ARC OF THE IMMORTALS Book 2
Time Rifts: 15 / Struggles with Pieces
Struggles of Phorae, Jac, & Touzdae
Recap of TR-14: Jac is put into a half-life chamber. Phorae attempts communication where, out of a myriad of voices, one voice says: “Go there…”
Jac is in Touzdae’s time bubble again discussing Po’s arrival. They talk about different roles during conception, pregnancy, and delivery.
Geordae Phorea sees three spheres in his visions
In preventing Po from falling, Jac loses his balance and falls off one of the towers of El. Touzdae’s observation bubble pops and he sees Touzdae watching herself. His consciousness blends with Touzdae’s body. While she sleeps he draws pictograms upside down using her hands. He draws nine of them on her two knees.
Meanwhile, Phorae and the healer Suke uncover that the location is aboard the Mu. They find the Obz Pictograms on Jac’s knees and find where the Mu will be in the future and go there.
Captain Tommalar and the Entu Monk Tau greet them.
The Current Episode:
“Oh, my Spirits, Brother Tau is the same Tau caught in interdimensional space on the Obz Station. I have to warn them. He’s a dangerous manipulator,” Jac said from inside Touzdae. He glimpsed their reality. And forced into Touzdae’s empty time bubble by an unseen hand.
Suke, the two techs, Tuk — a second healer physician, and Tau stared at Captain Tommalar. Jac’s body sprawled out on an exam table, a dome-roofed ceiling covered with copper.
“How did we get here?” Suke asked.
“This is a receptive point according to the vectors. On the map, Suke” the healer physician, Tuk said.
“Please stop,” Tau said. “The other sphere changed from active to neutral and became the wrong portal.”
They all stared at him. It didn’t make sense.
“What has happened? Can someone please explain?” Phorae pleaded. Suke and Tuk approached. They made eye contact. Geordae nodded. Tuk placed his hands on Suke. She, in turn, placed both of her hands on his forehead as he staggered backward into a chair.
The current sequence of time was not in chronological order. Suke replayed the events of what had happened after they arrived:
Captain Tommalar started the greeting, followed by Brothers Tau, and Ko-Kai. Phorea asked Tommalar about the spheres. Geordae described the three of them as the same size — about 500 feet in diameter.
“We have two spheres that fit that description. One is forward to the Fuge or centrifuge used for navigational purposes. The other sphere is in a section of the ship not far from this location. It is an area of the ship controlled by rival factions. There are broods of lion-cat animals there. This ship houses about 45 thousand humanoids and two other non-humanoid species. My crew have fought long and hard for the second sphere without success.
About one thousand years ago we signed a treaty with the two factions. They have control over this sphere. We are not sure how the lions fit,” Tommalar concluded.
Tommalar’s assistant/counselor Boygo escorted Suke and Phorae to the navigation sphere. Forward of the centrifuge or Fuge laid the sphere.
“It’s the right size, but not the right sphere,” Phorae commented. Suke nodded in affirmation and said: “He’s right.”
“I will call my people so we may show you holovids of the other dome to take the next step,” Counselor Boygo said. “Come,” she-he continued.
They took a small electric tram to an area aft of the Fuge. They were below the bridge in one of the conference areas. They entered a medium-sized holo-vid theater. A small group of the crew had gathered to explain. They talked about the drones that had recorded holo-vid over a hundred year ago. The assemblage of holo-vids: ready.
One of the original architects of the ship said:
“This is the latest assemblage of holo-vid composites. We did manage to use several drones last month. After we view the composite we will look at the raw footage.”
The lights dimmed. The presentation showed the sphere as a fully functional sphere that looked new. The control rooms on sixteen levels were intact. The last 30 minutes showed the destruction of all the control rooms except the one at the bottom.
“And now six pieces of raw footage.” The architect nodded.
The first drone played its holo-vid footage. It was the top or dome of the sphere illuminated. It lasted a minute. Each of the next four holo-vids were 30 to 45 seconds long revealing broken catwalks. The last two holo-vids were five and seven minutes long respectively.
“Counselor Boygo,” Phorea began. “Is it possible that we can see the last seven-minute holo-vid is slow motion at the two and half minute mark.”
Boygo conferred with the lead members of the group.
“Monsieur Phorae, would you like to take control of the speed of the playback?”
“That would be superb.”
Phorae stepped down the stairs to the control hub and to the motion controls.
He stopped as the cameras were facing down at the bottom of the sphere. He played it backward and forward several times. He stopped it at the brief flash of light.
“Do you see that? The flash of light? A reflection? This is an uncertainity.” Phorea wondered.
“Your supposition, Monsieur?” Boygo asked.
“It could be a hologram covering something at the bottom of the sphere. It’s definitely an optical illusion.” Phorea paused. He continued, “It looks like the drone fragments. The very last frame. I’ll flatten the image.”
The flattened image froze. Part of the holographic cover was gone and what appeared to be a Lingham Stone* appeared, or part of it.
“This warrants a closer look,” Boygo stated.
Touzdae completed the 27-breath exercise one time. She started again and at 27 added six more cycles of breath.
A low hum spread out through the inert machines.
Jac watched from Touzdae’s time bubble. He felt an urgency.
At the 33rd breath, she added three more breaths. Jac willed himself to bio-locate to her position. He appeared over her and popped out. A wind began to blow within the maze of the dead machinery. On the third try, he materialized.
“Touzdae,” he shouted over the howl of the wind.
She opened her eyes. “Jac?”
“Take my hands,” he held out his hands.
The gravity destabilized. The flat surface of the machinery became a wall. Jac had a hold of one of her hands. Neither was able to hang on. Sucked out and away while Touzdae fell and disappeared down a long shaft.
Jac, thrown out of Touzdae’s time bubble and into his body. His body flew up against the top of the copper dome held for three nanoseconds. He slammed down onto the examination table.
Phorae and the others were aghast; all had been compressed back into the present moment.
* Note: The sphere and the hologram covering the bottom of the sphere are referenced in Book One/ Part One of Pursuit:
Contents of Part 1 and 2 of Pursuit (Book 1 of The Arc of The Immortals):
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