Infinity's Shore

“Till recently, there wasn’t much available.”

“But it’s been three hundred years since contact!”

“That may seem long to us, Lark. But Earth was minor news for most of that time — a back-page sensation. By now the first detailed Institute studies of our homeworld have barely made it through the sector-branch Library, on Tanith.”

“Then why not …” He sought a word she had used several times. “Why not upload Earthling books. Our encyclopedias, medical texts, self-analyses … the knowledge we spent thousands of years accumulating about ourselves?”

She lifted her eyes. “Wolfling superstitions. Even we Daniks are taught to think that way.” She glanced at Rann. “It took your thesis, Lark — the one you wrote with Uthen — to convince me things might be different.”

Though flushed at the compliment, Lark reined in his imagination. He tried not to let his eyes drop to her nearly bare figure. Skimpy underclothes would not hide his physical arousal. Besides, this was hardly the time.

“I still find their attitude hard to credit. The Galactics would rather wait centuries for a formal report on us?”

“Oh, I’m sure the great powers — like the Soro and Jophur — got access to early drafts. And they’ve urgently sought more data since the Streaker crisis began. Their strategic agencies almost certainly kidnapped and dissected some humans, for instance. But they could hardly update every star cruiser with illicit data. That would risk contaminating the onboard Libraiy cubes. I’d have to guess this crew has been improvising — not a skill much encouraged in Galactic society.”

“But humans are known for it. Is that why your ship came to Jijo? Improvising an opportunity?”

Ling nodded, rubbing her bare shoulders. “Our Rothen lor …” She paused, then chose another phrasing. “The Inner Circle received a message. A time-drop capsule, tuned for pickup by anyone with a Rothen cognition wave.”

“Who sent it?”

“Apparently, a secret believer living among the crew of the dolphin ship. Or one desperate enough to break from Terragens orders, and summon help from a higher source.”

“A believer …” Lark mused. “In the Danik faith, you mean. But Daniks teach that humans are the secret recipients of Rothen patronhood.”

“And by tradition, that means a dolphin crew could also call on Rothen help, in case of dire need … which those poor creatures surely face.”

“Like running to your grandparents, if your own folks can’t handle a problem. Hrm.”

Lark had already picked up parts of the story. How the first dolphin-crewed starship set forth on a survey mission, assigned to check the accuracy of the small planetary branch Earth had received from the Library Institute. Most civilized clans simply accepted the massive volumes of information stored by past generations, especially concerning far corners of space, where little profit could be gained by exploration.

It was supposed to be routine. A shakedown cruise. But then, somewhere off the beaten track, Earthship Streaker confronted something unexpected — a discovery that made the great alliances crazy. Clues to a time of transition, perhaps, when ancient verities of the known galaxies might abruptly change.

“It is said that when this happens, just one race in ten shall make the passage to a new age,” the hoonish High Sage, Phwhoondau, had explained one night by a camp-fire, just after the fall of Dooden Mesa, drawing on his deep readings of the Biblos Archive. “Those bent on surviving into the next long phase of stability would naturally want to learn as much as possible. Hr-r-r-rm. Yes, even a sooner can understand why this Earthling ship found itself in trouble.”

“A dolphin Danik.” Lark marveled. “So this … believer sent a secret message to the Rothen.…”

“To is the wrong word. You might better use at. In fact, nothing in Anglic adequately describes the skewed logic of communicating by time drop.” Ling kept running her fingers through her hair. It had grown since the Battle of the Glade, and was still tangled from their long dive under the lake.

“But yes, the message from the dolphin believer explained where the Streaker ship was — in one of the hydrogen-ice habitat zones where many older races huddle close to stellar tides, after retiring from active Galactic affairs.

“More important — it hinted where the Earthship commander next planned to flee.” Ling shook her head. “It turned out to be a clever version of the Sooner Path. A difficult passage, uncomfortably close to fiery Izmunuti. No wonder you Six were left undetected for so long.”

“Hr-rm,” Lark umbled contemplatively. “Unlike our ancestors, you let yourselves be followed.”

This drew a reaction from Rann, sullenly holding his aching head in the opposite corner of the cell.

“Fool. We did no such thing!” the tall Danik muttered sourly. “Are you saying we cannot easily repeat any feat accomplished by a gaggle of cowardly sooners?”

“Putting insults aside, I agree,” Ling said. “It seems unlikely we were followed. That is, not the first time our ship came to Jijo.”