A Thief In The Night 2

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Elenio Guardado

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Aug 3, 2024, 5:12:11 PM8/3/24

to hairiacerli

After is conflict in the Temple, Jesus goes to the Mount of Olives and answers some questions about the end of the age. Over the next few posts I will make some comments on the parables in Matthew 24-25, hopefully setting them more clearly in the world of the Second Temple.

The parable of the thief in the night makes this clear. If the owner of the house knows a thief is coming, he stays awake to catch him (probably prepared with a weapon to defend his property!) An unusual element of this mini-parable is that Jesus is represented by the Thief. It is the thief that is coming suddenly and without warning, but the householder knows that he is coming sometime in the night so he is prepared. The person who is unaware the thief is coming goes to be and is robbed.

Karras is dead. Blinded by fanaticism, he forgot he was human and nothing more. The Builder's chosen one, defeated by a thief. It makes me smile. But Viktoria's plan wasn't perfect. It cost her life, and she wasn't the only one. Some of Karras' servants stayed locked in the manors. Others didn't respond to the beacon's call -- certainly a fault of their maker. But the consequences were tragic.

After the incident at Soulforge, the authorities and citizens discovered Karras' evil plans, and turned against the remaining Mechanists. Without support, the order fell. Yet again, I'm the one who saved the City, but heroism didn't suit me the first time.

With the collapse of the Mechanists, the City became chaotic. Plots, conspiracies, murders. Theft too. The city watch was torn into factions: some followed Lt. Mosley's every word, but many who prospered under Truart joined together and ridiculously praised his memory. The Hammerites returned in strength to reclaim what they perceived as their rightful power. They threatened to fill Cragscleft with prisoners -- criminals or not -- just like in the golden days. Too much action, not enough shadows, and so I took the advice of the Keepers. I decided to leave the City for a time, to let some water flow under the bridge.

For my retreat, I traveled to Rocksbourg, some kind of ancient fortress town that was considered impregnable. Except for a few local tales, Rocksbourg was a discreet place ignored by everyone. For a thief like me, it was the perfect place to vanish. When I arrived two weeks ago, I found refuge with Garibald, a contact of the Keepers. He said there were three such contacts in town, but he didn't know the other two. I expected them to appear on their own schedule, as usual.

With time on my hands, I explored Rocksbourg. I didn't enter the fortress heart of the city, where all the wealth is concentrated. The area is protected by high walls and guards. So I worked the outskirts. A few acquisitions, barely enough to pay for lodging and food, barely enough for my time. But those who keep their ears open on the street can hear curious things...

Indeed, the Mechanists, or what's left of them, haven't vanished completely. There are some in Rocksbourg who call themselves the "Builder's Children". They claim to be more moderate than Karras. Before the fall of Soulforge and Karras' death, one of his colleagues fled the City and came to Rocksbourg. A man named Feguen. The name struck me, and then I remembered when and where I heard it: eavesdropping at the door of the Mechanist church, listening to the conversation between Karras and Truart. "Friend Feguen, could you please sweep these remains..." Feguen joined with the Mechanists in Rocksbourg, where he met another leader named Dreyfus. Despite my efforts, I couldn't learn anything about Dreyfus, but I know that together the men broke away from Karras' version of the Mechanist path.

As I figured, the Keepers soon contacted me. I received a message: they want to meet me immediately, back in the Old City. But before returning, I have a night in Rocksbourg. A special night. The heart of the fortress town offers a great opportunity, one I've avoided until now. I'll have to enter the area first. But inside is the Builder's Cathedral, some kind of religious complex, a bastion of the Hammerites. They resisted the Mechanists, but now the Hammers are fatigued and short of men. I want to pay them a visit before leaving town. Poor Hammers, they must collapse beneath all the money they've got. But when it comes to their money, I've always been a charitable soul...

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In Episode 3 of this six-part series, Alexandre hones his skill as a master thief. He builds a team of anarchist thieves and strives to remain one step ahead of the police. But how long can his luck last?

Ngofeen: For his new life in Montpellier, Alexandre took on a fake identity. Eventually, his lover, Rose, joined him there. She wanted to stay by his side, even if it meant living the life of an outlaw, une vie de hors-la-loi.

Ngofeen: Une quincaillerie, a hardware store. Alexandre leased one under his new identity, and he started a new life there with Rose. It was the perfect cover: a place to store all the kinds of tools a burglar might need. There were also plenty of locks, des serrures, and safes, des coffres-forts, that Alexandre could use to practice picking.

Ngofeen: But Alexandre also wanted to make sure his mother was safe. Her bakery had never fully recovered from the police raids, so he asked her to join this new family business. At first, Marie refused. She tried to talk him out of his dangerous new life. But she found her son had already made up his mind.

Alexandre: Bonjour, Messieurs les Travailleurs de la Nuit ! Alors, je vais tre trs clair avec vous. Nous avons des rgles. Premire rgle : nous volons seulement les riches. Jamais les travailleurs. Jamais les intellectuels.

Ngofeen: Standing in the back of the room, Rose and Marie listened as Alexandre listed the rules. Rule number 1: only steal from the rich. Rule number 2: give at least 10% of proceeds to the anarchist cause.

Ngofeen: Alexandre signed his apology with his moniker, Attila. Then he fished around in his pocket and pulled out a 10-franc coin. He left it on the desk next to the note as payment for the broken window.That night, Alexandre returned home empty-handed. But he had a good story to tell Rose and Marie. And soon, he got to read about it in the papers.

Ngofeen: Alexandre and his Night Crew were unstoppable. For the next three years, they criss-crossed France, picking their targets methodically. They developed a careful system, sending ahead scouts and breaking in only when properties were empty. Wherever they went, they were always a step ahead of the police.

Ngofeen: Finally, on a crisp October Saturday in 1901, Alexandre and his men put their plan into action. First, Jacques tailed the jeweler Bourdin and his wife to make sure they left the apartment for the day. After they got on the train as usual, Jacques gave Alexandre the green light, le feu vert.

Ngofeen: Once they had lowered the umbrella into the jeweler's apartment, they secured the handle to the floorboards, and opened it. Now, the umbrella was positioned to catch any debris that fell from the ceiling.

Ngofeen: The open umbrella muted the noise of falling debris as Alexandre and Bonnefoy made the hole wider and wider. Once it was big enough for a man to fit through, they carefully lowered the umbrella to the ground. Then they unfurled a rope ladder. And they were in!

Managing Editor: Natacha RuckLead Producer: Lorena GalliotCo-Writer: Pierre-Louis VernierAssistant Producer: Justine HagardAdditional editorial and production support from Adlie Pojzman-Pontay and Martine ChaussardSpecial thanks to the historian and author Jean-Marc Delpech.Mixing & Sound Design: David De LucaMastering Engineer: Laurent ApffelProduction Manager: Romn FrontiniExecutive Producer/Editor: Martina CastroVoice Actors: Laurent Apffel, Ewunia, Lambert Bastar, Marie Benati, Jrme Ruiz, Edouard Dossetto and Danielle Acker.

Rodimus Prime, Grimlock, Perceptor, and the Aerialbots are reviewing the footage of Metroplex's battle with Trypticon. Grimlock declares that he wants to see the "good part", where Metroplex destroyed Trypticon, but Teletraan II states that Trypticon survived the encounter. Broadside and Seaspray travel to where Trypticon landed in the ocean, and learn that he walked underwater to avoid being caught.

Meanwhile, the Triple Changer Octane is nursing Trypticon back to health, using energon made from the oil of Carbombya. Octane hopes that with Trypticon to back him up, he can overthrow Galvatron and become leader of the Decepticons. However, Abdul Fakkadi, the leader of the desert nation, is unhappy with Trypticon's constant consumption of oil. Fakkadi demands that the two Decepticons leave, or he will call the Autobots. Octane offers to bring Fakkadi gold in exchange for being able to stay, but Fakkadi declares that it would take all the gold of the United States to allow them to stay. The simple answer? Octane has Trypticon steal Fort Knox.

Pacified, Fakkadi agrees to allow the Decepticons to remain in Carbombya until the next crescent moon, and Trypticon is put under strict ration of one thousand barrels a day. Octane declares that Trypticon will starve, and negotiates a new plan: give Fakkadi a new palace, and he will let them stay and have more oil. To make Fakkadi "more happy", Trypticon steals the Taj Mahal.