Hex Cycle III: Primary Scenes

Tome of The Sixth Sun — Lunacy Trilogy Book III

Orbit of Marz

Zaghah stood beside Prætor Omnoz on the broad observation deck of the Lunatyx’ lead ship — Tryztezzah. The ship was so dubbed due to the immeasurable sadness and shame that trailed along with the Lunatyx since they had sabotaged the inner core of Earth’s moon and ruptured it. Nevertheless, their memories recalled there had been little alternative. It was either that, or continuing life under the tyrannical rule of Imperium Terrenum. Which is why they took up arms in the first place and rebelled against Empress Atharvanh’s colonial cronies. In the end they emerged victorious, although at a terrible cost: They’d lost Lunah — their beloved birthplace.

Presently Prætor Omnoz directed half the fleet to break off from formation in preparation for those six ships (each carrying 1,000 Lunatyx) to make landfall on the ruddy plains of Utopyuh Planyzyuh. Conversely, the rest of their fleet would descend to Amazonyuh Planyzyuh on the opposite hemisphere. Twelve lunar tribes had spent six months in transit between Lunah and Marz portioning plots of land according to centuries of surveying, carried out by Terrah’s advanced scouting corps. Omnoz himself had selected the solar system’s tallest mountain, Olympyuh Monz, to become the site of his Capitol. It would be set apart from the Dodeca-Districts, which housed their own elected leaders. From there he could most clearly oversee the Terraforming Initiative and its adjunct projects. It was also whence he broadcast his Constitutional Address (drafted during Exodus):

“Salve, Tribes of The Moon. I — Prætor Omnoz — formally welcome you to Marz and mark this day as the first of Januz on our new calendar, the Ekumenykh. Certainly you require no reminder of hardship, but brace yourselves because it’s not strictly a thing of the past. Many challenges await us here on our adopted home. Moreover, we possess a priceless opportunity to turn over a fresh leaf and rewrite the whole book on civilization. We will right the wrongs committed by Homo Sapiens, and shall henceforth call ourselves Hybryd-ÜZ!”

Omnoz paused, giving crowds gathered throughout the Dodeca-Districts a chance to cheer. They happily clapped their hands together. He continued:

“Traditionalist ways will soon be nothing more than mere memories. No longer shall the creeds nor prejudices of our primitive ancestors sway the course of evolution. Inside Lunah we intermingled freely for generations and became a hybrid strain with all of the strengths but none of the weaknesses of our various predecessors. Here upon Marz we now lay the foundation for a stately society destined to extend the reach of its visionaries unto unseen horizons. The future belongs to us Lunatyx — and the Hybryd-ÜZ of Marz!”

An even greater round of applause rang out. The speech went on in this vein for a prolonged period. Nevertheless, it was an apt prelude for what followed.

Just half a century under his oversight and Omnoz was proclaimed the ‘Emerald Imperator’ by his peers; owing to the greenery that sprouted throughout the formerly arid lands. Orbital lasers and bio-bombs had been used to thaw the polar icecap, which flooded a low lying region to recreate the Sea of Azydalyuh. Denizens of the Dodeca-Districts experienced decades of accelerated expansion. In the West flourished: Arzyuh, Azkryuh, Pavonyuh, Tharzyuh, and Uranyuh. The Midlands were known as: Labyrynthyuh, Xanthyuh, and Zydonyuh. Eastward lay: Alboryuh, Elyzyuh, and Hekatyuh.

Commerce flowed between these cities, unencumbered by any unnecessary strictures. Inventiveness and resourcefulness were highly regarded as well as rewarded. For example, an inventor named Myzter Azhadh (from Xanthyuh) designed lightweight extremophile suits that protected wearers from Marz’ low atmospheric pressure. Likewise an engineer named Myzz Rheah (from Zydonyuh) manufactured thousands of large carbon dioxide collectors that provided breathable oxygen and liquid fuel. Their respective industries boomed and furnished their families with immense wealth. This era is rightly remembered as the Paradiso phase. However, during solar year fifty by Ekumenykh account, Imperator Omnoz stumbled onto the find of a lifetime…

While excavating the interior of Olympyuh Monz, Omnoz’ private contractors came across what can only be described as an archaic laboratory filled with devices and scientific instruments that exceeded any technology the Lunatyx had heretofore encountered. Obviously this place was alien in construction — so Omnoz swore to secrecy every worker involved. Over the next thirty three years, Omnoz began reverse engineering much of this ‘Arkhon-Tek’ so as to advance his fellow Hybryd-ÜZ. However, this was such a daunting task that one lifetime (elongated as those had become by medical science) surely wouldn’t suffice to reach its completion. Which was why Imperator Omnoz programmed an AI version of himself; to commit everything he learned to record and then pass it down for the education of his successors.

This was a wise move considering how he met his eventual demise in Ekumenykh year eighty-three. He had just recently celebrated his 103rd birthday when he and Zaghah (his lifelong partner) were picknicking in the glades of Tharzyuh. There came a major windstorm that scattered red dust and pebbles everywhere; though that wasn’t nearly the worst of it. As the dust cleared, Omnoz and Zaghah beheld a sight both petrifying and perplexing:

A humanoid being with the head of a rooster stood on serpentine legs before them. It wielded a bullwhip in one hand and wore a golden shield engraved with a solar motif on the opposite forearm. It spoke in what sounded like an ancient Earth dialect to their Martian ears:

“A B R A H A D A B R A — I Hadyth — hath come to tell thee that thou hast opened a rift unto zone Geburah without even knowing it. Wherefore this infraction cannot be permitted to stand. Prætor Omnoz, ye shalt accompany me to Purgatorio, as wilt all thy descendants for ten generations hence!”

Unsure they’d understood this strange entity correctly, Omnoz and Zaghah unholstered their photon pistols and began shooting before bothering to ask any questions!

Unfortunately, their resistance was rather futile. That chimeric cockatrice moved with rapidity and fluidity while lashing its whip about. Deftly, it disarmed them both and knocked Zaghah out cold using its shield. It then ensnared Omnoz and dragged him away kicking and screaming!

Although the Emerald Imperator was never to be seen again, Zaghah survived him, as did their maturing son: Yryom Thagnoz.

Yryom Thagnoz would soon become a worthy successor for his late father. That however, is a tale for another time.

To Be Continued…

Author’s Note: This installment is part of an ongoing work in progress. For a full listing of every existing chapter, please see the following: