Faro 24

Faro 24 is a short, roly-poly graduate student in astronomy at Saro University, inseparable from his tall, twitchy friend Yimot 70. Despite his junior status, Faro possesses an extraordinary mind, one that Beenay 25, an assistant professor, finds both invaluable and slightly unnerving. Faro's easygoing, almost indolent manner belies a sharp, quick intellect that is often the first to grasp the implications of a complex problem.

Identity and Background

Faro 24 comes from a backwater farming province, possibly Sithin or Gatamber, and is one of the most brilliant graduate students at the Observatory. He is described as short and roly-poly, with a languid, almost indolent way of moving, and his general style is easygoing and casual. He and Yimot 70 are inseparable, and of all the young graduate students, they are by far the most brilliant.

Role in the Orbital Discovery

When Beenay 25, troubled by an anomaly in Kalgash's orbit that seemed to contradict the Theory of Universal Gravitation, needs an independent verification, he turns to Faro and Yimot. He gives them the problem without revealing its context, asking them to calculate the whole thing from scratch. Faro and Yimot, working together, confirm Beenay's findings, producing the same dismaying, shattering result. Faro, with his characteristic placidity, states, "I'm afraid they're correct, sir. They tally frontwards and backwards." This confirmation forces Beenay to accept the reality of the flaw in the established theory.

Key Actions and Insights

Faro's quickness is further demonstrated when Beenay later attempts to correlate the orbit of the hypothetical Kalgash Two with the movements of the suns. As Beenay begins to explain his plan to calculate the frequency of eclipses, Faro immediately blurts out, "So that you can calculate the frequency of eclipses? Is that it, sir?" This shows his ability to leap ahead of the explanation. He then independently works on the problem, and when Beenay finishes his own calculation, Faro is already waiting with the same result: the eclipse of Dovim by Kalgash Two has a periodicity of two thousand and forty-nine years, matching the Apostles of Flame's "Year of Godliness." Faro also grimly provides the date of the next Dovim-only day: the nineteenth of Theptar, the very day Mondior 71 had predicted for the world's destruction.

The Eclipse Experiment

On the evening of the eclipse, Faro and Yimot arrive late at the Observatory, having conducted a private experiment. They had purchased a one-story house, lined it with black velvet to create total darkness, and punched tiny holes in the roof to simulate the Stars. Their goal was to test the effect of seeing Stars against a background of Darkness, as described in the Book of Revelations. However, the experiment produced no effect at all; it was "just a roof with holes in it, and bright points of light coming through." This failure, which Sheerin 501 later explains was due to the insufficient duration of their exposure to Darkness, provides a crucial moment of doubt and discussion just before the real event.

Narrative Role and Significance

Faro 24 serves as a key figure in the scientific confirmation of the impending catastrophe. His independent verification of Beenay's calculations and his own work on the eclipse frequency provide the mathematical proof that the world is about to be plunged into Darkness. His failed experiment with the simulated Stars, while a dead end, highlights the profound difference between a controlled simulation and the overwhelming reality of the actual event. Faro represents the brilliant, dedicated, and ultimately vulnerable scientific mind that, despite its intellectual power, is as unprepared for the psychological impact of the Stars as anyone else.