"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?" Hwoshien 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 starship 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?"

"MUCH OF THE TIME WE MUST RISE TO THE SUR-.

FACE," the voice said, "TO FEED ON THE CREATURES WHICH RISE WITH THE ABSENCE OF THE LIGHT ABOVE.

THE SKY. MORE THAN A FEW OF YOUR KIND THINKING.

EN THAT PRESENCE HURT US, DISRUPT OUR THOUGHTS.

AND ABILITY TO CONCENTRATE ON OUR FEEDING. YOU.

MUST ALL LEAVE, OR THE KILLING WILL NOT STOP.".

A pause, then, "ONLY BY BRINGING so MANY OF us

TOGETHER HERE CAN WE STAND THE PAIN WELL.

ENOUGH TO CONVERSE COHERENTLY WITH YOU.".

"Leave Cachalot?" Hwoshien muttered.

"YES. VANISH. GO BACK TO WHEREVER YOU WERE.

Sp.a.w.nED." Then a question. "WHAT is 'CACHALOT'?"

"This world," Cora explained. "We come from a world other than this."

"A WORLD OTHER THAN THIS? THERE ARE NO.

WORLDS OTHER THAN THIS, BY WHATEVER NAME YOU.

CALL IT.".

So the sea-dwelling CunsnuC had no knowledge of astronomy, and had not gained any from their con- tacts with the Cetacea.

"But there are."

"THERE CAN BE NO WORLD WHERE THERE ARE NO.

CUNSNUC, AND ALL CUNSNUC ARE HERE OR WE.

WOULD KNOW OTHERWISE. THERE CAN BE NO.

CUNSNUC WHERE THERE ARE MINDS OF YOUR KIND.".

"Humanity has been working on this world," Mata- roreva said hotly, leaving aside for the moment the question of the existence of other worlds, "for hun- dreds of our years. You've never done anything to us before. Why all of a sudden this hurt, and this need for us to leave?"

"THE HURT IS NOT SUDDEN. IT HAS BEEN WITH US.

FOR AS LONG AS YOU HAVE SAID. BUT WE DID NOT.

UNTIL NOW HAVE THE MEANS TO RESIST.".

Cora could believe that. For all their ma.s.s, the CunsnuC still appeared physically fragile. Only then- size and mental defenses protected them against Cach- alot's smaller but still sizable predators. They were plankton-eaters, like the toothless great whales.

"WE HAD TO DEVELOP PARTS OF US BEFORE WE.

COULD GAIN THE USE OF THE SMOOTH-SIDES' MINDS.".

"So you could direct them to attack us," Hwoshien concluded.

"YES. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER IF WE COULD.

HAVE GAINED THE USE OF OTHER, MORE POWERFUL.