Part 27 (2/2)
”A whale's tail could do that,” Rachael murmured.
She looked behind her. ”What do you think, Wenko- seemansa?”
The orca swam over, turned his head, and exam- ined the ruined tank with his right eye. ”Howw frrag- ile arre the arrtificial constrructions of hummankind.
A whale's tail?” He sniffed, sending bubbles skyward.
”Could doo thhis little thhing a whale's brreathhhh.”
”We've no evidence yet to support that hypothesis, Rachael. A weapon could do the same.”
”What kind of weapon?”
”I don't know, dammit,” her mother snapped. ”I'm a marine biologist, not a munitions specialist. Pucara might know, and Sam surely will have some ideas.
Wonder where they've got to?”
”Sooon will thhey rejoin you.” Wenkoseemansa let loose a sharply rising whistle that the translator could not refine into human terms, then vanished in a rush of displaced water.
He wasn't gone long before he returned with Pucara Merced clinging to his dorsal fin. Latehoht and Sam rejoined the others seconds later.
The four humans drifted, exchanging thoughts and theories while the two orcas waited interestedly near- by.
”What about the possibility of a rogue whale?”
Merced suggested. ”A deranged one.”
”One whale?” Mataroreva was properly skeptical.
”Well, what kind of weapons, then?”
”Any number of possibilities there.” The peace-
118 CACHALOT.
forcer eyed the twisted tank, which they had tenta- tively identified as a type used to store liquid protein.
”Let's not forget that the force of another, nearby ex- plosion could have caused this. Also, there are com- pressed gas weapons which could directly do such damage. Or a storm wave could have caused it. I'm afraid this isn't much in the way of evidence.”
”And no hint that energy weapons were used,”
Cora added. ”That's obvious even to me.”
”Could someone,” Merced continued, ”be trying to make it look as if the whales are causing the destruc- tion, to cover their own activities? By using those compressed gas weapons, for example?”
”Could be,” Mataroreva agreed. ”It would add up with what the old catodon told us about the impossi- bility of any whales actually being responsible.”
”There's more over this way.” Merced had drifted off to their right, down a gla.s.s canyon. ”Smaller stuff.
We might find something more specific.”
”I doubt it.” Cora moved to join him. ”The local experts have undoubtedly sifted everything already.
Though you never know. What do you hope to find, Pucara?”
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