Star quest by Dean Koontz

The provided text is an extended excerpt from Dean R. Koontz's novel, "Star Quest," specifically detailing a portion of "Part One: The Quest." The narrative centers on Tohm, a man whose consciousness was forcibly transplanted into a massive "Jumbo Ten" fighting machine by the warlike Romaghin civilization. After the effects of mind-controlling drugs wear off, Tohm defects from the military conflict, driven by a quest to find his kidnapped love, Tamilee, whom he discovers has been sold into a slave market on the planet Basa II. Tohm utilizes his Jumbo's resources to construct a new human body and begins to interact with a group of Muties—mutated individuals fighting for peace against the Romaghins and their enemies—who are secretly trying to transfer all peaceful worlds into a different universe to escape the perpetual galactic war. Ultimately, Tohm helps the Muties escape a Romaghin attack using his Jumbo, leading to a confrontation that forces him to sacrifice himself and the woman he came to love, Mayna, as the transfer operation begins.