Attunga - 18. Part18

Attunga Part 18.

***

“Guess what! We actually get to go to EdCom tomorrow.”

“EdCom? What's that?”

It was a week since their last EdCom session, even longer for Calen, three hectic days since the Comet docked safely, and the first evening they weren't arriving home late from Warrakan. The routine of life for the mass of dolphins in the great forty kilometer reach on Warrakan was starting to sort itself, mainly due to Sonic's leadership and help. Puck and Flute had stayed with the smaller contingent sharing the Attunga reach.

“I know what will happen. We're so out of kilter with our course groups we'll all be on CI for ages.”

Computer Instruction was very good, and much the fastest way to reach mastery in practically every course, but not as stimulating and enjoyable as working with classmates and a human tutor.

“You think so? Well here's an even bigger 'guess what' for you.”

“What?”

“Warrigal says we've already got our Level One training, as well as our Level Two and even more.”

Total bombshell. Thom started gesticulating wildly to indicate Wirrin's brain must be loopy, and Calen was agreeing.

“It's true. We're having a meeting with him next week to talk about what it means and what we're going to do.”

The movements slowed and two pairs of eyes tracked closely.

“I'm going to change to one day of Basic courses and four days of Electives.”

“Thom, what did you put in his food tonight?”

“I didn't think it would affect him this much.”

“Ha very ha! Have a look at your schedule for next Tuesday then.”

Now uncertain because there'd been no burst of laughter, Thom did that and his eyes widened.

“Wombats! 9:30 with Warragul. He's not joking.”

Calen sat up abruptly on the grav-sofa and looked intently at Wirrin.

“You're serious about four days of Electives?”

“I won't have any choice. Akama wants me working with extra Info-Station stuff.”

“And Warragul really said we've got our Levels One and Two?”

“We haven't really got them. We'd have to complete the actual courses for that, but we've got all the entitlements that go with them.”

“Level Two entitlements at our age? That can't be right.”

“It is. He said it would be more than that even.”

“Is this definite?”

“I think so. That's what the meeting is about.”

After settling from their surprise, the trio talked for several hours about what it all meant for them and different options they might take.

***

“Everything is different with so many dolphins.”

“How?”

“Well, for example, eight baby dolphins have been born in the reach and it's only five days since they got here.”

“Eight? That's great. That makes it nine with the one born on the trip. Is that a lot?”

“No, it is about right for how many dolphins we have, but we just aren't used to it. Our dolphin doctors are running round in circles with excitement. Hey, guess what his name is?”

“Who's name?”

“The baby born on the trip. ...He's called Comet.”

That brought smiles all round.

“... Here comes the pod.”

Wirrin and Thom were with Gelar at one of the thirty feeding stations spread fairly evenly round the sides of the extension section of the big reach. They'd come across with Sonic and Calen in the twice weekly commute on the Comet to see first-hand how everything was going, and after having a look through the completed first stage of the giant dolphinarium complex, which was to be the main centre for Warrakan dolphin work, they'd zipped several kilometers on their skimmers to watch the process when a pod arrived.

The general air of activity and excitement was quite incredible. Skimmers were on the move or drifting with dolphin pods as the associated humans kept a close eye on their well-being and movements, and Gelar informed them that there were usually between 150 and 200 skimmers on the reach at any given time. As head ranger he was almost overwhelmed with the demands of coordinating the training, education and activities of the nearly 300 new dolphin associates who'd made the trip from Earth.

“And look! There's a second pod heading in as well.”

That was easy to tell as there was a skimmer approaching, surrounded by a large group of purposefully moving shapes. Wirrin watched as a leader from the first pod activated the automatic release of food with a short series of bumps and holds on a pressure sensitive panel. This was the first time he'd seen the process in action as it had only been working for two days and according to Calen the dolphins thought it was a great game.

“That's very clever. Did they take long to learn it?”

“Quick as a flash. It surprised me because the Earth dolphins are nowhere near as clever as ours, but Sonic says they're quick because it's a pod effort, plus they're extra motivated because they don't get any food till they get it right.”

Chunks of fish-sub shot in random directions and distances with little chuff sounds of pneumatic pressure and dolphin bodies milled hither and thither in anticipation. Thom laughed and pointed.

“Those two young ones already know the chasing game the Attunga Dolphins worked out with the factory fish-food.”

After a couple of minutes Wirrin asked why the other pod hadn't joined in.

“They've learnt that the food automatically stops coming if they get any closer than forty meters while another pod is feeding.”

“Really? Well why don't some of them come close as a muck around? Attunga dolphins would.”

“Because then they'd have to wait extra time before the food station worked again and the rest of their pod stops them.”

“And they have to learn all that? Sounds like life is full of rules.”

Gelar laughed.

“That's only the start. They have to go to at least two other food stations before this one will work for them again, and they have to go from one end of the reach to the other at least every three days.”

“Is this to keep them circulating?”

“Only partly. Sonic wants them to solve as many problems as possible in the next five months while they're so crowded. ...Except they're 'games', not rules. He and Calen are planning to teach them something new at least once a week.”

The food station stopped spitting out fish-sub and within thirty seconds there was a complete changeover. A new dolphin pressured in a new code, and the food started chuffing out again.

“When do they get the live food we brought back?”

“Any time they can find it. Originally we were going to use it in the first few weeks and systematically wean them off it, but now we're making it last the whole five months and releasing it regularly into random areas of the reach. It gives them a good reason to keep exploring and it's very exciting for them.”

“I suppose that was Sonic's idea too?”

“Yes, he's full of ideas and so far they've all worked.”

The skimmer stopped at the edge of the reach and a tall, very tall, dark skinned man came over and introduced himself as Martin. He knew Gelar of course, but his eyes widened when Wirrin and Thom were introduced as two of the Dolphin Boys. He watched quietly as the food chunks went skating in all directions but relaxed quickly when Gelar starting asking about his pod.

“Yes, there are thirty-two dolphins altogether and they're adapting to the unusual conditions much faster than I would have thought possible. We all put it down to the influence of the Super Dolphin.”

“Super Dolphin? Is that what you call him?”

“...We're not being derogatory. One of the marine scientists is a collector of ancient 2-D fiction-hero vids and books, and after talking with your amazing dolphin he got so excited when he was describing the meeting he burst out with the description and it's stayed with us.”

Wirrin did a quick retinal search and burst into laughter.

“What?”

“Sonic's going to love this. I'll show you later Thom.”

Wirrin was really interested in what Martin had said.

“You said books. Do you mean the ones made out of wood?”

“Yes, he's got three actual originals from the pre-electronic era and he keeps thousands and thousands of digital versions in his personal database.”

Wirrin had seen wood-pulp books, but never been able to touch them of course. They were much too precious for that. Attunga had a special archive with several hundred of them under high-level preservation, and all young people learnt about them through EdCom.

“Have you seen them?”

“Yes, they're a special class of book which tells stories with a series of related pictures. The three originals are under vac-seal but he reconstitutes copies with his 3D printer so he can read them the way they were meant to be read.”

“Meant to be read?”

“Yes, he calls himself a purist.”

Attention diverted when three dolphins leapt in the air, one with a chunk of fish-sub held in his jaws and the other two obviously vying for possession.

“They've started playing games so they've had a good feed.”

“Have you detected much change in their behaviour?”

“Is that a loaded question? Of course. These crowded conditions and artificial food are very unnatural.”

Gelar shook his head.

“Not at all. I'm only acquainted with Enhanced dolphins so I'm quite reliant on your knowledge for an accurate assessment of Wild dolphin behaviour. What about personal regrets? Do you have any about shifting to Warrakan?”

“It's not good being forced to leave your home, and that applies to dolphins as much as people, but the advantages and opportunities outweigh any drawbacks by a hundred to one.”

“That's the general feeling isn't it?”

Martin looked quite surprised.

“General? Try one hundred percent. What else? No one was forced to come and we're all tremendously excited about the dolphin knowledge base and the expertise of your scientists and rangers. The enhancement program you've established was only a vague rumor on earth and we can hardly believe we're suddenly a part of it.”

“Yajala tells me there are some who don't want their dolphins enhanced?”

“Yajala?”

“Our dolphin AI.”

“You talk to AIs?”

Gelar, Wirrin and Thom nodded.

“Amazing, but that's not quite right. Everyone wants their dolphins involved but there are discussions about the value of retaining a wild dolphin reference group.”

The air shimmered.

“Hello Martin. It is my pleasure to talk with you and I welcome discussion on dolphin related matters at any time. The retention of wild stock dolphin is a non-issue for at least sixty years, as our enhancement techniques only apply to succeeding generations.”

Martin looks stunned. From what he'd just said this must be his first direct encounter with an A I.

“Yajala! Hi! What about after sixty years? There's plenty of room on Warrakan, and it sounds like a good idea to me.”

“Yes Wirrin, it does sound like a good idea and any number of reaches could be allocated for that purpose when the time comes.”

Martin was looking puzzled which wasn't the response Wirrin expected.

“Sixty years? None of our dolphins will survive that long.”

“They will Martin. Our health techniques will ensure that. They were all given health-bots as part of their check up on the Comet and I monitor every dolphin on a continual basis. Your Peggy, for example, has a faulty liver and when it's gradually rebuilt to full function over the next five weeks her life expectancy will jump from just another four years to at least an extra fifty.”

“Peggy? Four years? But she's always been so healthy.”

“She has great spirit but I'm sure you've noticed her longer rest pattern.”

Martin nodded and turned to Gelar.

“Peggy is only fifteen years old with a strong personality and I fully expect her to become pod leader in another ten or fifteen years. Yajala, what's wrong with her liver?”

“It's a genetic weakness in a small percentage of dolphins from your area. We are restructuring the liver tissue of two other dolphins in your pod with the same weakness.”

Martin turned to Gelar and spoke with a slow shake of his head.

“Three dolphins are being cured of a condition our own centre couldn't even detect. There's the answer to your question about regrets. Do the wonders continue like this?”

Thom and Wirrin nodded enthusiastically. Yajala held up one hand and shimmered to nothingness.

***

“Hello Wirrin.”

“Hi doctor.”

“So what mischief have you been up to this time?”

“Mischief?”

He had a twinkle in his eye.

“You must have done something major because your implant program has been postponed for another six months.”

That was unexpected and a slight let-down because Wirrin had been very curious to hear what was planned for him. It had already been held over from the last appointment.

“Is it something to do with the age extension treatments?”

“Hmm! A well informed patient. Yes, we'll get those completed before we do any more brain fiddling. ...You've known about them for a while then? They only turned up on your file yesterday afternoon.”

“Yes, for five days, but it was only made official after we had a meeting with our Mentor yesterday.”

All three of you? You're ahead of me.”

He checked his console.

“I see. Thom and Calen are coming in next week.”

He laughed.

“Are you going to satisfy my curiosity as to why the Dolphin Boys have suddenly been granted age extension rights twenty years ahead of schedule? I have a strong suspicion you might have had some direct involvement in the Pied Piper expedition.”

Pied Piper? A retinal scan brought up a lengthy narrative poem. ...The synopsis would be much quicker.

“Sonic's the one who did all the leading but I suppose we did help a bit.”

“A bit! That means there's a story we haven't been told.”

Now it was Wirrin's turn to laugh.

“Do you want me to tell it or would you rather hear from Sonic?”

“What a choice! Instant gratification or heightened anticipation. I believe that's up to you you cheeky whipper-snapper.”

This was the second time the doctor was slipping in an incentive for Wirrin to use retinal scan mode. He hadn't been able to detect the first and he wouldn't this time either.

“I know very well how much you enjoyed talking to Sonic last time so come over for another visit. Tonight's no good because Sonic is staying at Warrakan, but tomorrow or the day after works if you can manage it. ...And I did just look up whipper-snapper in case you're wondering.”

The visit was quickly arranged, the implant checkup, no longer a disorienting experience but rather a momentary blip of control, performed, and the doctor and Wirrin made the short TransCom trip to the Anti-Agathic centre.

“How much do you know about these treatments Wirrin?”

“Just a general knowledge, and a quick look last night at what happens. I know I have five treatments over the six months and after the second one I have to stay under strict observation for forty-eight hours. I started to read the details for the first treatment but it had too much special medical knowledge to understand.”

“It did? That's strange. Last time I saw it, it was clear and concise. Can you show me on your playback what you were reading?”

That only took a second and the doctor started reading.

“Where does this come from? It's not the standard document I was expecting.”

“I don't know. I just called up age treatments and that's what I got.”

“Did you see the document identification?”

“Only on the way to the contents, then I jumped straight to the treatments.”

Wirrin replayed, then displayed the contents, and after a quick perusal the doctor made a little grunt of surprise.

“Third phase extension? ...There is an expectation that second phase extension might be ready in another decade but I've never heard of a third phase. Is this an authenticated document?”

That meant a further replay to the identification page and more perusal.

“Wirrin, this is a high-level report from the AI Human Health research database. I don't understand how you could get access.”

“Oh! ...I've had that since Akama and the Security AI on the Comet gave it to me a week ago.”

“I'm not meant to be seeing this.”

“Yes you are. The holo would have been blocked if you weren't.”

“This must be quite a story I'm going to hear and I have to wait till tomorrow night? ...Can we have a look at the later sections of the document?”

“We can try. I'll have to call it up though, because it's not in my personal storage.”

The holo screen went through a momentary kaleidoscope of links as Wirrin followed his trail of the previous evening, and then for five minutes they both scanned through the information the doctor was so interested in.

“Amazing! Full implementation of second phase will lift life expectancy to 220 years and the third phase is a century long project with an expected outcome of over 300 active years. ...I wonder what we'll be doing if we live to that age?”

That had been one of the major topics last night after the talk with Warragul, and when Wirrin was searching out answers to all the trio's questions.

“We all reckon everything will have changed so much we wouldn't understand it anyway.”

“Does Sonic have a view on this?”

“Dolphins live in the moment more than we do and he said he hasn't put any energy into thinking about it yet, but we don't talk about the distant future with him.”

“You don't? Why ever not?”

“There's a strong probability his enhancements might reject when he's four years old. It's so scary it's a kind of taboo topic for us.”

The doctor looked so horrified Wirrin liked him even more.

“What? Rejection of his enhancements or a general rejection?”

“Both!”

“It will work out all right Wirrin, and he'll have the best care that Attunga can possibly give him.”

“I know but even Turaku doesn't know what will happen.”

“He'll get through and live for ages. You'll see! Now, let's get started on the scans for your first treatment. Did you know that these scans require more processing power than any other single process in the medical world? We have to build a molecular level model of every cell and function in your body and then run simulations to find the premium processes and programs for a new set of health-bots to keep everything functioning at 100% capability.

***