Commandos Read Online Free PDF Page B

IRA, ETA, the red Brigades and the Shining path, a Marxist organisation in Peru which at one point had controlled over fifty percent of the country’s territory. Levi drew a deep breath, shaken to the bone by the memories of past and more recent atrocities. * * * *
    Day in and day out, a life of monotony. The many years in the service of the United Nations had taught the commodore to discard emotions and not to rely on feelings. But these last few years in the company of Jo, David and Alec had begun to reverse this transformation. He was starting to understand that sometimes being human was more valuable than being a soldier.
    There were times when his thoughts would drift to the images of his daughter, living somewhere, thousands of kilometres away. He would even allow himself a moment of longing, but never for longer than a moment. He had ambitions to realise, goals to achieve. The commodore scratched at his beard and started towards his private patio. He needed a moment of meditation. After that he was planning to do some yoga.
    Yoga was a popular form of exercise among commandos and everyone else living in space for that matter. Forced to come to terms with the specific living conditions of the space base, they treated the sport as a remedy for stress which at the same time allowed them to stay in shape. Most of its adepts were far from seeing it as simply a vent for physical tension; they had kung fu, box and karate for that. Yoga was, above all else, a mental and spiritual art, a means of looking deeply into ones own soul, of awakening the mind. Through it, they were able to feel free for at least a brief moment. While practicing yoga several hundred thousands of kilometres from the Earth, the commandos worked towards the illusive equilibrium between the body, mind and soul. They would also include asana in their exercises, improving the body’s flexibility and vitality. Breathing was also important if one wished to calm one’s senses and maintain the asana for an extended period of time. Focussing on those simple tasks allowed deep relaxation and took their minds off Earth, the fate of their families and even the most personal troubles lurking somewhere at the backs of their heads.
    The commandos practiced yoga because it was a way of development in virtually all the aspects of a person’s life, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. It was the sarvabhauma – general learning.
    Leon and Eric, the shuttle’s pilots, were great lovers of the sport. It was through their efforts that a specially adapted exercise room had been created here on Atlantis, a room where they now spent most of their free time. Leon lay face-down on the floor, folded his elbows and placed his hands on the floor, along his waistline. He spread his feet by less than thirty centimetres and breathed in. Then he lifted his body off the floor, supporting it only on his hands and toes.
    In this position his body stiffened, aligned above the floor. His knees were tense. Leon closed his eyes and drew a few deep breaths. As he exhaled for the last time, he leapt some thirty centimetres forward by suddenly lifting his hands and feet off the floor. As he landed, he repeated the breathing sequence before making another leap. He had begun one of his favourite exercises, the dance of a crocodile. While carrying on with the Nakrayana asana, which in fact literally meant ‘a crocodile’, he asked Eric,
    “David could pull off one hell of a body twist, couldn’t he?”
“He’s probably pulling them off right now.” Eric looked around the room for ropes. “I’m glad he completed the mission and all, but I wonder if anyone’s going to pull him out of there.”
“Don’t you worry.” Leon made another leap forward. “Levi wouldn’t leave him behind. He’s the best of the best, isn’t he?”
“Sweet mother Earth…” Eric hung head-down from a rope, folded his knees and pulled his feet together. “If it wasn’t for his son, I wonder if