There were times when one could get too clever by half, Chuck thought.
"No. They have missile launchers and tractor beams. We're a sitting duck for the one and too close to avoid the other," Zainal said and opened a line to the DMV, the leading ship, jovially awaiting the arrival of the pinnace and any news they might have.
The news was, indeed, that the Eosi had all been executed and every captain was free to do what he wished from now on.
Captain Kabas was half drunk when he arrived, and he and his pilot, Wenget, who was completely sober, brought the same nauseating stuff which Chuck remembered all too well from his stay at the boondock field they'd first landed on at Catten.
It was in character for Zainal to demand all the details.
If some of them didn't quite jibe with the facts as both Chuck and Zainal knew them, that was all to the good. They did hear, which was excellent news and their cheers were genuine, that most of the High Emassi who had not been part of the coup now backed the Supreme Emassi Kami-ton to the last male of the line.
When finally the conversation got around to Zainal's presence in this area, he replied that he had been exploring in a distant quadrant, had seen the asteroid belt, and wondered if he should report it when he got back.
Some of the bigger rocks looked as if they might contain useful ores.
"Well, now," Captain Kabas said, "you can leave that to us. We're all our own masters now, you know. I wouldn't stop you going your own way."
"Good of you:' Zainal turned to Chuck in a semi-confidential air.
"We saw a place we'd rather like to be masters of, come to that."
He lifted his mug, its opacity hiding the fact that Zainal's apparently hearty use of the contents had been faked, in a toast. "May you find what you deserve, captain," he said.
The captain who had continued to sip while he gave details of the momentous news had now gone through most of a new bottle. He laughed raucously at Zainal's toast and tipped back the last of his current glass. Gave a huge burp and, bloodshot yellow eyes turning up into his head, slumped slowly over the table.
"Help Wenger get him into the pinnace, Drassi;' Zainal said, slurring his words as if he had had more than enough, too. He waved them to remove the unconscious man.
"Were! you," the pilot said, "I'd get out of this area as fast as you can fly this thing. Captain ain't the only one is worried about you being nosing around this belt:'
"Agreed," Chuck said as he carried the captain's feet and helped the pilot arrange him in a seat.
When he returned, Zainal was already in the pilot's chair. "Fasten up, Chuck, we're making all due speed out of here;'
"The pilot suggested that, too."
WHEN THEY FELT they had put enough distance between them, Zainal did insist on turning back, to collect Baby, despite Bert taking Chuck's part in trying to dissuade him.
They used a huge rock to hide their return, but their encounter with the miners had also skewed them far from the course that would bring them to the hollow asteroid. There had been a specific way in and through the belt to reach their destination. So they were forced to prowl counter to the spin of the belt until, just about the time they would have been in danger of being spotted by the miners, they found it.
Chuck insisted on remaining with Zainal.
"You need feeding. I'm not going to answer to Kris if you return like a goddamned scarecrow."
"Scarecrow?"
Chuck explained. "Maybe even, you'll get a chance now to see one on Earth. Boy, while I was glad to be in the thick of it on Botany, I wouldn't mind seeing a scarecrow again, or having a rock in the porch hammock. If it's still there."
Piloting Baby, Bert kept on their port side, as escort, so that when Chuck noticed Zainal was having trouble keeping awake, he suggested putting on the auto-pilot and having something to eat. In the spicy rock-squat stew he'd heated up, he mixed into Zainal's plate a few dollops of a sedative that Leon had included in the first-aid supplies as a painkiller.
It did take some maneuvering to hoist the inert Catten from behind the table and into his bunk. Chuck took off the boots, loosened the belt, and covered the snoring man. He caught himself wondering if Zainal always snored and how Kris… he censored the rest of that and went forward to inform Bert what he'd done.
"Good idea, sarge, even if he will give you hell when he wakes. Okay, now here's how I pilot both ships," Bert said and gave Chuck detailed instructions.
"We've some days to go on this leg so let's arrange a schedule for each of us to get some shut-eye. I know Zainal was going to do one with me. We're unlikely to run into another thing in this zone. Nothing but planet-less primaries. No good to anyone."
"I got enough sleep at the field;' Chuck said. 'I'll take first watch for us both. Okay?"
"Right."
And that is how they managed during the twenty-two hours Zainal remained asleep.
He was mad as hell at Chuck for dosing him but he calmed down when he realized that his energy had improved, as had his appetite. And that each of the pilots had also had some sleep.
Chuck's much vaunted six-hour requirement had him up and ready to take over from Zainal who tried, but not too hard, to continue for a full eight hours. Bert was asleep in Kamiton's ship but Chuck insisted he could handle anything, and besides, he'd wake Zainal if there were any alarms.
THE FIRST that the colonists at Retreat knew of the success of the mission was when a cruiser of the Catteni navy contacted them via the com sat, requesting permission to land on Botany.
"RAY!" Matt Su roared and grinned at the scowl on the ex-admiral's face as Scott careened into the bridge room. "We got a cruiser of the Cat-teni navy asking permission to land."
Ray ran to com desk. "Identify," he snapped in Catteni."
"Can't you clear up the visual, Ray?" asked Matt.
"Tikso;' Ray ordered.
"We… kum… frum… Catten. Su-preme Emassi Kamiton. We…
coleckt Catteni feee-males and male young;'
Ray and Matt exchanged startled glances. A Catten was addressing them in English… or trying to.
The visual flowed clearly on the screen. "This is High Emassi Captain Tiboud," and there was relief in the Catten's voice for being able to speak in his own language. The man beside him had a sheet from which he had obviously been reading phonetic English. "All Eosi dead or gone. Catteni now own Catten… and all previously owned planets and itallations…"
"He's making sure we got that…;' Matt muttered sotto voce.
"With the exception of the Human planet, Earth and, of course, the impregnable Botany. Earth is gratefully returned to its rightful owners and inhabitants in view of the help given by Humans to end Eosi domination.
Botany's extraordinary defense against the might of the Eosian navy has been admired-if silently-by many. We Catteni honor bravery;'
"Damned white of them;' Matt added sotto voice, avoiding the kick that Ray directed at his shins to shut him up.
"That is very good news, captain," Ray said with great poise and solemnity.
"Has my home world learned of its freedom from Eosi domination?"
"The news was relayed by Supreme Emassi in person over a special com link:' Tiboud bowed respectfully. "Good news to you, I am certain;' "Indeed it is, and thank you for relaying the message;'
"Is it possible to have speech with the Excellent Emassi Zainal?"
"He's not here," Ray said, and his elation at the news of Earth's liberation evaporated. Matt looked shocked.
"Not there. Then the shot Drassi who had read the English message spoke a quick word into his superior's ear. "Ah, the Excellent Emassi Zainal was aboard the scout which does not have the speed this vessel has. He will doubtless arrive very soon now:'