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The countries of Steadfast, Wall, and Hammer pose a perpetual threat to the Columbian Union and its allies. Diplomatic efforts have been futile, often crumbling under the weight of an ever-hostile people, so the Castigators are sent in to aid their allies in Guardian and force the opposing countries to cease their violent ways. As such, war and violence will be necessary to put down the bloodthirsty warmongers and instill peace in the four countries for the first time in generations.

Peace Through Force: Chapter 4 – An Uncorrupting Desire for Power

Chapter 4 – An Uncorrupting Desire for Power

I stand on the side of the room with Idelle as Kane and Bolster talk about subduing the last enemy country, Steadfast. We’re in yet another hideout, and the question of victory is not if we’ll win, but how, what we can do to secure peace now, and what we’ll do after. Taking over land by force after executing the leadership and those loyal to them naturally inspired those who were attacked to try to do the same. Fear and overwhelming force can be used to prevent revolution in the present, but future generations will find ways to subtly take back their country, take it back from within, or build up a military to take their own. Guardian is only the strongest because we’ve backed them up, and God only knows if our enemies will ally with others to shift the balance in their favor.

This topic comes up in Kane and Bolster’s discussion as Bolster says, “Who knows how many allies Steadfast has? Their name is ironic since they keep shifting beliefs with every generation. They’re spineless light-footers who believe in God, but don’t. Believe men and women have separate but equal roles, but then say they’re each replaceable. Believe all religions are equal, but then say every religion should get along as one. They’re universalists, a walking contradiction, who ally with everyone and no one, making sure always to have at least one person in an opposing camp, just in case they have to switch sides.”

“And God shall spit them out of His mouth,” I comment.

“Exactly, Zandro. There’s no real way to trust them, so we have to be extra thorough about dealing with them,” Kane says.

The ideology of Steadfast reminds me of my own back in Nexum. They said they believed in equality, but then backstabbed and worked against our interests in the shadows or did so in plain sight, using various excuses to claim our actions were mutually beneficial or justified. Nexum has always conflicted with the four countries of Steadfast, Wall, and Hammer, and it has tried to use its alliance with the Columbian Union to get its way with them, even trying to get our way with Guardian, despite being mutual allies. I know much of the history of the countries, but let Bolster say what he has to since I’ve been out of the loop, and much has changed in this country over the course of a few short years. To me, it feels like it’s been ten years since I last set foot on this side of the world after trying to get superpowers from the Coronamento Corporation and ending up with the Castigators.

I should have control or some power over the four countries because of my knowledge. I know when violence is necessary, and when to use extreme violence for the greater good. There’s no action I am unwilling to take, nor does killing or harming others bother me.

This is a problem. A problem I’ve been dealing with, and that’s lessened over the years, but still a problem. The sinful side of myself has to have its short time in control, and I’m in constant prayer to keep it down. I don’t want control or power of any kind. All I want to do is the will of God. Everything that I have now is everything that I need, and it is all in service to doing what I was created to do. Nothing more.

A member of the Castigators walks into the meeting room and mentions to Kane how the leaders of the Steadfast are willing to negotiate, to which he says, “Given their history, part of me wishes they said that they want to fight to the death. It would make it easier and less complicated, but let’s see what they have to say.”

A nagging feeling pushes me to say, “I think we should be extra careful, given their history. Let’s assess the situation and have backup on standby, just in case.”

“My thoughts exactly. Thank you, Zandro. Let’s make it happen,” Kane says.

We make the calls we need to and then leave to go to the town where we’re meeting the leaders and people of Steadfast. The area of this country reminds me of Nexum, being that it has many deserts, while also having luscious greenery and rivers that run through them. Ahead of us, the town has elements of the other countries, with ugly, futuristic-looking military walls from Hammer, old medieval-style buildings from Guardian, and houses that look like they’re from the colonial era. As Bolster, Kane, Idelle, and I enter the town, we watch the rooftops and corners. The civilians are out here throwing petals and flowers at us as if we were royalty, allowing them the grace of our presence, but part of me feels that it’s all done to obscure our vision from threats lurking in the dark.

We should call it off now. My instincts have improved ever since I got better in control of myself, and they are right most of the time. The safeties should come off, and we should let the slaughter begin.

No, we shouldn’t. Let’s see what happens first before we act, and only do so if we have something other than instinct to tell us that something is wrong. We meet the leaders in the center of town, where a sizable crowd of the media and civilians is kept at a fair distance. Kane and Bolster get out of their vehicles, and Idelle and I slow down to walk normally with them. I look at Kane to see if he sees anything in the leaders, and he looks agitated. The leaders tell them to take a seat with them, but Kane immediately draws his ebony pistols and points them at them.

“Don’t think you can play me for a fool,” Kane says with disgust in his voice. “Don’t you know that I can see if God judges that I should kill you or let you live?”

“Yes, I’ve heard of that, but don’t we all do that with our own God?” one of the leaders asks, trying to remain composed.

“You all have five seconds each to give me a reason why you should live before I blow your head off.”

“We just want to negotiate the terms of peace. We don’t want to fight!”

Kane blows the head off the leader talking to him. The crowds are frightened by this, some of whom start running away, and yet, no one does anything to save the leaders, and the leaders themselves are still sitting in place, but are now shaken.

“You’re lying. You all want peace just so you can stab us in the back, politically and militarily, just like you do with every peace agreement you get.”

Kane goes up to the next leader. She says, “You can’t shoot people who are surrendering and trying to talk! This isn’t lawful!”

Again, Kane blows the head off another leader. He says, “Your surrender isn’t honest. God reveals it through my eyes. I don’t care if this is lawful or not. All I care about is doing the right thing.”

Now the crowds are really starting to flee, and the leaders are holding their hands up and are on their knees. Still, no one is intervening, and I don’t see anyone sneaking up on us.

The next leader that Kane goes up to says, “What do you want? What do you want us to say?”

“I want you to change your hearts, and actually want something beneficial to us, and not solely for yourselves. I want conversion, your salvation, and the peace for the four countries and mine.”

The leader starts and stops several sentences before Kane has enough and shoots him. Kane looks at the rest of the leaders and sighs.

“There’s nothing more to be said. No prayer will save you, and mercy has run dry. Kill them all.”

Idelle and I do as Kane says, as he and Bolster shoot the leaders who try to run. Finally, my instinct proves correct as a force of robots, superhumans, and law enforcers emerges from the crowd and nearby buildings to attack us. I fully transform, with armor covering my body. The left side is completely white, with a halo on its head and a left shield. The right side has spikey fingers reaching out, horns on its head, and a large hand with razor-sharp fingers. I throw myself at the enemy, tearing them to shreds. During the fight, as in every fight, I try to cover Idelle and Kane. I’ve killed my own family, but theirs is still alive, so their lives matter more than my own.

Below, I hear Kane calling for our reinforcements, who shortly come in to aid us. This is especially timely since the civilians and the enemy have their own military coming in to help them. A new surprise happens as missiles come out of the ground, and we hear from the other Castigators that the missiles will detonate and kill everyone in the city. Hurrying to get rid of them, I run to the nearest missile and throw it up into the air. Running to the next one, I tear through my enemies trying to defend it, and throw it away from the town.

“The missiles are going to blow! There are also others coming at you from a distance! All Castigators retreat from the town now!” I hear said on the radio.

Since I’m close to a missile, I throw that away, and then see Idelle running at superhuman speeds next to me.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“Trying to save people. What are you doing?” Idelle asks.

I grab Idelle and throw her away from the missile, and say, “Doing the same.”

Running back to the missile, I manage to grab it and throw it into the air, just as it explodes. The missile's force is felt on the ground, and it rains fire down upon the town. One other missile explodes in the town, and a few others come at the town from a distance and head towards it. Running towards the missiles, I leap at one of them, grab it, and use the force of it to spin it around and throw it into the air. I run towards the next one and find Idelle trying to stop it.

“Get to safety!” I tell her.

Idelle punches me, sending me flying into the distance. I quickly get back on my feet, run with every ounce of strength that I have, and get to the missile before Idelle does, only for it to detonate in my face, sending me hurtling into the ground. I’m in a daze and feel seriously hurt for the first time in a while. Still, I try to get up, even as I stand up and fall again. In the distance, I see the other missile exploding before it hits the town, and Idelle running to me and yelling as I lose consciousness.

Was it worth it? Is this the end of my life? Was it all just to get to this moment and die for a town full of my enemies and the Castigators, who roped me into helping them in place of execution or jail time?

Kane and Idelle helped save my life, and more importantly, my soul. It’s only right that I give my life for them in exchange. The strength in my body leaves me, until it suddenly comes back, and I wake up on a bed with needles in me, reminiscent of the ones put in me when I was experimented on. I take them out of me, see that I’m some sort of mansion, and wander its hallways. Where am I? I don’t think I’m dead.

Eventually, I find Idelle and Kane in a room with a bar, fireplace, and a view of the town we were just in. It’s still standing, and yet, it is burning. Bolster is sitting on the side, drinking and watching the news, talking about the Castigators taking over the four countries and forming them into one, under the Dominion.

They knew as well as I did that the only way to instill true peace in the region is to take control of it all ourselves, and since I’m a primary member of the Castigators, I should have my own land and servants. Perhaps, I could take it all for myself in time with the right moves and allies.

Kane turning his head to see me makes my temptations cease. He springs up and says, “Zandro! I’m glad you’re awake and walking around, brother.”

Kane walks over and hugs me, and I pat him on the back in return. I ask him, “What did I miss? What’s this about the Castigators taking over the countries?”

“First of all, I’m glad you did your best to save my wife, but you had to know you’d get sent flying if you tried to prevent her from doing what she wanted, right?”

“I knew that, but I never thought I could survive a missile to the face.”

“You were out for a couple of days. We had to get the Coronamento Corporation to send over fluids that they used on you during their experiments to help speed up your regeneration and make sure you healed properly.”

“Thank you for saving me, again.”

“Don’t thank me yet, because our job here isn’t done. As you heard, I decided that the Castigators should take control of the four countries under the Dominion. The people of the countries respect our strength, and our enemies here will only stay in line if we’re the ones ruling over them, and not some leader or group that the Columbian Union puts into power.”

Bolster comments that, “That is how things have been in this region for hundreds of years, and nothing that any foreign power has done has changed that in the slightest outside of taking direct control of it.”

“I guess the new country’s king,” Idelle says.

“And that makes you its queen,” Kane says.

“What about me?” I ask, half curious and half wanting some kind of power.

“You’ll rule by our side as always, fighting where you want to and giving your opinion to help shape the new country’s future.”

“So, I’m just doing the same thing as always on a bigger scale?’

“Basically.”

“What did the Dominion have to say about your decision?”

“They were strangely quiet about it at first. I had to call Timeo, and Idelle called her brother to make sure they heard the news, and it turns out that they completely trust that we’re making the right decision.”

“If the heads of the Dominion are fine with it, then that’s all that matters.”

“Well, all the other countries are concerned about this. Even the Columbian Union and its allies are uncomfortable with a hero association taking over foreign land and ruling over it as an independent nation.”

“And?”

“My point exactly. I prayed to make the right decision, and if this is what God wants us to do, then we’re going to do it, no matter how illegal or extreme it may seem, which is the entire point of the Castigators. We force the law to serve true justice, and don’t make compromises with it or any evil in any way.” Kane goes over to the balcony and says, “I think this land and its people have grown on me in the short time I’ve been here. I like how they do things, how blunt they are, and how they’re willing to do anything to enact what they know to be right. My children are being moved here, along with many more members of the Castigators, so we can make this our permanent home. What do you think, Zandro?”

“I’m fine with that. Just lead the way, brother. I’ll be right behind you.”

“Maybe we can finally find you a wife in this country. What do you think, Idelle?”

“If God wills him to have one, then we’ll find him one.”

In the distance, a group of cars arrives with superhumans, men with cybernetic enhancements, and robots behind them.

“Looks like we have challengers to the throne,” Kane says.

“It looks like a small army comprised of forces from all four countries,” Bolster says.

“It’s a fair fight then.”

Bolster, Idelle, and I follow behind Kane as we exit the mansion. The crowd yells at us with their weapons in the air. A man from the crowd steps out, covered in armor, scars, and weapons.

The man holds up a hand to make them quiet down, before he says, “Do you think you can simply take our countries from us? That we’ll let you rule over us just because you’ve taken out our leaders?”

“It’s in your best interest that you do,” Kane says.

“Ha! You care only for your own people. You don’t care about the people of any of the four countries.”

“If I didn’t, I’d let the missiles destroy that town behind you. I would’ve had my Castigators slaughter civilians, surrendering soldiers, and those who weren’t involved in the fighting at all. Instead, I’ve only killed those who want to kill me and my allies and plotted against us. Your last words will decide whether or not you will live in the peaceful and secure country I will create.”

“You’re going to create a peaceful country? With all the destruction and killing you’ve done?”

“Sometimes, the only way to calm a rabid dog is to put it down. As such, violence has quelled the conflict between all four countries, and the rebels are the only ones trying to continue the endless war. So, what will you do? Will you join me or die where you stand?”

The group of people talks and then starts arguing with one another. Some say they will stand with us and move over to us, while others call them traitors and say they will fight and die for what they believe in.

These people are savages.

But then again, Kane managed to reason them to his side. It’s no wonder that God inspired him to take control of the four countries for himself, the Castigators, and the Dominion. He’s a true leader, unlike me, who’s a mere follower at his side.

It’s no matter. I’ll have my moment to take power for myself.

What I have now is all I need. A fight begins to break out between the two groups, which have now separated. Our supporters are close to us, while the opposition is farther away, making it easier for us to tell friend from foe. Kane tells us to help our new friends and calls in backup for them. Even though this is how our rule begins, I’m confident that we’ll turn the four countries into one singular, peaceful country, and perhaps help the wider world with our particular brand of establishing peace through force.

 

The End

Peace Through Force: Chapter 3 – A Just Case of War

Chapter 3 – A Just Case of War

In my head, I see the faces of those kids. Their fear, hatred, and desperation lay on each of their faces, especially when they heard the beep in their vests that preceded them exploding. The boiling hot hatred for the leaders of Hammer and the parents who sacrificed and indoctrinated their children still burns through my veins, making me want to kill them over and over again.

“Idelle. Idelle!” I hear Kane’s voice say.

When I wake up, I see that I’m in one of the Guardian hideouts laying down on a couch on top of Kane.

“Huh? Is something going on?” I ask.

“You were shaking and sweating in your sleep. Were you having a nightmare about what happened?”

“I was.

“It’s okay. After this is over, we’ll take a nice, long vacation with the kids and family somewhere peaceful.”

Remembering what happened makes me glad that my parents are taking care of our children and are protected by the Dominion back in the Columbian Union, while we’re here, so their lives aren’t threatened. Kane kisses me on the forehead and lightly strokes the back of my head. It always amazes me how he’s fine with embracing me even after I fight and have blood all over me. It makes me jealous of Zandro, who can simply transform to his normal self, and all the blood and dirt on him is gone in an instant, whereas I need to clean the blood off my armor every time. He’s sitting across from us and seems to be in deep thought.

“I used to be a parent like both of you, so I know how you must feel,” Zandro says.

Nothing more needs to be said. We’re all feeling the same thing and on the same page, though some of us feel worse than others. I’ve gotten over the horrors I’ve done for those I still find it hard to consider my real parents, and all the killing I’ve done since then. I know I’m justified in what I’m doing, but that doesn’t make doing the dark work of the Lord any easier, especially when innocents get caught in the crossfire. Trying to take my attention off it, I look around the hideout to see that it’s gray and barren like the previous hideout, except for a few crosses and images of Mary, St. Michael, and other patron saints called on during battle. The TV is on, reporting the Castigators taking control of Hammer, and hardly ever taking prisoners or sparing anyone. If they only knew how bad it was.

Bolster steps in and watches the news with us. He comments, “These Western news outlets never really know what they’re talking about, do they?”

“Believe me. It isn’t any better back home,” Kane says.

“All they do is report on what sounds most appealing to their audience with little sprinklings of the truth here and there. I could swear their scripts are all written by the same people.”

“That’s probably true,” Zandro comments.

“Anyways, have you heard anything from the Dominion?”

“Nothing other than that we’re doing a good job, and they’re trying to handle the press and relations between our home nation and allies. Some are happy with what we’re doing, and some aren’t, but most agree that it was a good thing that my Castigators destroyed the weapons of mass destruction that Hammer had.”

“Do the opinions of world leaders matter to your organization?”

“It hasn’t before, and never will. Even if it did, the Castigators are used to rebelling against corrupt authority, so we’d just do what we think is right anyway. That’s the goal of the Castigators. To fix the law where it’s most broken and put our neck on the line for those for whom the law failed or was unjustly used against.”

“That’s why we in Guardian love you out of every subsidiary of the Dominion. When will we make our next move?”

“Soon. Why? What target do you have in mind next?”

“The country of Wall.”

“The stubborn heretical traditionalists who larp as true Christians? I wish that ideology were wiped out during the Crusades when it was in this area. Didn’t their religion used to be called Islam or something else?”

“All error is reused. The demons can’t come up with an original false ideal even if it would get them out of Hell.”

“Once my wife has her moment to rest, we’ll get right to them.”

I appreciate Kane’s words and knowing I need a minute to get my mind straight, but at the same time, I’m happy and comfortable where I am. Eventually, Bolster comes back in and asks if I’m okay and ready to go, and I give him a look, which makes him step back.

Bolster looks at Zandro, who says, “Don’t look at me to help. If I try to get her off him, she might beat the Hell out of me, and my superhuman powers don’t help much from a beating from her.”

“Thanks, guys. Really appreciate you having my back,” Kane jokes.

Kane then talks me out of cuddling him for the rest of the day like I want to, and we get moving. Unlike Hammer, Wall is a desert with marshes and jungles spread out here and there. All the towns and cities are spread out, and there are fewer here to worry about, but there are deadly predators in the wild, and if you’re not prepared, you can easily die of thirst or hunger out here. Bolster also tells of the rumors of hidden underground bases in the jungles and sands where the most dangerous predators reside and act as natural defenses against outsiders who don’t know their way around. Thankfully, the few allies we have in this country do know everything we need to know and are leading us through the jungle to one of the hidden bases.

We’re suddenly attacked by said wildlife we were told to watch out for, but we aren’t attacked by animals. Instead, the plants come to life and kill many of our allies from Guardian by chomping their heads off and swallowing them whole, before we’re able to save them. It’s times like these that make me wish I had some kind of ranged attack, but my strength is enough to tear these abominations to shreds, and my snakes are durable enough to push them back and block their attacks.

“Living killer plants? Are these native to this area?” Kane asks.

“Not at all,” one of our guides says. “These must be the experimental weapons that they made in conjunction with Hammer that we heard about. Seeing them now, the rumors of a weapon that can be hidden until it activates itself make sense. They were going to ship these over to the Columbian Union and its allies and let them wreak havoc wherever they ended up.”

“Tch. As if we need any more foreign infiltrators in our country trying to destroy it from the inside,” Kane says.

Our guides lead us to a series of tree one of which is actually a pole with a hidden keypad in it. After using a hacking device on it, a part of the ground separates, revealing a series of stairs down to a single door. Going through it, we find ourselves in a series of tunnels that are air-conditioned and feel much better than being on the surface. We explore the tunnels, finding caches of weapons, multiple kinds of foreign currency, quarters where their soldiers are resting, and places where they’re experimenting on plants, wildlife, and people. Seeing this reminds me of the experiments done on me by my own parents and country, especially since they’re trying to invoke the supernatural in some of their experiments. I look over at Zandro, who is winching at the sight of it all.

Kane gives us the go-ahead to attack. Zandro and I instinctively go after the researchers and their experiments, putting them out of their misery. The alarms in the facility start blaring as automatic turrets come out of the walls and ceiling to fend us off, but they are large and ineffective as my snakes intercept the shots as I charge at them and throw the turrets at other turrets and enemies attacking us. The lights start going out, and the walls start shifting in strange and confusing ways that separate us all from one another. I try breaking them down, but they’re tough, so it’s going to take a while to get through.

“Continue forward, and we’ll meet up, eventually. Be careful,” Kane says through a static connection.

I try talking to him and the others, but I don’t get a response. Our communication devices are jammed, so it looks like I’m on my own. I’ll be fine. I’ve done operations solo in foreign countries for the Columbian Union before, and yet, I feel nervous and rushed. I don’t know what could happen to Kane and the others, so I take the immediate path before me and charge ahead. Out of the darkness, turrets pop out along with robots who try to get me, while I’m off guard, but my snakes protect me, yet again, reacting to their attacks, before I’m able to, allowing me to be defended and quickly counterattack.

Next, superhumans, animals, and plants that were experimented on are sent after me. Changing up my tactics, I let them come to me and roll with the punches. I let my snakes handle the ones to my side, while focusing on the foe in front of me. Our fists collide, resulting in both of them breaking, and allowing me an opening to punch his head off. The next superhuman that I focus on throws a series of punches at me that I block before taking one of his arms, breaking it off, and shoving it through his chest, killing them. Shifting my attention to the animals and living plants, kill them easily since they have no form to their attacks and simply use their instinct and raw power.

Finally, the remaining superhuman tries to sneak up on me with a punch from behind. I dodge her attack and stick my hand into her throat. Since she isn’t dead, I throw her to the ground and unleash a flurry of punches until her face and body are nothing more than bits of gore and blood on the floor. With no other foe in sight, I collect myself for a second, shake the blood off my hands, and continue running. Further down the hallway, what feels like two hands gripping my brain overcomes me, making me slow down.

“Always the brutal killer,” a voice says with the sensation that feels like scratching my inner ears.

“You haven’t changed one bit, have you?”

“You call yourself a wife and a mother? You’re the furthest thing from it.”

“You’re nothing but a vicious animal who belongs in a cage.”

These temptations are nothing new to me, so I pray for help. Hoping that destroying the source of the temptations will make them cease, I continue pushing forward, offering up the pain of the temptation as penance, and even thanking God for it, since it proves that I’m still a good enough person to face temptation. My white snake pulls me in a certain direction and points its head at a wall, while my black snake tries to push me away. Given that my white snake is blessed and my black snake is cursed, I do as the white snake wants and start punching through the wall. I tear through the metal, wires, and concrete of the wall until I reach a room where a ritual is being conducted.

The objects and people here are vain imitations of true Christianity, and so are the prayers to their false Christ. Again, my white snake pulls me forward and hisses at the cultists in the room, who are praying louder for help. They don’t get any as I slaughter them and break apart everything in the room, and I must’ve broken more than I expected, as all the lights come on and the walls come up. With the walls lifted, I see Bolster, Zandro, and Kane, all of whom are finishing off their foes. Unfortunately, our other allies were killed in their fight, so we finish it for them by killing the remaining foes around us.

Now that no one is left to kill, I run to Kane to make sure he’s okay and hug him. I ask him, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Better than okay. This underground area was not only where they developed their weapons and kept their army, but their true leaders were down here as well. They lived in comfort with all this protection around them, and ways to get around the country of Wall, undetected,” Kane explains. “I’ve just killed them, so all that’s left is to clean up their remaining forces in the other parts of the tunnel and on the surface.”

“Let’s get our allies and the other Castigators to do it. It’s too much for the four of us to do,” Bolster says.

“Agreed. Let’s head back up and call for reinforcements.”

The four of us wander the tunnels, following the signs until we find a set of stairs that lead us up. When we arrive on the surface, we find ourselves in the capital of Wall. We’re in a seemingly normal restaurant, in particular, and find ourselves surrounded by Wall’s leaders, their guards, their supporters, and their families. They’re stunned by our sudden presence, and we use it to quickly kill most of them, and leave a few alive as Kane tells us to do. When the fight is finished, and the remaining people left alive are brought to Kane on their knees, he pulls up a chair and stares at them with a judgmental stare on his face.

“I think it’s clear to you what happened in the underground if we came out alive, so you have two choices, and little time to make it,” Kane says with his hands out and none of his guns in his hands. “So? What will it be?”

The people before him argue, cry, and yell at him in such a way that none of their words can be clearly heard. After a few seconds, two ebony pistols appear in Kane’s hands. He immediately stands up and guns them down. A group of law enforcers comes into the room and is stunned by the death around them. They look at us with their guns up, shaking in their boots, and slurring their words.

“Do you want some too? Get the Hell out of here if you know what’s good for you!” Kane says.

The law enforcers run away in fear, along with the crowd that formed around the restaurant. Kane calls in the Castigators for reinforcements and sits at the restaurant’s bar, putting his head in his hands.

“That was great, Kane. This’ll show them all our power and your compassion,” Bolster says as he finishes recording what happened and posts it.

“Do you have to record every execution of leaders that Kane does?” Zandro asks.

“I do, but I don’t do it for show. This is to instill fear into our enemies and to make them back down.”

“Tch. If you say so.”

Zandro goes to sit at the bar with Kane and pats him on the back.

Going over to Kane, I ask him, “There go the heads of another country. We’ve conquered yet another in one day, all thanks to you.”

“They had a choice,” Kane says.

“Huh?”

“My eyes went back and forth in telling me their fate, so I tried to give them mercy, but they screwed it up. They all did. It shouldn’t bother me at this point, but when someone is on the cusp of salvation, and they throw it away. That is nothing more than pure tragedy.”

I wrap my arms around Kane, hold him, kiss his forehead, and say, “It’s okay. You went out of your way to give them a way to save their lives, and, as you said, they made their choice. If anything, the fear you inspired in the fleeing crowd will make them rethink who they ally with and which God they worship. You’re a good and strong man, Kane. Never forget that.”

“Hehe, and you were the one who started the day upset. I can say the same thing about you, too, Idelle, and you, too, Zandro.”

“And me?” Bolster asks.

“Yes, you too, my friend. You too.”

We are all good people, despite the killing we do and the brutality of our work. It is necessary to punish evil, instill true peace, and inspire fear of God and of the virtuous in our enemies, so that even the furthest gone can be saved, a goal that seems closer than ever.

Peace Through Force: Chapter 2 – Order Through Violence

Chapter 2 – Order Through Violence

The Castigators and I are sitting in a protected hideout in Hammer, and with our allies from Guardian, we plan our attack on the country’s leaders. From what I’ve heard from Bolster and his spies, Hammer’s army and civilians are mostly comprised of cybernetic men. This is because they’re stuck in the past, where liberal and non-religious ideologies reigned for a time, and the popes and bishops for people were scientists and influencers with money and power. It was a shameful time that makes me glad that we’re living in an age where tradition and religion are still on the upswing with no sign of stopping. Everyone who points a gun at or tries to fly or run at us should be considered hostile and killed or incapacitated on sight.

“They don’t have many prisons here, and the ones that they do have are death camps where people are worked to death or experimented on to the point where you wish you died,” Bolster explains.

“I can relate to that,” Idelle comments.

“I second that,” Zandro adds.

“We won’t be caught. We’re going to win this and humble these backwards apes until they have to listen to reason,” I say.

“The people in Hammer and the other two countries are going to need a lot of humbling until that happens. Do you know of the multiple treaties and agreements that the West has made with these countries, only for them to go back on their word? A war was even fought against them, their leaders were killed, a better one was installed, and things still went back to normal afterward.”

“I know. It’s going to be different with us handling it. They’re all going to get an ass-kicking they’ll never forget.”

“Ha! I hope so.”

The area of Hammer is made up of gray, ugly, boxy structures larping as futuristic buildings and walls, which makes the city look more like a fort. What little greenery of the original jungles that remains is artificial, all of it made by Hammer’s residents, who claim it’s better than what nature originally made it to be, when it is actually poisonous to the earth and its people. Exiting the hideout, we walk through these artificial forests and overlook the city where the leaders of Hammer reside. There are a few ways we can sneak inside, but Bolster has told me that confronting them head-on will earn us more respect from the four countries, so we decide to do just that in the afternoon. I’ve been told the city becomes mostly dark, and the divide between the poor and the rich becomes obvious.

Bolster, and our allies send a barrage of missiles at the walls and flying drones and robots to give us an easy entrance. Idelle charges ahead, and Zandro transforms into his devilish angel form and then joins her. Meanwhile, I back up our allies and shoot down our foes from a distance, and lead them forward from the front. Entering the city, their robots and cybernetic law enforcement and civilians start firing at us, forcing us into cover. Idelle and Zandro head over to us, flanking the city’s defenders and throwing them into one another with such force that both die on impact.

Advancing further into the city, the sirens start to blare, and a voice comes over the loudspeakers in the city saying, “The backwards sheep of the Church are invading us as we said they would! Take up arms! Give your lives to uphold the last vestige of true humanity in the world, or else, it won’t reclaim it, and the rest of the world will forever live in religious ignorance.”

“It’s funny they say that, given the only truth they believe in and accept is whatever they find comfortable that they’ve made up,” Bolster says.

“These types of people usually are. All they want is power and control over the truth to make themselves look like the good guys,” I say.

More people start coming out of their homes, businesses, and schools with guns and mechanically enhanced bodies to attack us, all of which we gun down. These people even try sending their children at us as cannon fodder to throw us off. Using my revolvers, I knock them out with their tranquilizing shots to quickly take them out of the battle before they’re killed. Even still, some are sent at us with suicide vests and explode as soon as they hit the ground.

“Bastards! Kill them all!” Bolster says.

“We’re already doing that. Don’t let hatred blind you, and keep your mind focused on the fight,” I say.

Internally, I’m fighting my own urge to hate my enemies, but I keep silently praying so my feelings don’t overwhelm me. The people here might as well be like the robots that aid them because of what they’ve done and how they throw themselves at us without a care for their allies and children that they hurt in their attempts to kill us. I see Idelle fighting them with a greater intensity, ripping people apart, using them as bludgeons to kill others, and knocking them around like ragdolls. I know how she feels. As parents, seeing children being used like this is beyond sickening and enraging.

“Idelle! Take it easy!” I call out through my earpiece.

“They killed children, Kane! I can’t take it easy on them,” Idelle says with venom in her voice.

“I’m not saying you shouldn’t give them what they deserve, but you shouldn’t let your feelings overwhelm you.”

“I…I know. I’m trying not to.”

With the next wave of enemies dead, we continue forward and pick up the pace a bit. We’re crossing through the gates of one part of the city into a more luxurious part that looks cleaner with less trash on the ground and high-rise buildings. Ahead of us, I see waves of more robots, cybernetic law enforcers, and tanks.

“Now they’re really starting to bring out the big guns. I don’t see a single person there who isn’t heavily armed or armored,” I say.

“That’s because all the rich and influential people here are hiding in their safe rooms. Do you think they’d endanger their lives for anything?” Bolster says.

“I wouldn’t expect them to, knowing trash like them. How about we flush them out like the crap they are?” Switching radio channels, I say, “Are you fellas really going to have all the fun and take all the glory?”

“I know you wanted to clear the way for us, but you shouldn’t have run ahead if you were going to take on a small army by yourselves,” a member of the Castigators says.

“Don’t complain. Now’s your time to shine, so rain down judgment on this scum.”

“With pleasure.”

Behind us, a squad of jets, helicopters, and superhumans rain down their weapons and powers upon the buildings around us and the enemies ahead of us from all angles, bringing down the massive structures and flushing out the trash within them, some of whom come out burning or falling out of high places. The Castigator reinforcements take on the army, while Bolster, my allies, Idelle, and Zandro head for the capital building, spread out through it, and start clearing it, room by room, of all its defenders and leaders of Hammer. I go down the depths of the capital, coming across robots and cyborgs who throw themselves at me and get a bullet in the face for doing so. I shoot them down and dodge their attacks one after the other, while steadily advancing without taking one step back. At the bottom of the capital, I find it to be pitch black without a single soul or machine in sight.

“What happened to the power?” I hear someone say in the dark.

“I don’t know! The power grid must be out.”

I had my Castigators disable the power here since I know the people here rely so much on tech.

“They took that out? I don’t think we’re making it out of this if they did that.”

“Don’t think about that and just look for flashlights and a way to turn the backup lights on.”

Despite not being able to see anyone in the pitch darkness, my eyes still guide me in telling me who deserves to die and the few who deserve to be spared. Because of this, I pray and let my feet and hands be guided by God as I start shooting and moving through the dark. Everyone else wildly shoots their guns in my direction and yells out in fear for help.

“They’re here!” one of them says.

“There’s only one guy!”

“They’re can’t be or else we would’ve shot him right now!”

“Who cares how many there are? Just kill them!”

Eventually, the idiots find their flashlights and night vision goggles to be able to see me, but this doesn’t help them much, as I continue mowing them down one after the other, and dodging between their shots. I feel a hand on my shoulder stop me, and feel the need to shoot what’s in front of me. Taking this as advice from my guardian angel, I do so, and a hole in the wall is made that leads to a bright room with a bunch of people in it, all of whom my eyes tell me to kill, but not yet. These people look like trannies with expensive-looking, colorful cyberware, none of which is good to defend themselves with.

“You’re Kane Mundr, aren’t you?” they say in a distorted machine voice, which sounds similar to the voice of a demon. “You haven’t won yet! The citizens of this country will fight you over every inch of land! It’ll take you generations to conquer us!”

I shoot the one who was talking and force the others to follow me out of the building at gunpoint. When we get outside, I see Bolster, Idelle, Zandro, and the rest of my allies waiting for me, along with a crowd of Castigators who have just arrived. They cheer our names, while the city burns behind them, full of dead machines and bodies. Sensing an opportunity and remembering the advice of my friend, Giovanni Coronamento, I call an impromptu streaming of a speech and display I want to make. Bolster is already ready for this, given how the people in this region like making victory speeches and public displays of justice. I make the leaders of Hammer kneel, just as Bolster gets his phone streaming.

“People of Hammer, Steadfast, Wall, and Guardian. I’ll keep this simple since I know how you like it,” I say, and then execute the leaders of Hammer. “That is what will happen to everyone who thinks they can go against us. My mission here is to not only bring peace, but to do the will of the one true God as properly worshiped only by the Holy Catholic Church. I’d prefer it if you, my enemies, give up. In fact, I pray for it. You’re all better to God alive than dying for an untrue cause and false gods, and being damned forever, but that’s your choice. If there’s anyone out there in either country, then you should rise and strike while the iron is hot. Now is the time to take your home and live and die for something worthwhile! A throne in Heaven waits for all of you who do God’s will. You won’t get another chance any time soon, so make your choice. May God have mercy on you, because I’m here to enact His justice.”

Bolter stops the stream and cheers for me, along with the Castigators. Looking back at Zandro, he says, “That was a great speech, Kane. I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“I took notes from my hangouts with Giovanni Coronamento,” I admit.

“He may have influenced you, but that was all you. Good job, brother.”

Going up to Idelle, I see that she’s covered in body and bits of visceral. She hugs me and backs off for a second, realizing what’s on her, but I hold onto her.

“It’s okay, Idelle. I’m here for you and won’t push you away. Let’s get some rest,” I say.

“…okay,” she says.

The other members of the Castigators come up to me, say how much they liked my speech, and what my new orders are.

I tell them, “Spread throughout the rest of Hammer, putting down the military and whoever resists us, but remember that we were once scum, so go easy on them whenever possible or if you encounter true innocents.”

They accept my orders and go out to do as I say, while Bolster, Idelle, Zandro, and I walk away to get our rest. Hammer may be temporarily stunned by our devastating attack today and will be further so by my Castigators, but this is far from the end. The countries of Wall and Steadfast are the other two left to bring to heel, and then we have to figure out how to keep the peace. What’s the point of this violence if the peace ends up being temporary? We can’t just kill the leaders of the hostile regimes and those who resist us, only for the cycle to start again. I pray for the answer, and hope that God will give me the strength, courage, and wisdom to do as I’m supposed to.

Peace Through Force: Chapter 1 – A Show of Strength

Chapter 1 – A Show of Strength

I check myself in a full-size mirror before we exit our plane. My modified crimson-and-black hoodie with ballistic weave looks as good as always; my black army boots are clean; my kneepads go well with my black jeans; and my white shirt with a snake in the middle, in the shape of the chi rho, is iconic as ever. Taking a closer look at my face, I look into each eye, my blue and grey eye, and my red and black eye, each of which tells me whether or not God decides if a person is deserving of life or death. My black hair is combed back and slick, and my new goatee without a mustache is looking good. The plane is starting to descend, so I leave my room and head into the main body of the plane. My wife, Idelle Mundr, is the first person I see as I exit the room, looking at me as if silently judging me.

“What’s the matter?” I ask.

“What were you doing in there, Kane?” she says.

“Just checking myself before we leave. We’re in a new country representing the Dominion and Columbian Union, Idelle. We have to look presentable.”

“You look the same as always.”

“You look beautiful too,” I say as I kiss her.

Idelle’s long hair is black and blonde. Her eyes are black, red, white, and gold. She wears one of her favorite long pink country-girl dresses with brown boots made by her adoptive mom. Behind her is my friend, Zandro, who is split down the middle in one appearance, with one side having more color than the other. His hoodie and plain clothes reflect that, being half black and half white. One of his eyes is dark brown, while the other is a light gray. I’ve told him to change up his style, and the best he can do is fix his black hair into two different styles and wear two different colors rather than black and white all the time. As we land and start to come to a stop, I manifest one ebony pistol and an ivory revolver from my hands and stand in front of the exit of the plane.

“Castigators, get ready for action,” I say.

The door of the airplane opens, and I point my guns at the first people I see who are waiting for us, who hold up their hands. They’re men and women with guns, body armor, and mechanical body parts.

“Whoa, whoa! We’re allies! Weren’t you told you’d meet us here?” one of them says.

“Based on what I heard about your country and the situation, I was expecting an ambush,” I say, somewhat disappointed.

“I get it. In fact, I respect it. Unlike the Columbian Union and the West, the East respects strength, bluntness, and honesty. Here.”

We are handed earpieces connected to some kind of wires with a microphone.

“What’s this?”

“It’ll help you understand the native languages and speak in them. Try it out.” We put on the devices. “Welcome to Guardian. My name is Bolster.”

The words that Bolter says don’t match his lips, and yet, I hear the translation clearly as if it did.

“Huh. You’re right, these do work. It even translated the name of your country and name.”

“It’s a new invention thanks to the Coronamento Corporation. Unlike our neighbors, we value and respect the fruits of the West, but we are most thankful they sent you out of every subsidiary of the Dominion. Come, let us talk while we go to your vehicles.”

“I’m surprised they sent us,” I say as we talk with our allies and go to the hangar where they’re leading us. “John Elio and Timeo Severe said we’re the best ones to handle the situation and that the relations department of the Dominion will handle the aftermath.”

“Yeah. Leave the peace talks to the peacemakers, and leave the blood and sacrifice to the true heroes. I must admit that talking people down is much harder than beating them down, but this is a situation where violence is the only answer. The four countries of Guardian, Wall, Steadfast, and Hammer have been in a state of on-and-off conflict for ages. Even when the Catholic Church had control of the countries and the region was at its most peaceful, the people still fought one another over racial and minor theological differences.”

“What’s the modern-day conflict over?”

“It’s over what mankind always wars over, to have what they consider the truth enshrined by law, enforced by its military and police, and have the perceived evil of their enemies punished by imprisonment or death.”

“Where does Guardian stand in this?”

“Where it always has since it was christened by the Church. We seek nothing more than to save souls and punish evil.”

“Amen to that.”

“Amen, brother. We didn’t fall to heresy like Wall and Steadfast has nor did we lend our ears to the morals of the age like Hammer did. Despite our faithfulness to Holy Mother Church, the Vatican refuses to send aid to us, and it’s only thanks to the Dominion and her allies that we’ve been able to stop losing land for the first time in ten years.”

“We’ll turn the tide of the battle. I promise.”

As we reach the hangar,  I see a motorcycle, a sports car, and a few armored SUVs.

“We heard you liked motorcycles, so we thought you’d like to drive one while you’re here, Kane.”

“Oh, baby, I do.”

I’m excited to try out the new motorcycle, but as we approach the vehicles, an explosion blows us back from them. A squad of people in helicopters, flying and running with superhuman powers, and cybernetic men attack us with guns and their powers. Immediately getting up, I get in front of my allies to defend them from our attackers. I make sure to use my revolver to knock a few of them out for questioning that my eyes say to keep alive, and to kill those who deserve it with my pistols with extreme prejudice. Dodging between the attacks coming at me, I keep shooting, while Idelle and Zandro leap at, tear at, rip apart, and beat down everyone coming at us, making this a simple fight.

“Wow. The stories about the Castigators are true,” one of our injured allies says.

“This is nothing to us, but don’t worry about that right now. Get your dead and injured to the hospital, and get our unconscious attackers to an interrogation room. I have several questions I want to ask them.”

My allies do as I say, and we head off to the nearest jail. I let my allies do the questioning first since they were hurt the most during our attack.

While waiting, Zandro asks, “Do you think this is necessary? We already know the names of the leaders of the enemy countries. All we need is their locations.”

“We need to strike precisely at who attacked us first. They’re our priority since they want to be the glory hounds by trying to take us out,” I say.

“Here I was thinking that you were going to be gun-ho about this assignment. I’m proud of you,” Idelle says.

“I know that a loose cannon does more damage than good because I used to be like that.”

“What about loose cannons like the Council of Punishment we faced not too long ago? They were wild extremists, but they were doing God’s will as He wanted it,” Zandro points out.

“There’s a time and place for that, but we’re not going to bring peace to these four countries if we just burn and blow up everything as the Council did. Besides, we don’t have guardian angels telling us exactly what to do, so we have to take it easy at first before letting loose.”

“It looks like Polina’s advice is getting to you,” Idelle says.

“Eh. She’s right now and then.”

Much to our surprise, our allies come out of the interrogation room with all the answers we are hoping for.

“Like we said before, strength, bluntness, and honesty are core values of the East. Few people lie, even when their lives and loved ones are at stake,” Bolster explains.

“Good. That makes things much simpler,” I say.

“If only it were so. We have a traitor in our midst who allowed them to get through security at the airport, plant the car bombs, and hide before their attack. Their true loyalties lie with Hammer.”

“It’s still going to be simple. Show me where the traitors are. We’ll deal with them first.”

My allies and I drive out to the place where the traitors are said to be, and we happen to arrive just as they are fleeing. Idelle and Zandro use their superspeed to run after them and make them crash and slow down. The armored SUVs of my allies reveal turrets controlled by the passengers that fire at the fleeing traitors, and I do my part by firing my pistol with one hand at the wheels, while driving with the other. Superhumans and robots come out of the alleyways around us to attack and make us back off, forcing Idelle and Zandro stop crashing cars and protect us. My allies and friends handle them, while I speed on ahead and continue the pursuit unimpeded.

I turn my attention to the drivers of the vehicles, whose bulletproof cars and SUVs are no match for my specialized guns. I shoot through the windows and sides, forcing them to crash into buildings and poles. Thankfully, the civilians here seem used to street violence and have already vacated the area, but some ahead of us are firing at the cars. One even fires an RPG to blow the last one off the road. The remaining see the civilians as targets and focus on going after them, but Idelle and Zandro manage to narrowly get in front of them to knock their heads off before they reach our unexpected helpers.

Still, I drive up to them and ask, “Are you okay? Is anyone hurt?”

“We’re better than ever thanks to you, Castigators! As soon as we heard and saw you coming down the street, we had to help you,” one of the civilians says.

“You could’ve gotten hurt. What were you thinking?”

“That we were doing the right thing by helping you out? It may be a Western idea, but when your heroes need help enacting justice, you have to help out if you have the weapons, even if it costs you your life.”

Since there’s no arguing with them, I thank them and thank me in return, saying that I’m an angel of justice sent by God. I hope I can live up to their image of me. Going up to one of the crashed SUVs, I find one of the traitors trying to crawl away with broken legs.

I stomp on their back to stop them, and say, “I thought people here were supposed to be honest, not deceitful.”

“The necessity of deceit is virtuous in Hammer, where I come from. They are the strongest out of the four countries, and you will die before taking them down. They worship the true God and live the right way out of everyone in the world and deserve to rule it,” the traitor says.

I shoot the traitor in the head and walk away.

Bolster approaches me from behind and says, “That’s the truth. Hammer is the most powerful and influential in the region. They have superhumans and weapons of destruction that not only threaten us, but all the allies of the Columbian Union and anyone who isn’t allied with them and their allies.”

“Your point? I knew most of that coming in, and it doesn’t bother me.”

“What about the civilians? Just like the ones here, they’ll fight you to protect their tyrannical and evil rulers.”

“I fight, who I feel that God tells me to, no matter who they are.”

Bolster smiles, laughs, and puts his hand on my shoulder. “Again, I am glad the Dominion sent you. You have no restraints to do what you need to.”

“I don’t, and since we know where the heads of Hammer reside, I don’t see why we shouldn’t cut the head off the snake.”

“With you leading us, I’m sure you’ll achieve a quick victory. We’ll all follow you to our dying breath.”

Bolster, and my allies of Guardian cheer over and over again, “God bless the Castigators! Death to their enemies! All hail the Castigators! Death to Hell’s servants!”

The civilians come out of hiding and cheer the same thing. This is all empowering and intoxicating to hear, so I cut it short by getting on my motorcycle and beginning the drive to Hammer, all the while praying that God doesn’t let it get to my head, and that I use the tools of violence and justice properly so as not to become like the warlords that govern this land.