Attunga - 24. Part 24.

ATTUNGA Part 24.

***

The doctor's partner was a dark haired lady with a brilliant smile which had won the trio over in very short order. At the moment the smile was obliterated by laughter as she joined with Thom, Calen and the three children in a splashing war against Sonic, who didn't have a hope against such formidable opponents. Well, that's what the two younger ones were thinking. Miro,The thirteen year old was pretty clever and most probably realised they were all being treated very gently.

“They're never going to forget this. None of us will. Raji couldn't do his EdCom classes yesterday because he was too excited, and Miro was nearly as bad about travelling through space and visiting Warrakan.”

The doctor was sitting with Wirrin and watching all the laughter and happiness with delight.

“Alisa is quieter than the boys.”

“Not really. She's awed by meeting Sonic.”

She didn't look awed at the moment, hanging tightly to Sonic's tail flukes in a successful effort to constrain one of his splash weapons.

“How did your talk go?”

The trio had taken the three children in Sonic's transporter for a rendezvous with Puck and Flute and the rest of the pod, where they spoke and played and were entertained while the doctor and his companion spent an hour with Sonic.

“Unbelievable. Did you know what he wanted the other day on your visit?”

“I knew he wanted your help but that's all.”

“Help? I'd hardly call it that. He's asked me to move to Warrakan and be in change of an Age Extension program for dolphins.”

“In charge? Really? He said he thought you'd like to be involved with dolphins after your talk with him last visit, but we didn't know he was going to ask you to move.”

“I'd have to. It's a new venture for the dolphins and I'd have to do it properly. Sonic says I'd have a blank cheque and a living space next to the facilities.”

Wirrin started a scan but the doctor must have realised he'd used another of his old sayings.

“That means there will be no limits on equipment and staff. It's from the pre-electronic days when they were still using money.”

“Would moving be a problem?”

The doctor gave a little laugh.

“You could say that not moving would be a problem. Sonic told Miah she'd be able to involve the dolphins in her music studies, and if the children found out they'd missed a chance like this I'd never hear the end of it. Raji would probably murder me. Look at him. Judging from his expression Sonic could do the Pied Piper trick with children any time if he ever wanted to.”

Raji was hanging onto Sonic's back and watching Calen and his mum get deluged.

“Does that mean you've made your decision?”

“There is no decision to make. It's an amazing opportunity for me and when I told him there are people far more qualified he wouldn't even consider them, except to say I could involve whoever I wanted.”

Wirrin gave a nod.

“That's Sonic. He likes you and his dolphin senses tell him you're the person for the job.”

“Dolphin senses?”

“For this kind of thing I suppose you could say Sonic senses. ...No, the other dolphins work that way too. Puck and Flute spent half an hour with us the first time we met and that was enough to decide they wanted Calen as a companion for Sonic. And look how right they were about that. Has he told you much detail about what he wants?”

“No details, just overview. He thinks that age extension for dolphins might work similarly to the way it does for humans and he wants me to develop reliable techniques that would apply to him and any others like him if his special enhancement proves to be viable.

The other dolphins don't really think about their lifespan but he wants them to be healthy and happy for longer than the current eighty year expectancy, and he thinks twenty or more years could be added by adapting the known techniques.

Going by that special report you accessed I think it will turn out to be much more. At any rate he says the Witnesses and AIs will give him any support he needs to get the program implemented. He has amazing influence with them doesn't he?”

“Doctor, that's nothing compared to the other things they've done for dolphins since he turned up. They'll probably have the buildings and equipment ready a few weeks after you give a definite yes.”

“I've already given it. Well, Miah has, by telling Sonic we'd be here as soon as we could tie up everything on Attunga.”

“Did Sonic say how long you might be involved for?”

“Indefinitely. Why?”

“Warrakan leaves in another six or seven years and you might want to stay in the Solar System.”

“Sonic already mentioned that and said there'd be a similar project on Attunga for dolphins who are staying, so that's a decision for later.”

“Does this mean we'll have a new doctor for our health checks? I'll miss our talks”

“I would too, but that's your decision. Sonic seems to think I'm good for you and he says it would be easy to arrange.”

Wirrin had to smile. Trust Sonic to know how the trio liked and trusted the doctor.

“That's great, except you'll probably start to treat us like dolphins if you're working with them all the time.”

“Treat the dolphin boys like dolphins? Sounds eminently sensible to me. ...What are they doing?”

The laughter and boisterous activities in the pool had stopped and Calen was handing out face masks. He looked to Wirrin and the doctor and beckoned. Quite urgently.

“I don't know, but from Calen's expression it looks important. Grab a face mask.”

Moments later Wirrin watched the youngsters, ducked just beneath the surface and eyes all agog, receiving a gentle dolphin nudge in the chest. The doctor and Miah were next and then Sonic manoeuvred himself directly in front of Raji. The expectant looks cued Wirrin that he'd missed an explanation of why they needed to be underwater.

A happy trill of dolphin noise filled the pool, making everyone smile and watch raptly. The trill changed to a bouncy medley of clicks and strangely melodious squeaks. Wirrin fleetingly looked for meaning, but this wasn't speech. It was song. Beautiful, lively, happy dolphin sounds being directed at Raji with meanings that didn't need words for expression. With a burst of wondrous comprehension Wirrin saw that this song was Raji, Raji as Sonic saw him. Too quickly the magical sound ended and after one more gentle touch to Raji's chest Sonic drifted upward for a breath of air. It was a signal for everyone else to follow. The masks came off and there was a moment before the reactions started to come. The doctor looked stunned. Miah looked so happy Wirrin wondered if they were tears or pool water he was seeing. The children reached for Sonic.

“You great lump of fish. That's the best thing you've ever done.”

'Thank you Thom. That is Raji's song.'

“Mine? You sang it for me?”

'Yes Raji. Puck asked me to let you know that dolphins like you and your family.'

Wirrin was used to seeing the wonder and amazement of children in the nurseries when Sonic spoke and interacted with them, but the look he was seeing now would stay with him all his life.

“I wish I could sing for you.”

'You do Raji, in your own way, and I sing it back to you. Come with me now to say goodbye to Puck and Flute.'

Everyone looked round. Yes there they were, shown via the big display screen, just outside with the rest of the pod. The children rushed to follow as Sonic headed out. The doctor and Miah moved close together.

“We are overwhelmed. Is it like this all the time when you live with dolphins?”

“We're overwhelmed too, doctor. I've never seen that before.”

Wirrin turned a questioning glance to Calen.

“Not for humans. Individual sometimes do a version when they're bonding but it's nowhere near as complex as that. That was dolphin sound adapted for humans.”

Miah, with her musical interests, fired excited questions at Calen about Sonic's abilities, while the wall display showed the children being treated by the pod.

“Do you think we'll ever hear it again? Or is it something impromptu?”

Calen looks thoughtful.

“Sonic will sing. I know that because he loves it, but I think it would change a bit because he's seeing new things about Raji. We can get it off the translator machines though. They keep a record.”

“Ask brainiac. He zaps everything so he'll have images as well.”

Wirrin shook his head.

“The translators are designed specially to pick up dolphin sounds so they'll be much better than my ears. You can have what ever you want though.”

“Put your images with the sounds from the translator. That'll be best.”

The children returned and Raji, rushing to his mum and dad, started begging to come and see Sonic again.

“Sometime Raji, but right now it's time to say goodbye and thank you for such a special day.”

“Not quite doctor. Thom's arranged to take you back to Attunga on the Comet instead of the ferry. He likes showing off and he thought Miro might enjoy it.”

“What's the Comet?”

The trio grinned at Miro's question. If hewas as interested in space and spaceships as the doctor had suggested, then he was in for a big surprise.

***

With a degree of trepidation Wirrin looked at the vast bulk of the 300 km K74 asteroid. Admittedly the visuals were at full magnification and the real distance was much further than it looked, but this exercise, testing Thom's skill with the stealth abilities of the Comet, was still in its early stage and the risk of detection would steadily increase from now on.

Red blips indicating the presence of two of the big space vessels added almost as much excitement as Thom's eagerness to show how easily he could sneak close. There was no real danger. The trio would never be allowed to take such a risk, and should Thom make a mistake of any kind the Comet's security AI would cut in with all the defence capabilities available, operating with AI speed and accuracy.

Thom had already done the active part of the exercise eleven times and was very confident he would make the fifteen kilometer approach he was aiming for. He'd taken eight tries with the simulators to be successful, and three more to be sure he could do it consistently. He was full of confidence, he always was, despite having explained that surprise factors almost invariably messed things up in a real situation.

“Are you ready with your InfoSystem?”

Wirrin was more than ready. Everything had been running for the last half hour.

“What about you Calen? Any worries?”

“Of course I've got worries. I don't even know what I'm looking for.”

“You'll know when you see it. Just take notice of the difference signals.”

Calen's task of checking the visuals was, like Wirrin's, mostly redundant, and Thom's way of getting them involved.

“Stealth mode is initiated and we're on our way.”

For half an hour the Comet slipped steadily closer with absolutely nothing happening, and Calen's watch on his section of display screen gradually relaxed till he turned to Thom with a grin.

“Is this all that happens? There hasn't been a single signal yet.”

Thom finished doing something with his controls before giving a short and almost terse reply.

“That's what I want.”

Whoops! Calen and Wirrin exchanged an understanding glance. There'd be no more unnecessary comments to Thom while he was concentrating so fiercely.

A quick check of the range indicator showed they'd moved from the 500 km mark to an impressive 105 km separation. The next 90 km would take longer and if everything went well they'd remain stationary at the 15 km point for a period of time while the security AI made some sort of assessment. Wirrin focused a window on the closest of the two big spaceships and enlarged the image. That was interesting. At two locations small fleets of construction vessels were busily at work attaching something to the hull. Curiosity kicked in and Wirrin sent a query through his InfoSystem to the Comet's database, then blinked in surprise when the reply said the construction vessels were an unknown type.

“Turaku, there something strange here. We should have information about everything happening external to K74.”

Turaku's voice sounded in Wirrin's ear. He explained later that he didn't manifest because it would be an unneeded distraction for Thom.

“Yes, very strange. I've relayed your query and the information we're gathering to Pirramar and we'll have his assessment as soon as it can arrive. My analysis of this visual data suggests the early stage of some type of special cradle or attachment point.”

“That's not what strange. I don't understand how there can be construction vessels at all without our surveillance drones having reported them. They watch everything that happens.”

“There is no record of the vessels travelling from K74. They must be based on the spaceship itself. Yes, one is just now emerging from that anterior docking bay.”

Wirrin began to watch but lost all external vision when his retinal mode activated opaquely. It was Pirramar.

“Wirrin, keep your InfoSystem locked on the K74 vessel and initiate any search or scanning actions you think appropriate. We have a seven minute window of opportunity to retrieve an analysis of those construction vessels. The Comet pico-factory is following instructions I've transmitted and in another two minutes you will be able to direct a stealth symbiosis module to one of the small unknown vessels. Watch it carefully for any attempted disablement and use the programs now showing on your transfer screen to monitor and quarantine every databit the module records. Isolate the incoming information from any contact with Turaku and your Security AI as there is a low, but unacceptable, possibility it may contain some sort of Rogue signature. Store it directly to your personal memory space and apply some of those special analysis techniques we've developed for AI traps.

Don't distract Thom, and start to act now. I will recontact you in three minutes.”

Wirrin sprang into action with the immediate priorities Pirramar had set, and within thirty seconds had them locked into place, just before the module left the Comet. Yes, it's special signals had been so attuned for receipt by his InfoSystem that Turaku and the Security AI wouldn't even be aware of them except with his permission.

“You look extra busy. Has something happened?”

“I'm watching that big K74 ship while we're close. It looks like they might be building something. See if you can track anything with the visuals.”

Calen gave a nod and returned to his screens. He wouldn't see anything. The module was almost certainly countering any visual surveillance. Hmm! Watch for attempts at disablement? Maybe adding an encryption barrier would help. Wirrin's InfoSystem charted the course of the module to the moment of contact.

Stabilisation! Infiltration! Analysis!

The terms gave a general indication but full explanation and understanding would come later.

Here it was. Two streams of information flooded in, the constant control instructions for the module itself, and the information being gathered from the target ship. Whoo! This was a lot of information. If it kept coming like this for the next five minutes it would be the biggest dump ever to his memory implant.

Calen was looking again. Trust him to sense something.

Wirrin put a finger to his lips as a caution against further comment and saw understanding and agreement blossom before a return nod of agreement. Calen would be searching the visuals for all he was worth now, trying to figure what was going on.

“Well done Wirrin. Turaku informs me you appear to have everything under control. Continue full monitoring till the module ceases transmission and after that, if Thom can maintain his stealth undetected, you will have approximately thirty-five minutes of analysis time before we need the InfoSystem again. I've placed a log of our current plans in your transfer screen.”

Pirramar disappeared and Wirrin gave his full attention to the monitoring till the signals suddenly stopped. What now? Check the transfer screen or start on the analysis? He decided on a thirty second scan of Pirramar's log in case there was something there he might need to take into account. ...Just as well. Thom needed to be informed of the change to his schedule. Looking across he caught Thom's eye, pointed at the range meter, and gave a thumbs up approval sign.

“Fifty kilometers! Nearly there! How's it going?”

“The simulators got it wrong. It's harder. I thought I'd blown it a few minutes ago when a strange signal came at us, but it's gone now. Hang on while I look for it again.”

He fiddled a bit then looked back.

“The Kadaitcha man must have been out there. Did your InfoSystem notice anything?”

“A few glitches. Can you talk for a moment?”

Wirrin was amazed and totally impressed that Thom was somehow aware of the signal. They'd be talking that over with the AIs at great length.

“Talk? ...Sort of. ...What glitches?”

“You haven't been using any AI assistance have you?

“Of course not. That's the whole point of the exercise.”

“Good. I'm worried there might be some of those AI traps around, so don't link them into any of the scanning devices.”

“Dingoes! We should have expected that. Hang on.”

More fiddling, his own term in fact, for when Wirrin was inputting at high speed.

“Any other glitches?”

“Not really. The AIs didn't want to disturb you but they're hoping we can extend the stationary time for an extra fifteen minutes.”

“The Kadaitcha man again? That's going high risk, but if you need it we'll manage. ...It's turned into something more than an exercise hasn't it?”

“Sort of.”

Thom gave his own thumbs up sign and went back to his fiddling. Wirrin had to smile at the cheeky comeback nature of the gesture. He turned his attention to analysis while the Comet crept closer and closer to the great asteroid.

By the time they reached their target and were poised, stationary, he was nearly tearing his hair out. Moments before, he'd reported to Pirramar that so far he'd been unable to find any traps, but wasn't happy about freeing the data from quarantine, and now he had to leave his search tasks unsupervised and turn his attention to new ones. For some reason Pirramar wanted the Comet scanners to take a close look, under InfoSystem control rather than AI control, at a number of the construction sites for the giant K74 spaceships. Five out of the thirty were within reasonable range and Wirrin set to work. Normally this would be easy, but because Thom had primary control for his stealthing, the various systems could only be used in moments of availability.

The major task was to launch seven more stealth modules. Five of these were destined for the construction sites and like the earlier ones would disassemble themselves when they completed their transmissions. More complex and designed for the greater size of their targets, they would function for three times as long and transmit at a greater rate than Wirrin's implant would accept, and this in turn meant the pico-factory had had to build a special secure data store linked to the InfoSystem but still isolated from the AIs.

The other two modules were even more complicated and would attach themselves to chosen locations on the exterior of K74, meld into the surrounding material with pico-level camouflage, and like super surveillance drones, transmit information continually to Attunga. Wirrin would look more closely at how they worked when he had a chance.

“Wirrin, I'm picking up strange signals, like the earlier one, being directed at us. If you know anything about them tell me, otherwise I'll have to move the Comet as an evasive measure.”How did Thom do that?

“No, don't move. We need to stay here if we possibly can. They're ours, but you're not meant to be able to detect them.”

“Can you tell me what's going on? I've got a moment.”

“They're special probes we've sent to look closely at the construction sites. Pirramar arranged for me to send them.”

“Pirramar? Here? He's half a light minute away.”

“He knows more and our AIs can't do anything direct.”

“Whoo! It is the Kadaitcha man. Okay I'd better get at it.”

This time he meant the Rogue. Calen abandoned his visual scanning, he knew it was make work, and came to stand behind Wirrin.

“Turaku is out of it? I'm glad Sonic didn't come with us then.”

Sonic had expressed an interest in joining the exercise but was overruled by a Yajala and Turaku because for his protection, such a close approach would require a full complement of Comet crew and the AIs constantly running security, which would defeat the whole purpose of testing Thom's skill with the stealth equipment.

“He'll see it on replay.”

“I didn't see the probes on the visuals. ...Sorry. I'm talking too much while you're busy.”

Wirrin flashed a smile and soundlessly beckoned him close. Yes, he might be too busy to talk much, but Calen's steadfast and supportive companionship was welcome at any time.

Data from the five locations poured into the quarantine area , and to start checking, Wirrin called up all the previously known information, copied and stored it to the quarantine area, then started a basic comparison test before turning his attention to where the first of the two permanent probes was about to make contact. All the indications were good so he called up an enlarged visual.

“Watch this! It's where the probe's attaching itself.”

A bleak area of the K74 surface appeared, and for a while a soft red glow blurred the clear outline of the rock before fading to nothing.

“There's nothing there.”

“It's totally camouflaged. That red glow was the pico-bot construct. ...I'll explain it all later.”

That would be after Wirrin understood it better himself. Calen stared wonderingly at the almost featureless area of rock which was apparently now a surveillance probe in disguise. For the next half hour everything went smoothly, Wirrin working with his InfoSystem and Thom assiduously checking and fine tuning his stealth systems. Then Calen gave a call.

“Thom, one of the visual signals just went off and there's something coming round that far end of K74.”

“I'm tracking it. It's another Cadre ship which was stationed on the other side of K74 when we first arrived. It's still turning and I don't like its trajectory. Wirrin, those probes couldn't have set off some kind of alert could they?”

Wirrin shook his head, then started to wonder himself. His InfoSystem showed a projection of the trajectory taking the ship right past the five bases. Wombats! It could even come close to the Comet.

The turning stopped and the course steadied. ...It would come close. Within two kilometers.

“Thom, they're heading straight for us.”

“No they're not. They'll pass at 1.8 km if they keep this course.”

“Won't they see us?”

“If someone's looking directly at us with visuals they might, but we'll chance it because if I start to move the Comet they definitely will.”

Wirrin had an awful thought. What if the course changed by even a tiny amount more?

“Could we collide?”

“Never. I've got just over two minutes of decision time before it gets here and I can either move the Comet, or our Security AI can take over their controls and divert them. Watch.”

The 'watch' was a definite command to let him concentrate without interruption, so with a dusting of apprehension Wirrin and Calen did just that. The big ship came closer and closer while thoughts of 120 meters of steel and AIs in charge flooded through Wirrin's mind.

Blithely and obviously unknowingly, seven hundred meters of offense went gliding past, serenely continuing till a few minutes later it rounded the other end of K74 and disappeared.

“What a mob of clueless emu-brains!”

The forceful comment might have been Thom's tension reliever but it worked that way for Wirrin and Calen as well and grins went rampant.

“I don't know how you did it Thom. I kept expecting them to do something.”

“It's not finished yet. We still have to get out of here.”

After the last five minutes Wirrin and Calen had no doubts at all that Thom would manage that successfully.

***

“There's some strange data coding which probably came from the Rogue but no AI trap. I divided the information into increasingly smaller components till there couldn't possibly be any.”

“And is the strange coding significant in itself?”

“Not really. It's an unusual approach to hiding what the rest of the information is about. It's an old encryption method the Rogue dabbled with in his early studies.”

The Comet was almost home and Akama was checking on the results. The trio had been surprised and delighted at his holo appearance and Wirrin was describing the escapade.

“So there was no real danger to the AI's? ...Do you think they overreacted?”

Wirrin was almost shocked.

“Not at all. Thom had it right when he said we should have been looking for traps right from the start.”

Akama turned to Thom.

“Turaku tells me you completed your exercise way beyond the expected parameters.”

Thom reacted quietly to Akama's implicit praise, and underneath, Wirrin knew, he was glowing from this latest instance of positive feedback. So he should.

“Training with the simulators got me through.”

“Maybe, but I also know that some of your actions went beyond the scope of the training system and without them the Comet would have been seen.”

Akama directed his gaze at Wirrin.

“You do look fit and alert. I nearly asked Warragul to reduce your workload a few weeks ago but I was assured you were acclimatising well.”

“You can thank Thom for that too. He's developed a protein structure that helps me.”

“Yes, so I understand, more of his talents showing through, though I wonder why your doctor didn't provide it from the outset.”

“It did come from the doctor. He showed Thom a few things he needed to know and made him change his model four times before...”

Wirrin abruptly cut off his defence. Akama already knew all this and for some reason was assessing his loyalty to the doctor.

“Whatever you want him for, he's probably too busy, and Sonic's pleased with everything he's doing.”

Calen and Thom looked puzzled at this interchange. Akama gave an approving nod.

“An honorary position as the human representative for dolphin health when we formally welcome Freedom. Thank you. It won't take much of his time. ...And apparently it's going to be another memorable occasion. I look forward to meeting you all there.”

He made a very Akama type gesture of friendship as his holo shimmered to nothing.

“What was all that? Were you reading each other's minds or something?”

“He's too tricky. I think I just gave the doctor another job. But why did he look at you like that when he said memorable occasion, Calen?”

“Ah! ...Sonics going to be there.”

Thom burst out laughing.

“It's another surprise and you've been keeping it secret from us again? ...You Witchetty Grub !”

“No I haven't. I just didn't say anything. It's a bit like Meeting day and Sonic likes giving surprises.”

Freedom's arrival in three weeks time just became even more interesting.

***