Humanx - Cachalot Part 49

He went to the railing, slipping his translator unit back over his head. Loud squealing sounds rose from the water below, and Cora hurried, along with her companions, to adjust her own unit as they walked to the side of the factory ship.

Latehoht was already sounding. Moments later she returned, accompanied by a large, scarred male.

"Thhis is hhe whho is called Kinehahtoh," she in- formed them, "He-Who-Swims-Out-Front. Kinehahtoh of many battles, seniorr ammong the podd whho res- cued you, as you requested, frriend Samm. Kinehah- toh the wise, who speaks forr the brrotherrs and sis- terrs of the packkkk."

A surprise followed, for when she introduced the old male to the waiting humans, she used their cetacean as well as their human names. A touch rue- fully, Cora learned that the name she had been given by Latehoht and her mate was Talsehnsoht-She- Who-Has-To-Know-Everything.

"Kinehahtoh," Sam began, "we must know why the baleens have been killing our people and destroying their homes."

"Surre you arre noww, surre beyond rreason or doubt, thhat thhey arre trruly rresponsible?" the pa-

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CACHALOT.

triarch inquired. Grandfather grampus, Cora thought, admiring him.

"I and my friends witnessed such an attack our- selves. A blue whale is not a cloud, to be mistaken for one. This is a truth-thing, Kinehahtoh."

"A trruth-thhat-is-not," the oldster agreed, shudder- ing. That quiver was ancient cetacean behavior, Cora knew. Not a reaction acquired from contact with man- kind. "Though arre you knnown to us as one whho speaks the trruth, Samm Matarrorreva, this one and the brrothen-s and ssisterrs would not believe had not wwe hearrd it frrom two of ourr own. Would thhat I could will it not truth, yet what is, is, and cannot be wished awayyy."

"Then you understand our need to learn the cause behind this," Mataroreva said, "as we would yours if whole pods of the orca had been killed."

"Wwe underrstand, though it makes ourr hearrts fall to thhe ooze of the Deeep Places. Whhat would you havve us doooo?"

"We must ask the why of this terrible thing of one who was part of it." Kinehahtoh did not reply, lay waiting. "To do so, we must have the help of the orca so we do not risk the peace between man and Cetacea."

Still the old male did not speak. Finally he did so, choosing his words slowly and carefully. "One whho has beeen parrtnerr to so vicious a thhing may not wish to talk of it." Even in translation, the orca sounded distinctly troubled.

Mataroreva took a long breath before responding.

"That is why we must make this request of you. We cannot forcibly restrain a baleen to question it, as you well know. But if the pack a.s.sembled here were to gather tight around a single whale, as they have around this ship, there would be no fight."

"It could be inten-preted as a prowocation to suchh, a brreach of the peace, a challenge to the

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Covenant!. Not forr a thousand yearrs has orrca tasted of baleeen. Wwe cannot rriskk the Covenantttt."

"I'm not asking you to," Mataroreva said quickly, before Kinehahtoh could set himself irrevocably against the idea. "There are fifty of the orca here. If so many were to surround a solitary bull, for example, what could be the result? The baleen thinks slowly.

I suspect it would simply float in one place until the multiple obstruction was removed."

"I doo not knnow," the leader of the pack replied.

"Not forr centurries has such a confrrontation taken plaaace."

"Just my point," Mataroreva pressed on. "The re- sult wouldn't be anger. It would be confusion. The restraining need last only long enough for us to ask a few critical questions. By the time the baleen could make up its lumbering mind that it might possibly be threatened, maybe we'll have our answers and can leave it in peace. No one is being asked to fight anyone."

"A thousand yearrs of Covenant," Kinehahtoh murmured solemnly. "A thousand yearrs of peace ammong the Cetacea."

"The Cetacea as well as man are confronted with an unprecedented crisis," Mataroreva argued. "If men who do not understand the ways of Cachalot leam that the baleens are responsible, even indirectly, for the destruction, a greater threat to the Covenant will arise than any single confrontation could ever create."

He did not add that since the cetaceans were fully protected, the trouble would more likely be between men.

"Will I askk the otherrsss," the old orca decided at last. His great head smashed into the water as he turned and vanished. Latehoht went with him.

Mataroreva clarified the discussion for Hwoshien, who had waited ^patiently nearby. Long minutes pa.s.sed and still no sign of returning orcas. Cora wan-

210 CACHALOT.

dered to stand next to Mataroreva and watch the sea.

"What do you think they'll do, Sam?"

He didn't try to conceal his worry. "I don't know.

As far as they're concerned, I've just made a danger- ous request. It remains to be seen whether or not that will outweigh the threat posed by whatever is driving their larger relatives to madness."

"But they've already saved our lives once."

He smiled faintly. "Killing bad humans is a very different proposition from attacking or even threat- ening another whale."

"But we're not asking them to attack."

"I'm hoping they'll see that. If they don't, we may as well forget it and try something else. Not even Latehoht or Wenkoseemansa can change their minds once they've reached a decision."

Kinehahtoh returned. "The orrcas hawe agrreed.

Help you to finnd and encirrcle one of the baleeen wwe will. But iff it mowes to escape," he warned, "orr calls otherrs to its aid, wwe will not trry to hold it. This abowe all must bee underrstood. Must not the Covenant bee thrreatened, or all will sufferrrr."

"Suppose," Merced asked disconcertingly, "the baleen we confront chooses not only to ignore our questions but to attack us?"

Kinehahtoh's instant reply left no room for mis- understandings. "Help and enjoy wwe worrking with hummans in many things. b.u.t.t wwe will not fight with cousins. Theirr actions arre theirr owwn. Wwe cannot interrferre. If one of the Grreat Whales turms on you, you mustt cope with it as besst you arre abllle to."

"And you won't try to protect us?" Merced sounded more like a quaestor working a truthfinder during a trial than a biologist querying a killer whale.

"Must the Covenant bee kept," Kinehahtoh re- peated firmly. "Follow noww, and wwe will huntttt."

He turned away before Merced or anyone else could

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pose another question, to rejoin the waiting group of high dorsal fins stirring the water.

When informed of the orcas' limitations and the concurrent risk, Hwoshien did not hesitate. "Of course we have to go along. It is our best chance to find out what is driving the baleens to these deeds."

"And if a sixty-ton fin whale rushes our ship at forty kilometers per?" Mataroreva asked.

"You say the pack will not intercede for us. Then we'll have to take our chances. Dammit, people, it's time to take chances!" This was the first time Cora had heard Yu Hwoshien raise his voice.

"Could we outrun an attacking whale?" Rachael wondered, nervously running fingers over the strings and switches of her neurophon. The projectors were silent. Only aural music floated across the deck.

"Depends on its nearness at the moment of attack and on the type of whale," Mataroreva informed her.

"A humpback, certainly. Probably a blue. A fin- that I can't say for certain. Over a short distance it would be a near thing. I agree with Hwoshien, though.

It's a risk we have to take."