Freedom's Ransom Author:Anne McCaffrey When Kris Bjornsen and her fellow slaves were dumped on an uninhabited planet by the alien Catteni overlords, they would surely have died-without the help of Zainal, a renegade Catteni exiled by his own people. But they did survive on the planet they named Botany, and in time they drove the Catteni away from Earth and neighboring planets. — Techn... more »ologically limited but rich in natural resources, Botany must find its place in the newly configured universe. A trip to Earth shows Kris and Zainal how desperately the devastated home planet needs what Botany can give. Other worlds too have had their wealth skimmed by the Catteni regime; the nearby planet of Barevi is little more than a corrupt bazaar, where bits and pieces of Earth's once powerful technology can be traded for with grain and mineral ores. Earth needs food. Botany needs technology-and, some say, the will to protect itself from being overrun by refugees. As alien influence fades, the people of Botany must decide what kind of world they will become.« less