by Peter Wood
ATTUNGA
Peter Wood
This story is one of the Tales of the Terran Diaspora
Attunga Peter Wood
Published by Diaspora Press
First published March 2017
Email: [email protected] or visit diasporatales.net
© Peter Wood
Proofreader: Kate Daniel
Designer/ Typesetter: Working Type Studio (www.workingtype.com.au)
ISBN: 9780994618801 (paperback)
ISBN: 9780994618818 (ebook)
All rights reserved. No part of this printed or video publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electrical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher and copyright owner.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry (paperback)
Creator: Wood, Peter Leonard, 1944- author.
Title: Attunga : tales of the terran diaspora / Peter Leonard Wood.
ISBN: 9780994618801 (paperback)
Series: Wood, Peter Leonard, 1944- Tales of the terran diaspora.
Subjects: Science fiction.
Adventure stories.
Artificial intelligence--Fiction.
ALSO BY PETER WOOD
Mparntwe (forthcoming)
More information at https://diasporatales.net
My deepest appreciation to:
My family for their interest and support through the whole process;
Nan, my editor, for her thought-provoking challenges and meticulous attention to detail;
Kate, my proofer, for her professional work and approach;
Marin for his ideas;
Luke for taking on the graphic design and typesetting;
and all the readers for their feedback and encouragement.
To my wonderful family
Chapter 1
Attunga, glittering with a myriad of artificial lights, floated serenely in the depths of the asteroid belt, its great bulk abuzz with hundreds of millions of human beings. Amongst them, three young friends met at a transport terminal to plan their day.
The boys loved exploring, and with over a thousand residential floors from top to bottom, there was always something new to find. This morning they’d left their student cubicles on level 185 of their home sector to travel to the very edge of their space city, and ebony-skinned Wirrin had just won a game they played whenever they set off: who could travel the multiple pathways of the transport system in the shortest time.
‘You’re a galah head, Thom. You’re just giving me a hard time because I was fastest.’
‘Not a galah head. That first plan would’ve taken you into space.’
They were all grinning, Thom because he’d caught Wirrin out, Wirrin because he’d been caught out, and Calen because he was bubbling with anticipation.
‘Get serious! What did you manage to find out about this sector?’
Wirrin took the lead. ‘I checked my holo. They’ve got a viewing station for Warrakan and you can see it for real.’
Warrakan was a large asteroid in the process of being developed as a companion habitat and all three of them were obsessed with it.
‘Really? That’s great, but I found something even better,’ said Calen. ‘The dolphinarium’s in this sector and a baby has just been born. We’re not missing that.’
Trust Calen to track down something connected with animals. ‘I’ve never seen a live dolphin,’ said Wirrin. ‘A baby – that’s pretty special. What about you, Thom? Did you find anything?’
‘There’s a swimming pool we should try.’
‘Swimming pool? We can do that in our home sector.’
‘Not like this, Wirrin. It’s zero-G. They turn off the gravity field and the water collects in a 30 metre sphere.’
‘Wow! But how do you breathe? Water in zero-grav is dangerous.’
‘They give you a full facemask with twenty minutes of air.’
‘We’ve got all day,’ said Calen. ‘We should be able to manage Warrakan and the pool, but we have to see the dolphins first. Come on.’
***
The dolphinarium was huge, with a population of 342 dolphins – 343 since yesterday – and Wirrin listened closely to the ranger describing the birth and explaining a little of dolphin culture. Apparently a pod was gathering in the main viewing gallery to welcome the baby – a slight variation on the usual welcome extended to any new member of a pod.
When the ranger finished her explanation Wirrin and Thom had to run to keep up with Calen, who was intent on getting a good seat. He needn’t have worried: there were seats for five hundred people, a huge glass interface and a vast volume of crystal-clear water beyond it. Still, they were glad to be in the front row only a few metres from the glass.
Wirrin watched the mix of people: lots of families with excited children and groups of young people like themselves, laughing and chatting as they took their seats. Several rows back a couple looked more engrossed in each other than anything in front of them, and across the aisle three whole rows filled with rangers, all dressed in the distinctive azure uniform.
Two dolphins were already gliding through the water. A few minutes later they were joined by two more dolphins from one of the three underwater tunnels at the back of the pool, then three more. Calen never took his eyes off the sleek grey beasts, and Wirrin watched with mounting excitement.
‘I wonder how long before the baby gets here?’ Thom said.
Wirrin and Calen didn’t respond. The ranger from the entrance approached with a friendly smile and addressed the crowd.
‘We’ve just had word. They’ve left the birthing pool, so it’ll be five minutes or so,’ she said, then dropped into the empty seat next to Wirrin. Calen leaned forward and began to bombard her with questions.
‘So we’ve got a dolphin enthusiast, have we?’ the ranger said with a grin.
Wirrin laughed. ‘Not just dolphins. He loves any animals. He’s been taking zoology options for the last seven years.’
‘Seven years? Really? That’s more than I did.’ She leaned in. ‘Is it going to be your major?’
‘A double major I hope. As long as my scores are high enough. Mammals and insects.’
‘Mammals – good, you need that – but everyone does insects. If you try something unusual you’ll have a better chance of working in an area you enjoy.’
‘I thought insects was unusual?’
‘It is in its own way of course, but everyone thinks that. Because there’s such a huge species list they all expect they’ll find something no-one’s ever researched before and that hardly ever happens.’
Calen was clearly taken aback – that must have been his reasoning, too.
Five more dolphins swept into view, one of them swimming right up to the glass in front of Wirrin, where it stopped. Was it smiling at him? It was impossible to think otherwise, even though he knew it was simply the structure of the mouth. He felt thrilled and somehow strangely blessed, until he heard a soft chuckle beside him.
The ranger gave the dolphin a slow wave. Its body undulated and its head flicked up in response.
‘It’s Flute saying hello because she likes me. Wave your hand like this and see if she reacts.’
Wirrin, Calen and Thom waved, but nothing happened.
‘Lower your arms and try again.’
Flute repeated the movement, and so did four other dolphins now close to the glass interface – the same response and exactly in u
nison. Then they all peeled away and swam to the back of the pool. The baby must be coming. Every dolphin was looking towards the central tunnel. Calen grabbed Wirren’s arm.
‘Easy,’ Wirrin whispered. ‘I need that arm.’
For a tense moment nothing happened, then a dolphin shadowed by a tiny baby entered the pool and swam towards the pod. She approached each one in turn, and every dolphin touched the baby with a soft nudge, a gentle tap or a fleeting stroke. Two dolphins even rested their beaks on top of it for a second till the little dolphin reacted, unsure of what was happening. Then, as if on a signal, all the dolphins moved to one side of the pool, ranged close to mother and baby, and looked towards the nearest tunnel. Wirrin was reminded of a guard of honour in one of the ancient vids, but then his heart leapt as an avalanche of dolphins poured from the tunnel. They kept coming and coming, till it was beyond belief that there could be so many.
The mother took the little one to the surface then descended to where a contingent of nine pod leaders had lined up. The touch ritual was repeated all over again, the mother carefully monitoring each exchange.
Calen was still gripping Wirrin’s arm and now he gave it an involuntary squeeze as the mother shepherded her baby into almost the same position Flute had taken earlier. In a flash of understanding Wirrin realised she was proudly presenting her baby to the humans. The ranger beside him leapt to her feet and lifted her arm. Wirrin and Calen followed, and then everyone in the auditorium rose to their feet and gave the slow wave they’d seen earlier.
As 342 dolphins performed the undulation and head flip, a storm of applause swept the audience, then, with a tremendous swirl, nine pods of dolphins surfaced for air and disappeared into the three tunnels. Last to leave, at a more sedate pace, were mother and baby and the family pod.
‘Oh my! Wait here lads. I need to explain what’s just happened.’
The ranger faced the audience and switched her holo to voice amplification. ‘Citizens of Attunga, you’ve just become part of history.’ Wirrin caught the tremor in her voice. ‘Every newborn bottlenose dolphin is presented to the wider dolphin community, but this is the first time it’s happened with such ceremony. Usually the pods approach at different times over one or two days. Puck, she’s the mother, chose the main gallery for the welcoming, which was terrific, but a bit surprising – this is usually a very private affair at the birthing pool. For a little one to be presented to humans, and with such formality, is a first.’
‘I wonder why she wants us to wait?’ Thom said quietly, as the ranger took questions from the audience.
‘She wants to talk to you, Calen. She’s worked out you’re an animal freak.’
‘You reckon? Well, I hope so.’
Eventually the auditorium cleared and the ranger dropped into her seat. ‘So, I’m Burilda and you’re …?’
They introduced themselves, then Burilda turned to Calen.
‘Would you like to meet Flute?’
Calen looked stunned. ‘Would I!’
‘I knew the answer before I asked. Anyone who’s done seven years of zoology options would breathe space dust for such an opportunity. And you two?’
Wirrin couldn’t imagine anyone not wanting to see a dolphin. Encountering any animal was rare on Attunga, let alone one of these amazing creatures.
‘You bet!’
‘Good. Let’s go and we’ll see what happens. Are you all confident in open water?’
‘Open water? I think so. We all love swimming if that’s what you mean.’ Calen strode along beside Burilda.
‘Our dolphins insist on physical interaction before they speak meaningfully, so we’ll go to one of the reaches for a play.’
‘We’ll be in the water? Us? Playing with dolphins?’ said Calen.
‘Well, it will feel like play, but the dolphins are actually making quite a refined assessment. You’ll soon know what they think of you.’
By the time they’d slipped into some borrowed shorts and eased themselves into the chest-deep water, Wirrin was feeling a mixture of nerves, excitement and wonder. It seemed they were facing a type of dolphin test, and he knew Calen would be devastated if it didn’t go well. The reach, as Burilda called it, stretched into the distance, a vast volume of water.
Calen looked around; there was no sign of any dolphins. He looked up at Burilda. ‘What do we do now? Wait?’
‘Hang on. I’ll come in with you.’
She made a neat shallow dive, surfaced, and scooped a handful of water directly into Wirrin’s face. Surprised, Wirrin blinked his eyes clear and just had time to register Burilda’s grin before he was deluged. This time, when his eyes cleared, she was splashing Thom and Calen.
‘Race you to the buoy.’
What a cheek! Wirrin churned after Burilda, who’d started with a lead of several metres.
What? Where was she? Something clamped onto Wirrin’s leg, dragged him down, then released him. He struggled to the surface, gasped in a breath and glimpsed Calen’s shocked expression before he too disappeared momentarily below the surface. Where was that ranger? Didn’t she ever breathe?
‘Race you to the edge.’
Once again she cheated, giving herself a head start. Wirrin grinned at Thom and Calen. From now on they’d be ready for any shenanigans. For the next few minutes laughter rang as the ranger copped the lot. Three on to one wasn’t really fair but she had asked for it with her tricks.
Then Thom yelled and disappeared. But Burilda was metres away and in full view. Wirrin was puzzling over that when his legs were swept from beneath him. He regained his footing and his breath, and realised with a shock that a great body was nudging gently at his thigh. Calen was staring into the water with a look of absolute wonder. Thom gave a shriek as he was lifted half a metre into the air. Wirrin felt a dolphin beak pushing between his legs from behind before a powerful head jerked him upwards.
They were splashed, bumped, nudged, poked and prodded with those surprisingly gentle beaks, then enticed into a futile chasing game. What human could match those strong, sinuous creatures? At one stage two of the dolphins raced at a furious pace in a tight circle then leapt over their heads in a glorious arc. Most exciting of all was watching Calen, radiant with joy, being carried slowly through the water astride a dolphin with a yellow and black tag in its fin.
Twenty minutes later the dolphins disappeared as abruptly as they’d arrived, leaving Wirrin, Thom and Calen elated and exhausted. Burilda beckoned and somewhat reluctantly they left the water.
‘Well, judging from that reception, Flute is keen to speak to you.’
‘Flute? Was she the one with Calen?’ Wirrin had felt a special bond with the yellow-tagged dolphin.
‘Yes, and that’s the first time she’s deigned to carry someone on her back. It’s going to be a very interesting conversation.’
Wirrin understood that dolphins had a rudimentary language, but conversation seemed to imply more. He glanced at Calen. ‘Conversation?’
‘That’s why the Attunga dolphins are so special, Wirrin. They’re better at communicating than ordinary dolphins.’
Burilda clapped Calen on the shoulder. ‘You’re right, Calen, but only partly. Let’s go and see what Flute has to say.’
Chapter 2
‘It’s immense!’
‘No, it’s not. It’s only 50 kilometres long.’
Wirrin, Thom and Calen were at the viewing station and staring at the image of Warrakan, an M-type asteroid – the first space habitat ever developed to leave the solar system.
‘What are you talking about, Thom? That’s eight times as big as Attunga.’
‘It’s still not immense though. K74 is a 300 kilometre asteroid.’
‘That’s different. K74 isn’t a traveller.’
‘It could be if they used the new engines with it.’
‘I suppose, but they wouldn’t do it because with that much mass it would take ages to go anywhere.’
Thom loved talking bigger, better, faster. Wirrin
thought the things that were happening now were amazing enough. Attunga, their home habitat, did have a degree of mobility but they’d never experienced it; it was thirty years since it had arrived next to Warrakan and the next move wasn’t due till Warrakan started for Alpha Centauri in another nine years.
‘How many people, Wirrin?’
‘Which one? Warrakan or K74?’
‘I meant Warrakan, but check them both.’
Wirrin manipulated his holo. Thom and Calen could easily check for themselves, but left it to Wirrin out of habit.
‘Um … Warrakan’s reached 167 million and K74 is 12.3 billion.’
‘Are you sure? It was still in the elevens when we studied it nine months ago.’
Wirrin did another search.
‘Wow! You’re right, Thom. It’s grown by over 400 million people in just that time.’
That seemed like an astonishing number, since it was almost half the total population of Attunga.
Thom was fascinated with K74, the largest space habitat in the whole solar system, and Wirrin and Calen often said he should go and live there. He wouldn’t of course because no space habitat except Warrakan could match the life conditions and opportunities on Attunga. K74 did have the greatest population of any non-planet habitat though, and there were stories that it wanted to keep its growth as rapid as possible.
‘That’s too many. With growth like that there’d have to be more kids than adults. The whole place must be taken up with nurseries.’
‘You’re right, Calen. It must be. I wonder how they’ve worked that out? There wouldn’t be enough people to do everything else. Hey! Look at that.’
Wirrin pointed to the far right of their field of view where a movement had caught his eye.
‘I think it’s a transport ferry. They never stop because so many people are transferring.’
‘It doesn’t look big enough, Thom. They carry thousands of people.’
‘It only looks small because it’s next to Attunga.’
‘Hang on, I’ll get it on the holo. There, twelve thousand passengers and the space ferry’s 300 metres long. It takes twenty minutes to get to Warrakan and they operate as many as they need.’
