The Justiceers - Part Five: Chapter Five
the next chapter in my forthcoming novel
The Justiceers
by Daphne Garrido
Part Three: The Will to Choose
Part Four: Prefinished Business
Part Five: Chrysalis
5.5
Zeus had become home of the device now being referred to as ‘Proteus’ — a name bestowed by Gary himself, having based it off an ancient mythology of his origin planet, refusing to offer further explanations regarding his reasoning — the carbon-locked cube of such invulnerability long assumed host of an artificial intelligence.
Yet, Arthur Katrinus, Jane, and his gut were feeling less and less sure about that by the moment. Constant bombardments of frequencies on nearly all observable spectrums were pouring out of the cube, and it was clearly receiving as well. They’d been pelting it with frequencies in return which had been activating responsive energies inside, trying any way to enable some communication, disappointed to find the device quite unwilling.
Arthur had undertaken great efforts to create this most electronically secure environment within a segmented portion of an enormous storage bay, utilizing every resource and connection he’d left in Yemi, still to find its means beyond his control — choosing not to tell the folks of the Zeus of this fact.
Miriam knew something about it all too, and she was being ‘cagey as fuck’ by his own estimation, seeming to enjoy what she knew about this all from beyond that he’d not.
The only thing she’d say was, “I wouldn’t open it.”
That’s what was setting Arthur off the very most, it wasn’t even something you could open as far as he’d been aware. When he explained that in response, the ‘bitch’ just smiled, changed the subject, and started dancing.
Since then, this had become an obsession for Arthur; discovering what lie inside this blackest device of such inconceivable making which they’d found manipulating the structures of Grammaton’s late and great city. It was almost as if Miriam had set him off on purpose.
Arthur felt as if a part of himself was hidden along with the device’s mysteries — some kinds of darkest secrets — the time would soon be now to reveal them. He just couldn’t let this go.
So much had been stowed within Arthur throughout his lifetime. The way he held emotions were powerful, and how he’d wield care in response to those which rose within him at the sight of those in truest need was a courageousness born from his soul and his struggle.
Yet, the hurt this created inside had been held and then built upon from a youngest age. Even before his fateful accident so long ago — which saw his speedship impacted by another who’d been flying like a lunatic and taken the use of his legs — he’d had a rough go of things with his body already.
Fascia is a connective tissue which surrounds the human body — at least, in the more common varieties of humans — but just like every other component of the anatomy, it can stow stress and anxieties within. When this begins to happen for someone undergoing great stress for extended periods of time, and that place of storage chosen by the body for all their hurt is this most vital component of interconnectedness, it can birth conditions of chronic pain which are most difficult to diagnose or treat.
Arthur had always dealt with this through his adult life, even now, with his legs returned to form by having worked so hard to re-build their strength — that old pain was still there, ever present — always tearing down the energy he would otherwise have to take care of himself and those he’d loved.
The way his body had chosen to do this was a part of the plan for his life.
To know the wisdom of true seeing, and witness most completely the horrors of this universe which so many others find themselves joyfully ignorant of, comes with cost. It can be quite the life of burden to be a Judge.
Gary even explained this old story from Earth which spoke quite clearly of some artist there having known in their heart about this truth of the universe; perhaps a Judge themself. It was about a child chosen to learn the most terrible and wonderful sights — everything — allowing them to witness the world anew, and unlike any other beside them. Even in this story, which rang of truth when explained by Gary, there was such acknowledgement to that greatest weight held by those who can see.
Yet those stories told, and traditions propagated by The Conclave of Justiceers were foolish in the rules of which they spoke, their claims that these impairments were meant to be worn for a lifetime. They’d just been dead wrong.
It was an equal the lie of false understanding, to that ignorance taught so assuredly of the destiny for a Scribe to stay half-mad.
What Miriam Halafax and Arthur Katrinus would prove by the end of their time in Yemi, showing clearest reflections and changing The Conclave’s ways forever, is that to complete your transformation into full embodiment of a Justiceer, was to find healing from your malady. The struggle itself was meant to be a part of that inspiration which pushed people higher, to overcome and embody the peace and love within. Yet, the apathy of The Periphery had taken hold, and they just prescribed people to live with what they were dealt.
In fact, they enforced people did.
When a Judge would reach fully cohesive synchronization between their gut, heart, mind, and their connection to soul; those hurts they stored could be cured — and when a Scribe learns to listen, not projecting half the time from distortions stored within un-healed traumas of their body, they actually become saner than everyone else.
It was just that nobody had ever done it right before, because it was really fucking hard.
Justiceers were meant to help each other find this healing, they’d been built for it. They were to answer those long held questions — containing within the pieces which had been left out of their other, so they’d no choice but to find each other and create the change they were meant to — allowing through a process of humility, and grace lent through trust in their developing process with each other, to be gifted their answers of healing.
The Periphery had never seen such tribulation, not once facing threats of evil like Arthur and Miriam would in their time. To overcome this challenge, in orbit of Grammaton, would bring the very most out of these two most unique hearts, and they would save each other from suffering at longest last.
