ARC OF THE IMMORTALS/ Book 1 — Part 2

Pursuit: 24 / The Retrofit

Recap: Jac struggles through flashbacks, body memories and other Post Traumatic Stress features in addition to blindness. An unexpected jump

- is made by the Mu. [If you’re following each chapter as it arrives you may skip the Recap, or not.]

“Why did we jump? What happened?” Jac asked in an anxious voice,

Captain Tommalar leaned over to Jac’s ear. He whispered:

“One of our seers detected a cloaked stealth attack cruiser ten minutes from sensor range. The seer provided coordinates where to look. This was cross-referenced by three different kinds of instrumentation. We executed a short jump in an immediate emergency jump or IEJ, as we call it here.”

“I understand,” Jac paused and continued: “Regarding your question: No, we won’t be going anywhere except in time. The displacement field shouldn’t be very big. We will use polar compensators to limit the displacement to near zero.”

“Very good, then,” the Captain said. “There is the return of favors.”

Tommalar sat.

“So yes, I do think it’s possible we can take you back in time to the Atlantean world,” Jac began. “And as soon as we recover the Space Fish I will be happy and committed to help you get back. It will be faster still by finding and entering the Time Arc.”

“Agreed,” Captain Tommalar said.

“And as a placeholder — the Lingham Stone.”

“Yes. It’s in the hold of your Needlecraft.”

“Take it. It is yours, now.” Jac said smiling.

“Very well, our compact is agreed and forged,” Tommalar said.

“Yes, agreed and forged,” Jac repeated. Tommalar joined his hand with Jac’s hand. Their hands went up and down three times.

Ah yes, the Terran Hand Shake, Jac thought. As Tommalar left Jac asked him to send the Nef woman shaman in and only her.

“Yes, I will send her,” he said.

“What do I call you?”Jac asked as she approached.

“By my name — Nef-Tae. And you are Jac Kritos, yes?”

“Jac is enough. I have one request of you and my mind is showing it to you now.”

“That is a formidable request. I can do that for you. There is a lot of information and spaces in the request. Are you sure your system can handle the input?” she asked.

“I’m sure. I would not have asked you otherwise.” Jac was steadfast.

They joined hands. The transfer took several minutes. She released his hand.

“I am now an admirer of you Mister Kristos. For you have great being. Thank you for letting me be of service.”

“Thank you for being my channel and my eyes. When you see the others out there. Ask them to come in, in fifteen minutes. And thank you,” Jac said.

“I will tell them.”

Jac remembered — Jac’s fa-ma told him about Georgi Forae’s talks on time travel. Space and time were inexorably linked and had what he called supraconsciousness. It took a lot of energy to change a timeline to an alternate timeline on a permanent basis.” It was so complicated his fa-ma did not understand it.

“You might understand Georgi’s theory on time, and time travel, Jac,” his fa-ma said

“Fama — then it is possible to travel in time without getting caught in another timeline?”

“Georgi is the one with the knowing on this.”

Three members of the medical team entered. They introduced themselves as geneticists. They told Jac about genetic abnormalities that could mean enhanced abilities. One of them told him about the dangers of tracking genes. They could be tracked as far as three light years. Healing surgeries over the course of a month’s time could remedy or nullify the genes. There were shielding alternatives, one told him. Another handed him a printout.

Touzdae surveyed the needlecraft. The engine assembly, separated from the cabin, floated weightlessly. Atlantean’s smaller repair crafts acted as ferries in the vast chamber of their ship.

“It’s a thing of beauty isn’t it?”

“Jac?” Touzdae whispered to herself. “Can you see?” she asked aloud.

“Not yet, at least not as you do. This young man helped me get here.”

“I’ll take it from here,” she said to the young man who departed.

“Are you ready to go aboard?” She asked him. Touzdae led him to the transport that would take them to the cockpit and cabin hatch.

The small clear sphere shaped craft glided through an array of service craft to the cabin hatch. It traveled as if by instinct. Or by Touzdae’s intent. She guided Jac into the cabin.

This is the cabin. Jac’s rebellious emotion surfaced in the sent thought. He thought he should be in command. And yet, he thought. Let go, a deeper voice in him spoke.

“There’s more space in here!” he exclaimed.

“The retrofit eliminated a lot of poorly designed equipment. But you know that,” Touzdae reported.

Jac eased himself into the second chair and opened the transdimensional space. He blinked and saw the monitors overhead. Touzdae’s body was the darkest of blues covered with stars and galaxies.

“You’re doing a folding space simulation,” Jac said.

“Yes, the engineering crew has cleansed and rebooted the neural interface.” Touzdae was matter-of-fact.

Jac was agog in wonder as he looked through the cabin in this inner-sight world. He looked at his legs and feet. He could see through his clothing as it was with Touzdae. His skin was a deeper blue than the surrounding energy lighter blue field. Stars, nebula, and distant galaxies were in his skin.

“Are you following the simulation manual I wrote,” Jac asked.

“Uh-huh. Mostly,” she replied.

Jac’s hands rested in his lap. He peered at the overhead monitors. The coordinates synchronized. A grid showing a series of waves folding in on themselves over the craft. It popped off the screen and back on again.

“Done,” Touzdae felt triumphant.

“Attention, this is the Captain. Prepare for an IEJ in 6 seconds. 5–4–3–2–1. Jump!” the Captain’s voice came over the speakers in the Needlecraft.”

The energies contracted and expanded.

Jac began breathing as the countdown started and into the compression. Touzdae followed suit.

“Jac!” she said rising alarm when he didn’t answer.

“Jump completed,” It was Reypat, Chief of the Ship or known as the COS.

“I’m fine. I went somewhere,” he said. To my death in the future, he kept the thought to himself.

Prepare for a RAPID IEJ in 3–2–1.

Compression, breath work. Expansion.

“This is the Captain, prepare for a Mobius Jump Tube in ten minutes.”

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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 |