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"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 ship,
preparing to sink or drift off into the sunset. What could we do but recover
what was available? 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 always 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, whether they be
cargo the towns were storing preparatory to shipment 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?" Hazaribagh 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 absolution," Cora stated.
"You knew! You knew from the start that whales were responsible. If that
information had been communicated to Administration on Mou'anui, then
Vai'oire, Warmouth, and the others might have survived, knowing precisely what
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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 presented 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 glass. 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 glass.
"You see, this has become an extraordinarily profitable operation for us. One
I am loath to relinquish."
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
complicate 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 fishing. 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 embarrassments... 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 people and I have made more
profit in the time since Fa 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 subject to organized mass
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 passed many whales, many baleen. None
have bothered us.
"If we should eventually be discovered salvaging the rums 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 confiscation 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 masse to one of the pleasure worlds like New
Riviera. Perhaps at that time," he added thoughtfully, "we will reveal what we
know about the baleens' responsibility. Thus we will retire as heroes as well
as newly wealthy."
In a perverse fashion Cora discovered she was disappointed. She had
expected some extraordinary genius to be behind all this. Instead, the only
humans so far known to be involved had turned out to be nothing 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?"
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"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 manner 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 anyone and maybe have
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