Story 3 – God’s Will Over Mine
After we sing the Apostles' Creed, Our Father, Three Hail Marys, and a Glory Be, we sing our prayer before the mission.
“Let us pray. Oh God, You work in secret to save the lost and punish the guilty. You are both a great healer and a just executioner. We pray,”
“Help us to imitate Your example.”
“Let us be Your instruments of justice and healing in the darkness.”
“So that thy will shall be done as it is in Heaven.”
“We pray to be humble as our deeds are never known in the light.”
“But are known to Heaven, who is our true audience.”
“We pray to grow in faith.”
“As we place our trust in You and Your Church.”
“We come to bring the sword and not peace.”
“For You came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's enemies shall be they of his own household.”
“He that loveth father or mother more than You, is not worthy of You.”
“And he that loveth son or daughter more than You, is not worthy of You.”
“And he that taketh not up his cross, and followeth You, is not worthy of You.”
“He that findeth his life, shall lose it: and he that shall lose his life for You, shall find it.”
“Always be in our hearts, Oh Lord, who is truth and love itself.”
“Always and forever we shall love You.”
“St. Ignatius of Loyola, Soldier of God and Founder of the Jesuits.”
“Pray for us.”
“St. Thomas Beckett, Soldier of God and Martyr.”
“Pray for us.”
“St. Louis XI, Soldier of God and King.”
“Pray for us.”
“Our Lady of Victory.”
“Pray for us.”
Jesus Christ, Savior of all.
“Pray for us.”
“Jesus Christ, Ruler of the Universe.”
“Pray for us.”
“Jesus Christ, Conqueror of Death.”
“Pray for us.”
“Use those who you've tasked with doing Your Will in the dark, Oh God of Mercy and Justice, so that those who think they can sin in darkness will come to the light. We are Your blades. Thy Will shall always be done.”
“Amen.”
“You know your orders. Do what God’s Church wills of you,” our captain says before the ship’s door opens.
We jump out into the stormy weather and descend to the muddy planet below with our suits that allow us to glide to the planet. The suits are laser resistant and should protect us from the lightning even if it hits us. Since we all have our separate assignments, we’re on our own. Along with those in Heaven, my best friend, Julius, is my only other support in terms of prayers. I have a long way to walk to my first destination, so I might as well keep the thought of him in my head. Us, in Section 10:34, are reminded to keep who we fight for in our minds to stay positive against the odds. I think about God, His sacrifice, and all that He’s given me especially my best friend.
Julius was my best friend since grade school, and we’ve been supporting each other ever since. The mud on this planet reminds me of the mud we used to play in during the rainy days when we were kids. It also reminds me of the good days and bad. I’ve either fallen or thrown myself in mud so much so that my life is filled with it. The planet reminds me also of how Julius and I wondered what kind of materials can protect you from laser fire. This planet has the resources need to make armor that can protect against lasers, which is why our target is hiding here. He didn’t think that we could enter such a hostile environment, but he forgets that God’s Will shall always be done.
I’m coming up on my first target. It’s a makeshift town made of the dozens of ships that fought for this planet. As far as the Church knows, the place is home to sinners and runaways that are afraid of her but don’t hate her. When I enter the town, people hide and watch from a distance. I go to the center of the town and construct a small weather-controlling device that makes it stop raining around the town. People start coming out in amazement. I approach these people with medicine and the food supplies that I have on me.
“Here, take these. Your people will need them,” I tell them.
They get on their knees and bow their heads.
“How can you give sinners like us these things?” one of them says.
“You’re repentant of your sins and you know the severity of your actions. The Church knows of your sorrow and wishes to help you make things right with God. Only accept her kind gift and she’ll get you off this planet.”
“O-okay. I accept.”
The rest of the townspeople accept. I activate a homing beacon in the weather-controlling device so that we know to pick them up after the mission. If they rejected our offer, then we would’ve left them here and tried again later. If they rejected with hostility, then they would’ve been our next targets. I stay a bit longer to heal their sick before heading off to my next destination. A child stops me before I get too far.
“H-here, miss. You can have this,” he says.
The boy hands me a small figure of a soldier made of hardened mud.
“Thank you. I remember making these too when I was little. Now, get back home before you catch a cold,” I tell him with a pat on the head.
He smiles then heads back home. Julius will like to see this when I get back home. He always did have a liking for the simple things in life. Sitting under a starlit night to admire God’s creation is our favorite pastime. We always did it after tough tests and difficult times. Julius always says that the calming night sky is God’s way of telling us that’s there’s a time to rest and a time for work and play. I remind him that he never makes a distinction because of the number of times naps he takes during the day.
I’m entering a marshland of the planet now. The tall trees and hard to walk on mud make it a good place to hide and lose your pursuers. It’s a good thing that I’m traversing this place through the trees then. Despite how the outfit looks, I’m still able to be agile with my cloak and mask. My transforming blade and cane allow me to climb the trees and catch the branches, so my movements aren’t stopped. My targets are currently below me. They’re going in and out of a secret bunker that was covered by leaves. I land on one of them as they’re about to go back in. Since my orders are to kill them, I do so.
Switching my blade to a laser pistol, I go into the hideout and quietly eliminate who I can before turning out the power. My cloak lets me hide better in the darkness, so they don’t know what’s happening when I pick them off one by one. I shoot one in the distance with my laser pistol only for it to have no effect.
“Ha! Do you really think that-!”
Switching my cane to a gun, I eliminate the last person in the hideout. Some armors protect incredibly well against laser fire, but not bullets because of the fabrics and materials used in them. I don’t know much about these targets and I don’t need to know. Just a glance at the books of the shelf gives me all the reason I need to not regret my actions. It’s a bunch of heretical literature that’s better suited to be fuel for a fire than to be looked at. I still have a couple more targets to go after, so I better keep going. I’d rather not keep my squad waiting and worried for me if I don’t get done in a good amount of time.
Once I exit the hideout, I exit the marsh and enter a desolate battlefield with trees growing out of the mud. It’s not as difficult to walk through so I walk on the ground. There’s plenty of debris here that I can use for cover in case I need to hide. Julius feels more sympathy than me for heretics and heathens. It’s why he's in the government while I’m a soldier of sorts. Section 10:34 is not known to most since it deals in black ops operations. I had to prove myself in the Knights of the Sacred Blood before I even got the privilege of hearing about this group. They told me I had to keep this a secret to everyone I knew even my closest family and friends.
Typically, the news of the execution and arrest of heretics and heathens is public, but nothing Section 10:34 does is public. I wouldn’t even know what to say if Julius knew I was killing heretics and heathens behind his back without a second thought or a single question. I’d probably tell him about the sinners I’ve healed and helped though I’m sure the number I’ve people I’ve killed is larger than the people I’ve healed. He’s probably the better person than me in terms of loving. I have trouble loving my enemies and having pity on them. He, on the other hand, is a kind and compassionate person who is always trying to help people no matter how evil they are.
Speaking about evil people, I’ve found my targets. They’re picking up whatever seems valuable from the battlefield. It makes sense that scum like them would be among the death and destruction that they caused. Now it’s time for them to reap their rewards. Some of what they’re picking up is explosive, so I shoot at it to thin them out immediately. They don’t know where I am despite my being under their noses. I don’t let them have a second to rest as I pick off another few in time with each lightning strike. There are only a few left and they have their backs towards each other. This allows me to take them down with a single shot from my cane that goes through their heads.
My third target is down. The fourth awaits then I can go after my final target, which is the most valuable from what I’ve heard. He’s the one that has set the heretics up here to take advantage of the resources that rightfully are the Church’s. I’m not even sure if Julius would care if I killed him. Evil people like the ones I kill should be forgotten about. Hating them makes a person sin and endangers their soul while sympathizing with them makes their evil deeds look reasonable. I only think about them as they are and nothing more.
Oh, I almost forgot to pray for them in my head. After saying a few Hail Marys for the people I’ve killed, I move on. Please, Lord, grant me the strength and wisdom not to hate the sinner and hate only the evil they’ve done. I must keep going so that my feelings of anger don’t build up inside of me and cause me to sin. Anyway, the Church’s cleanup crew should be coming within the month to clean up the wreckage on this planet along with the bodies my squad and I are leaving. They should be making the same amount of progress I’ve been making. Hopefully, they’re doing an even better job than I. Despite all the thankless work we do for the Church, we’re all glad to be doing it because it’s what God wills. It is both the good and the right thing to do.
I’ve reached the ruins of a city that was recently destroyed by a battle. All the buildings seem like good places to hide in, but I’m looking for a specific one with certain markings on it. After gliding around the city a bit, I find it. A part of the walls of the building look a little strange, so I fly into the wall to find that it was a projection. I’ve found my target in this hidden room with supplies that he’s been using to live here. I scared him when I glided into his room and is now pointing a makeshift laser gun at me.
“L-leave me be! I’m not bothering anyone out here,” he says with shaky hands.
“I’m here to remind you of God’s forgiveness.”
“God may forgive me of my sins, but the empire isn’t as forgiving.”
“That isn’t true.”
“Why should I trust you?”
“Because I’m not here to kill you. Take this in case you ever change your mind about coming back.”
“What is this?”
“It’s a small device that acts as a beacon that informs any nearby ships allied with the Church to come rescue you. The choice is yours.”
I leave the device on a nearby desk then leave for my final target. It’s not too long after I leave before I catch the beacon on my radar. We already knew he would make the right decision. All I know is that he’s an ex-soldier who regrets the damage he’s done to sinners and he’s been trying to atone for his “sins”. I don’t know why he thinks he did anything wrong when he was following orders like he was supposed to. I’m glad that he’s come to his senses. Now, I’m on my way to my last target.
Section 10:34 seemed like a strange bunch of people to me when I first started out. I thought they were a bit too energetic and radical for their jobs, but now I realize that they’re what everyone is supposed to be. We’re given our orders without much background, but they give us the most critical info to know so we can find who we’re looking for. Section 10:34 only takes in the most faithful of soldiers that will follow orders without question. Those who are caught and want to betray the Church to save their lives have nothing to tell the enemy and the Church will deny knowing them.
I’m reminded of what Julius told me when I asked him why he has so much mercy for sinners, heretics, and heathens.
He said, “It’s God’s Will over mine. A large part of me thinks that it would be easier to hate them or to beat them until they come to their senses, but God has mercy on us every time that we sin, so why shouldn’t we do the same for others?”
What he said still circulates in my head every time I go out on another mission. It is true what he said and I’m doing what God wills of me. God’s justice is just as good as His mercy since He is absolute goodness, truth, and love. The evil people that I execute would’ve gotten a worst sentence in Hell if I didn’t end their life when I did. I thank God every day for this strength and my family and friends that support me. I can’t wait to get home to see them again.
Once this next target dies, I can do that. They’re in this old broadcasting tower that has some meager defenses around it. Since the guards are all spread out, I use my blades and the darkness to my advantage both to attack, hide, and hide the bodies. Now that everyone else is dead, I go into the radio building to find…
“Mm? Hello there. Do you need anything from me?”
“…”
“That’s a strange outfit you have. I love the mask and cane.”
I take my mask off then say, “Julius?”
“Bernice? What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing. I thought you were at work.”
“I am at work. This is the other job that I do. I help-”
“Heretics and heathens group up to fight the Church!”
“What I do is help them survive. I don’t tell them what to do.”
“Yes, you do! These people go after people in the Church; innocent people, government leaders, and clergy.”
“They should be going after the corrupt people in the Church.”
“We already have groups in the Church that do that for us.”
“They aren’t doing a very good job.”
“What would you know when you sympathize with evil people?”
“I would know because it’s my job both here and back home to help people. How would you know when all you do is kill?”
“I’ve helped more people than you think even when I kill!”
“Look. You know you can trust me, Bernice. When have I ever lied to you? When have I ever let you down?”
“…I can’t think of when.”
“Then let’s help each other out so we can help other people. Don’t do whatever you were commanded to do and tell them that I’m dead or that I wasn’t here or something.”
“…I don’t know what I should do.”
“Ask yourself then what would God do.”
“…It’s funny that you said that because I was thinking about that before I got here. I remember you saying that it’s God’s Will over mine, so that’s what I’ll do.”
I cut off Julius’ head with my cane blade then shut off his transmission. That is what God’s Church commands so that is what should be done. When I exit the radio building, I find my squad waiting for me with the ship landed on the ground. They all bow their heads. Even the captain bows down his head to me. We then enter the ship and take off without a word.
In the ship, I say to the captain, “Forgive me for asking this captain and I know your answer already, but please tell me so my mind can be put to ease. Did Julius really reject the Church’s official command?”
“Yes, he did. We went through the normal procedure for people like him. We presented the evidence to show him that we knew what he was doing and commanded him to stop and turn himself in, but he refused. He doubted that we would make it to him on this planet, but as always…”
“God’s Will is done.”
“Correct. I know it must be hard for you, but you must remember the verses from Sacred Scripture and our prayer.”
“A man's enemies shall be they of his own household.”
“Correct again. Try not to let Julius’ actions shake your faith. He was a traitor even before you knew it. Remember that everyone in Heaven and everyone in Section 10:34 are the only ones you can truly trust.”
“I haven’t forgotten. Thank you for the reminder, captain.”
“You’re welcome. Good job everyone on another successful mission. We will be having our own success party when we get back home. Just because our deeds aren’t officially recognized doesn’t mean that we can’t celebrate them on our own time.”
“Yeah!” everyone in the ship says.
I’m glad that everyone is in good spirits though I am still a bit shaken at the revelation that my best friend was a traitor. The killing part doesn’t bother me as much because he was dead in my eyes once I learned that. I just have to keep remembering to put God’s Will over mine because He is always good and when I put my faith in Him and His Church and follow my orders, then I can never make a wrong decision.
The End
Fullness by War of Ages is another song that I associate with this particular series of short stories. I recommend checking them out if you like metal, hard rock, or Christian music.
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