the cross and the cosmos - issue 12

8/12/2019 The Cross and the Cosmos - Issue 12

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Issue 12

Swords and Plowsharesand Cover ArtJohanan Rakkav

Tears of the CatJarkko Pylvas

Free Fall

Cathryn Rose

He Set God's Children FreeWarren Harvey Published by Glyn Shull

Edited by G.L. Francis

Victoria Dragon Part IIJacob Lindaman


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4/61Jacob Lindamanctoria Dragon Part II

e Cross and the Cosmos July 1st, 2012

stronger. The ground turned to steep rocky cliffs. As they wound their way through, it opened to

a brown sandy beach and a splendid view of the sea.

"You have said little. Mother, what is on your mind?"

"I did not bring you to the beach to relax."

"What do you mean?"

"Look," Ven Dagen said, "do you see it?" Her arm pointed out to the water. "Look closely."

Victoria squinted her eyes but saw nothing. "What am I looking for?"

"There is something there. Look again."Victoria focused her attention on the shining blue water. Little waves rolled up and down

until they soaked her feet. When she was hip-deep in water, she gasped. "What is that?"

"You see her then? I am not sure what she is, but she's surely seen our bonfires and

heard our praises. I first spotted her two days ago."

"Is she a mermaid?"

Ven Dagen shook her head. "I dont know. A mermaid? I would more easily believe a

vampire if I saw one."

"Do you think she's hostile?"

"If she is, we'll be safe on land unless she has friends."

"And if she does?"

"I hope we will never know."

Victoria raised her arms to wave to the creature.

"Stop it! Dont call that thing here. You endanger every woman alive."

"We will have to confront her eventually. The longer she bobs out there in the sea

watching us, the more time she has to gather allies. We may as well introduce ourselves."

At first, the creature just watched, but after a minute, she dipped beneath the surface and

disappeared.

"She goes to tell her friends. Victoria, lets leave this place. I will place extra sentries on

alert tonight."

As Victoria made her way out of the water, a spry mermaid sprawling in her own panoply

of rainbow-colored hair and fins popped up nearby in the shallows."Peace," the mermaid said.

"Peace indeed," Victoria said with a grin to her mother. "Peace," she said to the mermaid

and approached the waters again. She stepped ankle deep, but stopped to keep some distance.

"I am Victoria. What is your name?"

"What business have you on my beach?" the mermaid asked.

"We fled an attack. We mean you no harm. Can you help us?"

"Whom do you flee?"

"The machina."

"Machina? What is machina?"

Victoria turned to her mother. "How does she not know what machina are?""I have no idea. She must be from far away."

"They are machines," Victoria said to the mermaid, "who turned on their makers. They

hunt us and seek our destruction."

"I've seen these machinesthese machina. They fly through the air like a bird, but no

man pilots them."

"Where have you seen them?"

The mermaid pointed to the west.

"Do you have friends?" Ven Dagen asked.

"Along the coast, you'll find an assortment of foods," the mermaid said. "Be careful not to

stray too far, but I collect the plants so that I can eat from them. If it will help your people, you

may do the same."

"You are too gracious," Victoria said. "God bless you, friendly mermaid."

"You must be very careful. The...machina patrol the beach. If they're your enemy, they will

find you."




"How far up the beach?" The chief asked. "We live far away, but if we encountered them it

would be horrific."

"I'm not certain. I've never been carried beyond the beach."

"You have dealt kindly with us. How can we repay your kindness?" Victoria asked.

"The hour's late. I must be going. If you see another like me," she ducked under a wave

and popped up on the other side, "do not talk to her." And with that she disappeared under the

water. The sun was now low over the horizon, but the air was still warm and comfortable.

"What do you think?" Victoria asked her mother.

"She has possibly given us a great advantage. We would be wise to seek out her advice.

Let us return to camp and keep our fires low so the machina do not notice. We shall search for

her cache of goods early tomorrow."

That night Victoria could not sleep. The mermaid stirred her curiosity. Were all mermaids

as industrious as this one? Why did she leave in such a hurry? Why did she not want her to

speak to any other mermaids? What was her name? What sort of food does a mermaid eat?

Up before the sun, Victoria headed out on her own in search, not for any cache of plants

or food but for a second chance encounter with the mermaiden. Fortune was on her side she

saw no evidence of machina patrols. Instead of going straight to the beach, she stopped at the

cliffs. Years of vigorous training and physical labor had prepared her for moments like this. Shescaled the thirty-foot high cliff in less than an hour. Grateful for reaching the top, she praised the

name of Christ between panting breaths.

Now from a spectacular vantage point, she could see up and down the coast for miles.

The wind was harsh, but it was something she had never known before. A fresh salty breeze

filled her lungs and perfumed her body. An hour passed and still she sat watching the sea.

By noontime, she noticed a group of women running along the beach with bags on their

backs. Good. They didn't need to wait for me.

They disappeared back into the interior. Her eyes returned to the sea. So peaceful, she

thought.Everything is so calm and fresh.The gently rolling waves were greeted by the widebrown beach she was on just yesterday. Nothing but blue sky and blue water.

Half a day sitting and staring at the sea was tougher than she anticipated. She got up to

stretch her legs. The cliff was fairly large, but most of it retreated back towards a thick wooded

area. Perhaps it would be easier to forge a trail through there than climb down the cliff. As she

walked around the rim of the sea-facing side of the cliff, she leaned over to peer below. Her eyes

widened. She thought she saw what she was looking for.

She looked closer. Indeed, it was. Could the rainbow colored hair and elegant fins and

tentacles belong to another? There on the other side of the cliff was a little pool cloistered from

the waves and wind of the bay. What was the mermaid doing in there? She had a bag and a net.

Was she trawling for bottom dwellers? Victoria watched as the sea maiden came up for a breathof air then descend to work her net.

"Twenty minutes," she said to herself.

Realizing that she'd never be noticed up so high, she looked around for a quick way

down. She glanced across the bay where her sisters had been gathering. She saw them again

searching a beach heading towards a rocky protuberance sticking out to the bay. On the other

side of the rock was a flying machina followed by no less than a dozen smaller drones. Horrified,

she realized no matter how loudly she yelled, they wouldn't hear her.

She frantically flailed her arms, but the women gave no sign they saw her. She glanced

around as she fought down panic. She must act her sisters faced certain death. She would

face it with them. She took a deep breath and lunged off the cliff.

Splash!

The water was surprisingly clear, but she'd leapt from a great height. Her breath escaped

her lungs she was too disoriented to know which way was up. She tried to swim, but couldn't

muster the strength. So much had just happened so fast. She needed air but could not think




straight.

Gentle arms wrapped around her as she was being dragged. Probably, she realized,

since the moment she entered the water. An instant later, her head cleared the surface and she

gasped for air.

"Hep!" Victoria choked out. "Hep!" The mermaid looked at her inquisitively as she

coughed more water out of her lungs. "Help!"

"What's wrong?"

Victoria pointed to the beach down the coast. The mermaid turned her head in thatdirection then back to Victoria, her forehead furrowed in confusion.

Of course, Victoria thought,can't see it from down here.

"The beach. Down there. You have to go. My sisters are searching for your stores of food

and plants. They're running into danger and don't know it. Machina are just ahead of them. I saw

it from up there. Please!"

The sea maiden looked at Victoria and then to the horizon. She dropped her bag and

grabbed Victoria's hand. "You come with."

Immediately, they were flying through the water. Victoria had barely enough time to catch

her breath, but this mermaid was a swift swimmer. After several seconds, they surfaced again.

Relieved, Victoria gasped for air.

"Which way?"

"Just follow the coast."

"No, if they're where you say they are, following the coast will take too long. We need to

cut across the sea, but I need you to tell me where they are on the other side."

"There was an outcropping of rock. It stuck out into the sea."

"Take a deep breath." The mermaid positioned Victoria's hands around her waist on a

leather belt that worked as a sturdy handle.

Victoria held tight as water crashed into her. The force was so great, she felt she was

slipping away. But the belt held firm.

When they stopped, they did not surface. Victoria looked up to see the mermaid slowlyrising until her head stuck out above the water. It was then that she realized the mermaid was

quite large, easily two feet taller than herself. She climbed up her back until she too was just

poking out of the water.

"Shish," the mermaid said quietly, "we're close."

"What is your name?"

"Citra."

They examined the beach closely. It was still a ways off, but they were within shouting

distance. However, there were no women in sight. The methodical humming of machina

diligently combed the beach just the other side of the rock.

"There," Citra pointed. "Your...sisters...are inland. Look closely. They're hidden by theshade of the trees, but they are there. I'll take you to the beach. You must do the rest."

With a burst of speed, Citra hauled Victoria through the shallows and deposited her on

the sun-baked sand. The mermaid tumbled back into the cover of foam and water. Crouching,

Victoria scanned the beach in the direction of the mechanical hum. The machina would be here

any minute. She ran as a wild gazelle leaping for safety. When she reached the forested area,

she ducked underneath the blanket of leaves.

The first scout passed by.

When it was gone, she got up and ran deeper into the wood. Finally, she reached her

sisters."Victoria!" Ofelia said. "What are you doing here?"

"Shush! Be very quietyou're in great danger," she said panting. "Where's Isabel?"

"She is too far along to accompany us. The work is too burdensome for her. Many of the




pregnant women were not able to come."

"Where's my mother?"

They motioned for the chief. When she arrived, everyone was crouched down, hiding

from the unseen threat.

"Victoria? Where were you this morning? You should have been with us."

"This is no place to argue. I spotted a dozen machina approaching upon your position

here. I rushed to warn you, but it may be too late. One already passed by. It failed to detect

anyone, but there are more coming."The chief stroked her chin. "This is not good. We are fortunate that you have warned us,

but if those things are anything like the ones in Fanti, we will be annihilated if we engage. We

must hide."

"Or escape."

"Escape?" Ven Dage said. "To where?"

"Drop your bags and come with me."

She led them back towards the beach. They moved quickly and quietly. Another scout

passed by. Every woman was disciplined enough to take cover and hold her breath. "The

mermaids advice was accurate," Ven Dagen whispered to Victoria. "We spotted a few machina

already. We were able to spy their patrols easy enough. They were timed. Their predictability

allowed us to search unhindered. How did you know machina were advancing upon us?"

Victoria pointed across the bay to the hazy cliffs. "There," she directed her attention

towards the sea. "Do you see her? The mermaid?"

"It seems you have made a friend."

"I will go with two women out to her. She can ferry them to safety. We must be quick."

At Ven Dagen's orders, two women accompanied Victoria. Quickly, she led them across

the sand into the waters.

When she stopped, Citra asked, "What's your plan?"

"Can you carry two as you carried me? Carry them to safety?"

"Two? Yes, I can, but I'll be much slower, and if one should let go..."

"Don't let go!" Victoria looked at the women, then turned back to Citra. "When you make itto safety, come back for more. There are five others including myself." Victoria directed the

women's hands to the mermaid's belt Citra's massive tail and fins swept them away and out into

deeper waters.

Citra did as she said.

Each pass across the bay took longer. The women were not any larger in fact, the last

two dainty girls compared to Victoria herself. Citra must be getting tired, she thought.

She forced her mother to go before her. She watched as long as she could until they

disappeared in the distance. Since she couldn't see them, she counted. Last time, she counted

to two-thousand. The time before that was barely seventeen-hundred. When she reached three-

thousand and still saw no sign of Citra, she began to worry. Where was the mermaid?

Two scouts passed by in unison. Victoria ducked under some nearby brush. As the hum

passed overhead, a dark shadow fell upon her. She peeked out from the brush. Right behind

them was the bigger one she'd seen earlier. The scouts must report to it. It was much larger and

had metallic tentacled arms swirling in all directions. An occasional blue zap popped at the ends

of the tentacles followed by a whirring noise from inside the thing.

She watched the thing float by. Just as she relaxed, the noise returned. The machina

changed course, moving away from land. It hovered over the water for a moment before it

dipped down low, swinging its tentacles through the water.

"Oh no!"

As she watched the monster comb the waters, another scout passed by. She hid againbut kept an eye on the large machina over the water. It had found something. Its arms tore

violently at it, ripping it to pieces.

Poor Citra. She is gone now.




While the machina resumed exploring the waters, Victoria noticed someone out in the

shallows watching her. She looked to the left and to the right. No sign of machina. She darted for

the water.

With barely a splash, the many graceful appendages of the sea maiden swallowed her.

"How did you...?"

"No time to explain. Hold tight."

This time Citra went deep. Very deep. Beyond the playful waters near the beach, the sea

floor dropped suddenly into darkness. It was much cooler there. And to Victoria, it was muchscarier too. She clenched tight for dear life. They had been going for some time when suddenly,

in the darkness, Victoria popped up into a chamber of air. She gasped for breath as did Citra.

"Where are we?" her voice echoed.

"An underwater cave. A secret spot no one else knows about. Well...almost no one. You

mustn't tell a soul." She was panting heavily but helped Victoria tread water in the small

chamber.

"I can't thank you enough, Citra. You have no idea what we have been through."

"Can I ask you something?" Citra said. Colorful swirls and sparkly swishes of light slowly

brightened across Citra's body. The gentle luminescence was enough to light the small cavity.

"Ask away."

"You refer to the other women as your sisters. Is this because you're all Christians?"

Victoria thought for a moment. What an odd question from an odd creature. "Why do you

ask?"

"I have a certain affinity for that word. You use it as if you were all sisters. Do you all share

the same mother?"

"No." Victoria looked around the little rocky room. Behind her was a little ledge she could

lean on. "They are all that I know. All that I have ever known."

"What do you mean?"

"The stories my mother tellsand the elders, toothey are sorrowful. They speak of a

time when the earth was filled with men. But now, we are all that is left. A few hundredwomen...although I have seen that God shines his light on whom he will."

Citra looked confused.

"We may not be alone for long."

"Your words are confusing. I'll pray for your plight, but for now, are you ready?"

Victoria gave a nod. And with a twirl of her fins, Citra flipped around and pulled her up

towards a light. In a few moments, Victoria was reunited with her compatriots. Indeed, they had

reached safety. The machina were nowhere to be found.

As the women began their way back to the tribe, Victoria turned to face the sea and the

mermaid. "Will I see you again?"

"Don't forget the stores of food."

And just as she had entered Victoria's life, the mermaid departed. Passing through the

tranquil sea and into the distant blue beyond, Citra was out there somewhere.

'I will pray for you.' What did she mean by that? Victoria wondered.

As the months passed, the tribe garnered enough nourishment from Citra's meager

propagations to feed everyone including the pregnant mothers. There were several varieties of

fruit, which they were able to dry in the warm sun, but mostly they ate roots and acorns. Each

woman was grateful to have enough.

By the time the first child was born, to Brocka, the tribe had adapted to a peaceful

existence without sightings or interference of deadly machines. Although every woman wanted

to witness the miracle of birth, they all knew they could not completely relax their vigilance.

When Brocka delivered, she screamed in pain and lost much blood. Victoria saw the joyin the woman's face as she held the first fruits of a redeemed life and a remembered people.

"He is swarthy," Brocka said when she saw him. And so she named him Bear for the

bears in that region were brown.




Throughout the month, Victoria's friend, Isabel, told her of the kicking and tossing of her

child within her belly. She watched with a smile as her friends delivered little boys and little girls

into a new world. Eventually, Isabel's time came to deliver. Victoria helped her prepare by

making sure Isabel lay in bed for two days, which had become common practice in a world

where none knew the rights and wrongs of childbirth. Not even Ven Dagen had known.

By the third day, the child still had not arrived. Victoria agreed to accompany Isabel, who'd

become restless from inactivity, when she asked to venture out. Perhaps a walk might somehow

hasten the coming delivery. They did not wander far, but just outside the village, the forest grewthick and wild. Ancient oaks shaded them with their mighty boughs.

"Victoria, I need to rest a moment."

Victoria nodded. "I saw a pile of fallen acorns yesterday, not far ahead." She patted a

fallen tree trunk. "Rest here awhile. I'll gather some acorns. Just call out when you're ready to go

back."

Isabel sank onto the log. Her face looked pale and exhausted, her expression withdrawn.

Victoria hesitated, wondering whether she should stay with her. But Isabel shooed her away, and

Victoria left the clearing.

"Victoria!"

She'd scarcely gone from Isabel's sight when she heard her friend's frantic yell. Shehurried back then froze as she saw Isabel clutching her huge belly, which seemed to be rippling

under her clothing. There was no time to carry her back to their village. Victoria helped her

down and got ready to receive the child. As Isabel pushed, a little head crowned. A whirring

noise flew by overhead. Isabel pushed on without noticing. The noise returned and stopped just

above them.

"Shish," Victoria said. "It is a machina."

"Aaah!" Isabel pushed again uncontrollably.

The machina crashed through the leafy canopy dropping branches around them. Loud

fans stirred the air as it hovered above them. It was not a large machina, but it had many long

penetrating tentacles with pincers on each end. On the underside of the body, a large saw began

spinning with a loud hiss."Aaaaah!" Isabel screamed again as the baby dictated.

Victoria grabbed her bow and shot the flying machine. The arrow lodged in the gear work

near the saw, but it did not stop spinning. An arm reached out and swatted her away like a fly.

When she got up, she heard Isabel screaming but not due to labor. The pincers had

grabbed each of Isabels limbs and pulled them tight. The machina lowered itself over her and

moved its saw-equipped body toward her torso.

Victoria rammed into it, knocking it off course. She continued shoving, battering at it with

her body, offering herself. But she was no match for the heavy machine. The machina gathered

its bearings and set itself straight again.

"Run!" she screamed to Isabel.The woman was in no condition to move but she somehow managed to get to her feet

and struggle back towards the village.

The flying machine flung Victoria away just as it had before. She crashed against a tree

and sprawled dazed in the brush. The machina seized Isabel again and forced her to the

ground. The saw spun this time, it did not stop.

Victoria heard screams again, but they seemed muffled and cloudy. She couldn't see

clearly.Oh God, she thought, in the name of Jesus Christshow us your powerand your

mercy.A little strength rose within her. She stood and staggered towards her helpless friend. She

heard another scream as the saw's high-pitched squeal lowered to a slower grinding sound.Blood sprayed from below the machina onto Victorias face. Then, another great, winged shape

crashed down through the branches.

Two enormous feet with razor talons gripped the machine. The machina's blade struck




one foot, but the scales on it ground the gears to a halt. The massive toes crumpled the machina

like a tin can. In an instant, the dragon carried the enemy up through the broken canopy and

disappeared.

By then, many of the tribe had responded to the cries and mechanical noises and had

rushed to help. Through wide and shocked eyes, Victoria saw them watch the dragon carry the

machina into the sky. Their gazes turned to her blood-splattered face and then moved toward

the disfigured body who once was a pretty, young warrior.

Several women rushed to Victorias side to offer comfort, but she was inconsolable. Shepushed them away and cried. She sat weeping for many minutes before she could bring herself

to look again upon her friend. The rest of the tribe had not moved. Partially, because they were

horrified and partially, because they were afraid of the thing that had swooped down from the

heavens and so easily destroyed their adversary.

When she looked, she saw the bloody and tangled mass of flesh where once Isabel had

been. She placed her head in her hands and wept all over again. Then, something called her

from within to look more closely. Reluctantly, she did. She saw the same thing. She could not

bear it, but she peered with watering eyes as best she could.

Something moved.

She wiped her eyes and looked again. Yes, something moved within all those body parts.

On all fours, she crawled forward. With fresh tears, she reached down to touch the mess. Many

hours would pass before the bodys heat would reach equilibrium with the environment. The

warmth discouraged her as did the colorful wetness, but she began to pick off one body part and

then another.

Another movement.

This time she reached in with both hands. From beneath the mound of flesh she lifted free

a crying baby.

A cold metallic hand rested upon her shoulder. She looked up at her mother.

"They call you Dragon now." Ven Dagen's voice was somber. "For you have summoned

the monster from Job with faith like a child. Come with me, Victoria. You are safe."

Jacob Lindaman is an aspiring writer who desires to honor Christ through storytelling. He has

written two novels and several short stories. His story "Citra" appeared in Issue #10 of The

Cross And The Cosmos. On hot summer days, you can find him eating corn on the cob, drinking

good beer and listening to the music of Mat Kearney. He and his wife, Katey, live in Iowa with

their mutt, Anni. You can find him on goodreads.com and jacoblindaman.com.


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12/61Johanan Rakkavwords and Plowshares


SWORDS AND PLOWSHARES

By

Johanan Rakkav

What in the name of all thats holy am I doing here?

The gentle-hearted Enoshi princess asking the question had wanted to push some

envelopes in her lifespecifically as part of someones armed forces, somewhereand her

widowed father King Yuval of Trefoil thought it was a good idea, too. But the Cluster Federation,

of which Trefoil and its star system were a part, had by majority vote disavowed interstellar

warfare and proclaimed official neutrality in Galactic Politics. Neither the king nor his children

thought that a good idea, peace-loving people though they all were. Neutrality in the Ring of

Stars was for those strong enough to keep itunless they managed to be wise as serpents and

harmless as doves. So far, in their opinion at least, the Federation was neither.

The distant Kingdom of Ariel and its Lightchildren were both.

A Lightchild seeks to prevent waror if thats impossible, to end it as quickly and

honorably as possible.So Alain told me. Practical pacifism, he called it, by those called upon to

fight.

The Kingdom of Ariel had its own Deep Space Service, including the paramilitary Deep

Space Fleet, but the Fleet was open only to Lightchildren and Archons. Ariel did allow two

homeworlds to sponsor their own dedicated military services: Rayian, the capital of the Heart ofthe Dog, the star cluster inhabited by the Kayaim and Senkaur, the planet on which the

Enoshim originated and from which some came to help form the Cluster Federation long ago.

Inquiries by the King of Trefoil revealed that the Kayai Pack and the Senkaur Defense

Force were cooperating on a special project. There was a Kayai Troop testing a bionic exosuit

on one of the major islands of Mahealani , one of Ariels most famous and beloved worlds, the

name of which most fittingly meant Where Heaven Is. Already there were versions of the

exosuit available for the humanoids serving in the SDF as well. Would the Kings daughter like to

participate in the beta-testing?

She would.

What a time to be having second thoughts about that.

* * * * *

Who areyou and how did you get into our camp?The voice came out muffled through

the filter of her helmet, which had a muzzle just like those of the canine Kayaim she was training.

Her exoskeleton was shaped to fit two ample mammary glands rather than eight that plus her

overall build revealed perfectly well that she was a humanoid.

Had it been any other Lightchild standing before her, the clothing he wore and the tools he

bore wouldve identified him as such to her and to everyone else present. But thisone wore the

unique Cloak of Shadow, which could hide his identity and even his visibility from others to any




depth he desired.

Why not ask your guard? He permitted me and my Sentry to enter.The Sentry in

question was presently in Contact Lens Mode, turning the Lightchild s naturally brown eyes blue.

So hes a Lightchild, then. And still the princess was too clouded in mind to follow the

thought further.

Guardian Tenai,she called while speaking in decent Kayaic, who did you let pass into

our camp a little while ago?

The Adami, you mean? He said he had followed you and your trainees while you were

running on the beach. I saw him coming behind you no mortal humanoid ever ran so fast for so

long. When he lowered his hood, I recognized him. He said he will do the same for you if you ask

him.

Very well. Thank you.Going on in Common: Please lower your hood, Lightchild.

As you wish.And once he had, there could be no doubt as to who he was. His fair face

and his barley-blond hair were familiar to practically everyone in known space by then.

Incrediblesaid one Pack Trooper in his own language.

Thatexplains it,said another, meaning the veil the stranger had laid upon everyones

minds.

Why hashe comehere?

The Lightchild raised his hands to quiet everyone. Just for the record, Troop Leader, whoareyou?

You dont know?There was a smile in her voice. You, Alain Harper the Undying Singer,

renowned in this Metacosmic Realm and far beyond it for his mind-reading?

Insight Within Measure at Need doesnt always tell me everything. It only told me to

followyou, this time. Ill reveal the reason in a momentifyoull take off your helmet and tell me

who you are first.

The woman uncoupled her exosuits helmet and pulled it off to reveal a lovely face that onOld First Realm Earth wouldve been characterized as Celtic-looking. She had a veritable

cascade of reddish-orange hair bound in a pony tailwho knew wherethatfit in the helmet?,

vivid blue eyes, a sweet pug nose, flawless fair skin without freckles, a perfect mouth and a

pointed chin. But it was the pertly pointed ears that got the Lightchilds attention for the

moment

Youre Enoshi!

I am indeed,she replied with a laugh. Im Princess Ashrey Chellenifer, the Splendor of

Trefoiland youre obviously a Nefi like me the way you express yourself and bear yourself

says so.

Youre rightalthough Im more theoretical in temperament than most of us are. What do

you call those exosuits youre wearing?




Theyre prototypes being tested. We simply call them Model Ones.

Why not call them ANTs?

Beg pardon?

ANTs. Aint NuthinTougher.Now it was the Lightchilds turn to laugh, and he bent over

double as he did so. The Kayaim, those that knew Common well, chuckled in their own way athis antics.

Not bad. Not bad at all! They do look rather like an ants exoskeleton, dont they? I like

the way you think, fellow Nefi. Why is my being Enoshi so surprising to you?

Alain stopped laughing abruptly and settled himself with visible effort. Because no Enoshi

has ever been called to be a Lightchild before.

For a long moment, only the sounds of the breeze, the surf and the distant birds disturbed

everyones astonishment. Of the Four Species of ManLevani Elves, Gammadi Dwarves,Adami Men, and Enoshi Half-Elvesonly Adamim had ever been called to be Lightchildren. And

even then, the Lightchildren were only one in a million among the Adamim.

You were told to bring me this message?

Almost the moment I saw you from afar on the beach, as you were passing the Academy

of Light.

How is this supposed to affect my work with the ANTs?

When youre done here, we can talk about that.

* * * * *

The acronym ANT stuckthe Gammadim developing the exosuits liked it tooand

Ashreys Troop, among others, gave many helpful suggestions for the further development of the

prototype. So did Alain Harper and Raphael Goldwing his meta-technological Sentry, once they d

had a chance to examine an example of one.

Ashrey kept a close secret how that had happened. Shed walked hand-in-hand with Alain

back up the beach, southward toward the Academy of Light, Mahealani Chapter. The worlds bignatural moon Konane was already up, in waxing gibbous phase its smaller artificial moon, the

Elyon-class space stationD.S.S. Mahina, was sixty degrees sunward in the same orbit, and

bright enough to be seen at that distance even in daylight.

Suddenly both were on another beach on another world ten thousand light-years away

with another sun in a different position in the sky, and with a twin world on the eastern horizon

relative to where they were.

Where are we and how did you get me here?Ashrey exclaimed in astonishment.

Were on Harpers Abode, an island on Sealand Alpha. Thats Beta on the horizon. I used

the LocusRing on my right hand to bring us here.




What are you going to do to me?

Nothing improper.But it certainly seemed as if it could become so quickly, as with

Ashreys permission Raphael helped Alain figure out how to uncouple the ANT piece by piece.

The Sentry had already scanned the helmet, now left behind on Mahealani now he began

modeling the form and function of the other pieces of the exosuit with his infinitely expandable

artificial intelligence. But soon Alain only had eyes for the astonishingly beautiful woman before

him, modest but alluring though she was in the form-fitting jumpsuit that all users of the exosuitwore underneath it.

You feel it too, dont you, Undying Singer?

Tell me.

We Enoshim and our cousins the Levanim have this in common: in matters of the heart,

we know what were looking for, and we know when we find it. Love at first sightis rare and

unreliable among Adamim by comparison. For us its a necessityand a certainty.

I know. And I knew I wanted to marry you from the moment I saw your face and looked

into your eyes.He chuckled. Let alone at the rest of you. But as a fellow Nefi, you know all

aboutthat. We have high spiritual, emotional and physical standards by nature, maybe more

than anyone else does. Not every potential mate can meet them.

Such a delicate moment. How long have you waited to marry, Undying Singer?

Far,fartoo long. A mortal Adamis whole lifetime. Im seventy-five Standard Years this

calendar year.

Im like you: Ill always look as young as an adultcan look. But Im only twenty-five yearsStandard.

Thats a nice age. Its what Ive always been on theinside. But you can understand, given

my responsibilities, why we havent crossed paths beforeIm only visiting the Academy, not

studying or teaching thereand also, why Ive stayed single so long.

Ill bet all that has to do with your reputed abilities, too.

Which ones? The ones that are public knowledge, the ones that I actually have, or the

ones in the Undying Singer jokestold on every world thats heard of me from the Rim to theCore?Alain laughed. Heres my favorite: Space is expanding because its afraid to be on the

same planet with the Undying Singer.

Ashrey laughed heartily with Alain at the absurdity. Youre not the tough guytype,

despite your obvious training.Obvious indeed: he was slender and gentle yet strong, like the

trained martial artist and swordsman he was.

I most definitely am not. Im a diplomat at heart. But sometimes Im called on to fight, and

when I am, I fight towin. We Blademasters like to say: we take up the sword so that mortals can

beat their swords into plowshares.

Except the Half-Elves and Dwarves of Senkaurand the Kayaim.

Bytheirchoice and oursufferanceand the Hooded Mans sufferance, too.




They talked about that and a great many other things. But even Ne fi/Nefi enthusiasm

about anything and everything in the Realms couldnt overcome mutual romantic attraction

forever. And so in time the barley-blond Lightchild asked the red-headed Enoshi formally to

marry him, she said yes, the Lightchild kissed the Enoshi so deeply she thought shed faint, and

upon their return to Mahealani immediately after that, Alain and Ashrey started talking to the

Pack Command, the authors of Project Exosuit, and the senior officials at the Academy of Light.

* * * * *

Why do the Lightchildren allow us to do this, anyway? They say themselves that space

war is a colossal waste of lives and material. Ive always agreed with them, deep down. So what

compelled me to get in the middle of a space war? What was I trying to prove?

Certainly, space war had always been a colossal waste when the enemies of the Hooded

Man were foolish enough to take on His chief servants the Lightchildren. The Lightchildren, even

the gentlest of themand Alain Harper was among the gentlest of all at heartwerent gifted or

trained to lose.

The Kayai Pack and the Senkaur Defense Forcecouldlose, though. Never easily, but

they could.

Ashrey calmed herself by considering the specifications of the Kayai ship on which she

now served. TheK.P.S. Tananawas one of hundreds of Dire Wolf-class Hunters presently in

formation. A Hunter was essentially a battleship/carrier. Its core was a prism, 1.5 by 1.5 by 6

units in proportion, with sheets of thick armor plating on the top and bottom making the overall

proportions 3 by 3 by 6 units. At the stern was the compact matrix drive module, 3 units cubed in

proportion. Toward the bow was the weapons module, likewise 3 units cubed in proportion, with

four cylindrical towers on its four faces carrying powerful plasma cannons that could fire toward

the bow, toward the stern, or away from the ship in almost any direction. At the very bow was the

relatively slender cylindrical module, 1 by 1 by 3 units, that carried the n-dimensional shield

generator and the main sensor array. The bridge was buried within the weapons module, where

it was best shielded both from outside attack and from the radiation generated by the plasma

cannons. The design was both tough and surprisingly maneuverable the lightness combined

with strength of the armor plates greatly helped there.

Three thousand Standard Cubits or four thousand five hundred Standard Feet: that was

the overall length of a Hunter. Definitely not a threat to take lightly.

The air-sea-space-capable fighter in which Ashrey was sitting, fully clothed in her ANT,was attached to the bottom of the upper plate. It and the other fighters attached to the inner plate

surfaces served as additional weapons platforms before launch and as additional assault craft

when launched.

The Kayai ships, fighters and crews accompanied the entire SDFa hundred ships of the

line with their support vesselsplus an entire sector battle group of the Deep Space Services

Fleet Wing. That meant one mobile Elyon-class Deep Space Station, the Nimbus, and all its

supporting craft: twelve Cherub-class Surveyors, twenty-fourSeraph-class Warriors and forty-

eightMalakh-class Corvettes. It also included a large number of Gazelle II-class Couriers, led

overall by theHind of the Dawn.

Alain Harpers Courier.




Alain, like all Lightchildren heretofore, was a flesh-and-blood Adami given the Divine

Power called the White Hand: Nine Gifts, beginning with the Gift of Light granted by the Dove,

and then eight other supernatural Gifts attached to the normal Adami thought processes. The

White Hand granted a thousand years of agelessly youthful, temporal life in the flesh, after which

the Lightchild would inherit the eternal Destiny of Man along with his normal Adami peers.

Indeed only the Adamim, mortal or Lightchild, could inherit the Destiny of Man, as they

alone were truly created in the image of the Hooded Man. Everyone else had a different Destinythrough the Hooded Mans reconciliation, even the Enoshimlet alone non-Humans like the

Kayaim.

The difference of Destinies was striking, crucial, timeline-shaping. Adamim could partake

of the Hooded Mans own divine, fully spiritual nature when their mortal days ended. No one else

could. Everyone elses kind of immortal inheritance was different by design, and that design

served a great and beneficent purpose in the Hooded Man s plans for the Metacosmos.

Non-Adami mortals became dual-phase immortals after death: half-spiritual, half-material,

like the state of the Archons by creation. Dual-phase beings could share in the ongoing physical

life of the Metacosmos in a way even the Children of God in Power did not, while yet drawing

upon formidable supernatural powers as rooted in the quantum vacuum.

By far, the vast majority of non-Adamim appreciated the Hooded Mans plans and

submitted to them joyfully their Destinies had some definite advantages. But some mortal and

immortal beings were intensely jealous of the Adamim and their Destiny, and their intended

dominion over all other living things, and were determined to overcome them and their Lords

plans for them by any means possible.

Such a group of beings was coming to meet the Combined Force at that very moment.

They commanded and crewed an unknown but very large number of Adventuress-classWarbirds, at three thousand cubits long apiece about as large and massive as a Hunter. And the

alliesmilitary intelligencesuch as it was the Hooded Man wasnt going to just hand that

information to them on a platterhad it that a Warbird was much better armed and defended

than a Hunter, that it could go toe-to-toe even with a Surveyor.

What in the name of all thats holy am I doing here?

* * * * *

Whynotyou, Princess?

Daniel Weathermore, Dean of the Academy of Light on Mahealani, sat behind his desk

facing Alain and Ashrey as they sat in chairs before him. Daniels office was large, comfortable,

well-furnished as befit his station, but not ostentatious in any way. It was late in the working day,

but Daniel was prepared to carry this meeting on as long as his guests needed him to.

But surely there are many other Enoshim of both genders who the Hooded Man can

pick

True, but none who were primed to bond with the Undying Singer as you did when you

met him. Theres a deeper reality behind the existence of each of you than you know just yet.

And you're not ready to hear it.

WhenwillI be ready?




Youll be ready when the Hooded Man opens your mind to it. I myself don t know the

secret. I only know that it exists and that its one of the most important in all creation for us

Lightchildren.

So this secret,said Ashrey, means that I and I only among my people will ever become

a Lightchild?

Yes. Youre the only Enoshi who ever can or ever will and you ll understand the reasonfor that in time too. This much I can say: its coupled to why Alain Harper is the heir of the

Hooded Man Himself in his office.

I see. Or IthinkI see. So youre saying that weredestinedto marry?

Yes. Its just a good thing that you can grow to love each other so deeply and

passionately and that you both recognize it. From a certain point of view, you always have. And

thatparable youll understand later as well.

In the end, all of Ashreys counselors agreed: she should stay with the Kayai Pack untilher term of service was donetwo years of it all toldand then become a Lightchild bound to a

Sentry afterwards. And after that, shed be free to marry Alain and theyd both be free to spend

their Best Year, the twelve-month honeymoon commanded in the Book of the Covenants, at

Harpers Abode.

But what if I get killed between now and then?Ashrey asked Alain afterward. As an

Enoshi, I have a fleshly agelessness of my own, but I m not deathless.

Youll just have to trust that the Hooded Man knows what Hes doing in your life and will

protect you,Alain replied. Youll have me close by most of the time and I havent lost any of my

mortal charges yet. Im not about to loseyou. Meanwhile, love, try not to rub your nose too

deeply in war. Itll hurt your ability to live the rest of your life in peace.

But if I become a Lightchild, then Ill still have to fight from time to time, just as you do.

And that was true enough: Alain was not only a Starbard Level Five, but a Blademaster Level

Five, a Special Ambassador and a special warrior combined.

Wait until you see how we fightespecially howI fight. Our powers and our skills have

their special strengths and weaknesses for a reason. We can do no more and no less than

whats required to help a given situation work out for the best. Minimal harm, maximal

effectiveness. We dont use the proverbial rod of iron unless we have to. When we do, wealways win sooner or laterusually sooner.

So this time with the Pack is a training ground for me. And I foresaw the need accurately

but vaguely as we Nefis can when we face a challenge. The Lightchildren, some of them, learn

war so that others dont have to. And one day Ill walk that path as wellso that my people and

the Kayaim might learn to trust the Hooded Man and His chief servants more than they do.

All fighters, this is the bridge,said a female voice in Kayaic via the ANT s internal

speakers: theTananasFirst Officer. Bring your weapons online and your engines to standby.

Be ready to launch upon our command.

Acknowledged.




Then the enemy fleets been sighted. Were going to sublight now to engage it.

The enemy fleet was enormousat least a thousand times more numerous than all the

vessels in the Combined Force that faced it. Data coming from the bridge of the Tananaproved

it.

Where in the Realms did all those ships comefrom?

The home base or bases of the enemy fleet was something unknown to Fleet Intelligence

and to the Fleets allies as well. With any grace,Alain had said encouragingly before the

Combined Force departed, well learn something about thatwhen we engage the enemy.

Youre that certain well win?

I know of no sin we have thats so serious as to disqualify us from being helped by Him.

Were under His grace, now as always. Theyll have their numbers, their jealousies and their

aces in the hole. But well have courage, skill and faith on our side and our special

technologies too. And we Lightchildrenespecially mewill help protect the rest of you.

Remember: well all haveno more and no less than what the Hooded Man judges we need to

win.

Ashrey smiled despite the tension within her. Those crazy Undying Singer jokeswere

out there in public circulation for a reason. Some of them allegedly were not that great an

extension of the truth. Alain had given her a few examples for comparison.

Space is expanding because its afraid to be on the same planet with the Undying

Singer.That was one of his examples! He has a unique power over space, time and

causalityand thats not even his ultimate weapon At Need. How can an Adami wield such

potential power without becoming megalomaniacal?

In the very asking, Ashrey knew, and that knowledge awakened in her a longing to receive

the Gift of the Dove that Alain had and everything that went with it. It was a longing more painful

than wounding, more compelling than fear of death.

Like Yochanan ha-Matbil in the Book of the Covenants, I had the Dove and its Gift of

Light even in my mothers womb. I know what I am, what the Lord of the Realms is, and the vast

differencebetween the two. And seldom has the Lord allowed me to forget it for long. He

corrects me in love, and in just measure. And on rare occasions Hes given me just enough rope

to hang myself.

Maybe thats why some mortals are allowed to fight: in order to learn that lesson. If ever

there were a day when we could have enough rope to hang ourselves, its today. And only the

Lightchildren can save us from the noose, the Lord willing.

Ashrey blessed the name of the Lord Joshua Davidson, the Hooded Man, for bringing that

truth to her awareness. It made all her fears melt away.

They might not even know yet that Alains hereelse they might well be surrendering

already. And if theydontsurrender when they learnwell,deus ex machinaat the Undying

Singers hands would be a bad way to end most space operas, but not a bad way to end this

space battle.

Practical pacifism.




All ships, this is Alain Harper,said a voice that thrilled Ashrey when she heard it. The

Lord of the Realms has granted me the full power of the White Hand Within Measure at Need.

Its as I suspected: this fleet was meant only to challenge battle, not to win it. The battle is the

Lords and at the right time, Hell deliver this host into our hands. But we must fight in battle first

all the same. Our foes wont surrender this time, not even to me.

The Undying Singers words proved true when the Nimbusgave the formal challenge,

short and to the point.

Surrender or die.

That challenge always meant one thing: the Undying Singer was thereand the Power of

his Lord with him.

The Warbirdsonly response was to open fire with their forward-looking laser cannons.

Only the front-line ships of their formation fired, but those alone could tear an entire sector fleet

apart in short order. And the lasers werent the most powerful weapons the Warbirds were

rumored to have.

Some Warbirds advanced on the allied fleet, firing all the way, in order to bring those more

powerful weapons to bear: the plasma cannons on their port and starboard sides. These were

parabolic dishes, three in a row per side, flush with the hull. With these they could strike enemy

ships on either side of them as they passed between them.

Dont worry, darling,Alain said on the way here. Theyll plan to shatter our formation or,

failing that, to englobe it. Once were in the midst of them, either way, their fate is sealedand

we may even get a captured Warbird to examine out of it.

All fighters, prepare to fire broadsides at the nearest Warbird.

Here we go.

The pulsed lasers of one of the Warbirds washed over the forward shields of the Tanana.

Then the Warbirds plasma beams impacted on the Hunter s starboard side, where Ashrey was,

as the two ships passed. Ashrey saw the plasma beams fired by the Tananahit the jet-black hull

of the Warbird and be absorbed by them. The lasers fired by her fighter and the others to

starboard likewise were absorbed harmlessly.

They put shacharite on their hulls?Shacharite was as black as any substance could be,could absorb any radiation that fell on it, transmit it throughout its surface area, and reradiate it

as black body radiation. A ship so protected almost didn tneedn-shields, was all but

invulnerable to anything that didnt actually cause major momentum change in the target

Where did they get all that shacharite? Their growing farms alone must be gigantic. But

whereare they?

The artificially intelligent computers on the bridge of theTananasaw what happened and

adjusted immediately. The Hunters main weapons, three towersworth, quickly came to bear on

the Warbirds three starboard plasma cannon dishes and smashed them.

Thatll teach them to run with their shields up!




But that Warbird quickly passed, and its weapons had drained the Hunter s n-shields

seriously. Ten more Warbirds were firing on the Hunter now with their forward lasers, while the

Tananadesperately fired back at them. Once the Hunter s shields collapsed, as they would

within seconds, its foes would tear the ship to shreds. Any fighters that launched now would be

shredded too.

There was nowhere to go, no way to better the odds save perhaps by a suicide run. And

every ship in the Combined Force was now facing similar odds or worse. Even the moon-sizedNimbuswould be facing a veritable locust plague of attackers by now.

Ashofarthe mightyanakkind, a carved and tuned antelope hornsounded over the

intercom of every ship of the Combined Force.

In the name of the Lord Joshua Davidson: Let there be Light! Banish the Darkness!

Alain!

And just to make sure, every other Lightchild that could recited the last seven words with

him, prayerfully, powerfully. Ashrey could perceive that, through her objective Nefi intuition.

And for one unforgettable moment, the Ring of Stars turned into a negative print.

* * * * * * * * * *

Johanan Rakkav is the Hebrew pen name (anglicized King James Version-style) of a very

busy Nefi (ENFP on the Myers-Briggs grid). Besides being a consultant in Christian apologetics,

he is the editor and co-publisher of the book THE MUSIC OF THE BIBLE REVEALED by the late

Suzanne Haik-Vantoura (rakkav.com/biblemusic), a singer-songwriter who plays the piano,synthesizer, Celtic harp and ten-stringed Hebrew lyre (kinnor), a lifelong lover of the natural

sciences (especially astronomy) and of speculative fiction, an enthusiast of personality type

models, and (as Jack Shepherd) the co-author of the medieval fantasy/allegorical SF book

REALMWALKERS (tiaera.blogspot.com). His fictional Metacosmos is featured on several Web

sites (chiefly portaloflight.wordpress.com).


22/61

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23/61Jarkko Pylvasars of the Cat


Tears of the Cat

Jarkko Pylvs

Once upon a time, there was a cat with gray fur and green eyes that shone like emeralds.

This cat had sharper than sharp nails and teeth. This particular cat sharpened its nails against

the streets of the city and this cat kept its teeth sharp by hunting mice, of which there were

plenty in this particular city.

This particular cat had this specific feature in its character: When the sharpest edge of the

crescent of the new moon was seen in the sky, this cat rose up in the middle of the night, mewed

in a melancholic way, and then wandered far away from the city lights to a shadowy heath, which

was surrounded by massive oaks. Every time this cat arrived in this heath, it had peculiar habits:

first it licked its gray fur clean and then it started a melancholic mewing concert, and finally it

shed its tears: two tears from the left eye and one tear from the right eye . The melancholic

meowing concert of this particular cat was heard in almost every corner of the eastern district of

this particular city, but the licking of the gray fur and shedding of the tears of this cat was known

only by very few. And those very few who knew were especially astonished

that this cat shed tears, because cats never cry with tears the way human beings do.

When I first heard about the peculiar phenomenon of the tears of the cat, I felt a strong

need to witness this phenomenon with my own eyes. Otherwise, I refused to believe this story.

So, the next time the sharpest edge of the crescent of the new moon was seen in the sky, I, too,

walked far away from the city lights to this shadowy heath, which was surrounded by massive

oaks. I hid behind the oaks and kept my appearance by the side of the shadowy heath a secret. I

visited this shadowy heath three times. The first time I saw this peculiar phenomenon, I didn't

believe my eyes, and I thought I was dreaming. And the second time I visited this heath, I still

believed this phenomenon of the cat with tears was only a dream. But when I saw the same

thing during my third visit to this heath, I finally believed my eyes. This particular cat really shed

its tears I couldn't deny this anymore.

I visited this heath a fourth time. During this fourth visit, I gathered my courage and

revealed my appearance to the cat just a moment before the cat was going to shed its tears. And

I asked the cat a direct question: "Why do you shed your tears, two tears from the left eye and




one tear from the right eye,every time the sharpest edge of the crescent of new moon is seen in

the sky?" At the same time that I pointed this question to the cat, I took out a pen and a pad and,

in this way, showed the cat I was ready to write down its answer to my question.

At first, it seemed the cat had no intention of answering my question, because it grabbed

my pen and pad with its paws, and it seemed, at first, as if it was only playing with them. But

soon I noticed this was truly a very serious game. My astonishment was rather great, when I

noticed this particular cat started to write with my pen in front of me clear sentences on the pad

by using the language of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, which I happened to have studied among

other subjects within my academic career. Soon I learned the cat was telling me an amazing

story with these Egyptian hieroglyphs, which I later translated to English so you, my dearest

reader, could read this story and learn amazing things from it.

This is the authentic story told by the cat.

Hatred of the Pharaoh

Nowadays, I'm only a stray tomcat with shaggy, gray fur, who is searching for its daily

meals in among the garbage of the streets of the city, but I tell you now a great secret: I'm not

just any tomcat, but in fact I am the Immortal Cat, former King of the Empire of Cats in Egyptia.

My Name is Nedjem. It is an Egyptian name and means "The Lovely One." Even though my life

is nowadays only a shadow compared to my former life and I don't rule my empire anymore, I

still have my pride of the times of old. I am immortal, I have already lived thousands of years,

and there are thousands of years yet to come in my life. In the ancient times, my fur was black,

but during the centuries I have lived, it has become gray. I shed my tears for the sharpest edge

of the crescent of the new moon because it once brought me the greatest misfortune of all time.

In ancient days, I lived on the soil of Egypt, to which the river Nile gave a prosperous

harvest year after year. I lived there for thousands of years and ruled my empire of cats there in

a righteous way. Over the centuries, I saw my empire grow as mighty as the empire of men and

women in Egypt. In those ancient days, cats still spoke the language of Egypt and walked on

earth upright on two legs just like human beings. Cats formed a great nation on the soil of Egypt,

which practiced great commerce between men and women and the cats of Egypt. The

occupation of the cats of Egypt was commerce, but at the same time, the men and women of

Egypt were enslaved, occupied with agriculture, handicraft, and constructions of various kinds.

The Pharaoh ruled the empire of men and women in Egypt with great authority just as I, Nedjem,




ruled the empire of cats.

Year after year, I saw my empire grow in political power and economic riches. In those

days, I saw there was in my royal treasury diamonds and emeralds and rubies and sapphires

and pearls and jewels of practically every color known to men and women and cats. My spouse,

Bastet, the Lady of Sothis-Star, who was recognized in the hearts and minds of the people of

Egypt as the Goddess of Joy, had in those days the custom of bathing in a bathtub full of pearls.

The nation of men and women of Egypt respected us and were afraid of us.

There came a day that the success of my prosperous nation of cats on the soil of Egypt

started to seem more prosperous than the nation of men and women on the soil of Egypt, which

was ruled by the Pharaoh. When the Pharaoh realized this with his own eyes, hatred against the

nation of cats started to rule his heart. Pharaoh began to think there could be only one great king

on the soil of Egypt and this could only be, of course, the Pharaoh himself. At the same time, the

number of mice in the royal granaries, in which was stored crop grain that the men and women

of Egypt used for making the bread for themselves, started to increase with alarming speed.

During those days, a rather cunning idea crossed the mind of the old ruler Pharaoh, which he

decided to use in order to solve two problems at the same time. So, it happened that the

Pharaoh, the old ruler of men and women of Egypt, began to plot against Nedjem, the Immortal

Cat.

Just like mine, the Pharaoh's Ba-soul was immortal and his Ka-spirit had lived for

thousands of years. Because of this, the Pharaoh's first official ruler name was Living Horus, the

Son of Osiris, the Immortal. But the Pharaoh, the ruler of the men and women of Egypt, also had

a very peculiar characteristic. Over the years and decades and centuries of his rule, his bones

would become old and feeble and his physical body would begin to yearn for the silence of the

grave. By contrast, the Pharaoh's Ba-soul and Ka-spirit wished to continue living and remaining

vitally and so, they transmigrated from one body to another. And so, the Pharaoh's faces

changed myriads times over the centuries just like an ancient snake which sheds its skin again

and again. Or, just like the Phoenixthe Fire Bird of the Greeks, which rises from the ashes.

Each time the old Pharaoh experienced the death of his physical body, Pharaoh's Ba-soul

flew like a bird. At the same time, his Ka-spirit walked as a shadow next to a new and fresh

bodyusually the body belonging to the oldest son of the Pharaohand made its nest there. At

the same time, the Ba-soul of the Pharaoh's oldest son escaped from this body to Imentet, the




dwelling place of the dead in Western Lands. Because the ruler of men and women of Egypt, the

old Pharaoh, was in this way at the same time immortal and mortal, he had a second official ruler

name, Son of Ra, the Son of the Sun, because his name always withered from the books of the

living one during the evening of his old age, but also always rose with the joy of youth in a fresh

body the morning following the death of his old body, just like the Sun, which declines as old in

the evening and rises young in the morning.

Because of this transmigration of Pharaoh's Ba-soul and Ka-Spirit from one body to

another, the Pharaoh had a third official ruler name, which was each time the same name as that

of the body, where Pharaoh's Ba-soul and Ka-spirit would make a new nest for themselves. This

third official ruler name of the Pharaoh was only the name of his mortal body and not that of his

immortal Ba-soul or immortal Ka-spirit. At the time, that hatred against the empire of cats started

to rule the Pharaoh's heart, the Pharaoh's Ba-soul and Ka-spirit had made a nest in the body

whose name was Pharaoh Thutmosis III.

Pharaoh Thutmosis III accomplished tremendous noble deeds and military feats of valor.

He conquered large territories, which made Egypt the most powerful empire of humans on the

shores of the Mediterranean. In those days, the empire of cats practiced only the peaceful

conduct of trade and never war. The Pharaoh could not subordinate cats under his throne,

because the mighty priests of the temples of Egypt forbade the use of violence against a nation

which did not use violence. So, instead of warfare the Pharaoh decided to employ a clever

scheme in order to conquer the empire of cats and its emperor Nedjem, me. Pharaoh Thutmosis

III asked me, Nedjem, The Immortal Cat, to participate in a bet over a matter of honor, who is the

wisest person on the soil of Egypt. Because I viewed myself as more wise than the Pharaoh, I

accepted his proposition and promised to participate in the bet.

In those days, my royal palace was situated in Memphis, in Lower Egypt, on the lower

stream of the River Nile. Likewise, the royal palace of the Pharaoh was situated in Theba, in

Upper Egypt, on the upper stream of the River Nile. The Pharaoh sent his messenger from

Theba to give his message to me in Memphis. The message was written with hieroglyphs on

papyrus, and of course, I could interpret those hieroglyphs. The Pharaoh said in his letter that he

urgently wanted to meet me in person in Theba and the reason for this meeting was most

serious. He suggested we should meet at the precise time the sharpest edge of the crescent of

new moon would next be seen in the night sky.

I accepted the proposition of the old Pharaoh and sent my own messenger to tell the




news.

Moustache or Beard?

Asthe time the sharpest edge of the crescent of new moon drew near, I started my trip to

Theba, the Upper Egypt, the upper stream of the River Nile. I chose to travel there with my old

friend, Sebek the Old Crocodile of the River Nile. I traveled specially on his back. During the long

trip, weSebek and Iboth were extra cautious because of the hippos, which symbolized in

those days the powers of Kaos for both men and the cats of Egypt. During our trip together with

my dear friend Sebek, I made sharp notice that the frogs were more active than usual and that

they croaked in extraordinarily loud voice.

This can mean only one thing: It shall soon rain, commented my old friend Sebek.

At Theba, our destination, where we arrived just a moment before the sharpest edge of

the crescent of new moon was seen in the sky, we found the old Pharaoh nearby his royal

palace, standing deep in his thoughts and at the same time observing and contemplating the

constellations of stars in the night sky. After we had perceived the presence of the old Pharaoh,

my old friend Sebek dove deep into the depths of the River Nile while I myself walked as silently

as I could with my silent cat-steps toward the old Pharaoh. When the Pharaoh perceived my own

presence, he first looked surprised for a moment, but then greeted me in an eloquent and

friendly manner.

You the Immortal Cat, Nedjem, You who are the Lovely One himself, You whose steps

are lively and agile, your fur is like a Black Pearl polished by the Moon Beam. Your eyes are

green like the emeralds. Your moustache is white like the diamond.Your tongue is red like the

ruby. You, the more clever than the clever hunter. You who sharpen your nails to the diamond

and eat eagerly the dainty. You whose mewing makes the Star Sothis start its annual rise, You

who enchant even the stars of the night sky, You-who-love-the-peace-more-than-anything-else,

You the most powerful merchant of Upper and Lower Egypts, You the Noble Deity, I greet you!

I answered to him, the old Pharaoh, with the same measurement.

You, the Strong Ox who rose from Theba, You who go eagerly to battle and never

surrender, You whose hand grabs the bow and arrows and whose arrows never fail to hit the

target, You who stands out straight because of your enormous courage, You who trample your

enemies under your sandals, You whose eyes investigate all the living creatures on Earth, You

the steady ruler like the Ra on the sky, You the Golden Horus, strong in strength, The King of




Upper and Lower Egypts, Thutmosis, the Lover of Amun-Ra, I greet you!

I thank you, oh Immortal Cat. Now I shall share with you the secret of why I wanted to

meet you under this sharpest edge of the crescent of the new moon , said the old Pharaoh.

So tell me, O Son of Ra, I answered.

Are you aware of the debate, which has started just lately in the minds of cats and men

on the soil of Egypt, O Immortal Cat? The debate is concerned with the matter of who on the soil

of Egypt is more wise and more clever in wisdom: is it the old Pharaoh Thutmosis or is it

Nedjem, the King of Cats? Are you ready to measure the depths of this matter, O Immortal Cat?

I am fully and completely ready to take part in this debate, O Son of Ra .

So we shall compete, O Immortal Cat Nedjem. The contest shall be held with three

mysteries, three riddles, three questions. I shall ask you, one by one, the three questions and

you will have to know the right answer to each and every one of these three questions. If you will

know, one by one, the right answers to each and every question, I lose and you shall have

enormous glory. But if you fail to give me the right answers, I win and you are defeated. I assure

you that in this competition, a wrong answer is fatal each and every time. With every question,

the loser shall be brought in shame before all of Egypt, but the winner shall be prized with a

special seal of wisdom. So, are you ready for the first riddle, O King of the Cats?

I'm ready when you are, O Son of Ra. But tell me first, what is this seal of wisdom

connected to the first riddle?I answered.

The first seal of wisdom is either the moustache of yours or the beard of mine, O King

of Cats. If you fail this first contest, you will lose your moustache, the symbol of your wisdom. On

the other hand, if I fail, I will lose my beard, the symbol of my wisdom, said the old Pharaoh.

I understand. So, tell me the first of those three riddles, O Living Horus, said I.

So it shall be. Let us compete, O Immortal Cat. Take sharp notice of this: The sacrificial

flame shall soon be ignited for the god Khonsu, the God of the Moon in the temple nearby. This

shall happen exactly the same time as the sharpest edge of the crescent of new moon appears

on the night sky from its hiding place behind the clouds. This is the first riddle. Which way do you

believe: does the smoke from the sacrificial flame rise up towards the sky or does it descend

down to the ground?

The task is most delightfully easy, O Living Horus. During my trip from my palace in

Memphis to your palace here in Theba I noticed the frogs of the River Nile were croaking in the

most lively way. This can mean only one thing in my personal experience: There is a

thunderstorm coming very soon. And I also know that before the rain comes and particularly

before a thunderstorm, the smoke always descends to the ground and does not rise towards the

heights, O Son of Ra,I explained to the old Pharaoh.




Is this your final answer, O Your Highness the Immortal Cat,asked the old Pharoah one

more time.

My answer is: The smoke descends to the ground and does not rise towards the

heights,I answered the Pharoah.

Let us see, said the Pharaoh.

And at the very next blink of an eye the sacrificial flame was ignited. And soon it was

clearly seen that the smoke from this sacrificial flame did not rise towards the highs, but

descended to the ground instead.

The way I see it, O Son of Ra, you have just lost your beard,I said to the old Pharaoh.

Yes, quite right, O Immortal Cat, said the Pharaoh just a second before he quickly cut

his beard off with a dagger.

Beardless Pharaoh!,I managed to laugh a bit, but at the very same blink of an eye I

witnessed how the old Pharaoh placed the artificial royal beard to the very same spot on his

face, where the real royal beard had been situated just a moment before. After this, the old

Pharaoh said to me with a fierce look of immense rage in his eyes:

You won this time, O Immortal Cat, but the competition is not quite over yet. Let me

remind you that the next contest between us shall be held here when the sharpest edge of the

crescent of the next new moon is seen on the face of the darkness of the night sky. I expect to

see you here next time, O immortal Cat. But now I must wish you a safe trip and good night.

Right after the old Pharaoh had said this, he disappeared quickly like a ghost to the

shadowy labyrinth of his royal palace.

It wasn't long after this a thunderstorm started with heavy rain. Soon also, my dear friend

Sebek,the Old Crocodile of Nile, rose from the depths of the River Nile to its banks. Sebek had

made good use of his time by making an umbrella from the leaves of the papyrus plant, which

was found in many places on the riverbanks. I placed the umbrella over my head, grateful for the

services of my dear friend Sebek, and we started the trip back home to Memphis, Lower Egypt,

on the lower stream of the River Nile.

The Old Wizard

After few weeks from our first meeting, the old Pharaoh sent me a message of

hieroglyphs written on papyrus, which was brought to my palace and given to me by one of the




Pharaoh's most trusted messengers. In the message, the old Pharaoh told me the next riddle

was more demanding than the previous one and also that the stakes were higher this time. He

wrote:The winner shall win nine lives for each and every one of the individuals of his nation,

whether it be human beings or cats, but the loser loses his immortality and status of deity.The

competition had gone this far when I finally realized this game was truly very serious and there

was no way of turning back, because quitting now would be regarded as cowardly, and

cowardice was the one thing I could never accept in my own conduct.

I discussed this serious matter with my old friend Sebek the Old Crocodile of Nile, and he

suggested we seek the counsel of an adviser to help with the problem. Sebek told me that he

knew an old wizard who happened to live on a deserted island in the stream of the River Nile. He

said this old wizard's island was situated about halfway between Memphis and Theba, about ten

miles from the city of Khumnin, which the Greeks called Hermopolis.

I accepted my friend Sebek's suggestion. Sebek and I both thought the use of a special

adviser was allowable, because it is wise to avail oneself of the wisdom of the others. Sebek

also told me this old wizard was recognized as one of the Seven Wise Men,who inherited the

wisdom of the world in the beginning of days. No one knew how old he was only he himself

knew this. And it was also said on the banks of the River Nile that this old wizard was given

advice into his oracles straight from the god of wisdom of Egypt himself, Thoth, the Royal Ibis

Bird.

Without hesitating, Sebek and I left Memphis for Hermopolis and the island of the old

wizard. I traveled on the back of my friend while he swam against the current of the River Nile.

We arrived at the wizard's island at just about the time when the full moon hypnotized with its

pale shining all the living creatures of nature. When moonlight polished my black fur, I rose onto

the banks of the wizard's island with silent cat-steps.

Suddenly I was already in front of the door of the old wizard's hut. I knocked on the door

and heard a voice from inside the hut. The voice advised me to come inside. So, I went inside

the hut, which within was decorated in the most ascetic way. I saw no furniture at all except for a

fireplace with a fire and the wizard sitting on the dirt floor next to it. The wizard was dressed in

shabby cloth, which hid his face completely. The old wizard welcomed me in a friendly way and

suggested I sit on the floor by the fireplace like him. I greeted the old wizard and sat down just as

he advised me to.




What has brought you here, O Immortal Cat?,the old wizard started the conversation.

I told him my story truthfully and also asked him for an oracle, which would give me the

right answer to the old Pharaoh's riddle. After I had told him this much, the old wizard sat in silent

peace for a moment. Then he took an Acacia twig and pricked his thumb with the thorn. Bloodflew from the wound. He put his wounded thumb in his mouth and in this way, he was given a

revelation.

Soon after the old wizard said:

The Wings of the Night fly based on reflections of the voice and not reflections of the eyes.

I thanked the old wizard for the oracle and left his hut. I walked into the darkness of the

night polished by moonlight.

Immortality

As the time the sharpest edge of the crescent of the new moon drew nearer, Sebek and I

left the royal palace in Memphis and headed for Pharaoh's royal palace in Theba, upper stream

of the River Nile. I traveled once again on the back of my old friend Sebek, while he swam

against the current. During our trip, we were extra cautious because of the hippos and the

powers of Kaos, which they symbolized. At the same time, I noticed how the bats were flying in

the air in the most lively manner this late hour of night. I also noticed the bats hunted dragonflies

in the darkness of night with utmost skill. I recollected the words of the old wizard and anticipated

that the second riddle of the old Pharaoh would deal with bats.

A moment before the sharpest edge of the crescent of the new moon was seen in the

darkness of the night sky, my old friend Sebek accompanied me to the papyrus rushes of the

banks of River Nile near the royal palace of the old Pharaoh. At the same time I ascended onto

dry land, Sebek dove deep into the depths of the River Nile. I walked with silent cat's steps

towards the palace of the old Pharaoh. This time also, I found the old Pharaoh deep in his

thoughts and at the same time contemplating the constellations of stars in the night sky. When

the old Pharaoh noticed me, this time also he seemed surprised to see me before him. We

greeted each other in a polite manner. After this, the old Pharaoh said to me these words.

I have invited you here to take part in truly a superb competition. O Immortal Cat, the




winner of todays competition shall win nine lives for each and every individual of his nation, but

the loser shall lose his immortality and the status of deity. Are you ready to compete? Are you

ready to hear the second riddle, O Immortal Cat?

I am ready, O Living Horus. So, tell me the second riddle, I answered.

Suddenly the old Pharaoh snapped his fingers and next his servant brought a bundle of

cloth to us.

After this the words of Pharaoh were:

I know your eyes are sensitive in the dark, indeed you have night vision, O immortal

Cat! For your emerald green eyes night is as clear as the brightest day. But look at this, O

immortal Cat! This bundle of cloth contains a bat, a spirit of the night, which my servant has

caught alive. The eyes of the bat have been blindfolded with a tight bandage so the bat can't see

anything. When the sharpest edge of the crescent of new moon is seen soon in the sky, my

servant will open the bundle of cloth. My second riddle is: Do you believe this bat will rise on its

wings and catch a dragonfly from the air even though the bandage has not been removed from

its eyes? What shall be your answer, O Immortal Cat?

I recalled the words of the old wizard and answered:

I believe you, O Immortal Horus. I know bats have a mysterious skill. The wings of the

night fly based on reflections of the voice and not reflections of the eyes.

Is this your final answer, O Immortal Cat?,asked the Pharaoh one more time.

My answer is: The bat, whose eyes are blindfolded with the bandage, will easily catch

the dragonfly from the air.

Let us see, said the old Pharaoh.

At the very next second, the sharpest edge of the crescent of new moon showed itself,

appeared from its hiding place behind the clouds of the night sky. And at the very same moment

the servant of the old Pharaoh released the bat from the bundle of cloth. Both of us, the old

Pharaoh and I, saw next how the bat first rose on its wings and soon after hunted a dragonfly

from the air successfully.

I have won!,I pointed out to the old Pharaoh with my heart full of relief and joy.

Truly, O Immortal Cat. You have earned nine lives for each and every individual of your

kind, the nation of cats in Egypt, said the old Pharaoh.




Now you say the word of truth, O mortal Son of Ra. Your words are truthful just like the

moon, which first increases in size and then accomplishes its full and brightest figure, but finally

disappears behind the shadows. Your words are just as truthful as the fact the sun will sink

beneath the blue line of the horizon. They are just as truthful as the fact one day your physical

body will start to long for the silence of the grave, and very soon after that, you will experience

how your Ba-soul shall depart from your body like a bird and how your Ka-spirit will follow this

bird like a shadow next to it. Together they will journey the inaccessible trip to the Imentet, the

dwelling place of the noble dead in the Western Lands. If you accomplish this long and difficult

trip to the Imentet, your Ba-soul and Ka-spirit will be united with Ba-soul and Ka-spirit of the

Immortal Osiris. But beware, O mortal Son of Ra: If I'm by your side, when your Ba-soul departs

from your body like a bird, you will see I will seek to catch this bird, because it's in the nature of

cats to catch birds!

Your words are all trustworthy and truthful, O Immortal Cat. My bones are already very

old because of the decades they have seen and I know I don't have much time in this old and

wretched body anymore. But nevertheless, I tell you now our competition in wisdom is not over

yet. There still remains the third riddle, which I will reveal just a moment before the sharpest

edge of the crescent of the next new moon shows itself next time in the darkness of the night

sky. I ask you to be here again at that time so we will be able to finish this business once and for

all. Now I wish you a safe journey and good night.

When the old Pharaoh had said these words, he disappeared quickly like a ghost into the

dark labyrinth of his royal palace. Soon after this, my old friend Sebek, the Old Crocodile rose up

from the depths of the River Nile onto its banks. I rose up on the back of Sebek, and we started

our trip back home my palace in Memphis. The bats were still flying in the air in the most lively

manner. The crescent of the new moon had risen in the darkness of the night sky and we saw

the bright Sothis Star, which the Greeks called Sirius, had risen high and was in a very visible

position.

the cross and the cosmos - issue 12

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