Summary

In "Arc of the Immortals/ Book 1: Pursuit," P-Jac, a pursuer with a soulmate bond to Touzdae, confronts his target, Jac, in a dramatic and violent encounter aboard the Mu, while Touzdae searches for a safe haven for the Lingham Stone, leading to a climactic battle that ends with P-Jac's demise.

Abstract

"Arc of the Immortals/ Book 1: Pursuit" continues the story of P-Jac, who, after forming a deep connection with Touzdae in his memories, finds himself longing for peace rather than his next target. Meanwhile, Touzdae is on a mission to secure the Lingham Stone's safety, navigating through a perilous area of the ship to find a suitable location. The narrative reaches a peak with a physical and ideological battle between P-Jac and Jac, where P-Jac's pursuit of peace through killing is challenged by Jac's non-lethal approach. The conflict ends with P-Jac's accidental death amidst sharp rocks, while Touzdae faces her own challenges, encountering dangerous obstacles and seeking the help of lions through telepathy. The story is a blend of action, introspection, and the pursuit of peace against a backdrop of science fiction and fantasy elements.

Opinions

P-Jac's transformation from a relentless pursuer to someone who yearns for peace suggests a critique of the cycle of violence and the possibility of redemption.
The soulmate bond between P-Jac and Touzdae hints at themes of love transcending circumstances and the interconnectedness of lives.
Jac's preference for peace and his unarmed combat with P-Jac reflects a philosophical stance that true peace cannot be achieved through violence.
The use of lions as allies for Touzdae introduces a motif of harmony with nature and the potential for interspecies communication and understanding.
The dangerous environment of the Mu, including the treacherous catwalks and the spherical chamber with its hazards, serves as a metaphor for the internal and external challenges the characters face.
The story's inclusion of violence, despite the characters' desire for peace, underscores the complexity of achieving tranquility in a chaotic universe.
P-Jac's death, juxtaposed with Jac's survival, symbolizes the triumph of non-violent principles over aggressive impulses.

ARC OF THE IMMORTALS/ Book 1

Pursuit: 17 / Confrontations

Recap: Pursuer-Jac meets Touzdae in Jac’s memory without knowing her name and feels a soulmate bond of love. Touzdae is aboard the Mu on purpose, searching for a safe place for the Lingham Stone.

(contains some scenes of violence)

Recap continued: Without an immediate target, P-Jac longs for something else, rids himself of the targeting scanner in his head. He longs for peace, having felt it for the first time.

“Where is the other Jac, when I need him the most,” Pursuer-Jac cried out.

Jac seemed to step out of Pursuer-Jac’s backside and moved backward a few paces.

“What? What was that?” P-Jac twitched around and hopped a one-eighty.

“Didn’t you die? And look at you, no weapons!” P-Jac exclaimed.

“In answer to your first question, ‘apparently not.’ Hand-to-hand combat, Jac?”

Touzdae made her way to a gigantic sphere in one of the dangerous forbidden areas of the ship. She estimated it was six hundred feet from bottom to top. She entered at the equator of the sphere. There were three descending spiraling catwalks. Some rusted with gaping holes, and in horrendous disrepair, they encased the interior. Her intuition led her on a downward path. A female and a male lion pounced down from a tier above to spots behind her. She heard the thumps following their descent. She turned. They ran towards her, she crouched. They stopped short, bowed down and licked her outstretched palms. She asked for their help through image telepathy. The male lion led, keeping a lookout. The female guarded her rear.

“I prefer a laz gun,” P-Jac remarked.

“I prefer peace,” Jac replied.

P-Jac taken aback, paused. Jac was calm, sparkling in white light, and ready — present.

P-Jac lunged at Jac. Jac, in a lightning move, jumped out of the way. P-Jac stumbled and fell to the deck plating.

Jac said nothing. He waited for P-Jac to stand.

P-Jac stood and flung two feet into Jac’s gut. The fight was on.

“Is this what you call peace?” Jac said as he rolled away.

“My mission is to kill you, then peace,” P-Jac said as Jac tripped him up with metal tubing and climbed to his feet.

She saw it. It was a hatch at the center of a port or a vent at the center of the sphere at the utmost bottom. She focused on the steps of the catwalk and descended with care and focus.

Pursuer had his hands around Jac’s neck. “Now, when you die, I’ll be sure you’re dead,” P-Jac stated. Jac flailed with his hands and found sand or grit and flung a fistful in P-Jac’s eyes. It was enough for him to lose his grip.

Jac broke away and rolled. He was up on his feet, coughing.

Touzdae had reached the bottom of the catwalk to a ledge about 80 feet from the exact center of the sphere. She scanned the horizon. It was the same, except for a burned-out control booth flush with the surface of the sphere. There was a gaping cavity where there should have been a door. It was impossible to see within the darkened booth. The male lion had run just passed the booth where he stopped. Touzdae examined possible ingresses to the center from her position.

Near the male lion’s position were handholds and foot indents down and toward the center. She hiked up the black robe, tied it off, and sprinted towards the male. As she approached, the male ran away. She floated a picture to him.

Jac ran to the far end of the transparent tube, where there was an airlock and sharp rocks that jutted into the space. Pursuer ran after him. Jac sandwiched himself between two of the sharp rock protrusions.

“Does this place look familiar to you?” Jac bellowed.

It does, Pursuer-Jac thought, but I don’t have time for my past right now.

The images Touzdae got back from the male lion and from the female were at first confusing. She saw their territory. They curled up around her. She sent message images back that she was safe. She stopped at the point of ingress. Likewise, she noted that her position, and the other two lions’ position divided the ledge circle into precise thirds.

As she scrambled down backward from the ledge she heard a rumbling from above. By the time she stopped midway between the ledge and the southern pole hatch, she was aghast. She decided to go back. Tiny metal balls about 2/3rds of an inch in diameter were hurtling down from above. Some balls exploded as they descended, while others burst on impact.

Jac realized he had boxed himself into a tight corner. He was amidst the spiked, sharp rocks. Pursuer ran so fast that he became missile-like in his trajectory toward his target: Jac. Near the last moment Jac rolled to his left under a low arch of rocks. Pursuer-Jac turned and impaled himself on the sharp spiked rocks and bled out.

The Contents (all chapters up to this point):

Arc of the Immortals: Pursuit — the Contents

And an Introduction

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