Sam never claimed to be a god, but he never
denied it either. Ambiguity served his purpose rather well. A bit of a cheeky anti-hero opposing the powers that be on a far distant planet in the far distant future. A protestant, of sorts. Earth has long-since passed into legend and myth and the settlers on this
world have been living in their own civilisation for generations. The Hindu deities, dei ex machina, have been made frighteningly real among the descendants of the first arrivals. Karma and reincarnation are matters of technology. So too the development of divine power and status within the gifted individuals who
rule this world as their playground. Those who
control the
technology literally control human destiny, and their servants, who
maintain and operate the machinery, live in privilege gained from charging a high price for their guardianship of the secrets of Karma. The former inhabitants of this world, regarded as demons, were banished long ago by the fledgling gods and goddesses upon their arrival and still wait in bondage and exile for their chance to regain what they lost. Just waiting for the right time and the right catalyst. The bulk of the offspring of the first settlers live in relative ignorance and poverty, denied the benefits of advanced technology by their "gods". Every renaissance among them is ruthlessy stamped out by their masters who are content to maintain the status quo in their own favour, jealous of their privilege. And so it remains...until Death retrieves the Buddha from Nirvana by a technological sleight-of-hand. Death reincarnates his old nemesis to fight alongside him in his opposition to the powers-that-be...in reality, to overthrow the rule of his former mistress, Destruction, with the aid of Buddha, her former lover, otherwise known as Mahasamatman, or simply Sam. Sam never claimed to be a god, but then he never denied it either.
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