Stories of the homeworld. The theft of fire
[!0.987]2019-07-05

Rather than arguing with the computer, I was hoping I could hear a few stories about your homeworld.

That's what the humans wanted after they discovered me as a stowaway.

They were going to provide a comfortable room designed for my needs. Any reasonable request would be granted. All I had to do was stay put and tell them the history and stories of my people.

Can you imagine anything worse than recounting the great deeds of others while being kept from doing any of your own? Then they wondered why I kept escaping.

Color by George Peterson

Stories of the homeworld. The theft of fire
[!0.987]2019-07-08

I don't want to talk about the great deeds of others. I want to do great deeds and let others talk about me.

Got it. You saved millions of robots. You have a spaceship. A planet to be built for your species. It's okay if your deeds don't measure up to those of your legends.

[!1.6]What?!

Sit down. Let me tell you some of our legends and then you'll see why I deserve to be even more legendary.

Color by George Peterson

Stories of the homeworld. The theft of fire
[!0.987]2019-07-10

I'm trying to come up with a legend I know well enough to actually tell. When I snuck aboard that human ship, I didn't exactly bring a library with me.

Color by George Peterson

Stories of the homeworld. The theft of fire
[!0.987]2019-07-12

Most human
cultures have a
legend of how they
got fire. Does yours?

We do. I remember
most of that one
and you're in luck.

Every clan claims it was
their ancestors who stole
fire from the gods. Mine was
the one that actually did it!

With you telling
the tale, I would
have expected
nothing less.

Color by George Peterson

Stories of the homeworld. The theft of fire
[!0.987]2019-07-15

For a bit of context, our gods
don't give anything away.

Everything we have, our lands, our seas, our skies, at some point was stolen from a god.

That includes things like plagues. One
of our first lessons. If something is
too easy to steal, it might be because
someone wants to get rid of it.

Color by George Peterson

Stories of the homeworld. The theft of fire
[!0.987]2019-07-17

We have generous gods. They use theft as a test of worthiness and let you keep what you steal. Then there are greedy gods, like the god of life.

A sqid's first theft is the theft of life. That god never rests until she gets her life back. Mostly though, our gods sit someplace in between.

When humans arrived on our planet, one of them mused we might treat them like gods. I think they were disappointed that we did.

Color by George Peterson

Stories of the homeworld. The theft of fire
[!0.987]2019-07-19

Now that you know the basics,
I'll start the tale.

Many thousands of years ago, there lived a sqid who was conductive to new ways of doing things and his name was Mho.

Mho was not the strongest of sqids, or the fastest. He definitely wasn't the smartest. However, he was persistent and that's just as important since we're telling his story while many stronger, smarter and faster sqids have been lost to history.

Color by George Peterson

Stories of the homeworld. The theft of fire
[!0.987]2019-07-22

One chilly morning as Mho was sunning himself, the maker god Bob walked by.

“Look at that guy.” Mho said to himself. “Already warm enough to walk around. If I had fire, I'd be moving in the morning. I could see in the dark. I would be so respected that no one would ever steal from me.”

And with that thought in mind, Mho set off to steal fire from Bob.

Color by George Peterson

Stories of the homeworld. The theft of fire
[!0.987]2019-07-24

Mho waited outside of Bob's lair until he saw Bob leave without the fire.

“This will be easy.” Mho chuckled to himself. “There aren't even any guards.”

It was then Mho learned that one of the things a maker god can make is traps.

Color by George Peterson

Stories of the homeworld. The theft of fire
[!0.987]2019-07-26

For three days Mho tried to get into Bob's lair and for three days he was foiled by Bob's devices.

He needed help. So Mho set off in search of companions.

Working with other sqids usually requires discipline, cleverness, and the ability to cooperate. Working with Mho, the only traits needed were durability and a high pain tolerance.

Color by George Peterson