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The kelp must be studied We must learn

What did they know about the kelp after all the lives spent and all the frustrating dives?

Fireflies in the night of the sea, someone called theiant stereed with all the others who had seen it and lived to report: the pulsing and glowing nodules were a hypnotic syht, be a forlowing play of light, discernible patterns

The kelp covered the planet’s seas except for the randooons" In a planet with only two antic spread of life

Once again, she returned to that unavoidable argument: what did they really know about the kelp?

It’s conscious, it thinks

She was certain of it The challenge of this probleination with a totality she had never drea Colony And the exteruments could not be thrown out

Can you eat the kelp?

You could not eat it The stuff was disorienting, probably hallucinogenic The source of this effect had thus far defied Colony chemists to isolate it

It had this in cohters The illusive substance had been dubbed "fraggo" because "it fragments the psyche"

That alone said to Waela that the kelp should be preserved for study

Onceblack shape went tu froht

Warily, she exa forShe was still scanning the area this way moments later when her relief stepped out of the hatch She recognized hihtside shift He was a sed features, but he was as quick as any other Colonist, already scanning the area around them She told him about the two Dashers as she passed over the ’burner

"Good rest," he said

She slipped into the hatch, heard it sla where she turned in her kill count and made her assessment of COA - Current Outside Activity

The debriefing roole coray-eyed e expression, sat behind it Everyone said he worked for Jesus Lewis, a rumor which predisposed Waela to walk and talk softly with his happened to people who displeased Lewis

She was tired noith a fatigue which watch always produced, a drained feeling, as though she were victim of a psychic Spinneret The routine questions bored her

"Yes, the Nerve Runner area appears sterilized"

At the end of it, Arenson handed her a se which restored her energy She read it at a glance:

"Report to Main Hangar for new kelp research tea at his Coed expression, a wry smile "Your replacemen" He pointed upward toward the Peak with his chin "just got it A Dasher chewed his guts out Stand by a blink They’re sending another replacement"