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showed that they had been components of some large
structure; a warehouse, possibly. Several of them were
a third the size of the Caribe.
Cora drifted over one, studying the torn edges. "It
CACHALOT 117
doesn't look as if this has been severed by an energy
beam, for example."
Rachael was inspecting another fragment nearby.
"Here's one that's badly dented, but it's still intact."
Cora joined her daughter, saw that she was right.
Torn supports were still fastened to an unbreached
container. The tank itself was bent almost in half,
flattened in the center by some tremendous force.
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"A whale's tail could do that," Rachael murmured.
She looked behind her. "What do you think, Wenko-
seemansa?"
The orca swam over, turned his head, and exam-
ined the ruined tank with his right eye. "Howw frrag-
ile arre the arrtificial constrructions of hummankind.
A whale's tail?" He sniffed, sending bubbles skyward.
"Could doo thhis little thhing a whale's brreathhhh."
"We've no evidence yet to support that hypothesis,
Rachael. A weapon could do the same."
"What kind of weapon?"
"I don't know, dammit," her mother snapped. "I'm
a marine biologist, not a munitions specialist. Pucara
might know, and Sam surely will have some ideas.
Wonder where they've got to?"
"Sooon will thhey rejoin you." Wenkoseemansa let
loose a sharply rising whistle that the translator could
not refine into human terms, then vanished in a rush
of displaced water.
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He wasn't gone long before he returned with Pucara
Merced clinging to his dorsal fin. Latehoht and Sam
rejoined the others seconds later.
The four humans drifted, exchanging thoughts and
theories while the two orcas waited interestedly near-
by.
"What about the possibility of a rogue whale?"
Merced suggested. "A deranged one."
"One whale?" Mataroreva was properly skeptical.
"Well, what kind of weapons, then?"
"Any number of possibilities there." The peace-
118 CACHALOT
forcer eyed the twisted tank, which they had tenta-
tively identified as a type used to store liquid protein.
"Let's not forget that the force of another, nearby ex-
plosion could have caused this. Also, there are com-
pressed gas weapons which could directly do such
damage. Or a storm wave could have caused it. I'm
afraid this isn't much in the way of evidence."
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"And no hint that energy weapons were used,"
Cora added. "That's obvious even to me."
"Could someone," Merced continued, "be trying to
make it look as if the whales are causing the destruc-
tion, to cover their own activities? By using those
compressed gas weapons, for example?"
"Could be," Mataroreva agreed. "It would add up
with what the old catodon told us about the impossi-
bility of any whales actually being responsible."
"There's more over this way." Merced had drifted
off to their right, down a glass canyon. "Smaller stuff.
We might find something more specific."
"I doubt it." Cora moved to join him. "The local
experts have undoubtedly sifted everything already.
Though you never know. What do you hope to find,
Pucara?"
He shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe someone had a
personal tridee recorder going at the moment of at-
tack, though, as you say, it's likely the initial search
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teams would already have checked for such items. But
it would be good for us to make our own search of
the reef."
Mataroreva started to protest, intending to cite the
size of the reef and the thoroughness of the previous
inspectors, but decided not to. Cora and the other two
were not as familiar with Cachalot growths and for-
mations as were the residents. Therefore they might
search where a local scientist would disdain to.
"Anything that looks helpful, we take aboard for
detailed analysis," Merced continued, looking at
Mataroreva.
CACHALOT 119
"Sounds like a reasonable suggestion. I know that
you're all experienced in underwater work, so I'll say
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