Freedom's Challenge by Anne McCaffrey Page A

crocodile.”
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    THE PREPARATIONS FOR THIS FORAY INTO enemy territory were finally complete. The window was a nighttime polar one so Kris hurried into the day care where Zane was sleeping, for one last look.
    Zainal came to join her, resting his big hands sympathetically on her arms.
    â€œHe’s a fine strong lad. He’ll do well here,” he said into her ear and pressed his face against her cheek in his special display of affection.
    A noise made them both turn to the doorway and there was Pete Easley, a slightly droll smile on his face.
    â€œI drew night duty,” he said, though all three knew he had probably done so on purpose. “He’ll be fine. Don’t worry about him.”
    â€œWe won’t,” Zainal said with a nod of his head and with one arm still on Kris’, led her out of the room. Both stopped at the threshold for one more look at the sleeping child.
    Kris tried not to, but she sniffed all the way to the hangar and had to blot her eyes twice. She hadn’t thought—in all the fuss and furor of these preparations—that she would experience the same anguish at leaving him as she had on their first expedition to Barevi.
    â€œZane
will
be all right with Easley,” Zainal murmured as he lifted her down from the flatbed that had brought them to the now-battered and space-worn KDL awaiting them outside the hangar.
    The Judge, Ray Scott, Worry, Pete Snyder, Jay and Patti Sue Greene, and even Aarens were there to wish them a safe journey. Worry was even bold enough to clasp Kris in a bear hug. The judge kissed her hand and then both cheeks. If Ray Scott only shook her hand hard and warmly, Patti Sue was openly weeping as she hugged Kris tightly, murmuring over and over, “I’ll never forget you, buddy, I’ll never forget you.”
    â€œI’ll hold you to that,” Kris said, feeling as she might weep like Patti and, ignoring whatever protocol to board there might have been, she scrambled up the steps into the KDL. Everyone else followed, with Chuck Mitford growling how he hated farewells.
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    ZAINAL INDICATED THAT GINO SHOULD DO THE honors on the takeoff, while he punched the final bits and pieces of their “delayed return story” into the ship’s log. He grinned with unusual good humor when the log acknowledged the entries. There were enough computer hackers to have made it a proper job “as long,” they teased Zainal, “as his Catteni was okay.” They had even coded into the log appropriate star chart coordinates. If, that is, any one would dare question the report of Emassi Venlik, Zainal’s new alias.
    â€œHe lived once. Died badly, and only I know where” was all Zainal would say of the man whose identity he was assuming.
    â€œWas he a chosen?” Chuck asked.
    Zainal gave a quick shake of his head. His next word startled everyone. “Schkelk!”
    Chuck was the first one to fall into the stance of an alert Drassi, with Kris a second later before Mack andNinety suddenly realized what had been said: “Listen.” Even Coo and Pess straightened from their usual languid positions.
    Distinctly and slowly enough for them to understand, he gave orders for the ship to take off and the course it was to assume as soon as it had lifted from the ground.
    â€œEmassi!” was the appropriate reply said in crisp unison and then each went to the duty station they had been assigned.
    Coo and Pess buckled into the two drops seats that had been placed on the bridge for their use in takeoff and landing.
    Zainal never spoke another word of English during the entire eight-day voyage. Neither did they after one of Zainal’s thumps, and Kris was no exception—though she didn’t think he whacked her as hard as he did Gino, Chuck, Mack, or Ninety. But it sure reminded her to keep in her part.
    The yellow lenses irritated