Sector 102 // Luxor Judge Rama-Tut
Rama-Tut: Judgment Comes to Mega City One.
When the dust settled over the landing pads of Mega-City One, the arriving shuttle drew little initial attention. Transports came and went constantly. But this one carried something different. It carried judgment.
His name was Rama-Tut, a Luxor Judge of formidable reputation, dispatched from the desert megacity where law is not merely enforced, it is absolute. In Luxor, justice is swift, merciless, and unquestioned. A stolen apple can cost an arm. A suspicious glance can earn lashes. Mercy is considered weakness, and weakness invites chaos. And Rama-Tut had come to Mega City One.
Rama-Tut disembarked without ceremony. He wore the unmistakable regalia of a Luxor Judge, beneath that helmet, no one could see his face. Where Mega-City One Judges carry Lawgivers, Rama-Tut bore a Staff of Justice: a long, crackling weapon capable of unleashing searing electrical force. It was less a tool and more a declaration: law flows directly from the judge.
Mega City One prides itself on order through discipline. But compared to Luxor, its methods seem almost restrained. There are iso-cubes in Mega City One, containment, process, the illusion of rehabilitation. In Luxor, there are none. Criminals are cast into a subterranean labyrinth beneath the Sphinx, a twisting maze of darkness and despair. Those who survive it are executed upon emergence. There is no appeal. The maze is the trial. Survival is merely a delay of the inevitable.
Rama-Tut observed Mega City One with silent scrutiny. Reports suggest he found the crime rate… unacceptable.
First Judgment
The incident occurred within hours of his arrival.
A petty theft in Sector 102, a man stealing a Grot Pot from a street vending machine. In Mega City One, this might warrant a short sentence. A few weeks in an iso-cube. But Rama-Tut intervened. Witnesses say he did not shout. He did not posture. He simply raised his Staff of Justice.
The electrical discharge was precise. The thief collapsed, arm ruined beyond recovery. Rama-Tut spoke only once: "Gratitude. You live."
Unease Among Judges
The presence of Rama-Tut has sparked tension within the Justice Department. While some street Judges admire his efficiency, others question the extremity of his methods. Even the most hardened Judges of Mega City One understand one truth: fear maintains order, but too much fear invites backlash. Rama-Tut does not appear concerned. For now, Rama-Tut observes. Judges report that he spends long periods in silence, watching the flow of the city from elevated vantage points, like a god measuring the worth of mortals.
Mega City One is no stranger to visiting dignitaries, nor to threats. But this is something different. This is not an invasion. This is an evaluation. And if Rama-Tut finds Mega-City One wanting…judgment may only be beginning.
