Humanx - Cachalot Part 44

When the baleens noticed us, they vanished. Our so- narizer patterned them before they all got out of range. We noted fifty, and more had probably fled be- fore we arrived. If they hadn't run as soon as we appeared, we'd have been the ones doing the running,

I tell you.

"That was the first and last time we saw any whales near the towns. We found no survivors." Dawn said nothing this time. "Nor any bodies. It puzzled us greatly. Our first thought was to beam in notification of the disaster, but"-he spread his hands-"to what end? As I said, there were no survivors. And there was a great deal of very valuable material floating around our s.h.i.+p, preparing to sink or drift off into the sunset. What could we do but recover what was avail- able? The ancient laws of salvage apply.

"After that, we tried to plot the location of towns which seemed near unusually large concentrations of baleen whales. We also learned that the attacks al- ways took place under cover of storms."

"Just baleens?" Cora asked.

"We never saw any toothed whales," Hazaribagh informed her. "Most curious, I tell you.. You would suspect them the most likely of all the Cetacea to plan and carry out such an attack.

"I want you to know also that we always searched for survivors, but never did we find any. At War- mouth, other vessels arrived before us. Vai'oire makes four out of five for us, however. A good percentage of prediction. Salvage is far more lucrative than gathering fish or molluskan products. We have several off-world buyers who are pleased to purchase our offerings,

187.

whether they be cargo the towns were storing prep- aratory to s.h.i.+pment or valuable electronics, or even personal effects. We are not discriminating, I tell you."

"If you're not controlling the cetaceans, then who is?" she wondered aloud.

"Why must anyone be controlling them?" Ha- zaribagh asked. Perhaps no scientist this one, but an astute observer of life. "Why can't they be controlling themselves?"

"Baleens are incapable of such concerted action,"

Mataroreva insisted.

The factory manager turned on him. "How do we know that? How much do we really know about the Cetacea beyond what they choose to tell us? Abilities may mature in a thousand years. Simply because a man does not talk is no indication he is an idiot. He may simply be a noncommunicative genius."

"Only one thing prevents you from receiving abso- lution," Cora stated. "You knew! You knew from the start that whales were responsible. If that informa- tion had been communicated to Administration on Mou'anui, then Vai'oire, Warmouth, and the others might have survived, knowing precisely what to expect.

But you couldn't do that."

"Of course we couldn't," Hazaribagh admitted. "I don't see how you can hold us accountable for the nondistribution of knowledge. We've harmed no one.

There's nothing criminal in opportunism, I tell you.

If we had found survivors, now that would have pre- sented us with a problem. But we never encountered any... until now."

He tapped the sharp edge of his chin with the rim of the cold gla.s.s. Ice clinked within. "Now there are five of you. A situation I hoped I would never have to deal with." He paced in front of them, gesturing with hand and gla.s.s. "You see, this has become an extraor- dinarily profitable operation for us. One I am loath to relinquish."

188.

CACHALOT.

CACHALOT.

189.

It took considerable courage for Cora to say, "By withholding this information, you become guilty of

murder by oversight."

The accusation did not upset Hazaribagh. "Oh, I doubt that a Church court would convict us on that.

If I were to let you go freely, however, it could com- plicate things for us by leading, as you say, to the prevention of such unfortunate incidents in the future.

I am not sure we can go back to the ill-rewarding occupation of fis.h.i.+ng. While I would not go about destroying towns with a casual wave of my hand, even if I could control the baleens, I think I could see my way to order the elimination of five embar- ra.s.sments ... I tell you."

Cora stiffened. So they were to be killed after all, though not for the reasons she had first suspected. It was small consolation to see Hazaribagh wrestling with

the decision.

"You must try to understand my position. My peo- ple and I have made more profit in the time since I'a was destroyed than in our previous thirty years of licensing on Cachalot. We're not ready to give it up.

And while we would not murder the town people, we of the boats bear no love for them, I tell you.

"As to why the baleens have suddenly become sub- ject to organized ma.s.s insanity, I have certainly given it some thought." He shook his head. "I have no better idea than any of you. Unlike you, I do not much care, as long as they continue their actions. We have pa.s.sed many whales, many baleen. None have bothered us.

"If we should eventually be discovered salvaging the ruins of some town, then and only then will we have to curtail our activities. But such an operation would make us guilty of nothing beyond illegal con- fiscation of private goods. The court would fine us and warn us, but that would be all.

"Three more months," he told them firmly, "at the current rate of destruction will enable my people and

me to make enough credit to quit Cachalot forever and retire en ma.s.se to one of the pleasure worlds like New Riviera. Perhaps at that time," he added thought- fully, "we will reveal what we know about the baleens'

responsibility. Thus we will retire as heroes as well as newly wealthy."

In a perverse fas.h.i.+on Cora discovered she was dis- appointed. She had expected some extraordinary genuis to be behind all this. Instead, the only humans so far known to be involved had turned out to be noth- ing more than petty crooks.

"If you intend to quit in three months," Rachael pleaded, "why not just hold us for that time and then let us go?"

"I'm sorry," Hazaribagh said genuinely. "I don't think that would be good business. You now know all about our activities. Despite any promises you might give, I'm not sure I could trust you to be silent in this matter. I think it would be safer to dispose of you, much as I regret the necessity. As to the man- ner of your death, I think that it will be ascribed to the general destruction of Vai'oire."

Two guards shoved and pushed them toward the railing, then down to the lower deck. Hazaribagh followed. A section of rail was lowered, leaving them backed against the sea below.

"You could keep us for three months and then decide!" Rachael argued desperately. "We'd still be your prisoners. You could kill us any time after. Why spoil your claimed record of not having murdered any- one and maybe have some jealous crewmember ex- pose you for it later in the future?"

"We don't have any jealous crewmembers," Ha- zaribagh informed her. "We suffered together. Now we're growing rich together. And we'll all be equally guilty." He stood back while the guards, who had grown to six, checked their weapons.

"We have reasonably efficient facilities on this s.h.i.+p

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for processing large quant.i.ties of meat." He finished his drink, tossed the foil gla.s.s over the side. "We wouldn't want to spoil the whales' record of not leav- ing any bodies to be found. We'll process you as quickly as we can.

"As for holding you for three months and then de- ciding, why should I give such obviously resourceful folk as yourselves ninety days to escape or sow dis- sension or put out a call for help? If I kill you now, then I won't be troubled by such possibilities, and this unfortunate business will be off my mind, I tell you."

One of the guards stepped forward slightly and raised a weapon. Cora noted it was one of those that fired explosive sh.e.l.ls, and tensed. Hazaribagh appar- ently meant to finish them off as quickly as possible.

The guard sighted down the narrow barrel at Mataroreva.

Something huge and fast flew through the air like an ancient express train, blotting out the sun.

XIII.

..here were faint thumps. Half the gunman went one way. His lower torso and legs stood tottering on the deck while blood fountained everywhere. The im- mense shape landed on the planking, nearly breaking through the tough metal into the hold below. A second guard was crushed beneath it. The others fled in understandable panic.

Hazaribagh was stumbling backward for the near- est walkway leading to the upper level as four and a half tons of killer whale thrashed about and made a shambles of the stem deck, instrumentation, and any human being foolhardy or blind enough to come within range of flukes or teeth.