Summaries of a Sanctified Crusade
Posted By: xitWOUND117
Date: 23 March 2004, 7:01 PM
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This is a piece that just kind of came to me. It is a different view on the whole war thing, and, frankly, is kind of a novelty for me, writing wise anyway. I sort of experimented with a few things, such as this narrator's view of the war and some capitalization. I can't really decide how this turned out, so tell me what you think.
You seek the answers to this world? As I thought, although I do not have any answers for you. Survival takes the forefront of our minds, leaving no room for such thought as questions. Indeed, our fight for existence is hard enough to achieve.
What is the cause our fight? No one can answer that for sure. Those that call themselves the "Covenant" have brought upon us a bloody Crusade, which we are losing. They claim to be the Instruments of the Gods, and some here on the farthest surviving colonies believe it. Many have given up hope for humanity and taken flight to the farthest stars, seeking escape from the Covenant wielded Destruction. The Warriors of the Covenant assault us with such religious zealous that many colonists believe that the Gods themselves have indeed summoned the Tools of our demise. The mighty Earth is soon to be under attack, and, rather than surrender to the pressure, our resolve is strengthened. Whether or not we have been marked for Annihilation by any supreme being, we will not die without a final struggle.
Peace was long ago forgotten. Some of the younger generations do not even remember life without this war. Such is another instance of evidence for holy involvement; the Covenant did not contact us in a way that would appear as if they were only explorers like us. They appeared out of space near our Outer Colonies and slaughtered any inhabitants. We had no choice but to fight. To kill in the name of Humanity.
But if we were truly infidels worthy of Annihilation and the Covenant are our Destructors, what of this new plague, the Flood? Without warning the Flood were released unto the universe, and they began to devour both Covenant and Men with no different regard for either. If the Covenant were truly Warriors of the Gods, why are they just as susceptible to the plague as us? Perhaps these are the true Warriors of the Gods, sent to cleanse the world of its falsities and weaknesses. One can only wonder of the purpose of the Flood.
One of our greatest soldiers, however, destroyed the Vessel of the Flood, and the Fate of the plague is now unknown. Whether or not the Flood were in fact a crucial part of this war is left to be seen. Their impact was tremendous to our forces in a few weeks of exposure, no one can imagine the horror that would befall us if the Flood were to return. Our diminishing empire is now rife with religious fanatics. Some call for repentance to save our souls from the Wrath of the Covenant, others call for repentance to save our souls from the plague. Either way, no one believes that it is the human race that is blessed by the divine. We may be or not, I don't know, but no one believes we are.
Today, as I man my post here on Earth, I will not forsake our cause. All we ask for is a chance to live, and that, I feel, is a reasonable desire. I do not care if the Covenant are truly sent from the heavens, that does not enter my reasoning. As I see it, the one thing that sets me apart from any Covenant warrior is my resolve. There is no power greater than the determination to survive, and I shall be the one to prove it to be true. Death itself will reveal the truth to everything, thus it will determine the outcome of this struggle.
Perhaps we are condemned by the Gods. Perhaps we will fall victim to the Annihilation and the Covenant are the true emperors of this world. Or perhaps the universe will fall silent one more with the final cleansing of the Flood. Although my fate depends very much on the solution of these speculations, I am not the one be concerned with any thought about them. I cannot be the one to decide what will happen; I am only a soldier, a man. All that I know is that I will not stand by and watch the demise of the human race.
I, for one, defy the Covenant.
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