Free Convergent Series by Charles Sheffield Page A

reference points. Atvar H'sial was a female, she knew that, but what in Cecropian culture was the role played by males? Drones? Slaves?
    J'merlia produced a loud buzzing sound, but no words.
    "I have no control over the men who will make the decision," Darya repeated, speaking as slowly and clearly as she could. "If they deny me access to Quake, there is nothing that I can do about it."
    The buzzing sound grew louder. "Most unsatisfactory," J'merlia said at last. "Atvar H'sial must visit Quake during Summertide. We have traveled far and long to be here. It is not thinkable to stop now. If you cannot obtain permission for us and for yourself, then other methods must be sought."
    The great blind head swung close, so that Darya could see every bristle and pore on it. The proboscis reached out to touch her hand. It felt warm and slightly sticky. She forced herself not to move.
    "Darya Lang," J'merlia said. "When beings possess a common interest, they should work together to achieve that interest. No matter what obstacles others attempt to put in their way, they should not be deterred. If you could guarantee your cooperation, there is a way that Darya Lang and Atvar H'sial might visit Quake. Together. With or without permission."
    Was J'merlia misinterpreting Atvar H'sial's thoughts, or was Darya herself misunderstanding the Cecropian's intention? If not, then Darya was being recruited by this improbable alien to join a secret project.
    She felt wary, but caution was mixed with a thrill of anticipation. The Cecropian could almost have been reading Darya's own earlier thcughts. If Rebka and Perry agreed to let her go to Quake, all well and good. But if not . . . there might be another project in the making.
    And not just any project; an enterprise designed to take her to her objective—at Summertide.
    Darya could hear the whistle of air as it was pumped continuously through the Cecropian's spiracles. The proboscis of Atvar H'sial was oozing a dark-brown fluid, and the eyeless face was a demon taken from a bad childhood dream. By Darya's side, the black, eight-legged stick figure of J'merlia was drawn from the same nightmare.
    But humans had to learn to ignore appearance. No two beings who shared common thinking processes and common goals should be truly alien to each other.
    Darya leaned forward. "Very well, Atvar H'sial. I am interested to hear what you have to say. Tell me more."
    She was certainly not ready to agree to anything; but surely there could be no harm in listening ?
     

CHAPTER 6
Summertide
minus twenty-nine.
    The Umbilical and the capsules that rode along it had been in position for at least four million years when humans colonized Dobelle. Like anything of Builder construction, it had been made to last. The system worked perfectly. It had been studied extensively, but although the analyses tolda good deal about Builder fabrication methods, they revealed nothing about Builder physiology or habits.
    Did the Builders breathe? The cars were open, built of transparent materials, and lacking any type of airlock.
    Did the Builders sleep and exercise? There was nothing that could be identified as a bed, or a place to rest, or a means of recreation.
    Then surely the Builders at least had to eat and to excrete. Except that although the journey from Opal to Quake took many hours, there were no facilities for food storage or preparation, and no facilities for the evacuation of waste products.
    The only tentative conclusion that human engineers could reach was that the Builders were big . Each capsule was a monster, acylinder over twenty meterslong and almost that much across, andinside it was all empty space. On the otherhand, there was noevidence that the cars had been used by the Builders themselves— maybe they had been intended only as carriers of cargo. But if that were true, why were they also equipped with internal controls thatpermitted changes to be made in speed along the Umbilical?
    While students of history