Part 61 (1/2)

”Yes, we can understand you,” she heard Merced saying.

”IT is DIFFICULT FOR us,” the voice in her head

Said. ”YOUR MINDS ARE MORE COMPLEX, YET YOU ARE NOT ATTUNED TO THIS METHOD OF COMMUNICATING.

WE HAVE TO PUSH OUR THOUGHTS IN AND PULL YOURS.

OUT.

”THE SMOOTH-SIDES ARE SIMILAR OF MIND BUT.

EASIER TO PENETRATE. THERE IS NO RESISTANCE TO.

OUR EFFORTS AND NOT NEARLY THE COMPLEXITY.”.

”You're the CunsnuC?” Her head was beginning to throb again, this time with effort but not pain.

”I AM THE CUNSNUC. WE ARE THE CUNSNUC.”.

”Collective intelligence,” Merced murmured. ”Just like collective physical structure.”

”ALL ARE COLLECTIVE. THERE IS NO INDIVIDUAL.

US.”.

”There is among our people,” Cora said.

257.

258.

CACHALOT.

CACHALOT.

259.

”THAT IS SO, AND IT FRIGHTENS US. AND HURTS.

HURTS.”.

The communication might also be communal, she thought. The voice in her mind did not exhibit changes of inflection. They had no way of tracing it to its source.

It was simply there inside one's head, much the way a voice sounded in a dark room.

”Why have you directed the cetaceans, the smooth- sides, to attack our communities?” Hwos.h.i.+en had no time to waste on biological speculation.

”YOUR THOUGHTS HURT, DAMAGE OUR MINDS. OUR.

SENSIBILITIES OF THOUGHT ARE EXTREMELY DELI-.

CATE AND p.r.o.nE TO PAINFUL INTERRUPTION. THE.

THOUGHTS OF THE SMOOTH-SIDES DO NOT PENETRATE.

OR HURT.”.

Cora tried to imagine something the size of a small stars.h.i.+p having delicate sensibilities. ”Static,” she whis- pered aloud. ”Something in our thoughts, some pro- jection of our nervous system, causes static in their minds.”

Then it came to her what the outstanding feature of the creature's att.i.tude toward them suggested: fear.

Fear and worry. For all their immense size, the CunsnuC were afraid of men.

”It hurts you even though you dwell in these deeps?”