Freedom's Ransom (38 page)

“I second both motions,” Dorothy Dwardie said, jumping to her feet.

Others were as quick to support the motions, and they were very quickly passed. Zainal bowed his head at such support.

“I think this idea of forcing the slavers to give us back our people is a bit far-fetched, Zainal,” Dick Aarens said, but he had stood in support of the first two measures.

“It probably is, Dick, but if you can think of another
way, I'd be interested. I also intend to suggest it to the coords. I'm hoping to meet with more of them when we return.” He held up his hand for silence again. “And I wonder if I can bring back a select number of folk from Earth. My crew will tell you that people were envious of what we have here and how often we were asked to make room on Botany for deserving cases.”

“We don't need a population explosion on Botany, Zainal. Hell's bells,” Leon said, “we just don't have the facilities.”

“We can always build more homes,” Dr. Hessian said, rising to his feet in his ponderous way. “We cannot be lost to compassionate assistance.”

“I volunteer my services,” Dorothy said, “to assist in winnowing out applicants, and since we now have a spaceship business, they can come for limited periods.”

“Under proper contracts,” Sarah McDouall suggested.

There were so many other comments fired back and forth in the hall that the judge had to make vigorous use of his gavel.

“If Dorothy is willing to volunteer her services,” Zainal said, “could we bring back a limited number of folk? Limited, of course, to how much space we have on a KDM.” He gave a wry smile.

“No one will come first-class,” Kris said.

“The Newark coord, Dan Vitali, has an asthmatic grandson who would benefit from our clear Botanical air,” Zainal said.

“And he asked if he could take applications. We need more trained botanists, Leon Dane tells me, and possibly more miners. Right, Mike?” Kris said, pointing in the direction of the men. “Practical specialists like agrarians to see what Terran things, like potatoes, would do well here and what might be sent back to Earth to be propagated.”

“And a dentist. With his equipment. Where is Eric Sachs?”

“Doing a very good business on Barevi. He didn't care to desert his patients at short notice.”

“We'll pick him up on our next visit,” Kris remarked, though she wondered if they would repatriate the ebullient Dr. Sachs.

“I'm sure we need time to discuss the details of these ideas,” Judge Iri said, banging his gavel so he could be heard, “but let us be resolved, here and now, to do what we can to relieve Earth's problems as best we can and to try to establish harmonious relationships with the Catteni government and the Barevi merchants. What say you?”

There was a roar of approval, much stamping of feet, and loud applause.

“You're stuck with it, Zainal,” the judge said, with a tap on Zainal's shoulder for the work that he had cut out for himself. “You asked for it. You got it.”

Kris rushed forward, ahead of the crowd, to hug Zainal, who was now grinning widely with relief.

Maybe this exceptional man could indeed manage the feats he had promoted himself for. He returned her embrace, not embarrassed to be seen displaying such an un-Catteni demonstration of affection.

“I dropped, I stay.”