A Christmas Day By T.A.Fynes

 

Arimanius stood on the departure platform, as the shuttle landed. It would take him up to the Cixin Moon Orbiter. Where he would catch a larger shuttle back to the Jingkan Sky-Lift, and then the four day drop down to Earth.

They where inviting him to a celebration about his father. Who had lead the team that had created the Mazz-Drive. That would enable the human race to extend their reach beyond the Solar System.

Of course it had ultimately killed him. The Niels Bohr science centre on Ganymede, exploding in a ball of fire,  due, they said, to some minor calculation gone wrong. But curiously all the teams previous calculations were flawless.

The Mazz-Drive worked, so everybody was delirious with joy. The George Soros Gold Medal of Achievement, was to be awarded to every member of the deceased science team.

Arimanius was happy the award ceremony was in London as he had business there. Not unconnected with his father.

In the great purge of religions, the Catholic Church, among many others had been obliterated. Its great wealth sold off. It's great monuments destroyed. It's Saints consigned to the dust bin. Arminius’s father had continued following a secret religion, older than the Catholic Church. Called the Mithras. It was the Romans old religion before it went underground. All its framework culturally appropriated by the new religion on the block. But it survived, and its headquarters was centred in London.

Why scientists would follow an obscure ancient religion is anybody’s guess. But Arimanius, just like his father was a believer. He worked with High Level Quantum Spinning Dimensions, so perhaps the religious byte was needed, to square the quantum circle.

Yes they, the Mithras where a sect, and labelled dangerous by some parts of the Controllers that ran the Solar System. Some where convinced it was this Shadow arm of the Controllers, that had destroyed the Bohrs Lab on Ganymede.

The gleaming mile high square of glass that dominated the London skyline was a tribute to Science and the Controllers that ruled the planets.

Inside was assembled the thousands of dignitaries from around the Solar System. Medals of achievement were been given out to all the giants of science.

The backdrop was a gigantic smiling picture of his father.

Arimanius Mazz was called on stage, to great applause. And after an extended long winded speech about his father, he was presented with the Soros Gold Medal. And then they announced yet another accolade. One unheard of since the great purge. They where going to pick a random day, and name it after his father.

Did he have any preference.

Yes he did. The 25^th of December would be an excellent honour day for his father.

That it was also the celebrated birth date of Mithras, the Sol God. He kept to himself.

To a great roar of approval, it was confirmed, from hence forth the 25h of December will be known as, Kristopher Mazz Day.

It was of course, immediately shortened down to the much more marketable, Kris-Mazz Day.