HRVST, Ch. 8: An Ancient God Of Light
HRVST, Ch. 8: An Ancient God Of Light
A Power So Ancient Whose Brilliance Cast A Shadow Over All The Gods of Reality
Among the oldest of the old gods, some of this deity’s names are lost to memory
HELIOS HYPERION PHAETON SOL APOLLO
So ancient, some remember names of BAAL and RA, others recall the deity of the sun was a daughter, and the sibling moon god was a son, of even older gods of reality
Among its youngest incarnations, it was a child of the Titans, of the Sky and the Earth
His sister was night, huntress, mistress of portals between worlds, her sigil the moon
His sigil the Sun, an all seeing eye of heaven, trusted witness to oaths, he was the day
Nothing happens under the sun without it being seen
In the ancient world of man, a giant statue of the sun god’s likeness towered over the port of Rhodes, 70 cubits felled by an earthquake but its memory outlived that kingdom
While he did not rule on Olympus the Sun was not to be trifled with
Odysseus learned this during his long journey home after leaving Troy when his men out of desperation stole the sun god’s cattle for food
The Sun demanded that Zeus punish the thieves, kill them all except Odysseus
Zeus, King of the Olympians, dared not risk the sun god’s dissatisfaction
If justice was denied, the sun god would bring light to the underworld of the departed, and shatter order and all reality
A sober god whose offerings were honey and grain, he was not prayed to for intervention, for the sun rose and fell over good and evil alike, its essence was order and not chaos of mortals, it fed all alike through crops thriving under its light
Sunday was the day of the sun
Luna, Aitken Basin, Armstrong, City Core
“We’re going to a place he owns a piece of, well, one of them. He does this thing where it’s never a night in the same place. He’s put his pension into shares of different shops and places, most started by someone in the unit or family, like widows.”
“Yes, ‘Two-Two’ double checking everything down to where to sleep. That hasn’t changed even after his de-mobbing, and going up the well. He never got used to living like he only had to do the same things in the same places, like a bed.”
“He’s doing well enough, he gets along with locals but he’ll never be mistaken as one.”
“You think he’ll talk to me?”
“Yes, captain, he’ll talk to me, and then he’ll talk to you.”
The administrator looked at the captain and the captain’s friend from the shipyards, and wanted to ask a question.
The captain looked over at the administrator, guessed, and answered,
“Two-Two knows where the rest of the unit is, Aleksander.
He’s trusted because he is careful. Training made his habits so hardwired, he’s never lowered his guard. I’m guessing life up here didn’t soften him. It’s not hard to imagine that word has circulated in certain circles about what happened to your predecessor. The civilians gets the official news oracles but we both know there’s reason to be concerned, and my guess is ‘Two-Two’ knows things.”
Tommy chimed in, “That’s true, ‘Two-Two’ was always plugged in, but I don’t think he knows as much as you Aleksander. We’re going to part ways here, ‘Two-Two’ will see me but not with you around. Head back to work, and I need something from you.”
“Anything you need from me, Tomassina, I just want my family safe.”
“You’re being watched, Aleksander. So keep going to work, keep quiet, I don’t need to tell you not to mention a word about me, the captain, or anyone else, not even if they saved your life or been a friend to you or your family. We’re going to take care of whoever they’ve put in the field. But we can’t do that if you give it away.
Right now, you’re just talking with a couple of engineers dealing with administrative headaches, like providing emergency services in public spaces like the Square.”
The captain turned to the administrator. “You’re not alone anymore. What happened to the last administrator won’t happen to you. See you later, Aleksander, I’ll be in touch.” “Okay, Edward, until then.”
The administrator headed back to work, the captain and his friend headed in the other direction, towards Armstrong’s main public square.
Luna, Aitken Basin, Armstrong, The Square.
“He’s got a piece of a few places here. I know which one it will be today, and then I have to convince him.”
”Tommy, I thought you said he would talk to you.”
“Well, he’ll see me first, and then I’ll figure it out, how to convince him to listen.”
“Tommy…”
“Initiate, Iterate, Implement, Sir….”
“Yes, I remember boot camp, Tommy. Let’s go in.”
“It’s Sunday. He’ll be here, a way to unwind before he starts his official day job with a near-siders crew.”
The captain and Tommy walked into a busy food shop. Locals, workers, and aid workers taking breaks from relief work in the Square, getting food, having drinks.
Tommy walked to the back, made eye contact with a worker in the back who, after she smiled and handed over a card, nodded his head towards a bathroom door. Tommy motioned to the Captain to follow. Opening the bathroom door, a couple brushed past, avoiding eye contact.
Tommy walked towards a door with a sign, “Do Not Enter”.
“I thought you said it he would see only you, Tommy.”
“We’re just going to reception room, Captain. You’ll wait there, while I go find him.”
Tommy opened the door, which led to a stairwell. There was the background hum of a crowd in motion which grew louder as they walked down.
Tommy shouted over her shoulder to the Captain, “Relax, they’re just blowing off steam and laying bets”, and disappeared into a crowd filled with shouting, laughing, and cursing.
The captain walked through the doorway just as a man stumbled backwards on top of him. The captain recovered his footing, and began to push back.
“Easy, grounder! You’re not on this card tonight! This bag is mine!” said the man.
“On the card! On the card! On the card!” demanded the crowd.
The captain looked around at a giant backroom, filled with people.
“That’s enough! The grounders not on tonight’s card!! We’ve already got some contenders! Put your markers in, put your markers in!” screamed a man circling around the center of the crowd. He was bald, a mass of muscles in a jumpsuit, the top of it was zipped open, worn like a skirt or a kilt around his waist. There was an insignia tattoo on his left shoulder, a unit flag tattoo on his right shoulder.
The captain looked at the man, and kept looking at him. Eyes locked on each other.
“Two-Two??”
”Captain? Attention, officer on deck!” The bald man stood at attention and saluted.
NOTES
Lykke Li was inspired by Marukami’s “The Wind Up Bird Chronicle”, and wrote a song about the nature of power, despite the implications of the lyrics for “Get Some”. Throughout the entirety of this book being written in public, over four 30 day sprints, concluding with this fourth and final series, “HRVST”, power has been in the background, from the historical and mythical passages written.
AI NOTES Image Prompts
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