Thousandstar (#4 of the Cluster series) (33 page)

However, this provided Heem with the key for his reply to the Squam. "HydrOs are not burdened with the liabilities of food consumption or need for shelter that certain other creatures are," he sprayed delicately. "Consequently the whole of our attention may be freed for intellectual and tactical challenges. We can move objects of considerable size by pushing or rolling them, but preferred to develop machines to do such brute work for us."

"Yet how did—" the Squam began.

Heem found himself enjoying this. "We taste-analyzed a variety of substances, and found that some possessed traits that would serve. Jetting certain stones with certain force caused them to yield trace electrical currents we could taste—"

'Semiconductor diodes!' Jessica exclaimed.

"And certain metals conducted currents from one region to another, with particular arrangements causing this flow to change its nature, dissipating itself in heat or causing an attractive force for other substances—"

'Wires, transformers, resistors, magnets,' Jessica continued. 'There you have the basis for the electric motor!'

"And the appropriate combination of such substances and currents led to the first crude electrical machines. It really was not difficult, since we could taste the nature of each circuit and flow quite readily. Our small machines were employed to construct our larger machines, in a progression extending ultimately to space itself. It has been a matter of conjecture to us how creatures possessing no refined analytic taste, so as to be unable to comprehend the finer properties of matter, could ever achieve a similar level of technology."

"You are marvelously lucid," Sickh said. "I grasp now that you proceeded from the molecular level to the macroscopic level—a sensible procedure. My kind went the reverse route, utilizing the principles of gross leverage and exploitation of combustible substances to fashion large, crude machines, which we then refined to smaller, more precise ones. We progressed most rapidly in sonics, but did in time achieve some competence in other technical fields."

'As her multi-species translator attests,' Jessica remarked. 'That's a pretty neat gadget, you know, considering its small size.'

"And we Erbs," Windflower flashed, "commenced with optics. We were aware of the stars of the universe from earliest times; indeed our constant observation of these nocturnal phenomena may have been the primary stimulus for our achievement of mobile status. We desired to explore those lights more closely, and early realized that each was as bountiful a source of life-giving light as our own near Star. We commenced with optics; from simple reflection, such as we do in ordinary communication, we progressed to laser technology, then spread our leaves to intercept the illumination of other disciplines. We were amazed to discover that sapience was possible without vision. Yet it would seem, in retrospect, that sapience can arise from virtually any form, when conditions are otherwise appropriate."

"Even among species who are sighted, limbed, and consume food," Heem agreed.

'I'll get you for that!' Jessica said.

"We do seem to achieve the ultimate unity in sapience, however divergent our origins," Sickh agreed. "It is possible that not all of us will survive. In the event I do not emerge from this situation, I ask the survivors to let it be known what happened to me and my transferee, who has of course supported our effort and assumed identical risks. She is Hov of Star Salivar; her species, she regrets, somewhat resembles the vermin of this passage, physically, but she is a very pretty personality."

"Physical substance means nothing," Windflower flashed. "There are plants that focus light indiscriminately, burning everything about them, and other plants who are constructively sapient. We are glad to know you, Hov of Salivar."

"Appreciation, Windflower of Erb."

"My transferee also wishes to be known," the Erb continued. "She is Wryv of Star Ffrob, a fungoid sapience."

They exchanged polite greetings with Wryv.

Heem's turn. "Should we inform them?" he asked Jessica.

'Oh, go ahead! I want to be known too—at least to these friends. Spill the beans.'

Heem was momentarily repulsed by her image of food, but proceeded. "I am the HydrO species representative," he sprayed. "My transferee is not of Thousandstar. She is Jessica of Star Sol of Segment Etamin, similar in biology to the Squam, but possessed of sight, and female."

There was a pause. "Do I miscomprehend?" Sickh inquired at last. "I know of Segment Etamin of the barely known Far Galaxy, and vaguely of Sphere Sol in the stellar wilderness. But I had understood you to be male."

"It is unusual, but we do have a female transferee in a male host," Heem sprayed.

"Unusual!" the Squam cried. "This is the understatement of the—"

"Why then," Windflower flashed. "I should not fear you. A sighted female—"

"This is female illogic," Heem jetted. "Typical also of my transferee."

'All
right!
' Jessica snapped. 'If it gives her comfort, let it be.'

Sickh was more serious. "Does this remarkable juxtaposition account for your transition from the robust personality of Ship H-Sixty-six to the thoughtful individual who summoned assistance for one of my kind? There would seem to be the touch of the female there."

"I was not inclined to assist your kind," Heem admitted. "She urged me to it."

"Let her flash with us!" Windflower pleaded.

Heem turned over the body to Jessica. If these creatures supposed he had been pretending, and thought to trap him by means of female dialogue, they would be disappointed.

"Hello, girls," Jessica said. And they proceeded to a merry trialogue while Heem snoozed.

He was jolted back to awareness by a question addressed directly to him. Jessica had returned the body to him. "Is the water level high enough?" the Squam inquired. "We cannot afford too much passage of time, lest others reach the site ahead of us and bring our entire effort to nothing."

Heem tasted the water. "The flavor of the drainage indicates that a considerable expanse of formerly dry passage has been covered, and some vermin have perished. But there seem to be more remaining."

"Let us wait a small delay longer," Sickh decided. "The vermin must all be removed."

"Not too much longer," Windflower flashed. "I have been some time out of light, and have expended energy; I weaken."

"And I begin, pardon the expression, to hunger," the Squam agreed. "Yet there will be inadequate time to feed. Do you suppose, then, that it is safe now to let the water ebb?"

"Safe, no," Heem opined. "But if the vermin are sub-sapient, they may not realize when the flow reverses, and will remain clear for a time."

"Let us gamble, then. We face a crisis of another kind if we delay too long."

The crisis of a hungry Squam? Heem drew in his body, letting the water leak through the valve. He wanted to drain the reserve rapidly, to give the vermin less time to discover the change.

This turned out to be no gentle flow. A fierce current manifested, tearing at their bodies. Heem tried to slow it by spreading himself again, but was unable; already the grates were being shoved sidewise, and he had to disengage quickly or be carried away himself. He flattened himself against the wall of the valve instead, half surrounding the Erb. Something clamped painfully on his flesh, giving him a taste-memory of his fight with Slitherfear on the Squam's machine-floater so long ago. He hung on as the turbulence tore at him. All their tedious labor, about to go for nothing, as they got carried down the conduit! Because of a single error of judgment on his part. 'Don't blame yourself, Heem,' Jessica said. 'Nobody anticipated this.'

"But I am accustomed to fluid dynamics. I should have been careful!"

'How often have you dealt with million-year-old sewer systems? We all make mistakes, especially when we're in a hurry. Just hang on!'

He hung on, as she put it. At last the turbulence eased. The water was returning to its original level, though not to its original taste. The sediment had been swirled up and resuspended, changing the flavor. Heem also tasted the juices of dead vermin, carried along by the current. At least something had been accomplished.

He discovered that one of Sickh's pincers was clamped on his flesh. That was what he had felt, in the melee. The grip was painful—yet he knew it had been desperation, for otherwise the Squam would have been carried away.

The Erb moved up toward the side tube. Heem started to follow—and was balked by the Squam. 'She is unconscious,' Jessica said. 'Maybe drowned. We've got to get her out of the water, Heem!'

Heem tried. The cable was gone, and the translation unit; he could not even ask the Squam to let go—and if she did, she would be lost, for he could not carry her. He rolled forward, jetting forcefully through the water, heaving her body around and over him. The water made her light; he could do it. When she was before him, he rolled over her; no way to crush her armored body! Then another heave. This was excruciating, but he was making progress. He wrestled Sickh around the corner and up the exit tube. At last they emerged into air.

Windflower was there, but could not see them in the dark. Her tendrils ran over them worriedly, finding the clamped pincers. Then she knew. Her drill formed, the hard point nudging into the pincers, and suddenly they spread. Heem was free.

The Erb picked up the Squam's body with an effort of convolution, and shook it. Water dripped out of its orifices. Sickh stirred, responding weakly.

'She's alive,' Jessica said, relieved. 'It would have been terrible if she'd drowned.'

Heem had to agree. He would not have believed he would ever feel that way about a Squam, but of course he had never interacted with a lady Squam before. This one had complimented him with obvious artifice, yet he had been swayed.

Now they were here in the vermin-passage, without cable or translator. They had to go on. Heem hoped there would be no more problems; the present ones were almost overwhelming.

Sickh recovered enough to slither. They moved forward as rapidly as they could. Heem led the way, knowing that the Erb could no longer see, while his own perception was unimpaired; he could discover any hazard in time to block her off from it. The Squam could perceive well too, but was not strong now.

The vermin were gone; the flowing water had vanquished them. The water had also cleared the floor of the passage somewhat, facilitating travel.

The passage inclined upward. They passed the water line and moved from damp to dry pavement, but no rats came. Heem tasted their traces; many of them had scrambled past here, but they seemed to have been terrorized by the pursuing water. A good sign.

They came to another great empty chamber, much like the first. They hurried across it, confident that they were approaching another termination. They found the opposite passage, followed it past an intersecting tunnel, and came at last to—

A chamber at the end, terminating in a blank wall. Just like the one they had broken into, beginning this nether trek.

'A barracks, for sure,' Jessica said. 'Individual sleeping quarters, and a central mess hall—two units, for two battalions, mirror images of each other, with a common drainage system. Only problem is, how do we get out?'

"The Erb drills us a hole," Heem replied.

'Have you been watching Windflower lately? She's been without light a long time; she's wilting on her roots. I don't think she can do it.'

To make it worse, the rats were returning. Perhaps these were strangers who had not encountered the rising water, so remained bold. Fortunately there were fewer of them; foraging must be worse at this periphery. So far. But with the Erb unable to see them, and very tired, and the Squam not much better off, this was bad.

The rats were getting bolder. There would be worse trouble than losing the competition if the three of them did not get out of this labyrinth soon.

The Squam acted. She fastened a pincer on the Erb gently, and guided her to the outer wall. She tapped against it meaningfully. The Erb would have to try to break through, tired or not. Their lives depended on it.

A rat charged, sensing that Windflower was the vulnerable target. Heem rolled to intercept it, needling it accurately. The thing rolled over, its three legs kicking in air. Heem positioned himself behind the Erb, guarding her from further attack, while the Squam guided her drill.

They were cooperating efficiently—without the translator. Because they knew each other, trusted each other, and because they had to.

The drill started. Even Heem could tell it was not going at proper strength. It bit into the wall. The taste of rock dust sprayed out. Then chunks of rock were split off and dislodged. The face of the wall cracked. She was doing it!

The drill stalled. Windflower leaned down. Heem surveyed her, alarmed. There was a taste of spoilage about her.

'She's wilting!' Jessica cried. 'Her last strength is gone! She's got to have light, fast!'

The rats, aware of their advantage, scuttled in. Heem needled three at once, amazed at his facility; few HydrOs could perform that well. 'It's the vision,' Jessica said. 'Remember how it helped you thread the needle of Holestar? Now you can
see
the rats, and wipe them out. It's excellent practice.'

So it was. Never had Heem had so precise a control, for more than a single needle at a time. But he wanted to be sure of his new power.

More rats were pressing close. They had discovered the fringe of his range, and crowded just beyond it; even with enhanced accuracy, there were limits. Soon they would charge, in too great a number for him to withstand, unless he kept them occupied by extending his range.

The Erb sank to the floor. The rats nudged near her extremities. Heem spread himself half over her, needling outward, protecting the length of her. It seemed futile, since they were trapped here and would inevitably perish, but he had to fight to the end.

And—he rather enjoyed this target practice. He
was
getting better, scoring on individual rats at twice his normal distance, forcing the whole horde back uncertainly. He was decimating them from a distance, and might eventually eliminate them all—if more were not constantly skulking in from the rear passage.