JORR (Jim Able: Offworld Book 7) by Ed Charlton (ebook reader ink .txt) 📗

Tamric looked up from the helmet to Jim.

Jim heard a formality in the question that brought to mind a church service, or a part of one, from his youth. He and his parents had stood and answered questions, posed in the same expansive way: “Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty...”

“Sure,” Jim sighed, noting Tamric’s brief flicker of disappointment at Jim’s attitude.

The monk began to speak but stopped and sighed. He looked at Jim for a moment and said, “For us, the way we ask, the way we answer, are part of the solution to any problem. Our hope is in ensuring quality. This is our way.”

Jim saw how Tamric struggled to convey in a few words what he had been absorbing over months and years of learning.

“I’m sorry,” Jim said softly. “Please go on.”

Tamric returned his gaze to the helmet. “With our purpose clear, we meditate upon the resources to achieve that purpose. This is the long search. This is the deep search. The simple is a construct of many complexities. The complex is a construct of multiple simplicities. It is in this search that we find our answers. It is from the searching that we come to know our true questions. This search can never be hurried; it can never be bypassed. In this search we live the greater part of our lives.”

To Jim’s discomfort, Tamric was silent for many minutes. He sat gazing at the helmet, the tape, and the sights. Jim could not be sure if Tamric’s eyes were open or shut. He waited, patiently, for the monk to finish his meditation. For the first time, Jim wondered what that really involved, but he got no clue from watching.

“In the sight,” Tamric resumed, “we have the optical sensor. This feeds the digital converter. The digital converter feeds the signal-scrubber software. The signal scrubber feeds the image enhancer. The image enhancer feeds the frequency transformer. The frequency transformer feeds the optical output buffers. From there, the signal is converted to the output display or to the external link that you employed.”

Tamric seemed not to need any reply from Jim, so Jim held his breath and watched.

“Each of these is a resource for us. Each of these is both a complex entity and a simple entity. The visor...this, too, is both a simple unit and a complex one. The optical input accepts digital input from multiple sources. It, too, has signal-scrubber software, an image enhancer, and a frequency transformer. It has its own optical output buffers. The visor has the place of our hopes—an optical display.”

Tamric paused before saying, “These are our resources. The matrix of the simple and the complex is woven with the strand of our solution. The path of that thread is our path. These resources are our resources. The solution is our solution.”

Jim felt the strong urge to answer “Amen.”

Tamric sat up straight and said to Jim, “Now, I see this as a Tonnara Load. It is a situation where our resources are too many, and their use confuses us and weighs us down. I will make a suggestion. I know you are familiar with how this is done: I suggest, and you find the faults with the suggestion.”

“Sure, I can do that!” Jim smiled.

“I suggest we attach the optical sensors and the digital converters from the sights directly to the helmet’s input. This will bypass all the unnecessary resources.”

“How are you going to do that? These things are sealed units. Like you said, they’re simple. You can’t just cut them apart.”

Tamric frowned. “They were assembled. Each part was manufactured separately. Each unit can be disassembled.”

“In a workshop, maybe. Look around. These are not ideal conditions.”

“Is that your only objection? Is the solution itself acceptable?”

“In theory, yeah, it might work.”

“Let us follow this thread to prove its worth as our path.”

Tamric reached into his pack and brought out a device the like of which Jim had never seen. It was white and silver, about eight inches long, and multifaceted.

“What is that?” he asked.

“A workshop.” Tamric smiled.

He extended a blade from one end of the device and cut Jim’s tape off one of the sights. He folded the blade and pulled down a hook from the other end. With one quick motion he had cut through the body of the sight and was laying out its electronic entrails. He stared at the wires and modules for a moment. “I must risk a light. Please bring me a thermal blanket, Jim.”

Jim delved into his backpack and pulled out the thin roll of the blanket. He handed it to Tamric, who unfurled it over the helmet and then disappeared beneath.

Jim waited. He waited until he was sure Tamric had passed out under the blanket. Each time he thought to speak, he heard a small sound or saw a slight motion. Tamric said nothing all the while.

When Tamric emerged, his face was flushed but happy.

“Here, I have followed the thread of our path. Now you must perform a test to prove its worth.” He handed Jim the helmet.

Had Jim been able to see himself, turning the helmet in his hands and examining Tamric’s work, he would have seen the same expression Tamric had worn while meditating.

“What have you done?” he cautiously.

The helmet looked different. Tamric had not only removed the components from the sights but also cut openings in the helmet itself to mount them. There was no tape, no protruding parts. The optical sensors were installed as four studs: two front, two rear.

“Try it, please. We need to verify we were correct,” Tamric urged.

“Okay, let’s see,” said Jim, slipping the helmet on.

“Whoa! What is this?” he said, laughing.

“I found that the visor’s display was segmented. This was a resource we did not know before. It enabled the sensors to be attached so that each has its own field of view.”

“But I can see almost a full circle!”

“Yes, I positioned them to give the maximum coverage. I’m afraid it