Unleashing the Nuns. Anyone who was curious as to what this curious little phrase meant will now discover what the curious little phrase meant. Hmm. It appears I have a habit of stating the obvious. Right then, this is the last-but-one chapter. Wow. Who would have thought it? A Pacifist's War, finally finished.

Oh. This chapter is where my story leaves the set game pattern, and goes into sort of fantasy stuff. Not lightning bolts and all but, well, you'll see. If you object, sorry, but it was the only way I could save Deirdre, so mmmeeeerrrrrrrrr! pulls a tongue

Oh. This story is completely not planned, other than the fact that Zakharov betrays the Hipster. And that is a funny story in itself Well, not really funny, more of just-a-story. Hmm. I do tend to waffle on a bit, don't I? So, here we are. Let the Nuns be unleashed.



Code: 776MIBeliev521//"Nun"executetransmission76

From: Sister Miriam Godwinson

To: Father Jiordan

Message:

It is time. I had hoped that this day would never come, but it has, despite all our prayers and hopes, and dreams. The fate of this planet hangs in the balance, but more than that. God himself needs us, however arrogant that may be. He needs us, requires us, as sorely as we need him, probably more so. Well, my old friend. Isn't that an interesting discussion for the Debating Conference at Redemption Base next year? Can God actually exist without our worship? These are blasphemous thought, but it appears that I must voice them finally, after centuries of doubt. May he have true and unblemished glory for all eternity for what I am about to do; and I pray that He has mercy upon my soul, when it comes to the Final Judgment. I apologise, Jiordan, but this is my order to you: unleash the Nuns.

end of transmission



The voice of Miriam could be heard throughout the city:

"Entire city on 1st Alert. Activate the shields, and withdraw all men within it. Any who cannot be rescued are warned to kill themselves. The alternative will be horrific and painful. It pains me to say this, my Believers, but everything, even our place in Heaven must be sacrificed in order to preserve the Faith. I pray you all good luck, and good fortune. All communications will be ended until a certain point. Do not move out of the shields until I give the word. If anything tries to cross through the shields, you must kill them, whether they be friend or foe. Your survival depends on it. God bless."



A high-pitched, droning and whining drowned out any other sound, and, watching in awe as a glowing blue orb surrounded the area of the city still held by Believers, the University stopped their advance.

Since they had been driven out of the city the day before, University and Hive forces had renewed their assaults, and had captured huge swathes of the city. Now the defence rallied around Calvary Memorial, and around them, this strange blue orb had been erected.

From the mountains around the city, more whining could be heard, and from the valleys and dells which had been virtually ignored by the attacking forces, immense steel silos rose into the air. About a hundred of them, each bearing a hundred missiles, painted black and white. A shiver of fear ran through the Believers. They had heard about these, but had not taken them seriously. The Nuns of New Jerusalem were far different than normal nuns. They were heralds of destruction and pestilence, the Four Horsmen of the Apocalypse embodied in thousands of metal missiles.

At the limit of the Believing mountains, from hidden generators in patches of scrub, another shield was created. A large blue orb that surrounded the other easily. In effect, this created two safe zones. One in the small area around Calvary Memorial, to protect the Believers and their allies, and the larger one to protect the rest of Planet.

Some of the fighters of the University realised this, and tried to run, but the larger shield prevented them from passing it, burning all into tiny particles of fine white ash. Panicked, still more tried to pass through the shield around Calvary Memorial, and found that this shield did not hinder them at all. However, the Believers on the other side, did.

Then the communications around New Jerusalem went dead.

Then the missiles screeched like the howling wind.

Then without warning, the missiles were launched, in a flash of fire.

Then they hit the ground, thousands of the black and white Nuns of New Jerusalem, striking the seventy mile stretch of land between the shields. The air flashed an unbelievable green, and the Believers around Calvary Memorial were forced to look away. The lucid green light remained for a long time, perhaps ten minutes. Then it dissappeared.

Nothing remained between the two flashes of light. Everything had turned into a totally flat, black plain. The mountains had gone, as had everything else. There had been so screams, so sounds. And now there was no sign, other than the blackness that they had been anything there in the first place.

The armies of the University had not even had a chance to break through the shields around Calvary Memorial, for although their death throes had lasted ten minutes, the excruciating pain had rooted them to the spot.

Awed, and silent, the Believing forces around the Memorial let out a ragged cheer. The communications came back online, and all they could hear was the frantic praying of Miriam, lost in her grief.



Deirdre felt the missiles scorch the earth. Well, Planet felt it really. It shrieked in agony, and gripped her mind, but no concious words could be discerned from the mass of syllables and sounds. Vainly, she tried to touch the sentient conciousness, to beg it to listen, but it could not, would not.

It was a horrible force now, thrashing within her mind, and around it, succumbing to a pain unimaginable, some of which Deirdre herself felt. She felt the mountains flatten, she felt the mere hint of the pain which Planet was going through, and still it left her huddled on the floor. Deirdre tried to rally her mind, to gather her psychic defences, to reach out to this mind, a mind that had been so gentle, but which was increasing in ferocity every passing moment.

"PLANET!" She screamed "LISTEN TO ME!"

She jerked, and then sobbed as Planet roared at her. In the words she heard within her mind, she heard her own death, and saw the hopeless struggle she was fighting against life itself. Along with Planet, she bawled like a child.



Zakharov ordered his fresh, rested reserves forward, and onwards they came, shattering through the Believing armies around Memorial. Within minutes they had seized the first level of the bunkers, despite the courage and audacity shown by the defenders. Every remaining Believer now stood within the chambers, fighting to the last, in an effort to stop the University. It was all in vain.

An hour later, Zakharov had penetrated to level three, and now only two more levels remained to the Believers. As Miriam watched from the control centre of level four, her mind thought to the woman at the very bottom of the bunker, trying to contact Planet. God go with you, Deirdre. Grasping a gun, she waiting for the University forces to penetrate to the control room.



Lost within the depths of her own mind, even her training as a psych availed her little. Whatever talents she had, paled into insignificance beside the sentient 'mind' of Planet. She wrestled with it nonetheless, for within her chaotic, frantic mind, she held a kernel of her mission. She was fighting to save Planet and its people, as well as God. If she was meant to win, she would do. This realisation gave her strength, and she threw her mind against Planet, shouting:

"LISTEN!"



"So, Miriam. A pleasant encounter. Those missiles, whatever they were, took me by surprise. I always knew you were the one to watch. When you get on your high-horse, and take on the 'I am blessed by God' approach, there is no rule you will not break. Is Deirdre not here, I so wished to meet her again."

Miriam spat at the vile scientist, receiving only a hateful smile.

"This Vendetta has gone on long enough, Miriam. You were quite good sport, and I have really enjoyed fighting you. Unfortunately, there is nothing I need you for anymore. I would have given you a quick, painless death, but you have awakened my passions."

He grinned leeringly at her, and stroked the side of her face, before shrugging, and slapping her with enough force to send her flying across the room.

Almost absently, he whispered. "Bionics. Modern technology can enhance the most withered of frames. I could probably rip apart walls with my current strength. Where is God, Miriam? You would think his power would show itself now, wouldn't you?"

Miriam opened her mouth, and then shook her head.

Zakharov walked over to her, and lifted her up by her neck with his right hand. With his left, he pulled out a needle from his pocket, and jabbed it quickly, unmercifully, into the jugular at her neck. Miriam groaned, and he dropped her to the floor.

Zakharov grinned. "A cancer, Miriam, with accelerated growth rate. Instead of dying in about a year, you will die in about two hours. Those two hours will probably be the most anguished of your entire life." He turned to one of the soldiers that stood beside him.

"Give her something that will keep her awake. The pain might make her faint, and we wouldn't want her to miss out on anything, would we?"

Suddenly from below their feet, a loud scream could be heard. Miriam rasped, and her eyes widened. Zakharov recognised the look in her eyes for what it was. Despair. He stood over her once again, and laughed.

"Deirdre is down there? Doing what? Talking to Planet?"

Miriam tried to suppress it, but Zakharov saw the momentary flicker across her eyes, and he nodded once.

"So it comes, as it always has, down to two contestants. Deirdre and I. Very well. The rules have been set, and I shall adhere to them. Goodbye, Miriam. Have fun in your Hell. I shall enjoy my eternal life on this Planet. Enjoy your last hours."



Finally, she was getting somewhere.

"LISTEN! LISTEN! LISTEN!"

No, it wasn't working. The consciousness of Planet was slipping away, and, with horror, Deirdre realised her mind was slipping with it. Would that be so bad? Would it be so bad to lose herself in the neural network of the xenofungus, to become part of the planet? To experience a life that came not from organisms, but to exist as a mind amongst that of Planet. She could escape from these human affairs, and could-

Another mind joined hers, and she recognised it as that of Tom. He was a training Empath. What was he doing? She felt the tug of Planet lessen as the strength of his mind joined with hers. It was not enough though, and she once again felt herself fleeing from her body. Then another mind joined hers. Khad. Leader of the Empath Guild. His mind- strength met hers, and the tug once again grew less. However, it still tugged, and eventually, even the power of three minds could not halt it.

Another mind joined, followed by another, and another. More and more Empaths and barely trained psychs of Gaia melded their minds with hers, and the insistent pull of Planet grew less and less.

"LISTEN."

She murmured, and the force of hundreds of minds made her voice magnify unbelievably. Planet halted in its pulling, and merely stayed still.

"LISTEN. PLANET. AID ME, AND YOUR PAIN WILL END. YOU HAVE BEEN IN MY MIND. YOU KNOW THIS IS TRUE. YOU CAN SEE INTO THE MINDS OF THE OTHER PEOPLE, AND YOU KNOW THAT THEY WILL LOOK AFTER THIS PLANET. WE CANNOT STOP YOUR PAIN IF WE DIE, OR IF WE JOIN WITH YOU. PLEASE, I JUST ASK YOUR HELP."

Silence for a moment, and then Planet replied.

earthdeirdre. tired are we. rest must we. understand earthpeople we don't. help you- we will. peace is good. you take away our pain. you must. join with us, earthdeirdre. join us, and you will win

And then Deirdre knew what she must do. Smiling, she let the consciousness of Planet assume control of her mind and body, and they became one. Almost immediately, she felt awed at the oneness she felt with it, and then she became terrified. She had no control over her body. Planet had taken over her mind?

Then that feeling went, and she had control over her own body, but Planet was still there. However, no sound came from it. What had happened? She shook her head, and then suddenly, the life and vitality of Planet rushed through her.

you are servant of us, earthdeirdre. listen to you always, we will. fight the bad man, and win against our pain, earthdeirdre

Deirdre opened her eyes, and blinked.

Zakharov stood opposite her.



The life of Planet was hers to command. The strength of it was unimaginable, and she found it difficult to breath. The presence of the other minds had gone, and she wondered what had happened.

That didn't matter though. She felt, as if it were her own body, the scars that would take centuries to heal, the wounds of Planet that had caused it anguish for years. And then she felt the conviction lent to her by a desire for vengeance seize her. Vengeance both human and otherworldly gave her power, and she glared at the man who had caused so much hate.

New Glasgow. Gaia's Landing. Memory of Earth. New Jerusalem. It was about time for a reckoning. No words were exchanged, merely glances, which showed that both had immense hatred for the other.

Deirdre closed her eyes, and when she opened them, they shone bright green. Ethereal eyes, awful to behold, they fixed upon Zakharov intently. The scientist frowned, and whispered:

"Deirdre."

Deirdre did not reply, and instead, raised her hand in the air. From the sky above the bunker, a high-sounding buzzing could be heard, following by brutally short screams. From the ground beneath her feet, mindworms came, and they swarmed all over Zakharov, who sobbed in terror. Glaring harder, Deirdre called more of Planet to her, and watched as through the eyes of the scientist, mindworms sprang. From above, locusts, huge and fat, appeared. All these creatures covered Zakharov like a shifting cloud, and within seconds of screaming, the man was no more, only a bloody corpse, eaten and chewed on by the denizens of Planet, who had finally had their revenge.



The battle ended quickly. Deirdre marched forward, an avatar of Planet. With gestures, she summoned forth locusts and mindworms, and sent them against the University. With simple coaxing, she allowed Planet to grow, grow faster than ever before. Trees and xenofungus, as well as thorns tangled around the armies of the Hive and the University, and, trapped, the attackers had no chance when the locusts began to devour them.

The air seemed to be full of these golden locusts, droning with a deceivingly beautiful music. Yet despite the seeming uncontrollable wrath of Planet, not one of the worms or locusts ever attacked a Believer. And, in thanksgiving, the Believers prayed and sang, and, as they prayed and sang, Miriam did so too, staring into the sky as she watched Deirdre summon the power of Planet to her side. Praying under her breath, banishing the pain away to some distant corner of her mind, Miriam gave in to the sweet call of death. With the Our Father unfinished on her lips, the Sister of the Believers died.

She died happy.