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response that certainly gladdened Kris's heart. Scott should have had more
faith in the community's generosity. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen examples
of it with every new Drop the Catteni made.
Some awakened and were utterly passive: their empty faces expressionless.
They had to be helped to drink, though they could manage to swallow or eat
once food was put to their lips.
Others woke, screaming or sobbing helplessly and that was nearly as
heartbreaking even if it gave an indication that some vestige of the original
personality might remain.
"Just keep talking to them, folks,' Leon called out. 'Let them hear
English, see human faces around them. Feed 'em, but don't let them
gorge." 'Who knows when they've had a decent meal,' Anna Bollinger muttered,
trying to keep the bruised and battered woman beside her from gulping down the
entire can of soup. 'Just sip it.
There'll be all you need." 'Gawd, it's like a disaster scene, an earthquake or
something,' Joe Latore said, helping his male victim to his feet since the man
was trying so desperately to stand.
"What'nthell are you doing, Zainal? Taking pictures of people right now."
"I show the Farmers what Eosi do to people. I show the
Farmers what humans do to help,' he said, bringing the taper in close to the
vacant eyes of Joe's man.
Then Zainal turned the camera to include the woman Leon was treating for body
lacerations that covered every inch of her torso. He went from her to a group
of three whose faces were devoid of any expression, eyes dulled and
unfocusing.
Those who could be classified as walking wounded, were sent to the homes of
volunteer caters, with instructions for basic care.
"Like a bath!" someone remarked loudly. 'Wonder what I'll find under all that
dirt and . . . yuck." Everyone volunteered to help almost to the point of
being disappointed when all the victims had been assigned a place.
Leon and other medical staff gave general directions for emergency care.
'Keep them warm, give them plenty of fluid, but limit solid food until their
bodies can adjust. Let them sleep all they want. But don't let them go off on
their own. We'll set up evaluation conferences and see which might respond to
rehabilitaion."
"Can you manage, Leon?" Scott asked earnestly.
"You better believe it, Ray,' Leon replied sharply. 'In fact we can and have
managed it,' and he swung his arm in a broad gesture across the all but empty
field. 'Who knows? Good food, fresh air, plenty of friendly faces . . ."
he added with a wry grin, 'and good trauma skills, we may even effect a
significant number of complete recoveries." 'You really think so?" Scott
looked ready to accept any reassurance for the responsibility he had
off-loaded on the colony.
"Sure do!" Leon said in such a positive tone that Scott finally relaxed.
'No way you could have left them! Any road, they're better off with us."
"They are, you know,' Kris said. 'You look beat, Ray."
"I should take one in with me. My house is finished,' and Scott stared after
the last couples leaving the field.
"We'll switch people around, Ray. I'll make sure you take your turn,'
Leon said ironically. 'Now, my prescription for you, Ray Scott, is get some
rest. You too, Kris. You left your baby in the creche or does that seem
years ago?" 'It does, you know,' she said. She'd been too busy to give much
thought to Zane. But he was happy where he was: one of the creche girls had
told her that he'd been just fine.
"I believe it. Get on up to him, now,' and Leon gave her a little push in the
right direction. Then, when he saw Kris glancing about her for
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Zainal, he added, 'he was following the final load on the sled that last time
I saw him." To her delighted surprise, she met him just short of the creche,
with Zane in his arms. He shrieked with joy on seeing his mother and, almost
overbalancing himself out of Zainal's arms, reached out both hands for her.
Zainal let the exchange be made, one hand holding the recording camera tight
against his side.
"I saw you filming,' Scott said, altering his direction to join them. He even
managed a tired smile at the enthusiastic way Zane was hugging his mother.
Zainal patted the camera, nodding. 'Such evidence is needed to show the
Farmers how the Eosi treat humans. You will help me write a report, Ray?" And
when Scott nodded wearily, Zainal added, 'What words do not say, the film
will." 'You'll use one of those homing capsules the
Farmers have in the Command Post?" 'The Farmers do not approve of species'
injury. Once they see what Eosi do, we will hear from them again." There was
considerable discussion about whether or not the
Farmers would be able to play the pictorial record when Zainal, Kris and the
former movie cameraman had finished making it.
Baxter, however, did still photographs that were indeed worth a thousand words
of explanation, and these were carefully inserted in the message tube.
The homing device had no trouble penetrating the Balloon on its way to its
destination. Its departure was once again noted by the orbital and the
geo-synchronous satellite, as well as its abrupt disappearance just past the
heliopause. The event was immediately sent to Eosi headquarters for
distribution.
The Ix Mentat, just returned from its almost futile investigations on the
rebellious planet, was so contorted with rage that its juniors feared it might
lose connection with its host. It had only just received a report from
Barevi, citing the disappearance of one of the new transporter vessels as well
as over 2,000 slaves, destined for the mining colony at The Sot Fac Set which
had been expecting replacements for unavoidable casualties in a major shaft
collapse. When the report came to the composition of that shipment, the Ix
Mentat came closer to self-extinction than any of its peer group in their long
history.
Its recovery from such a seizure was slow: its host had suffered bodily injury
and had to be repaired, an almost unheard-of complication in an
Eosi/Emassi symbiosis.
To calm their senior, Mentats Co and Se issued orders that an installation was
to be built on the innermost moon of the subject planet: a second orbital,
programmed for a slower rotation, would provide constant surveillance and
prevent the recalcitrant population from effecting another covert exit since
it was now obvious that they had two or more spaceships.
When the Eosi Ix recovered fully from its incapacity, it began to organize the
largest expedition ever mounted by Catteni forces. It would wreak the most
horrific vengeance on that recalcitrant planet that had ever been mounted by
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