Mparntwe

by Peter Wood

  ‘Professor Allerton and his team have developed a special understanding of high-level processors in their time at Alkere and Yirgella can set up the NanoFactory to make their designs and sell them. There’s a very big demand for better processors.

  ‘Yirgella would also like to provide Mparntwe with a complete Security overhaul. He’s designed a new Intelligent System to run it, or he can control it directly himself if that’s what you wish.

  ‘He wants the AI projects at Carnarvon, Darwin and Normanton to start immediately and he intends to provide most of the processors and equipment they’ll need.

  ‘He is also going to relocate himself 1200 metres underground for more security.’

  That brought general nods of agreement. Security was a big issue for everyone. Two attempts at intrusion by spy flies had followed the one Mirri caught. Even more worrying, after the shocking destruction of the power transformer station, was a further attempt, prevented by the military team from the Australian OverGovernment and special surveillance equipment from Carnarvon, to disable the solar array itself. Jarra paused for any questions and Kyrra jumped in.

  ‘Is that all?’

  Kyrra was joking but Jarra felt a wash of tiredness.

  ‘No, those are just some of the immediate things. Yirgella has more than he can possibly do. … Durrebar, would you explain things please. I’m going to take a break.’

  No-one said anything but there were smiles and nods of acknowledgement from the Council members who all understood his situation. With a degree of relief Jarra headed for a quiet place. He’d been active too long and he found speaking to a large group of people quite draining

  .

  ***

  When Jarra had departed Alira spoke before Durrebar could start.

  ‘Is there some reason why Jarra has done all the presenting and talking? Quite clearly he went for longer than he should have.’

  Yirgella’s image appeared on the big screen.

  ‘Welcome Councillors and thank you, Alira, for your concern. Durrebar was in full agreement with my insistence that Jarra commission the NanoFactory and acquaint you with its potential. Without his inspiration it wouldn’t exist. His ideas and imagination have resulted in a tool which will benefit us all. Who else should formally present it? The Alkere staff and I would like the Mparntwe Council to give Jarra some type of recognition for his achievements.

  The tunnelling machine will be complete in another 65 minutes and briefly available for inspection. Are there any questions you’d like answered?’

  ‘Yirgella, our Council has been aware of your NanoFactory project but it’s only just now that Jarra has acquainted us with its real capabilities and significance. Of course we’ll do something, but unless it’s very low-key I suspect he won’t have anything to do with it. We’ll think about it. How soon will you have your support for the other AI projects ready? None of them are expecting such an early start and we’ll have to liaise with them immediately.’

  ***

  Jarra finished up the work he was doing on his InfoSystem and was about to close it down when he was distracted by movement at the door to his project room. Well, one of his project rooms, as there were now a number built for various purposes, as well as the big new one when the move underground went ahead. What on earth? The strange device came gliding close and Durrebar clicked a control and stood up.

  ‘Take a seat, Jarra, and we’ll show you how to operate your holiday present.’

  ‘Present?’

  ‘Yes, so you can make extended exploration trips with Mirrigan. It will be perfect for your stay at Birringurra Country.’

  Birringurra was the name of the area near Carnarvon where Mirri’s whole family would be staying in only three days time.

  Jarra was quite taken aback. The idea of using a personal carrier was constantly being suggested and everyone knew his reasons for refusal.

  ‘For me? Durrebar, I don’t need it.’

  ‘Yirgella thinks you do and he’s designed it especially to suit you and Mirrigan.’

  That piqued Jarra’s interest. This thing could obviously carry him but why would it suit Mirri as well? Oh! There were two foot-stands at the back. That must be what he meant.

  ‘How does it work?’

  ‘Climb on and I’ll show you. We’ll take it outside because it’s designed to cope with rough terrain.’

  The controls were simple but versatile. Jarra learned them quickly because they were very similar to the controls of the much larger vehicle he used to drive to their Alkere explore places, and for 20 enjoyable minutes the remarkable little personal carrier was put through its paces. Mirri was going to absolutely love this because he’d be able to stand on the back and they could go to so many new places. Jarra deftly guided them back to the project room to give a big thank you to Yirgella as well as say goodbye for the next few weeks.

  ‘What made you build it? You know I’ve always refused a personal carrier in the past because my constant walking activities are so important for my health.’

  ‘I spoke with Alira and Burnu about Birringurra and we wanted to overcome some of your limitations, and in particular I’ve designed it for the local terrain so you can accompany Mirri on the Walkabout.’

  ‘Yirgy, that’s wonderful, and Mirri will be so pleased.’

  Jarra didn’t often use Mirri’s way of addressing Yirgella. He was naturally more reserved, but this was spontaneous. Mirri had been completely excited when he understood that the Centre’s educational Walkabout meant four days of non-stop exploring, but then he found out that Jarra couldn’t do it and he refused to go. Jarra felt awful and no amount of persuasion had any effect till Alira arranged a compromise where Jarra would be taken to meet with Mirri at every campsite.

  ‘Would it be possible for you to give it a proper trial tomorrow so I can monitor its performance? I’d like to suggest you catch the mag-lev out to Trephina Gorge and take the trail to the ridgetop.’

  That was quite a shock and Jarra had to process the idea for a moment. The ridgetop was foreign territory, far beyond the limits of normal consideration with its steep and rocky access trail.

  ‘It would take me up there? It’s a long way.’

  ‘A couple of kilometres is nothing. The fuel cell can manage several days of continuous use, and when it’s safe enough you can travel at up to 16 kilometres per her. Your doctor has developed guidelines to follow but he says you’ll adapt very quickly.’

  The doctor had been involved? Jarra wondered how long Yirgella had been working on this. The ridgetop? Amazing. And four days walking with Mirri. Unbelievable.

  ‘Show Jarra the companion function please, Durrebar. He hasn’t seen that yet.’

  Durrebar clicked a little device from its place next to the miniature InfoPad built into the console and fiddled with it.

  ‘Watch this. I’ve set it to stay at 2 metres. It’s for when you want to walk and not leave the carrier behind.’

  He set off on a random course round the project room and the personal carrier followed, manoeuvring its way successfully past every obstacle.

  ‘We thought this would be particularly useful for your explorations with Mirrigan as it will let you walk twice the normal distance and then carry you on the return.’

  After thanking Yirgella and Durrebar, Jarra happily drove his new carrier to the transport plane. He couldn’t wait to show off to Mirri.

  ***

  Everyone was smiling. This was the first time they’d all seen Karmai since he started his ranger job and he was laughing because, along with everyone else, Mirri had just hugged him for about the tenth time. Jarra thought he seemed different. Not his looks but his manner. Perhaps it was his ranger clothes. Right now it was all greetings, family banter, and getting organised to travel from Carnarvon to Birringurra. There’d be time for proper talk later.

  ***

  ‘Welcome to Country. It is a privilege to have you stay with us.’

  ‘Thank you, Jarli, but we
are the ones being honoured. This is Burnu, my brother, and his family.’

  Alira formally introduced the group to Jarli, her counterpart on the Carnarvon Council, then everyone headed to the river where Jarli’s own family and some of the guides and instructors from the Heritage program were waiting to share a meal.

  The 150 metre walk took Jarra’s breath away and he stared in awe at the giant river gums and grotesquely shaped paperbark trees. They made even the special ghost gums at home look ordinary, and the sparkling waters and rich red sand made the rock pools at some of their exploring places seem tiny. Mirri grabbed Jarra’s arm.

  ‘Look, JJ. Funny-face bird. See, next to pelican.’

  Mirri knew pelicans because Karmai had taken them to a nursery near Carnarvon on their last trip. Karmai was close to Mirri and he answered.

  ‘He’s called a Royal Spoonbill, Mirri. He uses that round part on the end of his long bill to catch his food.’

  ‘He has a spoon on his bill. Funny-face. Can we swim in the water, Karmai?’

  ‘Of course you can. Look at the littlies playing.’

  A number of children were splashing in the shallow water near the waiting group. After a formal welcoming ceremony there were more introductions and then the Mparntwe people sat on the sand to eat the meal of fish, yams and other natural food which had been prepared. Jarra was most interested because part of their time here would involve learning how to gather these different foods for themselves. There was talk and laughter and meeting different people till inevitably came the tug at Jarra’s arm.

  ‘Can we explore now, JJ?’

  ‘Let’s ask Aunty Alira. She’ll know if it’s all right.’

  Mirri ran to get Karmai. After so long apart there was no way he wouldn’t be included, but disappointingly he was busy with someone else. Alira was with Jarli and it was quickly worked out that there was nearly an hour before everyone was leaving the river.

  ‘What would you like to see?’

  Jarli was still new to Mirri so Jarra answered for him.

  ‘Mirrigan likes to see everything, especially animals, and he’d like to have a swim too.’

  ‘Animals and swimming? That sounds interesting and I know a great place to go.’

  He gave a call, two little boys came running, and there was a rapid interchange in what must have been the local people’s traditional language.

  ‘Would you like my two rascals to be your guides? I’ve told them to catch a tortoise for you and show you the best swimming place. This one is Barega … and this one is Akama.’

  Amazing. Jarra would remember the names but there was no way he’d be able to tell which was which. Mirri’s looks were going back and forth, back and forth, but his big smile said these fascinating little guides were accepted.

  ‘What is a tortoise, JJ?’

  ‘It’s like a little turtle, Mirri, with feet instead of flippers.’

  Mirri understood turtles from Karmai and Monkey Mia but his attention was on the boys.

  ‘Why are you the same?’

  ‘We are twins. Akama came first but I’m stronger and I swim better. My daddy says you want to explore and we do too. What’s your name? We’re going to catch you a tortoise. Can you run fast? I think you look strong. Can you lift me up with one arm? My daddy can and he’s stronger than anyone.’

  Mirri couldn’t cope with this rapid barrage of comments and questions but he was smiling rather than looking baffled. Jarli laughed and put a big strong hand on Barega’s head.

  ‘Steady down, you little galah. Say one thing at a time so Mirrigan has a chance to think about it, and if you make up stories all the time he won’t believe you.’

  ‘I like to hear stories. Can he tell good stories like Jarra stories?’

  Two little faces looked up with great interest and Jarra wondered if the stories he used for Mirri would work with them.

  ‘Mirri, twins are special brothers who look the same because they have the same birthday.’

  ‘Will you tell us a story, please?’

  This was the other little boy. Jarra searched for some way to tell them apart but Mirri was right: they did look identical.

  ‘I know a story about how the tortoise got his shell. Would you like to hear that one when we finish exploring?’

  There were two happy nods then, simultaneously, Barega took Mirri’s hand and Akama took Jarra’s.

  ‘Let’s go.’

  The boys went almost directly to a tortoise and Mirri was so amazed and intrigued that he started a soft vocalisation of his wonder. The boys stared at this unusual behaviour, but after a few seconds Akama, now easily identified by a distinctive scratch on his knee, followed the lead with his own version of Mirri’s sound and straightaway Barega joined in as well. The release of the tortoise was followed with more exploring, an attempt to get close to another funny-face bird, then a short walk to what was called the good swimming place. Barega grabbed Jarra’s hand and started to lead him to the water but Mirri stopped that and said it was time to sit down.

  ‘Jarra needs a rest for his bad muscles. Can you tell us the tortoise story, JJ?’

  For 5 minutes the audience of three listened raptly then, after a thank you hug from Mirri, which the boys immediately copied, Jarra was directed to ‘close eyes’ while they had a swim.

  Jarra did so—it really was time for a rest—and he listened to the yells and laughter while Mirri and the boys played and swam in the water about 20 metres away. Mirri was running through his repertoire of spouting whales, shark and crocodile attacks, and a fairly new dolphin diving game. Shrieks of delight made Jarra open his eyes to watch Barega sitting on Mirri’s shoulders and directing him to chase Akama who was accidentally on purpose letting himself be caught and thrown through the air to land with a grand splash.

  Jarra faded for a while till sudden quietness brought him back. They were all looking at him so he gave a wave which Mirri would know meant they could keep on with their swimming.

  A quick check on his InfoPad showed that he’d been properly asleep because it was nearly 20 minutes later than he’d thought. Good. He could go in the water and join in. He didn’t though. He watched the interaction between Mirri and the boys instead. Mirri was crawling through the water, shaking his body and bucking gently so the twins on his back had to work at staying in place. One of them—Jarra couldn’t tell which from this distance—fell off and everything stopped till he regained his place. Mirri’s funny calls of whatever animal he thought he was being at the moment mingled with the laughter and yells of the boys and Jarra watched with the wonder that Mirri’s happy nature continually evoked. Both boys fell off as Mirri suddenly knelt up and started beckoning. Somehow he’d known that Jarra was watching and expected him to join in.

  ***

  The next two weeks were very busy and very, very interesting, and because it allowed him to join in with almost all the outdoor activities, Jarra was totally grateful for his personal carrier.

  On the day after their arrival the morning activity was a leisurely walk along the riverside with several sorties into the surrounding country to learn some of the area’s natural food sources, and without the transport he’d never have coped.

  By the end of the first week Jarra worked out that by relying on his personal carrier and a number of strategically timed rests he could get through the major activity of the morning, then having at least 2 hours sleep and rest after midday would build his reserves enough to enable an explore of some kind in the afternoon with Mirri and whoever else was involved.

  Karmai came with them most days, Alira when she wasn’t too busy with something else, and because something had clicked between them, the twins sought out Mirri whenever they could and led the way for most of the expeditions.

  One of the best places was over 2 kilometres downstream where the river widened. Large sheets of shallow water attracted a myriad of water birds and you could sneak close to watch the different types. The distance meant the twins travelled o
n the personal carrier with Jarra while Mirri and Karmai would walk, jog or run along with them.

  Evenings were often very special gatherings by a campfire to hear elders recounting the Dreamtime, and several times Jarra, Mirri, and Karmai sat in the soft sand by the riverside learning special men’s business from Jarli or another leader.

  ***

  The four-day Walkabout was something Jarra would never ever forget and he used his special ComPatch with its higher quality to record every moment. It was no good for communication with Yirgella at this distance, of course, but everything would be sent through the InterWeb when they got back to the Birringurra Centre.

  Mirri amazed everyone, especially their guides, with his ability to find and see things before anyone else. He also created a huge problem on the first day when a blue-tongued lizard he’d caught was killed in front of him for a meal. With tears trickling from his eyes and his song of misery shaking everyone to the core, he turned his back and refused to have anything to do with it. The whole course for the Walkabout had to be changed and moved closer to the river where there were a lot more vegetarian sources of food.

  Jarra also caused modifications to the established Walkabout procedure because of his constant need to rest, and the midday stop always lasted several hours. At other times when the imperative for rest came on him, one of the guides would stay with him for 20 or 30 minutes then stand on the back of the personal carrier while they travelled at more than twice the normal group pace on a catch-up journey. The terrain would dictate the actual speed but Jarra was now so proficient at judging the best path and controlling his carrier that the guides all said it was exciting. Jarra thought so too.

  On the last night Mirri, Karmai, and two other brothers went through a symbolic passing to manhood ritual, their bodies painted with ochre, singing and chanting, and copying the rhythm and movement around the campfire of the guide leading them through it. Along with listening to appropriate parts of the Dreamtime, they’d practiced different sections of the dancing on the previous two nights so they were very proficient and the atmosphere of it all gave Jarra goosebumps in his hair.