by Peter Wood
‘Look! The big water.’
The plane landed and Jarli and two excited twins were waiting for them.
***
‘PC ride! PC ride!’
PC meant the personal carrier and the ride was to the favourite swimming spot.
Jarra was laughing because the twins had organised the whole afternoon and taken it for granted that everything would happen just as they wanted. Mirri was totally in agreement as it was exploring, swimming, and fun with the twins. Jarra needed a rest after the air trip and the transfer to Birringurra country, but he figured he could last the extra ten minutes ride on the personal carrier then sleep for half an hour on the soft sand and the makeshift bed of grass and leaves Mirri would expertly construct for him. He loved the exploring, the swimming, and the fun with the twins, too, and besides, this must be part of the plans they’d made over the InterWeb because tonight was the corroboree and tomorrow they had be at Monkey Mia with Karmai.
After whoops of laughter and excitement from the twins behind him—Jarra knew all the spots to swerve, and thrilling little rises, by heart—Mirri took charge and organised the collection of soft material and the eucalypt-scented leaves he knew Jarra liked to use as a pillow.
‘Barega, you must be quiet. Jarra has had a long, long trip and we have to look after him.’
Jarra was surprised for a moment. Barega was much louder and more active than Akama but they both always followed Mirri’s lead without question when it was Jarra’s rest time. He watched two serious little nods. That was normal. The exchange of looks that passed between the three of them next wasn’t. Aha. They were into their plans.
‘Thank you, Mirri. After such a long, long, trip I need a long, long, sleep and I think I won’t wake up for over 2 hours.’
Jarra saw dismay, particularly on Akama’s face, but Mirri just laughed his great happy laugh.
‘JJ is a tricker. We won’t have to wait such a long time. He wants a sleepy-time hug.’
After two enthusiastic hugs and, of course, a special Mirri hug, Jarra watched the three move farther down the sandy bank of the river where the dolphin dive and the crocodile attack game would be muted to a background noise. He closed his eyes and smiled at the sound of Barega’s pleas for a pig ride.
After a few moments Jarra noticed it had gone quiet. Too quiet. Jarra cracked his eyes open and his sleepiness dissolved to a smile. Three statues were staring at him from only a metre away.
‘Sneaks! I didn’t hear you make a sound.’
‘Have you had a good rest, Uncle Jarra?’
Jarra closed his eyes and said nothing till Mirri’s laugh spoiled his pretence by making him smile again. These two boys could easily tell it wasn’t a sleep smile so he sat up.
‘Look, tortoise tracks.’
Starting about 10 metres away were the trails where the three had dropped to their knees and quietly shuffled closer and closer in a little game which Jarra had no doubt was started by Mirri.
‘One big sneaky tortoise and two little sneaky tortoises.’
Mirri liked that, and so did the twins. Akama grabbed Jarra’s hand.
‘We are going to the tree, Uncle Jarra, and Mirri will give you a pig ride.’
Jarra found out later from Jarli that the pig ride Mirri had given him in view of the whole gathering at the last corroboree had made a big impact on the twins and they often acted it out in their play.
‘It’s too far for a pig ride. The tree is right back near Birringurra. Mirri will get too tired.’
‘Yes, the pig ride starts back there.’
They had it all worked out. Akama pointed out where to stop the personal carrier and for nearly 100 metres Mirri strode along with Jarra on his back and the twins trotting beside. Jarra never did understand why the pig ride was part of their plan, but part it was till they reached the tree.
‘You sit there, Uncle Jarra, and Mirri sits next to you and Barega sits on your other side.’
Jarra’s spot was against the trunk of the tree and quite comfortable because he could rest his back. When Akama sat down in front of them Barega said it was time for a story.
‘I haven’t got one ready, Barega. What would you like it to be about?’
The three of them laughed with such delight Jarra knew he’d been set up somehow.
‘Not you, JJ. This is Akama’s story.’
Jarra listened with growing wonder at the story about a very tired man who was so clever he lived at the bottom of a cave in a special room where he could build wonderful machines to help people all round the world, about the bad people who didn’t like him and sent bombs to kill him and his friends, about the people who cried when they thought he was gone, and about the magic spirit friend who dug tunnels through the dirt to set him free.
Jarra stared at Akama in total amazement. How could a seven year old boy hold attention so strongly, tell a story so convincingly? Jarra had always been good with words but not like this. The words were simple but the pattern and style felt like the Dreamtime stories told around the campfire by the Walkabout guides and the leaders at the corroboree. Some of it definitely had the flavour of Mirri’s viewpoint, and there were words distinctive to Barega, so there’d been quite a bit of collaboration over the InterWeb. No wonder Mirri had been so excited about this visit.
‘Thank you Akama and Barega and Mirri. That is the best story anyone has ever told me.’
Mirri was nodding his complete agreement.
‘Yes, JJ, and it’s our secret story. Akama made it up and we are happy you didn’t get hurt. We remember it forever.’
That last wasn’t a Mirri phrase. They’d even discussed some things to say about it.
‘Forever, Mirri. It’s the newest story in the whole world. Do you want to keep it secret from Yirgy? He likes to watch everything from our ComPatches.’
Mirri explained to the boys.
‘Yirgy will keep our secret. He is our magic friend. He dug the tunnel to bring JJ back.’
Jarra wondered how much the twins understood about Artificial Intelligences. Jarli must have made explanations of some kind after the destruction of the neighboring Carnarvon AI project where more people had been killed than at Alkere. Oops!
‘Mirri, I’m very bad.’
Jarra held out one hand and gave it a little smack with the other to emphasise to the twins what he was saying.
‘We mustn’t talk to anyone about Yirgy because if the bad people think he’s still there they’ll get nasty again. It’s all right with Akama and Barega because they are good secret keepers.’
‘Our daddy already told us to keep Yirgella secret when we found out how you were saved.’
Jarra almost felt silly. Of course they knew about Yirgella. They’d put him in the story as the magic friend and they’d been talking with Mirri about him over the InterWeb. There was another thought. The InterWeb wasn’t very safe against … Yes, it was. Yirgella heard every word through Mirri’s ComPatch when he was in Mparntwe and he’d have made sure it was secure. Now that the nonsense about Jarra being very bad was apparently over Mirri gave Barega a big nudge—a blatant ‘get on with our plans’ nudge.
‘Uncle Jarra, do you remember why we like this tree so much?’
Jarra screwed his face up as if this was a very tricky question then stopped when he saw the boys weren’t fooled for one moment. Mirri liked it, though, so that was enough to carry on with.
‘It’s so big?’
‘No!’
Mirri was shaking his head.
‘It’s a very old tree?’
‘No!’
‘It’s got good gum leaves to smell?’
‘NO!’
Time to say the right answer or Mirri wouldn’t be able to contain himself.
‘Yes! Yes! You got it right. Can I get the secret for you?’
‘You can’t, Mirri. It’s in the burl. You’d have to cut the big lump off the tree.’
‘Not that secret. The other secret.’
So Barega’s secret th
at had given Mirri so much fun to talk about was up there. Keeping a secret with a secret. Very clever.
‘A secret story, a tree secret, and now another secret. There are secrets everywhere. Yes, Mirri, you’ll have to get it for me because you’re such a good tree climber.’
Mirri leapt for the first branch—he knew the best way up this tree—and Jarra and the boys stood up to watch his progress. Oh my, there certainly was something up there—a big package leaning against the trunk in the fork at the lookout place. Mirri eagerly picked it up, then paused while he puzzled out how to handle it safely, then started his careful descent. The last part was too tricky so he dangled upside down and passed the new secret to Jarra’s upstretched hands. While Mirri dropped nimbly on his feet, Jarra sat back in his spot against the tree to contemplate the package. It was flat, roughly rectangular, and quite large; remembering Mirri’s comment about it being a beautiful secret he figured it might be a picture.
‘I’m too nervous. Will you take off the packaging for me please, Barega?’
Yes, it was a picture. And yes, it was beautiful. Jarra stared at the rich ochre colours of the traditional style painting of a gum tree, this gum tree, with the burl and the fork of the lookout place. And there was the evil Willy Willy, the funny-face bird and the tortoise, and hundreds of dots making lines to the branches of another tree.
‘This is my story. Did you get an artist to paint it for me? It’s amazing.’
Mirri and Akama laughed and pointed at Barega.
‘It’s my painting, Uncle Jarra. I had to do it lots of times to make it be good enough for you.’
‘There’s the Willy Willy wind. How did you make it look so angry?’
Barega eagerly explained the different features for the next few minutes.
Jarra next explained to the boys that even though he’d been trapped underground he’d been quite safe and that there had been over six months of supplies for everyone, if they needed them.
‘Yirgella’s project area is just like living in your underground home at Carnarvon. There are scientists and lots of special projects happening, but Yirgella has started making it into a proper Community so anyone can live there with their families.’
‘Uncle Jarra, does Yirgella look after you all the time? Our daddy says he’s friendly but some people at our school say AIs are so clever they might take over and machines will rule all the people.’
This was from Akama, the one who always asked questions, and Jarra had to think about his answer.
‘Most people don’t understand AIs and they watch the InterWeb and see bad stories about them. They’re very sneaky stories made up by people who are scared of AIs. Some of the people are really bad because they spread the stories on purpose, and lots of others aren’t bad but they spread the stories because they don’t know the truth about what Yirgella is really like.’
‘But AIs hurt people. Padilpa told us that people died because of them.’
‘Padilpa’s wrong. Who is he?’
‘He teaches us at our school. He knows a lot of things.’
Akama nodded his agreement with Barega.
‘Well, the sneaky stories have tricked him. Mirri and I talk to Yirgella all the time and he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. Mirri, tell the boys what Yirgella is like.’
‘Yirgy is our very best friend. Yirgy is fun and Yirgy saved Jarra from the bad people.’
‘Does he talk to children?’
‘Akama, he’d love to talk to you. I know he will. When we get back to the Centre we’ll speak to him through the InterWeb.’
‘Does he look like a big machine? What will we ask him?’
‘He makes a picture on the screen that looks like an ordinary person and you can ask him whatever you like. He loves tricky questions.’
‘Yirgy knows everything.’
‘Not everything, Mirri, but he finds out so quickly it seems like he does.’
‘JJ, will we climb the tree before we go back to the Centre?’
Enough talk. This was explore time.
Chapter 18
‘They can speak to him whenever they like? Oh no! We’ll never get Akama away from the InterWeb.’
Jarra had just told Jarli about the boys’ interaction with Yirgella.
‘I can get Yirgella to limit their time if you like.’
‘No, I don’t really mean that. It will be wonderful, Jarra, especially for Akama. He seems to be particularly interested in AIs and he was quite upset when our project was destroyed.’
‘It seems to me that he’s interested in everything. He was very concerned because one of his teachers has a negative attitude to AIs, but talking to Yirgella and Mirri has changed that.’
‘Which teacher?’
‘They said his name was Padilpa.’
‘He’s a very good teacher, so we need to do more work in spreading the understanding and benefits of an AI. Do you have any idea how long it will be before the help from Alkere reaches us?’
‘Hasn’t Alira told you?’
‘She says she doesn’t know.’
‘I think it will either be in three to four weeks, or six to seven. Yirgella is prioritising Alkere and Mparntwe, but I know he’s got new plans for all three AI projects.’
‘Tell me … If you can.’
‘Well, I’m fairly certain he’ll help Darwin next, because it’s our transport hub and the first Vac Trains are going there, but Birringurra will definitely be after that. Yirgella’s going to provide an excavating machine so your AI project can be located 1-2 kilometres underground, and a defence system which he’ll run till your own AI can take over. Professor Allerton will arrive with equipment and most of the project staff to help things happen quickly.’
‘Staff as well as equipment? That’s going to make a huge difference to us because there’s now a great deal of understandable fear about involvement in any AI project and we’re having real trouble replacing the people we lost.’
Jarra suddenly understood how big a set back to the development of AIs the attack really was. With people worried that any involvement would be a threat to their lives, no wonder Yirgella was taking almost extreme defensive measures.
‘They won’t worry when they find out how well they’ll be protected. Yirgella’s new defence system is the best in the world, Jarli. They won’t be able to even fire any missiles.’
‘He’s providing the same assistance to Darwin and Normanton?’
‘Yes, and to the Australian OverGovernment in Canberra and Freedom in New Zealand as well. He wants to have other AIs functioning as soon as possible.’
‘He must have huge resources to be so generous with his help.’
‘Most of that comes from exporting construction materials, and you’ll be able to do the same when you get your NanoFactory working,’ said Jarra.
‘Is it difficult to negotiate with Yirgella? That will be my responsibility with our new AI when he starts functioning.’
Jarra smiled.
‘You shouldn’t really ask me, Jarli, because I’m completely spoilt and whenever I want something he just organises it for me. It’s best you ask Alira because she represents Mparntwe Council, but I don’t think they’ve ever had any difficulties. They get lots of surprises with the projects he takes on, but they’re all good surprises.’
‘Barega told me that Yirgella built a swimming pool just for Mirrigan. Is that right?’
Jarra laughed.
‘We call it Mirri’s pool because no-one else uses it much yet and Yirgella did prioritise it to make Mirri happy, but it’s really part of the facilities he’s building so staff and other people can live at Alkere. Eventually it will be a functioning Community.’
‘Amazing. And things like that will happen here, I’m sure.’
‘They will, and when your AI becomes aware make sure you see him as often as you can and get to know him really well.’
***
Mirri was wonderful in the corroboree and the three days with Karmai were
packed with interesting activities but, despite following all his relaxation and rest routines carefully, the five weeks of extended effort finally caught up with Jarra and when he returned to Mparntwe his doctor decreed a quiet time for at least a week, longer if necessary, with a regime of carefully measured physical activity, extended rest, sleep and no stress. He hated it. So much was happening at Alkere and here, but it was like the time when his body was making its adolescent adjustments and there was no other sensible option. At least it was only a week and not months.
***
‘What’s been happening?’
‘My major research partner has been on retreat and I have some interesting research papers gathered for him. Welcome back to Alkere, Jarra. I’ve missed the stimulus of your ideas. Many things have happened, but mostly by degree rather than by innovation.’
‘Sorry, Yirgella. I’ve been frustrated by not knowing much about what’s going on.’
‘Your doctor insisted and I agreed. Thanks to the cooperation of Burnu and his work teams the rapid construction of the new solar array has sped up the development of all our projects. Have a look at what’s happened with the array and you’ll understand why.’
Jarra’s week off had extended to ten days, and though he’d spoken to Yirgella many times the doctor’s embargo had put all Alkere project matters off-limits and his anticipation and curiosity really was frustrating him. The screen image changed to a representation of the array progress and Jarra stared in surprise.
‘They’ve done all that in two weeks?’
‘Burnu increased the number of construction teams from nineteen to thirty and they worked so well we’ve been able to supply four of our big vacuum tunnel excavators for the eastern seaboard network. In two more weeks we’ll do the same for the Melbourne to Perth link, and Alira informs me the OverGovernment is impressed and quite excited.’
‘Has much happened with the Darwin AI project? Jarli was asking me when the Birringurra project would start.’
‘The excavation work at all five sites will be finished within four days and Professor Allerton and our staff will start helping Darwin with their installation. The professor should arrive at Birringurra in five weeks time then move to Normanton six weeks after that. He then plans to return here for at least two months before assisting with the Canberra project.’
