Part 6 (2/2)

”That'll have to include my mother. She tends to re- act like that toglut thing did.” She chuckled.

They were mounting a slight slope now, climbing the

firmly packed sand. Occasional shafts of brightly col- ored light made her blink even through the protective

haze created by the goggles.

”She's protective of you,” Merced ventured. ”You

can't blame her.”

”Protective of me?”

Rachael laughed, the rhythmic trill so different from

her husky speaking voice. ”I can take care of myself.

Besides, what does she have to be so protective of me for? What's there to protect me from?” And she smiled at Merced in what could only be called a chal- lenging way. He simply smiled slightly and looked

away.

Intriguing character, she thought to herself. He acts

so shy and tentative, yet some of his comments and questions are d.a.m.ned direct. She slid the neurophon around on its straps so that it snuggled beneath her left

arm, made certain the power was off.

Two mysteries for her to explore; Cachalot and Pucara Merced. Two mysteries to inspire music. She ran three fingers over the steel strings of her soul.

.aving reached the top of the gentle slope, they found themselves among a complex of buildings. All displayed windows formed of the same phototropic material as their goggles. Some of the structures looked like housing, others were clearly used as offices and labs. Far to the south were the outlines of much larger buildings. Warehousing, perhaps, or processing facili- ties.

The shuttle that had brought them in was now docked near one of the other, larger structures. Small human shapes could be seen using floaters to s.h.i.+ft con- tainers from building to shuttlebay and vice versa.

They were approaching a two-story building larger than any they had yet pa.s.sed. It occupied the crest of the hill. A flag, hanging limply from a post in front of the entrance, displayed four circles arranged in a square: two blue, representing Terra; two green, stand- ing for Hivehom. A fifth circle occupied the center, tangent to the other four. It was marked with a Mal- tese cross, half blue and half green on a crimson field.

Were this a Church facility, the field would have been aquamarine. Flag and post were sufficient to indicate they were nearing the center of humanx activity on Cachalot.

From what Rachael had learned of the ocean world, she knew it was not developed enough to qualify for

32 CACHALOT.

even a.s.sociate status in the Commonwealth. It was listed as a mere cla.s.s nine, a general colony with no direct representation in the Council. Instead, it oper- ated under the direction of a Resident Commissioner, like any other world without full members.h.i.+p. Its inhabitants would have true franchise only through their home-worlds. Those with multigenerational an- cestry on Cachalot would be represented through the Commissioner.

They halted before the entrance, and she and Merced slowed behind her mother and they guide.

”I don't understand,” Cora was saying, gesturing first at the Administration Building and then at the others nearby. ”Don't you have a fusion plant?”

”Sure,” Sam told her. ”For backup purposes. We hardly ever use it. Why do you find the photovoltaic paneling so unusual? It may not generate as much power as fast as a fusion reactor, but we have excellent storage systems and a year with ninety-five percent of the days sunny. In the long run it's much more effi- cient.”

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