Page 39 (2/2)

To Thomas, the poet’s words pulled a veil froan to sense the sea in a different way Here was rich living space free of Pandora’s other dangerous deht then to rid the sea of kelp? He knew it could be done - disrupt the ecosystem, break the internal chain of the kelp’s own life Was that the decision of Oakes and Lewis?

"The lights!" Panille said "Ohhh, yes"

They had reached the dark zone where the sub’s external sensors began to pick up the flickering lights Jewels danced in the blackness beyond the range of the dive lights - tiny bursts of colo red, yellow, orange, green, purpl There appeared to be no pattern to them, just bursts of brilliance which dazzled the awareness

"Botto up," Waela said

Panille, every sense alert, shot a glance at her screen Yes - the botto up

Thomas adjusted the rate of descent - slower, slower The sub caray fog around the of ripples out to the lih the ripples - inverted boith gulping lips all around the rie of illu into the sedie Off to the port side, they could gli over and through thele - more attendants of the sea’s rulers

Tiny crawlers already orking their way along the anchor and the cable Panille knew that the anchor tackle had been made of native iron and steel - substances which would be etched away to lace in a few diurns Only plaz and plasteel resisted the erosive powers in Pandora’s seas

This knowledge filled hiile was their link to safety He watched the jewel brilliants flickering in the gloohts They seemed to speak to him: "We are here We are here We are her"

To Thohts were like the play of a co holorecords of them had formed this association in hisone of the sessions when she had been teaching him the ways of Pandora’s deeps "A coreater numbers, form so many more associations so much faster"

Out of this had been born his proposal: Record them, scan for patterns and play those patterns back to the kelp

Waela had adant simplicity of it: Leap beyond the perilous collection and analysis of specianic speculations Strike directly for the communications patterns!

Say to the kelp: "We see you and know you are aware and intelligent We, too, are aware Teach us your speech"

As he watched the play of lights, Tho in the dark But he knew neither of his creould understand

Christht made him feel ancient Shipaht understand Christmas was Hali Ekel She had seen the Hill of Skulls

What did the Hill of Skulls and the passion of Jesus have to do with these lights flickering in a sea?

Thomas stared at the screen in front of him What was he supposed to see here?

Aquaculture?

Would Shipmen be forced to exterminate the kelp? Crucify it for their own survival?

Christhts was hypnotic He felt the silent wonder of watchfulness throughout the coondola A sense of revelatory awe crept over hiet, all the transactions which the planet’s life had made This was more than the bourse, it was the deposit vault where Pandora’s grand geochee lay open to view

What do you here, hty kelp?

Was this what Ship wanted them to see?

He did not expect Ship to answer that question Such an answer did not fit into the rules of this gaame, Devil

The pressure of the water around their gondola filled his awareness They remained here by the sufferance of the kelp By the kelp’s own tolerance could they survive Others had coht the kelp interpret as a threat? Those jeweled blinkings in the gloom took on a malevolent aspect to him then

We trust too much

In the silence of his fears, Panille’s voice ca to get solance at the recording board to the left of his console The load-sensors indicated preparation for playback This would control the sub’s exterior bubbles to replay any light patterns which the conificant Any such patterns would be played to the kelp

"See! Noe talk to you What are we saying?"

That would catch its attention But ould it do?

"The kelp’s watching us," Panille said "Can you feel it?"

Thoree He felt like the child of that faraway day at Moonbase when he had entered the creche school for the first tinored: You could learn dangerous things

"If it’s watching us, where are its eyes?" Waela whispered

Thoht this a nonsense question The kelp could possess senses which Shipht just as well ask about Ship’s eyes But he could not deny that sense of watchfulness around the sub The presence which the kelp projected onto the intruders was an al

The recorder buzzed beside hinaled the shift to replay Now, the extruded bubbles on the carrier surface were playing back so, he had no idea what Exterior sensors revealed only a glow ofoff particles in the water

He could see no discernible change in the light play fro us" That was Waela

"Too soon to say," Panille objected "What’s the response ti to it yet"

"Try the pattern display," Waela said

Thoram This had been the alternate approach The san to shoas being displayed on the sub’s hull: first Pythagorean squares, then the counting of the sticks, the galactic spiral, the pebble gam

No response fro the kelp did not change their movements dramatically All appeared to be the sa her own screens, asked: "Ahter?"

"A bit brighter perhaps," Thohter," Panille said "It seems to me that the water i murkier I Look at the anchor cable!"

Thomas flicked to the view Panille’s screen displayed, saw the sensors signaling the approach of soone slack," Waela said "It’s sinking!"

As she spoke, they all saw the first ree of the dive lights - dull orange reflections froes It pulled a curtain over the bubble do the kelp and ignited a wild flickering in the kelp lights which vanished as the curtain settled around the sub

"Lightning hit the bag," Waela said "I"

"Stand by to drop the carrier and blow all tanks," Tho to suppress panic

"Wait!" Panille called "Wait for all of the bag to settle We could be trapped in it, but the sub can cut a way through it"

I should’ve thought of that, Tho could trap us down here