Singing the Dogstar Blues

by Alison Goodman

  ‘Cadet Joss Aaronson, you are now authorised for single entry/exit into the T2 Time Laboratory. Thank you.’ The inner door slid open.

  Mav touched my shoulder as I stepped off the scan pad. I think he was reassuring himself, but it didn’t do me any harm either. One of the guards, a young guy who already had grey in his hair, motioned me further away from the scanner door. We all jumped when the tube door snapped shut. I had expected to step into an entrance foyer, but we were standing in a long central corridor with at least ten doors on either side. The guards had done a great job of securing the area: the corridor was completely deserted and eerily quiet. It seemed to affect us all because we waited in silence as Wolfendon, Harris and the other guard scanned through behind me. We walked up to the T2 lab door.

  It was suspiciously easy to get into the actual lab. One swipe of your wrist-band across the scan pad and the door was open. There was, of course, the small matter of ten neuro needles set into the doorframe. No wishy-washy alarms for the Time Labs. It was a case of no authorisation — no movement from the neck down.

  As we walked through the doorway, the rest of the class turned and stared at us. They were grouped at the far end of an elegant console that stretched across most of the front wall. Chaney whispered a comment to Jorel who burst out laughing. But I didn’t have any time for those clowns. I was there to see one thing: the Jumper.

  It was set back towards the far wall, surrounded by a ring of inactive force-field stakes. I’d kind of expected it to take up most of the lab, but it was only about the size of a sports-hover and shaped like an onion that someone had squashed. In comparison to the sleek surroundings of the lab, it looked a bit of a mess. Every part of it was angled or tubed except the smooth dome of the plasglass cabin. The official holos of the Jumpers made them look really smooth and elegant. But the squat compact crouch of the real thing was far more powerful. T2 reminded me of a bulldog. Ugly as sin and all grunt.

  A technician was kneeling near the Jumper, poking around inside a small hatch. Four fixer beams suddenly flickered on, securing T2 to the floor. The techo sat back on her heels, satisfied. Then someone tapped me on the shoulder.

  ‘Hey, how are you guys going?’

  I turned to see Lisa.

  ‘Hi. What are you doing here?’

  ‘Derry and I got suckered into helping out with your tour,’ she said, nodding towards her partner. Derry was standing next to the console, talking to Tonio and Sara. Tonio looked up at me and waved.

  ‘Quick, look at this,’ Lisa said, grabbing my shoulders and turning me to face T2 again. ‘They’re putting the fruz-field back on.’

  The hatch technician turned and gave a thumbs up towards the console. There was a loud pop in the air and a faint purple haze crept upwards from the ring of stakes until it covered T2 in a dome that stretched from floor to ceiling.

  ‘Fruz-field?’ Mav asked.

  ‘It’s a security force field that totally immobilises you if you touch it,’ Lisa said. ‘Literally freezes you to the spot until the security forces arrive.’

  ‘Does it hurt?’ I asked.

  Lisa smiled. ‘They reckon it doesn’t, but I’m not too keen to put it to the test.’ She turned to Mav. ‘So what do you think of the Jumper, Mavkel? Isn’t she a beauty?’

  ‘Very much a beauty,’ Mav sang, but his ears dropped.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ I asked.

  ‘T2 has a pronoun,’ Mav sang. ‘T2 lives. We must make formal greeting. What are her bloodlines?’

  Lisa looked at me, puzzled.

  ‘Mav has just discovered pronouns,’ I said, pressing my lips together so I wouldn’t laugh. ‘It’s okay, Mav. T2 isn’t alive. It’s just a custom to call any kind of ship a she.’

  ‘Why?’

  I shrugged. He had me there. ‘It’s just a tradition.’

  Mav nodded. ‘Yes, Mavkel understands tradition.’

  He turned to Lisa.

  ‘According to the human tradition, I am a he because Joss is a she.’

  Lisa looked at me, her eyebrows raised.

  ‘Let’s just say Mav has chosen to be a he from now on,’ I said.

  ‘Gotcha,’ Lisa said. She smiled at Mav.

  Harris, who was talking to a tall round-shouldered man, clapped his hands for attention.

  ‘Okay people, I’d like you all over here at the operations console. This is Mr Roan. He’s Head Engineer for T2 and will be taking you through the workings of the Lab.’

  ‘Gotta go and do my duty,’ Lisa said. She hurried over towards Derry.

  Wolfendon ordered her men to take up their positions around the room and waved Mav and I towards the console. Chaney and gang had lined up in front of Roan, taking all the good positions. I moved behind Jason, who wasn’t as tall as the others, and checked out the rest of the room. Above the console was a glassed-in viewing level with a row of plush chairs. VIP territory. There were also four wall crawlers monitoring the lab and infra-red beam nodules evenly spaced at ankle level around the perimeter of the room. Heavy duty security.

  ‘Lisa and Derry,’ Harris continued, indicating the pair standing beside him, ‘are fifth year students who have kindly volunteered to answer your questions about time-jumping after the tour. Okay, the class is all yours, Mr Roan.’

  Roan smiled shyly.

  ‘As you may have gathered, this is the operations desk for T2. During a jump, it’s always monitored by three support personnel and supervised by a senior time-jumper.’

  He moved behind the console and pointed to a bank of screens and readings. Peter, Chaney and Jorel had pushed Jason along the console and moved directly in front of Mav and I, blocking our view. I stood on my toes, but still couldn’t make out which display Roan was describing. Mav was even worse off. He tried to stand on his toes, but his claws stopped him mid hoist.

  ‘Hey,’ I whispered to Chaney, ‘move over. Mav and I can’t see.’

  ‘Tough,’ Chaney said.

  What a snorkwit. Roan moved on to the next section of the console. I wasn’t going to see anything at this rate, so I tried to edge in between Peter and Chaney. Peter shoved me sideways, straight into a rib gouge from Chaney.

  ‘Yeow,’ Chaney said loudly, covering my hmmph of pain. ‘You’re pushing me into the console, Joss.’

  ‘Aaronson, stop messing around,’ Harris said. ‘This isn’t a game.’

  Chaney was playing rough. I limped back, no ground made. Of course, I could just complain to Harris, but that was admitting defeat. And I couldn’t let Chaney get away with that rib gouge. I figured that since Mav and I were stuck at the back of the class at the console, we’d automatically be at the front when we all moved towards T2. A satisfying switch that was full of pay-back promise. I looked over at Mav. If he was agreeable, I had some very interesting plans for his ears. He was bobbing about trying to see through the gap between Jason and Peter. He saw me looking at him and side-stepped across.

  ‘I do not see,’ he sang softly. He squeezed his noses to stifle a sneeze.

  I nodded, rubbing my ribcage. ‘Chaney’s being a real pain, but I’ve got a plan. Will you help me?’

  Mav’s ears raised slightly.

  ‘I will help you in all things. You are my pair.’ He flicked me his double smile.

  ‘I was thinking that when we go over to T2, we could stop Chaney from seeing. Maybe with your ears. Can you make them go really wide or something?’

  Mav started to spread his ears up and out. It was like seeing a beach umbrella opening.

  ‘Put them down!’ I whispered, glancing at Harris. Luckily he was busy snapping a stray thread off his jacket. ‘Just open them enough to stop Chaney seeing anything when we’re looking at the Jumper.’

  ‘Why do we stop Chaney?’

  ‘To pay him back,’ I said.

  Mav tilted his head, puzzled.

  ‘Revenge,’ I continued, ‘retaliation, settling the score.’

  ‘Ahh, it is a game,’ Mav sang, nodding.

 
; Close enough. I started to edge backwards, pulling Mav with me by the edge of his woollen wrap. When the class moved to T2, I wanted us to be there first. Roan had moved on to the security measures, pointing out the wall crawlers above the console.

  ‘These four crawlers are continually feeding information to the shielded monitoring room. Most of the time it’s just automated security stuff. However, during a jump, a back-up crew keeps an eye on all of the systems. Just in case something happens to the personnel inside the lab.’

  A low murmur went around the group. We had all seen the vis-recordings of the early experimental jumps. You’ve got to wonder how long it took them to scrape six people off four walls and a ceiling.

  ‘The viewing level is also shielded. We wouldn’t want to accidentally disintegrate our VIPs, would we?’ Roan said. Everyone laughed.

  ‘Okay, now the bit you’ve all been waiting for,’ he said. ‘Let’s take a look at T2.’

  That was our cue. I swung Mav around and we moved into place. Mav gave an experimental flip of his ears. I watched as Chaney tried to bulldoze his way into his usual front position. Exactly as expected. I was also counting on the group’s eagerness to see T2 and they didn’t let me down. Chaney got caught right in the middle of the surge and was herded straight towards us. Not enough time or room to divert. Mav calmly stepped in front of him just as he reached the Jumper. Chaney caught my look and smirked. He wasn’t worried, after all he was at least a head taller than Mav. For now.

  ‘Calm down, people,’ Harris yelled. ‘This is delicate equipment!’

  ‘Stay back behind the line,’ Roan said loudly, getting everyone’s attention. ‘As you can see, T2 has a security force field over it …’

  I tuned out as Roan explained the fruz-field to the group. Mav was shifting from foot to foot, ready for action. I nudged him. He flicked his eyelids and very slowly started to unfurl his ears. Roan moved on to the plasglass cabin, pointing out how it was attached to the soft-metal body. So far, Chaney hadn’t noticed anything. Mav was moving in geological time, the spreading of his ears almost imperceptible. Roan explained how the soft-metal stretched as the Jumper moved through time, and Mav’s ears had somehow blocked the lower level of T2. By the time Roan got to the interior, Chaney was standing on his toes. I fought down a huge snort of laughter.

  ‘If you look at this section of the Jumper, you can see the return countdown display and the oxygen level readout,’ Roan said.

  We all leaned closer. Behind me, I heard Chaney grunt with annoyance. Mav had completely extended his ears and totally blocked Chaney’s view of T2. Not only that, but he seemed to know which way Chaney was shifting and moved with him. It was classic.

  ‘Put your ears down,’ Chaney hissed.

  Mav’s reply was to stretch them a bit higher.

  ‘Put them down or I’ll put them down for you!’

  Mav didn’t budge.

  Suddenly Chaney pushed down on the top joint bones of Mav’s ears. It didn’t look like a hard push, but he must have hit something crucial because Mav screamed. A shrill thin sound horribly unlike his normal harmonies. I twisted around, shoving Chaney into the people behind him. But I was off balance, and Chaney pushed back.

  As I hit the fruz-field, I remember thinking that Lisa was wrong. It did hurt. The deep bone pain of extreme cold. And it was so quiet. Then the bone ache disappeared. In fact, all feeling disappeared and I couldn’t move. I was pretty sure I was still breathing and my heartbeat was probably around 200 bpm’s, but voluntary movement had shut down. I couldn’t even move my eyes. I think I preferred the pain.

  Within my peripheral vision I saw Wolfendon and one of the guards running towards the Jumper. Then Mav reached into the force field. I wanted to yell out to him to stop, but I couldn’t even moan. He grabbed a fruz-field stake, his two thumbs wrapping over one another as he strained to pull it out of the floor. A thick metal rivet hit me in the shoulder as the stake was ripped free of its moorings. Mav pulled it clear of the grid. I remember thinking, why isn’t he fruzzed? Then I dropped flat on the floor. I gasped for breath, instinctively curling into a ball, away from the sudden onslaught of feeling and sound. I felt Mav’s rough-skinned hands on my head.

  ‘Do you pain, Joss?’ he shrilled, patting my ears. I looked up at him.

  ‘Aaronson, are you all right?’ It was Camden-Stone’s voice. How did he get here? ‘Harris, get a medic. Everyone else move back and be quiet.’

  The class stepped back a few paces, the buzz of their excitement dropping a pitch. I moved my head experimentally. So far, so good. I grabbed hold of Mav and sat up. Not so good. The lab was washing up around me like a squally sea and my shoulder hurt like hell. I squinted, trying to stop the walls moving.

  Camden-Stone stuck his face in front of mine. ‘Are you all right?’

  I had barely nodded before he turned around to Chaney.

  ‘What the hell were you doing hitting Mavkel and pushing Aaronson into the field? Can you imagine my embarrassment when I showed Chanter Refmol the monitoring room and we saw you attacking his charge?’

  I looked around for Refmol. The Chanter was making its way towards Mav.

  ‘Aaronson started it,’ Chaney said.

  ‘That’s not true, sir,’ Lisa said, stepping forward. ‘Chaney and his friends have been hassling Joss and Mavkel from the start of the tour.’

  Camden-Stone’s hand was clenching and unclenching. Not a good sign for Chaney-boy.

  ‘You are officially on reprimand, Horain-Donlevy,’ Camden-Stone said. ‘If you or any of your cronies go near Aaronson or Mavkel beyond your class requirements, you are out of this Centre. Do you understand?’

  ‘Yes sir,’ Chaney said.

  ‘You’re confined to quarters for the rest of the day. Get out.’

  I’d never seen Chaney move so fast. Refmol was kneeling beside Mav, feeling his ears and humming.

  ‘Are you okay?’ I asked Mav. He was still gallantly propping me up.

  ‘I am well.’

  Refmol nodded agreement.

  ‘This force field does not affect our bodies as it does yours. And the violence to the ears is superficial. How do you feel, Joss Aaronson?’

  The lab sea was settling down, only a ripple here and there. I rubbed the side of my head, thinning my eyes against the pain.

  ‘Bit of a headache,’ I said.

  Refmol reached across and circled my forehead with its thumbs, pressing against sore points. It crooned softly. The headache eased immediately.

  ‘You are not permanently damaged,’ Refmol said.

  A medic pushed his way through the excited class and kneeled beside me. After a few questions and bit of poking around he came to the same conclusion. He turned to Camden-Stone.

  ‘I think she should come down to the medical centre for observation,’ he said.

  Camden-Stone nodded and beckoned to Wolfendon. Mav had been pulled to one side by Refmol and was in the middle of a heated debate, so I stood up with the help of the medic. Wolfendon offered me her shoulder to lean on.

  ‘You know,’ the sergeant said, turning me towards the door, ‘I don’t think your friend needs that much protecting.’

  I looked over at Mav. He was still holding the stake with its metal roots attached. He finished his conversation with Refmol in a burst of flat notes that didn’t sound very polite, and walked towards us.

  ‘I go to the medic place with you, not back to the Elders,’ he sang firmly. He took my other arm and patted my shoulder. ‘We not play this Chaney game again.’

  That sounded like a good idea. We had nearly made it to the door when Roan intercepted us, his mouth tighter than a cat’s bum.

  ‘I’d like my stake back, thank you,’ he said. Mav held it out, his ears drooping in apology. Roan snatched it out of his hand and strode off towards T2.

  ‘He’s a bit burned that Mav got through the fruz-field,’ Lisa said, walking up to us. ‘Are you both okay? I can’t believe Chaney could be so stupid.’r />
  ‘We’re fine,’ I said. ‘Thanks for sticking up for me in there.’

  She shrugged.

  ‘It was the truth. Chaney started the whole thing.’

  ‘Well, it’s no secret that Horain-Donlevy is a little thug,’ Wolfendon said.

  She moved us forward. I smiled back at Lisa as we passed through the door. Definitely an ally.

  ‘No secret?’ Mav sang. ‘Does this mean it is knowledged by all?’

  ‘Yep, everyone knows Chaney is a creep,’ I said, gingerly feeling my head. I pressed a sore point and clenched my teeth.

  ‘Then a secret is not knowledged by all?’ Mav sang, his ears stiff with concentration.

  ‘If everyone knows a secret then it isn’t a secret anymore, is it?’ the sergeant said.

  ‘Mav’s people are telepaths,’ I said, frowning at Wolfendon. ‘I don’t think they really understand secrets.’ I turned to Mav. ‘A secret is supposed to be kept to yourself. That’s the whole thing about a secret. No one else is supposed to know it.’

  ‘Do you have a secret, Joss?’ Mav asked.

  ‘I’ve got tons of them.’

  ‘A secret is supposed to be kept to yourself,’ he repeated carefully. ‘Yes, I understand. It must be kept to the self.’ He nodded as though making a decision, then sneezed all over my arm.

  Daniella

  The medic cleared me of any after-effects of the fruz-field, but advised me to take it easy and get a good night’s sleep. Not likely. I had a late appointment at the Buzz Bar.

  Mav wanted to come with me.

  ‘No,’ I said.

  ‘Why not?’ he asked.

  I motioned for him to lower his voice.

  ‘Because you can’t move without a guard up your bum. And I think your wrist-band has got a tracker in it,’ I whispered.

  ‘The wrist-band is bugged, like these rooms?’ he asked softly.

  I nodded.

  ‘That is good.’

  ‘What do you mean it’s good? It’s terrible.’

  ‘No, it is good. At home, everyone knows where you are. It is good. Comfortable.’

  Mav hadn’t quite got the hang of being around minds that no one could read.