Part 31 (2/2)
”I can't believe even part-time residents of Cachalot committed ma.s.s murder for profit. For any reason.
But you're wrong about one thing. We're not going to be looking for these people. At least, you're not. I'll communicate our information and our theory to Ad- ministration and they'll turn it over to my people.
This is peaceforcer work, not biology.”
”I'd like to keep working,” she argued. ”Maybe we have a good idea who to look for, but not how to lo- cate them. They've covered their work thoroughly.
How can your people find them?”
He considered. ”If this was a more technologically developed world, I'd set up a scan for any shuttle- craft leaving or arriving and have it searched for con- traband materials. But Cachalot's satellite system is nowhere near sophisticated enough to watch the whole planet. Though they have to be getting the stolen
merchandise off-planet via shuttle.
”As to finding the local end of the business, that's
going to be tougher still. We can't search every town and independent gathering vessel. Not only isn't it practical-illegal goods could easily be dumped or de- stroyed-but the Cachalotians wouldn't stand for it.”
He grinned slightly. ”Our citizens are very independ- ent, as you may have guessed.”
”What does that leave you with?”
133.
”Trying to catch them just before they act.” He sounded grim. ”I don't like the implications there.”
”Were the other lost towns also getting ready to make full s.h.i.+pments?”
”Sorry. I had the same thought. That was one list 7 checked. Not only did they have varying stocks on hand, but I'a, the second town attacked, had just fin- is.h.i.+ng sending off its quarterly production only a few days before it was wiped out.”
”It could have been mistiming on the part of the attackers.”
”It could have been.” He shrugged. ”It doesn't mat- ter.”
”Why not?”
”Because I think we'll find, when we check the rec- ords, that all produce, regardless of quant.i.ty, disap- peared,” and he went below.
He was gone quite a while. Cora did not move, con- tinued to watch the subsurface denizens, to envy them their freedom from thought. Much better to be able to rely only on instinct, she mused.
”Well?”
”Everything crated for s.h.i.+pment,” he told her. ”No sign of it. And that's not all. Merced and I made a detailed study of the recovered-articles lists. Absent from them is just enough in the way of water-resistant valuables-power packs, generator units, converters, and personal effects like jewelry-to give credibility to our theory.
”Many personal items were recovered-sunk to the bottom or found inside pieces of town. But enough is missing to fit with our a.n.a.lysis. Our pirates were care- ful to limit their greed. The absence of all such items would have pointed to human agents long ago. But just a few-now, they wouldn't be missed.” One mas- sive fist punched gently into its opposite palm. ”I'd like to meet these folks.” His expression now was any- thing but boyish. ”Yes, I'd like to meet them.”
134 CACHALOT.
”Sam, how can you predict where the next attack will take place since they don't rely on information regarding which town is ready to s.h.i.+p?”
”Time for some inspired guesswork, I suppose. We do know that every attack has taken place under cover of bad weather. All towns have been alerted to that fact. I've requested meteorological reports for this quadrant of sea for the next week. All four towns were within two thousand kilometers of each other.
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