New Egypt (comic)

**New Egypt** is the second comic in Season 1 of EOTU.

## Overview

After discovering the Jet and finding out what it can do, Zach decides to take a visit to a planet he had merely heard about and had wanted to visit for a long time. Unfortunately, his vacation takes a turn for the worse when a powerful ruler decides he’s had enough of peace on New Egypt.

## Plot

After a brief ‘test flight’ to the Xton system, the Jet is in orbit of the planet Hadriganz. Zach is in the control room, deciding he wants a vacation. He remembers his friend Alek talking about a planet known as New Egypt, and how it was “an amazing place to take a vacation, if you happened to have a time machine”. Realizing he has a time machine, Zach decides to visit New Egypt. He then realizes that in order to stay low, he should try make the Jet’s outside appearance slightly smaller. After accidentally trying out multiple forms, such as a bus, a tower block and a pyramid, he settles on the form of a golden door. He lands the Jet by a sandstone wall, with a large building in the distance. Looking around, Zach doubts Alek’s claims, wondering what was so special about the planet. He notices the large building on the horizon.

Elsewhere, in the Temple of Rekhtan, Pharaoh Sevekchus asks his wife Meskhenet how her necronoitis is. She replies that she can hardly move. Annoyed, Sevekchus orders one of his slaves, Nebak, to take her away. He does so, as she screams in denial. Another slave asks Sevekchus whether his wife's impending death saddens him. He says it does not, as he can get a replacement.

Zach is approaching the large building he noticed earlier when someone calls out to him. He introduces himself as Rawkin Thurne. He informs Zach that the New Egyptians won't allow him in as he does not look like one of them. He tells Zach to find some clothes that are more convincing.

Back in the Jet, Rawkin looks around in awe. Zach explains what the Jet is as he searches for some clothes. After finding some plain Egyptian clothes, he tells Rawkin he can fit in but not stand out.

Later, Zach and Rawkin are aboard the Hesperados heading to Ankh Island. He looks around at the other passengers and tells Rawkin that hardly anyone looks native. As the ship arrives, a man in guard uniform orders each passenger to state their name, species, and homeplanet. After he interrogates a woman called Gran and an older man called Octavian he reaches Zach. Being convinced by his outfit, he allows Zach on the island, but asks the other passengers, including Rawkin, to stay behind. Rawkin tells Zach to leave as Gran argues that the guard looks foreign too. The guard states he had been hired by Sevekchus himself.

In the Temple of Rekhtan, Nebak informs Sevekchus that Ebak has brought the 'candidates' for his new wife. He rejects the first candidate, Ta-khat of Lower Husani, as she tried to follow Meskhenet's style. He chooses the next candidate, Ankhtenak of Asychis.

Meanwhile, Zach is walking across the desert. He notices the Temple. Walking inside, Ebak assumes he is there to work. Following along, Zach agrees. Ebak brings Ankhtenak forward, and tells Zach that he will care for her. He then leaves, saying he will return in five minutes. Sitting down, Ankhtenak apologizes, saying she didn't really want to be Sevekchus' wife. Zach tells her that he isn't even a slave. Assuming it's a rescue mission, she jumps up to leave. Ebak returns, and Zach tells Ankh to run while he holds him off. As Ebak yells that Zach will be executed, Zach grabs the Pharaoh's throne and throws it onto him, killing him. Ankh then leads Zach out of the temple.

Arriving at the abandoned town of Amset, Zach asks why it is so empty. Ankh explains the inhabitants were apparently evacuated by Sevekchus. She says she doesn't believe this, and thinks he enslaved them instead. Hearing a cry of pain through a door, they step inside and see a dying man lying on the floor. He introduces himself as Vacten Hadakis, a former inhabitant of Amset, before Sevekchus evicted all foreigners from Ankh Island in 2402. Vacten explains Sevekchus used Amset as test subjects, and infected them with fatal diseases. Vacten says he is the last one left. Ankh says they can help him, but Vacten dies shortly afterward.

Walking away from Amset, Ankh says they should next look at the Academy Sevekchus. Arriving at the large building Zach notices earlier, he now realizes what it is. Walking inside, they meet a student, who Ankh asks to show them to Sevekchus' office. Searching the office, Zach finds an 'antifield transmitter'. Ankh assumes it was what he used to transmit the diseases to the inhabitants of Amset. As she explains, the student walks back out into the reception, to be greeted by Lans and Nebak. He tells them where Ankh is. In the office, Ankh and Zach hear their voices. Running out a back door, they hide in a locked storage room. Suddenly the door flies open and Nebak walks in, noticing Zach, who turns himself in, in order to distract them from Ankh.

In front of the Temple of Sacrifices, Sevekchus speaks to Zach. He tells him that he is going to let Zach free, to his surprise.

Aboard the Eye of Horus, Rawkin, who had been taken there along with the other passengers, asks a guard what they want. The guard tells him they will work for freedom and their rights as citizens. Rawkin argues, stating that an alien called Zathod had been there for eleven months and a humanoid known as Rex was a citizen before he was evicted. The guard stops him, telling him to work or die.

Arriving at a house, Ankh peers in the doorway and calls out. Her friend Zev appears, and greets her. She asks if she can use his teleporter. He refuses, saying the teleporter can be tracked and that Sevekchus will find him. When she continues to ask, he tells her there is a large risk of dying. Still not winning, Zev reluctantly agrees and teleports Ankh to the Rekhtan Sphinx. On the Eye of Horus, the guard is informed by Harris that unregistered teleport signals have been detected in Sector 42XVV-C. He tells Harris to lower the Eye and 'sterilize' the sector. Near the Sphinx, Ankh notices the Eye on the horizon. She sees it fire a laser onto the city below and completely destroy it. As the explosion fills the sky, she realizes that was where Zev lived.

At the Rekhtan Tourist Hotel, Zach watches a news report about the attack by the Eye of Horus. A news anchor explains what has been reported, and Nar, a reporter live at the scene, is asked to interview some bystanders. He first interviews a pilot who had been nearby, before interviewing Ankh. Ankh asks to make an announcement, and then 'talks' to Zach via the camera, which makes him realize she is alive and where she is. Running up to her, Ankh asks him how he escaped. Zach says he was just let free, to which Ankh replies that it can't be a good sign. A voice from behind agrees. Zach and Ankh turn around to see Sevekchus standing there. He explains that the Eye of Horus will destroy the entire planet in a few minutes' time. When Zach asks why, Sevekchus says he was hired by the "Tarhson Collective" to destroy the planet, and that the destruction of New Egypt will cause a chain of events that end with them being able to rule the universe. However, Zach is confident that Rawkin, aboard the Eye, will be able to stop the plan.

On the Eye, Rawkin looks around before suddenly saying "Now!". Octavian leaps across the room and knocks out both the guard and Harris. Rawkin congratulates him as Zathod finds four teleport capsules. He says two of them will have to stay behind. Rawkin volunteers, saying he will keep the self-destruct controls activated. Gran also offers to stay, saying her life was not important anyway. Rawkin tells the other four to take a capsule and go. Back on the ground, they teleport, landing near Sevekchus, Ankh and Zach. Sevekchus, enraged, asks them how they escaped, while Zach notices that Rawkin is not with them. Zathod says Rawkin saved them, before the Eye explodes. Sevekchus stares at the explosion before activating a shift exit and teleporting away.

Back by the Jet, Zach tells Ankh that it is a time machine. Offering her to see for herself, Zach shows Ankh inside, where is he amazed by it being larger on the inside. He tells her it can travel anywhere, at any time, and asks her where she wants to go.

## Characters

* Zach Archer
* Ankhtenak
* Sevekchus
* Rawkin Thurne
* Nebak
* Theoris
* Meskhenet
* Octavian
* Gran
* Lans
* Ebak
* Ta-khat
* Vacten Hadakis
* Student
* Guard
* Zathod
* Rex
* Ok
* Zev
* Harris
* News anchor
* Nar
* Pilot
* Alek (in flashback scene)

## References

* Hadriganz is in the Xton system.
* Zach visited Castro 45 on a college trip in 3220.
* Alek took Level 6 Intersystem History.
* The Sidartt hail from Sidartis Five.
* The Neryk hail from Ziar 66c.
* Ka was meant to be sent to be a slave of Sevekchus, but he never arrived.
* The planet Ra is visible from the surface of New Egypt.
* Sector 42XVV-C is one of the sectors on New Egypt.
* The Tarhson Collective hired Sevekchus for their plans to rule the universe.