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be rid of it. "What will happen if we leave it?"
"As you see Andro gestured toward-the im age.
In the cross-section, mycelia from the egg case extended another handsbreadth
into the substance of the wild side's shell.
"Ultimately, I mean. How big will it get?"
Andro shrugged. "Who knows? We have other things to do than follow the life
cycle of a squidmoth."
METAPHASE 345
"I want to talk about this," Europa said.
She reached into a deep pocket in her skirt, and drew out an age-mottled
jawbone with unsettling proportions. It had lost all its teeth, except a
single sharp fang.
"The art project," Gerald Hernminge said.
Europa gazed at Gerald fondly. "Your intelligence gives me hope for our
species. Until I inspected the fossil myself, I was inclined to believe in the
art project. Clever of you to disguise it so openly." She smiled at Stephen
Thomas. "Rather like the bacteria. But this bone is real, it's very old, and
it's of critical importance to Civilization. I must see where it came from."
Gerald started to say something. Stephen Thomas interrupted him.
"Why?"
"I believe you've found a clue to the other ones," Europa said. "The ones who
came before us, and disappeared, except for their starships . . . and their
control of the cosmic string."
"Good god," Stephen Thomas said, and thought: Now what?
"If you'll follow me," Gerald Hemminge said, "I'll take you to the . .
. the fossil bed."
On the path to the riverbank, Europa quickened her step. She allowed herself
to look like a person well advanced in years, but she had the energy of a
teenager. Her meerkats followed her, pacing at her heels or scampering to the
top of a hummock to make a quick scan for predators.
Victoria had to lengthen her stride to keep up.
"What do you expect to learn from the fossil bed?" Victoria asked Europa.
She chose her words with care.
"I expect nothing," Europa said. "I hope . . . for some clue to their origin."
"If we found where they came from," Androgeos said, "we might discover how
they control the cosmic string."
346 VONDA N. McINTYRE
Victoria glanced at Stephen Thomas. He rolled his eyes. Victoria was glad the
fossil bed was a fake; no matter what else happened, it would never lead Andro
to a source of great power.
"And we might overcome the effects of the squidmoths' greed," Andro said.
"The squidmoths!" Victoria said. "Why do you hate them so much? They didn't
seem greedy to me-quite the opposite."
Victoria found herself on the side of the squidmoths. Europa and
Androgeos respected Victoria because they believed she was descended from the
Pharaohs, as they claimed to be. But she was descended from escaped slaves,
and her family history included stories of abuse and discrimination, not
worship and power.
"We don't hate them!" Europa said. "But . . . they're an old species.
Just because they've been around longer than the rest of us, they inherited
the possessions of the other ones, the earlier star travelers."
Satoshi frowned. "What possessions? The squidmoths aren't dragons, sitting on
a pile of gold! We met one of the beings, we talked to it. We saw how it
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lived. If an earlier culture left it everything they owned .
. . they must have been Spartans."
"They left their starships, " Europa said. She watched Victoria's reaction,
and Satoshi's. "You understand. The squidmoths inhabit the other ones'
starships. Civilization is left as scavengers. We're dependent on their
castoffs."
"Some squidmoths never travel to another star," Androgeos said. "They could
live on any piece of rock." He flicked his fingers toward the image of
Starfarer's wild side. "And obviously some of them aren't particular."
"They never use the ships to their potential. And they won't sell!
There's nothing they want!"
"Then how do you get any of them?"
"We scavenge."
"Salvage, " Androgeos said.
METAPHASE 347
"Sometimes you find the ships abandoned," Europa said. "Maybe the squidmoths
die. Who knows?"
"If you're lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time . . ."
The face of the beautiful youth took on a predatory look. Androgeos grinned
suddenly, showing his teeth. "Every time we returned to Tau Ceti, we hoped
that starship might be empty. It would have made our fortunes."
What will this mean for J.D.? Victoria wondered suddenly, worried all over
again for her friend. What if someone else was lurking, hoping to steal
Nerno's ship . . . and J.D. was in the way?
"You've already got one starship," Satoshi said. "What do you need another
for?"
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