Startide Rising (23 page)

He was ambivalent to the expanded visual sense, bought at the cost of gray matter once dedicated to sound alone.

Sah’ot rose again to breathe, then submerged, keeping pace with the aboriginals.

His own line represented a drive to emphasize language ability, rather than tool use. It seemed to him a more natural extension of dolphin nature than all this crashing about in starships, pretending to be spacemen and engineers.

That was one reason he had refused to go along in the spaceboat, to help scout the derelict fleet back at the Shallow Cluster. Even had there been anything or anyone left to talk to—for which there’d been no evidence—he wasn’t about to poke around supported only by a gang of inept clients! For Streaker to try to deal alone with the derelict fleet was like a group of children playing with a live bomb.

His actions had won contempt from the crew, even though he had been vindicated by the disastrous loss of the captain’s gig.

Their contempt didn’t matter. Sah’ot reminded himself. He was a civilian. As long as he did his job he didn’t have to explain himself.

Nor did disapproving clicks over his pursuit of Dennie Sudman bother him. Long before uplift, male dolphins had been fresh with woman researchers. It’s a long-standing tradition, he rationalized. Whatever was good enough for horny old Flipper is good enough for his brainy descendant.

One of the things he hated about Anglic patterns of thought was this need to self-justify. Men were always asking “Why?” What did it matter why? There were other ways than the human way of looking at things. Any whale would tell you.

The Kiqui chittered excitedly as they swam toward the eastern end of their own island, preparing to hoist their catch up a crevice in the leeward seawall.

Sah’ot felt a sweep of sonar, like a passing searchlight. Keepiru approached from the north, to escort him back to the Earthling encampment.

Sah’ot flicked up to the surface. He tilted his head to look out on the new day. The sun rose behind a bank of haze in the east, and the wind carried a whisper of rain on the way.

A metal taint seemed to stain the air, reminding him of their deadly predicament on Kithrup.

No doubt Creideiki and his “engineers” were trying to jury-rig a scheme to get them out of this mess. Their plan would, no doubt, be frightfully bold and clever … and get them all killed.

Wasn’t it obvious that neophytes at the game of making and conquering couldn’t thwart the Galactics, who had been at it for aeons?

The humans had his loyalty, of course. But he knew them for what they were—clumsy wolflings, struggling to survive in a dangerously reactionary galaxy.

There was an old dolphin saying. “All humans are engineers, and all engineers are humans.” It was cute, but patently a lie.

Keepiru broke the surface beside him. Sah’ot blew quietly, his breath condensing into spray. He lay watching the sunrise until Keepiru’s patience wore thin.

“It’sss daylight, Sah’ot. We shouldn’t be out here. We’ve got to report, and I want some food and rest!”

Sah’ot affected the role of an absent-minded scientist. He started, as if pulled from thoughts deeper than Keepiru might ever understand.

“What? Oh, yes. Of course, Pilot. By all means. I’ve very interesting data to report. You know, I think I’ve cracked their language?”

“How nice.” Keepiru’s reply was semantically Anglic, and phonemically a squawk. He dove and headed for the cave entrance.

Sah’ot winced at the pilot’s sarcasm. But he was unrepentant.

Maybe I’ve time to finish a few suggestive limericks, to intersperse in my report to Dennie, he thought. It’s too bad she stays up on the bank of the pool and won’t join me in the water. Maybe today she’ll relent, though.

He composed dirty poetry as he banked to follow Keepiru down into the night-like darkness below.

When they got to the bottom of the former drill-tree shaft, now lit by a small phosphor bulb, Sah’ot noticed that someone had taken both sleds out of the passage and moored them in the cavern below. But at least one sled was always supposed to be in the pool in case Dennie and Toshio had to escape quickly! He hurried after Keepiru, up the narrow vertical tunnel.

There were two more sleds in the pool at the top. Someone must have arrived from the ship during the night, he realized.

Toshio and Dennie were already down by the water, talking to Keepiru. Sah’ot eyed Dennie speculatively, but decided not to start in.

This evening I’ll try to get her to join me in the water, he thought. I’ll think up a pretext, maybe something to do with the mechanics of the drill-tree root. It probably won’t work, but the attempt should be fun.

Sah’ot spy-hopped, churning his tail to rise up and look about the poolside clearing. He wondered who had come out from Streaker.

The thick brush parted to the south and two men, one female and one male, approached.

Gillian Baskin knelt by the poolside and whistled a Trinary welcome.

* Constant Keepiru

Solid as surf rock

* Orca-defier

* Chameleon Sah’ot

Ever adaptable

* Ever so man-like

* Under dark squalls I’d

Recognize you two …

* Study in opposites!

Keepiru answered in Anglic, a pathetically unoriginal

“Good to see you, Gillian. You too, T-Tom.”

Sah’ot settled down, uncomfortably aware that he had a reputation to live up to. Unlike Keepiru, he would have to come up with a greeting that matched Gillian’s.

He would rather have gone someplace to think about Gillian’s remark, especially that part about being “ever so man-like…” Was that a compliment, or was there a touch of pity in Gillian’s upper register when she had whistled it?

Thomas Orley stood quietly next to Gillian. Sah’ot felt as if the man were seeing through him.

Sah’ot drew a breath.

* Look here!

A monogamous

* Miracle!

* A pair of lovers!

Silhouetted against

* The wide sky. *

Gillian clapped her hands and laughed.

Thomas Orley only smiled briefly. But apparently he had things on his mind.

“I’m glad you two fins are back,” he said. “Gillian and I arrived here last night, she from Streaker and I from the site where Toshio’s tsunami ship crashed. Jill brought you folks a monofilament cable, so you can stay in touch with the ship. She’ll work with you for a few days on this vital matter of the Kiqui. Also, I understand there are some folks back at the ship who’d like to ask you to collect some data for them. That right, Gillian?”

The blonde woman nodded. Word of Charlie Dart’s demands had not delighted Toshio and Dennie.

Orley continued.

“Jill’s other purpose in coming here was to deliver some gear to me. I have to go away this morning. I’ll be using a solar glider.”

Keepiru sucked air. He started to object, but Orley raised a hand. “I know, it’s risky. But there’s an experiment I have to try in order to see if the escape plan we’ve put together will work. And since you people are the only ones available, I’m going to have to ask you for your help.”

Sah’ot’s tail thrashed under the water. He clamped down to hide his feelings, but it was hard. So hard!

So they were truly going to try to escape! He had hoped for better from Orley and Baskin. They were intelligent and experienced, almost-mythical agents of the Terragens Council. Survivors.

Now they were talking madness, and expected him to help! Didn’t they realize what they were up against?

He swam up next to Keepiru, wearing the mask of a faithful, attentive client. But inside he felt a turmoil as he listened to the crazy “plan” that was supposed to save them from the bug-eyed monsters.

T
he ship’s council meeting was a disaster. It is worse than I thought,” the vice-captain sighed.

* They plan deception

To fool deceivers,

* And veils

To cover whales!

K’tha-Jon tossed his great blunt head in agreement.

“I hear the codeword for thisss project is the ‘Trojan Seahorse.’ What does that mean?”

“It’s a literary allusion,” Takkata-Jim replied. He wondered where the bosun had gone to school. “I’ll explain some other time. Right now I must think. There must be another way than this suicide plan Creideiki and Orley have devised.

“I had hoped Creideiki would see reason. But now, I just don’t know.”

“He didn’t lisssten?”

“Oh he’s very polite! Blowfish Metz swam in my wake point by point, and Creideiki listened so nicely to both of us. The meeting lasted four hours! But the captain decided to go with Orley’s scheme anyway! The Baskin fem has already left with supplies for him.”

The two Stenos drifted quietly for a long moment. K’tha-Jon waited for the vice-captain.

Takkata-Jim’s tail slashed. “Why won’t Creideiki even consider broadcasting the location of our find and have done with with it! Instead, he and Orley want to try to trick sophonts who have been trapping each other for millions of years! We’ll be fried! Compared with this plan, even your idea of blasting forth with all guns blazing is better. At least we’d be able to maneuver!”

“I only offer a gloriousss alternative to his mad venture,” K’tha-Jon said. “But I would go with your plan. Think, if we were the ones to find a way to save the ship and crew, would not the benefits go beyond simply preserving our livesss?”

Takkata-Jim shook his head. “If I were in command, perhapsss. But we are led by this mad, honor-bound genius, who’ll only guide us to doom.”

He turned away, deep in his thoughts, and swam silently down the corridor to his quarters.

K’tha-Jon’s eyes narrowed as they followed the vice-captain. The bubbles from his blowmouth came out in tiny, rhythmic pops.

I
t wasn’t fair! Almost everybody who counted had been allowed to go with Hikahi, to go join the crew working on the Thennanin wreck. The repairs to Streaker were nearly completed, and he was still stuck here, where nothing important was happening at all!

Akki drifted at his study-station, under an airdome near the top of the central bay. Bubbles from below passed unhindered through the pages of a holo-text displayed in front of him.

Of all the dumb ideas! Making him study astrogation while the ship was stuck at the bottom of an ocean!

He tried to concentrate on the subtleties of wormhole navigation, but his mind wandered. He got to thinking about Toshio. How long ago had it been since the two of them had had time to pull off a decent prank? It must have been over a month since they’d stolen Brookida’s glasses and replaced them with Fresnel lenses.

I sure hope Toshio’s okay. But at least he’d doing something. Why did Creideiki insist I stay here when they need every decent engineer out at the wreck?

Akki tried one more time to focus on the text, but was distracted by a sound. He looked down toward a noisy altercation at one of the food stations. Two fen were taking turns swatting at each other with their flukes while a circle of others watched.

Akki backed out of the airdome and dove toward the disturbance.

“Stop thisss!” he shouted. “Cut it out, now!” He struck out with his own flukes to knock Sth’ata and Sreekah-jo apart.

The observers backed away a little, but the combatants ignored him. They bit and flailed at each other. A kicking fluke struck Akki in the chest, sending him spinning.

Akki gulped to catch his breath. How did they find the energy to fight in oxywater?

He swam up to one of the observers. “Pk’Tow … Pk’Tow!” He bit the fin on his flank and assumed dominant stance as Pk’Tow whirled angrily. It wasn’t easy to face him down; Akki felt very young. But Creideiki had taught him what to do. When a fin reverts, make him focus!

“Pk’Tow! Stop listening to them and use your eyes. Look at me! As a ship’s officer I order you to help me break up this fight!”

The glazed expression faded from Pk’Tow’s face. He nodded. “Aye, sssir.” Akki was amazed by the fellow’s dullness.

Drops of blood diffused into a pink stain as the combatants slowed down, trading blows, their gill-lungs gasping for breath. Akki collected three more crewfen, swatting and shouting at them to get them focused again, then he moved in. He got the Stenos and the cook separated at last, and led them under guard toward sick bay. Dr. Makanee could keep them isolated until he reported this to the captain.

Akki glanced up and noticed the bosun, K’tha-Jon, pass by. The giant petty officer didn’t even offer to help. He probably watched the whole thing, Akki thought bitterly. K’tha-Jon wouldn’t have needed to cajole the onlookers. He could have intimidated the brawlers with a growl.

K’tha-Jon was headed swiftly for the outlock, his expression intent.

Akki sighed.

Okay, maybe Creideiki had his reasons for keeping me around, after all. Now that Hikahi has left with the engineers, he needs help taking care of the dregs that are still aboard Streaker.

He nosed Sreekah-jo to keep him moving. The Stenos squawked an almost Primal curse, but obeyed.

At least I’ve got an excuse not to study astrogation, Akki thought, sardonically.

N
o! Stop it! Back off and try it again—this time more carefully!”

Hannes Suessi watched skeptically as the dolphin engineers reversed their heavy sleds and hauled the beam back out of the chamber.

It had been their third attempt to fit a supporting member into a gaping opening in the tail of the sunken Thennanin vessel. They had come closer to getting it right, but still the lead sled had hung back too long and almost let its end be driven into the inner wall of the battleship.

“There now, Olelo, here’s how you avoid that beam.” He addressed the pilot of the lead sled. His voice projected from the sled’s hydrophones. “When you get to their hieroglyph thingie that looks like a two-headed jackal, lift your nose thusly!” He motioned with his arms.