Under the Light of the Earth

Chapter 1- Child Prophet Grown Up

The child prophet sat in the temple with a thousand floors, surrounded by children who had climbed to him.

He was upon the thousandth floor and did not fear the fall.

The dream of the child prophet was thus, that everyone should fear evil.

How will you know evil when you see it?

That is what they asked.

This he answered:

"Evil will be a man with a snake in his belly."

And then, he died.

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Usagi University, Wellstown, Sea of Tranquility, 0300 hours moon time. Thirteenth of Lunar June.

Sgt Mitchell Wim was the only graduate in the university who was a master athlete in Moon Golf.

That was because there was no such thing as moon golf. It was called Golf. But since he was one of the few people on campus born on earth, it felt different to him.

Sgt Mitchell Wim was only technically a Sergeant. He hadn't served in a decade. He was without immediate sign of injury. A wealthy man with military rank who was not a member of the colonial forces, these things identified him instantly.

They meant that he had been a member of the 'Child Prophet's 600 disciples' club, and had earned the rank of Sergeant at about seven years old.

Anyone who had been a member of the CP6DC, or the Capsidac, was automatically exempt from employment for life and was subsidised by an Earth Sponsor.

The moon itself was essentially run by Earth sponsors, as per the treaty at the end of the first Satellite War, or as the veterans facetiously called it, the 'Hey Diddle Diddle'. Even though earth had lost that war, earth people still owned a large amount of land on the moon.

Sgt Mitchell was a war hero in that war because at the age of ten he had predicted a tactical strike on the Heart of Wellstown, the Capital City of the Sea of Tranquility. Predicted and prevented it.

The Capital remained grateful to this very day.

Having peaked rather early, he was now forced to occupy the rest of his life with idle wanderings, and had visited and graduated more than once from all four Lunar Universities. But he liked Usagi Uni campus the best, the Japanese gardens were often sublime, and perfect for playing golf on, even if the custodians got very cross at him.

They were unlikely to complain to their superiors about the idle annoyances of a Hey Diddle Diddle War Hero. Even less so a sergeant. And a Capsidac? A capsidac takes what he wants, and he deserves it.

Mitchell Wim was playing golf, and was up to his ninth hole, when his nurse arrived. Well, not his nurse anymore. His wife, now. But Morphea Jarhas-Wim was striding in his direction in a very familiar Nurse-like way.

"My dear, you've been summoned by the Viceroy Pen-Lunar."

Mitchell raised an eyebrow.

"Oh what is it this time? More baby kissing? They ought to just put me up on a big billboard. Welcome to Wellstown, we're named after the greatest Science Fiction mind in history but we've also got a precocious little snot living here?"

"It's about Oscar, dear."

Mitchell Wim dropped his golf club. It landed with a slow thunk.

"My life is about Oscar, Morphea. If they're admitting it now, we must be in real trouble."