Vonda McIntyre - Metaphase

Splashing through the muddy spots, wading across a bridge inundated by an overflowing creek, he strode down the path that led to Starfarer's end. He started to run, letting his anger at Europa-and his pleasure in his body-fuel his speed.

By the time Stephen Thomas reached the waiting room, floating in to join the visual cacophony of people, real and virtual, the atmosphere quivered with tension. The meerkats hovered together, each in sentry position.

"Explain yourself, Stephen Thomas," Professor Thanthavong said. He had never seen her so distraught.

"The bacteria have changed," Stephen Thomas said. "The free-living, garden variety soil bacteria. Sometime between now and the last time we took samples-"

"After the missile attack," Professor Thanthavong said. "As a precaution. What do you mean, 'changed'?"

"Their DNA fingerprints are the same. That's what confused me for so long." Everyone except Professor Thanthavong and Europa looked confused.

"When DNA mutates, the print changes. It's almost impossible to put in an alteration that doesn't change the print." He glanced at Europa with grudging admiration. "Quite an accomplishment-to make so many changes without changing the print. Clever. Subtle. Deliberate. Nothing showed up till I did a complete sequence."

"You shouldn't be angry," Europa said mildly. "I gave you the traditional gift for new members of the community."

"Some gift!" Stephen Thomas said.

"It protects your ecosystem!"

"It is unforgivable," Miensaem Thanthavong said.

"I would appreciate it," Victoria said, her voice soft

and tight, "if one of you would explain what you're talking about."

"They supercharged our bacteria," Stephen Thomas said.

Everybody looked at him like they thought he was crazy. We have too damn many specialists, he thought. I'll bet J.D. would know what I was talking about.

"So alien bacteria won't survive," he said.

"You should be grateful," Europa said. "You should pour wine to the gods for such a gift. We've solved a serious problem for you."

"You should have told us!" Professor Thanthavong said. "Asked us! How dare you introduce biological contaminants-!"

"The changed bacteria won't hurt you! They aren't any different from what you're used to, except that they're stronger. As long as they're in their own environment, alien autotrophs won't grow in their presence."

"Can we stop them?" Thanthavong asked.

"Of course not. That's the point."

"Your anger's normal," Androgeos said. He sounded disappointed in them all. "So ordinary. Can't you appreciate what we've done for you?"

"You've fixed it so we can't join the community-"

"You did that yourselves!"

11

-and maybe we can't go home, either."

"Wait a minute." Infinity's image appeared, its background stars and the inspection web. "Andro's fight. I wish Europeans had thought about the problem! Their diseases killed ninety percent of the people in the new world. . . . Europa and Androgeos didn't bring diseases. They brought prevention. Protection."

"I'm glad someone is sensible here," Androgeos said.

"We aren't monsters," Europa said. "We exist to help you join the community. Can't you give us a little help?"

"You should have told us," Thanthavong said stiffly. "Infinity may be right. You may be right. But you should have let us make the choice."

"I'm sorry." Europa sounded sincere.

"J.D.'s going to be really pissed off at you," Stephen Thomas said.

"I think you're all crazy!" Androgeos could restrain himself no longer. "You're objecting to bacteria, when your ship is infested with parasites!

I told you to avoid the squidmoths."

"Parasites?" Stephen Thomas said. "What parasites?"

"The squidmoth egg," Androgeos said.

Victoria nudged Stephen Thomas and gestured toward the small exterior display.

"Christ in a clutch," Stephen Thomas muttered. The thing bulged, moved, nestled deeper into its rocky cradle.

,,The squidmoths don't even bother to raise their children," Europa said. "You'll have a job prying it loose."

"Maybe you'll be lucky," Androgeos said, "and it'll die."

"I don't think so," Infinity said. "It's already changing. It's growing, and it's, I don't know, putting feelers down into the rock."

"Oh, great."

"We are * n't in any danger yet," Infinity said quickly.

"It's only half a meter down, and there's nothing vital anywhere near."

"You should destroy it," Androgeos said confidently.

"No," Victoria said. "Zev was right. J.D. will never forgive us if we destroy it." At least part of her urge to protect it was because Androgeos wanted to 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."

"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."

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 lived. If an earlier culture left it everything they owned .