Levella Joppannian ("Their" Planet)

(continued from "Their" Planet)
The Joppannian lineage were known as those of the "forged" clan, as they typically belonged to that genus of Del Ghattian who left the Ra's at record prematurity.

Should another clan of Del Ghattian ever "best" one of their "preemie" records, the Joppanian would again force another "Ghet" to leave the Ra at an even earlier stage of development.

The Del Ghattian, it was believed (by their scientists, and not their "holy" men), it was believed that they really did not "require" that time in the Ra at all. They could, conceivably, "burst" onto the Ghattian orb, with no gestation. It was believed that once a Father Gha had thought about having a son, that conception and birth could take place in an instant.

Experiments were taking place, and moving forward in this regard.

That golden orb (or orbs) that the Mother Del Ghattians carried over their shoulder as a hobo would carry his knap sack was the source of much of the Del Ghattian belief system.

The Ra's (and especially the Hoo Law Law's) were considered a sacred place of sanctuary, at the very onset of life on this side of the great concentric spheres. In fact, many of their holiest places were based on the configuration of the birth-orbs and took the appearance of a sort of three-dimensional Manelbrot configuration rising to the great sky-orbs.

The Del Ghattian edifice (even many of the homes) all-too-often took the shape of great orbs rising to the sky, one atop the other. They were of geometrically decreasing volume, until that very last orb that could hold only the single Gha.

Here, the head of the family (most typically PaGha, although in some homes MaGha) would find solice in this "meditative" level of being...those times he or she spends regularly irregular in a state of altered consciousness and pure synthesized worship of the creator (complete relaxation externally, but elated within - no smile to be seen, except by the others at the pinnacle, and then, only in the mind's eye).

The family, in rank, would find their times in the orbs lower to the family head...none of whom would leave their orb until the head Gha was finished in his or her worship.

The living quarters would decend from there (some of the largest families eventually had to build orbs beneath the skin of Ghattia...taking advantage of the large, naturally-occuring orbcavs there underneath the great Ghattian orb-skin).

They had no problems with structures here, as issues with gravity did not exist. The legend had it that rather than a natural attraction of bodies (as with most other planets), the Gha were affixed to the surface by unhappiness.

As joy (elation, really) would build in their hearts, they would rise from the surface.

This eliminated the need for elevators or stairs within the orb dwellings. All they had to do was "get happy" and they would float to higher orbs.

(Of course, this led to an under-culture that refused to seek this enightenment through the traditional means of worship - they sought "artificial" forms of happiness through "alternate" nourshiment and were known, quite universally, as the Wron-Gha).

Levella Joppanian had left her Hoo Law Laws at an extreme early age. Her record had not been bested for some time (it was said, several globerevs, perhaps as many as four was her nearest competitor - but finally in the sphere-year globular_seven, she had been surpassed and now the bar had been set at globerev_three for gestation).

The unfortunate side of being in Ghattia was that should a Gha leave the Ra with no orb-mate - that Gha was sent to the land of the Angle (Angellia - where there were no orbs, on the dark side of the planet).

Here there was only twisted angle-iron rising from the ground. They lived there as singles and perpetually changed their partners. They were like living lost souls, constantly lost and in search of an orb-path that simply did not exist for them.

Their dwelling made use of the twisted steel, and their buildings were crooked lines rising to crooked clouds in a red and crooked sky.

Pity was taken upon most of them (for how can you blame for those seeking the best mate), although many joined the ranks of the alternates (those seeking artificial nourishment), many still tried to remain true to the faith. Much of the alternate nourishment forms came from the land of Angellia (where it was said, their King made no distinction for the risings...paths to happiness were strictly tied to the volition of the Gha, and it was acceptable to use both natural and artificial means).

Many of them would continue to worship the correct paths, but were still pariah as they had no orb mate.

It is said that those who stay the longest have the most difficult time finding their orb mate, and the highest gestation period had been set by some fellow long ago at thirteen-globerevs...legend has it that he became the King of Angellia, but most believed it a silly children's story designed to stress the importance of staying within the glob-system.

Levella was a queen in her own right (although in Upper-Ghattia they had no royalty), and most believed it would have been her destiny even without the record Rha.

She of course had mated with the best of the Gha. He was handsome, and he was smart.

His family lived in one of the tallest of the orb-estates. They were known for their piety, their goodness, and their love of everything orb.

In this year of the glob-rev, Levella was with child. Her Ra was swollen to the burst stage and many in her family feared it would split into hoos (a common occurence with increasingly late gestations, and it appeared, this would be a long one).

All were fearful for her, and everyone talked of how unusual it was. To come from such a lineage of record-holder, and to carry so long. How could it be (there were whispers of an Angeliere in her heritage).

Soon, very soon, the world of the Gha would forever change.

Levella was about to introduce to Ghattia the predicted one...her son would come to be called "Angst", and Angst would unleash the great war with the under-beings...the Wron-Gha were about to have their day in bathing crimson heat of lower Del Gha's Giant red sun.