Mparntwe

by Peter Wood

‘Of course.’

  Jarra suddenly laughed. He was browsing through the plans.

  ‘Is that a swimming pool or is it some kind of research tank?’

  ‘A swimming pool is a useful benefit for any community, along with the other gathering places you will find.’

  Jarra looked.

  ‘But it’s finished. The other places haven’t even been started. You built this for Mirri.’

  ‘I’m expecting he’ll be pleasantly surprised when you show it to him. Jarra, I’ve been waiting for four days to hear the ideas and plans you intimated. Are they anything to do with the construction of a space Community? You showed great interest in that at one stage.’

  Jarra was intrigued.

  ‘You’ve built impatience into your communication program? It’s getting very sophisticated.’

  ‘Impatience in various forms can be highly productive. I did express my anticipation four days ago.’

  ‘A space Community? Not really, Yirgella, though my ideas could help as a side effect. I thought about it a lot while I was away and I’d like to concentrate on power and energy. You’re always saying things are held up because our supplies aren’t nearly big enough so it would be a good idea if we could do something to help.’

  ‘Are you thinking of geothermal energy? There are vast untapped resources to the west and south of us at a depth of only 5 kilometres, and our new tunnelling machines would make that quite viable.’

  ‘No, not geothermal, and not fission or fusion either. I’ve looked at them but there are too many issues with radiation and waste management. There’s another far more powerful source.’

  There was a pause of several seconds, one of the longest Jarra could remember, while Yirgella processed his answer.

  ‘… Totally impractical, Jarra. Positron power supplies have been researched time after time for over a century and the barriers are insurmountable. The positrons are just too hard to collect in useful quantities.’

  ‘Positrons would come first, but there’s even more energy available from antiprotons, and if we could make that effective we’d never run out of energy.’

  ‘You always look into your ideas but do you understand what the barriers I just mentioned involve? We’ll have to build a particle accelerator for even basic research.’

  Jarra was delighted. Despite saying the whole idea was totally impractical Yirgella sounded as if he meant to be part of this venture regardless.

  ‘We’ll be able to afford one soon enough but I want to study magnetic fields first. If we can improve them then the collider will be far more effective.’

  Once again Yirgella took several seconds to answer.

  ‘I’ve looked at the relevant data and I can see the way to a 12% improvement to the strongest currently available magnetic fields, but 12% is almost irrelevant. To make any real difference we’re talking orders of magnitude.’

  ‘Yes, at least three orders, and that would help with storage as well as production of antimatter.’

  ‘One thousand times the current strength is not theoretically possible.’

  ‘Under very special conditions it is. I spoke with a specialist about it on the InterWeb.’

  ‘You did? That’s not on any of your ComPatch recordings.’

  ‘I know. I woke up one night thinking about it and forgot to put my ComPatch on. Yirgella, how much energy could you get from the geothermal areas?’

  ‘How much do you want?’

  ‘Could you match Alkere’s output?’

  ‘Yes. The energy is there in abundance, but to match all Alkere’s arrays would involve some very large-scale engineering.’

  ‘Let’s get that going while I start studying magnetic fields.’

  ***

  ‘My friends, I have called this special meeting to discuss a number of situations our Community is facing.’

  Alira, with Durrebar at her side, was addressing the full Mparntwe Council.

  ‘Durrebar has some news as well as some ideas we need to consider.’

  There was a murmur from the collective group till Durrebar stood, and attention focused when they saw he was ready to speak.

  ‘Thank you, Alira, I do indeed have some news, startling news I would say, but first I want to thank you, yet again, for initiating and supporting our Alkere project. The benefits to Mparntwe have surpassed all our predictions despite our concern about the adverse reactions from powerful world interests.

  ‘Like the fabled fishermen with his net, I believe we have released a powerful genie. In fact, it could be said we’ve released two genies, as the NanoFactories which are making us world leaders in materials and construction were conceived by young Jarra.

  ‘Yesterday, after four weeks of research and planning, again instigated by Jarra, Yirgella informed me they are ready to build a geothermal plant which will outmatch the energy output of every solar array on the continent. It will effectively triple our Alkere energy resources.’

  There was silence till Kyrra jumped to his feet.

  ‘Geothermal has serious heat exchange and efficiency problems. They’ve worked their way round those?’

  ‘They have. Jarra and Yirgella are a formidable combination. Yirgella will draw any energy he requires from the project but the rest will be available for distribution in any way we choose.’

  ‘Triple? It must be enormous.’

  That was one of the finance councillors.

  ‘At 5 kilometres depth and with an ambient temperature greater than 250°C enormous is a good description, but the cost is all being absorbed by Yirgella and Jarra.’

  ‘Jarra has resources for something this big? He’s still a student.’

  ‘Through Yirgella’s management and their joint enterprises he is by far the wealthiest individual in Mparntwe.’

  ‘Jarra started this and not Yirgella? Income can’t be his motivation if the proceeds will be coming to us.’

  ‘Not all the proceeds. Yirgella Inc will take 30% till their outlay has been recovered and 20% after that. They have a new endeavour which will require a great deal of energy.’

  ‘Is this new endeavour the reason we’re here?’

  ‘Not at all. They are looking at magnetic fields first and then the production of antimatter. Yirgella doubts they will be successful, but he supports any research Jarra wants to do.’

  ‘Antimatter? No wonder they’re looking for energy sources. They’d need a collider to make it.’

  Kyrra took in the range of puzzled looks and went on.

  ‘A collider is a gigantic magnetic field which pushes atomic particles almost to the speed of light then smashes them into other particles. It can be used for all sorts of research purposes. Minute amounts of antimatter can be one of the by-products.’

  ‘What exactly is antimatter? I’ve heard of it but I don’t understand it.’

  That was the finance councillor.

  ‘It’s like a mirror image of ordinary matter. It only exists momentarily on Earth when a cosmic ray enters the atmosphere, or when it’s produced in a collider. When it comes in contact with ordinary matter there’s the most violent reaction known and a huge release of energy.’

  ‘Will they build this machine out at Alkere?’

  ‘There aren’t any plans yet. They like to do their research first, and according to Jarra it might be several years before it’s needed. What we have to consider is how to manage the huge influx of resources this geothermal project will bring. Yirgella informs me that in two years time the combined income from Alkere, the materials project and geothermal energy will have lifted our current levels sevenfold.’

  There were exclamations and gasps of amazement from almost the whole Council, especially the finance members. Durrebar laughed at this not unexpected reaction, looked at Alira, then sat down. He’d passed on Yirgella’s assessment and it was time for Alira to lead the discussion.

  ‘Remember our excitement when Jarra’s proposal to build an AI predicted a 10-15% increase in the wealth of the Com
munity? Now we’re considering an unprecedented 700%.’

  The talkative finance councillor raised a hand.

  ‘That would really be 1400%, Alira. If I understood Durrebar correctly, Yirgella’s assessment was against current levels. The materials project now almost matches Alkere.’

  Alira looked to Durrebar and received a nod of confirmation.

  ‘Astonishing, but it only emphasises the problem of what we’re going to do with all this new wealth and how we’ll manage it. Has Yirgella made any suggestions?’

  Durrebar stood again.

  ‘Yes, he has, but he insists that you treat them as suggestions only. He doesn’t want you to feel as if he’s directing you in what to do. Basically he thinks you should use it all. He’s quite worried about the degree of automation his new techbots and NanoFactories will bring and the huge effect they’ll have on our job structure. Half the working people in the Community can’t suddenly become redundant without causing huge problems.’

  ‘The new techbots are that effective?’

  Burnu spoke up.

  ‘I think half might be an understatement. If we’d built the new solar array at our old rate the techbots could have replaced three quarters of our workers.’

  There was a buzz of conversation which Kyrra interrupted.

  ‘Half our working population losing their occupation would be a social disaster. We’ll have to regulate the use of techbots in Mparntwe till we can provide alternatives.’

  ‘Yirgella agrees. He suggests encouraging education to be ongoing and pervasive, personal and interpersonal skills development for everyone, and development of entertainment and socialisation at the family and friend level.’

  ‘I think we should share this wealth with Carnarvon, Darwin, and Normanton. We can’t keep it all to ourselves.’

  ‘What about the rest of Alice Springs? Should we help the public Communities in some way?’

  The floodgates opened and ideas and suggestions poured in till Alira called a halt.

  ‘We need to inform our general community of these challenges and provide opportunities to hear their suggestions and submissions before we make any decisions.’

  ‘We’ll have a thousand different ideas if we do that. We’ll end up discussing them forever.’

  ‘We might with some, but that won’t matter. Most ideas will trend into major areas like the ones Yirgella has suggested, and that’s where we can start acting.’

  Half an hour more was spent organising a strategy to build public awareness; then Alira finished the meeting and thanked Durrebar for his help.

  ‘Is there anything else you’d like to say before we leave?’

  ‘Yes. Yirgella invites you all to take part in the inaugural trip of his vacuum tunnel train next Tuesday.’

  ***

  ‘Buckle up, Mirri. We’re going to go very, very, fast.’

  ‘Very, very, very, fast! This is Yirgy’s train.’

  Mirri liked repeating ‘very, very, very’. It was stuck in his mind from a talk with Yirgella about what it would feel like to travel in the vacuum tunnel. The six-week prediction had been over-optimistic and the completion time was extended by nearly two weeks when some major redesigning was needed to fix faults which showed up in the testing process. After almost continuous faultless runs for the last 24 hours however, the engineers working with Yirgella were elated.

  ‘Hello, Jarra. Hello, Mirrigan.’

  The friendly greetings continued as the full Council and Alkere project staff filed past on the way to their own seats. Every one of them knew Mirri of course; he was out there so often with Jarra and talking with Yirgella. Jarra was also impressed that the Council members all smiled and said something as they went past. Alira paused to ruffle Mirri’s hair before sitting in the seat in front of them. The red warning lights went off as everyone took their place and Jarra looked up, startled, when Yirgella’s voice sounded over the speakers.

  ‘Welcome aboard. I see that everyone is secure and comfortable so in a moment we will start this inaugural trip of what my good friend Mirrigan calls the Vac Train.’

  ‘Yirgy!’

  ‘Yes, Mirri. We are about to start your very, very, very, fast ride.’

  Where was he watching from? Not their ComPatches. They were always working but they wouldn’t show the state of everyone’s restraint harness. Jarra found out later that there were tiny high-resolution lenses covering every part of the carriage.

  ‘The standard acceleration is set at 80% of Earth gravity and will last for 68 seconds. There will be 15 seconds of coasting while your seats automatically reverse their orientation, and then there will be 68 seconds of deceleration. The trip duration will be 2 minutes and 41 seconds and the train will reach a speed of 1920 kilometres per hour.’

  There were several seconds of gentle movement then Jarra was shocked by the force pressing him back into his seat, then further shocked when it didn’t let up. This was nothing like the short bursts of acceleration in the lift systems. Mirri laughed and grabbed Jarra’s arm.

  ‘Fun ride!’

  It was, too, and the powerful force was more an impression than a burden as Jarra realised he was quite comfortable. Yirgella had explained that, since the human body was designed for one full gravity, 80% would be easy to cope with. Just as he was adjusting to the sensation of gaining speed it stopped, the seat swivelled to face the opposite direction, and then started again. Jarra couldn’t help calling out. It was so exciting. Mirri was right. This was total fun. The pressure finished and after a few seconds all the buckle up signs turned green. That was it? They were at Alkere already?

  ‘Thank you for travelling on the first Vac Train in the world. Durrebar will meet you on the platform.’

  Into the rising buzz of excitement as everyone started unbuckling and getting to their feet came Mirri’s happy voice calling out.

  ‘Very, very, very, fun! Thank you, Yirgy!’

  Chapter 16

  Jarra watched Yirgella set the geothermal project in motion. The second NanoFactory built the special tunnelling machines which would cope with the increasing levels of heat and pressure: first a large one for the major coring and then five smaller ones for the vital shoring and construction work. At the same time he settled himself into a routine of study and application with his magnetic field work. Darri had done wonders in his liaison with the Mparntwe University and on three of his four Alkere days Jarra had a professor to help tutor in the different areas he needed to understand. Darri laughed about it because the university staff were so keen to be involved it was sometimes awkward to make a choice. Jarra understood right from the start that this project was far greater in scope even than the NanoFactory work and he had no doubt it would go on for a number of years. Darri’s background led him to agree with Yirgella that the ultimate goal of practical energy production might be unattainable, but the focus didn’t surprise him because Jarra had shown interest in energy work with his perpetual motion models and the solar panel he’d built.

  Mirri was quite fascinated, too, because suddenly there were all sorts of magnets around the project room to play with and do his own experiments. He came out with Jarra most days because, with his own room, the beautiful big swimming pool which Yirgella really had built especially for him, the games and challenges Yirgella organised for him, and the explore at the end of the day, courtesy of the new super personal carrier, Alkere was an interesting place to be.

  Jarra stopped for a break from studying energy storage methods.

  ‘What’s happening with the Vac Trains? Alira told me yesterday that there have been government officials and scientists from all across Australia visiting to try it out over the last few days.’

  ‘It’s a bit like Topsy. It’s grown.’

  Jarra had no idea who Topsy was; Yirgella had started using obscure speech references recently, but he understood the sense.

  ‘They want more than our three basic proposals?’

  ‘Yes, Jarra, they want an Aus
tralia-wide network with tunnels right down the Eastern seaboard and from Melbourne across to Perth, connecting every major population centre. What do you think we should do?’

  ‘We can’t do all that. We’ve only just got enough energy for the Darwin tunnels. Can we tell them we’ll go ahead when we finish the Carnarvon and Normanton tunnels?’

  ‘In practical terms that’s what will happen, but Alira wants us to commit to the whole network immediately. She says it’s important for our relationships with the OverGovernment and the general population.’

  ‘Alira understands how stretched our resources are, doesn’t she?’ asked Jarra.

  ‘Most definitely.’

  ‘Then she must have good reasons. How long before the excavation part of the Darwin tunnels is finished?’

  ‘The twelve large machines working on the transport tunnels can finish in just over four months. The express passenger tunnels don’t have the same priority and the smaller machines will have to work for nearly eleven months.’

  The smaller machines were the eight that had been used for the Alkere to Mparntwe route.

  ‘Can we build more tunnelling machines?’

  ‘Easily, but the problem then is supplying all the power and backup resources. We’d have to ask Alkere Inc. to build even more solar arrays.’

  ‘The geothermal project means it would be a waste to build new arrays, and we’re committed to finishing the Darwin transport tunnels. After that we’ll change our plans and help Alira.’

  ***

  ‘Mirri is talking about getting a job.’

  Jarra was relaxing with Alira in the special shelter near the bird place. They didn’t come here nearly as often now, with so much time spent at Alkere, but the weekly walk with Alira was almost always from Mparntwe, and whenever they did return Mirri rushed round collecting leaves and grass for Jarra’s special bed and tidying the place up. He was outside somewhere in the stand of eucalypt trees right now, looking for a new support log for a section of the lookout wall which needed replacing.

  ‘Do you think he’s serious about it, Jarra?’

  ‘Karmai and two of his other brothers are working and he has it in his mind that he’s old enough to do the same.’