inhibitions, for she made no attempt to entice Zainal into her arms and he was equally reserved. Well, they needed the sleep.
â¢Â   â¢Â   â¢
LOUD AND EERIE ULULATION WOKE THEM BOTH the next morning. Zainal was on his way to the door before Kris stopped him, pointing to his naked body. He cursed but stopped long enough to don his trousers before he exited. She dressed more slowly and was relieved when Zainal poked his head into the room.
âIt seems the Masai keep to daylight hours and it is daylight!â
She finished dressing and found that Floss and Zainal had put bread, cheese, and fruit on the table. Zainal called the boys in. Clune looked clean and neat and must have found the nearby stream for his hair was still wet. Peran and Bazil must have bathed also, for their faces were fresh and the fringes of their hair damp. Ferris needed toshave and Ditsy could have used a shower. There wouldnât be much hot water yet as the solar panels hadnât been recharged, but she wanted them all cleaned up before they went up to the main buildings.
Before they took off for Barevi, they would have to get some suitable clothing for Floss and the boys, who were wearing only the minimum required for Masai modesty. Breechclouts would not be acceptable on Barevi. If they wished to be seriously considered as negotiators, they had to look more presentable. This whole ransom business meant that Zainal would have to suspend his plan to seek out the Farmersâ home world, or at least whatever depot they used to store the grain and the meat they farmed on Botany. She wasnât sure if she was relieved or disappointed that he would be denied that opportunity. However, it was only spring here and the Farmersâ cargo containers did not come until after the fall harvest. He had some time to spare. And his plans for Botany, and the repatriation of Terran slaves, were certainly as important to him, she knew, as his somewhat grandiose and quite possibly dangerous scheme to track the Farmersâ vehicle to its destination. She did wonder, as Zainal did, why the Farmers, with their advanced robotechnology, needed so much produce. She sighed. Every time she thought she understood a lot, she came smack up against something else unknown, tantalizing, unfamiliar, and, she sighed again, more than likely very dangerous.
Surely the Farmers would have had to have the means to supply themselves on any one of a number of Botany-type planets. Since the Eosi and Catteni had already explored neighboring space, surely they would have come across some vestige of the Farmersâ culture. She wondered if indeed the Eosi had and merely kept the knowledge secret. Having secrets made people feel superior and secure. Or perhaps Human frailties were not part of Eosian characteristics. They certainly had extended their life spans by subsuming young hosts. For years, Humans hadbeen investigating the possibility of cloning to sustain characteristics and supply body parts that would not be rejected in transplant. She shuddered. She could not, in conscience, go along with that. There was a reason for a life to have a span, predestined or not. How she would feel if she needed new organs to remain alive, she didnât know as she herself enjoyed vigorous health.
She caught the almost proprietary look on Cluneâs face as Floss swanned up to him, offering him more bread. Yes, she would have to speak to Dane about this young couple. She had no doubts at all, from the expression on Flossâs face, that she cared very much for the young African-American man. It had been at Flossâs instigation that her Diplomatic group had practiced birth control when theyâd been running loose and free after the invasion. The same contingencies were not now in force but discretion was required until after the ransom negotiations were concluded. That is, if the youngsters proved as valuable as she thought they probably were,
â¢Â   â¢Â   â¢
LOUD AND EERIE ULULATION WOKE THEM BOTH the next morning. Zainal was on his way to the door before Kris stopped him, pointing to his naked body. He cursed but stopped long enough to don his trousers before he exited. She dressed more slowly and was relieved when Zainal poked his head into the room.
âIt seems the Masai keep to daylight hours and it is daylight!â
She finished dressing and found that Floss and Zainal had put bread, cheese, and fruit on the table. Zainal called the boys in. Clune looked clean and neat and must have found the nearby stream for his hair was still wet. Peran and Bazil must have bathed also, for their faces were fresh and the fringes of their hair damp. Ferris needed toshave and Ditsy could have used a shower. There wouldnât be much hot water yet as the solar panels hadnât been recharged, but she wanted them all cleaned up before they went up to the main buildings.
Before they took off for Barevi, they would have to get some suitable clothing for Floss and the boys, who were wearing only the minimum required for Masai modesty. Breechclouts would not be acceptable on Barevi. If they wished to be seriously considered as negotiators, they had to look more presentable. This whole ransom business meant that Zainal would have to suspend his plan to seek out the Farmersâ home world, or at least whatever depot they used to store the grain and the meat they farmed on Botany. She wasnât sure if she was relieved or disappointed that he would be denied that opportunity. However, it was only spring here and the Farmersâ cargo containers did not come until after the fall harvest. He had some time to spare. And his plans for Botany, and the repatriation of Terran slaves, were certainly as important to him, she knew, as his somewhat grandiose and quite possibly dangerous scheme to track the Farmersâ vehicle to its destination. She did wonder, as Zainal did, why the Farmers, with their advanced robotechnology, needed so much produce. She sighed. Every time she thought she understood a lot, she came smack up against something else unknown, tantalizing, unfamiliar, and, she sighed again, more than likely very dangerous.
Surely the Farmers would have had to have the means to supply themselves on any one of a number of Botany-type planets. Since the Eosi and Catteni had already explored neighboring space, surely they would have come across some vestige of the Farmersâ culture. She wondered if indeed the Eosi had and merely kept the knowledge secret. Having secrets made people feel superior and secure. Or perhaps Human frailties were not part of Eosian characteristics. They certainly had extended their life spans by subsuming young hosts. For years, Humans hadbeen investigating the possibility of cloning to sustain characteristics and supply body parts that would not be rejected in transplant. She shuddered. She could not, in conscience, go along with that. There was a reason for a life to have a span, predestined or not. How she would feel if she needed new organs to remain alive, she didnât know as she herself enjoyed vigorous health.
She caught the almost proprietary look on Cluneâs face as Floss swanned up to him, offering him more bread. Yes, she would have to speak to Dane about this young couple. She had no doubts at all, from the expression on Flossâs face, that she cared very much for the young African-American man. It had been at Flossâs instigation that her Diplomatic group had practiced birth control when theyâd been running loose and free after the invasion. The same contingencies were not now in force but discretion was required until after the ransom negotiations were concluded. That is, if the youngsters proved as valuable as she thought they probably were,
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