Battle for the Known Unknown Ch. 07

Chief Inspector Isaiah followed the High Pastor's words with: "Amen!"

"Amen," chorused Isaac and the other inspectors.

"Unfortunately it is not within the means of the considerable wealth of the Baptist Ecumenical Council—it is not even within the means of the Emergency Coalition of Religious Councils—to navigate a space ship such an immense distance to where this Apostasy is known to be. The Lord has seen fit to make the Solar System, which He created for Man, so immense that a space ship able to voyage so far from the ecliptic plane would cost for its construction more than the entire wealth of all but the very wealthiest nations in the Solar System: nations which are the very ones under the sway of the Antichrist. The Interplanetary Uniondoeshave the means. Our spies within its headquarters in the Pacific Ocean on Earth have told us reliably that it will command a space ship to voyage to this distant point in space, no doubt so that the Antichrist can meet his mentor in person. We even know which space ship will be commandeered for their mission. It is our duty, as detailed in Holy Scripture, to thwart this evil mission, so that the prophecies of the Second Coming can be fulfilled and that we shall all be lifted upwards to Heaven."

The High Pastor paused again and then followed with another quotation from Revelations Chapter Twenty-two. "And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book."

"Amen," chorused the Soldiers of Christ.

"Your mission, gentlemen," said the High Pastor, "is therefore of the highest imaginable importance. The future of all the souls in Holy Trinity is in your hands. It is you who shall ensure that the Second Coming will proceed as prophesied and that we shall all rest in Heaven. For ever and ever, Amen."

"Amen."

"You will be taken to a secret location in the Jovian Asteroid Belt where the Sun's blessed rays are weak and where the planet Jupiter's magnetosphere is the most dominant force. You will be briefed there for the mission that is ahead of you. In this place you will meet other true believers, but also heretics, pagans and idolaters. You will be obliged to work with, even take orders from, people who in Holy Trinity would be stoned or burnt at the stake. This will cause you to suffer much indignation, but it is a test of your faith that in this hour of Great Necessity that you disguise your righteous anger and disgust. On the other hand, should any one of you be tempted from the True Faith to the ways of the demons that these people worship, it is incumbent on all those of uncorrupted faith to mete on you the punishment that would be due to such a renegade within the confines of Holy Trinity. I trust this is understood?"

"Yes, sir," replied the three inspectors.

"You will be accompanied, of course, by Holy Inquisitors who will ensure that any such deviancy is identified and dealt with according to the laws enshrined in the Gospel. Recall the Lord's words in Chapter Twenty-four Verse Twenty of the Book of Joshua: "If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good."

"Amen."

"Your mission is highly classified but I am permitted to tell you of its broadest particulars. You will be transported from a base in the Jovian Asteroid Belt by a fleet of space craft belonging to the Baptist Ecumenical Council, the New Muslim Brotherhood, the Temple of Vishnu, the Tanakh Communion, the Triton Orthodoxy, and other religious fellowships. The Coalition fleet will take you to the furthest reaches to which such space craft are capable of flying. There will be no return journey and there will not, in any case, be enough fuel in these craft to make such a return. The fleet will intercept the space ship that is in the command of the Interplanetary Union. You will capture this space ship and travel in it until it reaches its destination at the perimeter of the Apostasy. You will then eliminate the Apostasy with the antimatter and nuclear fusion warheads at your disposal. Your reward will be that you shall then be transported by the Angels of Christ to a Life Everlasting. Is all this understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"The only vehicle that the Interplanetary Union is likely to bring to service is the Space Ship Intrepid. It is an ancient vessel built centuries before Holy Trinity was founded. In fact, it existed before even the time that our congregation departed from the Baptist Colony of the Divine Revelation when it was sinfully tempted by the heresies of the Interplanetary Union. It should not, therefore, be too difficult for a fleet armed with the most modern and lethal weapons that science has devised—and easily purchased at the Arms Fairs in Mars orbit—to overpower the craft and use it for the Divine Purpose for which we know is its true destiny."

"Amen," said Isaac and his fellow officers in complete accord.