Part 24 (2/2)
”What is your 'great end'?” Rachael asked curi-
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ously, mechanically entering a variation or two into her neurophon's memory.
”If We Knew That,” Lumpjaw told her portentously, ”We Would No Longer Be Aspiring.”
”What about the other cetaceans?” Merced per- sisted. ”The baleen whales, for example?”
Cora's earphones were filled with an eerie high- pitched whistling the headset could only make audible.
It might have been laughter, as had been that of the porpoise herd. It might have been amazement. It might have been a combination of things, but it came from many members of the pod. When Lumpjaw did not elaborate, a puzzled Merced turned to Sam for ex- planation.
”The catodons and the orcas are by far the smartest of the cetaceans. I'm sure you know that”-to this Merced nodded-”but because of the lack of informa- tion, you may not know how great the gaps are.
”There are many degrees of intelligence, and among the cetaceans the gaps seem to be widening, not closing. For reasons which our limited studies have not been able to establish, the baleens are the mental primitives of the Cetacea. They're big, but compara- tively stupid. The pod,” and Sam gestured out over the dark water, ”is reacting in surprise at the possi- bility anyone could seriously consider such an idea.”
”I have to consider every possibility.” Merced sounded miffed.
”Our Toothless Relatives Are Incapable Of Con- ceiving, Far Less Carrying Out, Such An Adventure, Even Were They So Inclined, Which They Are Not.
They Have Not The Mental Ability To Do Such A Thing. They Can Join Together To Defend Against An Attack, But The Kind Of Effort Thou Suggestest Is As Far Beyond Their Capability As Is The Thought Of Our Doing So. Thou!” His eye focused on Cora.
The head came closer, touched the railing once more.
The eye stared at her, spitting distance away, and she
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CACHALOT.
did not have time to consider the remarkable feat of balance.
”Touch!” It was a command.
She hesitated, glanced ^at Sam. He said nothing. In- congruously, the worst thing about the confrontation was not the proximity of enough weight to smash her flat, or the nearness of those huge teeth, but the breath that emanated from a distant gullet.
She reached out, ran a hand along one tooth a quar- ter of a meter long. Her fingers trailed down the tooth, touched the thick lower jaw. The whale pulled away and she instinctively jerked her hand clear. All bravery has its limits.
”Those Teeth Never Have Nor Ever Will Damage Anything But Food,” Lumpjaw told her somberly. ”To Do Otherwise Would Be To Surrender Everything The Cetacea Have Accomplished On This World, To Snuff Out In An Instant The Progress Of A Thousand Years.”
”If you're not responsible, if the other whales aren't responsible, we're left with two possibilities,” Merced declared. ”Some variety of local life”-he hesitated, but Lumpjaw did not volunteer any suggestions-”or humans, for reasons we can imagine but cannot yet confirm.”
”The Latter I Can Well Believe!”
”If that's the case, could you help us locate those who have caused the destruction?”
”Certain Jt Is That We Could,” the whale said, ”But We Will Not.”
”Why not?” Merced asked.
”The Great Question,” Lumpjaw said, not being particularly profound. ” 'Why' Indeed? Why Should We? Why Waste Our Time On Such Triviality? We Live And Die. Thou Livest And Diest. Better To Spend Time Exploring Life Rather Than Death.
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