Winter in Eden

uruketo would have to be forced away from the currents, though at night it would drift with them, then in the morning recalculation… plainly impossible!"
    "A simple query of scientific interest, Elem, compose yourself. Since you are a worker-with-knowledge, for the greater good of your labors, I will tell you of the two different states of matter. Or do you already know Atepenepsa's law?"
    "Humble-ignorance, desire-for-input."
    "Stated in its most basic form, invisible matter moves in straight lines, visible matter does not. Remove the glaze from your eyes and close your mouth—you are a picture of fargi stupidity! Do you know of invisible matter?"
    "No…"
    "Lump of ignorance! Gravity is invisible—if I drop this chartweight it goes straight down. That-which-carries light is itself invisible and it moves the light in a straight line from object to eye. Inertia is invisible, yet it keeps a moving object… enough. I see that this is all beyond you. Do not feel shame for your imbecility. There are very few Yilanè like myself who have no intellectual limitations. Now, to our course. What lies here?"
    Ambalasi placed her splayed fingers and thumbs upon the empty area of the chart beyond Maninle, south of Gendasi. Elem gaped. "Nothing, nothing at all."
    "Empty-of-mind, unconscious-of-being-alive! Must I teach you your own speciality? What are these on the chart, here and here?"
    "Currents, ocean currents of course."
    "Wonderful. Now, amplification-of-detail, what causes currents?"
    Winter in Eden - Harry Harrison
    "Temperature differentials of sea water, wind, planetary rotation, impact on coastlines, gradient of ocean floor…"
    "Good. Now these currents, here and here, examine them closely. They do not appear out of outer darkness so suddenly. Trace them backward."
    "I see, I see! Great Ambalasi you have drawn me from ignorance as a fargi is drawn from the sea. There must be a large mass of land here, where you have indicated. Though no one has ever seen it or recorded it—you have deduced its existence from these charts…"
    As the significance of this was driven home, Elem lowered her head and signed from lowest-of-low to highest-on-high, as she suddenly realized that Ambalasi knew as much as she did of navigation. Perhaps more. Ambalasi nodded, accepting the awareness.
    "You are skilled in your own science, Elem," she said. "But it is I who am skilled in all sciences—as I have just proven. This is not the work of a moment, I have been looking at navigation charts for some years now, making these deductions. This voyage will prove that my contentions are correct. We are going here, to this blank spot on the map. It will never be blank again after we have reached it. Now go, bring Enge here to attend me."
    Enge went with Elem as soon as she was summoned. Ambalasi was standing in an arrogant pose when they joined her, as erect as her aged spine would permit, a chart grasped firmly in her hand. Elem approached the scientist as humble as a fargi. Enge, shaping her limbs with utmost respect, did not quite go that far. Ambalasi held out the chart at arm's length, utmost gravity-importance in the gesture.
    "Now I will show you, Enge. Now I will reveal our destination and the city that is awaiting you there."
    "We have true gratitude for what you have done for us."
    Her arms shaped the curved gesture that indicated she spoke for everyone in her group.
    "Excellent. Here, here on this chart, at this place, is our destination. While here—is our city."
    She opened her other hand as she spoke, extended it. Resting on her palm was a large and convoluted seed. Enge looked from chart to seed, then back again, before bending her head in appreciative acceptance.
    "We are grateful. Since there is only an emptiness here on the chart I can only assume that with your superior knowledge you know of a new land that is there. A land without cities, without Yilanè, so therefore the seed is a city seed that will be grown to shape a city of our own."
    Winter in Eden - Harry Harrison
    "Precisely," Ambalasi said sharply, putting seed and chart down with unnecessary violence, ripples of color running along her crest. "You have a first-class brain, Enge, and I look forward to besting it.
    She did not add that she had not succeeded this time, nor did Enge make a point of mentioning it, but signed gratitude and agreement instead. The aged scientist was set in her ways and irascible—but could be allowed any eccentricities after all that