RAEFF (Jim Able: Offworld Book 6) by Ed Charlton (great books to read .txt) 📕

Jorrs, Jim. I think it may be within our purview to go further than we have been instructed.”

“You mean we could warn them without involving anyone else?”

“Yes, either we could go there first or, perhaps, divide our forces?”

Tamric looked concerned. “I must not be seen by them.”

Jim held up his hand. “That’s understood.”

He glanced at Tella, hoping he had picked up the Neraffan’s intentions clearly.

“Tamric, you and I can go to Tanna Gul in your flier. Tella can go to Tanna Jorr in mine. It is one of your commercial products, so it won’t implicate the PR directly.” Pointing to Tella, he continued, “Then you join us. I doubt we’ll be able to move immediately when we arrive. This is going to take some serious reconnaissance before we get our feet wet.”

“Good idea, Jim,” said Tella, nodding, giving no hint to Tamric that it was anything other than Jim’s underling.

“Or,” said Tamric, “you can wait and come bail us out when we mess this up!”

His laugh seemed genuine, and Jim found himself smiling in return.

Over several hours they studied satellite images, made rough plans of possible action, and laughed far more than they had anticipated.

Jim wanted to draw as much information out of Tamric as possible while Tella was still with him, but the young monk was unforthcoming about many things. However, Jim gradually built up a picture of Daum Robertus’s relationship with the team. He was unmistakably their mentor, older and wiser, but seemed to delegate freely. Jim found it a curious way to manage such a project, but had to admit that, so far, it was working.

At the end of the session, Tamric offered to lead them to more food.

“Sounds good to me,” said Jim. Turning to Tella, he said, “Will you eat this time?”

“I think not, thank you. But a drink will be welcome.”

“Suit yourself,” replied Jim with a frown.

As they joined their chaperones outside, Jim walked with Tamric.

“So, are you guys celibate?”

Tamric was taken aback for a moment, long enough for Tella to sigh and shake its head. “You are obsessed with sex, James Able.”

“I’m curious; not all monks on Earth are. I was only asking.”

Tamric’s face had colored a little, but he answered, “Yes. Yes, we are. We devote ourselves entirely to our work. For us to be married means to be divided. It is not possible to be single-minded about work when the responsibilities of a family press upon you.”

“Hmm, too bad.”

“It is a sacrifice. Are you married, Jim?”

It was Jim’s turn to blush slightly. “Er...no, I never have...married, as such.”

Tamric nodded but asked nothing further.

“What about female monks?” Jim asked. “Do you have nuns?”

“Oh yes, our accommodations are separate, but teams are often mixed.”

***

Daum Robertus was waiting for them with the refreshments.

“Ah, our guests have returned! Jim, come and eat. Tella, will you join us?”

“I will be happy to drink a little.”

“I’m up for more of those green things,” said Jim. “They’re excellent!”

Jim maneuvered Daum Robertus to one side while he ate.

“There’s something I don’t get about your team here,” he began.

Daum Robertus gestured for him to continue.

“They are young—younger than I would have thought wise. You’re giving them a lot of responsibility.”

Daum Robertus nodded. “Yes. Yes, you are correct.”

Jim waited, but it seemed that was to be his answer.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t get it. You’re sending me into hostile territory with a kid!”

“Have you not seen that Tamric has a clear grasp of his mission and the ways it may be achieved?”

Jim pursed his lips. “Well, yes...”

“His training has been thorough. He has proven himself many times, or he would not be here. He has much still to learn, but that is true of us all, isn’t it, Jim?”

The glint in the monk’s eyes seemed too knowing for Jim’s comfort.

He continued, “I will tell you of one fault that I find with Tamric. He is sometimes unwilling to follow instructions until he has found their wisdom for himself. It is something we work on with him.”

“I like him better already,” Jim said, smiling slyly.

Chapter Six

Tamric’s flier was loaded and ready in orbit. Jim and Tella’s EIA flier was locked beneath it for the journey to the Tanna system. At Jim’s insistence, the armaments on and in Tamric’s craft had been upgraded.

When the time came to leave, Tamric disappeared. Tella and Jim waited in a shuttle that would take them up to the fliers, caught in the limbo of being ready but not able to start. At length, Daum Robertus came in. Tamric followed and hustled down a ladder to stow a bag in the storage compartment below them.

“Jim,” said the elder monk warmly, “the best to you and your mission. I hope this is the first step on a long road together.”

“Yeah, I hope so.”

Daum Robertus reached out to Tella and unlocked the bracelet of lights. He then removed Jim’s, bowed slightly, and left.

***

They settled into Tamric’s flier for a seven-day trip. Tamric took one of the two small rooms behind the cockpit. Jim and Tella took turns resting in the other. Tamric disappeared into his room with surprising frequency. Occasionally, Jim or Tella could hear his voice lifted in a gentle chant.

“Do you miss the religious rituals of your youth, Jim?” asked Tella one time as they listened to Tamric’s faint prayers.

“What? No...I rarely think of them. Well, I guess going to church every seventh day gave a structure to things. It’s sad that life doesn’t always have that. And, occasionally, I miss the comfort of thinking that there is something out there.”

“Something or someone?”

“Hah,” Jim laughed, “I guess so...someone.”

“For us, that someone is Quavvour. But to say Quavvour is ‘out there’ is misleading; it is here also.”

“In what way?”

“’Out there’ is beyond these dimensions. These dimensions must be included in whatever is greater than they are. Quavvour is, therefore, here also.” Motioning toward Tamric’s door, Tella said, “Quavvour is here also.”

Smiling, Jim allowed, “I guess you’re right.”

***

Around the midpoint of the journey, Tamric asked Tella a question.

“Are you and