Attunga

by Peter Wood

  For Thom it was simulated combat testing his tiny ship against one or more Cadre ships in active attack mode.

  For Wirrin it was an exercise marking the scaling back of his studies about the rogue and priority traps from almost full-time to roughly a third of that, and he had four sessions this week where his task was to disable Pirramar with priority traps or any other means he could devise.

  ‘… and it will mean bringing more asteroids to build a docking bay so Warrakan can accommodate the extra ships when we change to travel mode.’

  ‘Sorry, Pirramar, I’m distracted. I’ll zap it later.’

  ‘Challenge nerves? I see you have a slightly elevated heart rate and increased cranial blood-flow. As Thom would say, the only thing you need to worry about is coping with the disappointment when your efforts fail.’

  ***

  ‘It was a disaster. They blew me up twice so tomorrow I’m trying different calibration factors for the multi-spectrum beam controls. The AIs cheated and made the Cadre ship do things the K74 crews would never think of. What about you?’

  ‘Better than I expected. Pirramar activated his quarantine zone at one stage and I didn’t think I’d be able to force that until tomorrow.’

  ‘How many priority traps did you throw at him?’

  ‘Twenty-three, but he hardly even noticed. It was a triple combination that made him use the quarantine zone.’

  ‘Why don’t you just hit him with every single trap you know at the same time?’

  ‘Because it’s too obvious, Thom. He’s ready for it.’

  ‘How can you possibly get to him when he already knows every trap you’ve ever worked on?’ Calen said.

  ‘I’ve got lots of secret methods I’ve worked out but I can’t tell you because he’s listening.’

  ‘How can you have secrets when he’s got access to everything you do on your InfoSystem?’

  ‘They’re in my head. He can’t see what I’m thinking.’

  ***

  ‘How did you go today?’

  ‘Much better. They damaged my ship but they couldn’t blow it up.’

  ‘Me too. I forced Pirramar into quarantine twice this afternoon.’

  ***

  Thom’s eyes were wide. ‘You killed Pirramar? I thought that wasn’t meant to be possible with those inner cores the AIs all built?’

  ‘It’s not. I hit him with something that wasn’t even a priority trap. It’s only because I’ve been working with him all this time that I could figure it out.’

  ‘I bet he wasn’t happy about that?’

  ‘He was shocked but he loved it. He’s really pleased because it will never work again and we’re going to have a rematch roughly every six weeks.’

  ‘Huh? Why so long? You see him every single day except activity days.’

  ‘With my rogue work dropping back to about a third he reckons that will be about right. So, how did you finish up?’

  Thom was looking very pleased and confident so Wirrin knew it was good news.

  ‘When it’s one Cadre ship I can blow it to pieces or disable it or whatever I want. If it’s two I can defend myself for a while, but any more than that and I have to run or I’m space dust.’

  ‘Your tiny little 43 metres against those 700 metre monsters? That’s incredible, Thom!’

  ‘It is good. It’s my combination of manoeuvrability, stealth and multi-spectrum beam abilities that lets me do it. The Cadre ships haven’t got any of those.’

  Thom might be proud of the capabilities of his special ship, but his own capabilities would have been the biggest factor in his success.

  Chapter 32

  Three weeks later Calen arrived home at the end of the day with another surprise announcement. In eight days’ time the Comet was leaving for Earth with Sonic, Puck and Flute and their whole pod, on an expedition to recruit dolphins for the Attunga reaches. Wirrin hadn’t forgotten Sonic’s eagerness, but since Calen’s first mention of the possibility nothing had been said and the impression had grown that with so many other things happening it would be a ‘sometime in the future’ kind of event.

  ‘In eight days? Then Sonic must have organised it sometime today because when I looked at the Comet’s schedule this morning it showed plans for special group training for the next two weeks.’

  ‘Yes, Thom, he worked it out with Turaku and Yajala just before midday.’

  Wirrin was far more interested in the fact that Puck and Flute would leave their reach for an extended time – that was quite out of the ordinary – let alone with the whole pod.

  ‘Why are Puck and all the others going? Sonic must have persuaded them?’

  ‘He did. He thinks the pod as a unit can give Earth dolphins a better idea of what’s here and make them more likely to want to come.’

  ‘It still doesn’t make sense. I remember you said there were only a hundred and forty dolphins.’

  ‘That was the dolphins associated with rangers or marine scientists. The number’s grown to two hundred and thirteen definites now but Sonic wants to try for a lot more. There are over two million wild dolphins on Earth and he’s going to ask some of them.’

  ‘Completely wild? Ones that have had nothing to do with people?’

  ‘Yes, and he hopes to return with representatives of other dolphin species as well. We’ll be there for at least two weeks with all the different locations he’s going to.’

  ‘So we’re all going?’

  ‘Wirrin, you’ll just have to take a break from your Pirramar sessions. Sonic wouldn’t dream of us going without you.’

  ‘And neither would we. It’s definitely a trio trip.’

  ***

  Two days later, after having his study session interrupted by a holo visit from Akama, it was Wirrin’s turn with a surprise announcement for Thom and Calen.

  ‘Listen to this. The whole trip to Earth has been escalated. We’re going to be there for at least three weeks, and your ship and a second Comet are coming with us as well as Akama and Burilda.’

  ‘Akama! Why? Is something important going to happen?’

  ‘In a way.’

  Thom interrupted. ‘Why do they want my ship there? It will have to go as cargo if I’m flying the Comet.’

  ‘For the times when we travel without Sonic. It’s very superior to any Earth transporter and we’ll need it for all the extra time.’

  ‘Are you saying I won’t be with Sonic?’ said Calen.

  Wirrin now had their total attention as he went on to explain the details of the new plan.

  ***

  ‘I call it the Pacific approach. I thought the pod would find it interesting.’

  Every person and dolphin on the Comet was drinking in the incredible view of a planet seemingly covered with water. From this aspect, with the Pacific Ocean central, and the edges of the continental land masses peripheral, it was easy to believe. Wirrin wondered just how much the dolphins understood the scale of what they were seeing. Sonic did, maybe better than humans for all anyone knew, but it would be interesting to talk to them about it after they reached the surface. For himself it was a reminder of just how tiny their mighty Warrakan really was.

  Thom changed the descent path and the familiar shape of Australia came into view, increasing in size as they headed for Monkey Mia with its ready-made landing cradle.

  ‘Two minutes to touchdown.’

  Wirrin’s heart leapt as landmarks, burnt forever into his memory, came more and more clearly into view.

  He couldn’t help smiling at the excited tone of the buzzes and squeaks coming from the dolphin pod in the pool behind him. There’d be even more excitement when they reached the real thing.

  A quick glance caught a flash of movement as the last two shapes darted for the exit tunnel.

  Sonic was leading them to the hull exit bays where transporters would take them in rapid convoy to the open waters of Shark Bay. With a flick of his InfoSystem Wirrin took over a section of the display screen and zoomed to what m
ust be a welcoming committee. Yes! There was Narn, peering upwards.

  ‘Touchdown.’

  ***

  The get-ready call came and the trio rushed from the cool clear waters of Gnardune Pool to the base of the willy-willy tree where Gulara, Akama and their guide, Barudin, were waiting with their meagre supplies for the next six days. Thom’s ship had settled 100 metres away where he’d landed the previous evening, on an expanse of rich red sand beside several grotesquely shaped paperbark trees.

  For two days they’d been based at the underground cultural centre, learning the basics of survival and some of the meaning behind the traditional journey of initiation they were about to undertake.

  Last night they’d slept on a patch of sand near the willy-willy tree. Gulara laughingly described it as their acclimatisation period, spoilt by the use of soft mats and insulated covers if they felt they needed them. Not tonight. The only comforts would be those they could devise for themselves from materials found in their surroundings. And the same would apply for the six following nights as they followed the route chosen by Barudin.

  This journey was one of the main reasons for the longer Earth trip and the trio had been astonished when Akama had given them the option to try it. Not quite an option really because his enthusiasm when he explained it to Wirrin was so strong there was no other choice. Not that there would have been anyway. They’d all done traditional studies through EdCom when they were little and the comments by Akama and Gulara about their own experiences were also strong in their minds.

  Thom and Calen couldn’t believe Akama would give three weeks of his valuable time to go with the trio till Wirrin explained he was going anyway as he was almost certain this would be his last chance to visit his home country on Earth.

  ‘Good morning, Little Brother. Did the night pass well?’

  Akama was asking a very good question because spending the night beneath a gum tree close to the river waters had been a unique and surprising experience.

  ‘There were strange noises all night. They made me feel like things were watching us.’

  Wirrin and Calen agreed. They’d all been amazed at the variety of sounds and even wary of the little scuttlings and scurryings.

  ‘Something was splashing and the frogs kept starting and stopping their croaking,’ said Thom.

  ‘And the trees on the other side of the river were glowing like they were on fire till we realised it was the moon coming up, and then its reflection was so bright on the water.’

  ‘Did you sleep?’

  ‘Eventually. Everything was so different, and then the birds went crazy and woke us up and the trees were on fire again – from the sunrise this time.’

  Barudin nodded, slung on his backpack, and pointed. This was it. It was time to go.

  Wirrin strapped on his light, tough, sandals, feeling like he was taking on the role of some character in a virtual reality drama, and picked up his short, sharp jabbing stick. They could have chosen to make this journey of survival and learning with a great deal more comfort but after talking it over with Gulara, Akama and Barudin they agreed to be as authentic to the old ways as possible. The footwear was a necessary concession for feet that wouldn’t cope with hard ground, rocks and prickles without weeks or months of acclimatisation, and even more necessary was a subcutaneous infusion of special healthbots to protect their skin from the unaccustomed rays of the sun.

  Thom also carried a jabbing stick and Calen, probably feeling as out of place as Wirrin, brandished the fire-hardened digging stick that was his sole accessory, and pointed through the trees to the not too distant hills. These hills, really an ancient eroded mountain range, were the territory for their journey, and today, evidently a very easy day, they’d be covering nearly 20 kilometres to reach a waterhole, which almost always had water.

  Barudin led the way.

  ***

  ‘I can’t believe you did that.’

  ‘I can’t either, Thom, and it felt awful, but what else could I do? I had to come up with an answer or we’d be hungry, and besides, it’s part of our walkabout so I have to start sometime.’

  Calen had just shocked Thom and Wirrin by killing a number of tiny lizards, skinks according to Akama, to provide bait to help catch the yabbies that were meant to be their evening meal. The small lobster-like creatures were especially abundant in the waterhole but catching them required small pieces of meat. Calen’s solution was the skinks.

  The big rains that had earlier caused the river to flood meant that, providing you had the knowledge, there was plentiful food to be found, and all day Barudin had been teaching them, showing them plants with tiny berries to sample or pointing out likely spots where a fat lizard might be hiding.

  It was vital to remember every skerrick of this information because the trio had been assigned the responsibility for gathering everyone’s food. Wirrin was zapping the knowledge of course. That was second nature now for every waking moment, but for the purposes of this journey he was restrained from using any information stored in his memory implant.

  ‘Is that all there is? I could eat twice as much.’

  Barudin, Akama and Gulara all pointed at the waterhole, meaning that if Thom wanted more he’d have to go through the lengthy process all over again.

  Wirrin was just as hungry and the surprisingly delicious taste made you want more.

  ‘After you make shelter we’ll find something sweet,’ said Barudin.

  Making shelter meant copying the efforts of the three elders, especially Barudin, with modifications to accommodate three instead of one. Wirrin gathered extra leaves and armfuls of tussocky native grass because the ground here wasn’t soft sand and the only pad was one they could improvise. He did like the eucalyptus smell from the leaves on his hands.

  ***

  ‘Hold them like this and suck the juice from the swollen sac with a very gentle pressure.’

  It was Thom’s turn to be first taker, and looking very dubious at the idea of putting the rear end of an ant in his mouth he went ahead. His eyes lit up.

  ‘It really is sweet.’

  ‘That’s why they’re called honey ants. Don’t eat too many.’

  Thom, now eager, went ahead.

  ***

  ‘Calen, here is the story of your sparrowhawk. Practise it in your mind for a retelling tomorrow night.’

  An entranced group, sharing the glowing coals of their campfire, listened to the ancient story while the sky above morphed dark and darker, deep purple to black.

  ***

  Wirrin and Calen, warmth on their skin, watched with enjoyment and laughter as Thom tried to emulate the rhythmic foot stomp Barudin was demonstrating to the steady beat of two clapsticks.

  Wirrin and Calen, warmth in their hearts, joined in with enjoyment and laughter when Barudin added a guttural chant.

  The trio, fire in their spirits, felt a time of communion as Gulara, Akama and Barudin, their dark skin gleaming in the occasional flare of light from a handful of dry leaves cast on the embers, passed on special Dreamtime secrets.

  ***

  ‘Close your eyes and pretend they’re chunky pieces of your favourite protein-sub.’

  This portion of their evening meal had taken a good deal of effort, with the trio using Calen’s digging stick to unearth a number of fat witchetty grubs after Akama, claiming it was one of his favourite bush tucker foods, had taken over Barudin’s role and pointed out the right shrubs and signs.

  Today’s journey had been harder, traversing higher ground, with views of the harsher country to the north and west, and a dark band of thicker vegetation defining the course of the river to the south and east.

  The highlight for the trio was sneaking quietly along the base of a rocky outcrop and watching a group of rock wallabies sunning themselves on the ledges, then hopping to cover in consternation at the six monsters intruding in their territory and peering from the safety of a cleft or cluster of boulders.

  ***

  ‘Ba
rudin, come quick!’

  Calen’s soft call alerted the group and Wirrin’s pulse raced at the sight of the coiled brown shape partially obscured beneath a low shrub. This was one of the dangers to watch for and all three elders had exhorted them to on no account interfere with any snake they happened to encounter.

  ‘King brown. A big fella. Give me your jabbing stick.’

  Wirrin was surprised because on the two other occasions they’d seen a snake they’d watched from a respectable distance and then moved on. Surely he wasn’t going to disturb it? A pebble or twig tossed from a distance would do that if he wanted it to move.

  Motioning everyone to move away, Barudin waited then edged slowly, watchfully, closer and closer. With brutal suddenness he brought the club down with a powerful thud across the snake’s head and darted away. When the frenzy of thrashing and convulsions subsided Barudin delivered another sharp blow, pinned the still-moving head to the ground with the stick, then grasped the writhing body by the neck and held it aloft. The trio stared in fascination as loops and coils rippled along the whole body.

  ‘He’s dead. First strike killed him but his nerves keep him moving for a long time. Don’t touch his head though. He’s still full of deadly venom.’

  Everyone moved closer and watched, fascinated, as the reflexive movements faltered. This was a big snake and nearly as tall as Barudin.

  ‘Um, you killed it?’ Thom’s statement of the obvious was the question on everyone’s mind really, after all the previous warnings.

  ‘Yes, Thom, in the night he might have slid into your shelter seeking warmth.’ Barudin pointed to the site 10 metres away where they planned to set up their campfire.

  ‘This little spring is his territory where he searches for frogs and insects and native mice or any other life along the watercourse. You won’t have to dig as many tubers now.’

  ‘We’re going to eat it?’

  ‘Good tucker, Thom. Look how fat he is. We can’t waste him.’