Freedom's Challenge Read Online Free

thousand years to develop into a space-going race? That’s impressive,” Dorothy said.
    â€œHumans did it without such assistance and
that
impresses me,” Zainal said with an odd laugh. “But that’s how the Emassi were developed. To serve the Eosi.”
    â€œThey didn’t use the mind thingummy on the Drassi?” Kris asked.
    â€œTo a lesser degree,” Zainal replied and turned to Dorothy. “There are three levels of Catteni now…Emassi,” and he touched his chest, “Drassi who are good at following orders but have little initiative or ambition: some were rejected for the Emassi ranks, but are able to be more than Drassi—ship captains and troop leaders. Then there’re the Rassi, who were left as they are.”
    â€œRassi?” Kris echoed in surprise. “Never heard of them.”
    â€œThey do not leave Catten and are as we all were when the Eosi found us.”
    â€œSo you, as a species, did not evolve by yourselves? But had your intelligence stimulated?” Dorothy asked. She turned to Kris. “The Eosi evidently never heard of the Prime Directive.”
    Kris giggled. A psychologist who was a Trekkie?
    â€œThe Prime Directive means an advanced culture is not supposed to interfere with the natural evolution of another species or culture,” Kris explained to Zainal.
    â€œThe anthropologists will have a field day with this,” Dorothy added, jotting down another note. “Was one…applicationsufficient to sustain the higher level of intelligence?” she asked Zainal.
    He shrugged. “I do not know that.” Abruptly his expression again changed to his “Catteni look,” impassive, expressionless, shuttered. “When I had my full growth, I had to be presented to the Eosi, to see if I was acceptable as a host. And what training I should be given.”
    â€œAnd?” Dorothy prompted him when he paused.
    â€œI was passed, and I was to be trained to pilot spaceships.” Then his grin became devilish and his “Catteni look” completely disappeared. “My father and uncles had worried that Eosi would find me too curious and unacceptable.”
    â€œToo curious? Why would that make you unacceptable?” Dorothy asked.
    â€œEosi tell Emassi what they need to know. That is all they are supposed to know.”
    â€œBefore you start training? Surely you had basic schooling?” Dorothy asked, surprised.
    Zainal gave a snort. “Emassi are trained, not schooled.”
    â€œBut didn’t you learn to read, write, and figure before you were fourteen?” Dorothy was having difficulty with this concept. “Surely you’ve had to learn mathematics to pilot spaceships?”
    Zainal nodded. “Emassi males are taught that much by their fathers…” He grimaced.
    â€œThe hard way?” Kris said, miming the use of a force whip.
    â€œYes, the hard way. One tends to pay strict attention to such lessons.”
    â€œAnd yet you were curious enough to want to know more?” Dorothy asked.
    â€œBecause it was forbidden,” Zainal said, again with the twinkle in his eye. He must have been a handful as a youngster. Kris was also immensely relieved that his intelligence,which she suspected was a lot higher than hers, was natural, rather than artificially stimulated.
    â€œSo the device assessed you. Can you give me any description of it?”
    Zainal looked down at his clasped hands as he organized his response. “I was taken into a very large white room with a big chair in the center and two Eosi, one at a control desk. I was strapped into the chair and then the device came down out of the ceiling to cover my head.”
    â€œCould you see what it looked like?” Dorothy asked, and Kris realized how eagerly she awaited details.
    Zainal shrugged. “A large shape,” and he made a bell form with both hands, “with many wires attached to it and