"McKie," Furuneo said, "have you any idea how many sentients have used a jumpdoor?"
"Damn near everyone."
"Communication understood?" the Caleban repeated.
"I don't now," McKie groaned.
"Difficult sharing of concepts," the Caleban said.
"I still don't believe it," McKie said. "It squares with what some of the other Calebans said, near as we can reconstruct it after the messes they've left."
"Understand withdrawal of companions creates disruption," the Caleban said. "Disruption equates with mess?"
"That's about it," McKie said. "Tell me, Fanny Mae, is there immediate danger of your . . . ultimate discontinuity?"
"Explain imminent," the Caleban said.
"Soon!" McKie snapped. "Short time!"
"Time concept difficult," the Caleban said. "You inquire of personal ability to surmount flagellation?"
"That's good enough," McKie said. "How many more flagellations can you survive?"
"Explain survive," the Caleban said.
"How many flagellations until you experience ultimate discontinuity?" McKie demanded, fighting down the angeret-reinforced frustration.
"Perhaps ten flagellations," the Caleban said. "Perhaps lesser number. Perhaps more."
"And your death will kill all of us?" McKie asked, hoping he'd misunderstood.
"Lesser number than all," the Caleban said.
"You just think you're understanding her," Furuneo said.
"I'm afraid I understand her!"
"Fellow Calebans," the Caleban said, "recognizing entrapment, achieve withdrawing. Thus they avoid discontinuity."
"How many Calebans remain in our . . . plane?" McKie asked.
"Single entity of selfness," the Caleban said.
"Just the one," McKie muttered. "That's a damn thin thread!"
"I don't see how the death of one Caleban can cause all that havoc," Furuneo said.
"Explain by comparison," the Caleban said. "Scientist of your planguinity explains reaction of stellar selfdom. Stellar mass enters expanding condition. In this condition, stellar mass engulfs and reduces all substances to other energy patterns. All substances encountered by stellar expansion change. Thus ultimate discontinuity of personal selfdom reaches along linkages of S'eye connectives, repatterns all entities encountered."
"Stellar selfdom," Furuneo said, shaking his head.
"Incorrect term?" the Caleban asked, "Energy selfdom, perhaps."
"She's saying," McKie said, "that use of S'eye doors has tangled us with her life some way. Her death will reach out like a stellar explosion along all these tangled networks and kill us."
"That's what you think she's saying," Furuneo objects,,
"That's what I have to believe she's saying," McKie said. "Our communication may be tenuous, but I think she's sincere. Can't you still feel the emotions radiating from her?"
"Two species can be said to share emotions only in the broadest way," Furuneo said. "She doesn't even understand what we mean by pain."
"Scientist of your planguinity," the Caleban said, "Explains emotional base for communication. Lacking emotional commonality, sameness of labels uncertain. Emotion concept not certain for Calebans. Communication difficulty assumed."
McKie nodded to himself. He could see a further complication: the problem of whether the Caleban's words were spoken or radiated in some unthinkable manner completed their confusion.
"I believe you're right in one thing," Furuneo said.
"Yes?
"We have to assume we understand her."
McKie swallowed in a dry throat. "Fanny Mae," he said, "have you explained this ultimate discontinuity prospect to Mliss Abnethe?"
"Problem explained," the Caleban said. "Fellow Calebans attempt remedy of error. Abnethe fails of comprehension, or disregards consequences. Connectives difficult."
"Connectives difficult," McKie muttered.
"All connectives of single S'eye," the Caleban said. "Master S'eye of self creates mutual problem."
"Don't tell me you understand that," Furuneo objected.
"Abnethe employs Master S'eye of self," the Caleban said: "Contract agreement gives Abnethe right of use. One Master S'eye of self. Abnethe uses."
"So she opens a jumpdoor and sends her Palenki through it," Furuneo said. "Why don't we just wait here and grab her?"
"She could close the door before we even got near her," McKie growled. "No, there's more to what this Caleban's saying. I think she's telling us there's only one Master S'eye, the control system, perhaps, for all the jumpdoors . . . and Fanny Mae here is in control of it, or the channel operation or . . ."
"Or something," Furuneo snarled.
"Abnethe control S'eye by right of purchase," the Caleban said.
"See what I mean?" McKie said. "Can you override her control, Fanny Mae?"
"Terms of employment require not interfere."
"But can't you still use your own S'eye doors?" McKie pressed.