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and spores," said Box. "Initial analysis shows — " Box's voice abruptly cut off.
    "Yes ... shows what?"
    The silence lasted for racked-out seconds. Chapra felt a chill. It was not often that an AI did not reply, was not there. To her knowledge this could only mean that Box's entire processing power had come on line. And that power was phenomenal.
    Box said, "I am sorry to delay. There are seeds and spores for one hundred different varieties of water weed."
    "But there was only one," said Chapra, and only after she had said it did she realise what Box had told her. "Jesu, it can do that?"
    Box said, "From the plant material it placed in the device the creature has made seeds and spores for one hundred different varieties of water plant. The genetic coding for sixty-four percent of these plant seeds is close enough to the original plant code for it to have altered that genome. The rest fall outside that area of probability as they are bihelical DNA."
    "It's an engineer, a fucking genetic engineer."
    "Shall I continue?"
    "Yes, sorry."
    "Many of the seeds seem to have their origins in a completely different environment from what is likely the creature's native one but have been altered to survive in it. Five of the seeds are from Earth seaweeds."
    "You mean Earth-type?" asked Chapra, even though she knew an AI did not make that kind of mistake.
    "Earth seaweeds, specifically three types of kelp and two bladder wracks. The kelps are Furzbelows or Saccorhiza Polyschides, Sea Belt or — "
    "Yes, yes, you've made your point, but what does it mean?"
    "You require my answer to that?"
    "I would like it. I know what mine is."
    "Very well, this creature is or was a member of star-spanning race with a technology comparable if not superior to our own. At some time it or its kind visited Earth."
    "Is or was?"
    "We have never before encountered a creature like this yet it has obviously travelled in human space. If its point of origin does turn out to be the system for which we are heading, then the creature might post date the extinction of its own kind by as much as five million years."
    "How long now until we get there?"
    "Forty-eight solstan hours."
    Chapra nodded to herself and returned her attention to the projection.
    "Hell," she said. "What now?"
    The creature had placed the sample pots on the jetty, each of which contained something.
    "I'm going down there."
    "Judd is on his way."
    "Yes, I'm sure he is."
    Diana unclipped the restraining bar from her seat as the interface helmet automatically disconnected itself from her head, from her mind. Abruptly she was human again; limited to a small and fragile bipedal form. It was to be a god to interface with the Cable Hogue . It was also very tiring.
    "Everything nominal," said Jabro, as if he expected no answer.
    "Nominal," said Diana, still seeing the shore scenes from Callanasta's surface. The tsunami had been ten metres high, but the shore baffles had absorbed most of its energy. There had been only minor flooding in some coastal areas. No deaths. But then not many people lived on that world.
    "We should do a weapons test before arrival," said Jabro. Behind his back Orland grinned at Seckurg, the token Golem on the bridge.
    "Why should we?" asked Diana, her face straight.
    "We don't want anything to go wrong at the other end," said Jabro, just as straight-faced.
    "Hogue," said Diana, addressing the ceiling as was the wont of any addressing an AI, the location of which they were unsure. "Give us a vector on something to blast."
    "Asteroid field two hours away at present speed. Navigation hazard and mostly the size of Separatist dreadnoughts. Nice that," said Hogue with relish.
    "How long with the Laumer engines?"
    "One hour. Engines still on diagnostic."
    "Take them off that and put them online. This is a priority mission." Deep in the guts of the Cable Hogue , banks of crystalline cylinders phased red-violet then off the visible spectrum. The force holding the ship under the surface of