Summary

Touzdae and Hannah crash-land on a desert planet and are drawn into a resistance movement against the oppressive Von Deign regime, while Jac conducts a dangerous consciousness-expanding exercise to gather intelligence on Bendel.

Abstract

In the continuation of "ARC OF THE IMMORTALS," Touzdae and Hannah find themselves in a precarious situation after their ship crashes on a mysterious planet. They work together to survive, solidifying sand to prevent their ship from being buried and navigating a harsh environment with unbreathable air. Their journey leads them to encounter the Bandoo, a group resisting the tyrannical rule of Von Deign. Meanwhile, Jac, who has been observing Bendel, performs a risky mental exercise to gain insight into the actions of those aboard two specific ships, which leaves him catatonic. Touzdae and Hannah are eventually captured and taken to a hidden cache, narrowly avoiding detection by enemy forces. They are then introduced to Raj, the leader of the Bandoo, who offers them assistance and a plan to infiltrate Von Deign's ship as slaves to find the answers they seek. The narrative culminates with Touzdae and Hannah being loaded onto a cart in shackles, heading towards an uncertain fate within the enemy's stronghold, while Jac struggles with the aftereffects of his consciousness expansion.

Opinions

Raj, the last of the Bandoo, is portrayed as a trustworthy ally willing to help Touzdae and Hannah against the Von Deign regime.
The narrative suggests a sense of urgency and danger in the characters' quest for knowledge and survival, emphasizing the high stakes involved.
The Von Deign regime is depicted as oppressive, using advanced technology to maintain control and enforce slavery, which is met with covert resistance from the Bandoo.
Hannah's skills and knowledge are crucial to the duo's survival and progress, highlighting her importance as a character with valuable expertise.
Jac's consciousness-expanding exercise illustrates the theme of pushing mental boundaries, but also the potential consequences of such endeavors.
The story conveys a sense of foreboding regarding the device Hannah sees in her visions, hinting at its significant and possibly malevolent role in the narrative.
The Bandoo's strategy to infiltrate Von Deign's ship as slaves reflects the lengths to which oppressed people must go to resist and gather intelligence against a powerful adversary.

ARC OF THE IMMORTALS/ Book 1 — Part 2

Pursuit: 33.2 / Separate Journeys

Recap: Touzdae journeys again to Goto-ak’s shop for making exact duplicates of people. She breaks through one barrier. She breaks into a derez scramble suit and is repelled to a distant realm. She meets Hannah. Jac travels to the paradox region of The Well of Souls as a cover for observing Bendel. Touzdae kidnaps Hannah to help her find her mafa.

Touzdae’s craft nicked a section of dark matter. The ship tumbled into the gravity field of a cloaked planet and began a sharp descent. Touzdae dropped the force field:

“Can you help?” She released the co-pilot locks.

Hannah looked at the vectors.

Together they managed to level the descent somewhat but the speed was increasing. They skidded over a small body of liquid, gained altitude and plowed into a sand dune.

The crash gel released and drained as they regained consciousness hours later. They used a suctioning motor to make a space above the ship. In space suits, they climbed out of the hole with some supplies and equipment.

“We should get started,” Touzdae said. And she watched Hannah test the air with a device for measuring oxygen.

“We know the air is not breathable.” Touzdae was impatient.

“I’m seeing what elements I can use.”

“I know what direction to take.”

“That may be, but we need to be able to get back into the ship without it being buried again by this sand. Will you have enough breathable air to reach your destination? Then what will you do? You wanted my help. This is me helping you.”

Hannah poured a liquid down the sand and fired a mist from a gun. The cone of sand solidified.

“Yes. Then I will wait and wait for your counsel. Please!”

Hannah climbed down the cone and brushed sand away from the dorsal area of the ship. She used the remote to pop the hatch. She depressed a few switches on the pad. Three flying bots appeared.

“Which way should I send them?” No answer. “Touzdae?”

Hannah scrambled up the hardened incline. Touzdae had begun walking away.

“Touzdae!” she shouted into the com.

Touzdae stopped, turned, and waved.

“I have three mag bots here. How far should I send them?”

“Can’t give you figures so exactly. I just see it — the destination in my head.” She turned and began walking away.

Hannah disobeyed the dictum and read the pictures in Touzdae’s mind. She did some calculations. And sent two bot drones with equipment toward the destination and one bot skyward.

Jac removed his consciousness from The Well of Souls six lightyears from the opening of the well.

“I haven’t done this since I was a student on Theta,” he said talking to himself.

The Expanded Present Moment Exercise, he thought. “The danger is overwhelm,” he whispered. He set up a reflexive return to the space station from whence he came.

Expand 30 days past and 30 days future, including actions of all aboard Nez and the Deign — Bendel’s frigate, he thought. He engaged in the 27-breath exercise. Once completed, he took in a long slow deep breath for three minutes. Held for 30 seconds, and exhaled for three minutes.

In an instant he took the 60-day period in and returned to his body on the station — catatonic.

Hannah gave Touzdae a fresh breathing canister near the edge of an ancient wall. She had retrieved two from one of the bots.

How is it that I do not remember any of this? Touzdae thought as she continued to observe.

Two humanoids emerged and grabbed the two of them. They pulled them into a hidden cache. A hovercraft zoomed by spraying fine grains of sand everywhere. The craft paused. A light beam scanned the sand for several minutes. The beam ceased and withdrew. The craft zoomed off following the perimeter of the wall.

Two short humanoids swathed in layers of cloth helped them into a tunnel. And through three force fields. They hustled them into a large room flooded with strong bluish-white light. Shoved and herded like cattle they were positioned between two walls of light. Machines passed in front and back. The light popped off and the walls dissipated.

Another taller humanoid appeared.

“I tink I mae be ables to hep yas. And I wanded to make sure yous are beings we can truss and no of Von Deign grewp.” He motioned them to step forward and take seats in a room with undulating soft green light.

“Please sid and have a cup of warm dink wid me.”

They sat.

“I am Raj of the Bandoo, lasd of our kind.”

“Hannah,” she bowed her head.

“Touzdae,” she also bowed her head.

“Duesdae, veree inderesding. I will say more abow dis e’gain,” he flashed the briefest of grins.

Raj brought Hannah and Touzdae onto the edge of the city square.

“Ook up der,” Raj pointed towards the top of the dome.

An enormous ship descended through the apex of the dome. It turned into light without damaging the dome.

“What is it?” Touzdae asked in awe.

“Von Deign’s ship,” Hannah said.

“Is the flying Lard’s Castell.”

Minutes passed and the ship stopped covering that section of the city in shadow. Part of the ship descended and thudded as it hit the dirt of the square.

Doors opened and robots carried food stuffs to the edge of the square where the people had assembled.

“Soon dlaves will be calls to cume,” Raj explained. He looked for their understanding.

“You will be among the dlaves, owned by the Deign palace. Undersdane? Dis is how you get inside. Der — ansurs. All der ansurs yas seek.”

They nodded.

“Back sume, now,” he ushered them backward.

Hannah took Raj aside.

“I am seeing a device,” she sketched it in the sand, “in my head. Do you know what this is.?”

“Wary dainger-us. Do nod go in-der, H’annah. Do nod go.”

“Dangerous for me or everyone?”

“Everyvun and all dat is ebb-re-ware. Da de-vice is evil, make evil.”

Touzdae and Hannah loaded on the cart in shackles. Other women and children wheeled through the mouth of the beast. The double-wide doors at the bottom of Lord Von Deign’s flying castle closed.

Raj wept.

“Do you see?” Nez was pleading. “Do you see?”

Jac’s ability to see obscured by his scrambled neo-cortex.

The majority of data, words, thoughts, emotions, plans, schemes, and millions of other bits of data had been downloaded into Jac’s consciousness. His body forgot how to breathe. A spirit came to assist him with breathing. His head ached.

the previous chapter:

Pursuit: 33 / Separate Journeys

Recap: Touzdae returns to Phorae’s Space Station 2 days later and is met by Jac. They share love. Jac praises Touzdae’s…

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