“Dr. Bono, your point is well-taken.” Gorman took a deep breath and, to Dmitri’s relief, appeared to collect himself. “First, I’d like to introduce Peter Hawkins, the Assistant Director of PICES.”
Hawkins was the strapping, bearded marine biologist Dmitri and Greg had met on their previous visit. This time, however, Dmitri noticed that the unbearded portion of his handsome face had experienced years of exposure to the elements. The dark-haired Hawkins waved a silent greeting to all convened.
“I’d also like you to meet the newest member of our team, Research Associate Lila Lawson. Lila’s specializing in the recording of whale songs and the study of their musicology.” He indicated a young, blonde woman who was dressed so casually she looked more like an athlete than a researcher.
“We’re happy to see Peter again,” Dmitri responded, waving at Hawkins, “and we’re certainly pleased that one of your staff members is a song specialist.”
“Yes,” replied Gorman. “Lila has recently published in Nature on the phrase structure of the humpbacks’ songs.”
Lila reached across the table to shake Dmitri’s hand. “Dr. Dmitri, it’s a pleasure being with others who are as curious and amazed by the whales as I am. I’m really excited about your discovery, and I can’t wait to hear more.”
Dmitri noted Andrew’s puppy-dog stare assessing Lila’s twenty-something attractiveness. Her sunflower tank top framed athlete’s biceps and deltoids. He noticed that Seema’s attention also seemed to be focused on Andrew.
“I believe you’ve met our entire team.” In sharp contrast to Lila’s tone, Gorman’s seemed flat. “I’d like to extend an official ‘aloha’ greeting to our SoCalSci guests. I’m very pleased to see two new faces, Dr. Dmitri. Now it’s your turn to tell us about yourselves.”
Dmitri stood. “Chris and Peter, you’ve both met my SoCalSci colleague, Professor Greg Bono. His code-breaking ability led to the discovery of the mathematical patterns of the symbols in the whale song.”
“Would you believe I was underwater when the inspiration struck me?” replied Greg. Greeted by quizzical expressions, he responded with a sheepish grin. “Oh, sorry, I was taking a shower.”
After Lila stopped laughing, Dmitri continued. “I’d also like you to meet Seema Roy and Andrew Chu, our research assistants extraordinaire, and to acknowledge their initial discovery of these unique symbols.” Dmitri’s grad students waved their greetings to their PICES counterparts.
Dmitri showered Melanie with a radiant smile. “Last but not least, I’d like to introduce the special person who provided the inspiration and the technical means to achieve the breakthrough that brings us together today. Through a fortuitous chain of events last month, Dr. Bono and I were invited by Ms. Mari to tour your state university’s experimental speech therapy lab. She demonstrated a cutting-edge system in a session with one of her hearing-challenged students. We were quite impressed by the system’s audio-visual interface and its unique display of the phonetic units of language for easy recognition. During her tutorial, it struck me that this tool might be the magic bullet for detecting similar symbols in the whale songs. The rest is history. Let’s all give a warm welcome to Melanie Mari.”
As Dmitri led the group in a round of spirited applause, Melanie blushed and gestured for silence. “You’re all too kind and Dr. Dmitri is too generous in his remarks. I’m here to help any way I can. On a personal note, I’m tickled to see Lila Lawson, an acquaintance of mine.”
When Melanie waved to the beaming Lila, Dmitri was distracted by her intermittent eye contact with Gorman.
“Thank you, Melanie, and welcome aboard.” Gorman’s gaze lingered on her.
“The feeling is mutual, Chris.” She winked back at him.
Dmitri couldn’t help it. His gut tensed at the sight of the undercurrent of familiarity between Melanie and Gorman.
Gorman addressed everyone in the group. “I’m impressed by the diverse fields of expertise spanned by the members of our joint venture—”
“So Chris,” interrupted Dmitri, “as I explained during last month’s video conference, we did indeed discover an intriguing set of symbols and alternating patterns of response.” He paused, and a taut silence gripped the room. “Our analysis confirms that the patterns of these symbols conform to the strategy employed in a classic two-player board game.”
He paused again, waiting for the inevitable reaction.
“Uh-oh,” muttered Gorman. The two tolling tones lingered in the air.
“Now you understand why I didn’t want to be too specific about the data until this face-to-face meeting,” replied Dmitri. “But now that the moment has arrived, I can tell you the nature of these patterns was confirmed by another member of SoCalSci’s distinguished math faculty, Joel Spelvin, the renowned game theorist.”
“Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.” Lila’s response pierced the veil of stunned silence.
“Ok.” Gorman’s placid expression never changed. “You recall we agreed to observe the whales’ reaction to the broadcasting of these unique patterns of symbols?”
“Right,” replied Dmitri, surprised by the PICES director’s tepid reply.
“But you’re suggesting their response could be something along the lines of the Sicilian Defense?”
Seema looked blankly at Andrew, who whispered, “Think chess.”
“I prefer the Nimzo-Indian Defense.” Dmitri paused in deference to the brief outburst of nervous laughter. “But seriously, Chris, we’ve structured the project to operate on multiple levels to satisfy all stakeholders. As advertised to the more conservative research and funding parties, our baseline objective is to observe the humpback’s response to the broadcasts of their own vocalizations. We stand by this position statement, and I believe you’re satisfied with those ground rules.”
“Good.”
“If the whales respond to these broadcasts, we’ll capture their vocalizations for future analysis.”
“Still sounds good to me,” replied Gorman.
“And finally, if we identify a developing pattern of symbols that conforms to the correlation profile of a game, we will then attempt to interact according to the rules of the game.”
Greg briefly summarized his discovery and Spelvin’s findings suggestive of a game like Dots and Boxes.
“Okay,” replied Gorman. “That’s an extreme long shot as far as I’m concerned, so I can’t see it jeopardizing our credibility with respect to our funding sponsors.”
“I agree,” said Dmitri, “and, realistically, it’s too great a leap to expect a communication breakthrough on this trip. We’ll be more than happy to simply observe and record any cetacean responses to the first human attempts to broadcast the symbols of their language.”
“It would be an unsurpassed achievement to confirm the intentional use of such symbols,” said Gorman, but then he shook his head. “However, it could also erupt into a PR nightmare.”
“Now it’s my turn to speak in cautionary tones,” Dmitri said. “Our official story still stands. We’re doing correlation analysis to detect the presence of symbols that could be indicative of language.”
“But what if the game actually happens? The first-ever, high-level intellectual interaction between humans and another species?” Gorman’s tone shift suggested he was torn between uncertainty and an anxious excitement, but it was his glassy-eyed expression that emboldened Dmitri.
“Chris. You’ve dedicated years of your life investigating these majestic creatures, and I know from my own brief personal observations one can’t help but feel a special bond with them. But, is there something else you want to say?”
Gorman paused and stared up at the ceiling. “It is amazing to be underwater and swaying in their powerful currents or to be enveloped in the cloud of a bubble net. And there’s nothing like hearing and feeling the haunting melody of a singer. Yes, the bond grows with each encounter.”
Dmitri observed the incredulous expressions on Seema’s and Andrew�
�s faces in the afterglow of Gorman’s aquatic meditation. “I truly envy you, Chris,” he responded tactfully, “but since I also realize I’d never have the guts to dive amongst forty-ton marine mammals, I want to thank you for sharing these experiences with us.”
“During your stay,” said Lila, “you should see the current exhibition of Chris and Peter’s underwater photography at the Maui Marine Art Expo. We have enlarged prints for sale in the PICES gift shop.”
“I can’t wait to attend that exhibit,” said Seema, “and I’m hoping you’ll autograph a print for me, Mr. Gorman.”
“Sure, no problem, Seema.”
“I need to make a statement here.” Lila stood and took a deep breath. “Please allow me to crawl out on a limb and get to the heart of the matter.” She cleared her throat. “Human beings kill whales.”
Everyone saw Gorman wince. Lila remained undeterred. “Here in Maui,” she continued, “I’m a proud member of a community of scientists and artists, inspired by and dedicated to these magnificent mammals. Chris and Peter founded PICES for the dual purpose of marine mammal research and public education. They’re an inspiration to researchers like me, but because of the ticklish relationship between PR and funding issues, they need to sound politically correct about our research activities. You know what I mean. The usual bromides about advancing the frontiers of scientific research can promote still waters and a safe harbor. Nevertheless, the Islands’ cetacean support movement must never lose sight of our primary goal: to prevent any further harm to these beings. If your team can help us with a dramatic communication breakthrough, then people will surely have to question their own destructive behavior.” Lila faced Dmitri with open arms. “I welcome your support.”
“Right on, girl!” Melanie raised a clenched fist.
Lila’s and Melanie’s impassioned display roused Dmitri. “Thanks, Lila. In California, we’ve followed the tragic news of more strandings of juvenile humpbacks. I’m sure your superiors admire your ardent advocacy for the whales as much as I do.” He turned to address Gorman. “So, Chris, this is exactly what you’ve always hoped for but never dared to admit: a potential discovery about humpbacks that’ll rattle the foundations of human arrogance. Undeniable proof that the Megapterans are to be respected enough to be saved from destruction.”
“I like it.” Lila smiled at Dmitri. “Your pronunciation of Megapteran rings with the cachet of an advanced species.”
“I believe we’re all on the same page here,” Gorman replied rather stiffly, “so let’s roll up our sleeves and discuss plans to equip the research vessel.” Enthusiastic voices ringed the table. “Since Lila’s in charge of our whale song program, she’ll describe the setup for you.”
“It’s all pretty straightforward.” Lila, still standing, sounded calmer, more businesslike than before. “We have a couple of sets of hydrophones left over from last year’s Alaska recording sessions, and we just received a set of underwater speakers, loaners from our Australian colleagues. All of the equipment is portable so it can be lowered into the water and secured to the deck with plastic tie lines. The electrical cabling is designed for underwater safety and feeds into the control room with standard RCA plug terminations, compatible with any PC’s or laptop’s audio mini-jacks.”
“That’s excellent, Lila!” Dmitri was impressed by the young researcher’s mix of passion and professionalism. “I’d like to thank PICES for setting this up.”
“It’s the least we can do, both for you and for the whales,” replied Gorman in his clipped, matter-of-fact tone. “By the way, Lila, lets pack some dive gear in case things get interesting down below, tangled wires or whatever.”
“Not to mention underwater cameras in the event things really get interesting,” she replied.
After Lila sat down, Gorman addressed Dmitri. “At first I was puzzled by your suggestion to rent a glass-bottom boat. But it actually works out better for us, since we won’t have to interrupt our whale watch schedule. By the way, what’s that all about?”
“Does anybody here know about ‘wall painting?’” Dmitri asked.
“Sure,” answered Lila. “I’ve seen it at raves. Artists use the paintbrush multimedia apps on laptops connected to video projectors to beam the kinetic art against the wall. It’s really cool when it’s done outdoors and at night.”
“So we plan to do something similar with the visual output of the Speakeasy program. Just as Melanie’s students use visual biofeedback to control the pronunciation of phonemes and words, we’d like to observe the Megapterans as they experience the visual dimensions of their own voices.”
“It’s possible that these first-ever cetacean word grams would provide dynamite material for your next publication, Lila.” Melanie grinned.
“Thanks, Mel. This is getting more exciting by the moment.”
“Not being a rave kind of guy,” said Gorman, “I’d be reluctant to expose the humpbacks to gimmicky, light-show-party pyrotechnics.”
“It’s not like that, Chris,” said Greg. “Let me explain. At first, we thought we could connect a giant, flatscreen TV to our Speakeasy computer and secure it on top of the glass, facing down into the water.”
“Sweet!” exclaimed Lila. “Flashing neon lights, like an aquatic Times Square.”
“But we realized that a TV that large would be too expensive for our limited budget and, needless to say, a pretty heavy object to transport.”
Greg continued. “So we Googled some options.”
Dmitri picked up the thread. “And realized we could configure a video projector and a large, rear-projection fabric screen similar to those used in some kinds of theaters. These screens are specially coated so that the projector sits behind the screen. The image is projected onto and passes through the fabric to the viewer’s side.”
Greg walked over to the whiteboard and drew a sketch of the proposed configuration. “So we’ll hang and secure the projector from the cabin ceiling, directly above the glass bottom, and project the image down through the screen and the glass and out into the water.”
“We’d lay the screen on top of the glass,” added Andrew. “It could be as big as the entire size of the window, maybe over a hundred inches.”
“That sounds like a pretty wild idea,” replied Gorman, “but I have to admit it’s an imaginative extension of the primary experiment. However, who knows what to expect? They could be scared away.”
“Or agitated by what humans might characterize as paranormal phenomena and possibly attack the boat out of fear or anger.” Hawkins himself sounded agitated.
“Nevertheless, Peter, I’m intrigued by the chance to study their reactions to the new stimuli.” Gorman faced Dmitri. “But I insist on proceeding cautiously and with safeguards in place.”
“We’ve already planned for this,” Dmitri nodded. “No visuals will be projected until we’ve concluded all phases of the acoustic-only experiment. Andrew’s Speakeasy software includes filters to minimize the occurrence of flickering images.”
“Your proposals are more progressive than I ever imagined.” Gorman seemed satisfied. “In addition to probing their reactions to our acoustically generated symbols, we’ll also be gauging their responses to viewing the display of their own vocalizations.”
“Dr. Dmitri’s mentor likened it to the myth of Prometheus’s gift of fire to the human race,” remarked Seema.
“Except in this case, it’s a gift of light.” Lila smiled.
“It’s the McPinsky Challenge,” said Dmitri. “We’re building a bridge of symbols of light and sound.”
“Cetacean biofeedback,” Andrew chimed in. “An inter-dimensional portal between alien civilizations.” Varying expressions of bemusement and amusement appeared on the faces of the team members.
“Getting back to basics.” said Greg. “We’ve packed a couple of high-performance laptops to support the Speakeasy analysis and plotting functions. Andrew has written a homemade version of Speakeasy to avoid intellectual property confl
icts with the original developers.”
“I’ve designed an acoustic synthesizer.” Seema sounded a bit shy. “We can broadcast selectable frequency combinations to reply to the whale’s acoustic symbols.”
“I’d love to hear a demo of that, Seema.” Lila was clearly elated. “Sometimes I compose music that incorporates the sounds from the whale song recordings.”
“Lila is being modest,” said Hawkins. “She’s a highly regarded keyboard artist here on Maui. Tomorrow night, her group is giving a debut performance of her latest compositions. I thought we could all attend as a sort of team ice-breaker event.”
Dmitri heard a polite knock and saw the tanned face of Gorman’s office assistant peeking through the partially opened door. Gorman waved her in, and she tiptoed over to his chair. “Sorry to bother you, Mr. Gorman, but Mr. Padgett phoned again. He wants to speak to you about an urgent matter.”
“Damn it.” Gorman clenched his jaw and sprang up from the chair. “I’d better just get this over with. Why don’t you continue while I take the call in my office?” Gorman followed his assistant through the door.
“Hmmm,” muttered Hawkins. “I haven’t seen Chris lose his composure like that in a long, long time, and Padgett’s behavior is totally out of character. He’s never interfered like this before. The UH funding is administered as a three-year grant cycle, and we’re not required to inform them of any new activities initiated during the cycle.”
“I have a suspicion about who might be pulling Padgett’s strings.” Dmitri nodded at Hawkins.
“Well, there’s nothing to be done until Chris returns,” said Hawkins, “so let’s move on to plan the experiment.”
The group engaged in a lively discussion about the technical details of preparing the research vessel. Concluding they could be ready to launch in about five days, Hawkins lifted his glass. As they toasted one another with their soft drink cans and coffee mugs, Gorman burst into the room, crimson-faced. He stalked to a chair and threw himself down in a fury. “There’s trouble brewing in paradise, folks. Our UH funding administrator is threatening to cancel our grant if we taint the reputation of his university by conducting an interspecies communication experiment.”
The Whale Song Translation: A Voyage of Discovery To Neptune and Beyond Page 18
