by Richard deCosta

Synopsis

Though sick and frail physically, K'ai has a clear mind, mastery over his dreams, and is in contact with an alien presence through them. However, he is not special. He is not chosen. He is simply the first. He is the first to discover that his race, the Uadaman, was created many thousands of years ago by this alien presence, for the purpose of slavery. The slaves were treated badly by their masters, the Garx, who were viewed as gods. Although initially the Uadaman made the lives of the Garx easier and richer, the slaves revolted, and became unruly. It was decided that they were more trouble than help, so they were abandoned on a harsh, unforgiving planet. A guardian god, named Protoztur was left to keep them from physical and spiritual escape, and from the truth of their heritage. K'ai becomes obsessed with the idea of freeing his race from their spiritual bondage, and in exacting revenge on their creators and captors. K'ai and Cyril are joined by several like-minded scientists, philosophers and mercenaries who roam the planet in a hijacked city-ship, in search of answers, and ultimately, escape.

In the course of their journey, K'ai encounters many strange beings that either focus or cloud his view of his race, and their place in the universe. He first meets Sevann, an android that he becomes romantically and sexually obsessed with. In the dream world he meets Zroetur, the Garx scientist who created his race. Zroetur, who was banished long ago after trying to protect the slaves, eventually becomes an ally. In the deep, dark forests of his world he meets the Durux, binary creatures that live their lives as data and logic in a huge, biological computer. They lead him to discover how the physical can enter the spiritual realm, and thus allow him to be united with Sevann. There he also encounters Treneti and Entetreneti, the two opposing forces of Vurpu (Karma) that drive the wheel of existence. They convince him that the only way his race will ever be truly free is if every one of them escape their physical bodies, thereby eliminating reincarnation (re-incarceration). By the end, K'ai becomes the most notorious and feared mass murderer in the planets history, as he attempts to free his race from their bondage. Beware Your Creation Escape is Inevitable We Are Coming

Scene One - Entetreneti

K'ai meets Entetreneti in Vapiti Evti (the dream world). They are molding clay, which K'ai attempts to mold, and becomes fused with. He meets his entire race, represented by a chorus of clay-people, who plead for his help in freeing them from their bondage. They speak in riddles K'ai does not understand. Entetreneti explains that one named Zroetur has enslaved the Uadaman, and K'ai must find him in order for them to be freed.

As they speak the name of Zroetur, the dream world shakes, and is ultimately disrupted entirely by Prutoztur. K'ai's dream changes briefly to the laboratory of Zroetur, where K'ai watches him, unobserved, performing various experiments on what appears to be an Uadaman of great size.

Scene Two - In the Lab of Cyril

Dr. Cyril is running experiments in his lab on a large AI grid. He reflects to himself about a dream where he suddenly held the meaning of the dream universe, and lost it just as quickly. He blames Protoztur for closing his mind, as soon as it had been opened, and for continuing to hold him back.

K'ai enters. They discuss K'ai's dreams of Prutoztur. Dr.Cyril begins to demonstrate through an experiment in AI, how the majority of the population of Shije believes that there is a single force (Edoel, or ideal), which controls and guides them, and that that force is Cyril. He explains to K'ai that the agents are not yet what he would consider truly intelligent, although they posses reason, logic and advanced emotions. Cyril and K'ai devise a game where they assume the roles of good and evil, each playing for control of the love and obedience of the agents.

Cyril tells K'ai that they must meet with Treneti, mystics and opposite entities to Entreneti, so that they may learn the meaning of K'ai's dreams, and how they link to Cyrils experiments. K'ai is filled with mixed joy and fear when he learns that Sevann, Cyril's android servant, who normally remains behind, is to accompany them.

Scene Three - K'ai and Sevann

K'ai is outside his dwelling on the city ship watching Sevann at work. He admits to himself he loves and desires him, and sings to him, though Sevann does not hear. After his work is finished, Sevann retires to his quarters to rest. K'ai follows him, and waits outside his door until he thinks Sevann has 'powered down'. He approaches the door and, using a device he had in his cloak, gains entrance.

As he enters, he sees Sevann suspended in a blue light, as if weightless. His garments flow in the gentle breeze that is coming in through the window. As he watches, he moves his hand slowly over his body, following the contours, but not touching. He sings again of the beauty of his form. As his hand begins to touch him, he hears the sound of shouting outside, and he quickly exits.

Scene Four - The Sheghijf

K'ai and Dr. Cyril travel to Xurav Ixnepir ("shadow island") to meet with Treneti, whom K'ai has not yet met in the waking world. Along the way, the crew is ambushed in a ravine by a large group of Sheghijf ("takers"). They attack the ship, intending to kidnap Sevann and other androids, and put them to work.

In the struggle, the Sheghijf damage the city ship to the point that it tips violently to one side. Several people fall off, at which point K'ai takes an emergency parachute from a nearby receptacle. The ship gets hit again, and K'ai falls. His parachute opens and he descends into the forest. Unknown to K'ai, Sevann falls as well, but without a parachute.

Scene Five - The Durux - Part I

In walking through the forest after his escape from the Sheghijf, K'ai finds part of a tattered scroll written in a strange language that only appears to have two symbols, 1 and 0. He stumbles upon what looks like a road or well-worn path, and begins to follow it, when he hears horns that he had also heard while traveling over the forest in the ship. He follows the sound to a large opening in the trees, and sees five Durux in a semi-circle.

Two are playing voice-horns. K'ai hides behind a tree, watching and listening, and is able to determine the meaning of several words, including "tree", "sky", "ground" and "death". Moments later, the other three Durux join in with their horns, and from an adjoining path four Durux approach carrying what appears to be the lifeless body of another.

The dead Durux is brought to the center of the circle, which is joined by the four 'pallbearers'. The circle now contains nine, and all join in the chant. Throughout the chant at varying intervals, the Durux stomp their enormous feet on the ground, creating a sound like thunder, and causing the ground to shake.

As he is watching this, unknown to him, Repunne comes up behind K'ai. She quietly get his attention and they talk about the Durux's way of life, living in massive 'forests' of shelves with very old, very large scrolls filled with binary data.

K'ai discovers that, even though they live very long lives compared to the Uadaman, because of their nature (binary), in order to accomplish anything as a society, their souls need to retain as much memory from one life to another as possible. Repunne eventually guides Kai through the massive Durux library.

He decides to attempt to gain the Durux soul/memory knowledge himself, and ultimately becomes convinced that it is the future of his race to do the same, and that they cannot escape their bondage without it. He eventually learns how to communicate with them, and, with the help of Repunne, discovers himself that the best way to communicate is to talk to 32, 64 or even 128 of them at once.

K'ai begins to read from the Durux scrolls. He quickly realizes the information he needs cannot be gained without years of extensive study, even beyond that which Repunne has already done. Discouraged, he goes for a walk through the Durux forest. As he passes a small pond left from recent rain, he sees reflected in it something vaguely Uadamanoid that appears to be hanging high in one of the trees. As he walks closer, he is able to see that it is Sevann. K'ai begins to climb the tree to bring him down. The two remain under the tree for several hours, K'ai holding Sevann, who eventually wakes up to the sound of K'ai singing of his love for the servant. They make love under the trees, after which they fall asleep in each other's arms.

Scene Six - K'ai Meets Zroetur

K'ai finds himself, in a dream, in the laboratory of Zroetur. Zroetur sees K'ai for the first time, but knows him, and speaks to him as a friend. Zroetur warns K'ai that if others of his race knew K'ai was there, they would come for him. Zroetur tells K'ai the story of the beginning of the race K'ai's race. K'ai becomes horrified at the thoughts and images Zroetur is putting in his head, and fights to retain control. He waves his arms wildly in an effort to break free, and, in doing so, disrupts the dream world, and Zroetur's presence in it."

Scene Seven - The Institute - Part I

After concluding a ceremony marking the entrance into the holy month, Fruma, keeper of The Institute, and Sorvna, a religious leader are discussing the growing problem of heresy among the peoples of Shije. Fruma is convinced that a more watchful eye, and harsher punishment for dissenters would keep the people in check. As they speak, a servant, Luvi, overhears them. Luvi sheepishly suggests that perhaps the people would more willing to follow the commands of a god they could see, or at least one that offered even rudimentary proof of his existence. Sorvna severely reprimands the servant for his insolence, and sends him away. Fruma and Sorvna conclude that the people do indeed need harsher punishment, indicating Luvi as their first example to the people. Fruma exits, leaving Sorvna in a darkened room.

Sorvna reflects on his visitation experience of many years ago, when he heard a voice like thunder from above, accompanied by a blinding white light. Within a moment, his was in another world He recounts the story of how he was given a message from Prutoztur; as set of guidelines for the peoples to live by. Afterward, he expresses his own doubts about the true nature of the experience to a statue of Prutoztur.

Scene Eight - The Durux - Part II

During his stay with the Durux, Sevann is able to read large volumes of the Durux scrolls, and relays the method of their soul-transference to K'ai, though with some difficulty, as Sevanne is without a soul, and cannot fully understand its nature. He also tells K'ai of something he discovered regarding the nature of Vapiti Evti, and how it relates to the binary world of the Durux (and to his own binary nature). K'ai puts the pieces together and realizes that there is a possibility for Sevann to enter Vapiti Evti as the Uadaman do.

At this point K'ai and Sevann have been with the Durux for several months, and are preparing to find their way home. During that time, the Durux came to understand the fact that Sevann's mind is entirely binary itself, and have decided to hold him there so that they could speed up their existence with technology. Sevann is held captive in a secret part of the massive Durux library, and K'ai is forcefully banished from the Durux forest.

Scene Nine - Rescue Preparations

K'ai, who has found his way back to the ship, is talking with Cyril about the Durux. He tries to convince Cyril that they should return to the Durux and study them further, although secretly his desire is only to rescue Sevann. In his argument, he tells Cyril everything he has learned about the Durux. Cyril becomes excited almost to the point of madness at the possibility of his agents entering Vapiti Evti, and immediately enters his AI grid through a computer remote to experiment with what he has heard.

Impatient to get back to Sevann, K'ai persuades Betlam and E'Luvo to go with him, and in the process, is forced to reveal to them his love for Sevann, something that is forbidden in K'ai's region and punishable by death. K'ai's friends are loyal, and since they have no transport of their own, they steal three of the ship's emergency escape craft and are pursued by city guards. An air battle ensues in which E'Luvo is hit, wounded and must return to the city ship, where he is arrested. K'ai and Betlam manage to escape and land just outside the Durux forest, where they set up camp and plan the rescue."

Scene Ten - Prisoners

E'Luvo sits in a dark prison, his back to a wall, his hands and feet bound. As he sits, contemplating his fate, out of the darkness creeps Thretch, a prisoner. Thretch is apparently mad, and rambles on to E'Luvo about power and influence. He tells a story of how he has been given a gift of knowledge by an unknown force; a gift that will help to forever free the Uadaman from their spiritual bondage.

Scene Eleven - The Creator's Gift Discovered

With the help of Entreneti, Prutoztur becomes aware of Thretch's 'gift' from Zroetur. Prutoztur orders his ship to Ajajha, to meet with Zroetur, who is in exile there. Prutoztur confronts Zroetur in his lab, appearing as a floating form. Zroetur admits to Prutoztor what he has done, but claims that it is too late for the freeing of the Uadaman to be stopped. Prutoztur takes physical form on the main surface of Zroeturs lab, and kills him with his staff, and taking Zroetur's staff, which combines with his own.

Scene Twelve - The Rescue Attempt

K'ai and Betlam reach the edge of the Durux forest. They are planning on using logic-bombs invented years before by Cyril to disable or kill any Durux they will encounter while searching for Sevann. They enter and kill several Durux, sneak into the main library at night and find Sevann wired to a machine, with pages of binary text whirring past him from one side of the library to the other. K'ai and Betlam try to free Sevann, but Sevann tells them not to, since he has nearly decoded all of the Durux library that contain information about Vapiti Evti. Betlam notices that the machine is taking power directly from Sevann, and will soon destroy him. Unknown to them, the machine was designed by Sevann himself to extract the data. As the last of the pages fly by, Sevann's body begins tearing itself apart. K'ai screams for him to stop, but it is too late. Sevann is dead. Just before he dies Sevann pulls a device from his chest and drops it to the ground. As Betlam steps toward the device, all of the library doors open and hundreds of Durux enter, horns blazing, deafening K'ai and Betlam and rendering them nearly imobile. A short battle ensuses where hundreds of Durux are killed by logic-bombs. K'ai and Betlam escape with the device and flee the forest for home.

...many more scenes to come...