coget omnes ante thronum

[jovahs_heiress]

Here is Isabella, meeting with Linus, who has flown in to make sure that Bethel is running fine. She has a lot of reports - all carefully maintained since the beginning of her time as host leader - to go over with him.

Comments

[carillons]

[I want to see the spaceship,] says Ariel.

[jovahs_heiress]

[I'm in a meeting, treasure, and Daddy's keeping some petitioners occupied. Alleya or Caleb can teleport you up, if you want to go up right now.]

[carillons]

[Okay.]

[jovahs_heiress]

[You could even ask them yourself by brainphone.]

[carillons]

[Okay!]

[Alleya, I want to see the spaceship and Mommy says you'll take me.]

[alicornucopia]

[Oh. I suppose I can. Are you alone?]

[carillons]

[Yes.]

[alicornucopia]

Alleluia pops into place beside her. "Are you ready to go now?"

[carillons]

Ariel is in her room, alone.

She nods.

[alicornucopia]

"All right. Here we go, then," says the elder angel - she's old enough to be Ariel's grandmother. And up they pop.

A voice emanates from nowhere in particular. "Alleluia, and the angel Ariel, daughter of the angel Isabella and the mortal man Micaiah," it says.

[carillons]

"Are you Jovah?" says Ariel, looking around curiously.

[alicornucopia]

"I am," agrees the voice. "Originally known as Jehovah."

[carillons]

"Why'd your name get shorter?" she wonders.

[alicornucopia]

"Language changes over time. While the shortening was popular beforehand, its use in the Magnificat for superior scansion solidified its popularity over the original."

[carillons]

"I want to see the plants," says Ariel.

[alicornucopia]

"Proceed forward, and take your second left," instructs Jovah.

Alleluia follows Ariel.

[carillons]

Ariel proceeds forward and takes the second left.

She studies the machine-run garden thoughtfully.

[alicornucopia]

It is not currently in a state of harvest or planting or other activity, except for distant plots of tomatoes barely visible from the vantage point. Plants grow under bright lights and stir in recirculating air.

[carillons]

Ariel stands still and watches them, counting all the kinds of plants she can see and identifying the ones she can recognize.

[alicornucopia]

Alleluia and Jovah will both let her look as long as she cares to.

[carillons]

Eventually:

"Can I see where you make the medicines, too?"

[alicornucopia]

"Turn around, take your first left, and then take your first right," says Jovah.

[carillons]

She follows these directions carefully.

[alicornucopia]

And here is a laboratory of sorts, with robotic arms tending dishes of goop, and mixing it with powders, and pouring the whole mess into machines that print out little conveyer belts full of pills.

[carillons]

Ariel studies this, too, for a while.



"How old are you, Jovah?"