we will hurt their markets, which, I must tell you, are already hurting. One' - he held up his hand as he ticked off his points - 'Earth gets the ores it needs to start manufacturing again and, two, cuts off the market for the slave colonies' produce. If they don't need slaves to work, maybe we can buy their freedom. That's what we all want, isn't it? The slaves freed?T

'This civil war has to do with planetary rights,' someone with a marked southern accent cried.

'D'you think it'd work?' a woman called.

'I'd like to give it a try,' Zainal said. 'Now, what I'm going to say may distress some of you, but I was talking to the judge,' and Zainal swivelled his body so he could see the judge, who was nodding encouragingly, 'and, with all due respect, we - Catteni and Humans - are not that different.'

'Yeah? Since when?' No one was quick enough to see who had asked that.

'Since I know that both our species want to explore space and both our populations need additional worlds on which to develop.'

'A point well taken,' the judge said with a little tap of his gavel.

'Are you suggesting we make partners of the Catteni?' Dick Aarens jumped to his feet.

'Why not? They couldn't dominate you, could they? Your tactics made them leave.'

'But partner the Catteni?' Aarens objected.

'Beat them at their own game?' the judge suggested.

'It's better than fighting them,' Dorothy Dwardie said firmly. 'Where would Earth be if we had had Catteni technology?'

'Look, I don't know what the coodinators on Earth - the effective governors of Earth, I should point out - what they'll think about this notion, but I'd like to put it to them and bring them some essential supplies that we know they need. And bring back to Botany coffee plants and banana trees and other Terran plants that might adapt here, as well as people who can teach us how to grow them properly.'

'We're all for the coffee,' someone yelled.

'Tea bushes would do well here, too,' a woman suggested. 'They grow tea in Kenya, you know.'

Zainal nodded and made a note on his clipboard.

'It wouldn't cost Botany anything,' Zainal said, 'now that we have how much, Sally?'

She stood. 'I figured out that the Catteni gold coins equal about three quarters of a billion dollars on the last gold-exchange figures.'

'That's enough to buy out everything the Barevis looted from us, if we get good prices,' Zainal said. 'I want to ask the coordinators in the metropolitan New York area if we can use Newark Airport for the swap meet of this century. We'll supply the coinage, which we got free anyhow, and your planet can ransom back all they need to reequip abandoned manufacturing. Why should we waste our time and fuel bargaining at Barevi when we can make money off them by carting it all to Earth and getting other folks to haggle?T

'Haggling's the fun of it,' a female voice protested.

Worry got to his feet and waited until there was silence. 'I think Zainal's suggestions have merit and provide positive advantages - to us, to Earth and, however inadvertently, to Barevi. I was talking to Chuck and Kathy Harvey about their adventures on our home world. It'd be real fun to outsmart the Catteni, no offence meant, Zainal, but you're more Botanical than Catteni anyway. In any event, since you don't really need our approval, being a free citizen and the person who helped us acquire the ships that comprise our space force, I think you ought to have a say in how they are used. And if it takes some shenanigans to free the slaves, why, work away. No one else's doing anything to get them back, are they?'

While that straight talk ruffled some sensibilities and caused an outbreak of loud conversations and rebuttals, the judge permitted it to continue until he felt the need to curb some of the more vociferous arguments.

'Let us vote first on whether or not Zainal should go back to Earth with the goods he acquired for them by trading coffee beans on Barevi.'

Chuck sprang to his feet. 'I request that the assembled allow Zainal to return to Earth and deal with the authorities there on how best to relieve their shortages. I request that he be allowed to suggest to the Terran coordinators that the Botany Space Force can transport Barevian goods to Earth for the purposes of barter.'

'I second both motions,' Dorothy Dwardie said, jumping to her feet.

Others were as quick to support the motions, and they were very quickly passed. Zainal bowed his head at such support.

'I think this idea of forcing the slavers to give us back our people is a bit far-fetched, Zainal,' Dick Aarens said, but he had stood in support of the first two measures.

'It probably is, Dick, but if you can think of another way, I'd be interested. I also intend to suggest it to the coords. I'm hoping to meet with more of them when we return.' He held up his hand for silence again. 'And I wonder if I can bring back a select number of folk from Earth. My crew will tell you that people were envious of what we have here and how often we were asked to make room on Botany for deserving cases.'

'We don't need a population explosion on Botany,

Zainal. Hell's bells,' Leon said, 'we just don't have the facilities.'

'We can always build new homes,' Dr. Hessian said, rising to his feet in his ponderous way. 'We cannot be lost to compassionate assistance.'

'I volunteer my services,' Dorothy said, 'to assist in winnowing out applicants, and since we now have a spaceship business, they can come for limited periods.'

'Under proper contracts,' Sarah McDouall suggested.

There were so many other comments fired back and forth in the hall that the judge had to make vigorous use of his gavel.

'If Dorothy is willing to volunteer her services,' Zainal said, 'could we bring back a limited number of folk? Limited, of course, to how much space we have on a KDM.' He gave a wry smile.

'No one will come first-class,' Kris said.

'The Newark coord, Dan Vitali, has an asthmatic grandson who would benefit from our clear Botanical air,' Zainal said.

'And he asked if he could take applications. We need more trained botanists, Leon Dane tells me, and possibly more miners. Right, Mike?' Kris said, pointing in the direction of the men. 'Practical specialists like agrarians to see what Terran things, like potatoes, would do well here and what might be sent back to Earth to be propagated.'

'And a dentist. With his equipment. Where is Eric Sachs?'

'Doing a very good business on Barevi. He didn't care to desert his patients at short notice.'

'We'll pick him up on our next visit,' Kris remarked, though she wondered if they would repatriate the ebullient Dr. Sachs.

'I'm sure we need time to discuss the details of these ideas,' Judge Iri said, banging his gavel so he could be heard, 'but let us be resolved, here and now, to do what we can to relieve Earth's problems as best we can and to try to establish harmonious relationships with the Catteni government and the Barevi merchants. What say you?'

There was a roar of approval, much stamping of feet and loud applause.

'You're stuck with it, Zainal,' the judge said, with a tap on Zainal's shoulder for the work that he had cut out for himself. 'You asked for it. You got it.'

Kris rushed forward, ahead of the crowd, to hug Zainal, who was now grinning widely with relief.

Maybe this exceptional man could indeed manage the feats he had promoted himself for. He returned her embrace, not embarrassed to be seen displaying such an unCatteni demonstration of affection.

'I dropped, I stay.'

The End

Anne McCaffrey's books can be read individually or as series. However, for greatest enjoyment the following sequences are recommended:

The Dragon Books DRAGON FLIGHT DRAGONQUEST DRAGON SONG DRAGONSINGER: HARPER OF PERN THE WHITE DRAGON DRAGON DRUMS MORITA: DRAGONLADY OF PERN NERILKA'S STORY & THE COELURA DRAGONSDAWN THE RENEGADES OF PERN ALL THE WEYRS OF PERN THE CHRONICLES OF PERN: FIRST FALL THE. DOLPHINS OF PERN RED STAR RISING: THE SECOND CHRONICLES OF PERN (published in US as DRAGONSEYE) THE MASTERHARPER OF PERN THE SKIES OF PERN

Crystal Singer Books THE CRYSTAL SINGER KILLASHANDRA CRYSTAL LINE

Talent Series TO RIDE PEGASUS PEGASUS IN FLIGHT PEGASUS IN SPACE

Tower and the Hive Sequence THE ROWAN DAMIA DAMIA'S CHILDREN LYON'S PRIDE THE TOWER AND THE HIVE

Catteni Sequence FREEDOM'S LANDING FREEDOM'S CHOICE FREEDOM'S CHALLENGE FREEDOM'S RANSOM

The Acorna Series ACORNA (with Margaret Ball) ACORNA'S QUEST (with Margaret Ball) ACORNA'S PEOPLE (with Elizabeth Ann Scarborough) ACORNA'S WORLD (with Elizabeth Ann Scarborough)

Individual Titles RESTOREE DECISION AT DOONA THE SHIP WHO SANG GET OFF THE UNICORN THE GIRL WHO HEARD DRAGONS BLACK HORSES FOR THE KING NIMISHA'S SHIP

Written in collaboration with Elizabeth Ann Scarborough POWERS THAT BE POWER LINES POWER PLAY

This book is respectfully dedicated to the people I've met on my chat line: herewith listed in their on-line nicknames.

I apologize in advance if I have forgotten anyone, and this list is current even to newbies as of 19 June 2001.

Many of. you gave me your time, encouragement and often explicit help throughout this book. I am pleased to have met all of you listed below. Ciao.

Allettah Gill Melissa

Arnbrosius Gizmo nine Michael

An Grainne Miranda

Anareth Grey Bear Moomin

Angele Gynna Mousertx

Anneli Habit 2 Mpatane

A'ron Happy Butterfly Natalie

Aviendha Heideth NCC2235

Barbie Hishin Nemkitty

BD No Nemlee

Beck/Coelura Jax Nirgal

Belarion Jeffrywithle Peanuts

Betsy Jenna, Trivia Lady Princess Jennifer

Birgit John Quixotic

Bonnbon Jojo Ranen

Bowser Jor Rapunzel

Brina Jorine Raz

Cami Khricket Rimmer

Cheryl Kismet Rogue Wolf

Chris K'Nan Rosh

Cindy Koolness Rube

Clueless Kris raven Simon

Corsaith Kyky Sparkies

C'ris Lady Cygnet S'ran/Sokar

Dark Steps Laurel SW

Debbiedamoodvmom Leia Tail Kink2Enniem

Dianna Little Bit Tankiawee

Draig Loiosh Thalarob

Elfin friend L'rry Thunderchild

Elrhan Mallory Tsarina

Emma Marie Wendy

Freev MasterHarper 57 Wolf Shadow

Gail Mavron York Harper

Acknowledgments

In putting together the details required for a book, the author is sometimes thrown out of his/her depth and seeks the help of experts in particular fields for advice and information.

In this fourth of the Catteni/Freedom series, I required more knowledge of dentistry than my experience or memory could give me. Dr. Les Latner, DMS, Los Angeles, and A. M. Price, DMD, were generous with their help in answering my somewhat rambling requests for information.

Thanks to my loyal friend, Lea Day, I was put in touch with Tony Diorio of Dariene Coffee, Babylon, New York, who gave me information about the transport of coffee beans from their various locations and how it is handled. Wendy Gilbert (aka Hishin) surfed the Web and friends and found out more about coffee plantations in Kenya, for which I am indebted.

Bobbie Parker (aka Short Wave, aka Jake) improved my understanding of satellites beyond the information I found on the Net at various locations. He put me wise to certain minor space difficulties and even designed the KDM ships that transported my heroic crew on their space adventures. It's not so much gaining information as interpreting it correctly to my needs that is my major problem. Therefore, all mistakes are mine!

My son, Todd J. McCaffrey, as a licensed private pilot, was once again on the spot with accurate landing-type protocols.

I also wish to let it be known that I am grateful for the encouragement and help I received from the chat line on my Web site. They were wonderfully generous with their time, thoughts and encouragements. They even let me use some of their real names and not just their on-line nicknames. As I have met very few of them, I hope I did not offend in my portrayals from just a name and chats on-line.

My collaborator, Margaret Ball, found me more information about the Masai and their tribal system.

And finally, my thanks to my daughter, Georgeanne Kennedy, for her careful editing and comments. My deepest gratitude to Susan Allison at Putnam Berkley for her continued encouragement and especially for her patience.

List of Characters

Excellent Lady Emassi Kris Bjornsen

Excellent Emassi Zainal - her Catteni mate

Bazil - Zainal's elder son

Peran -- Zainal's younger son

Amy -- Kris's daughter

Zane - Kris's son

On Botany

Aarens, Dick - mechanical genius

Balenquah, Sev - ex-test pilot

Bayes, Herb - electrician

Bempechat, Iri - judge

Beverly, John - ex-general

Bollinger, Anna - reactionary

Clune - ex-leader of the Diplomatic Corps

Cummings, Mpatane - lieutenant, communications specialist,

Catteni speaker

Dane, Leon - chief medical officer

Dargle, Mack - jack-of-all-trades

Ditsy - ex-member of the Diplomatic Corps

Douglas, Ed - lieutenant, lexicographer, Catteni speaker

Doyle, Lenny - ex-plumber

Doyle, Ninety - jack-of-all-trades

Duxie, Walter - mining engineer

Dwardie, Dorothy - psychologist

Easley, Peter - publicist, father of Zane

Ferris - ex-member of the Diplomatic Corps

Floss - ex-member of the Diplomatic Corps

Fuhrman, Dirk - flight mechanic

Halstrip, Ian - communications specialist

Harvey, Katherine - captain, trainee pilot

Hessian, Herman -- Freudian psychologist

Isbell, Beth - Catteni speaker

Kiznet, Jacqueline - captain, pilot

Liendgens, Dutch - flight mechanic

McColl, Alexander - major, pilot

McDouall, Sarah - medic, creche manager

Maddocks, Sam -- colonel

Marley, Joe - medic, botanist

Marrucci, Gino - pilot

Materu -- Masai chief

Miller, Mike - head of mining

Mitford, Cherry - physiotherapist, cousin of Chuck

Mitford, Chuck - ex-sergeant, US Marines, father of Amy

Mitford, Rose -- pharmacist, sister of Cherry

Mullinax - lieutenant, astrogator, Catteni speaker

Palit, Yuri - UN resettlement officer

Paxel - messenger, nephew of Zainal

Sachs, Eric - dentist

Scott, Ray - ex-admiral

Short, Jerry - duty officer

Snyder, Peter - engineer

Sterling, Bob - communications specialist

Stoffers, Sally - Catteni speaker

Sullivan, Gail - lieutenant, communications specialist, Catteni speaker

Taglione, Bob - botanist

Turpin, Janet - reactionary

Wately, Ben - communications specialist

Worrell (Worry) - administrator

On Earth

Becky - tunnel guard

Binjy - aid to Dan Vitali

Collin - friend of Chuck Mitford Dover - guard

Grace - catering supplies officer

Jelco - guide

Kejas - tunnel escort

Klaus - tunnel guard

Mac - trader

Murray - driver

Sembu - Kenyan chief

Spivak, Eddie - dental supply shop owner

Spivak, Suzie - his wife

Standish, Dr. - Kenyan physician

Vitali, Dan - New Jersey Co-ordinator (Coord)

Wendell, John - communications specialist

Wylee - guard

On Barevi

Brone - ex-pilot, tutor

Erbri - footless veteran, friend of Natchi

Kapash - market manager

Kierse - merchant

Ladade - port commander

Luxel - dental patient

Mischik - dental casualty

Natchi - one-armed veteran, friend of Erbri

Nilink - merchant

Tavis -- buck-toothed dental student

Zerkay - merchant