(urth) What's So Great About Ushas?

[thalassocrat at nym.hush.com]

BTW, did anybody ever make anything more of Juturna's line:

"Catch Catodon ... Cast out his conation."

It atually looks a bit like a cryptic crossword clue, but that 
doesn't help me much. It's easy enough to gloss it, but why Catodon 
(sperm whale?), why express herself in this way etc.

Also: what were she and Baldanders doing in Valeria's audience 
chamber anyway? Even if you can think of reasons why they might 
want to warn her, what good would such a warning do?