ARC OF THE IMMORTALS/ Book 1 — Part 2

Pursuit: 22 / Stopover on the Run

Recap: The Gatekeeper gives Jac three potions/talents to help Touzdae. After some repairs, Touzdae and Jac leave the hinterland.

Recap (continued): — They are attacked upon departure.

“Damn,” Jac said.

“What?” Touzdae.

“Three wedge attack ships slipped in the aft bubble of the jump tube,” he said.

Jac leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes.

A map of Gata, various currents, and surrounding star systems appeared in his head. A Forae Needlecraft had emerged from the Sata System on its way toward Gata. — it was a wireless neural link.

“Feathering,” he shouted.

“What’s that?” Touzdae asked.

“From his memory…I’ll show you…”

Jac swung a scope up to his third eye. He dialed up three instrument packets needed to create a transdimensional jump tube. He feathered several narrower jump tubes. And shot away through one of leaving all three Wedge Crafts inside the original tube. Two smaller drones followed him into the feathered tube.

“Damn,” and he repeated the process two more times in rapid succession before losing the drones.

Fifteen minutes in he dropped the craft into ordinary space.

He opened the bay and jettisoned the pre-recorded message in a probe. Destination: Kritos Family Estate on Antares Prime. It created its own jump tube and jetted away.

Jac slid out of the chair and down into a transdimensional bed next to Touzdae.

“Hi buddy,” she said.

“Okay, here’s the deal…” He explained that they needed to lose all the pursuit vehicles. And then a plan to retake Nez.

“So, I assume by that look on your face that you have a plan?”

“Yah. I’m waiting to see if the Atlanteans will agree to help us. I have the duplicate Lingham stone as payment.”

“You know that I stowed the original Lingham Stone on their ship. Right?” Touzdae.

“Yes, the shared download,” Jac acknowledged.

“You’re going to ask them to do a Gignam Maneuver.”

“That’s right, how do you know about that?”

“My Fa-Ma taught your Fa-Ma how to do it and he taught me. It was a few years before I met you on Plenaris Theta.”

“If something happens to me then you’ll be up, partner,” Jac smiled.

I wish you wouldn’t talk like that, Touzdae sent the thought. The console in the main cockpit started beeping.

“That was fast,” Touzdae said.

Jac hoisted himself into the cockpit and fitted the headset to his ear.

Hello Jac-ie,” it was an older Captain Tommalar.

“Hello, Captain.”

“I have a question. After we capture your ship you want us to jettison debris.”

“That’s right,” Jac said. “It’s for your own protection.”

“Okay. And you want extensive modifications — in short, a redesign and retrofit of your ship.”

“Right, and your concern?”

“Even if you initiate a jump tube inside the ship or fold-space you’ll create a displacement field. You won’t be able to avoid detection.”

“I we fold space while reversing polarities without traveling anywhere in space. Then there won’t be any displacement right?”

“Right, but what would that accomplish? Hiding in plain sight? What kind of solution is that?”

“Time travel.”

“Oh…” Jac watched the concept dawn and take hold on Captain Tommalar’s face. “Wow, you can do that?”

Jac loved the ancient Terrain Atlanteans’ sense of awe and wonder. It was a delightful characteristic of every being he had met from that system.

Jac smiled.

“That is so elegant. Agreed. Sending encrypted coordinates. It will be twenty minutes before we get in place for the pickup. We’ll send you a signal.”

“Any suggestions for matching speeds?” Jac asked.

“They’re in the coordinates, out.”

Jac’s headset beeped and his screen flashed. The lights in the cockpit turned red.

“We’re in position, about five minutes out. I see by instruments that we’re doing a piggyback pick-up. That’s cutting it close eh Jac?”

Jac smiled anxious.

“Once you enter the tube we won’t have any communication. When the tube tapers and you see debris in it. Prepare for a crash stop and deploy your cabin gel packs,” he said and added, “Clear?”

“Crystal clear, Captain,” Jac said. “I’m angling my ship in now…”

The Needlecraft joined the trajectory of the tube as it opened and took the ship. Streams of light flashed out through the photo sensors and blew them out. The light of the cockpit’s two joining tubes flashed and blinded Jac in the cockpit.

“Shit!”

“What Jac? You’re alarming me.”

“I’m blind. It was the flash. It’s only temporary but I need you to take over.”

In some minutes Touzdae and Jac swore as they swapped positions.

Touzdae had shut down the transdimensional space created aft of the cockpit. She opened an encrypted audio-only relay to Captain Tommalar. She used the keypad to alert medical on landing for Jac’s eyes.

“Good, good,” Jac said trying to control his anxiety. “Please let me know what you’re doing, okay?”

“Okay,” Touzdae answered, glancing at the chronometer.

“I know how to fly Jac, I know all the protocols. Relax, I’ve got this,” Touzdae said and Jac exhaled.

“I’m deploying emergency crash screen controls,” she reported.

The machinery whirred and a screen emerged from overhead and flickered on.

The blank touch screen appeared with two red touch screens.

“Voice or touch?” the computer asked.

“Voice,” Touzdae and Jac spoke.

“Okay, I’ll be quiet,” Jac said.

“Voice,” Touzdae repeated.

The screen displayed a schematic of the crash safety systems.

“Make ready airbags for deployment.”

A whirring sound occurred all around them.

“Safety airbags ready in three modes,” the mechanized voice of the computer reported.

“Stand-by on the safety airbags,” Touzdae said using breathwork to quell anxiety.

“Affirmative, standing-by.”

“Make ready Safety Gel level Purple,” she said.

Air pressure released from four values that surrounded the cockpit.

“Level Purple Gel unable to deploy,” the computer spoke.

“Run priority One Compressed Diagnostic.”

“Running…”

“How much time do we have?” Jac asked in a hurried hush.

“Right. Computer automated breaking in 9 minutes, mark.”

“All breaking thrusters deployed and timed for count down. Systems for ion jets fully functional.” The computer reported almost as if it were offering reassurance.

“Diagnostic completed. One value clogged. All purple, red and green gels dried powders. Chem reactivating agents unresponsive.”

“Please clear the clogged value.”

“Affirmative. Cleaning activated. Estimated time — one minute.”

“Nature of problem with Chem agents and suggested solutions?”

“Chem agents dried and down fifty percent. Values corroded. Manual override available.”

“Elapse time available for manual override access and deployment?” Touzdae was clear and pressured.

“Fifteen minutes,”

“Shit,” Jac said as Touzdae let out a yelp.

“Yellow gel available,” the computer offered.

“Not enough,” Jac mumbled.

“Value cleared. Deployment speed for Safety Air Bag and timed release ready.”

“Begin slow deployment of bags timed with breaking thrusters. Increase to maximum as thrusters reach full burn. Blow in Yellow Gel immediately afterward with forced air.” Touzdae commanded.

“Affirmative. Beginning bag deployment now.” A loud slow hiss filled the cabin’s spaces as bags from the corners of the cockpit began to deploy.

“Computer, time to breaking thruster ignition?”

“Three minutes. Mark.”

“Thank you, computer. Retract and store all screens and prepare all impact protocols.”

“Affirmative.”

“We’re fine now and then too,” Touzdae affirmed.

“Okay.” Jac.

The Foray Needlecraft reached the edge of the Atlantean ship — Mu. Breaking thrusters fired. The ship stood on end and stalled as it fell into the interior tube of the ship surrounded by light. Jets continued to fire as the ship began to slow within the jump tube inside the giant ship.

The Needlecraft slammed into the end of the jump tube. And recoiled backward. It turned end over end until three beams from the inner hull of the ship took control of the tiny vessel. The beams moved it upward and pulled it into a docking hangar. The hangar sealed and a pressured oxygen mix jetted inside.

Captain Tommalar and an extraction team descended toward the ship. A universal dock fitted onto the hatch covering. Two of the Atlantean humans placed a combination device on the hatch of the ship and entered a code.

The hatch slid open.

the next chapter:

Part 1 — Contents:

Thank you for joining me in the adventures that span lifetimes and worlds. (If you do NOT wish to be tagged, let me know, and I’ll tag you not):

Barbara Murray | K. Pearson Bradley | René Beauchemin | Dougfrombk | Rebecca Romanelli | Joseph Lieungh | Dr. Preeti Singh | Pene Hodge | Ravyne Hawke | Dr Mehmet Yildiz | Kris Bedenian | Alberto García 🚀🚀🚀 | Blaine Coleman | Lee David Tyrrell | DL Nemeril | David Price | Rip Parker | Annelise Lords | Libby Shively McAvoy |