DIASPORA PRIME

Date April 4 2017.
Author Palantir palantir@diasporatales.tech
Subject Diaspora Prime.

The author retains copyright (2012) to this story. Reproducing this story for distribution without the author's permission is a violation of that copyright.
This story is fiction.

Thank you Nifty for the opportunity to post this story.

This story is first of the TALES OF THE TERRAN DIASPORA.

Wirrin shares his life with two friends on one of the great space habitats.

DIASPORA PRIME Part 26.

Next

Wirrin settled on the grav-sofa and stared at the amazing sight on the wall display.

"Where is that?"

"You don't recognise it? Well, I'm not surprised as it rarely looks like this. It's Gnardune Pool in the throes of a twenty year flood, with the biggest water flow for a long time."

The amazing sight, of a rushing orange-red torrent swirling past partially submerged trees, suddenly became even more amazing. The placid pool of clear, sparkling water, in Wirrin's memory was replaced by this moving, angry, giant of a river, extending way into the distance.

"Is this near the Willy-Willy tree? The one we climbed I mean."

Warragul made some adjustments and with the change of viewpoint full recognition locked in. Yes, there was the tree, that bole was distinctive, and at the moment it was above the level of the rushing water. The branch where he'd perched to watch the spoonbill wasn't.

"How's that?"

"We would have been washed away. Where does all that water come from?"

"It's Northern Australia. That's what happens when there's a big rain."

Wirrin knew all that, but seeing it in the familiar situation made it so real, and for a few minutes he watched in wonder. Warragul was waiting though, and he could watch this at home where Thom would be particularly interested.

"Thanks for seeing me so quickly. I didn't expect to come to your living space."

"I've been to yours often enough, and since you were close by and asking, why not? Now, is this a real problem or something you just want to talk about?"

That made Wirrin smile.

"It's both. Akama has asked me to be a representative to Freedom and I don't want to say no to him, but I don't think I'm the right person."

Warragul raised both eyebrows, very expressively.

"Why ever not? I think you'd be a wonderful ambassador, and you know you're capable whatever situation you're in. You can't be worried it would be too hard?"

"No, but I do think I'm too young, and even more, I haven't got enough time or experience to do it properly. I can't divert time from my InfoSystem studies and the work with Pirramar because that's a lot more important and I'm just starting to get the feel of it."

Warragul nodded in agreement, which surprised Wirrin to a degree, but also made him feel that his decision to talk this over with his Mentor had been the right one.

"Yes, on the face of it I agree with you, but I can't see Akama asking this without having a special reason. Has he told you why?"

"Well yes. It's because the Freedom leaders asked for me."

"They did? Well, they must be very impressed with you mustn't they ?"

"I know, but they act like I'm the one who did everything, and treat me as if I'm special."

"That sounds quite reasonable to me. I know you saved them from the Cadre ships. Was there more to it than that?"

"A lot more. It wasn't really about Freedom. That was just part of a bigger scheme to capture the Comet and get its technology. We found out that the two main things they were looking for were the beam defences and our advanced drive engines."

"The Comet? How could they ever get anywhere near it?"

Warragul was well acquainted with the Comet and its abilities.

"They nearly took it over and we wouldn't have been able to stop them. The Rogue worked out an incredibly clever strategy."

"That hasn't been on the InterWeb. Tell me what happened."

Once again Wirrin went through the story he'd already related to the Witness Council, Akama in greater detail, Calen and Sonic at home, and even with Pirramar to a group of AIs representing the gestalt. Warragul listened with amazement till the dramatic few moments when the AIs were able to act freely.

"Wirrin, of course they're going to treat you as if you're special."

"Almost all of the analysis work was Pirramar's. All I did was implement it. And if it wasn't for Thom I wouldn't have figured out the endless loop trap."

"That doesn't detract from the special nature of your insight and actions. ...What's happening with the Cadre ships and the people on them? And has the Witness Council made any decisions about responses to K74?"

"The ships are being returned in about a week's time with skeleton crews. Freedom was going to keep them but we talked them out of that because the Cadre would get really mad. Then, when that was decided, Freedom had a plan to send all the people back as well but make them lose a day's memory so the Cadre couldn't find out exactly what happened. Sonic came up with the idea of offering them a place on Warrakan instead and when I saw the leaders I persuaded them to try that."

"You've already seen these leaders and got them to change their mind on something so major?"

"They were reluctant at first but they agreed when most of the K74 crew jumped at the offer, and then even more after we explained what it meant."

"You did the explaining to both the Freedom leaders and the K74 crew? Personally?"

"We had to. Apart from a few of the other Comet crew we were the only Warrakan people there. It was really interesting seeing the K74 crew's reactions when we were explaining what it would be like. Thom changed from being really angry to feeling sorry for them when he saw how eager they were to get away from K74."

"What does most of them mean?"

"Ninety-three percent in the end, which is a lot because their standard ship's complement is over 2000 people."

"Ninety-three percent of four ships? That would be over 7000. That's amazing. It must have been quite a major exercise. No wonder the Freedom leaders were impressed. ... And responses?"

"Responses?"

"To K74."

"Oh, that's major but most of it will come from elsewhere. We released a complete record of K74's actions to every Habitat in the Solar System and the AIs have their own channels of communication as well, and there's total outrage about it. With this coming after the death of the AI, the K74 reputation has gone totally negative, especially with space Habitats. Our own response is the big changes they've made to the Comet and our Habitat defensive systems so they can function properly without relying on the AIs, if it ever came to that again."

"So? No recriminations against K74 at all?"

"Nothing direct, apart from telling people what they did. Akama said they've done the damage themselves by making every single Habitat wary of them and completely alienating the AI community. The Freedom people did want to do more but we talked them out of that too."

"We? You mean you and Thom again?"

"There were holo conferences with Akama and some others from our Witness Council but that was awkward with the time delay, so Akama and Sonic told us what to say when we had face to face meetings."

Warragul laughed.

"In other words you acted successfully as direct Witness Council representatives. I've heard enough. Wirrin, you can't refuse this job."

"But..."

"No buts. It's the right thing to do. You accept the position and do it on your own terms. You make it very clear that it can't undermine your other responsibilities. You agree to some busy days over the next few weeks but after that you're a figurehead with other people doing all the work."

Warragul paused while he watched how Wirrin was taking the advice he'd asked for.

"I suppose I could do it like that. I don't want to disappoint Akama though, so I hope he doesn't mind the idea of my backing off after the first few weeks."

"He won't, and in fact I'm sure he'll like it it better if you do what you feel is right for yourself."

***

"I'm taking you to Freedom tomorrow? We've only been home for one day and they get here in three more. So what's the deal? Haven't we done enough? I'm meant to be training up on the changes they've made to the Comet."

"Don't ask me. Ask Akama. He's the one who wants us there. He's got some funny idea that the Comet with you in charge is a special gesture to the people on Freedom."

Thom gawped a bit. He'd been expecting to carry on about Wirrin's representation job.

"Me? They don't need me. There are two other Comets already there, as well as three of the Cadre ships."

"They asked for you. You're a hero."

"Idiot!"

Wirrin was enjoying turning the tables on Thom, who'd purposefully embarrassed him with an effusive description to Calen and Sonic of what a hero Wirrin had been with the Cadre ships.

"Turaku's designing a special Comet uniform so they don't mistake you for a scruff again. It's got so many medals it'll take you half an hour to pin them all on."

"Idiot! It's really about your rep job."

"That's part of it but so is the Comet gesture."

"Really?"

"Yes, but not the uniform. You're already a big enough hero without that."

Wirrin expected to be called an idiot yet again, but Thom started planning instead.

"I can still train with the Spectrum-Beam system on the way there, and then I'll be able to get a proper look through the Cadre ships. Turaku was going to guide me on the one we brought here but now we'll have three instead. Hey, as soon as Calen gets in we'll organise him to come with us."

"He can't. He's too busy working with Sonic."

"Wirrin, I don't see why not. We've only seen him one night and we're going again in the morning. We'll tell Sonic he's coming too, and they can go back to whatever they're doing when we get home. Anyway, having Sonic there would be an even bigger gesture if that's what Akama wants."

Wirrin liked the idea.

"Good thinking. We'll persuade Sonic because if he likes the idea no one will stop him and Calen will automatically go. We can all be together then."

Thom nodded then laughed.

"I'll tell him I'll show him some new tricks about flying the Comet. That's sure to get him interested."

Sonic did enjoy flying the Comet and often said he wanted to get better at it. Moving to Warrakan had much reduced the frequent commuting where he often, under Thom's watchful eye, took control.

"He'll probably be so interested you won't get a chance to do your Spectrum-Beam training."

"If he does come I wouldn't get a chance anyway because we'd have the full crew that goes on any of his trips away from the Habitats."

That would mean at least fifty or sixty people, very different to the minimal crew of eight, including Wirrin and Thom, who'd been on the emergency trip four days ago.

"Only on the way there. That will be quick, but there'll be nearly three days of slow travel while you're doing the escorting so you'll get plenty of chances then."

***

Thom had his chances and did everything he wanted, but he was so busy that the amount of time available could hardly be described as plenty.
Apart from a quick catch up just before sleep time Wirrin didn't see him till the third and last day, as the job of being a representative was way more diverse than his expectation of sitting in conference with a few leaders, and involved a whirlwind of activities and welcomes in all parts of the Habitat.
Having Sonic and Calen with him most of the time was a total bonus and with the astonished reactions to Sonic each new event was an adventure. Wirrin also liked them with him because it meant he wasn't the main focus of attention. Everywhere they went it started off that way, with embarrassing thanks for helping Freedom, but as soon as Sonic spoke from his transport module the atmosphere would become electric with riveted attention. Calen was used to this but all his months of study with Pirramar and EdCom meant Wirrin had missed out on the regular visits Sonic liked to make to Nurseries, EdCom groups and community events, and he was reminded afresh of Sonic's impact.
One feature, which of course couldn't be missed was the new reach system on Freedom, and Sonic decided on the very first visit that this was his home base rather than the pool in the Comet's command centre. The whole set up looked shockingly small after the size and diversity of the Warrakan reaches, but Wirrin was still impressed with the development and improvements since the trip when the 400 Earth dolphins had been delivered.
Sonic excitedly raced to meet the pod in the original reach, and within half an hour the other eight reaches emptied as the message of his arrival spread till 461 dolphins were milling in the familiar chaos of a meeting with Sonic. Familiar for Wirrin that is. The dignitaries and even the Freedom rangers watched in amazement while they listened to Wirrin's explanation of what was going on.
The highlight event for the Comet people happened on the last day of escorting when they were treated with a special ceremony based on the Freedom cultural heritage.
Wirrin had been looking forward to this. When he'd been informed they were to be part of an official 'Powhiri' ceremony performed in the old way, he'd done a scan to get a basic idea of what was involved and it all sounded very interesting.
How interesting he had no idea till, shocked and with his heart pounding, he was surrounded by several dozen giant men dressed in little more than vivid war paint and challenged with threatening gestures, horrid grimaces and frightening battle screams.
A gasp from Thom beside him sent the shock scurrying, but the excitement remained as the sense of power and vitality being conveyed from the massed and synchronised actions set his scalp tingling and his stomach churning in reflex.
A blast of sound from behind gave Wirrin such a shock he jumped and whirled in response. As did every performer. There was a moment of total silence, smiles at the sight of Calen in the transporter with his hands blocking his ears, then redoubled efforts as two dozen fierce warriors enthusiastically pressed the challenge that Sonic had just replied to, and continued the ritual of the 'haka' till one of the performers placed something at Wirrin's feet.
A leaf? The expectant look clued him in and he picked it up. There was a huge yell and the savage faces were transformed with beaming smiles.
The ceremony continued with sonorous speeches and beautiful song, and not being able to understand a word of the strange language didn't matter one bit, with the intent coming through clearly. A number of traditional gifts were given and then the performer who proffered the leaf approached and took hold of Wirrin's shoulders.
Wombats! What now?
It was obviously part of the ceremony so it must be all right. Press noses? Startled and showing the smile he couldn't contain, Wirrin returned the gesture then watched Thom take his turn.
The rest of the group closed in to follow suit but then Sonic stole the show again when he asked to be included, and the image of him beak to nose with a fierce looking haka dancer became an icon for the Freedom people watching through their InterWeb.
Several hours later the Comet zipped through the short trip to Warrakan, leaving the Freedom Habitat to make it's final, precisely controlled approach.

DIASPORA PRIME Part 27.

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Wirrin's representative job with Freedom kept him busy for longer than he'd planned, but not by too much, and other people did start doing a lot of the work, otherwise he wouldn't have coped.
With almost 300 million people, a different way of doing things, conditions good but not up to the standards of Attunga and Warrakan, and quite a large technology gap, there was great eagerness from Freedom to benefit in every way they could, and Wirrin found himself involved in meetings with science delegations, health delegations and particularly with leaders interested in developing a Witness structure for the Habitat.
Why they asked him, instead of real Witnesses who knew far more about the training and ideas involved, was beyond him, but ask they did. Luckily, once the various working groups were established they went ahead efficiently and happily without any need for his presence.
A great stream of advanced information poured into Freedom. The AIs rapidly incorporated Attunga level pico-techniques into the pico-factories to raise their construction capabilities. AIs and medical technicians from all three Habitats worked together designing and starting a project of upgrading every health centre on Freedom with better diagnostic and health-bot equipment.
The EdCom system on Freedom was run a different way and Wirrin found himself using Witness Council authority to organise Attunga administrators into discussions with their Freedom counterparts.
Even their transportation infrastructure was way below the efficiency of TransCom. Luckily, that was overseen by an AI and only required a few meetings to get things happening.
Wirrin's biggest help through all this was Akama, who had discussions with him every day while also being involved in many of the meetings, especially with the highest level leaders. He was amazingly encouraging and before a meeting would often give advice about what to say to particular people in situations he seemed to know in advance were going to happen.
The people themselves were very friendly and appreciative, though more opinionated than Wirrin was used to. After a number of occasions where he'd had to put a clamp on his feelings of annoyance he'd talked it over with Akama, who as far as Wirrin could tell, seemed to be unaware of the pressure, and was told it was actually a very positive sign because it demonstrated their passion and intent, and that he was handling it very well.

***

Two weeks after Freedom arrived the giant meeting gallery at the main Warrakan dolphinarium became the venue for the official welcome, and in an enlarged version of the Meeting day event, Wirrin sat with Akama, Thom, Warrigal, the doctor and four Freedom leaders, looking out at the mingled crowd of people from the three Habitats. As well, on the other side of Akama was an AI who Wirrin had never met and was rather in awe of because he represented the Gestalt.
In the clear, brightly lit water behind the giant glass wall Puck's dolphin pod moved in a relaxed changing formation with an occasional synchronised surface for air. Wirrin remembered the dawning awareness of dolphins at one of his representative meetings when the request to have this all happen at a special ceremonial place on Freedom had to be denied because the dolphins couldn't be there.
Today with virtually every member of the three Habitats watching, that understanding would be presented more generally to the population of Freedom.
Akama spoke, the AI spoke, and then with a rush of motion 437 enhanced dolphins filled the waters of the viewing chamber. They lined up, rank upon rank, close to the glass barrier, became motionless and looked steadily at the audience. A murmur of sound ran through the room as people reacted. Even for Wirrin, who knew these dolphins well, it was uncanny to feel all those eyes watching.
The murmur died away and for a time the groups watched each other in complete silence. Suddenly the wall of dolphins parted to reveal two figures.
Wirrin's heart leapt as Sonic and Calen approached in a beautiful, synchronised curve of motion, Calen moving in that incredible fashion he'd mastered, effortlessly complementing Sonic's every twist and turn till they stopped and hovered almost motionless.

'People of Freedom, the dolphins welcome you.'

A beautiful sound burst from the translator speakers in the language Wirrin recognised from the powhini on Freedom. He didn't know what it meant but in the short few minutes while it lasted the rapt expressions of the the Freedom people showed they clearly did.
Was Sonic singing it rote? Or had he learned the language?
Sonic led the dolphins through a series of events, a kaleidoscope of sound and motion referenced mostly from Freedom's culture, evoking awe, joy and sometimes laughter.
Calen, unlike the Meeting day, where he'd had a shorter feature time with Sonic, was integral to the whole thing and Wirrin, his heart brimming, watched his movements in disbelief. Indisputably bonded, boy and dolphin, whether melding, leading, or acting in counterpoint to the other dolphins, gave a clear message that humankind and dolphin were now linked.
The dolphins ended by forming the same grey wall behind the glass, watching the people for a moment then making the undulating movement and backward head flip of the formal dolphin to human greeting. Wirrin joined with most of the audience to give the slow wave in return then watched the rest, the people from Freedom, rush to join in.
Dolphin movement cleared a space round Sonic and Calen, making them the centre of attention, and the silence of anticipation filled the hall.
Wirrin felt a thrill of excitement. Sonic must be going to say something special.
With stunning effect the amplified clicks, whistles and squeaks of dolphin speech cut through the hush in clear, steady tones.
Whoo! That wasn't Sonic. It was Calen and when his short speech finished Sonic took over.

'People of Freedom, join me in repeating the words of my brother.'

Calen started again but this time Sonic's voice came through the translators as an overlay.
It was the old language again which Wirrin didn't understand. He didn't need to. After the first couple of phrases the Freedom leader next to Akama jumped to his feet and joined in, as did every Freedom person present, in a great swell of sound. When it finished Akama made a formal introduction of Sonic to the Freedom Habitat then turned to the doctor who, Wirrin could tell, was doing his best to hide his nervousness.
Wirrin had wondered why he was with them because although the health program for the dolphins was important it was hardly something to talk about on an occasion like this. The doctor thanked Akama, welcomed the Freedom people, then turned and gestured to Sonic.

"People of Freedom, Attunga and Warrakan, I have a gift. It was given to my family but our Witness Council agrees it is too precious to keep to ourselves and asked us to share it with you today."

He gave a nod and the front of the auditorium filled with a holo screen showing Elisa, the doctor's daughter, hanging on to Sonic's tail fluke while the rest of the family splashed and played. The laughter and happiness was completely infectious and smiles filled the auditorium till the moment when Raji received the gentle chest nudge. When Sonic started singing Raji's song the three Habitats listened and wondered.

***

"Is this your latest design?"

"Yes, do you reckon it looks good?"

"They all look good. What started you on this one? Is it for EdCom, or part of your Comet training?"

"Neither, I just felt like it."

Ever since he was little Thom had been a spaceship enthusiast, talking about them, looking at pictures and theories from the old speculative fiction stories, drawing his own designs and representing them as 3D holos. During the last few years he'd become much more sophisticated and started building mockups which even included the different engineering systems a particular model would need.

"What's special about this one? Has it got your faster than light drives in it?"

Thom laughed.

"No, this one's real. I haven't been doing those for ages."

"Real? How do you mean?"

"It would work if it was built because I've only used real-tech, like the stuff in the Comet."

"It must be fast then?"

"It is, but not as fast as I want. I can't get big enough engines to suit its scale."

"How big is it?"

The holo image didn't have any sort of reference to indicate size.

"Thirty-eight meters."

"That's nothing like the Comet. It's tiny."

"That's the whole point of this design. I'm trying to make it as small as I can and still do everything."

Now it was Calen laughing. Wirrin was grinning too.

"You want small? You must be feeling sick."

"Funny! Funny! Funny! Everything doesn't have to be big and fast. For your information it's a much harder challenge to design something small and fast."

"Well it looks impressive but how fast is it?"

"Fifteen G. That seems to be the max for this size."

"Wombats! I call that fast. It would feed space dust into a Cadre ship's mouth."

Thom shook his head incredulously.

"Calen, you say make it 'eat' space dust, not feed it into its mouth."

"Who cares? It's not like I'm calling Sonic a lump of fish in front of a billion people."

Thom grimaced. He'd been copping it from Sonic ever since.

"How was I expected to know they were going to show our home stuff on the InterWeb. The doctor's going to get dumped in the pool next time he comes here."

"So, how long would it take to build?"

Thom shook his head with feigned disgust and turned to Wirrin.

"Do you think he's being deliberately obtuse?"

Two sets of dropped jaws made him laugh.

"That worked well. Sonic used it on me the other day and I've been wanting to pass it on. ...Calen, I couldn't get it built. You know that. I'd need help from the AIs for a special design like this and I haven't worked out the environmental system and a few other things either. And anyway it would take fifty years to get enough energy allowance. I'm just..."

Thom broke off because of the holo shimmer next to him.

"The AI community is keen to help you with your project in any way and energy allocation is not an issue. I will discuss this further with you as part of your Comet training tomorrow."

The air shimmered again and Wirrin and Calen both laughed at Thom's stunned expression.

"... Help me? What does that mean? ...With the environment system?"

"It means exactly what you think it means. They're happy to build your spaceship."

"But they can't. No one has their own spaceship."

"Yes they do. Sonic's got the Comet."

"That's different. He needs it. No one gets their own spaceship. Not even Witnesses."

"Well you will, else why would he say the energy allocation didn't matter?"

"Dingoes! That's right. ...But why? AIs don't do things like that."

"They just did, and it's not just Pirramar either. He said it was the whole AI community."

"Dingoes! He did too. That's even weirder. ...I wonder how long it will take? ...But they can't. I haven't worked it out properly yet. ...Why are they doing it?
...I'll have to work on the environmental system tonight. ...It's part of my Comet training. That's what Pirramar said. ...Dingoes!"

"Have you got dingoes on your brain? I reckon it's because you helped save the Freedom AIs."

"That was Wirrin. Not me. I just did whatever he told me."

They'd repeated this conversation over and over since the Freedom hijack and Wirrin wasn't going to take it up again.

"Calen's right. Ask Pirramar when you talk to him tomorrow. What's the problem with the environment system?"

It took a while to work out because Thom's excitement and rushing ideas kept distracting, but with help from the InfoSystem the problem disappeared.

***

"What's been happening with that new blanked out area on K74? Have we found out anything?"

Wirrin was taking a break after a hard InfoSystem session with Pirramar.

"Not a great deal. The Rogue makes regular visits, its separation has become stronger, and it's no longer expanding. My best inference from the materials and personnel being transferred there is some kind of research area."

"The Rogue visits there?"

"Yes, regularly but not frequently."

"Has he been to inspect any more of the ship construction sites?"

"Not a one. They have had more resources directed to them since his first visit though, and the finish times will be cut by approximately eleven per cent if they maintain this new production rate."

Wirrin worked it out. Eleven percent still meant almost a year before the first of them was completed. Why they wanted so many was still a mystery. The plans they'd accessed at the construction sites didn't show much variation in design from the existing five ships so there were no clues there, and Thom's theory that the Cadre wanted to think of themselves as the most powerful space Habitat in the Solar System was as likely as anything else according to Pirramar.

"What do you think he's been doing lately?"

"Still working on his traps is the highest probability because they've been the major factor with everything he's been involved in so far. He's also been overseeing some significant improvements in the general Habitat Service systems."

"How significant?"

"It varies but his initiatives have caused an overall efficiency improvement of almost three percent for the Habitat."

"That doesn't sound like much."

"Think again. He's managed that much despite the initial isolation after the death of the resident AI and the more significant and continuing isolation since the Freedom incident. Applied to a Habitat the size of K74 that amount of improvement is very notable."

Of course it was and Wirrin wished he'd thought before he opened his mouth.

"What's happening with the people from the Cadre ships? Have there been any problems showing up?"

"Nothing unexpected. Thom's queries about security issues are quite unfounded."

That was a further reminder that Pirramar took note of any reference to things about K74. The previous evening Thom had been talking about the 7000 people from the Cadre ships and pushing his theory that there must be a few among them with K74 ideas. Wirrin didn't think there could be any worries because they'd all been through personality tests as part of the health checks. There'd been big variations from the Warrakan norms of course but with people from a Directed culture that was only to be expected and the hundred percent surveillance linked with the help of AIs to the health, security and other systems meant that anything unusual would be instantly noted as well.

"What are they all doing? Are they still happy with their decision or are some of them wanting to return to K74?"

"For another two months they'll all still be doing the EdCom courses designed to introduce them to Warrakan and its ways but after that they'll make their own choices. Most of them have indicated they'll be doing whatever is required to complete the equivalent of our Basic Training."

"Equivalent? Why don't they just do it all? Everyone else has to."

"Most of them already have good skill sets, they wouldn't have been chosen for the Cadre ships otherwise, and it would be a waste of time and energy to make them relearn things they already know. Approximately one quarter are expressing their intention to continue with Second Level training and the rest will most likely take several years to settle."

"They'll be sleepers?"

"Not quite. They are used to having their lives directed and this freedom and opportunity to make their own choices will take some time to get used to. None of them have said or indicated in any way that they'd like to return to K74 though and without exception they're astonished with Warrakan's conditions and services."

And so they should be. Warrakan living spaces alone were nearly three times the allocation they'd had on K74, and with all the other services there was really no comparison.

"Do they mix with other Warrakan people very much?"

"That all happens through EdCom. They're watched closely and assisted through all their problems."

"Problems? Why would they have problems?"

"Think of the adjustments you'd have to make if you suddenly found yourself living on K74."

Wirrin got annoyed with himself again for not thinking before he spoke. Of course there would be problems for such a change.

"It's a pity they didn't know more about the Rogue."

"Eleven of them did have brief personal contact through their positions, but he was way above them in their strict command hierarchy and they really knew nothing except that he was the person who could give orders to all the ships."

"If K74 still had the embassies going it would be interesting to hear what they'd say to the ambassadors."

"Yes, that would be very interesting but it's unlikely the Cadre will try their embassy tactics again."

Wirrin was sure they wouldn't. The whole thing had backfired on them, with no real information of the kind they were seeking filtering through, and needing constant changes when staff started advocating Open Habitat ways they saw as being of benefit for K74.

"What about other Habitats? Have they got embassies with any of them?"

"Only the Mars Polar Habitat now, and even that has a dubious existence because of contention between some of the Habitat leaders."

"Some of them?"

"A significant, but important, minority of leaders want to follow the wishes of the AIs and isolate K74 because they don't like being the only Habitat to go against general AI advice. They're overruled by the majority and there are big arguments about it."

That sounded very interesting. The only Habitat in the Solar System with an embassy for K74 and there were clashes. Akama's description of K74 as a pariah surfaced in Wirrin's mind.

"They're almost completely cut off. It must be awful."

"Strangely enough the Directed nature of the culture insulates them. The general population have been led to believe the rest of the Solar System is unjustly against them and they accept that the slowdowns and changes come from outside and carry on with their normal lives. All Habitats are inherently self-sufficient though so their growth will definitely continue."

"Their conditions won't change. Without new science and ideas they'll be stuck with their small living spaces and lower health standards."

"They will change Wirrin. With twelve billion people and the resources of such a huge asteroid they'll develop in any area they wish. We saw last week what they've done with stealth technology."

That had been one of the tasks for Wirrin's previous InfoSystem session with Pirramar. Since the incident where drones were vaporised, and particularly in the last few months since the Freedom hijacking, the Cadre had initiated a plethora of projects and Centers for research into stealth and detection and Pirramar was keeping a close eye on the progress being made. Thom nearly had a fit when he learnt that the Comet would eventually lose its ability to remain undetected but relaxed a bit when he found it was still two or three years away.

"I suppose so.... Do you think the Rogue will ever give up on making his traps?"

"Not until the Cadre directs him otherwise. They're the primary source of antipathy to non-human intelligence and while they maintain their power and control over K74 there won't be any fundamental change."

"I wish we could get rid of them."

"You sound like Thom."

That made Wirrin smile.

"I know. It's just wishful thinking and I know we don't work that way. What's the current level of concern about the Rogue? Has it changed much?"

"Yes, a great deal, and for the better. The implication of direct threats to our existence in the Freedom traps resounded through the AI community and new safeguards have been developed."

"Our inoculation program you mean?"

Wirrin, working with Pirramar, had so far built a database of fifty-three basic types of priority trap the Rogue might develop, as well as over six hundred combinations and variations, and distributed the matching inoculation programs to every AI in the Solar System.

"No, quite separate to that. We have physically isolated a core of our structure so that in the event of any general damage we can recover our basic personality and rebuild from there."

"Like we did with Bakana?"

Bakana was the AI reconstituted after the death on K74.

"Somewhat. The protected core ensures our unique awareness and personality will continue, whereas Bakana is similar but not identical to his original."

"Ensures? Does that mean you've already built the cores?"

"All AIs on Warrakan and Attunga have. The Freedom AIs are close but they've been rushing to complete other developments as well. The AIs on Earth are quickly adopting a similar approach and AIs in space habitats and other situations will also make upgrades within the next few months. You need to know how this works, so let's have a look."

This was closely related to Wirrin's work and he was interested anyway, but he was also curious as to why he would 'need' to know about it as well. Pirramar wouldn't say something he didn't mean.
Having a look turned into a full on three-hour session which left Wirrin pondering his close links with the AIs. For a start he learnt that the changes had been massive, with the AIs using energy at an order of magnitude greater level than usual with structural alterations and new physical configurations. The Gestalt AIs had designed things so they could instantly switch to a type of isolated mode if there was any hint of threat, and every individual had increased their size and capability with extra functions, one of which was a quarantine area similar to the one Wirrin used in his InfoSystem.
Pirramar used himself to show how he'd changed and Wirrin, feeling weird that he was exploring inside Pirramar, wondered if this was what the doctor felt like when he used scanners and diagnostic machines in a health checkup.
Wirrin had ventured, with his InfoSystem, into the AI areas on Attunga and Warrakan on quite a number of occasions and been amazed and awed to see the banks upon banks of interconnecting electronics which housed the intellects of the AI's, but this was the first time he'd been guided to an overview of what the basic components were and how they fitted together. He really liked the idea that the AIs were using the Rogue's own isolation techniques for protection against him, but then was set back when Pirramar outlined the final steps to be taken if ever the AIs had to resort to using the protected cores.

***

"When did this happen and what does it mean? I was with you all day."

'Yajala asked while you were helping Raji.'

It was their end of day get together and Calen had just found out that Sonic and Wirrin were now guardians for the AI community.

'It is a great honor to help the AIs.'

"It means we activate their protected cores if they ever get damaged by a Rogue trap."

Calen and Thom stared.

"What's that supposed to mean? All the AIs have cores but I've never heard about specially protected ones. They're all protected."

"Not like this. It's their new way to defend themselves against the Rogue. Pirramar explained it all to me and then took me to the activation centre so I'd know what to do. Sonic's going tomorrow so you'll probably go with him."

"Dingoes! Was that meant to be an explanation? Tell us what's going on."

'AIs must be safe and they have made big changes. Explain it to us Little Brother.'

Sonic rested his beak on Wirrin's shoulder then bumped against Calen and Thom with a little mannerism which meant he wanted physical contact. Wirrin smiled at the 'Little Brother' which Calen, Thom, and Sonic now sometimes used after Akama had made it a habit, and gave an overview of what he'd learnt from Pirramar. Thom was particularly agog by the time he finished.

"Wirrin, that's unbelievable. If you or Sonic couldn't get there they'd never wake up. It's too much responsibility."

"Not really. The likelihood of it ever happening is almost non-existent. It's just a final back up against someone like the Rogue ever getting control over them."

"I don't understand that. You've always said the AIs would go crazy if the Rogue tried to control them."

"That's right, and this makes sure there's a way out if things ever get that bad. They won't though, because their new measures mean they're really hard to get at, especially with the quarantine barriers they can activate if they need to."

"Well, if the quarantine thing's so good why do you need to work so hard at learning about Rogue traps?"

Wirrin nodded because Calen was right. He'd talked about it with Pirramar earlier in the day.

"It's still important because the Cadre will keep him working on new traps and the AIs have to be able to recognise them and then know how to negate them. Otherwise they'd be stuck using quarantining all the time, and they'd hate that. It would slow down their interface with everything external. Pirramar wants me to keep all the Rogue stuff as my main focus for at least another six months so I'm really good at it and then I can move on to learning how AIs work."

"What?" "What?" 'What?'

The simultaneous exclamations made Wirrin smile.

"He thinks I might be good at it and the other AIs will help me in anyway they can, and it fits in perfectly with everything else I've learnt. I'll have a talk with Warragul but I know he'll say it's a great idea."

"What would you be learning? You already know they're super-fast processors and special programs."

"Thom, that's like saying the Comet's an engine with controls so what else is there to know about it."

"Yes, I didn't mean it to sound like that. I just wondered what sort of stuff you might do?"

"It's pretty awesome. Pirramar said part of it would involve designing and building new AIs."

"What?" "What?" 'What?'

After the laugh because they'd done it again Calen went on.

"You mean simulations don't you?"

Wirrin held his answer for a moment because he was enjoying the disbelieving expressions he was seeing. Even Sonic was showing amazement or incredulity with his body language.

"...For real. It would take ages to get to that stage because I'd have to know about Intelligent systems like Wanna and TransCom first, but Pirramar said it would definitely be something I'd need to do."

DIASPORA PRIME Part 28.

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"It looks finished."

"It's not. Two more days."

"It's unreal. Has it got everything you wanted?"

A totally proud and excited Thom was with them at the construction area to check the progress of his spaceship. It had taken a couple of months to decide on his final design because after talking with Pirramar and understanding that it really would happen, he'd gone over all his ideas time and time again to make sure everything was the best it could be. Every time Sonic said he was obsessed Thom laughed and agreed.

"It's got more. It's an extra five meters in length and a little bit bigger than my original plan because that way it gets an extra 2G of acceleration."

"Wow! Really? That's 19 G."

"Nearly twenty. Pirramar talked me into the extra size so the AIs could build in extra suggestions of their own."

"That speed can't be right. It's nearly as fast as the Comet."

"It's actually faster, but the engines can't take the strain for very long. It can't go indefinitely either, because the mass energy conversion engines use a special material which will run out in just over three days at the high acceleration levels."

"Will Sonic be able to go in it?"

Thom laughed. Trust Calen to think of it in dolphin terms.

"Of course he will. As long as the Comet can be close by for proper security."

Wirrin was curious about the AI suggestions.

"What are the extra things?"

"They're all from the AIs. They made it a kind of challenge to see how versatile they could get everything. It's even got a mini food-factory."

"A food-factory? The Comet hasn't even got that."

"Yeah, I know. It's the smallest one they've ever designed and Pirramar says it so basic the food won't have much taste."

"Thom, what's the logic in having a food-factory if you can't ever be away for more than three days?"

"You can stay away as long as you like."

"You just said it runs out of fuel in three days?"

"That's only if you use the engines non-stop at the highest rate. The special fuel gets replenished but it takes time. It can cope with 2G indefinitely but with any thrust greater than that it falls behind."

Wirrin had a think. The fuel limitation was a trade-off to get the incredible acceleration. The sleek ship they were looking at would be the fastest ship in the Solar System when it was finished and its size was minute compared to the Comet. Amazing. The AIs had made a significant advance with this design and Wirrin was suddenly even more curious.

"Thom, what other extras has it got?"

"Just about everything you can think of. They've put in full InfoSystems for you and Sonic. There's a scaled-down version of the multi-spectrum defence system, a mini pico-factory, and even a high-level medical facility."

Wirrin stared and resolved to look into this.

"Did they design any other ships with you?"

"How did you know that? Yes, but they were too big."

"Are they going to put all these new things into the Comet?"

"I don't know. Pirramar didn't say they would but I suppose so. ...No they won't. Some things would go in easily but not everything. They'd have to build new engines for sure and it would make more sense to build a new Comet. Hey look!"

One of the picobot cables was disengaging and they watched it retract to the main body of Warrakan.

"Will it take long to learn how to fly it?"

"I'm already good from the simulator, but as soon as I get into it I'll have a concentrated three or four weeks to really get to know everything. After that it will be extended courses to learn some basics about the pico-factory and the food-factory."

"Two more days. That's not long. You'll hardly notice the wait."

"Ha! Very funny!"

***

"Why?"

Wirrin could hardly believe what he was hearing. Calen had just announced that Sonic was asking for sharks to be introduced to the reaches.

"He says the dolphins need more challenge in their lives."

"They can have lots of challenge without needing sharks. Baby dolphins will get killed and the pods will be hurt when they try to protect them."

"They won't be in the home reaches. They'll have special reaches of their own and young dolphins will have encounters when their pods think they're ready. Sonic says it was an important milestone in his life when he faced the tiger sharks at Monkey Mia, and Habitat dolphins are missing out."

"What? All of them or just the Enhanced dolphins? The others have had sharks all their lives."

"I think he means all of them. Shark reaches will take quite a while to develop and there will be hundreds of young dolphins in a few years time."

"What does he mean by an encounter?"

"Young ones will go with a group, and older dolphins will go whenever they feel like it."

"By themselves? That'll be really dangerous when the sharks get bigger. Will they be Tiger sharks?"

"Mostly, but the dolphins from Earth will be matched with whatever species they've had most experience with. Male dolphins like exploring and they often go off by themselves."

Wirrin and Thom were nodding. That was true. Enhanced male dolphins spent a good deal of time separated from their pods and wild male dolphins even more.

"What will you do if Sonic goes near them?"

"I'll have to stay on the skimmer. I wouldn't have a hope in the water if one came after me."

"How dangerous will it be for Sonic?"

"A single shark wouldn't have a hope of even getting close to him but if there's a group they might."

"What does Yajala say? Does he think it's a good idea?"

"He's set things going so we must have agreed to it."

"He mightn't even have had a choice. When Sonic says he wants something he always gets it."

"No he doesn't. He's not even allowed to leave Warrakan unless the Comet and two AIs can go with him."

"That's not a problem. The Comet's always there."

"It's going to make it harder for Yajala to look after the dolphins but he'll work it out. I bet he'll have extra emergency bots or something like that and if the dolphin gets mauled they'll be looked after it in seconds."

"Emergency bots? Can they go underwater?"

Wirrin did a quick scan.

"Most of them can't but the ones for the reaches are designed so they can."

"Instead of having real sharks they could make virtual reality centres. Then they could have encounters without any danger."

"That's no good. Holos don't work underwater."

"They could have holo water instead of real water. The dolphins wouldn't be able to tell the difference."

"Thom, that's crazy. You couldn't take dolphins out of the water long enough for something like that."

"Yes you could. You could make a special suit or some kind of apparatus to keep them wet."

"A suit? I don't think they could stand being enclosed like that."

It was an interesting thought of Thom's and the ideas went back and forth for a while.

***

'Will our great pilot relinquish control to a humble dolphin?'

"Humble? When a humble dolphin turns up I might. Cheeky dolphins haven't got a hope."

Correctly interpreting the intent behind Thom's reply, Sonic gave a chirp of thanks and moved to examine his console and InfoSystem controls. It wouldn't be now because there was no chance anyone else would fly Thom's ship before he did. Thom's excitement was totally contagious and Wirrin and Calen were completely delighted that because the takeover was happening on an activity day they were here to share it with him.

"Where are we going?"

"Nowhere till I've done all my checks and we get settled in. I have to make a special link with the Comet so it can stay close to us."

That was necessary for Sonic's security.

"But we've got all day so I'm taking you to an asteroid aggregate I found. It should be interesting."

"I've never heard of asteroid aggregates?"

"This one has five big asteroids and lots of smaller ones lumped together and exploring them will be a good adventure."

"Together? That's very unusual."

"It's weird, but that's how they show up on the scan. Calen, I've set up a training module so you can learn how to use the visuals properly while Wirrin and Sonic activate their InfoSystems."

Wirrin grinned. Thom was getting them all organised. Twenty minutes later he was very impressed. The InfoSystem didn't have the huge database availability of the Comet or the Habitats, but this close it could access them almost instantaneously anyway, otherwise it was identical to his home system and the one on the Comet.

"Let's go!"

Wirrin, Calen and Sonic looked at the pleasure radiating from Thom's features. This was a moment he'd been dreaming about.

"Calen, see if you can keep Warrakan centred on the display. This is going to be really something."

Wirrin turned from his InfoSystem to watch the big screen with the image of Warrakan's exterior. This was the best way to see what was happening. Yes! They were moving! Warrakan started to recede slowly and Attunga and Freedom came into view. Suddenly a giant force slammed Wirrin against the support of his chair and the Habitats shrank in size faster than he ever remembered on the Comet. The force eased and Wirrin gave his attention to Thom.

"What was that for?"

"I had to go slowly while we were close to Warrakan but then I let three G through the compensators so we'd remember it. That's the fastest we've ever left the Habitats and I'm holding on 15G. We'll jump to nineteen next and stay there for most of the trip. Can you get the Comet on display?"

"Three G? No wonder I felt squished flat. You should have warned us."

"No way! There's nothing like a good surprise."

Calen's training with the visuals worked well because after a couple of seconds an enhanced image came into view. Wirrin's adrenaline levels relaxed and he turned to check how Sonic had been affected. Surprisingly he was using his InfoSystem as if nothing had happened. Thom laughed.

"His pool has its own compensators and he didn't feel any extra push. Three G would slosh all the water out and leave him stranded on the floor if it didn't."

Wirrin linked to see what Sonic was so preoccupied with. Aha! He was going through the ship controls. Thom would definitely have to let him take over at some stage.

"How long does it take to reach these asteroids?"

"It's over 2 million kilometers so it'll be a couple of hours."

"Two hours? What are we going to do for all that time?"

Thom just laughed at this attempt to stir him.

"Jump in the pool with the fish Calen. He might teach you how to swim."

The two hours passed so quickly Wirrin could hardly believe it. He ended up having InfoSystem competitions with Sonic and that was always a brain-straining time eater. Calen couldn't follow so he went back to playing with the ship visuals and then researching the asteroid aggregate. Thom spent the time practising with his different ship systems.

"Hey look! It's weird. The database info doesn't show the same as this."

Wirrin was looking. They were still hundreds of kilometres away but Calen had an image of their destination centred on the big display. His time learning the visuals had really paid off. At the moment the image was enhanced and rather fuzzy but that would rapidly improve. Wirrin gawked.

"How big are those asteroids?"

"The five main ones range from seventeen kilometers to seventy-three kilometers and the small ones are all different sizes with a median of 2.7 K."

"I can only see four big sections?"

"I said it was weird."

Thom nodded distractedly as he applied himself to controlling the final approach. With every passing second the image on the screen sharpened, as the scanners added more accurate detail, and everyone stared at the jumble of rock and matter. Thom brought the ship to a halt and in an insert window of his InfoSystem screen Wirrin saw the Comet slipping into a close standby position. This aggregate was massive. At seventy-three kilometers the biggest section was half again as long as Warrakan, and from what Wirrin could see, at least twice as wide. The main display suddenly zoomed as Calen focused on a dark transversal feature.

"Look at that! I think the giant piece is really two. There are gaps all the way along."

The air shimmered and Comet/Turaku appeared.

"Quite extraordinary Thom. This is now the most unusual aggregate formation in our records. I've analysed our close range 3D scans and Calen is correct in his observation. Through some process, which will make interesting research, all five sections have become cemented at innumerable contact points into one loosely stable entity. The great fissure Calen is now focused on is really the interface between the two largest asteroids and our preliminary 3D images show many dramatic internal features. Thom if you move thirty kilometers laterally to the coordinates I am providing you'll have a unique vantage point."

When the ship came to a halt again Wirrin wondered what the big deal was till Calen pointed out a star.

"Wombats! You can see right through. How long is that gap Wirrin?"

Wirrin accessed the dimensions with his InfoSystem.

"It's 34.7 kilometers from one end to the other."

"And how wide?"

That was Thom and there was a tone in his voice which sounded an alert in Wirrin's mind.

"... It varies, but the narrowest section is... sixty-eight meters. Thom, don't you even think of it."

"Why not? There's tons of room."

"Think of what?"

Calen had noticed Wirrin's caution.

'Thom is an avid explorer with an exciting idea.'

"He wants to go through that gap."

Calen's eyes widened, his jaw dropped, and then his whole face lit up.

"Wow! Unreal! Like the canyons on Miranda, only better."

So much for common sense. Sonic and Calen were both taken with this crazy idea.

"It's too dangerous. Thirty-five kilometers with only a few metres clearance? What if there's movement and we get crushed?"

"It's only rock and ore. Our hull is way stronger."

That was true.

"Well, we could get stuck."

Thom thought that over for less than two seconds.

"Impossible. The Comet would drill us out with its multi-spectrum beams... Or I could even do it with our own."

"Turaku, tell them it's too risky. We can't take Sonic into a situation like that."

Turaku reappeared.

"Your caution is commendable Wirrin but we calculate the risk to be minimal and far outweighed by the value of the projected experience. Thom has completed far more difficult navigational tasks with great competence and relative ease. He is correct about the hull strength and our capabilities in the unlikely event of any entrapment."

Calen and Sonic anticipated Thom's exuberant outburst and chorused along with him.

"Let's go!" " Let's go!" 'Let's go!'

The AIs were giving the go-ahead and even encouraging it. This was going to be interesting.

"Thom, keep a full link to the Comet with your controls and close range scanners. They will provide a level of detail and information unavailable from our external position."

Thom laughed and did some control fiddling.

"Yes, and make certain you can take over if I do anything wrong."

"Of course."

The ship started moving and Wirrin's heart thumped as he stared at the jagged walls of the approaching 200 meter wide fissure. For the first ten minutes the silence of mutual awe reigned as the ship edged deeper and deeper into the great rift. Calen, handling the big display screen, mainly kept a forward view, with an occasional pan to some lumpy formation or significant recession of the walls. No one was claustrophobic but the sense of enclosure by the massive asteroids was a powerful first for all of them.

"The first narrow bit's coming up in approximately two kilometers. Do you think we'll get through?"

Wirrin had to smile. Trust Thom to be the first to break the mood.

"Probably not. I think Sonic should take over in case."

"Ha! Very funny. He gets his turn on the way home. ...Maybe!"

Sonic didn't give the expected comeback.

'Thom is the best driver for this situation. I am feeling overwhelmed.'

What? Wirrin stared in surprise and Calen rushed from his console, launched himself into the pool for physical contact and a rapid interchange of dolphin speech, then climbed from the pool and addressed the anxious onlookers. Turaku was back, and Thom had brought the ship to an emergency halt.

"Everything's okay. He's overwhelmed in a good way. He's never experienced anything like this and it's more exciting to him than it is to us."

"We don't have to keep going."

'Thom, I expressed my feelings without consideration. Please continue with this wonderful adventure.'

A trill of sound echoed through the control room and everyone relaxed and smiled at the dolphin equivalent to a human yell of excitement.

'Let's go!'

Turaku disappeared, and with Calen back at the visual controls, movement towards the narrow section resumed. Talking later about Sonic's reaction the trio realised just how limited his experiences were compared to their own. All their life they'd had myriad journeys, visiting real and fantastical worlds with the simulators and virtual reality machines which were denied to dolphins because they didn't work underwater.

"Look out! We're going to collide!"

No one took any notice. It was just a bit of Thom trickery and the closing walls were too engrossing. Dingoes! The wall on the left was only twelve meters away and the close proximity was giving the impression of rapid velocity. Wirrin checked. Only fifty km/h. Practically a standstill compared to open space motion.

"Ooh!!"

Everyone gasped at the sudden panorama and once again the ship came to a stop. After a few seconds of taking in the new spectacle, Wirrin joined with Calen and Thom in checking how Sonic was coping. Another dolphin yell sounded.

'I am thankful you are guiding us Thom. I think I would have forgotten the controls and crashed into that prominence.'

Wirrin was feeling rather overwhelmed himself. The narrow gap had suddenly given way on one side to an enormous opening which the scans later showed extended to a depth of almost six kilometers. On the other side the wall continued for 500 meters before giving way to an opposing eight kilometer deep cavern. Thom changed their direct course to follow the curve of the wall while Calen, with prompts from everyone else, directed the display to the passing succession of rifts, canyons and jagged outcrops. Wirrin watched as they passed the prominence Sonic was talking about, a highly irregular cone shaped mass jutting half a kilometre from the surrounding wall. On Earth it would be called a mountain, but here, with their sense of up and down determined by the ship's grav-fields, it appeared as if hanging from the ceiling. Changing the aspect of the ship would make it look normal but then everything else would change perspective. Wirrin developed a feeling that this was a miniature world on the inside of a sphere.

'Space caverns are wondrous. Better than sea caverns.'

Sonic was away from his InfoSystem and as close to the main display as he could manage and his body language showed total involvement. The ship started moving faster.

"What's happening?"

"We're only a third of the way through and it's taking too long."

"Why does time matter?"

"We're meant to be meeting with the Comet."

'The Comet will wait Thom. As long as we require. We must make the most of a special opportunity like this.'

Calen nodded, and Wirrin was in total agreement. This was unique.

"How long should we allow?"

"I agree with Sonic Thom. Instead of going home today we could check out the cabin tonight and then not leave till tomorrow afternoon if we keep finding things to explore. We've only been along one side of this cavern so far, and according to Turaku's 3D map there are more caverns further on."

"More? Really? Well that's good enough to me. It means the Comet crew will have to wait for us though."

That wasn't an issue. Crewing on the Comet was a real cachet and the people who manage to get positions loved all their time there. Wirrin fiddled with his InfoSystem.

"They won't mind. I've just patched our visuals through to the main display on the Comet so they can see exactly what we see."

"The main display? That will be spectacular."

The main display on the Comet was half as big again as their wall display at home, and when it wasn't partitioned into subsections for varying reasons, was indeed spectacular. Wirrin recalled the transfixing moment of hush when the Comet was approaching Earth.

The ship made its way past the changing panorama and moved to the opposing side of the cavern.

"Why does it look so different?"

Wirrin was wondering the same thing. Apart from one long feature the surface walls here were relatively smooth.

"It's not the same asteroid Calen. The composition probably makes it different. Move closer to that crack. It must be over a kilometre long."

"Dingoes! It goes in for nearly three kilometers and then turns weird. Look at all those channels or whatever they are."

'Take us in there Thom. We want to explore.'

Excitement resonated in Sonic's voice. Thom did more fiddling and the ship followed along the crevasse.

"There's a wide apart along here which would let us go in for 600 meters but after that it gets too narrow."

Wirrin gawped at the display.

"Is it safe? It doesn't look like we'll even fit."

"Easy! We'll have ten meters of clearance for most of the way before we're blocked. Once we start it won't look so narrow."

The ship edged into the gap and Wirrin stared in amazement at the narrow passageway ahead. It didn't look any wider as far as he was concerned, and when there was a trill of excitement from Sonic he didn't even look. His attention was strongly fixed on the walls, so close, and sliding slowly past. After a few minutes Wirrin readapted. Apprehension receded and curiosity and excitement built. Thom was brilliant. Turaku was right about this being a relatively easy task for him. Their course was indirect as it picked its way past narrow sections and irregularities in the walls till the gap closed even further and all motion stopped.

'We are swallowed by the asteroid and it is holding us in its heart. Is there a way past if we move vertically Thom?'

Three sets of eyes turned to look at Sonic. He wanted to go further? Thom laughed.

"Not for this ship. The gap is narrower than we are."

'Can we drill through with our multi-spectrum beam?'

Thom looked at his instruments for a moment.

"No way! Not unless we drill for over two kilometers. There's less than 300 meters of the whole length where it's open enough to let us through."

Turaku's voice sounded through the control room.

"Drilling is feasible, but time-consuming and profligate of energy use. We suggest the use of several specially designed drones if you wish to explore further in real time. Otherwise we can construct a detailed 3D map for a virtual experience."

"Virtual reality doesn't work for Sonic."

"Channelled through your display screen it would, with no apparent difference to your current viewing experience."

'We will use the drones. Real experience is superior.'

Wirrin agreed with Sonic, except for a major drawback.

"We don't have any drones. The Comet will have to make them and send them in to us."

"The drones will be made on your ship. It is an excellent opportunity to test your skills with the pico-factory."

Four sets of eyes exchanged queries.

"What skills? That's part of my new training and it will be months before I can do something like that."

Thom was right. None of them had any experience at all with pico-factories, unless it had been one of Sonic's innumerable projects, and that wasn't likely because he was giving off distinctly puzzled vibes.

"You mean you'll send the information across and we'll set it going from here?"

"No Wirrin, you will do it all as a challenge. You will design two drones and operate the pico-factory with your InfoSystem. Pirramar has just confirmed that with your capabilities you can easily manage. Here are your basic parameters. The two drones need only be simplified versions of a standard surveillance drone, though reduced in size for better access and manoeuvrability in the confined spaces. Thom and Sonic have the practical skills for navigation and you can link the controls of each drone to their respective consoles. The pico-factory is just a dedicated information system. Pirramar assures me the whole process should take you no more than thirty minutes."

"That's ridiculous! Three months of training for me and you expect Wirrin to do the same thing in half an hour?"

'Wirrin has many special skills.'

"Yes Thom, his advanced training has been with closely related work and will transfer to the task at hand with relative ease. Watch and see."

Initially Wirrin shared Thom's astonishment but that quickly disappeared as soon as he applied himself to designing the appropriate drones. A link to the Comet's database brought information about every drone into his info system. A search for design applications surprised him with a list of thousands. Build a sorting test to determine the most applicable? No, wrong approach. Even if he found the best he wouldn't know how to use it without practice. Existing experience with design was needed. Aha! Yes, that would do it. Now for the pico-factory controls.

"There you are Thom. The two drones will take four minutes each for construction."

Wirrin was feeling very pleased with himself and enjoying Thom's look of disbelief when a chitter of sound made everyone look at Sonic.

'I am still trying to finish my design and I need some help. You are too fast Wirrin.'

Wirrin quickly synchronised the two InfoSystems and tried to understand what Sonic was doing. It took a couple of minutes.

"I never would have dreamed of doing it this way. It's very clever but it will take a lot of work. I saved time by using Wanna."

"The Planning Assistant for our living spaces? That's weird. What would he know about drones?"

"Everything now, because I added all the drones specs to his information base and modified his application algorithms so he could use them with the new data types."

Thom rolled his eyes and called it brainiac gobbledygook.

"You mean you taught him to design drones instead of buildings?"

"No, he already knows how to design. That's built into him. I just made it so he could work with new data."

"Well it seems sneaky to me. Can I do it that way instead of taking three months for training?"

"You could try."

Thom laughed because he knew he didn't have a clue about how to even start.

"Which drone's being built first? Mine or Sonic's?"

"Yours? I build it and you call it yours? Well, the one Sonic controls is finishing in about a minute. You'll have to wait a whole four minutes extra."

A blue signal flashed and Sonic, with an eager trill, abandoned his design efforts. He'd come back to them at some stage but right now the draw of further adventure was too strong.

'That means the drone is ready for me?'

"It's controls are linked to your console and you fly it exactly the same as the Comet. I've allocated the left half of our display screen for your scanners and the right half for Thom's."

"Gotcha! You just said it was mine."

"... And Calen is controlling the visuals for both, so he can switch either to full screen if there's something extra interesting."

The left side filled with a view, the right went blank, and then the drone started moving.

"Hey, wait for me."

'I am acclimatising to the new controls Thom. I won't go far.'

The view spun crazily as Sonic experimented with his motion controls, then steadied and fixed on the sleek shape of Thom's ship. After a full 360° circuit it darted towards the narrow gap. Whoo! Wirrin involuntarily caught his breath as the walls closed in again, this time to a matter of metres and looking as if you could reach out and touch. This was a marvellous idea of Turaku's. It really felt as if the Comet was doing the moving, and despite knowing full well that the drone was just over half a metre in width, Wirrin had to fight the impression it was impossible to fit.

"Come back! My drone isn't even finished."

Wirrin and Calen exchanged grins. The indicator showed thirty-seven seconds to completion. With dizzying speed the view changed as Sonic made an about turn and showed part of the Comet in the wider space past the narrow entry gap. A small docking port opened and the second drone appeared. When it swivelled on its axis and started moving the second half of the display screen suddenly filled with a wall of rock which then shifted till a close-up image of the docking port took its place. A glance showed Thom with a big grin and a ton of concentration. His half of the display changed again as he rotated away from the ship, moved towards the gap , then closed with Sonic's drone. Weird! From Sonic's drone you were looking at Thom's and from Thom's you were looking at Sonic's. Each time Wirrin shifted his attention from one section of the display to the other he had to make a mental flip of reorientation. Sonic's drone turned again and with an unspoken but very emphatic 'Let's go!' the two explorers headed inward. This adventure lasted for nearly three hours and could have continued indefinitely. After two kilometers of meandering progress the main crack in the asteroid turned into hundreds of strange channels burrowing even further into the asteroid, and most of the time involved exploring a selection of these. For the first two, Thom followed Sonic's eager lead, but then realising they would see far more, they parted and went wherever their whim took them through the convoluted honeycomb of interconnecting passageways and tunnels. Sonic in particular had a great fascination for the endless tunnels and somewhat reluctantly stopped when Calen pointed out they'd only had a light lunch over five hours ago, that he was starving, and that since it looked like they might be staying in the giant cavern for the night, it was time to experiment with the food factory.

'There is so much more to see. We must return to our drone adventure whenever we can.'

"We should have a sleep period and start as early as we can, because we have a very busy time coming up on the Habitats."

Time for Calen and Sonic was always busy so Wirrin wondered what he meant.

"What time do we have to get back to Warrakan tomorrow? If we can make it late we might be able to have another go at the labyrinth, but remember there are still two more caverns ahead and who knows what else before we meet with the Comet again, and we haven't even looked at the other three asteroid sections yet."

Labyrinth was Sonic's term for the endless narrow tunnels.

'I would like to extend our adventure through all of tomorrow and arrive home late. Is that inconvenient for any of us?'

The trio exchanged glances and quick nods of agreement. Sonic was eager with everything he did but not with this overlay of excitement he'd been showing since they found the cavern, and even more with guiding his drone through the 'labyrinth'.

"It's our second activity day Sonic so we can get home asa late as you like."

A gyser of water shot towards the ceiling and was followed by a dolphin body doing an aerial somersault. Calen and Wirrin dived in, and after setting some automatic controls, so did Thom. For a quarter of an hour the contagion of shared happiness and excitement bubbled through the interaction of their talk and play.

"Now I'm extra starving. Show us what you can do with this mini food-factory Thom."

"I don't even know if it's functional. They usually take time to bring online."

"Of course it'll be functional. The AIs have made sure everything else works. Why would they leave it out? Go and check. ...And make sure we all get plenty. If it's going to be a long day tomorrow Wirrin needs extra energy."

"Well, okay. I'll have a look, but I'll have to do some figuring so don't complain if it takes a while."

Thom moved to his control console.

'Thom's ship is a wonderful vehicle. We will persuade him to take us to Miranda and explore the great canyon.'

"All that way? It would take more than a week."

'We will visit the Uranus dolphins and then we can make time. We must have more adventures together.'

Wirrin looked at Calen to see how he was reading the certainty of Sonic's statements. Had this strong desire for adventure just awakened, or had it been there all along but repressed by other things with a higher priority? Sonic's unique dolphin laugh filled the room.

'Yes Wirrin, Calen is pondering my behaviour, but he is pleased too because he thinks I work too much.'

"You should have regular activity days and come with us more often. You always enjoy it when you do."

'We will discuss it with Yajala and Turaku. Regularity might not be possible but something will be arranged.'

Thom gave a call and Wirrin and Calen left the pool. Sonic was in charge of his own food and would look after himself.

"It's easy to work the food-factory but we have to go to the galley to eat. Did I hear Sonic say something about Miranda?"

"He wants to go there and explore the canyon with your ship and the drones. He's really definite about it."

Turaku shimmered into view and the trio stared in surprise at the slightly fuzzy image.

"While you have your meal I will move your ship to the greater security of the main rift. In your current position the mass of the asteroid reduces our direct communication ability to an unsatisfactory 20% level."

He shimmered off and the ship started moving.

"Twenty percent? That sounds bad."

Wirrin and Thom both shook their heads.

"Not really. Everything important would still get through even at three or four percent. It's just the AIs being extra cautious."

The next day was very long, very active, and the expedition arrived home very late. After more exploring in Sonic's 'labyrinth' Thom moved the ship back to the main rift and through to the next cavern area and the most astonishing sight yet.

Section Concludes.

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I hope you've gained some enjoyment from this story.
Any comments and feedback would be greatly appreciated.
My email address is palantir@diasporatales.tech
For further information about the diaspora series you're welcome at https://diasporatales.net
Palantir.