Free A Darkling Sea by James Cambias Page A

organisms make use of both heat gradients and chemical energy.”
    “Tell me how such a low-energy system can support intelligent beings.”
    “The Ilmatarans descend—according to human scientists— from smaller species which live as scavengers and predators around energetic vents. At some point the Ilmatarans became intelligent enough to cultivate chemosynthetic organisms, and eventually developed a sophisticated analog of agriculture, using stone pipes and channels to conserve and distribute energyrich vent water.”
    “What sort of communities do they form?”
    “Again, the information I have only includes archaeological data and some images taken from a distance. It appears that the Ilmatarans live in small communities, each centered on an active vent. They have some sort of division of labor, as the humans have observed individuals performing distinct tasks consistently.”
    “How much they sound like Sholen,” said Gishora. “Small communities, careful stewardship of their resources, mutual assistance.”
    “I only wish we could learn more about them,” ventured Tizhos.
    “We will have the human rec ords to examine,” said Gishora. “I feel certain you look forward to that with great anticipation, as I do.”
    “In all honesty, yes.”
    “Tizhos—this elevator ride may represent our last chance to speak in complete privacy. Tell me if you pay much attention to the politics of consensus back home.”
    “Only somewhat. I attend my community and workinggroup meetings.” She did not add that she had long ago stopped paying the slightest attention to anything discussed at those meetings.
    “I assume you know that our world has not yet achieved consensus about the Terran problem.”
    “Yes.” Tizhos hesitated for just a moment. “I myself adhere to the Noninterference tendency on that issue.”
    “As do I,” said Gishora. “But I find it highly frustrating that most other members of our tendency support a complete withdrawal from space altogether.”
    “It frustrates me, as well. I suspect most in the space working groups agree.”
    “Some, but not most. Irona came on this voyage because he takes a prominent part in the Interventionist tendency regarding the Terrans. He wishes to restrict them to their own world, possibly even compel them to adopt planetary-management policies like our own.”
    “I know. He spoke to me about it several times during the voyage. I can’t understand why you brought him.”
    “I had no choice. The Interventionists support space travel— after all, one cannot meddle in the affairs of other species across interstellar distances without spacecraft.”
    “So you needed Irona’s support to get consensus for the mission, but at the price of including him.”
    “Exactly. Which means that our conclusions here must support Irona.”
    “You know your conclusions before gathering data?”
    “I fear we must use bad science to accomplish good politics. Our only hope for more space exploration lies with the Interventionists. I know for a fact that Irona has risked a great deal of his own prestige for this mission. If we return to Shalina and announce no need for any form of intervention, Irona loses much influence and the anti- space tendency can point to the enormous waste of resources our mission represents.”
    “You sound like an Interventionist yourself,” said Tizhos.
    “Not at all! I loathe the idea of imposing our consensus on the humans—and I don’t feel at all certain we would win a violent conflict with the humans. Their world holds ten of them for every one of us on Shalina.”
    “But surely our technology gives us the advantage!”
    “I have seen estimates of capabilities,” said Gishora. “They do not reassure me. We have knowledge far beyond anything the humans possess, but we have spent generations reducing our ability to use it effectively. Shalina has a single facility building spaceships; we know of at least eight on Earth. Right now we possess