The Trinity "Put the gun down," Lucas said as if talking to a small child. The year is 2751 AD, today the term "gun" is used loosely. The old weapons using explosive powder and projectiles were replaced in 2073 by a new type of weapon developed from an old technology called a "laser". Over the years it has been modified many times and no other weapon matches it's speed, power, and accuracy. "I don't get paid to surrender," replied the mercenary. Lucas saw the mans forearm flex, a sure sign that he was preparing to fire his sidearm. Instantly a blue circle of light appeared on the mercenary's forehead and disappeared quickly, leaving only a small hole as the man dropped lifelessly to the marble floor. "Very good Lucas, you do your job well." Lucas turned from the body of the nameless mercenary and rested his eyes upon Lord Lothar Teutonia. The large man stood about 6'5 and his face revealed age far beyond his years. As the leader of the Trinity, stress and responsibility have played a large role in the young man's life. At the age of 24 he has the appearance of a middle- aged man. In the year 2304 a small faction consisting of 7 wealthy religious families banned together and purchased a small solar system at the outer edge of the Milky Way Galaxy. Disgusted by corruption in the Catholic Church, they desired to worship God freely, and in their own way. The system they purchased consisted of three habitable planets, two of about the size of Earth and one much larger. They named the Earth sized planet closest to their Sun, Genesis and the other which is farthest from their Sun was named Revelation. The largest planet, located between the two others was named Job. Genesis became the home for scientists, engineers, and other "creators". Job became the headquarters and home for the priests and economists, the leaders. Revelation housed the law enforcers and military, the protectors and destructors. Lucas said with great pride, "Thank you my Lord, but it's not my job to protect you. It's my life." Lucas holds the position of "Holy Protector", sworn to protect the leader of the Trinity at any cost and answers to no one. The truth is if Lothar considered anyone a friend it was Lucas, and that feeling was mutual. "These mercenaries are coming more and more often. Do I pose such a threat as to warrant such attention?" Lothar asked with distaste. "All of those lives could have been better served in the ranks of the Trinity." "Fear is a powerful thing my Lord, you have done nothing but good for us. Since the moment we made our reappearance to the rest of the galaxy every soldier dreams of leaving their command and joining us, countless already have. We are strong enough to take over the entire galaxy, if we had the desire. That is the reason leaders of other systems send mercenaries to murder you. Without you the Trinity would fall apart." Finishing his short monologue Lucas flashed Lothar a dismal grin. "Perhaps it is time to desire control of the other systems." From any other man talk like this would be just that, talk. Lucas knew Lothar too well to mistake it as anything but a plan in formation. After explaining his bold new idea, Lothar looked at each person individually. "So now that you understand the reasoning behind my desire, will you support it?" Gathered in the conference room of the Teutonia Palace were the most influential men and women on Job. Many were spiritual leaders while the rest consisted of top economists and strategists. Ultimately, the Lord needed the support of no one. Lord Lothar Teutonia was chosen at birth to be the Lord of the Trinity. The requirements? One must be born on the same day as the death of the previous Lord, and stand out in a way that the high priests believe you to be the "chosen one". In Lothars' case it was a triangular birthmark on the small of his back. "Of course we will follow any command you give my Lord, but how many lives will be lost because of this decision?" asked a short balding priest in a brown rode. "You think I did not consider this already? Many will die, but is that not a suitable price to pay for the salvation of perhaps a trillion? Besides, any soldier in our service would gladly risk their life to serve the Trinity and myself. As for those we trample, they are not of the Trinity and therefore do not matter." "Yes my Lord, of course you are right," replied the priest. Lothar knelt praying on the floor in the middle of his luxurious sleeping quarters. Jarred back to reality by a knock on the door, "Who and Why?" he asked harshly. "Sorry to disturb you Lothar, but I must speak to you," replied the intruder. In her early twenties Vanna Heisen was the most beautiful woman Lothar had ever met. Her beauty made up for the lack of respect she showed him, for no one else dared to address him by his first name." "Come in," he said while standing up and walking to the door. As she entered he grabbed her and threw her onto the bed. "You really know how to make a woman feel loved," Vanna remarked as she sat up. "I haven't seen you in days," Lothar replied. "Well, your going to have to control yourself for a while longer because I want to discuss this idea of yours first." "Very well," he said with an expression as close to a pout as he dared reveal. Being the "Lord" did not leave much room for emotions. "Why didn't you inform me of your idea before going to the council?" "I am Lord Lothar Teutonia and need not inform anyone of a decision I make. My commands are willingly followed by all of my subjects." "Of course my Lord, but you always run things by me first. I consider myself to be your, shall we say, editor. You know I only want what's best for you." "Yes, I understand that, but there are times when I must act alone. I envision the whole galaxy prospering under my rule. The galaxy is in chaos, systems fighting systems, revolutions within systems, things are falling apart. We will unite the entire galaxy under my leadership." In 2076, the planet Earth, birthplace of the human species, was nearly destroyed. Wars between major nations led to the unleashing of nuclear weapons. Earth was devastated and over half of the population was wiped out. The survivors were evacuated and moved to colonies within the solar system. This tragic experience led to humanity's resolve of not allowing this to happen again. Nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction were banned and the blueprints destroyed. Machines of war such as tanks, bombers, and the like were also banned from battle. An agreement was reached which stated that wars would be fought by men and women using nothing but hand-to-hand combat and swordplay. This way battles would be confined to the participants and innocents would not be harmed. Battles would be won by skill, rather than technology and the speed of ones index finger. 2760 AD� nine years since the beginning of Lord Teutonia's conquest of the galaxy. Eighty-five systems have fallen to the Trinity with twenty-one systems remaining independent. The improved form of waging war has kept casualties to a minimum. After all, if fewer soldiers die then more can join your ranks. This is how the Trinity's military managed to grow in this time of conflict. After a system is conquered, the soldiers of that system are forced to join the Trinity. Due to the lack of enthusiasm of the original Trinity military and the new "recruits", military strength is actually decreasing even as the size of the military increases. A furious Lord Teutonia looked around the room and asked, "What is happening to my army? A system we could have conquered with a few million troops five years ago is taking three times that number today." He did not expect an answer from anyone because they knew the answer all too well. No one in the room was so uninformed as to miss the obvious. Before the conquest began the Trinity's military was made up of loyal volunteers, it was "pure". As more systems fell to their might, the military became more and more diluted because of the conquered soldiers joining the ranks. Though these soldiers give them greater numbers, the lack of respect and loyalty to the Trinity weakens the rest. The original loyal members have no love for the forced recruits and therefore felt betrayed. "Perhaps we should stop forcing conquered soldiers to join the Trinity," said Lucas quietly. As the Lord's bodyguard, he was required to be at any conference Lothar attended. This however did not make him feel any less out of place amongst priests and moneymakers. "That would seem the logical thing to do, although I doubt the degradation of our military would halt. At this point, if we simply allowed any unhappy soldiers to leave we would be left with nothing but a few hardcore loyalists. It seems the only thing we can do is to keep increasing the number of men sent into battle. After all, we only have twenty- one systems left to conquer and it would seem such a waste to put a stop to our crusade now." If anyone disagreed with the assessment no one voiced it. "So what are we going to do about it?" whispered the woman. "What can we do? The Trinity would fall apart without him, and the galaxy will not be ruled by him," replied a quiet husky voice. "No matter how much we love the man, we cannot sit by while he forces the galaxy into slavery. Dictatorships disappeared a long time ago and for a good reason, no man can know what is best for everyone," the woman countered. "I am not a slave, and I will follow him anywhere. Perhaps what he is doing really is for the best, look what he's done for the Trinity," replied the latter. "Nor am I a slave and I also follow him willingly, but not everyone has the same ideals. He has done great things for the Trinity and our people, but we all follow him by choice. Most of the other systems have different beliefs and will not by choice, conform to ours. That is where the line between subject and slave is drawn," with this statement she ended the question of right and wrong for both of them. What to do about it was still up in the air. All of the twenty-one remaining independent systems formed an alliance in hopes that together they could defeat the Trinity's intimidating numbers. Together the alliance was still outnumbered three to one. Because of the condition of the Trinity military morale their efficiency was very low and alliance strategists calculated a fair chance of triumph. The battle was to take place on Earth, or rather the wasteland that once was home to all of humanity. This would be the largest battle in history, and perhaps the bloodiest. Before the battle a conference between the leaders of the alliance and Lord Teutonia was to take place. Gathered in a large tent and seated around a long oval table were Lothar and the leaders of the alliance. "Well ladies and gentlemen, I truly wish you would surrender so we could avoid this bloodshed," Lothar said sincerely. A small oriental man stood up and identified himself as President Tai-Wang of the Diamond Dragon System, then said, "We have no desire to be ruled by anyone, let alone a megalomaniac like you. We believe in freedom of speech, democracy, and the right to worship any god. If fighting this battle is the only chance we have to hold on to these values then I'll be on the front line." After a short pause he stared Lothar in the eye and said, "I have been informed of a certain custom practiced in your Trinity. Anyone may challenge a direct superior for his or her position? Is this true?" "Yes, but I do not see how this affects our current situation considering you are not a member," Lothar replied without hiding his irritation. Grinning, President Tai-Wang said, "It is true that I am not a member, but the source of my information is." At that moment a hooded man stood up from the table and revealed his face. Lothar looked at the man in amazement and not sure whether to believe his eyes he whispered, "Lucas?" "My Lord, I challenge you for the right to your position, Lord of the Trinity." "How can you do this? You are my Holy Protector and my friend." "I'm sorry," whispered Lucas while turning his gaze to the ground. He then took off his robe and walking out of the tent he drew his sword. Lord Lucas Castilla sat in an overstuffed chair in his luxurious sleeping quarters, lost in thought. A knock on the door broke his concentration. "I wish to be alone," he said softly. "Lucas, it's Vanna. May I come in please?" "Yes, of course." Vanna entered the room but Lucas did not seem to notice. She sat on the bed and said, "The Trinity has withdrawn from the conquered systems. Of the eighty-five systems we conquered, seven have chosen to remain loyal under your rule. Most of our foreign soldiers have returned to their systems but I'm proud to report that our strength is about that of before the conquest." "Good," Lucas said without emotion. "What we did was for the best. We decided that when we contacted the alliance." "I know, but I can't help thinking that there must have been another way." Vanna stood up from the bed, walked over to Lucas and kissed him gently. "This was the only way. You've saved countless lives and that is why I know you will make a great leader."
Copyright © 2002 Silas Montgomery |