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

the birth took place; and where the child had been hidden for so long.

Tella found useful information in the diagrams and images of Jorr anatomy. Three things clearly distinguished them from Guls: a shorter, rounder snout; lower height—the average Jorr would never tower over Jim the way Marhan had; and the body covering tending more to fur than the coarse hair of their neighbors. Despite such visible differences, much of their internal anatomy mirrored the Guls—an interesting aspect—but Tella did not delve into the various theories of common ancestry and the speculations about which planet hosted their ancestors first and under what conditions.

Most commentators assumed that the child was mentally handicapped, saying he needed to be kept in an institution specializing in the care of such individuals.

Tella also learned that Professor Mel had worked on the ark projects. She had traveled to Tanna Gul several times for extended periods. She had given birth during her final flight home, and the youngster had grown up entirely within the confines of the Corps of Biological Sciences compound.

Tella set to finding the compound and extracting a map of the area from the Jorr public network. She will know what to do with information about an invasion fleet from the father’s planet. As Tella pondered, two possibilities came to mind.

She may have been happy to leave him.

She may be happily waiting for him.

The misgivings that arose from the latter convinced Tella that its preferred approach was the only possibility in this case—an unseen entry into the compound followed by a period of surveillance of the professor.

The map of Brurass showed the eastern part of the city was a cluster of parks and botanical gardens among the residences. Farther east, the residences grew fewer and the Biological Sciences compound took over. Tella was interested only in the main buildings. The news analysis had pinpointed the Higher Life Sciences building as the professor’s workplace and an apartment building, a short walk away, as where she and the child lived.

Excellent, now I can stop watching these appalling programs.

Chapter Six

The Raeff’s attendance at a staff dinner was Ajeer’s chance to slip away. The aides would call her if anything happened.

The vehicle she chose had no markings and its windows were darkened. No one would see her leave. No one would know where she went. It was her duty to prevent unnecessary alarm.

***

“Gror Dil Ajeer? This is an unexpected honor!”

“Thank you.”

She burst through the door, brushing the acolyte aside. She strode up the long staircase ignoring the calls from behind her. The familiar smell of the place was overwhelming. She had no idea she had missed it so. Her superior was in the office talking to three Luminants-in-waiting.

Ajeer swept in, saying, “This is ideal. You must all listen to this.”

She placed the recorder on the desk.

“Gror Dil Ajeer, we are not expecting you,” said Arna Fal Fal.

Ajeer almost quailed at the stern and censorious tone. Had she not already faced down her Raeff, she would not have had the courage to face down her former tutor.

“Listen! Tell me what you hear.”

She pressed the control, and Loff’s shouting filled the room. The three trainees gasped, their ears twitching and eyes staring at the machine. Fal did not look at it; she studied Ajeer’s face.

When the recording was done, Fal said, “And what do you hear in these words?”

“The spirit.”

“And that is why you run to us?”

“You are the one who has heard this before. I know you have. Calna brought you recordings like this, didn’t she? Why didn’t you tell me of this? Why have I not been taught to understand this? You told us only of spirit-words; this is a language!”

The old tutor closed her eyes and sighed. The four others waited patiently. All knew her well enough; she would not speak until she was ready.

“You students may leave me now. We will address this matter tomorrow.”

Their disappointment and hurt were visible, but none spoke. They retreated from the office in silent obedience.

“Sit.”

Ajeer also obeyed.

“We mortals are limited creatures. This I know you know. We can only know the spirit because the spirit reveals itself to us. We cannot force the spirit to do anything. We cannot discern anything of the spirit, except that which it chooses to let us understand.”

“Yes, you yourself have told me this many times.”

“Not every Raeff will manifest the spirit in the same way. Through each one, we are shown a different part of the truth.”

“Yes, I also understand this.”

“This spirit-talking is rare.”

“But you have heard it before?”

“Yes. Calna came to my predecessor much as you have done to me tonight. She, too, was full of the fire of discovery.”

“Why is this not taught? Surely our scholars have learned this language by now?”

Fal sighed and nodded. She stood and gazed through the small window behind her desk. Ajeer waited patiently, certain an answer would come.

“We stumble in the dark. We grope our way to knowledge. The flashes of light that lead us are poor torches for our feet. It is not so simple.”

Ajeer became uncomfortable. In all the years she had known Fal, she had never heard a tone of such sadness.

“Fal?”

“Ah, Ajeer...Ajeer, you are young still and have much to learn.”

“Yes, I must learn this if I am to interpret for the Raeff.”

Fal turned and smiled at her. Ajeer’s heart went cold at the expression on the old face.

“Very well. But I say it is not so simple. Listen to me!”

Ajeer bowed her head and waited.

“We have studied this spirit-talk. We have studied every sound, every word, from every Raeff who spoke it. We have studied for years and years.”

She turned back to the window and continued. “In all that time, we found no clues as to its meaning. There is no one who understands. When we first heard of other worlds, we thought perhaps there we would find answers. Perhaps, we reasoned, we will hear of someone else who speaks this language and understands it. Or perhaps another world also has Raeffs