Mparntwe

by Peter Wood

  ‘Sir? Turn the stealth off? Are you sure? Every air defence and space agency around the world will monitor everything we do.’

  His concern was understandable as the whole project had been kept under secrecy and the official announcement to the world wasn’t planned to happen for another two weeks when representatives from major nations would be invited to take part.

  ‘I’m sure, Malcolm. It will be a bigger surprise and more memorable this way, especially if we visit the International Space Station as part of our return journey. Can we do that?’

  All ten crew members look amazed and then excited.

  ‘We can take you anywhere you wish. Sir, we have data and astrogation charts for any location in the Solar System.’

  ‘The far side of the Moon and one space station will be enough for today.’

  ***

  Satellite scans monitored by the North American Space Agency were the first to recognise an unscheduled launch trajectory, and within seconds an attention signal was flashing on a screen at the Space Command Centre. A technician puzzled for a moment at the location of the launch site—Central Australia where no infrastructure existed—then called for his supervisor.

  ‘It doesn’t make sense. The acceleration parameters are way too low to reach escape velocity without an extended burn way beyond the capacity of any rocket we know of, yet the path it’s taking indicates a low orbit insertion at the very least.’

  ‘The Australians must be trying some poorly thought out rocket experiment. How long can the fuel last?’

  ‘With those burn characteristics … Maybe 150 seconds.’

  ‘Calculate where it will come down as soon as the burn finishes. We may have to issue warnings … Aren’t those emission readings wrong?’

  The technician called up a comparison chart and goggled at what he was seeing. A total mismatch.

  ‘That’s impossible! There’s no fuel residue. The satellite scanners must be faulty.’

  ‘They can’t all be wrong. How many do we have watching this launch?’

  ‘Three.’

  ‘Lock in three more and we’ll see if the glitch clears.’

  The technician expertly synchronised three extra satellites to the task and 30 seconds later the supervisor took the Command Centre to its highest possible alert level. Scientists and technicians scrambled to their posts and every screen in the room lit up with its own particular field of data as the Centre’s Command Manager came rushing in.

  ‘What is it? Why are we on high alert?’

  ‘We have an anomalous launch. The acceleration levels don’t make sense and none of our satellites are registering standard fuel emissions. The burn has now lasted 220 seconds and our calculations say that is beyond the capability of any known rocket. The Australians must be testing a new type of fuel.’

  ‘The Australians? They have no infrastructure. What’s the point of origin?’

  ‘Central Australia.’

  ‘More precisely?’

  ‘… Alkere Energy Holdings north-east of Alice Springs.’

  ‘Alkere … Where they have that underground environmental research centre?’

  The technician looked up with a kind of disbelief. His supervisor might be particularly gifted but he was certainly clueless about anything not involved with space.

  ‘Sir, it’s much more than that. It’s where all those Artificial Intelligences are based and where that young scientist who had the Pig Ride works.’

  ‘Alkere? I thought that was Mparntwe. I distinctly remember the Ambassador for the Mparntwe Community speaking when our screens were taken over.’

  ‘They’re the same.’

  After a moment’s startled silence the supervisor glanced at the technician’s screen then burst into action.

  ‘Direct every satellite we have under our control to track that object and gather every possible bit of information. Alert every other international space agency. Make contact with the Australian OverGovernment and inform the President.’

  ‘The President?’

  ‘Look at the monitor; that low G burn has now continued for an impossible … 253 seconds. At the very least it marks some kind of revolutionary advance in rocket technology, and every additional second compounds its significance.’

  He turned to the technician.

  ‘Calculate the destination for that object if it maintains the same trajectory. I suspect that our whole space industry has just become obsolete.’

  The technician shook his head to say it wasn’t his expertise and relayed the instructions to someone at a different workstation. Twenty seconds later, an impossible 20 seconds for any known rocket technology, seventy people stared in disbelief at a graphical representation showing the Moon as the destination.

  The supervisor ran for his communication console.

  ***

  ‘Akama’s going to speak to them as well. I asked him if he’d like to make the dedication and he said yes. It’s very important to him.’

  ‘Well, of course, but he’s only eleven and the whole world will be watching.’

  ‘Not directly. He’ll be talking to the forty-five leaders and their officials. It will have more meaning if it’s him and he’s got a gift with words anyway.’

  ‘He certainly has. His story at the farewell ceremony was unforgettable.’

  The unstealthed landing on the Moon and the short stop next to the International Space Station two weeks ago had sent the world into a frenzy of consternation and speculation, with some groups even claiming it was the start of an alien invasion. That only lasted till the conversations between the ship and the Space Station were relayed openly through the InterWeb, along with Jarra’s declaration that this was the maiden voyage of an AI-designed spaceship using a Positronic Propulsion System, and that selected world leaders would be given the opportunity to make their own journey.

  Poor Alira had been overwhelmed with the barrage of questions and hundreds of requests for inclusion from nation states or major Communities all over the planet, and then more overwhelmed in trying to accommodate Jarra’s stricture of forty-five leaders and two attendants for each. She’d been relieved when Jarra decided Yirgella should do all the negotiations directly.

  Right now Jarra was relaxed in his seat in the ship’s Control Centre with Mirri, Akama and Burnu. Alira had just joined them after the quite lengthy process of welcoming the leaders and escorting them to the large conference room which had been hastily fitted with screens to show the external view, and 145 seats with safety harnesses for the initial takeoff and final Earth landing periods.

  ‘Are we ready for our new fun ride, JJ?’

  ‘As soon as Aunt Alira gets buckled up, Mirri.’

  ‘Can we do some flying?’

  ‘Not today. The visitors might get sick.’

  ‘Flying’ was Mirri’s term for the moving about in zero gravity which both he and Akama had enjoyed in the half hour experiment they’d tried on the first expedition. Jarra hadn’t liked it and had been relieved when it finished. Malcolm looked to him for the go-ahead.

  The first 15 minutes with the acceleration at 1.4 gravities was quite disconcerting. Jarra thought it was like the first few seconds of a powerful lift taking off except that it went on and on and he was very thankful for the support from his specially designed seat. After that the acceleration reduced to a steady 0.9 gravities and, with safety harnesses no longer needed, everyone was free to move. Jarra dragged his eyes away from the astonishing view of the receding Earth that was being shown on the main screen and called to Mirri, Akama and Alira.

  ‘Come on. It’s time to meet all these people.’

  ‘Are you tired, JJ?’

  ‘Just a bit funny, Mirri. I’m nervous about meeting all the people but this point nine gravity makes me feel good.’

  Mirri crouched down, then with a big laugh jumped straight upwards. Akama copied and the two of them went hopping and bouncing in the direction they needed to go. Alira did one jump before falling i
n beside Jarra and Burnu.

  ‘I must admit, it makes me feel like doing the same.’

  Today was going to be long, with the trip each way taking just under 4 hours, and Jarra knew he’d have to pace himself very carefully with two major rests, and limit his time with the high-powered guests who, he knew, would be vying for his attention. He’d decided on an hour’s mingle time now, an hour and a half while a meal was served and Burnu made the presentation about conditions for purchase of a spaceship, and another hour before the end of the journey. There would also be the quarter hour while they were landed on the Moon and the techbots set up the little memorial plaque and Akama gave his talk.

  Almost every person was still in their seat, staring raptly at Earth, when Jarra and his group entered the Conference Room and the transition to standing and mixing company was quite protracted. That suited Jarra because he was nervous. Alira said he needn’t be because these people were there to see him and would work hard to put him at ease.

  When the closest group unbuckled and came over it was Mirri who broke the ice by putting a proprietary arm across Jarra’s shoulders and announcing he was a spaceship hero and the best scientist in the world. There were immediate smiles and Jarra relaxed. Yes, this next hour would be interesting, very interesting, and Jarra watched the mix of reactions towards himself, Mirri and Akama very carefully. Everyone knew Mirri and Akama from the Pig Ride and acknowledged it with varying degrees of formality. Jarra thought they all seemed genuine.

  At one stage Jarra had to fight to keep a straight face when Mirri totally ignored the President of the United States and, with cries of ‘Dinosaur Man’, rushed to give his attendant a big hug. The President seemed to enjoy the moment though.

  Then Jarra watched another unconventional scene when Mirri responded strongly to a question and wanted to demonstrate the Pig Ride. The dignitaries seemed unfazed as Mirri turned to Akama, who happily accepted and went for a circuit of the room on his back.

  Jarra left for his rest then returned for the buffet luncheon. At the end of that everyone sat down to listen to Burnu’s explanation about the availability and costs of acquiring a spaceship with the Positronic Propulsion System. Apart from the significance of being the first world leaders to land on the Moon, this was the real reason for their presence, and there was keen interest while Burnu explained that the Alkere Space Agency was structured for a unit production time of three months. The costs were expensive but, at approximately 60% of any current rocket system, would be highly beneficial for any interested nation, and after building one ship for Alkere research purposes and another for the Australian OverGovernment, the production line would be open for general orders. Burnu explained the terms and conditions and the crew training facilities available at Alkere, then asked for any questions. Almost every hand shot up.

  ‘Will any other nations be given production rights? With only four ships being produced each year it will be decades before everyone can access this technology.’

  ‘Jarra and Yirgella have plans for a second production facility within eight months and will also consider a limited number of other license agreements. However, since production of the Propulsion Unit requires the cooperation of an AI, the only sites outside Australia with the required capability are the Freedom Community in New Zealand and the Mirrigan Project in North America. We would welcome overtures from both places.’

  Freedom wasn’t represented on the trip today, so all eyes turned to the state governor. Alira chuckled and whispered to Jarra that the dinosaur man now had some hard talking ahead of him.

  ‘Is it possible to build a smaller ship at a reduced cost?’

  ‘Regrettably, no, but we can build bigger.’

  ‘Is there any truth to the InterWeb conjecture that Australia plans to send one of these ships to the stars?’

  ‘No truth at all. Our second ship is being designed for research on the planet Venus.’

  Jarra left. These questions would go on for ages and he needed a quiet place to relax.

  ***

  ‘The Wind has come to the Moon.’

  Alkere’s final words set Jarra’s emotions trembling. Captivated by the simple story of a brother whose actions were an expression of his name, forty-five world leaders watched silently as the site for a Moon research base was dedicated with a small monument. With the passing of time the development here of the first Moon habitat would become known as Base Barega but in the meantime, to hold true to an old First Australian tradition of not naming a dead relative, it would be called the Wind Base.

  ***

  ‘Does he know yet, Darri?’

  ‘Yirgella may have told him, but I don’t think so. They’ve been working on ways to make it easier to exit the spaceship when it’s on the Moon or in space. Yirgella doesn’t think the suits the space agencies have been using are reliable enough, and Jarra wants to make them lighter and less unwieldy.’

  ‘Spacesuits?’

  ‘I know. They have dozens of things with a higher priority but Mirri complained when he couldn’t explore the Moon’s surface so this has taken over for a few days.’

  ‘Mirri tried out a spacesuit on the first trip.’

  ‘Yes, but Yirgella wouldn’t let anyone go outside, and especially not Mirri. That’s why the two tech robots built the monument.’

  Alira nodded.

  ‘They’ll probably come up with something so much better that anyone will be able to go for a stroll on the Moon … He’ll be excited when he hears about these AI projects.’

  ‘More than excited. I can hardly believe it myself.’

  ‘How will Professor Allerton cope?’

  Alira had just finished an exhausting two days of negotiation with representatives of many of the leaders who’d gone to the Moon and her news for Jarra was that there were now commitments for thirty-one new AI projects.

  ‘The professor won’t have to cope. Establishing our four new Alkere AIs was so much work that he developed teams to do it independently. From now on he’ll send them off on whatever schedule Jarra and Yirgella work out.’

  ‘What are the high priority projects you mentioned, Darri? Is there anything new I should get the Council ready for?’

  ‘Jarra says his work with different kinds of Positronic Systems will keep him busy for years, but you might have to prepare them for the idea of an orbital habitat for twenty to thirty thousand people and a research establishment on Venus. They’re on hold for another eight months but they’ll definitely go ahead.’

  ‘What’s the significance of the eight months? Does something happen then?’

  ‘The second Alkere spaceship production plant will be operating and five ships will be built for Alkere projects.’

  Alira was startled.

  ‘Five? Yirgella announced it was two.’

  ‘That was three days ago. These are extras. They had one of their ideas sessions yesterday and decided to reserve two ships for space construction purposes, one ship dedicated to their crew training program, one specially designed ship for the Venus expedition, and a very luxurious spacecraft for passenger trips to the Moon.’

  ‘What? You can’t be serious? That doesn’t sound like one of Jarra’s ideas.’

  Darri laughed because he’d had exactly the same reaction.

  ‘It wasn’t. Yirgella suggested it partly as a source of income but more as a way to make the idea of space travel real for the general population. He’s designed a ship to carry six hundred people, offering a unique experience with the highest levels of comfort possible—at a premium price.’

  ‘Which would make it only for wealthy people, and that sounds even less like something Jarra would be interested in,’ said Alira.

  ‘Jarra likes the part about making space travel familiar and he says that once a fortnight there’ll be a free trip of some kind, for scientists, or young people interested in space, or engineers who might join his space habitat project.’

  ‘Free trips? Darri, they’ll be flooded with
requests.’

  ‘Yirgella will work out how to organise it and then I guess it’ll be my job to find good people to run it.’

  Alira gave him a look.

  ‘Isn’t that a big ask? Your contacts are mostly in the science world.’

  ‘I won’t have to do much. I often work through people who specialise in finding human resources and they’ll do most of the work for me.’

  ‘Is it annoying when these personnel searches stop you working with Jarra and Yirgella?’

  ‘I mostly try to manage on the days when Jarra’s not at Alkere because if I’m away I lose the flow of what they’re doing and catching up is sometimes hard work. They both understand, though, and Yirgella does a lot of organising to help me make the best of the time.’

  Alira gave Darri an appreciative look.

  ‘So, I’d say you probably know more about what’s going on at Alkere than anyone? Maybe even the professor?’

  ‘Yes, and I’m there for all those great moments when they work out new things. It’s really exciting.’

  ‘Jarra seems to be more focused on this space-related search than he was on the Power Supply?’

  ‘Only for a while. His spaceships and the space habitat look more dramatic but the Power Supply’s the mainstay that lets everything happen. He’ll be back to refining it before long because it’s far more important. The space developments are for Akama.’

  ‘Akama?’

  ‘Remember when Jarra woke after the abduction attempt? Almost the first thing he did was blame himself, and I think he feels a subconscious obligation. He’s certainly been keeping in close contact about each new development.’

  Alira frowned.

  ‘I don’t like the sound of that. If that’s stayed with him I should have a talk with him about it.’

  ‘I already did that and it turned out he was aware of it. When I persuaded him to talk with his doctor they both agreed it’s an expected response and nothing to worry about.’

  ‘Darri, you’re a wonder.’

  ***

  ‘Come and look, JJ. I found some eggs. Do birds put eggs in the dirt?’

  ‘Not in the dirt. Some birds lay them on the dirt, but not in it.’