'Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been.... far to long since my last confession.'

'May the Lord bless you, my son. What sins do you have to confess?'

'I... have lied. Cheated. Coveted that which is not mine.'

'Depressing as it may seem, my son... those are commonplace nowdays, and are not considered to be major sins. Is there anything else you wish to add?'

'...'

'My son?'

'Father... I... have killed. Many times. Each time, sanction by the goverments... but the last...'

'My son... I cannot accept that any form of killing is sanctioned, in the eyes of the Lord. All life is sacred... to take any life is a sin.'

'Even if it's the enemy? During this war?'

'The war between us and the Galacticans? A tough subject... one for a better man then me. I feel the church would like to see a peacefull solution to this crisis... but...'

'Father... the last man I killed... was a priest.'

'A...'

'Yes, Father. At the time, I thought he was wanting to kill me. He was pointing a rifle at me... and... I shot him before he could shoot me.'

'At the time?'

'My tea- my friend told me his gun was empty... but he had said he was going to shoot.'

'What had happened?'

'I... the details are... can't be talked about. but somebody close to him had died. and he was looking for revenge... and he blamed me.'

'Was he right to?'

'Yes...'

'More that you cannot talk about?'

'Yes, father'

'You said that you have killed before, my son... why does this one lay so heavily on you?'

'Father... the priest, he... he was my childhood friend. And I... I had taken his chance of happiness away from him.'

'You had stolen his lover from him? The coveting you mentioned earlier?'

'I wish it had been that.'

'Then... you mean - '

'Please, father... don't ask me about how.... only that it happened.'

'So you had... 'taken' his chance at happiness away from him... and he was seeking revenge?'

'In a manner of speaking... I had gone to visit my parents, and ran into him. I... got into a situation, and he shelted me. He claimed any thoughts of revenge didn't exist, but... as soon as he had the chamce, he picked up a gun.'

'So you just shot him? Without trying to talk him out of it first?'

'No! I tried... but he started to pull the trigger... and I had to shoot him first.'

'So it was self defence?'

'Defense... but his rifle was empty!'

'Did you know?'

'...'

'Did you?'

'...no.'

'Then you saw a man who was trying to kill you... one who had reason to, and acted out of self defense. The weight of these actions, you must carry with you... but your intents were pure. You did not deliberately set out to kill this priest... who was intent on killing you.'

'But still...'

'But nothing. You had no way of knowing that the gun was empty. You knew he was after revenge, and wanted to kill you. You acted how you did.

My son... though the act of killing is abhorent, and a sin in the eyes of the Lord... if you are truely repentant, then both He, and I, can absolve you of the sin.The sin... but not your own personnal demons. Those, you will need to take care of within yourself.'

'I'm used to doing that, father...'

'Mmm. Then may God bless and absolve you, my son... go in peace.'

'I'll try, Father... I'll try.'