Free The Ship Who Won by Anne McCaffrey, Jody Lynn Nye Page B

last load of roots is gone! I didn't see anyone
    move it."
    "We weren't paying attention," Carialle said. 'The
    grounds uneven. There might be a root cellar near that
    square, with another crew of workers. If you walk over the
    ground nearby I could do a sounding and find it. If it's
    unheated that would explain why its not as easy to pick out
    as their living quarters."
    Keff heard a whirring noise behind him and shifted as
    silently as he could. "Am I well enough camouflaged?"
    "Don't worry, Keff," Carialle said in his ear. "It's just
    another globe-frog."
    "Damn. I hope they don't see me."
    Beside the six-packs, one of the few examples of animal life on RNJ were small green amphibioids that
    meandered over the rocky plains, probably from scarce
    water source to water source, in clear globular cases full
    of water. Outside their shells they'd be about a foot long,
    with delicate limbs and big, flat paws that drove the
    spheres across dry land. Keff had dubbed them "globe-frogs." The leader was followed by two more.
    Globe-frogs were curious as cats, and all of them
    seemed fascinated by Keff.
    "Poor things, like living tumbleweeds," Carialle said,
    sympathetically.
    'The intelligent life isn't much better off," Keff said. "It's
    dry as dust around here."
    'Terrible when sentient beings are reduced to mere survival," Carialle agreed.
    "Oops," Keff said, in resignation. 'They see me. Here
    they come. Damn it, woman, stop laughing."
    "It's your animal magnetism," Carialle said, amused.
    The frogs rolled nearer, spreading out into a line; perhaps to get a look at all sides of him, or perhaps as a safety
    precaution. If he suddenly sprang and attacked, he could
    only get one. The rumble of their cases on the ground
    sounded like thunder to him.
    "Shoo," Keff said, trying to wave them off before the
    field workers came over to investigate. He glanced at the
    workers. Luckily, none were paying attention to the frogs.
    "Cari, where s the nearest water supply?"
    "Back where the raydomeful came from. About two
    kilometers north northeast."
    "Go that way," Keff said, pointing, with his hand bent up
    close to his body. "Water. You don't want me. Vamoose.
    Scram." He flicked his fingers. "Go! Please."
    The frogs fixed him with their bulbous black eyes and
    halted their globes about a meter away from him. One of
    them opened its small mouth to reveal short, sharp teeth
    and a pale, blue-green tongue. With frantic gestures, Keff
    beseeched them to move off. The frogs exchanged glances
    and rolled away, amazingly in the direction he had indicated. A small child playing in a nearby shallow ditch
    shrieked with delight when it saw the frogs passing and ran
    after them. The frogs paddled faster, but the tot caught up,
    and fetched one of the globes a kick that propelled it over
    the crest of the hill. The others hastily followed, avoiding
    their gleeful pursuer. The light rumbling died away.
    "Whew!" Keff said. Those frogs nearly blew my cover.
    I'd better reveal myself now before someone discovers me
    by accident."
    "Not yet! We don't have enough data to prove the Noble
    Primitives are nonhostile."
    'That's a chance we always take, lady fair. Or why else
    are we here?"
    "Look, we know the villagers we've observed do not
    leave their sites. I haven't been able to tell an inhabitant of
    one village from the inhabitant of any other. And you sure
    don't look like any Noble Primitive. I really don't like risking your being attacked. I'm four kilometers away from
    you so I can't pull your softshell behind out of trouble, you
    know. My servos would take hours to get to your position."
    Keff flexed his muscles and wished he could take a good
    stretch first. "If I approach them peacefully, they should at
    least give me a hearing."
    "And when you explain that you're from off-planet? Are
    they ready for an advanced civilization like ours?"
    'They have a right to our advantages, to our help in getting themselves back on their feet. Look how