Attunga - 16. Part 16

ATTUNGA Part 16.

“Level one emergency! Level one emergency! Engage acceleration safety restraints.”

Thom was the first to recover from the moment of shock and bewilderment and yelled to everyone to find a safety harness. With the automatic message still sounding, everyone rushed to comply. Almost reaching one of the seats, Wirrin staggered, and nearly fell when the transporter lurched with a sudden change of direction. Grasping for support, he pulled himself into place, and engaging his harness looked to see how everyone else was managing. Warrigal was getting to his feet, Akama hanging on to the back of a seat, and Thom and Gelar were buckled in. The transporter decelerated and when the lurching stopped Akama and Warrigal made themselves secure. The sound and fury of the warning message and flashing red screen abruptly stopped and everyone turned to Turaku.

“I regret the lack of warning Honored one, but the Comet is moving to a defensive position. Your boarding path is now recalibrated. Please remain with your acceleration restraints engaged. One of the low orbit space vessels is emitting a May Day distress signal indicating complete loss of control and descending at great velocity. Its trajectory however, leads to a direct impact on the gathered dolphins and we have interposed the Comet as a precautionary measure.”

“It's not out of control? It's being guided?”

“Yes, we're certain.”

“How long before impact?”

“Sixty-seven seconds, but no impact will occur.”

While Turaku was speaking the air transporter manoeuvred so forcefully that anyone not restrained would have been thrown in all directions. Wirrin was hardly aware of it. He was so focused on the holo image Turaku was relaying from the Comet.

These people must be crazy. Crashing a great spaceship to kill dolphins? Were there people on it? 150 meters in length and plummeting at over 900 kilometres per hour. ...It really was big. More and more thoughts flashed into Wirrin's mind as he linked to the security system.

... tried to link ... it was locked under Turaku's control somehow and he couldn't connect. A look showed that Turaku was once again a frozen image, a sign that back on the Comet he was focusing every possible resource on the crisis.

What did Turaku mean by no impact? At that size and rate of fall it was a deadly missile which would destroy the Comet no matter what its strength of construction. And if the Comet moved to safety Sonic and Calen and all the dolphins would be annihilated.

All sense of motion stopped. What?.. The transporter was docked.

35 seconds showed on the holo. Information was coming through, probably automatically.

25 seconds. Wirrin thought of Calen and Sonic in the open water and looked at Thom who was looking back. Yes he was thinking of them too.Wirrin's gaze snapped back to the countdown.

23 seconds. ... And helplessness raged as the numbers dwindled.

21 seconds. ...20 seconds. ...19 seconds.

All Wirrin could do was watch the countdown and the image of the plummeting vessel.

18 seconds.

...A great blaze of light surrounded the plunging arrow of destruction then darkened as protective filtering cut in. The dimly seen outline shuddered and separated into six or seven segments. Each segment was surrounded momentarily by a glowing aura then disintegrated to smaller pieces which were in turn broken apart. The process repeated so rapidly that after the glimpse of the first division everything appeared to exlode to a huge glowing cloud and it wasn't till Wirrin saw a slow motion replay that he understood what had happened. To all intents and purposes the space vessel had been turned to dust, or something like it, in four or five seconds.

“Crisis averted!”

Turaku was back, but after a quick glance around the transporter, Wirrin's focus returned to the screen where smaller glows of light were flaring below the spreading globe of particulate matter, reducing anything still falling to dust.

“What about the other vessels? Do we have to worry about them?”

“There is a low probability of action being directed against the Great Barrier Reef Center. North Australian Security is demanding dispersal of the remaining vessels along a prescribed path under threat of reprisal for non-compliance.”

The cloud on the screen disappeared and was replaced with a navigational representation showing three large red markers and a much larger group of smaller markers.

“What are all those smaller things? They're not missiles are they?”

That was Thom. At that moment the whole group of markers started moving.

“They are a variety of survival modules, small transporters and other craft which left the vessel when the distress call commenced. We believe all personnel were vacated before the suicidal plunge.”

“Do we stay in our safety restraints?”

“No Honored one. A return to the Control Center is now the most advisable course of action.”

“And Sonic and Calen haven't been harmed in any way?”

“Calen is somewhat stressed but too busy to dwell on it. Sonic has shown extraordinary presence of mind and rallied the Earth dolphins after their second general alarm call. They are leading the dolphins away from the settlement area for the vessel remnants. It's a precautionary measure only and in a short time they will resume their interrupted meeting.”

“What happened to that ship? I didn't know the Comet could do something like that?”

Regretfully we've not only revealed a portion of our offensive capability Thom, but also the fact of our presence. It was a battery of broad-spectrum energy beams controlled by the Security AI and myself. Wirrin can access the details from his info-station.”

Offensive? Wirrin would have called it defensive. Well, in this case anyway.

“Thank you Turaku. These are remarkable achievements.”

Akama released his safety harness and headed for the transporter exit with everyone following.

“Turaku, these attacks are bordering on fanatical. I think we should bring all dolphins into the Comet as soon as possible.”

Everyone stopped briefly at Gelar's words. Akama and Warrigal nodded then turned to Narn for his thoughts.

“Honored one, I am in no position to make such a decision, but it is apparent to me that we should follow as closely as possible the advice of our companion intelligences.”

He indicated Turaku.

“I agree with you Narn. With so much happening were all behind. ...Turaku what do you suggest?”

“The likelihood of further hostile action is low in the short term, but rising. I would like to see immediate action.”

“Rising? Again?”

The tone of disbelief in Akama's query matched the feeling of the whole group.

“Not critically, but the level of purpose evidenced is high. We rate it highly unlikely, but possible.”

“... Bring the dolphins aboard as quickly as possible.”

Wirrin felt like cheering and Thom was almost nodding his head off.

“Action initiated. ...Sonic informs me the dolphins will be dispersed to pod groups and ready for pick-up in five minutes.”

Five minutes? Turaku must have been in contact with Sonic all the time they were talking. Well of course he was. Poor Calen, he'd be even more stressed at a sudden message for a rush loading. They should be down there supporting him. As the group approached the Comet's Control Center a crowd of strangers passed. Who were they? Oh! The Earth companions moving to the dolphin transporter modules to be with their respective pods. So many people? The Control Center looked as if every person involved with the Comet was there. Yes, they had to be. It was the safest place in the ship.

Thom nudged Wirrin's arm.

“What?”

“Find out if there are any more threats.”

He was pointing to the info-station.

“Me? Turaku and the Security AI are doing that non-stop.”

“Use your tricks. You think differently to them. Go on. You never know.”

Wirrin sat down and linked in. He'd been dying to do this for ages, from the moment when Turaku was so busy and commandeered all connections, and prevented till now by the rapid sequence of events.

What was happening? ...Thirty ferries ready to go as soon as the human companions reached them. ...No, 31 ferries. ...Where did that extra one come from? ...The Comet's pico-bot factory was building extras to speed the boarding process.

Ok, the threats. First thing was to tap into the Comet's security and there was a trigger for that.

“Dingoes! Thom, look at this.”

“What is it?”

Wirrin flashed some schematics into view.

“They've analysed those big drones. Just as well they disabled them. Just one of them could have hurt every dolphin in the gathering.”

“How?”

“They make gigantic sound-waves, nearly 300 decibels. Just one burst would permanently damage the dolphins sound receptors if they were any closer than twenty kilometers.”

“...That's horrible. ...Don't tell Calen. ...Not till the dolphins are all safe. Could Turaku do anything to stop them?”

It took a couple of seconds to find out.

“He could. He was actually ready. Sound is so important to dolphins he'd prepared contingency plans for every possibility he could think of. The air cover vessels were equipped to vaporise a wall of water in front of the signal so its strength would be lost.”

“He knew they were going to do it?”

“No, but he was ready anyway. He's amazing. Look at all these. He worked out 273 ways they might be attacked by water and had responses for all of them.”

Wirrin read the list as it scrolled rapidly through. ...Poisons, concussions, explosions, stealth picobots. ...Stealth picobots? What were they?

“I've never even heard of some of these things.”

Thom was looking at him strangely.

“Did you just read all that? I could only pick out a few things from a list rolling up the screen.”

“You'll be just as fast after your reading course.”

That got a dubious look.

“Are there any dangers showing up?”

“.. Um. Not at the moment, and they're using the highest level of monitoring they can.”

“Are there any more ships close by?”

“...Yes. Seventy-four in a 100 km range.”

“And what about the other Centers?”

“... Ningaloo has sixty-four, and the Great Barrier Reef has 247.”

“247?”

“Thom, it's one of the wonders of the solar system.”

“Do your special checks on them.”

Wirrin was starting to wonder. Wirrin seemed almost fixated on the idea that there must be more danger.

“The security AIs are checking them all the time.”

“I know, but the first lot of ships tricked them till they looked more closely.”

“The first? ...You think there are more?”

“They had backups for the first drones, and when they didn't work they had another huge backup in space. Three ocean ships isn't very much compared to those four big spacecraft.”

Wirrin hadn't thought of it like that, but it did sound sensible.

“...Turaku and the security AIs calculate an 83% probability of other resources being involved, but all their searching isn't finding anything.”

Thom gripped Wirrin shoulders with a, 'come on, you can do it, get into it'. manner.

“See, I'm right aren't I? It needs a different way of looking at things.”

“What do you mean?”

“They know they're up against really clever AIs, so they're doing something to avoid the AI's capabilities.”

Wirrin and Thom both jumped in startlement as Turaku appeared right beside them without his usual shimmer effect warning.

“Well thought out Thom. Keep assisting Wirrin with your ideas.”

He blinked off as suddenly as he appeared and Wirrin glanced to where his steady image was talking with Akama. Whoo! That was the first time he'd used multiple images in the same setting.

Thom firmed his grip on Wirrin shoulders with a definite go signal, and with Turaku's intercession that was now a virtual command.

Where to start? The ships seemed to be Thom's fixation so that would do. ...Trace their origins? Already done and too obvious. ...Examine all the people connected with every ship ... any links or references by those people to dolphins, Dolphin Centers, K 74 and other directed habitats?

Wirrin added idea after idea, some from Thom but mostly his own, and set everything running. ...What about new information from the AI based on K 74? ...Too soon for any response with the 54 min turnaround time ...add it in anyway.

After five minutes he'd added dozens of ideas with no results. No definitive results that is. There were billions upon billions of responses. Wirrin had a quick look at his search tree. Five percent of the Comet's computational power was now commandeered for his queries. That was an enormous amount. It would increase too, as the number of links and references built.

“Space dust! Look how much processing we've got going. It just hit 5.3% of the Comet's capability.”

“That doesn't sound like very much.”

Wirrin snorted with laughter. Thom needed some basic education about processor power.

“Thom, that's..”

Wirrin's words were cut off because Thom's hand-grip had just tightened fiercely.

“What's the rest of it doing?”

“Everything. Running the Comet, the security. It's linked in with Turaku and the Security AI, and the databases and communications. You know that.”

“Check out what's happening. Especially with the AIs.”

“The AIs? I don't think I can do that.”

“With that info-station? I bet you can. ...Ask Turaku.”

Wirrin didn't have too. His holo screen cleared and a command menu he'd never seen before flashed into view. A rapid scan of the overview had his eyes boggling. This was giving him the capacity to watch an AI function, almost like reading his mind and body. No, not really. Things were happening trillions of times too fast for Wirrin to look at anything specific. He could get a general picture though.

Turaku should be first. Wirrin felt as if he'd been given express permission, with the new command menu appearing the way it did. So, what was Turaku doing?

...95% of potential performance? What did that mean? With the capabilities an AI had, it sounded like a huge amount was happening. Wirrin didn't know enough about AIs to figure if that was normal.

...Yes, it was. A quick query brought up a simple performance/time graph showing an almost unvarying 92% since Comet Turaku had become aware. An extra 3% didn't seem like much.

“Turaku seems pretty close to normal. He...”

Wirrin broke off and followed Thom's interest in what was happening on a further section of the display screen where people were grouped with Akama. Calen was next to one of the dolphin transporters and talking to a dolphin companion while members of the pod swam into place. He suddenly looked up and waved as if he knew people were watching him, then dived and disappeared. Now that Wirrin was linked to his info-station it would be easy to watch and keep track. A couple of seconds work had a sub screen following everything Calen was doing.

“He's all right. He doesn't look too stressed. ...What does the graph thing tell you about Turaku?”

Wirrin wasn't so sure about Calen. Well, back to the job at hand.

“It says it's normal for him to be working nearly flat out.”

“Are you sure? He was so busy his image froze twice, and that never happens. With all these things going on he must be doing more than usual.”

Wirrin changed the scale on the graph and searched the time axis for the two performance spikes he knew must be there.

...Yes, 98% for the first one and 98.5% with the multi-spectrum energy beams. He enlarged the second spike section and extra information appeared. That was interesting. The performance output was measured with two basic indicators, background and foreground activity. How did they relate?

“Wey! Thom! That's nothing like normal. He usually only puts 5% into foreground and all the rest is background. Ever since we landed it's been the other way round.”

“Is it the same for the Security AI?”

It wasn't quite, but it was definitely similar. Both AIs were concentrating at an extremely high level. The amount of information being processed in and out was amazing, and Wirrin, wondering where it was all coming from, did a trace to find out.

“That can't be right.”

“What?”

“Turaku and our Security AI are working with every AI in Australia and they're are all concentrating the same way, on security work.”

“All of them?”

“Every single one.”

Wirrin did some more checking and nearly fell out of his chair in amazement.

“I don't believe this. The numbers are too high. They can't be processing this much.”

“Have a closer look at it.”

Wirrin turned to see why Thom was sounding so definite.

“Analyse what they're analysing. ...Go on.”

It was a striking phrase.

“That's what they're already doing. I don't see the point.”

“That's not what I meant. ...I don't know how to say it.”

He went quiet for a moment.

“Um! ...I'm telling you to look at the data, not use it yourself.”

Wirrin finally understood and was totally impressed.

“That's not easy Thom. I've done that with ordinary data, but not data that's being used by AIs. They do things differently.”

“You'll work it out.”

He was looking rather pleased with himself now that his meaning had got through.

Wirrin searched out the library of analysis programs he remembered using in EdCom and started checking the purpose of different types.

...No good. None of them applied in quite the right way.

...Okay, set up an InterWeb search with the proper parameters.

...Wirrin was relieved when hundreds of results poured in. A closer look showed they still weren't what he wanted.

...Change the parameters and try again.

After a number of refinements he whittled the results to a short list of five programs, each with one or more features he wanted, but none with then all. ...Combine them somehow? ...Yes, that might work.

Wirrin set his task going then grunted when error messages about data incompatibility came flashing back.

What? ...Oh yes! A data conversion algorithm would fix that.

“Is it doing anything?”

“Yes Thom. It's tracing the data packet routings, then it will look for patterns and anomalies, and then it will check the structure and properties.”

“Well, that sounds good.”

Wirrin bumped his head back into Thom's chest and laughed at the stir about his jargon.

“Twit! It depends whether it finds anything.”

“Twit? ...What's that mean?”

“Sonic's been saying it to Calen lately. Something about a bald hairy lion. They were laughing about it a couple of weeks ago.”

“Bald and hairy?”

He rotated his thumbs in Wirrin's neck muscles then stopped when Wirrin sat up with an exclamation.

“Now what?”

“It's tracking the data. ...No wonder they're all busy. They're connected with almost every data source on Earth and the information is pouring in like a flood.”

“All the AIs?”

“Yes, it doesn't make sense.”

Wirrin picked a random source and showed it to Thom.

“See this? It's a database about the old transport vehicles which ran on fossil fuels and it shouldn't have anything to do with the attacks or dolphins, but the AIs are processing every single element as if it's important.”

Wirrin felt a surge of excitement. Something strange was definitely being revealed. Suddenly the performance graph for Turaku plummeted to just over 30%, steadied, then started rising. A closer look showed the foreground portion fluctuating near 26% and the background tasks increasing.

Wirrin switched to the graph for the Security AI and a similar thing had happened, though with slightly different numbers. The vehicle database information suddenly disappeared without any reason and Wirrin's startled comment was interrupted by a warning neck squeeze.

“Everyone's looking at you.”

They were too, and not just looking. Akama and Turaku were approaching.

“Well done Wirrin. Turaku informs me you've just assisted the entire Australian AI community.”

Wirrin wasn't sure how to respond to that, but he didn't have to because Turaku started explaining.

“Our thanks to both of you. Your analysis task resolved the priority trap which had ensnared us and then provided a means of escape.

“Priority trap?”

Wirrin had a good idea of what that might be but he listened carefully as Turaku explained.

“Yes, the information in the data sources we access was modified so that every element was tagged with a priority signal linked to dolphins and security. Its effect was to make it highly important to look at every element regardless of its significance. It was very cleverly done.”

“You mean every single bit of stored information on earth showed up as a threat to the dolphins?”

“In a way. It also indicated a connection which needed following.”

“So Wirrin saves the day.”

“Indeed he does Thom.”

What a dingo head! Wirrin started to say it had all been Thom's idea, but again the display on his screen changed, this time to the familiar overview of Shark Bay with three red markers showing. Now what?

“The backup threats you were concerned about. With proper attention they were easily revealed and will be quickly dealt with. Honored one, the Comet is about to move to the Denham Sound location.”

Already? 1400 dolphins had been moved into the Comet so quickly?

Wirrin saw that it had taken just over twenty minutes and realised he'd lost track of time while concentrating at his info-station. Sonic and Calen must be aboard. Yes, there they were in Sonic's module, Calen watching and Sonic working at his special underwater InterWeb console, keeping in contact with the Earth dolphins. Attention switched to the Comet's big real-time display screen showing the external view as the convoy moved rapidly south. Wirrin took in the various accompanying aircraft. Their number had built and he asked Turaku about them.

“Is anyone tracking them? They haven't got stealth like the Comet.”

“They do have a degree of stealth but it's all turned off to add an element of misdirection to the strong attention we are now receiving.”

The main section of Wirrin's holo changed and showed a display of ...53 space vessels and satellites scanning from orbit. ...and more moving into range.

“Our unprecedented energy expenditure has brought worldwide scrutiny and concerted attempts to understand what happened.”

Wirrin hadn't given a thought to the effects on the rest of the world. He'd been much too occupied.

“Have we explained anything to them?”

“That an out-of-control space vessel was destroyed to prevent the annihilation of the Shark Bay marine environment as well as the above-ground facilities and people at Monkey Mia, Denham and Carnarvon. They don't understand how and they won't be told. Their immediate puzzle is the disappearance from their scasnners of 1400 dolphins.”

Thom laughed.

“They'll be a lot more puzzled when the rest of them vanish then.”

“Yes Thom, but not for long. As soon as the Comet departs, the world in general will be informed they have been moved to safety on Attunga. There will be an outcry against so many special dolphins leaving earth, but when the evidence of the attempts against them is disseminated we expect an enormous backlash against the responsible habitats.”

“What will happen to them?”

“Nothing Thom. But we are confident that opinion will be voiced so strongly against such aggression that any action against wild dolphins would critically isolate them in the world community.”

“So they'll get away with it?”

Thom was getting fired up. Wirrin agreed with him but Akama spoke.

“They're not getting away with anything Thom. When the facts are known the standing of the semi-directed habitats will be very badly damaged and they will make great efforts to recover it. We expect all of them to openly dissociate with K74.”

“K74 won't care. They'll try something else.”

“We agree, but not on Earth, and not immediately. Our actions today have very much put them on notice that their self perception of dominance in the solar system is not what they think, and for a while at least they will take stock. They have a great deal to think about. Their best efforts have proved futile and they have just learnt that their technology is inadequate.”

“Not on Earth? You mean they'll try something against Attunga and Warrakan?”

“Yes, but nothing overt while they try to understand our capabilities. Once we announce that the special dolphins will have guaranteed safety on Attunga and Warrakan it will be very clear where the primary resistance to their plans is based. We will become the main focus of their attention.”

Wirrin thought that with the surveillance drones and the giant space vessel, Attunga and Warrakan already were, but before he could ask exactly what Akama meant, the Comet met with a whole new convoy of air transporters from Monkey Mia and started descending to the Denham Sound gathering. Akama pointed to the image of Calen and Sonic.

“Why don't you join them? We'll call you back if we think there is a need.”

Gelar went with them and they rushed because Sonic and his transport module would be out in the water as soon as possible. Wirrin and Thom dashed past a group of dolphin companions and scrambled quickly into the module, where there was only time for a brief hug and greeting before the loading bay doors opened and they were on the move.

***

'I hope you're having a good adventure Thom.'

Trust Sonic to know how to make them all smile. Thom's appetite for action was certainly being overindulged in the current situation.

“Sonic says we're safe now?”

Wirrin was alerted by Calen's tone that he needed some assurance.

“Turaku disintegrated one of their spaceships and the other three ran for cover as fast as they could. They haven't got anything left they can do to us.”

“Disintegrated? The one that was falling on us?”

Wirrin wasn't going to say that it was being guided with pinpoint accuracy, so he gave a non-committal nod, and changed the subject by demanding to know what had been happening with Calen and Sonic.

“Everything you could possibly imagine but I'll have to tell you later.”

In a rush Sonic disappeared into the ocean with one of his great leaps and Calen indicated the face masks. The trio entered the water and the first thing Wirrin noticed was the myriad voices of dolphin communication. Sound travels four times as fast through water and to human ears gives a false sense of proximity. So many voices, though not loud, and with nearly 500 dolphins in this gathering, Wirrin tried to imagine what the main group at Monkey Mia would have been like if they'd all spoken at like this.

Sonic was swimming towards one of the pods but at the same time talking to the rest of the gathering, explaining the procedure for entering the special ferries designed to carry ten dolphins the short distance into the Comet, and constantly giving assurance and telling them their human companions would meet them and stay with them in their living pools once they were aboard.

Calen shot ahead and Wirrin swam like crazy, trying to keep up. Good grief! He made it look so effortless. The dark silhouette of a ferry settled abruptly on the silvery surface and then another close by, and Wirrin had to smile at the sense and sounds of excitement coming from the dolphins as access to the ferries opened and they moved aboard.

The ferries lifted and Sonic headed for another pod. Wirrin decided he needed some serious swimming training when, despite a full on effort, he and Thom were left behind.

The Comet's pico-factory was still producing extra ferries under Akama's priority of wanting the dolphins quickly aboard, and by the time they reached the main Monkey Mia gathering there were fifty-two. Currently there were thirty-six operating from six different loading bays, all under the control of Turaku in liaison with Sonic, and the whole Denham Sound group of 486 dolphins in twenty-five pods was transferred aboard in just over fifteen minutes.

Calen laughed when Wirrin and Thom flopped in the transport module, gasping for breath.

“Weak! Just as well you weren't there when we had to dodge the debris from the sky.”

By the time the module came to rest inside the Comet they'd recovered. They were strong and very fit after all, just not up to Calen's standard. Sonic was totally preoccupied, talking through the links in his module to over 1900 dolphins in their new pod sized travelling pools. The Comet raced for the rendezvous south-east of Monkey Mia and near Faure Island, and what with catching up with outside things on Wirrin's holo and having a look in on several of the on-board dolphin pods, there wasn't any proper talking time for the trio. The loading procedure repeated, then again at Monkey Mia where the much larger number of dolphins took almost an hour to transfer, and left Wirrin and Thom almost worn to a frazzle. Calen insisted they stay on the Comet for the final two pick-ups and Wirrin and Thom, sensing Calen had quite recovered his equilibrium, were quite keen to get back to the Control Center.

***

The Ningaloo Reef Marine Center was north of Monkey Mia and Wirrin spent most of the travel time talking with Narn, who made a personal and rather friendly parting ceremony when the Comet settled offshore. This group of dolphins was the smallest so far and after Sonic spoke to their gathering they boarded very quickly. Calen came to the Control Center because of the delay before the next pick up and the trio finally relaxed together.

Thom was keen to know details about the 3000 km trip to the Great Barrier Reef, wondering if the Comet might have an effect on the terrain below its path with its speed way in excess of the sound barrier, but, because of the urgency, the trip would be at an altitude much too high for any atmospheric effects.

****

“So what are all these things that happened?”

Wirrin and Thom had been intrigued ever since Calen's earlier comment about his adventures.

“Well, I think I must have swum about a hundred kilometers. My muscles all feel like jelly.”

After his earlier expression saying how weak they were, this was really a ploy to pique their curiosity by not going ahead with what they were waiting for, so Wirrin and Thom agreed with him, telling him he was oh so strong, conjecturing how quickly he might recover, and praising his endurance, till he had to laugh.

“All right! It started with the sharks.”

There was no come back for a statement like that. He wasn't joking and after a startled moment Thom asked if he'd really seen some.

“Lots of them near the second meeting. They're everywhere in the Bay but Faure Island is one of their main hunting grounds and a group of them were attracted by the gathering. A big one came charging in three times and it was chaos. I couldn't believe it was happening and Sonic made me get in to the module each time till it was safe.”

“Did Sonic go with you?”

“He doesn't have to worry. He's too fast. The sharks are after the babies and little dolphins which aren't fast enough to get away. ...and that was me.”

“How close did it get?”

“Close enough to see, but only quickly, because I was too busy following Sonic's warning to get safe.”

“Were you worried?”

“Sort of. The first time happened too quickly, and the other times I was thinking about Sonic because he helped chase it away.”

Thom was staring in disbelief.

“He did?”

“It's not really chasing because the sharks aren't scared. A group of dolphins swim in really close, dodging and turning all the time to make the shark confused and lose track of the little dolphin it's after. Then they harass it so much it goes somewhere else.”

“Harass?”

“Sonics word. He explained what happened because I couldn't see from the module. He wouldn't have got hurt, I know, because Turaku would have done something, but I didn't think of that at the time.”

Wirrin and Thom exchanged glances and Wirrin wondered if Thom had the same image of an energy beam reducing any attacking shark to its constituent atoms.

“Was it very big?”

“Let's have a look. ...It's all on the surveillance database.”

Of course it was. Wirrin found the relevant data and played it on his personal holo and they watched a four and a half metre tiger shark gliding in fierce majesty, lunging toward the mass of dolphins, then being enveloped in a frantic cloud of activity till, with seeming annoyance, it moved to disengage.

“That thing looks evil. They should do something to keep them away from the dolphins.”

“No they shouldn't. It's a Marine Reserve Thom, and sharks are as important as everything else.”

Coming from sensitive Calen this was quite startling, but not really, when you thought of all his knowledge about animals and their care.

“They shouldn't stop them from eating baby dolphins?”

“Not in general. Sharks are a fixed part of Earth dolphin life and they have to learn to live with them.”

Calen was in explanation mode on a subject they'd discussed before in a theoretical way. Listening to the horrifying statistics that only 30% of baby dolphins in Shark Bay survived to adulthood, and that almost every adult carried scars from their encounters in trying to protect the young, really brought home how different life was for wild dolphins.

“Tiger sharks! And we thought catching a perentie was exciting.”

“A perentie? Truly?”

“Akama took us on a mini walkabout while we were at Gnardune Pool and Narn trapped one in a rock cleft.”

“Narn? Who's that?”

“We met him after you and Sonic raced into the bay when we landed. He's like an Australian version of a Witness and he was with us all the time. We all like him.”

“He must be clever with animals if he can catch a perentie. They're very quick and elusive. Did he hold it? I know their claws are dangerous.”

“Wirrin's got it all zapped so we can show you later.”

Calen hung on every word as they talked about the thorny devil, the spoonbill, the big red kangaroos and the other birds and animals which had been part of the walk. He didn't ask for an immediate replay. That would happen at some stage when he could savour it properly.

Wirrin and Thom switched the conversation back to Calen. They wanted to hear more from him.

“It was the worst thing I can ever remember. Sonic was talking to the whole group when my implants went berserk. Weird sounds and whistles blasted in my ears and echoed in my head like Thom's sound system playing every bit of music at the same time. My reflexes turned the implants off and then I saw every dolphin was twitching and quivering. Sonic was on his side and looking really weird and starting to float towards the surface. When I put my hand on him he didn't even react and I could tell he was unconscious. I hardly had time to think, except that I might be able to help if he was at the surface and I could keep his blow-hole in the air, and then he woke up. They all woke up, and after a whole lot of distress calls from three mothers who's babies had sunk and had to be pushed up to breathe they were all okay. Turaku got through and Sonic explained to everyone that the bad people had done it but it wouldn't happen again. He was talking more and answering all the questions when he suddenly made the imperative distress signal and called every dolphin to come close because something was falling out of the sky which would hurt them if they were spread out too much. It was really bewildering with all the distress calls and not knowing what was going on, and then there was another distress call to get away because poison might fall in the water and the gathering had to follow Sonic as fast as they could, but they wouldn't swim any faster than the three babies because most dolphins would never leave them behind. Next thing we reached a safe place but it wasn't, because there was a sudden rush to get everyone into the Comet. By the time you two joined me I was thinking anything could happen.”

Listening quietly while thoughts and story tumbled out, the image of every dolphin suddenly going unconscious loomed in Wirrin's mind, along with a determination that the trio would stay close together till the Comet was safely on its way to Attunga.

***

“6118 dolphins altogether Calen. There's only room for another 400 without things starting to get crowded.

There are 322 separate pods and 297 companions from Earth with them.

Turaku says that Attunga level health checks have started for them all, and 197 are getting priority health-bot treatments for various wounds, mostly shark bites, though one dolphin has lost most of its left fluke in an encounter with an orca and needs tissue replacement.

The dolphins come from 278 different Earth locations and there are 73 babies less than one week old.

Gelar is moving round, starting to meet the companions, and Sonic is explaining the food situation and telling the dolphins when they'll next get something to eat.

Thom wants to stuff his face with food while the rest of us contemplate the beauty of the Earth's moon as we pass by.”

***

The Comet, newly escaped from Earth's gravity well, was on its way home.

***