by Richard deCosta

Primary Characters

Kai	K'ai is the first human to bridge the gap from the physical world to the spirit world.	Mezzo-Soprano
Cyril	A Scientist and mentor to K'ai	Sprechgesang Tenor
Pivanne	A gynoid servant, Kai's love interest.	Alto
Enki	Creator of the human race	Basso Profundo
Enlil	Jailor/Guardian of the human race	Basso Profundo
Treneti	A tri-entity, force behind the "Children of Enki"	Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano and Alto
Entreneti	A tri-entity	Tenor, Baritone and Bass
Fruma	Keeper of The Institute	Bass
Sorvna	A religious leader/elder	Baritone
Veti Ur	A Durux elder	Non-Singing Part
Repunne	A researcher	Alto
Thretch	A prisoner of The Institute	Leggiero Tenor
Plus many others

Synopsis

Though sick and frail physically, K'ai has a clear mind, mastery over her dreams, and is in contact with an alien presence through them. However, she is not special. She is not chosen. She is simply the first to discover that her race, the Uadaman, was created many thousands of years ago by an alien presence, for the purpose of slavery.

The slaves were treated badly by their masters, the Garx (the ancient ones), who were viewed as gods. Although initially the Uadamans made the lives of the gods easier and richer, the slaves became too numerous and unruly. It was decided that they were more trouble than help, so they were abandoned on a harsh, unforgiving planet.

A guardian god, Enlil 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 Dr. 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 her view of her race, and their place in the universe. She first meets Pivanne, a gynoid that she becomes romantically and sexually obsessed with. In the dream world she meets Enki, the 'god' scientist who created his race. Enki, who was banished long ago after trying to protect the slaves, eventually becomes an ally.

In the deep, dark forests of his world she meets the Durux, binary creatures that live their lives as data and logic in a huge, biological computer. They lead K'ai to discover how the physical can enter the spiritual realm, and thus allow her to be united spiritually and physically with Pivanne. There she also encounters the Raxi and the E'Raxi, the two opposing forces that drive the wheel of time and existence.

They convince K'ai that the only way her race will ever be truly free is if every one in existence escape their physical bodies, thereby eliminating reincarnation (re-incarceration). By the end, K'ai becomes the most notorious and feared mass murderer in the planet's history, as he attempts to free his race from their bondage.

Beware Your Creation Escape is Inevitable We Are Coming

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NOTE: The scene presented here are not in their final order.

Overture - K'ai's first nightmare

Scene - In the Lab of Doctor Cyril

Dr. Cyril is running experiments in his lab on a large computer simulation. 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 Enlil for closing his mind, and for continuing to hold him back.

K'ai enters. They discuss K'ai's dreams of Enlil. Dr.Cyril begins to demonstrate through an experiment in AI, how the majority of the population believes that there is a single god, 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 the Raxi, mystics and opposite entities to the Püge, so that they may learn the meaning of K'ai's dreams, and how they link to Cyril's experiments. K'ai is filled with mixed joy and fear when he learns that Pivane, Cyril's android servant, who normally remains behind, is to accompany them.

Scene - K'ai and Pivane

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

As she enters, she sees Pivane suspended in a blue light, as if weightless. Her garments flow in the gentle breeze that is coming in through the window. As K'ai watches, she moves her hand slowly over Pivanne's body, following the contours, but not touching. She sings again of the beauty of her form. As her hand begins to touch Pivanne, she hears the sound of shouting outside, and quickly exits.

Scene - The Travelers and the Takers

K'ai and Dr. Cyril travel to meet with the Raxi, 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 Shieghi ("takers"). They attack the ship, intending to kidnap Pivane and other androids, and put them to work.

In the struggle, the Sheghi 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. Her parachute opens and she descends into the forest. Unknown to K'ai, Pivane falls as well, but without a parachute.

Scene - The Durux - Part I

In walking through the forest after her escape from the Shieghi, K'ai finds part of a tattered scroll written in a strange language that only appears to have two symbols which she ussumes is binary. She stumbles upon what looks like a road, and begins to follow it, when she hears horns that she had also heard while traveling over the forest in the ship. She 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. 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 she is watching this, unknown to her, 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), and the extremely slow pace of processing binary data through a biological system, in order to accomplish anything as a society, their souls need to retain as much memory from one life to another as possible, making them, in essence, immortal. Repunne eventually guides K'ai to the massive Durux library.

K'ai decides to attempt to gain the Durux soul/memory knowledge herself, 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. She eventually learns how to communicate with them, and, with the help of Repunne, discovers 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. She quickly realizes the information she needs cannot be gained without years of extensive study, even beyond that which Repunne has already done. Discouraged, she goes for a walk through the Durux forest. As she passes a small pond left from recent rain, she sees reflected in it something vaguely Uadamanoid that appears to be hanging high in one of the trees. As she walks closer, she is able to see that it is Pivane. K'ai begins to climb the tree to bring her down. The two remain under the tree for several hours, K'ai holding Pivane, who eventually wakes up to the sound of K'ai singing of her love for the servant. They make love under the trees, after which they fall asleep in each other's arms.

Scene - K'ai encounters Enki - Part One - In the Dream World

K'ai finds herself in a dream in the laboratory of Enki. Enki sees K'ai for the first time, but knows her, and speaks to her as a friend. Enki warns K'ai that if others of her race knew K'ai was there, they would come for her (and kill her). Enki tells K'ai the story of the beginning of K'ai's race. K'ai becomes horrified at the race memories Enki is forcing in her head, and fights to retain control. She waves his arms wildly in an effort to break free, and in doing so, disrupts the dream world, and Enki's presence in it.

Scene - The Institute - Part One

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.

Scene - The Durux - Part Two

During her stay with the Durux, Pivane 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 Pivane is without a soul, and cannot fully understand its nature. She also tells K'ai of something she discovered regarding the nature of the dream world, and how it relates to the binary world of the Durux (and to her own binary nature). K'ai puts the pieces together and realizes that there is a possibility for Pivane to enter the dream world as humans do. This would allow K'ai and Pivanne to be truely together.

At this point K'ai and Pivane 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 Pivane's mind is entirely binary itself, and have decided to hold her there so that they could speed up their existence with technology. Pivane is held captive in a secret part of the massive Durux library, and K'ai is forcefully banished from the Durux forest.

Scene - Rescue Preparations

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

Impatient to get back to Pivane, K'ai persuades Betlaam and Luvo to go with her, and in the process, is forced to reveal to them her love for Pivane, something that is forbidden in K'ai's society 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 Luvo is hit and 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 - Prisoners

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 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 human race from their spiritual bondage. Enki has told him in a dream how the only way to free a human soul is to remove it from the body. Luvo became so excited at Enki's message, he payed no attention when he was told the soul must enter another vessel in order to continue life. Luvo comes to his own delusional conclusion that all vessels must be killed in order to prevent recapture.

Scene - The Creator's Gift Discovered

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

Scene - K'ai and The Raxi - Part One - In the Dream World

K'ai meets the Raxi in the dream world. They are molding clay, which K'ai attempts to mold, and becomes fused with. She meets representatives of her entire race, in the form of a chorus of clay-people, who plead for her help in freeing them from their bondage. They speak in riddles K'ai does not understand. The Raxi explain that one named Enki has enslaved the Uadaman, and K'ai must find him in order for them to be freed. As they speak the name of Enki, the dream world shakes, and is ultimately disrupted entirely by Enlil. K'ai's dream changes briefly to the laboratory of Enki, where K'ai watches him, unobserved, performing various experiments on what appears to be a human of great size.

Scene - K'ai's Plan

K'ai ponders the collective state of mind of the prisoners- one of enslavement. She devises a method of recruiting the entire prison population as dream-warriors. But, more importantly, she sees it as a reason to rescue Pivane from the Durux. In order to attack the Durux in the dream world (since she cannot in the waking world), she must first allow them to be taught wake-dreaming. After freeing Luvo from the prison K'ai learns of Luvo's gift from Enki.

Scene - The Durux - Part Three - The Rescue Attempt

K'ai and Betlaam 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 Pivane. They enter and kill several Durux, sneak into the main library at night and find Pivane wired to a machine, with pages of binary text whirring past her from one side of the library to the other. K'ai and Betlaam try to free Pivane, but Pivane tells them not to, since she has nearly decoded all of the Durux library that contain information about Vapiti Evti. Betlaam notices that the machine is taking power directly from Pivane, and will soon destroy her. Unknown to them, the machine was designed by Pivane herself to extract the data. As the last of the pages fly by, Pivane's body begins to tear apart. K'ai screams for her to stop, but it is too late. Pivane is dead. Just before she dies, Pivane pulls a device from her chest and drops it to the ground. As Betlaam steps toward the device, all of the library doors open and hundreds of Durux enter, horns blazing, deafening K'ai and Betlaam and rendering them nearly immobile. A short battle ensues where hundreds of Durux are killed. K'ai and Betlaam escape with the device and flee the forest for home.

Scene - Mourning Pivane

K'ai stands alone on the balcony lementing the loss of Pivane.

Scene - Dr. Cyril's Connected Machine

Cyril, armed with the information contained in the device retrieved from Pivane, is able to finally bridge the gap between the electronic realm and the dream world. He endows the Agents with true souls and commands them to study dream control and shared dreaming to prepare for the coming war that will take place there.

Scene - K'ai and Enki - Part Two - The Rebirth of a God

Again in the dream world, K'ai meets Enki. This time Enki's lab is in total ruin, and Enki himself appears to be close to death. In reality, he is in a state of rebirth, ready to enter a new vessel (body). Enki, speaking barely above a whisper, tells K'ai that there is more to freeing the human race than killing the body.

Interlude.

...many more scenes to come...