Ze Arch was incensed. Sebastien Delong could feel the wrath of his diety. Years had passed since he last offered up a sacrifice of ore to his Curveness. He could feel the blessings of Ze Arch no longer upon him. His rustic bread grew mold immediately upon leaving the oven. His Gallic wine soured once the bottle was opened. Also, his nuts had begun to itch with a mighty fierceness. The blessings of Ze Arch had been replaced with maledictions.
Why did he stop hunting those hostile rocks in Tau 23? Why did he leave Jean Pierre LeBlanc? Jean was such a jerk. But he was a fellow worshipper of Ze Arch. He even missed Jean's wife, Jeanette LeBlanc.
Sebastien grabbed an old tome from the shelf and blew off the dust. It was the Book of Curves. He flipped the pages until he found the passage he was looking for. It was Chapter III, Verse 1. It read, "We shall all be raised up by the glory of Ze Arch! We shall be royal beings in its gaze, forever lifted up to the apex of the Holy Curve. Those that do not give themselves to its Holy Perfection, shall be brought down by the arch and smashed by the ends of mistrust and foolishness."
It was clear. He had failed Ze Arch in every way. That was why he had moldy bread, sour wine, and itchy nuts.
But what could he do? Could he make amends with Ze Arch? Would Ze Arch forgive him? He searched through the Book of Curves for the answer. He stopped at Chapter IV, Verse 14. He read the passage aloud: "And thus Jean Pierre was commanded to go forth in His name and extract from the cosmos that which was necessary for the creation of a great fleet, which would carry the body and spirit of His children throughout the same in the name of peace."
He knew what he needed to do. The GMS needed to be rebuilt. He needed to find Jean Pierre LeBlanc again. Maybe they could work together to provide Ze Arch with the ore it demanded. Only then, would the blessings of Ze Arch be restored. The maledictions, lifted.
This was going to take awhile. He was dirt poor. But, for the sake of his bread, his wine and his nuts, he had to do it. The Gallic fleet would be rebuilt. The hostile rocks would be shot. And the holy offerings would be sacrificed. Ze Arch is Ze Arch. It had made its will known.