Mataroreva stared grimly at her, seemed about to say something, and then he was smiling broadly as be- fore, as if nothing had happened.

"Forget it. It's over and no one was hurt. Not even the toglut, I think. I suppose that from a biological standpoint your a.s.sumptions were accurate. You couldn't have known there would be something within range of your instrument under the sand. Actually, your thinking was mostly correct. There are very few dangerous creatures living inside the reef, and most of them stay out in the center, where the water's deep."

He pointed downward, over the side of the pier. "The toglut's big, but normally it's about as offensive as a kitten. I guess," he joked, "it wasn't much of a music lover, either." He grinned at Cora. "Anyway, you've had an introduction to the real Cachalot. This is a poorly explored, little-researched colony world. Para- dise orbits a different star.

"Come on." He looked over at the two newcomers who had joined them so hurriedly. "We'll manage, Terii," he told the woman. She nodded, turned to leave, but not before giving Raehael a disapproving glare.

29

Mataroreva started to follow, but when he saw Cora still on hands and knees, staring over the side of the pier, he walked over to her and extended a ma.s.sive brown paw. "Ms. Xamantina? Cora?"

She glanced up at him. "A toglut, you called it?"

"That's right. They spend most of their time under the sand. They can tear up a boat without working hard, but normally one would rather run than fight something half its size."

"I wish I'd had a better look." She took his hand and he helped her to her feet. She continued to gaze down into the water. "Fascinating. I've never seen a cepha- lopod like that."

"It's not a cephalopod."

"Echinoderm?"

He shook his head. "Polydermata. If I remember right. A new cla.s.s, native to Cachalot. We have a lot of them, I'm told. You'll learn the reason for the name if you ever get the chance to dissect one. The cephalopo- dian characteristics are coincidental. Or mimicry."

"That's marvelous. Really marvelous." She grew aware he was still holding her hand and pulled free.

"Raehael-"

"Please, Mother. No lectures, huh? I explained myself. n.o.body's as sorry as I am."

Cora sighed deeply. "You and that toy. I'm sur- prised at you, ascribing Earthly characteristics to an alien world. But I suppose I myself would have said, if asked, that it was probably safe to play that thing here." She started for the buildings, chatting with Mat- aroreva.

Merced moved to walk alongside Raehael. "Anyone would have made the same a.s.sumption, just as your mother said. Besides," he added softly, "I thought what you were playing was beautiful."

She looked down at him. "Flattery will get you no- where, Mr. Merced."

30.

"Pucara, please. We are going to be working to- gether."

"Maybe," she replied cautiously. "We don't know

the nature of the trouble, so I think it's a little prema- ture to say we'll be working together." He looked away, lapsed into silence. "However," she added, "I hope

that we will." She smiled enigmatically.

"It's my hope also, Rachael. Maybe you'd be will- ing to play for me another time, as you said you would.

When we're a bit farther away from the water where your instrument's projections won't, uh, irritate the

local life."

"That'll have to include my mother. She tends to re- act like that toglut thing did." She chuckled.

They were mounting a slight slope now, climbing the

firmly packed sand. Occasional shafts of brightly col- ored light made her blink even through the protective

haze created by the goggles.

"She's protective of you," Merced ventured. "You

can't blame her."

"Protective of me?"

Rachael laughed, the rhythmic trill so different from

her husky speaking voice. "I can take care of myself.

Besides, what does she have to be so protective of me for? What's there to protect me from?" And she smiled at Merced in what could only be called a chal- lenging way. He simply smiled slightly and looked

away.

Intriguing character, she thought to herself. He acts

so shy and tentative, yet some of his comments and questions are d.a.m.ned direct. She slid the neurophon around on its straps so that it snuggled beneath her left

arm, made certain the power was off.

Two mysteries for her to explore; Cachalot and Pucara Merced. Two mysteries to inspire music. She ran three fingers over the steel strings of her soul.

.aving reached the top of the gentle slope, they found themselves among a complex of buildings. All displayed windows formed of the same phototropic material as their goggles. Some of the structures looked like housing, others were clearly used as offices and labs. Far to the south were the outlines of much larger buildings. Warehousing, perhaps, or processing facili- ties.

The shuttle that had brought them in was now docked near one of the other, larger structures. Small human shapes could be seen using floaters to shift con- tainers from building to shuttlebay and vice versa.

They were approaching a two-story building larger than any they had yet pa.s.sed. It occupied the crest of the hill. A flag, hanging limply from a post in front of the entrance, displayed four circles arranged in a square: two blue, representing Terra; two green, stand- ing for Hivehom. A fifth circle occupied the center, tangent to the other four. It was marked with a Mal- tese cross, half blue and half green on a crimson field.

Were this a Church facility, the field would have been aquamarine. Flag and post were sufficient to indicate they were nearing the center of humanx activity on Cachalot.

From what Rachael had learned of the ocean world, she knew it was not developed enough to qualify for

32 CACHALOT.

even a.s.sociate status in the Commonwealth. It was listed as a mere cla.s.s nine, a general colony with no direct representation in the Council. Instead, it oper- ated under the direction of a Resident Commissioner, like any other world without full membership. Its inhabitants would have true franchise only through their home-worlds. Those with multigenerational an- cestry on Cachalot would be represented through the Commissioner.

They halted before the entrance, and she and Merced slowed behind her mother and they guide.

"I don't understand," Cora was saying, gesturing first at the Administration Building and then at the others nearby. "Don't you have a fusion plant?"

"Sure," Sam told her. "For backup purposes. We hardly ever use it. Why do you find the photovoltaic paneling so unusual? It may not generate as much power as fast as a fusion reactor, but we have excellent storage systems and a year with ninety-five percent of the days sunny. In the long run it's much more effi- cient."