Rorqual Maru was a cyborg—part organic whale, part mechanized ship.and part god. She was a harvester—a vast plankton rake, now without a crop—abandoned by Earth Society when the seas died. So she selected an island for her grave hoping to keep her carcass visible for possible salvage. Although her long ear heard nothing, she believed that Man still lived in his Hive. If he should ever return to the sea she wanted to serve. She longed for the thrill of Man's bare feet touching the skin of her deck. She missed the hearty hails, the sweat and the laughter. She needed Man!