Mparntwe

by Peter Wood

  Into the hush of response to this heartfelt dedication came a soft skirl from the soundboard. Mirri, not quite sure why he was the centre of so much fixed attention, beckoned for support and Jarra, along with the twins, moved beside him while the sound gradually strengthened.

  Music had become a bigger part of Jarra’s life after Jarara’s visit and he’d built quite a collection, but none of it could compare with what he was hearing now. Jarara could turn Mirri’s voice into this? No, it wasn’t turning at all, rather complementing and interpreting in musical terms. Majesty and motion as the aerial king surveyed his domain, the rush of wind and the sense of power, the exhilaration of a stoop and the flurry of recovery, it was all there. The tempo and pitch of a lofty approach built to a crescendo of arrival then cut off completely. Into the sudden silence came Mirri’s Eagle Song, amplified and astonishing, alone for 20 seconds till tones from the soundboard joined in.

  For another 10 minutes the music continued, growing in power and feeling till Jarra was carried away. The amplified sound rose in what Jarra interpreted as the triumphant natural whistle of an eagle, ended with a note of finality and was again replaced with Mirri’s singing. Jarara was on his feet and gesturing to the new source.

  Mirri, oblivious to everyone round the campfire, was providing his own finish to Jarara’s music.

  ***

  ‘I can look after them but they’ll have to sleep on the floor with the rest of us. There’s only one bed in my quarters and Jarra will be using that.’

  Everyone was getting ready to depart and the twins had been begging Jarli to let them go to Monkey Mia with Mirri and Jarra. They’d asked Mirri first, and of course he’d wanted them to see dolphins with him, and Jarli’s concern that his little galahs had taken over Mirri and Jarra’s lives too much was getting overwhelming resistance. Karmai’s offer on top of Jarra’s eventually made him laugh.

  ‘I give up. I know when I’m overruled. You can stay for one night as long as you promise to do whatever Uncle Karmai tells you.’

  Barega jumped on his father’s lap so he could hug him round the neck and, with an assist from Jarli’s somehow free arm, Akama joined him.

  ‘Now. Who’s your boss at Monkey Mia?’

  ‘Uncle Karmai.’

  ‘And who else?’

  Akama answered straight off.

  ‘Uncle Jarra.’

  ‘And? … And? … And?’

  ‘Uncle Mirri/Uncle Mirri.’

  ‘Good. And who’s going to be very quiet and thoughtful when Uncle Jarra is resting?’

  Both boys turned from their crowded positions on Jarli’s lap to look at Jarra and give serious little nods. Last night they’d accompanied Mirri when all the excitement had become too much and Jarra had needed a pig ride to his bed before the corroboree was finished. Jarra nodded back but he was really thinking about being called ‘Uncle’. Jarli must have said something to them last night or this morning because up till now he’d just been Jarra. It felt rather special.

  ‘Run and get your day-packs while I tell Karmai all the rules you have to follow.’

  The twins were gone in a flash but there was no discussion of rules, just talk about what they might be doing and their pick-up arrangements.

  ***

  ‘Hang on tight. If you fall in, the blue crabs will tug your toes and the lobsters will bite your bottom.’

  The twins looked rather dubiously at Karmai, but they did grip the railing tightly. Mirri wanted to know what a lobster was.

  ‘It’s like a giant yabby.’

  ‘How giant?’

  Karmai held his hands apart.

  ‘When we put our diving masks on we might see one.’

  Karmai was taking them on an expedition in his ranger’s boat to show them all sorts of things in Shark Bay.

  Today’s trip was a surprise because word had come in about a group of passing humpback whales, and since they might be gone by tomorrow the adventure to see tiger sharks was now delayed till the afternoon. And because it was in the opposite direction, the main event of visiting Karmai’s dolphin pod would have to happen tomorrow. Mirri and the twins stayed at the front of the boat like true explorers while Jarra relaxed and watched from the comfortable recliner which had been secured to the deck for him. Karmai controlled the boat and called out the name of every feature and seabird Mirri discovered.

  Mirri saw the whales first—that was to be expected—and Karmai cut the speed to edge closer. Five massive bodies came into view and Jarra watched in awe as one of them breached only 10 metres from the boat. For nearly half an hour they shared the wonder and excitement and Jarra became convinced the whales were curious about their presence. Karmai agreed. Mirri and the twins liked the little calf, though at 7 metres in length it was only little in comparison to the 15 metres of its mother. Jarra loved the calf, too, but his favourite was the really active whale which kept lifting its great tail flukes out of the water. Karmai said it was full of energy because it was a young adult. The ocean went quiet and the whales were gone. After a few minutes of expectant waiting to see one surface Karmai checked the boat’s tracking instruments.

  ‘They’re on the move, Mirri. We could follow them but we mightn’t see them if they stay under the water. I think we should head for the shallow water and look for the sharks.’

  Mirri and the boys resumed their lookout positions at the prow of the boat, Jarra relaxed on his recliner again, and Karmai headed the boat for their next adventure.

  ***

  The twins weren’t happy about it but they stayed on the boat with Jarra while Mirri and Karmai dived to look for the lobsters which had caught Mirri’s interest.

  ‘Uncle Jarra, when will the dolphins get here?’

  ‘I don’t know, Barega. Karmai said this is one of their favourite places and they know when his boat is here.’

  ‘Do they know it’s his boat? It might be a different boat.’

  This question was from Akama. He was always asking curious things.

  ‘They can tell because the boat has its own sound and they can hear much better than we can.’

  ‘Where are their ears?’

  ‘That’s a very good question. They can’t have ears on the outside because they have to swim fast to catch fish and outside ears would slow them down. Their ears are inside through tiny holes near their eyes, but they hear with their mouths too.’

  Barega opened his mouth to try this strange way of listening and when Akama immediately copied him Jarra couldn’t help laughing. He even joined in the ‘open the mouth to listen every time someone speaks’ game a couple of times till Karmai surfaced with a lobster in his thickly gloved hand. Mirri followed him onto the boat and, learning from Karmai how to hold the spiky crustacean, took charge. After his normal intense scrutiny Mirri turned to Karmai.

  ‘Not like a big yabby.’

  Jarra was surprised because he thought ‘big yabby’ was a very good description.

  ‘Why not, Mirri? It looks like one to me.’

  ‘A yabby has danger claws.’

  He was right. The yabbies they sometimes saw in the rock pools at home had very prominent pincers. Barega carefully touched one of the legs and squealed in delight when the lobster flapped its tail. He went to do it again but Mirri moved the lobster away.

  ‘Don’t scare, Barega. Can we send him home now, Karmai? He wants the water.’

  Karmai’s answer was interrupted by a splashing sound and some very distinctive squeaks.

  The dolphins had arrived.

  Chapter 15

  Jarra’s curiosity levels were way high. Yesterday, after arriving home, he’d had a talk with Yirgella about his time at Birringurra and Monkey Mia, but that had been through the InterWeb because after travelling to Carnarvon and then to Mparntwe an extra trip to Alkere was too much. Now he was with Alira, Burnu and Mirri in the transport plane, which, instead of landing at Alkere, was proceeding, at Yirgella’s instruction, on a survey flight to check out all the progress a
t the new solar array. Burnu was particularly eager to see what was happening and after their flyover would be staying for the day to watch how Yirgella’s techbots and the human construction teams were able to work together so effectively.

  ‘Look at that! It’s hard to believe.’

  They’d just reached the edge of the new array and below them the big solar panels stretched into the distance. Not long before they’d left for Birringurra Country Jarra had seen the earliest stage with several hundred functioning panels. Now the country was transformed with thousands of them, and power was pouring out to the excavation machines and materials factories.

  ‘Silver City.’

  ‘Yes, Mirri. It’s a new Silver City and Yirgella helped build it while we were away.’

  ‘When do we see the tunnels?’

  Mirri had been seeing big silver arrays all his life so the tunnels in the ground were far more interesting. Burnu laughed and told him to be patient.

  ‘After I get off, the plane will take you to the first group of tunnels and when you get back to Alkere you can see the best one of all.’

  By the best one Burnu meant the Alkere to Mparntwe tunnel for which the excavation had been completed and the whole length lined with the strongest hardened materials the factories could produce. As it turned out Mirri liked the uncompleted tunnels best because they were ‘proper’ tunnels with the associated activity of chains of automated ore carriers. Jarra was intrigued too. Yirgella’s plan for the system between Mparntwe and Darwin involved four separate smaller tunnels rather than a big multi-purpose one, with a tunnel each way for materials and general transport and a tunnel each way for express travel. The biggest interest, though, was in getting to Alkere and seeing Yirgella again. After four weeks Jarra wondered if they’d notice any change in him. Mirri just wanted to get together with his special friend and talk about all his adventures. The plane landed normally and Jarra, Mirri, and Alira made their way through entrance security.

  ‘Welcome back, Mirri and Jarra. Make your way directly to the lift system on basement level three.’

  ‘Yirgy!’

  ‘Hello, Mirri. You are looking very fit and healthy and I can’t wait to hear your stories about Karmai and his dolphins.’

  ‘The dolphins sing. Why aren’t we going to JJ’s room?’

  ‘JJ’s room has moved and you go a different way to get there. I hope you like my surprise.’

  Mirri loved surprises, well, good ones at any rate, and Yirgella’s tone did sound good. Alira, with a smile of her own, which meant she was in on the surprise, headed off somewhere.

  ‘Did you move your room, JJ?’

  ‘It’s a surprise for me, too, Mirri, so we’ll have to find it together.’

  With Mirri eagerly leading they made their way to the third level and looked to the nearest screen for Yirgella to tell them where to go next.

  ‘Follow the green arrows, Mirri, and I’ll take you to the new lift system.’

  Lift system? Jarra didn’t understand. They’d just used the lifts to get here. Maybe Yirgella had built a whole new section for some project? Arrows lit up in the floor and Mirri, loving this new game, once again led the way. Jarra saw the giant double-width lift doors and knew straight away what they meant.

  ‘Whoo! Open them, Mirri. I think we’re going to have a big ride.’

  Mirri pressed the standard entry panel and they entered the biggest lift Jarra had ever seen. At twice the height and four times the standard area it was obviously designed for heavy work. A display screen near the control panel showed a silent Yirgella with a big smile.

  ‘Which panel, JJ?’

  Jarra looked to Yirgella but he just kept smiling.

  ‘Um … Let’s try the one that says “home”.’

  Mirri carefully figured out the right panel and pressed. Their stomachs lurched as they began a rapid descent.

  ‘This is a long-time lift.’

  Mirri was certainly right about that and Jarra wondered just how deep into the earth they were going. The earlier plans had said 1100 metres but by the time they stopped he had a sense it must be more.

  ‘Welcome to our new home. Just follow the green arrows, Mirri, and I will show you the way.’

  Mirri enjoyed this arrow game and after some walking and three turns in the corridors they entered a room which surprised Jarra with its size.

  ‘Yirgella, this is much bigger than the plans we worked on.’

  ‘Yes, I thought it would be a good idea to have a permanent section for nanobot research as well as all your standard equipment.’

  Mirri followed as Jarra toured the room, checking the 3D printers, the electron microscopes, the fancy looking new InfoSystem, and the luxuriously appointed relaxation partition.

  ‘Mirri, I have a surprise for you too. Through that blue door is your very own room for whenever you visit. I hope you like it.’

  Mirri rushed straight for the door with Jarra in his wake and went through to what could only be called a specialised action room.

  ‘My very own room. Thank you, Yirgy. It is the best room. Do you want to talk about the dolphins now?’

  After a look round Jarra left them to it and returned to his own room.

  ‘This is wonderful, Yirgella. There’s a lot more here than I expected. Are you making this our main research area?’

  ‘Of course—though it’s not as big as some of the others. Professor Allerton’s microprocessor team has four times the area, and the space for food research is nearly three times as big.’

  ‘You’re doing food research? That’s new.’

  ‘I think it’s important, and Darri has assembled a very good team.’

  ‘How far underground are we? It seemed a long way in the lift.’

  ‘Fifteen hundred metres. Exploratory drilling showed a particularly suitable area at this depth so we’re making full use of it.’

  Jarra wasn’t sure what that meant but Yirgella went on to explain.

  ‘I had discussions with our project people and we’re building all the infrastructure for a self-contained Community. I’ll show you around in your new personal carrier whenever you’re ready.’

  ‘A new one? What for? After all the adventures we had with it at Birringurra Country I like the one I’ve got now.’

  Yirgella actually laughed and Jarra wondered why.

  ‘You’ve become attached to a machine. I can’t really dispute the sense of that, can I?’

  ‘You’re not a machine. The bits you’re made of might be, but that’s different to you.’

  ‘Thank you, Jarra. This is not a topic I expected to talk about today. Would you be happy to keep your trusty old personal carrier at Mparntwe and use the new improved model I’ve built for you while you’re here at Alkere?’

  Jarra couldn’t help grinning. The humorous tone was giving him a sense that Yirgella was pleased to have him back.

  For over an hour they discussed the happenings at Birringurra and Monkey Mia. Yirgella had seen the ComPatch versions which had all been sent through the InterWeb, but for his own reasons liked hearing Jarra’s thoughts and interpretations about everything. He’d be doing the same thing in the next room and Mirri would be pouring out his feelings and excitement with all the laughter and happiness that was the trademark of their catch-up sessions.

  ‘What was the significance of the Eagle Song Jarara made for Mirri?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I’ve watched five different ComPatch views and they all show reactions I’m not sure I understand. Mirri was completely engrossed, but so was everyone else I could see, and Alira and Burnu had tears in their eyes.’

  ‘It was amazing. No-one there had ever heard anything like it and it wasn’t just special because it was Mirri’s song. It fitted in perfectly with the atmosphere of the corroboree, and it made you feel like you were the eagle.’

  ‘Would you be able to arrange contact with Jarara? I’d very much like to talk to him.’

  ‘Ab
out the Eagle Song?’

  ‘And his other work. He stated that Mirri has been his inspiration and I’d like to understand what he means by that.’

  Jarra accessed Jarara’s contact information on his new InfoSystem, then hesitated.

  ‘I know he’ll be happy to talk but it’s very early in the morning with the time difference. We should wait a couple of hours. Have you started any other new projects besides the food research?’

  ‘The construction and duplication of our surface resources down here has kept me functioning at close to my limit but, along with running the two NanoFactories, I’ve worked with Professor Allerton and his team to develop a range of techbots around one of his new processors.’

  ‘Is that why it’s all happened so quickly?’

  ‘Partly. Security has been my biggest concern, though, and we’re on track to transfer my centre of awareness in just three more weeks.’

  ‘Down here? What will happen to the surface project? Will it become a new AI companion for you?’

  ‘That’s a plan for the future. Currently I work at close to my limits and when I make the transfer the surface facilities will be used as an extension and help oversee many of the routine tasks like operating the two NanoFactories. It will also be backup storage for my accumulated data.’

  Jarra called up the plans for the underground facility.

  ‘This will make you twice as big.’

  ‘More than twice as big in simple volume terms, seven times as big for information storage, but only 11% more capable in overall terms.’

  ‘Eleven per cent! That’s huge. Why do you say “only”?’

  ‘It is significant, but I’m hoping for an eventual improvement somewhere in the order of 60%.’

  Jarra knew enough about Yirgella’s fundamentals to ask the right question.

  ‘How? Your processors are already state of the art.’

  ‘The work with Professor Allerton and his team has produced some breakthrough ideas and we’re expecting a practical outcome in five or six months.’

  ‘Super processors? Professor Allerton must be very excited.’