Hello, lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Raj Anand and his new book, “Apophis – Into the Folds of Darkness”! For other stops on his Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.
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This eBook is on SALE
during the book tour for ONLY $0.99!!!
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Apophis – Into the Folds of
Darkness
by Raj Anand
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Sci-fi, Science Fiction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
January,
2022: A dark monstrous twin-headed apparition – Apophis – feverishly races past
the expanse of the Milky Way galaxy and bolts to the edge of the solar system.
Recklessly accelerating, the sinister rock-dyad enters the gravitational
keyhole of the blue planet and continues its resolute inebriated journey – to
soon arrive with an apocalyptic impact on Earth.
December,
2012: Five sentient beings born in different cities – New York, Hong Kong, New
Delhi, Azores Islands and Istanbul, discover amongst haunting memories of their
phantasmal past lives, that it is their destiny to save humanity from the evil
forces unleashed by the alien fiends – the Skyllats.
And now, the reincarnated 9-year-olds must rely on their shared,
ancient wisdom to prepare humanity for the war across the galaxy that is
imminent.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT THREE:
30.45506N, 130.48804E
Isso Town, Yakushima Island, Japan
January 19, 2022 (0700 hours)
“Peter,
what is their present position?” the 1.7-meter-tall Claire with a sharp nose
and radiant blue eyes inquired, “Quelque chose d’autre a signaler – do you have
anything else to report?” She adjusted her glasses, pushing back her long brown
hair.
“Herodotus
has crossed into the belt, and is travelling at a speed of 346,000 kilometers
per hour,” Peter replied, seated next to the astrophysicist, “I am amazed,
Claire, how well the mission has progressed so far.”
Their
Command and Control Centre located in a narrow peninsula, beyond Mount
Yahazudake on Yakushima Island was housed several floors below an old island
home that camouflaged its true purpose.
“You really doubted them? Incroyable!” smiled
Claire, when she was interrupted by her secretary with an urgent message.
“It
is my job to question and doubt,” grinned Peter and turned around. But Claire
had already stepped into a high-speed elevator, climbing seven levels up.
A
stoic Colonel Yoshimoto dressed in a dark gray suit and a black tie, stood
inside a glass partitioned conference room, studying a large photograph of a
Mongolian shaman staring ardently at the moon. The rustic house with rice paper
screen walls or shoji, that separated the inner office from the outer living
area, was capped with a gray shingled sloping roof supported by polished wooden
trusses.
Colonel
Yoshimoto bowed when Claire entered and addressed him, “How are you, Koki San?
I don’t believe we had a meeting scheduled. In fact, I was about to leave for a
connecting flight to New York from Kagoshima.”
“We
are aware of your flight to New York, Claire San.” Colonel Yoshimoto spoke
apprehensively. “So, I shall be brief. About two days ago we received an
unexpected signal from the Sentinel Observatory. We have modelled it several
times and have arrived at conclusions…that we frankly find deeply disturbing.”
“Koki
San, as you are aware, besides Neerja and I there is no one else at Isso, who
knows about our Sentinel project in collaboration with JAXA. I am disappointed
that our agreed protocol to…”
“The
Sentinel Space Telescope detected a new asteroid two days ago, specifically a
binary Atira S-type asteroid which appeared suddenly…”
“Sentinel
has identified more than three hundred new asteroids in the past two years.
Most of them beyond 0.5 AU orbital distance from earth,” frowned Claire. “Which
we have quietly added to the list of Interior Earth Objects or IEO’s, collated
by the Minor Planet Center in Massachusetts in the United States. I have a lot
on my plate today, so if you will excuse me…” she made a motion to leave.
“Given
the Potentially Hazardous Asteroid’s or PHA’s shape, size, mass, rotation
dynamics, and an absolute magnitude H of 21.4, we have modeled its
‘Intersection Course’ and ‘Risk Corridor’ across the surface of the earth, as
well as simulated the asteroid’s Potential Impact Zone!”
“A
Risk Corridor? Potential Impact Zone?” A startled Claire muttered and sat down.
“What is the timeline before it hits the earth’s potential keyhole pass… and
the asteroid impact?”
“I
am afraid it has already entered the earth’s gravitational keyhole. We believe
the impact is about ten days from today, give or take a few hours. That is not
enough time for…any successful counter measures to be deployed, or even to
undertake a comprehensive mitigation damage assessment. But we are certain that
the impact will be a cataclysmic event.”
“What
is the size and weight of the binary Atira S-type asteroid?” a stunned Claire
inquired.
“Since
the Sentinel telescope is facing away from the sun, we have been able to map
the PHA quite accurately. The primary asteroid has a diameter of 1.45
kilometers, orbited by a minor planet-moon that measures about 0.36 kilometers
across. Its combined weight, we estimate, is more than 360,000 metric tons,”
explained a troubled Colonel Yoshimoto.
“Are
you sure? Have you run the Monte Carlo simulations?”
“Yes,
several times! And we have analyzed it on the Palermo Technical Impact Hazard
Scale as well, I am afraid it currently reads at 2.”
“That
is absurd, no asteroid has ever been measured at 2 on the Palermo scale,”
blurted a fearful Claire and mumbled, “And the Potential Impact Zone?”
“We
believe that the binary asteroid is headed for impact around Washington DC on
January 28, 2022 – that is nine days from today. Given its size, mass, and
other parameters, we fear that the Eastern Seaboard of the United States may be
completely wiped out!”
“The
Americans? Do they know? Have you informed the Planetary Defense Coordination
office or PDCO and NASA?”
“Yes,
we thought about that, but…given the technical and research facilities the
Americans have at their disposal, including the PAN-STARR Telescope at Maui,
the NEOWISE Space Telescope, the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona, the ATLAS
program in Hawaii, as well as several others…we are honestly puzzled? Why have
the Americans remained obliviously silent?”
“We
need to inform them as soon as possible. The only reason that I can think of…”
a dazed Claire broke off mid-sentence.
“…is
that they already know!” Koki San, finished her thought.
“The
Double Asteroid Redirection Test or DART, that the Americans have been planning
for several years? Could it be launched in such a short time?” Claire inquired,
almost afraid to ask.
“DART
has been delayed for more than a year due to technical and funding issues. Our
sources confirmed that it was finally finished three months ago. Yesterday it
was transferred with an undisclosed additional payload to their launch
facilities at the Vandenberg Air Force base, where a SpaceX - Falcon 9 rocket
is being prepared for launch.”
“But
if they are planning to send DART to intercept the asteroid, then as per the
Outer Space Treaty or OST, they have to inform the Space Mission Planning
Advisory Group or SMPAG in Germany. The OST rules are very clear; if anything goes
wrong the Americans would have ABSOLUTE LIABILITY! If the asteroid landed in
some other part of the world, rather than…”
“We
have run simulations of the DART program, Claire San. We do not believe that
the Delta V applied by the Kinetic Impact Technique will be powerful enough to
put 99069 Apophis Interior 21 into a deflected trajectory, away from its
life-threatening present course. But if they add a sizable thermonuclear
payload, then they may be able to destroy or re-direct it…”
“Re-direct
it to where? Wait, you have already given the binary asteroid a formal name?”
“Yes,
we named it after the first 99942 Apophis Asteroid, which was discovered in
2004 and caused a brief flutter, given its hazard level of 1.12 on the Palermo
scale, before it was downgraded. Apophis, as you are aware, is the Greek name
for the Egyptian God of Chaos.”
Claire
asked again urgently, “Re-direct Apophis to where?”
“The
Americans may be able to nudge it with a thermonuclear blast, towards either
south-western China or close to the border of India and Pakistan.”
Claire
stood in silence, afraid to calculate the fatalities and the damage, although
she had already done the calculations. “A binary asteroid of that size, would
make the 20-meter wide Chelyabinsk Meteor of 2013 with an energy of 470
kilotons, look like a minor accident. Apophis could release 2300 to 2700
megatons of energy and create a crater at least 30 to 40 kilometers in
diameter. If it strikes China or India, the devastation, the earthquakes, and
the resultant fatalities could cross 400 million people, if not more…”
“Compared
to the Hiroshima bomb that measured at a mere 15 kilotons, and still cost so
many lives, including those of my grandparents…” A mournful Colonel Yoshimoto
looked away. “The American President held a meeting late last night in the
situation room.
“Present
were the heads of Planetary Science Division, Planetary Defense Coordination
Office, Office of Science and Technology, Planetary Impact Emergency Response
Working Group, as well as the head of their military space division. The
President took a decision to go ahead with the DART mission with an added
thermonuclear payload, which is probably an advanced version of their W80
warhead, with a five-megaton capacity. Their armed forces have been alerted to
expect trouble from China or India, or both together…”
“I…I
must talk to Lazarok,” an overwhelmed Claire replied. “I will get back to you,
on our agreed communication protocol, the moment I reach New York. Koki San,
but hypothetically if it is a ‘near-miss’ scenario, what would the asteroid’s
orbital period be around the sun?”
Colonel
Yoshimoto shook his head, “99069 Apophis Interior 21 is not on course for a
‘close shave’ event, given its extremely unusual speed and orbital plane.”
“I…What…The
speed? Yes, I should have asked about that first? Why didn’t we notice Apophis
earlier? Sentinel, since it faces the earth and therefore avoids any light
interference from the sun, should have picked up the PHA weeks or perhaps
months ago?” A delirious Claire tried to make sense of things before she gave
up. “Okay, what is its speed?”
“It
is 45 kilometers per second!”
Claire
attempted a horror-stricken laugh, “That is impossible! No asteroid in the
Interior-Earth Orbit or IEO has been recorded with a speed of more than 17
kilometers per second. The only possible reason that an asteroid would have
such a speed…is if…”
“If
it arrived from beyond our solar system, similar to the Ouamuamua Asteroid in
2017, which weeks later exited our solar system from below the plane of the
ecliptic. And the only possible reason that Apophis could suddenly appear, and
then head directly towards earth; is because it is…”
“An
alien spaceship…” A suddenly queasy Claire whispered, and lowered her head.
“The
Americans may be unaware that they are about to engage with an unknown alien
civilization…”
“The
Chinese? Do they know?”
“Yes!
They have enough resources to locate the asteroid. There are frantic meetings
on-going at present in Beijing, but I cannot be certain of the outcome until
later. Already, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army has been put on TCPLA 2,
across all their theatres of operation, which is the American equivalent of
DEFCON 2 – just below an absolute nuclear emergency and a full-scale war.”
“And
the Europeans?”
“The
Europeans are buying the story being put out by their ‘American friends’. Their
resources are at present limited, especially when it comes to ‘sun-side
asteroids’. Also, their new ‘Fly-Eye’ telescopes are not fully deployed across
the world, yet. Nor have the Americans apprised the
anglophile-intelligence-gathering group of nations; that includes Canada, Australia,
New Zealand, and England.”
“And
the Indians?”
“The
Japanese government has a…shall we say an arrangement with India, which was
signed several years ago – given the aggressive Chinese expansion in the
region. The Indian Space Research Organization or ISRO, picked up Apophis
yesterday. From the unusual data they collected from their Aditya-L1 satellite,
which is in a halo orbit around Lagrangian point 1.”
“Merde!
This is headed towards a very dangerous situation. I imagine several existing
alignments across the world are about to come undone,” an edgy Claire sighed.
“…and
new alignments formed, Claire San. Since the Americans have not felt it
necessary to inform us either, our government feels that we should – given the
urgency of the situation – re-align with our geographical neighbors. We may
have had our differences in the past, but this is a cataclysmic event. For all
we know the Americans may change their mind, and ensure that the Asteroid
Impact avoids India and China. And…”
“And
re-directs the asteroid towards Japan…lesser number of people killed with an
expansive sea all around it. And a smaller military force compared to that of
China.” Claire inferred.
Colonel
Yoshimoto nodded, “Our fear was confirmed about the Americans’ intentions when they
suddenly began to vacate their 7th fleet stationed at Okinawa yesterday.
Initial consultative meetings between Japan, India, and China have already
begun, although preliminary, and only between the heads of the three Asian
nations.”
“And
how do you know all of this, Koki San?” a nervous Claire inquired.
“It
was my team that discovered 99069 Apophis Interior 21. Unlike the rigid
hierarchal structure that Japan is infamous for, we still have some back
channels, at least within the government. Yesterday, I personally apprised the
Prime Minister of the precarious situation. And the rest…well…I am a very good
chess player, Claire San.” Colonel Yoshimoto smiled, sadly. “I could fill in
the blanks between what little the Prime Minister shared.”
“And
now you have committed treason by telling me, Koki San?”
“No,
that is not possible. I come to you as a representative of the Prime Minister
of Japan, under his direct orders.” Colonel Yoshimoto spoke solemnly. “Given
JAXA’s long relationship with your company, especially the secret Sentinel
Space Telescope program, the Prime Minister believes that Lazarok San could be
helpful at present. Because diplomacy may be the only way to stop the situation
from reaching a dangerous inflection point.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOOK TRAILER:
Check out the exciting book trailer for APOPHIS – Into the Folds
of Darkness below!!
Amongst our present shared chaos across the
planet, we are being forced to slow down and listen to our inner spirit and
intuition. Undeterred, we continue to imagine and believe in the power of
stories embedded in our very humanity and our deep will to overcome.
Stories about strife, about love, about
truth, about justice and even epiphanies.
For the past several years I have been
writing such a story.
My first book, in the science fiction
genre.
Which now complete – I am excited to share:
The book and the story, about:
• a magical wisdom
• about chaos and revival
• about our unbreakable, deep connection with nature and the
spirit world
• a story about initiation into the world of Shamanism
• A story about travelling back in time
• A story about five reincarnated, heroic 9-year-olds
• And a story about the power of the invisible dark energy that
surrounds us
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GUEST POST:
What Are a Few Things Most People Don’t Know About You?
Talking about myself is uncomfortable to
say the least, but here goes:
· I had heart surgery when I was 29 years-old to fix an electrical problem (ventricular tachycardia). I watched as the cardiologist made an incision into my heart, insert a catheter and then felt the tip of the catheter as it travelled through my heart and then burn the faulty nerve.
· As an Architect, I have designed over 400 projects across India including homes, offices, industrial projects, exhibitions and even a Tibetan Nunnery near Dharamshala, in North India. And ironically, I still live in a rented accommodation – and dream about designing my own home one day. Such is life!
· I once worked to document a far-off Buddhist Monastery (Hemis), located in the frigid, silent mountains of Ladakh for nearly two months along with twelve other Architects. Since our cook ran away at the end of the first day, besides doing my Architecture work, I also became the chief cook for the entire duration of the project (and secretly added vodka to everything, which went down very well with everyone!).
· I was Captain of the Cross-country team in my senior year in high school in New York, and led my team to their best (unbeaten) record in the 80-year history of the school.
· I bought a monochrome glass painting in 2008, because I believed that I could see the face of my future daughter in it. My daughter – Sophie – born in 2013 looks exactly like the image in the painting – ethereal and magical! In fact, it was she, who in a prescient, other-worldly moment quoted Socrates when she was all of 18 months old, which set me on this path of writing my first book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR BIO:
Savinder Raj Anand is an architect and has been
teaching Architecture & Design at various Universities in India for more
than 12 years. A long-distance runner with a wanderlust to explore the world,
and write stories that traverse across diverse cultures. He lives in Goa with
his daughter, a dog, and two cats.
Inspired
by his then 18-month-old daughter – when she quoted Socrates – while they
together sat in a children’s bookstore in Bangalore (LIGHTROOM) in early
January of 2015, he has completed this – his first book – as she turns 7 years
old.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CONNECT WITH RAJ:
Website:
Email:
contact@rajanandbooks.com
Facebook:
Instagram #1:
Instagram #2:
YouTube:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOOK SALE INFO:
**The APOPHIS – Into the Folds of Darkness eBook is on SALE
during the book tour for ONLY $0.99!!!**
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFO:
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a
purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this
blog. This does not cost you anything,
it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**
This contest is sponsored
by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish
Promotions. Prizes are given away by the
sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish
Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Raj ~ Good morning! Welcome to FAB! It is so great to have you here! Congrats on your new book and good luck on the book tour! :)
ReplyDeleteHey Ally. Thank you so much for hosting and your good wishes.
DeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteWould you ever like to see your book turned into a movie or tv show?
ReplyDeleteHonestly Bernie, that is inevitable, with this book!
DeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteGreat post and awesome giveaway!
ReplyDeleteWow..sounds like an exciting read!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Mya!
DeleteHow many hours a day do you spend writing?
ReplyDeleteIt varies. From 3 hours to sometimes the whole day and the next day... until I collapse! Ha!
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued by the reincarnation aspect.
ReplyDeletePlease do read. I promise a life changing experience.
DeleteCongrats on your new release!
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon! Sounds like an awesome read.
ReplyDelete