Chapter 8.
Amon had made numerous ‘jumps’ back and forth between Earth and the Brighid prior to his arrival in the advanced cultures of the Pharaohs. From his first departure from the Sea of Marmara so long ago (as measured in Earth time), his concern for his race had remained foremost in his mind. Therefore, his first ‘return’ had been to the deserts north of his homeland. There he learned the fate of those who had departed during his clan’s initial trek northward.
Though many had perished in the harsh, unforgiving desert, so too, many had learned how to survive. They had remained, for the most part, wanderers, moving from oasis to oasis, living off what little they could find.
As would be expected in such a harsh environment, competition between tribes was fierce. A fertile oasis was a place to be prized and protected from intruders at all cost. Over time, communities sprouted up in these rare, coveted spaces. Frequent conflicts occurred, as would be expected from people competing on a survival level. Miniature monarchies ruled over them, enforcing peace among the inhabitants and driving off unwanted intruders.
Over time Amon began to recognize a pattern to their behavior. Always there arose an individual who dominated and took control. Sometimes that individual was of a benevolent nature, concerned for the general welfare, willing to intermediate between disputing parties, striving to find common ground. Where such an individual came to power, the community was stable, well adapted to living peacefully together.
Other times, sadly much more frequently, such benevolent behavior was a rarity. Tyrannical leaders rose up, manipulating and subjugating the people for their own selfish desires.
In such cases communities became deliberately isolated, distrustful of one another, even openly hostile. Tribalism became common, often taken to extremes. Prejudiced ideologies grew out of these hostilities. Airs of imagined superiority became common. Unjust leaders took advantage of and even encouraged such behavior, manipulating it for their own selfish ends.
On rare occasions Amon had briefly infiltrated these small communities, trying to better understand their inner workings.
He was in fact a stranger among them, not to be trusted, always watched by suspicious eyes. It was hard, and sometimes impossible, for him to gain acceptance.
He understood their trepidation. These people were vulnerable, not just to the harsh climate, but to strangers coming out of no where, killing, pillaging, taking what they wanted, draining the small communities dry, then leaving the survivors to fend for themselves.
He learned early on that the best way to gain acceptance was to arrive bearing gifts; fruits, nuts, wild grain, meats, anything of value, asking nothing in exchange except their acceptance of him in their midst.
He never stayed with one community very long. He would sometimes leave to explore or to investigate other communities which his transceiver had informed him about, and then return to pass the information on.
But most frequently he would not return at all, instead traveling between communities, observing, learning of their plight, studying how they survived, helping where he could without taking control or imposing his will.
Over time, word spread of him, this stranger bearing gifts, offering his help to those in need, then disappearing, not to be seen again for years or even decades.
Stories of his comings and goings became legend, mythological. To a people desperate for relief from their daily travails, the name Amon became a symbol of hope, a figure of majesty.
Tales of his coming with the sun, bearing gifts and wisdom, then without notice disappearing once again, spread from one community to another, until finally the name Amon became mythological.
In the hearts and minds of the primitive people of the Nubian deserts, he came to be known as Amon The Unseen, the sun god.