Freedom's Landing by Anne McCaffrey Read Free Book Online

decided he’d be a good ally.
    â€œAnd look where it got us,” he barked back. “Arnie here’s never been against a superior force. Thinks being brave is all there is to overcoming dictators.” He ignored Arnie then. “I was on leave from my unit in Lubbock, Texas, when we got pearl-harbored. Haven’t found a trace of my family.” He shut his mouth tight then.
    â€œDenver,” Kris said. She turned to Arnie. “You?”
    â€œDC.”
    She hadn’t encountered anyone from the Philadelphia area so maybe the rest of her family was still safely at home. If that was a safe place to be with Catteni overlords.
    â€œCould I have some of those medical supplies, if they’re going begging?”
    â€œSure,” and Mitford walked along the top of the crates while she followed on the ground. Arnie stayed a discreet step behind her. “I figured someone had better take charge of supplies like these,” and he pointed down to yet another crate of knives. At the next one he stooped and came up with a hatchet, which he handed to her. “Here. Might as well have one of these, too. There aren’t more ration bars so make the ones you got do until we can figure out what’s edible on this effing planet.”
    â€œI’d planned to,” she replied, tucking the hatchet in the belt at her back. She’d hack off a piece of the thermal blanket to make sheaths for knives and hatchet. Mitford handed her a compact kit, already supplied with a broad shoulder strap.
    â€œHasn’t got much medicine. Cats don’t use it, seems like. Tough mothers!”
    â€œHey, sarge,” yelled a man, running full tilt toward them, and pointing back over his shoulder. “There’s a Catteni! He’s waking up. Let’s kill the bastard before he does.”
    Roaring out an order for others to join him, Mitford jumped down, a knife already in his hand.
    â€œWait a minute,” Kris said, holding up her hands. “If a Catteni’s here with us, he’s as much a prisoner as we are.”
    â€œWho cares? He’s a Cat and Cats should die,” Arnie said, moving around her.
    Kris started after them, running to catch up with Mitford, who was the leader.
    â€œSarge, I saw one Catteni in the same hold as I was. And he’s a good guy.”
    â€œThere’re no good Cats!” Mitford said in a snarl, chopping at the air with one flat, finger-braced hand.
    â€œThere are,” she said just as fiercely. “And if it’s the one I think it is, don’t kill him.”
    â€œYou’re asking too much, girl.”
    â€œNot right away at least. Use the sense God gave you, Mitford,” she said. “If it’s the Catteni I think it is, he’ll know a lot we have to find out about this place. Unless there were some guide books in those crates.”
    Mitford halted so abruptly, the three men right behind him bounced off his back. Narrowing his eyes, he glared at her.
    â€œAnd how would you know that about him, girl?”
    â€œBecause I watched him being hunted by other Catteni. They blasted him out of the sky, and then blew up the crashed plane and searched all around until they were damned sure he’d been blown up in it.”
    â€œThen how come he’s alive and here?” Arnie wanted to know.
    â€œBecause I thought he was an escaped slave like me and hid him under the falls until the hunters left. Only then we got captured together,” Kris said, which was true enough. “When I came to in the prison, I assumed he’d been released. Cattenis can’t hold grudges past twenty-four hours, you know.” Mitford gave a curt nod of acknowledgment. “They must have hated him real bad to dump him in with us. Besides which, you’d only be doing the Cats’ dirty work for them.” Mitford scowled at her and she realized that she’d been clever to bring that up. “Hell’s bells, man,