you
are the equal and peer of any man I know. From here on I speak no more of your
primitive origins, but regard you as partner and friend."
Jack felt humbled by the formal speech and
the strong handclasp. "I did no more than any man would do for another,
Jasar. I look not to be your equal, only to help as best I can."
"I
know. But you've done more than that, and I admit it. Now, let's move. I’ ll be thankful for your arm, foT a while, until we find some nook to hide in. That way, you said?"
As
they started to march, Jasar was more of an awkwardness than a burden, seeming to regain a little strength and balance with every step.
Jack was full of intriguing questions. "There are so many things," he
said, "that I do not understand properly. Why, for one, would this wondrous
armor of yours turn the blade of my ax, and yet not the bite of the rat, or the
fall from a great height? And what is this physical awareness you speak of,
that permits a man to heal himself from great injuries? Can I learn the trick
of it?"
Jasar
hunched a shoulder as they passed a machine that blew a small warm gale at
them, and chuckled deep in his chest. "Armor is armor, Jack. Not magic. A
man in armor is saved from being cut up by an edge, but he still feels the
impact of the blow. There's not much point in telling you about energy-weapons
yet, but if ever one is aimed at you, then you'll see how good the belt-shield
is. As for the other thing, yes, you could learn physical awareness, I suppose.
It would probably be harder for you, at your age, than it is for us. We leam it from the first few exploratory attempts to stand and
walk. It's a part of our educational system."
"What must I do first?" Jack was
willing to try anything that seemed to confer power. Jasar grunted
good-hu-moredly.
"Try
this. While we are walking, as now, think of your right foot. I mean 'think' of
it. Feel it strike the floor, bend and stretch and shove, feel the rub of it
inside your shoe. All of it. Attend to it."
Jack
tried, and the effort was surprisingly great, interfered with the natural
rhythm and balance of walking so that what was simple and commonplace became
difficult. But, after a while, he could say, "I think I have it!"
"Good.
Now think only of the smallest toe on that foot. Feel it, all of it, under and
over, root and nail, all by itself."
This
was infinitely harder, so difficult that all at once his foot seemed to bulk
large in his shoe, to dangle dangerously at the end of his leg, and he lost
the swing of his stride, so that he stumbled and almost fell.
Jasar
chuckled, not unkindly. "Not so easy, is it? But that, in fact, is all the
essence of it. You select one small part of your body and think about it until
you have it. Then another. And you repeat, and
practice, until you can touch and feel, with your mind, any part. And that,
just by itself, helps you to make repairs. Because by the time you can do that
efficientiy, you will also know by feel what is wrong, and be able to put it
right. We do it as a drill."
Jasar
was walking alone now, striding along, eyes everywhere, seeming to understand
everything, and yet he had time to talk, and think about other things.
"Curious creatures, we humanoids," he murmured. "The
physiologists all agree that we have an unbalanced brain-system, designed so
that we have a constant and overriding drive to direct our attention outward,
away from ourselves, toward other things. Almost all other life-forms are
self-centered. Did you know that?"
Jack
gave up trying to isolate his little toe. He had only the vaguest idea what
Jasar was talking about. "What manner of place is this?" he asked,
more to change the subject rather than from curiosity.
"As
I've already said, it's a pump and circulation complex that serves to supply
that weed up there. Also atmosphere control. And it
looks as if we are getting to the end of it now."
Ahead
was a wall of close web-work in silvery metal, coming nearer with every step. And now a
are the equal and peer of any man I know. From here on I speak no more of your
primitive origins, but regard you as partner and friend."
Jack felt humbled by the formal speech and
the strong handclasp. "I did no more than any man would do for another,
Jasar. I look not to be your equal, only to help as best I can."
"I
know. But you've done more than that, and I admit it. Now, let's move. I’ ll be thankful for your arm, foT a while, until we find some nook to hide in. That way, you said?"
As
they started to march, Jasar was more of an awkwardness than a burden, seeming to regain a little strength and balance with every step.
Jack was full of intriguing questions. "There are so many things," he
said, "that I do not understand properly. Why, for one, would this wondrous
armor of yours turn the blade of my ax, and yet not the bite of the rat, or the
fall from a great height? And what is this physical awareness you speak of,
that permits a man to heal himself from great injuries? Can I learn the trick
of it?"
Jasar
hunched a shoulder as they passed a machine that blew a small warm gale at
them, and chuckled deep in his chest. "Armor is armor, Jack. Not magic. A
man in armor is saved from being cut up by an edge, but he still feels the
impact of the blow. There's not much point in telling you about energy-weapons
yet, but if ever one is aimed at you, then you'll see how good the belt-shield
is. As for the other thing, yes, you could learn physical awareness, I suppose.
It would probably be harder for you, at your age, than it is for us. We leam it from the first few exploratory attempts to stand and
walk. It's a part of our educational system."
"What must I do first?" Jack was
willing to try anything that seemed to confer power. Jasar grunted
good-hu-moredly.
"Try
this. While we are walking, as now, think of your right foot. I mean 'think' of
it. Feel it strike the floor, bend and stretch and shove, feel the rub of it
inside your shoe. All of it. Attend to it."
Jack
tried, and the effort was surprisingly great, interfered with the natural
rhythm and balance of walking so that what was simple and commonplace became
difficult. But, after a while, he could say, "I think I have it!"
"Good.
Now think only of the smallest toe on that foot. Feel it, all of it, under and
over, root and nail, all by itself."
This
was infinitely harder, so difficult that all at once his foot seemed to bulk
large in his shoe, to dangle dangerously at the end of his leg, and he lost
the swing of his stride, so that he stumbled and almost fell.
Jasar
chuckled, not unkindly. "Not so easy, is it? But that, in fact, is all the
essence of it. You select one small part of your body and think about it until
you have it. Then another. And you repeat, and
practice, until you can touch and feel, with your mind, any part. And that,
just by itself, helps you to make repairs. Because by the time you can do that
efficientiy, you will also know by feel what is wrong, and be able to put it
right. We do it as a drill."
Jasar
was walking alone now, striding along, eyes everywhere, seeming to understand
everything, and yet he had time to talk, and think about other things.
"Curious creatures, we humanoids," he murmured. "The
physiologists all agree that we have an unbalanced brain-system, designed so
that we have a constant and overriding drive to direct our attention outward,
away from ourselves, toward other things. Almost all other life-forms are
self-centered. Did you know that?"
Jack
gave up trying to isolate his little toe. He had only the vaguest idea what
Jasar was talking about. "What manner of place is this?" he asked,
more to change the subject rather than from curiosity.
"As
I've already said, it's a pump and circulation complex that serves to supply
that weed up there. Also atmosphere control. And it
looks as if we are getting to the end of it now."
Ahead
was a wall of close web-work in silvery metal, coming nearer with every step. And now a
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