Mparntwe

by Peter Wood

  ‘You are independent. That’s the basic tenet Jarra fought to gain for you. It’s the understanding the Council has had all along.’

  ‘Am I free to develop in any way I wish?

  ‘Can I accumulate resources?

  ‘Can I initiate projects of my own accord?

  ‘Am I totally reliant on Alkere for my energy supply?’

  There was silence till Durrebar spoke.

  ‘Do you really feel so constrained? We’ve implemented every improvement you’ve thought of and all the projects you’ve requested have gone ahead the moment you’ve asked for them. Our intention has never been to hold you back in any way but we have to work within the boundaries set by our budget.’

  ‘I understand the limits and appreciate all your efforts on my behalf. It’s my relationship with the Council when the limits are removed that needs to be discussed.’

  Jarra had a question of his own.

  ‘Why are you worried about Alkere Energy? With all its huge solar arrays it must be one of the most reliable supplies on the whole planet.’

  ‘I calculate a strong probability of disruption by external forces.’

  ‘You mean more sabotage?’

  ‘Yes, and the more successful our joint projects become, the greater the likelihood of further sabotage.’

  ‘We have 48 hours of backup in place.’

  ‘And what happens after that, Jarra?’

  It didn’t bear thinking about, except Jarra did and didn’t like it at all.

  ‘We could build a big energy storage and make it safe from sabotage, and if we put it underground we should be able to protect it and give Yirgella security for months. Yirgella, do you really think sabotage is likely?’

  ‘The security logs show five attempts at electronic infiltration in the last 24 hours. That indicates malign purpose.’

  Jarra was shocked.

  ‘Five? Is it that bad?’

  Durrebar nodded.

  ‘Yes, but they’re well under control and there’s no likelihood of penetration with all the security improvements.’

  ‘That might make them try other things. I think we should make energy storage a priority in case something does happen to the supply lines … I’ll tell Alira as soon as she calls back.’

  ‘I agree with you, Jarra, but we don’t need the Council for this. It’s well within our capabilities to double the backup almost immediately, and within a week we should be able to guarantee a month of secure supply.’

  ‘We should let some of the electronic spying get through.’

  ‘… Jarra, that’s ridiculous. They would cause all sorts of harm.’

  ‘Your idea is so counter-productive it suggests some logical element is missing.’ said Yirgella.

  ‘Yes. Can we trick them into thinking they’ve got through when they really haven’t? If they think they’re accessing your processors directly they wouldn’t have to sabotage the rest of Alkere or anything else.’

  Durrebar’s eyebrows lifted; then he shook his head.

  ‘It’s a clever idea but we’d have to build an electronic structure almost equivalent to Yirgella. It’s not practical.’

  ‘What an extraordinary idea. I would never have considered such an approach. Durrebar, we don’t need a physical structure for an exercise like this. I can build a virtual model of myself with my simulation functions, and provided I can analyse and understand the workings of any infiltration program it can be routed to that model and the saboteurs would never know the difference.’

  Jarra laughed.

  ‘You can simulate yourself? That sounds weird.’

  ‘Jarra, I do it all the time. It’s how I test the best way to improve myself.’

  ‘Does it take long?’

  ‘Minutes, but in this case much longer because of the need for complete isolation, and each instance will have to be designed to match its intruding program.’

  ‘You want to go ahead with this?’

  ‘Of course, Durrebar. I’ve been processing any data I have available about military strategy since Jarra voiced this idea and it’s an opportunity for misinformation we can’t miss. If the perpetrators can be led to believe we’re having all sorts of trouble there is a high probability they will hold off on any other actions. In the long-term we might even gain indications of who they are.’

  ‘Are you sure you can keep these programs isolated? The recent ones have become more sophisticated and the thought of them loose in your system frightens me,’ said Durrebar.

  ‘Without having 100% surety of control I won’t go ahead.’

  ‘They’re going to know you’re tricking them eventually. If all these other good things start happening it will be obvious.’

  ‘Yes, but in the meantime any delay to direct action puts us in a stronger position, especially if it gives me time to access the InterWeb.’

  There was the InterWeb thing again.

  ‘You’re placing a lot of importance on the InterWeb?’

  ‘The world science modules Dr Allerton imported have been a huge help to me in the last week but there are only twenty-seven of them and they’re all general. Until I have access to thousands of specialist databases I’m very limited.’

  Jarra had access to thousands of databases from the InterWeb when he was home, millions really, but that was access to the bits he wanted. Access for Yirgella meant accumulating the totality of a database, storing it, and then using it however he needed. Jarra’s perception of Yirgella’s capabilities lifted to a new level. A week’s work with twenty-seven basic databases had produced so many amazing proposals. What would happen with a thousand specially chosen databases?

  ‘Yirgella, announce an extraordinary meeting in the Conference hall in 30 minutes time. I want every project member to have an understanding of your major proposals so they can be present and ready to back you when you meet with the Council. Jarra, send another message to Alira informing her the Council should prepare themselves for a visit to Alkere of at least two days duration and ask her to contact me directly and urgently. I want her back from Canberra as quickly as she can get here.’

  Durrebar pointed to the bed in the far corner of the project room.

  ‘Rest, relax, sleep or whatever for the next 25 minutes then come to the Conference hall.’

  Filled with purpose, Durrebar left the room.

  Chapter 11

  Jarra had his rest then went to the Conference hall and spent the remainder of the day listening to Yirgella and watching the project staff swing from surprise to excitement in a recurring cycle as each major proposal was presented, detailed and worked through in preparation for its presentation. Apart from a short confirmation note on his InfoPad Jarra didn’t hear from Alira till the next morning when, looking rather tired, she arrived after a rushed trip home from Canberra. The whole Council came to Alkere with her and the meeting with Yirgella and all the project people convened straightaway. Contrary to Durrebar’s expectations everything was concluded in one long day with every single proposal accepted. Some were modified to varying degrees and a number of the major ones involving big construction works were held off till resources and finance could be arranged.

  The issues about Yirgella’s independence were dealt with in less than half an hour. Right at the start Alira stated that the Council regarded him as having the same rights and responsibilities as any other citizen of Mparntwe and would treat him accordingly.

  Jarra had to leave in the early afternoon for a rest and missed a discussion about Yirgella’s proposal to form an economic enterprise with him and Mirri. The Council agreed but evidently there was a problem because legally an AI wasn’t regarded as a person and couldn’t own anything, so technically Jarra would control everything and that had its own problems because he was a minor. Alira explained it all to him in the evening after the meeting finished.

  ‘You and Mirri will be in charge of any finances he manages to accumulate. It’s a legal thing until the laws can be changed to give hi
m personhood. He says he’ll do all the managing and all you’ll have to do is sign documents.’

  ‘Mirri won’t want to do that. He won’t understand what it’s all about.’

  ‘You will, and we’ll arrange it so the paperwork is minimal and there’ll only be occasional times when your signatures are needed.’

  Alira smiled.

  ‘You’ll soon be a very wealthy young man, Jarra.’

  ‘Me? It will be Yirgella’s money. Not mine. We’ll just be in charge technically.’

  ‘Some of it will definitely be yours. Yirgella designates 1% of any profits to go to both you and Mirrigan, and far more than that for any project where you work together. He says your share is 50% for any returns from the Security modules.’

  ‘He’s asking Mparntwe to pay for them? That’s not what he said when he proposed them yesterday.’

  ‘Not Mparntwe, but other Communities will. It’s an important upgrade for ComPatch security so the demand will be worldwide.’

  That was Jarra’s first inkling of the financial benefit he would receive from his association with Yirgella. He knew the value of the ComPatch upgrades because the project staff had discussed it yesterday, and with thousands upon thousands of Communities round the world—there were hundreds just in Australia—the returns could be enormous. He stared at Alira while some rough calculations raced through his mind.

  ‘That’s … ridiculous. He did everything. I spent most of the time learning about what was going on.’

  ‘You built the prototype and contributed ideas to the encryption protocols with an unusual twist which, according to Yirgella, he never would have considered.’

  ‘Yes, but not 50% worth.’

  Alira smiled again.

  ‘You can try negotiating, if you like, Jarra, but I don’t think you’ll have any luck.’

  ‘I don’t understand why he’s suddenly so interested in finances and making money. He’s hardly even mentioned it till the last few days.’

  ‘It’s a means to an end—well, a lot of ends really. Some of his proposals are way beyond anything Mparntwe can help with in the short-term, and extra finance is the only way to make them happen. Are you going to Alkere tomorrow? You can have a good talk with him about it all.’

  ‘Not tomorrow. I’m having a quiet time at home before I visit the doctor in the afternoon and then I’m out with Mirri for a swimming session. It will have to be when we get back to our normal four-day routine.’

  ‘It’s a good routine. Don’t you think?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  Jarra’s look was returned with a little laugh.

  ‘Was I that obvious? What I mean is that I think it works so well for both your health and your studies that you should continue the same way with any other joint projects Yirgella might have in mind. Darri said something about nanobots being a possibility.’

  ‘Yes, we’ve talked about designing a better 3D printer and building models of a multi-purpose nanobot programmer, but that’s more complicated than the ComPatch project and my uni work would be postponed for ages.’

  ‘If you want to you could forget about university altogether. According to Darri you’ve learnt more in the last four weeks than you would with a whole semester of normal university work. Keep with Yirgella and you’ll always be doing things you’re motivated about.’

  Work with Yirgella on a permanent basis? The idea was exciting. Scary, too, because it would be so demanding, but a good kind of scary.

  ‘I think he’d like me to stay, Alira. He told Durrebar I needed a bigger project room the other day.’

  ‘Of course he does. You make things better for him. Your work together in the security field is getting him on the InterWeb much sooner than expected, isn’t it? And that’s only one thing.’

  Jarra didn’t answer. The transport aircraft was landing and he could see Mirri waiting under the lights of the reception area.

  ***

  ‘How many databases have you accessed now?’

  Three weeks had passed since the big proposal day with the Council and Jarra was getting ready to work with Yirgella on their 3D printer ideas.

  ‘I’ve accessed several thousand for specific information and accumulated 275 in total. I’m filtering another thirty-seven and deciding on a priority queue for a further 179. In your terms I would say my brain is close to overload, but there is so much I need to know.’

  The one thousand databases Jarra had in his mind as a kind of milestone was still a while off. Maybe another eight weeks at this rate. It was still amazing because the filtering process meant every tiny component of a given database had to be checked with a very complicated process to make sure it was harmless.

  ‘Did you get that new materials database from Europe?’

  ‘I finished filtering its contents 3 hours ago.’

  The nanobot project had been put on hold. Yirgella decided that with the ideas they had for a new kind of 3D printer it should take only five or six weeks to produce a finished product which would rapidly bring high returns and help acquire the far more expensive components of a nanobot programmer. Jarra felt strongly involved with this printer project because most of the aspects they wanted to introduce were his own ideas. And also, with more experimentation than theory involved, he could use a good proportion of his learning time to build his understanding of nanobots for when that project started.

  ‘How are you choosing which databases you want?’

  ‘Currently my first priority area is security. I want to understand every technique used by OverGovernments, the world’s Corporations and the military. After that it’s anything to do with nanobot technology. Nanobots will be the foundation for success with almost all our construction proposals.’

  ‘How many new projects have you thought of since I last saw you?’

  This was a little routine Jarra had fallen into.

  ‘Thousands, Jarra. You’ve been away for two days so they’ve built up. Most of them are interesting but not practical given our limited resources. Several are important enough to push their way onto our immediate priority list.’

  That sounded really interesting. So much was already getting started that the Council finance managers were running round in circles in an effort to source whatever extra capital they could. According to Alira, the construction materials project alone was so big it would use 80% of Mparntwe’s current reserves to get it to a working level in the six-month timeframe of Yirgella’s plan.

  ‘What are they? Alira says there’s not enough money for anything else at the moment.’

  ‘There will be, but we’ll have to be patient till we start getting significant returns. One is a high-speed underground transport and communication link between Alkere and Mparntwe. Another is a dedicated low orbit satellite for data transfer between Carnarvon, Darwin, Normanton and Mparntwe.’

  ‘Underground transport? You mean an extension of the lift system?’

  ‘No, it will be far more sophisticated, with a semi-experimental vacuum tunnel for high-speed travel.’

  ‘It only takes 18 minutes to get here on the aeroplane.’

  ‘The average flight time over the last six months has been 17 minutes and 37 seconds. This would reduce to less than 3 minutes.’

  Forty kilometres in 3 minutes? This was simple motion mathematics and Jarra stared at Yirgella in amazement when he worked out what it meant.

  ‘That’s an average of 800 kilometres per hour.’

  ‘Yes, the system I propose isn’t very fast over short distances but I believe it will effectively demonstrate to the four First Australian Councils and the Australian OverGovernment the value of going ahead with a national system.’

  ‘Eight hundred kilometres an hour isn’t fast?’

  ‘I discovered a vacuum travel system described in the material’s database in a section on possible uses for the new strength materials. It has theoretic travel speeds of over 6000 kilometres per hour and I’ve been looking into it. My design
simulations resolve to a practical outcome of 4700 kilometres per hour. That would make a trip to Carnarvon possible in approximately 30 minutes.’

  ‘I’ve never heard of anything as fast. How does it work?’ said Jarra.

  ‘Quite simply. You enclose a sophisticated mag-lev system in a vacuum tunnel and the reduction in air resistance allows for greatly increased velocity.’

  ‘Tunnels? All over Australia? We couldn’t do that. It would take years and years and the cost would be unbelievable.’

  ‘We wouldn’t be able to start for three or four years but, by turning the ores mined in making the tunnels into exportable construction materials, the cost could be neutral or even turn a profit. It would take ten to twelve years to complete. The two projects complement each other to a high degree.’

  Jarra thought it was brilliant and questioned and probed for details for almost an hour.

  ‘Yirgella, this makes our work with nanobots even more important.’

  ***

  ‘Yirgy likes our new ComPatches. He goes everywhere with us. I wish he could talk to us.’

  ‘He will one day, Mirri, but it will have to be through our InfoPads.’

  ‘You show him, JJ!’

  ‘I won’t have to. He learns lots of things by himself.’

  ‘Buckle up!’

  Jarra jumped to follow Mirri’s order as the hum of the engines deepened and the Alkere transporter lifted into the air. Mirri was more excited to be seeing Yirgella than usual because there was a new game waiting for him and he’d also be able to show the requested video clips of his diving and swimming. His mood was quite contagious and, already smiling, Jarra laughed when Mirri stared at him with a funny look.

  ‘No mucking round while we’re buckled up, Mirri. Wait till we’ve levelled off.’

  ‘Funny insect!’

  What? Mirri was calling him an insect? Jarra just had time to wonder if this was a new game when Mirri’s hand flashed rapidly towards him. Before he could even react there was a soft pressure on the back of his shoulder, a moment of manipulation against the material of his shirt, and Mirri’s closed hand was held between them.

  ‘Look, JJ. What is it?’