Arc of the Immortals / Book 2
ARC OF THE IMMORTALS | Time Rifts: 1/Obz Station
Observing a Past or a Future & Influencing them are Two Distinct States
“Is it that difficult?” Touzdae asked Geordae Phorae.
“It is the most difficult for experienced and skillful pilots in this galaxy cluster that I know of. Jac may be one of them. Given his state… well… Since I know the route I have a notch above Jac in this; at his best,” Phorae said.
“Okay,” Touzdae said; humbled.
“Like I said before: My frigate will take us to the first leg of the trip. My people have added supplies needed for your time there and outfitted the ship for travel. It’s small. No transdimensional spaces allowed due to environmental and quantum physics constraints.
“The following thirteen to eighteen hours over two legs of a tight course to the Obz Station one way. You and Jac will have a little less than 100 days to observe. Influence may only happen at the highest of vibrations. I will be back four to five days before the close of the window.
“The next opening of a window will be in 60 years. If you don’t leave there you will be stuck,” Phorae concluded.
Jac remained in a transfixed place of shock, not present. He floated elsewhere while the frigate traveled to the rendezvous coordinates.
Touzdae kissed him on the cheek and then immediately on the lips. He kissed her back. And he occupied the present time.
“I’m grateful you’re alive,” Jac said. “I don’t think I told you that before.”
“Thank you for that Jac,” she paused, looked away for a moment, and then back: “It’s time Jac, we need to transfer.”
Geordae stood by the airlock, watching. The universal coupling had engaged and it met the frigate. The pressure stabilized and the green light was lit. The hatch opened. Geordae ushered Touzdae and Jac through the airlock tube into the smaller ship.
“These are very cramped seats, Geordae. No transdimensional spaces?” Jac asked.
“No, due to the navigational passages the EM signatures must held small,” Phorae reported.
Touzdae and Jac wrapped themselves into two of the five passenger seats. Food packs were crammed into the three remaining seats. Geordae inserted himself into a more spacious command seat.
“I recommend you have some emergency rations from the tube above right now. Then use a slow meditation for the next ten hours. The last few hours of passage I will need you alert, focused, and present, understood?”
“Yes,” they both answered simultaneously.
The small ion-pulse drive ship with internal fuel tanks sat behind six cargo pods. Geordae ran final checks and then spoke.
“I will be initiating a full ten-minute burn on the engines. The first ten hours of our passage should be fine. The closer we get to the destination the more minor corrections in flight attitude, yaw, pitch, and position need my constant attention.”
Eighteen hours later the small ship docked at the Obz station. Geordae positioned the three remaining cargo pods near a dormant automatic feed. He released Jac and Touzdae to the airlock.
Touzdae activated the power generators. Jac and Touzdae hooked up the automatic feeds and the oxygen scrubbers. The food packs downloaded.
“I have seventy-three minutes to familiarize you with the station. And there was an Entu Monk here that I couldn’t convince to come back with me. He may have been caught in an interdimensional rift and is not in touch with reality. If we find him and he wants to return with me then of course he can… and he may have expired. I was here during the last window about nine months past and I couldn’t find him.”
They searched the station for the monk. All the Time Hopper Vehicles were accounted for. Some of the corridors deep within the aft section of the station seemed endless and he may have gotten lost inside. Jac and Touzdae searched. George set up two holo-players for information about cooking and the food packs. He laid out holo-cubes of tutorials for the Time Hoppers, translations of the Obz syntax, and legend keys to understanding the station.
In the final minutes, Geordae had prepared s small short speech:
“There are tight parameters for operating the Hoppers. Stay within the parameters. Otherwise time and space could collapse around the station. It could be obliterated. Do not leave observation mode for an alternate reality. DO NOT LEAVE OBSERVATION MODE. It will cause ruptures in space-time and may unravel the multiverses.
“Reduced supplies due to the explosion. You’ll have to curb your food consumption and use the medical supplies already here.
“Any questions?”
“Your return time?” Touzdae asked.
“Ah yes, here is a countdown chronometer.” He turned in a wide gesture with his long gangling arms pointing to a control console. “It’s locked in this control panel to prevent tampering or confusion or both.”
“As you can see it started automatically upon our arrival. That is the time remaining.”
He stood.
“I must take my leave of you.”
After brief hugs they walked to the airlock port.
Geordae climbed into the airlock and into the small ship. They watched as the ship detached. It turned 180 degrees with a slowed precision. In a tiny burst of thruster plasma it began its way back along the prescribed course.
Jac put his arm around Touzdae’s waist and pulled her into him. They made love on the table. Later in a well-appointed bedroom, they stretched out and slept.
Explosive fire ripped out the forward three cargo pods. It consumed them and halted. Fire suppression worked. Jac was breathing fast in the shadowy cabin lights.
“What was that?” Jac shouted.
“Shut it,” Geordae barked.
The ship pitched starboard. Jac froze in a standing position the tips of his fingers rested on a black surface. A smooth metal, he thought. He heard others whispering or talking some distance away. Someone whispered his name or did the voice come from within?
He was back, wrapped in his seat.
He exhaled, and then watching his breath he drifted into a light sleep.
He startled awake. His hair was brittle with frost. He felt warm. A layer of frost covered everything including Touzdae. He slept.
Hours later the timed artificial sunlight awakened them. Wrapped in each other’s arms covered in blankets. Perspiration soaked them.
“I had a dream of being frozen to death.”
“That was no dream…” Jac said.
“Interdimensional realities?” Touzdae wondered.
“Maybe. Did you experience the black slab, or a wall?” Jac felt confused.
“No,” she looked down.
In the master bedroom chamber on the station they woke. “How are you feeling? Is everything copacetic?” he asked her.
She put her arms around his neck and they kissed with passion.
If you want to catch-up on any chapters you missed in part 2 of Book 1 of this Series: Arc of the Immortals see link below [Part 2 contains link for contents of part 1 for reading with continuity]:
The previous chapter — the last chapter of book one:
Thank you for joining me in the adventures that span lifetimes and worlds. Blessings on your journeys and odysseys. (If you do NOT wish to be tagged, let me know, and I’ll tag you not):
Alison Hollingsead | K. Pearson Bradley| Dougfrombk | Rebecca Romanelli | Joseph Lieungh | Dr. Preeti Singh | Ravyne Hawke | Dr Mehmet Yildiz | Kris Bedenian | Alberto García 🚀🚀🚀 | Blaine Coleman | Lee David Tyrrell | DL Nemeril | Rip Parker | Annelise Lords | Libby Shively McAvoy |
