Maelstrom

by Anne McCaffrey

  She didn’t seem to understand his questions and didn’t answer them. Instead, she continued her rant. Mother saw it all. Your sister swam too slow and the mean fish got Jeel and ate him.

  Oh, no! he said. So let me get this straight. Sky is okay but your brother was eaten?

  I don’t care about the otter. I don’t know what happened to him. Jeel is gone! Your new fish ate him.

  Tikka, Tikka, please, I’m sorry for your loss. I truly am. He was relieved Sky was okay but tried hard to conceal his gladness. Of course, he wasn’t glad Tikka’s brother had been killed by the sharks, but it wasn’t as if he knew Jeel, and Sky was his friend.

  You just think you’re sorry, Tikka said spitefully. We didn’t hurt anyone or anything. We saved your father and your sister but you couldn’t leave us alone. You had to bring those new people and those horrible big fish here to eat Jeel. I hate you!

  Somehow, he hadn’t thought life-forms as alien-looking as these deep sea otter/jellyfish people would love or hate anything or anyone. All the offworlders he had ever met were human like himself—well, mostly like himself, transplants from old Terra. Kushtaka sounded as cold and scientific as Dr. Mabo, as if everything was some big experiment and she was above temper tantrums. She certainly hadn’t been affectionate with Tikka like a real mum would be. But Tikka wasn’t a bit detached about this. She was furious, and now that she’d shut up for a moment, he could feel her grief, and her fear as well. He understood then what her thought-yelling had been too loud to say. These people, as adults, weren’t all that comforting to be around, but Jeel and Tikka had been as close to each other as he was to Murel.

  That’s right, Tikka said, reading him and giving him an appraising look that was worthy of her mother. I’ll never see Jeel again, and now you’ll never see your sister again or your parents or your nasty fish either.

  At that, the room seemed to elongate, all of the other walls disappeared, and outside the city’s invisible force field the sea spun like the rotors of a copter.

  THE SEA HAD quickly subsided to comparative calm shortly after the whirlpool’s localized typhoon. Its once more crystal blue waters lapped the volcano’s skirts with small wavelets.

  The first thing Murel and the survivors of the boat accident felt was a slight tremor in the black rock beneath them. Then the clear blue-green pools in the rocks shimmied and sloshed in their stone bowls.

  Murel wrinkled her nose as she caught a strong wave of sulfurous stench. Above them a pillar of smoke pumped into the clear blue sky.

  “How fast is it a fishing boat can go, Seamus?” Da asked the captain of the wrecked vessel.

  “Not fast enough, I fear. If our friends immediately put into the water when they were called upon four hours ago, they won’t be more than a third of the distance.”

  “Puna, will your Manos give you a lift again out of these waters?” Da asked.

  “Those who are not wounded, yes. But the wounded will not be able to hang on, and besides, you can’t expect a Mano to ignore the scent of blood indefinitely.”

  “No indeedy,” Mum said with a quirk to the side of her mouth. “That would clearly be an imposition. So what we’ll do is get the able-bodied personnel off the copter except for Rick and Johnny, making way for the wounded to ride. If they’ve time for two trips, well and good. If not, well, we clearly can’t trust the Manos with nonrelatives, so perhaps, Sean, you had best go see if you can find some of those apologetic orcas to provide the taxi service to the rescue vessels for the rest of us.”

  Da saluted, as he sometimes did when Mum was being bossy—if efficient and right, of course—“Ma’am, yes, ma’am,” stepped into waist-high water, stripped off his dry suit, and let Mum harness it to his back.

  “Wait, Da, I’m coming too,” Murel said, and made her transformation in the same manner. She lingered a moment, though, to see what happened. If the volcano erupted all of a sudden, she would save Mum if she had to slap her silly with a flipper to get her to come.

  Mum swam to the copter to tell the others her plan, and Murel saw Pet, Ke-ola, Keoki, and a man who reminded her a bit of a small bear jump into the water and head for shore. They began carrying the injured people aboard. The copter waited until they were ashore once more then lifted off, whipping up waves that made it hard for Murel to see more as she bobbed up and down in their hills and valleys.

  MARMION STAYED WITH the Piaf while Johnny, Pet, and Raj flew out to help look for the missing twins. Someone had to stay there and host the new refugees still lodged aboard the ship while accommodations were being arranged for them. This was something of an inconvenience, since Marmie felt she had neglected her own business enterprises while assisting her friends. The lack of reliable interplanetary communications from the volatile Petaybee made it difficult to keep in touch with her managers, vice chairpeople and presidents, her boards and department chiefs.

  In some ways, being so isolated was restful, but she had begun to feel that she had rested too long. She had every confidence that the twins would be located soon, unharmed. Probably, their elders would learn in time that during their absence the children had gained some benefit for their planet and all concerned. Once the Maddock-Shongilis were thus reunited, she and her crew must bid their erstwhile guests adieu and return to Versailles Station. Some intermittent stops at this world or that moon along the way no doubt would be necessary to quench corporate brush fires. She had that to look forward to as soon as they were clear of the magnetic interference from Petaybee.

  If she spent any more time here, she might become like Yana, so used to the planet she too would develop the odd adaptation with the ugly name “brown fat.” Then she could travel through the coldest weather like some spacefaring voyageur. Perhaps she should have a parka designed for her from the ancient striped blanket of the Hudson Bay Company? But once she developed that characteristic—not that she seriously imagined that she would—she would be no more able to leave this world for any prolonged period than Yana, Sean, or Clodagh.

  No, no, it would not do. She must be on her way as soon as the bébés were found and the newcomers lodged locally, pending completion of their own housing. Most inconvenient that she was not even able to send for more Nakatira cubes. Perhaps she would convince dear Yoshi Nakatira himself to deliver them and see to what good use his product had been employed.

  “Madame, the helicopter has returned. There are wounded aboard.”

  “Wounded?”

  “A freak typhoon, Madame, upset the shark tug.”

  “No one was eaten, I hope?”

  “No, Madame. But four injured. One rather badly. Shall we bring them aboard?”

  “I think not. If you can discover their family names, I will let their families know that they are safe now and you may take them to Clodagh in Kilcoole if they are able to travel by rougher means than copter, or send for her to come here. The twins?”

  “Ronan is still reported missing, Madame, though apparently Murel reappeared in time to assist with getting the shipwrecked passengers safely to the volcanic island.”

  “Hmph,” Marmie said, “however safe that may be.”

  “With your permission, Madame, we will attend to the wounded as you instruct and give the copter clearance to return for the other shipwrecked personnel, including Chief Chan, Captain Green, Governor Maddock-Shongili, and Mr. Norman.”

  “By all means,” she said. “That particular area of Petaybee remains most tempestuous in nature. Is there room for all aboard the copter?”

  “No, Madame, but the fishing fleet is en route to transport the stranded people as well. The copter can ferry them quickly between the island and the boats.”

  “Then they must go immediately,” Marmie said.

  “One more thing, Madame.”

  “Yes?”

  “The governors ask if you will employ the Piaf’s sensors to see if any vessels have launched from Petaybee within the last few hours. The typhoon is said to have been the result of some sort of l
aunch, but it is uncertain whether or not a vessel left the planet.”

  She toggled the com switch to her navigations officer and explained the situation.

  She spent the next half hour to forty-five minutes notifying the families still aboard the Piaf of the situation, consoling them and urging the adult family members of the injured to go to them. The children would be perfectly safe aboard the Piaf while Clodagh healed her patients.

  When the com unit played her personal code again, she felt sure it was First Officer Robineau notifying her of the information gleaned from the sensors. It was a bit early for the copter to return but perhaps Ronan had been found after all or, heaven forbid, the volcanic island was too active to approach.

  But it was another sort of disaster altogether.

  “An Intergal Company Corps vessel just docked in the next bay, Madame.”

  “Without authorization?” she asked. Had Yana or Sean authorized such a landing, they would have mentioned it to her before they left.

  “They have authorization under Federation Code IM87492XP. They request—and I use the term loosely, Madame,” Com Officer Guthe’s voice betrayed some of the wry humor he showed off-duty but generally managed to avoid while handling ship’s business, “permission to board. They claim to have a warrant for your arrest and the confiscation of the Piaf.”

  “Merde alors! What now?” Marmie exclaimed.

  CHAPTER 19

  THE VOLCANO PUFFED again, and this time the smoke billowed from it. The people on shore bounced around a bit with the trembling of their steeply pitched perch.

  As Murel turned from them, she heard Ke-ola’s voice raised above the others as he began the volcano-birthing chant he had taught them only a few weeks ago, though it seemed a lifetime.

  Murel flipped over and started swimming away. A wall of tooth-studded snouts faced her.

  Hel-lo, little seal-girl. Got any more tidbits for us? the leader taunted.

  Get on with you, you great bloodthirsty lot, she told them. You’re wanted elsewhere.

  She wondered if even Puna knew how nastily sharks could laugh when they wished. But she dived under them and sped on out to sea.

  Da? Where are you? she asked mentally while sending out her sonar signal.

  Dead ahead, darlin’, but much as I hate to lose track of you again, I think it best for the sake of time if we split up to search for the orcas. If I find them, I’ll call out to you and then I want you to return to the volcano to help with the rescue. If you find them, do the same.

  Right, she said.

  She struck off to the east, where the whales had headed after delivering Aunty and her to shore. They could be most of the way to the south by now.

  Murel River Seal, wait! Sky called.

  Sky, what took you so long?

  Wise otters wait until Manos have other things to do than eat otters before getting into the water, he told her. The Mano people are riding Manos, the hurt people are riding the copter. Only the people of the river seals are on the volcano still. I would have the sea otter cousins help them but they do not trust the Manos.

  Neither do I. The Honus would help but I don’t trust the Manos not to bite our people off their backs.

  Manos are not good rememberers, not like otters, Sky said.

  It was grand having him swim with her again, but she missed Ronan. How did you get out of the city before it left, Sky?

  Very easy. The walls went away and I saw the beaming place so I slid out and swam fast before the whirling caught me. Otters can swim very fast when they have to.

  I wish brothers could do the same, Murel said.

  After we save everyone else, we will save Ronan, Murel. It is what river seals and sky otters do, saving others.

  Except Jeel, Murel thought mournfully. This river seal wasn’t fast enough to save the alien kid. I wish I hadn’t been so cocky. If Kushtaka had gone out with enough of her people they might have scared the Manos away.

  Or the Manos would have had a bigger feed, Sky said. Manos do not fear.

  Out of the minds of otters, she thought softly, or one in particular, the first comfort she’d had since Jeel’s death. I wonder if Ronan is afraid.

  Deep sea otters will not harm Ronan, Sky said. They are not people to harm others.

  I was under the same impression, but since they took Ronan, I have to wonder. I have a feeling they did it to harm our family.

  Not real harm, Sky contended with surprising conviction. Not the kind that opens skin or makes dead.

  Harm enough, she insisted. But I’ll find him if I have to search the galaxy.

  Searching the sea is closer, Sky said.

  Right now we’re searching for orcas, she told Sky. While they thought-talked, she emitted her sonar signals at regular intervals.

  Orcas! she sent out, a mental call. Bitfin! Boss! We have a situation here. Your help is needed again. My father and Petaybee will be very grateful if you’d show up right away.

  Orcas, Sky called in a different direction. This is me, the sky otter, calling you too, reminding you that otters taste terrible but can show you where there are great shoals of herring!

  Murel felt like adding, And sharks. Really yummy sharks. The kind you said you like to eat. Puna’s people wouldn’t like it if their aumakuas got gobbled by whales the first time they went to sea, so she supposed it was very bad of her. If Petaybee was going to mellow the sharks, as Ro had suggested, she wished that particular adaptation would happen in double-quick time.

  Someone is coming who is not whales, Sky said at the same moment her sonar picked up several creatures heading toward them. Sky was right. These were not whales. Not unless they were midgets. They were about her size, maybe, or a little larger.

  Hey you, solo seal! a mental call reached her. What are you doing, calling for killer whales? You get caught in somebody’s net too long and damage your head? It’s not healthy calling orcas. They eat seals. We ought to know.

  They would, of course. These were the regular kind of seals. They swam up to her and Sky, who backpaddled until he was hiding under her flipper. Then she remembered that when she first met him, he thought seals ate otters.

  What you got there, pup? one of the new seals said. Lunch? That’s too much for a young one like you. You should share. Otters are delicious.

  Not sky otters, she said. They taste awful. Besides, this one is a family member.

  I don’t know how to break this to you, pup, but otters of any kind are not related to seals of any kind.

  Ah, she said, remembering the superior tone of some distant dialogue from an ancient vid. But this is not just any seal you’re dealing with when you deal with me. I am Murel Monster Slayer Maddock-Shongili, a selkie and Petaybean shepherd seal. When this didn’t get an immediate reaction, she added hopefully, I don’t suppose you lot have seen my brother Ronan Born for Water anywhere around here in the last few hours, have you?

  A female ventured close enough to sniff at her. She does smell funny, Rork.

  Then there’s the business with the uneaten otter, another one said. Unsealy, that is.

  No, wait, a third said. I remember. It was a long time ago—she ought to be an adult by now, but I remember when Murel Monster Slayer and her brother were born. Their father is a selkie too and their grandfather before him.

  Murel wanted to protest that her grandfather had been the scientist who made his son into a selkie, which was what Da and Aunty always said, but she didn’t want to contradict this seal who believed her and seemed to be on her side and was also maybe older and wiser than the rest of the lot.

  We were living closer to the coast back then and all of us felt it, the older seal continued. Somebody new and exciting had entered the world. Someone to be a leader among us, maybe, or at least a protector.

  So what is she doing calling those orcas back to eat us again? Rork demanded.

  I need them to help my mum and some other people stranded at the foot of the volcano, Murel explained. Even where th
ey swam now the stench of the sulfur was sickeningly strong. Looking back, she saw the black smoke billowing into the air, a hint of red at its base.

  We could help, the elder said.

  I wish I could say that would work, she said, but there are sharks in these waters now and they’d eat you and maybe some of my people too. No, we need the killer whales. They say they eat sharks, so they’re not afraid of them.

  They’ll eat you too, the elder said.

  No. They tried it and almost managed. Only the aliens—deep sea otters—saved me, and then Da talked to them—the whales I mean, not the deep sea otters—and so when the aliens kidnapped my brother after I couldn’t save the leader’s son and my aunt Sinead almost drowned, the whales saved us both to sort of say they were sorry.

  The seals seemed to be trying to untangle the threads of her story.

  Then the elder spoke again. Well, if you really need orcas, you’re going about it the wrong way. Follow us.

  Where?

  Back to the reef, of course. The whales know they’re not supposed to eat you, but nobody told them they can’t eat us. Only we need to be where we can escape from them while you explain your problem.

  Their new reef was on the southern side of the volcano, formed by an earlier series of undersea chimneys that had gone dormant but sported new colonies of life-forms on their surface. The southern lip of the volcano met up with the bottom of the reef, partially cupping a beautiful blue-green pool.

  Our private tub, the female, named Sorka, told them.

  Right, the elder said. Now, you keep quiet, Murel, and let us do the calling.

  Pork, you get into the pool and call for help because you’ve, uh—

  Caught my flipper in a crack when the reef moved? Pork asked. She might have been large, but she wasn’t slow.

  That will work. The rest of us will make a big fuss over how you are too large, fat, and juicy for us to free. If the orcas are anywhere at all close they won’t be able to resist trying their luck. Once they get within range, Murel can tell them what she wants while you beach yourself on the reef.