Part 47 (2/2)

Since whales were involved, and since in a thousand years no human has harmed one of the Cetacea, we thought that despite the severity of the situation it would be best to have one cetacean inflict an injury on another, if any had to be injured at all.

”There are always several pods of orcas hanging around Mou'anui, waiting for the chance to play with or inspect or work together with people. Latehoht and Wenkosee-whatever his name is-put out a call as soon as they told us what had happened. Locals put out the greater call to others of their kind.”

”What do you think would have happened,”

Merced asked curiously, ”if they had found the town intact but still under siege by the baleens?”

”I don't know,” the old man admitted. ”While hu-

202.

CACHALOT.

mans and cetaceans no longer fight, the same is true ten times over for cetacean and cetacean. But even if they had elected, in such a case, not to interfere phys- ically, they still could have talked to their cousins more effectively than we.”

”It's all so frustrating,” Cora burst out. ”You make a dent in the problem and it makes a bulge on the other side of the same problem.”

Hwos.h.i.+en had turned to inspect the piles of un- stored salvage on the factory s.h.i.+p's rear deck. ”At least we know now what happened to so much of the valuable electronic equipment that disappeared from the area of the vanished towns. We suspected it had sunk into the abyss.” He sniffed. ”I would not expect such discrimination from people of this type, like this Hazaribagh.”

”You know him, then?” Cora was surprised.

”Only by records and tapes. I recognized this s.h.i.+p readily enough. I know every s.h.i.+p and town on Cach- alot. It's my business to know their business. But I would never have suspected such a modest operator and his crew to be tied into anything so extreme. He is not controlling or operating with the baleens, then?”

Merced nodded. ”That's what he's said. We haven't had the opportunity to discover whether he's been telling the truth, but according to what we've seen and what you've just said, I would tend to believe him. So extraordinary an enterprise seems utterly beyond his capability. He's an opportunist, not a genius.”

”We concur, then,” Hwos.h.i.+en said, ”though, like you, I'm certainly not going to leave the matter at Hazaribagh's word.”

”If he's lying,” Cora said, suddenly concerned, ”and he is after all controlling the baleens in some fas.h.i.+on, it's possible that . . .” Her gaze traveled nerv- ously to the horizon.

”No, it's not.” Mataroreva rejoined them, a beamer dangling from and almost lost in one huge hand.

203.

”Latehoht and Wenkoseemansa's friends and relatives are patrolling far enough out to warn us in plenty of time if a single whale comes within ten kilometers.”

Cora relaxed only slightly. The dozen peaceforcers looked very competent as they wrist-sealed the crew.

But their suprafoil displayed only a single energy can- non at the bow. She doubted it would last very long under the a.s.sault of, say, twenty blue whales. The orcas were they best defense-a.s.suming they would actually interfere with an a.s.sault by their larger cous- ins. If not, she reminded herself, the suprafoil below could outpace the fastest whale in the sea. So they were fairly safe.

Or were they? They had learned much. But Vai'oire had thought itself safe, too.

Only one thing kept Cora from asking then and there for transfer back to Mou'anui. While her fear was enormous, her curiosity was greater. That was ever the case with the scientist in the field, whose courage was born of brain and not of brawn.

”If this Hazaribagh person was controlling or direct- ing the whales in any way, to any degree,” Hwos.h.i.+en was saying, ”I should think we would have been at- tacked long before now.”

”Yes, that makes sense,” she agreed.

They followed the Commissioner of Cachalot as he walked over to confront Hazaribagh. The scav- enger looked even smaller with his head bowed and his wrists sealed together. The chemical handcuff could not be removed except by a special solvent.

The rest of his crew was similarly bound.

Hazaribagh looked up at Hwos.h.i.+en, tried to a.s.sume an air of defiance.

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