Story 6 – Harsh but Corrective Justice
Once we finish singing the Apostles' Creed, Our Father, Three Hail Marys, and a Glory Be, we sing our prayer as we move to our ready positions.
“Let us pray. Oh God, just as St. Nicholas admonished the Arian heretic, help us to be Your correcting hand that punishes not to cause suffering, but to save. We pray,”
“Help the criminals of the universe to repent.”
“Let us be your instruments of justice and correction.”
“So that thy will shall be done as it is in Heaven.”
“Help us to not falsely accuse the innocent.”
“So that we do not cause unneeded suffering.”
“Help us to change the hearts of sinners.”
“So that Your great mercy and justice may be known.”
“Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
“Always be in our hearts, Oh Lord, who is truth and love itself.”
“Always and forever we shall love you.”
“St. Nicholas, Patron of the Falsely Accused.”
“Pray for us.”
“St. Alphonsus Liguori, True Servant of Mary and the Church.”
“Pray for us.”
“St. Teresa of Avila, Ridiculed for her piety.”
“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 you placed in positions of law enforcement so that sinners across the universe receive the rewards of the evil deeds they have committed. Guide them into our hands as we chase after them as You chase after all sinners.”
“Amen.”
“I’m in position.”
“In position, sir.”
“Ready to go on your mark.”
“Let’s wait a bit. There’s a possibility that more criminals will show up as our intel suggested.”
I switch my sickle to a rifle and add a scope on it so I can keep an eye on the criminals and to search around for more. The scope links up to my HUD. It can identify the criminals we’re after and their associates.
“Dinah?”
“What is it, sir?”
“You know at this rate. St. Joan of Arc’s Holy Virgin’s will send you an offer to join their group.”
“I much rather prefer where I am. I’d rather take people in alive than dead or alive.”
“What about your relationship status?”
“I’m fine being single as I am. If God wishes me to be with someone, then I’ll accept it when the time comes.”
“Since you’re single, how about we-”
“Sir, you’re over the shared comms. Everyone can hear what you’re saying.”
“Aww. Heck. Disregard what you heard people.”
Our squadmates can’t help but laugh. I try to restrain my laughter as best as possible while concentrating on my job. There the captain goes again trying to flirt with me. He’s always been a close friend to me. Nothing too close though. He tries to go out with me, and I do accept every now and then. As captain, he should realize that the job God has assigned us too comes first and shouldn’t let his feelings distract him.
“Our targets are on the move!” the captain says, “Snipers, keep an eye on them and tranquilize them if you have the shot. Everyone else, disperse and capture them all.”
“Yes, sir,” my squad and I say over the comms.
I switch my sniper back to a sickle and go after my targets by traversing the rooftops. The criminals I’m going after have done all manner of illegal activities that have hurt the millions of people inside the Church. Colluding with heretics, giving to heathens, and teaching falsehoods from decades ago are just a few of their crimes. Petty crimes punish citizens with a simple fine, confession, and penance, but these crimes will result in their imprisonment where they will serve out their penance. They’ve already refused to come in willingly when the Church found out about their crimes, so they’ve already made their choice. My targets are close by and they haven’t noticed me yet. It’s time to take them by surprise. I jump through their window and ready my weapons.
As required by law, I announce, “Church law enforcement! Submit yourselves and don’t resist!”
A couple of them get on their knees while the other three pick up laser guns and point them at me.
“Put your weapons down!” I command them.
“We haven’t done anything wrong!” one of them says.
“You broke the laws of the Church. If you submitted peacefully, your punishment would’ve been lighter but now you must be imprisoned for your sins. Put your weapons down. Now!”
“Come on and help me fight her. It’s five of us against her!” another one says.
The two who are down on their knees don’t say anything and prostrate themselves.
“Their sentences will be lighter than yours,” I tell the three who are standing.
With my shoulder cape, I emit a blinding light from it like a flashbang and use it as cover to protect me from their shots. This cape is like the one St. Michael the Archangel’s has, but with the added bonus of being able to blind opponents. It takes a little while to charge back up after each use and can’t take as much damage though it’s still incredibly useful. I use my whip to knock one of the criminals into the other. The third one jumps out of the window, lands on a soft bush, and runs away. That bush was probably part of their escape plan. With two of the criminals knocked out and the other two surrendering, I go after the other.
“Dinah reporting in with two criminals knocked out and two submitting. Extract them immediately while I go after the fifth.”
“Roger that,” our extraction expert responds.
The criminal runs through the crowded streets. She’s just finished calling someone.
“Dinah, your target just called in for help,” the communications expert informs me, “I’ll send you some of your own.”
“Roger.”
I continue chasing the criminal in the crowded streets. This route was planned for their escape as well because of how many people are in the way and the things that are in my way.
“The Hands of St. Nicholas are at work, citizens! Clear a path for the Church’s law enforcement!” I say at the top of my voice to disperse the crowds.
They clear a path in front of me and tell the other people in front of them as well. The Hands of St. Nicholas is the official police force of the Church and it’s a crime to interfere with us. There’s an unspoken and unenforced law to help us. Some of the citizens in the crowd notice who I’m chasing and pull on her shirt. Now that they see who I’m after, the crowd starts blocking the criminal and makes a wall to prevent her escape.
“Submit yourself now!” I command the criminal.
The crowds spit in her face and force her on her knees.
“Okay! I give up!” she says.
“Dinah reporting in-”
“Behind you!” I hear over the comms before a shot rings out.
One person behind me who was holding a weapon is tranquilized by a sniper shot. Two more people with weapons in their hands are brought out from the crowd. I knock both out as the crowd cheers out.
“God bless the Church! God bless His Holy law enforcement! God bless the Hands of St. Nicholas!” the crowd chants.
“Your actions will be rewarded by God and His Holy Church,” I tell the crowd as I raise my camera that takes a picture of the crowd around me that try to get in the picture.
Even though vigilantism is not allowed by the Church, aiding the law during a chase is rewarded. A citizen who aids the law will be given the choice of obtaining; tax breaks, access to a priest coming to their house for blessings and personal confessions at their house, or other such things. The rest of my squad reports arresting their targets and all the criminals we were after today are brought in. On the way back to the station, the squad congratulates one another on another job well done.
The captain comes to me and asks, “That was a close one.”
“Yes, thank you for protecting me.”
“Ah, it’s just my job. Besides, I’m sure you would’ve survived anyway.”
“That’s true. You’re not getting anything special for saving me.”
“What?”
“As you said, it’s your job.”
“You really messed up your opportunity captain when you mentioned that it’s your job.”
“Shut up.”
The squad laughs at the captain’s failed attempt to get me to give him something, probably a kiss or a date. I don’t laugh, but I do smile. I’m not completely humorless. I just don’t care for the captain’s repeated flirtatious attempts. He doesn’t talk to any other of the women we know on the squad and off like this. Just me. I kind of wish he’d stop for once and ask someone else out.
We get back to base and are about to settle in until the alarm bell rings.
The captain tells us that, “There’s a riot happening at the prison. We must go over there and take control of the situation. We put them down any prisoners that are participating in the riot. They had their chance to repent and they're rejecting it. If they don’t want mercy, then they’ll get justice. Understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
The squad gets ready and we go back out. The prisons that we have are meant to make sinners repent for their sins. There are; daily masses, counselor priest to talk to, exorcists to rid people of the demon’s that attach themselves to them, confessions, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and all kinds of penances. This riot shouldn’t have happened because of all the security and the corrective kindness that should be shown to the prisoners. I guess we’ll find out when we get there.
As we arrive, the captain splits us up to help the guards. While looking over the courtyard, I watch as guards snipe the running inmates. There are already dozens of dead bodies on the ground with very few that are praying on their knees to show that they’re not rioting. I can’t let this distract me. As I go through the prison, I find dozens of inmates fighting the guards. Since it’s my duty, I use my sickle to cut them down. With my whip, I break up the fighting and snap a couple of necks with it. Despite not being able to bring in weapons, the prisoners have decent swords and knives on them. Some are even carrying laser guns. They must’ve gotten them in somehow.
I split off from helping the guards to fight a group of criminals on my own. My sniper’s lethal mode shoots a laser that goes through four of them. This gets the last two to get on their knees.
“Stop! We give up!”
“Have mercy on us! We repent!”
Should I kill them because they were part of the riot or let them live because they’re repenting? I should follow the captain’s orders. They already made their decision. If they are repenting, then I hope God has mercy on them. I switch my sniper to a scythe then cut off their heads with one swipe.
“The situation is under control. Clean up whoever is still resisting then come to the warden’s office. It seems like we know who started the riots,” the captain says over the comms.
After doing what he says, we all go to the warden’s office. It turns out that someone has been using tech that is similar to our changing weapons to bring in weapons and explosives under the form of ordinary gifts. Since all the weapons have been confiscated, we can trace them back to whoever sent them. As for why the prisoners broke free, all we know is that some were unrepentant sinners who were lying about repenting, some were tired of trying to learn the Church’s ways and rejected them, or were tired of paying off their debts to the Church and God in prison. You really only need to go to confession, Mass, and get a plenary indulgence to obtain forgiveness from God and pay off the debt from your sins. I can understand wanting to leave from there, but they still had to practice virtue and recite Church teachings for their allotted amount of time until they could go.
This is all we’re told as to how and why the prisoner revolted. When we leave, we investigate the prison a bit more and learn from inside contacts that the prison has a few people that abuse the inmates and keep them there to increase their pay. There are very few who are just a bit too meticulous about how the inmates should act, but those people are quickly taught how they should act. We’re given the names of the abusers and head out again to arrest them. They’re having a party to celebrate their recent pay raise. We head into the restaurant they’re in and surround them.
“What’s going on here, officers?” one of them asks.
“We know of your abuses in the prison and are here to arrest you. Resist and your punishment will be harsh,” the captain says.
“What? We were admonishing sinners and getting them to fix their ways.”
“You were extending the process and taking advantage of them. Those people shouldn’t have suffered for what you did.”
“What about the people who gave them their weapons?”
“We’ll get to them soon. You’re first on our list.”
Seeing that there is no way out of this, they give up and are taken out of the restaurant and to the jail to be heavily punished for their sins.
“Hey, Dinah,” the captain says to me.
“Yes, captain?”
“Since we’re done for the day and in a restaurant…”
“Okay, I’ll go out with you.”
“Really?”
“But everyone has to join.”
“What?”
“And you’re buying.”
“What?!”
“Did you hear that, guys?”
“Wow, our captain is the best!” one of our squadmates says as he gets a table for everyone.
“You can’t just-”
I give the captain a kiss on the cheek and smile at him. He’s blushing and so speechless. It’s kind of cute.
“You…you…”
“She’s really got you now. You regret falling for her now don’t you, captain?”
“Whatever. Dinner is on me as long as I get another kiss.”
“Okay. You’ll get your kiss after we eat.”
“And maybe another date except without everyone else?”
“Don’t push it.”
My squad and I have dinner together after a hectic day. It’s a rare way to end the day that I thank God that I’m able to have it.
The End
How could I forget to include Holier than Thou by Metallica when talking about good versus the right decision? This Metallica album has to be my favorite of theirs compared to the others.
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