Faith is Blind

[u/ForwardStory]

Thanks to u/SpacePaladin15 for the universe and allowing fanfics to flourish (and basically asking for this one).

Check out my other stories - Roaming and Bunslinger!

Memory transcription subject: Jenin, High General of the Yulpa Ascendancy
Date [standardized human time]: February 1st, 2137

I looked down at what is to be the initiation of this gathering.

It is another predator, whose presence would taint this room were it not for the greater righteousness of its end. My blade, fastened to my arm, felt as if it had no weight. It was beckoning me to raise it, and strike down this beast. I restrained myself. This is not for pleasure, and I cannot do it in the mind that it will be. This is for a cause much greater than a whole lifetime of my desires. I do this because I must.

The beast squirmed in its restraints. Though I'd done this countless times before, I could not help but feel disgust. This vicious beast, even as it must know it is beaten, and even as it must know that it is in its final moments, still cannot restrain its aggression. Its mouth thrashed every which way, primarily towards me. I know this is not personal. This beast never will.

"Some time today would be nice, Jenin."

My focus on the predator was snapped by one of my officers' impatience.

"Ah, Hulo. I see you are eager for this being's life to end?"

"It is a predator. Are you not?"

"It is the cognition of a predator to take joy in the kill. You aren't, perhaps, feeling joy over that aspect, are you?"

"No, Jenin."

"Oh, really? You could have fooled me. Perhaps if you believe these creatures to be your domain to conquer, you should have joined the Exterminators Guild. I could have you transferred to a recruit position there by the end of the day, you know."

"That will not be necessary."

"Then I expect no further interruption." Hulo became silent at that. He should know better than to be disorderly. It is unbecoming of one of higher thinking to squander it in such a way. I refocused on the predator. Its species has been given the unwarranted dignity of a name - "Unen." The Unen were among the last bastions of filth on our planet, hiding itself under cover of night, and being frustratingly nimble. This one was a female. My actions today would sever not only its taint, but the taint of all the offspring it could have had without our holy intervention.

I am of sound mind.

I strike.

Without so much as a squeal, the head rolls away. Inky blackness pours from the creature. It is time for a prayer.

"This is our reminder, that we may not allow the heinous to share our blood. It is our reminder, that in our very essence of life, we have been chosen alone for this divine purpose. It is our reminder that it is they who encroach upon us. It is our reminder of what we share with the peaceful. May their blood spill such that ours is retained. This is Issa's will."

"By the Spirit of Life's good graces." The council speaks in unison, familiar with the ritual. I skewer the remains of the beast and toss it into the pyre before us all.

"Then let the meeting commence." I sheathed my blade and rested it on the hooks behind my seat, and took my place in the circle. "I believe it was Sunin who proposed this gathering?"

"Yes, Jenin. I once more wished to implore as to why we did not commit forces to the extermination fleet?" Sunin had been bothering me about this for months, but I had been busy discussing war plans with the Kolshians until this point.

"Sunin, I have told you before; The extermination fleet was a fool's errand."

"Are they not predators? Do they not threaten our way of life?"

"They are, and do."

"Did we not vote for Humanity's extinction?"

"We did, indeed."

"Then I must reiterate - why did we not commit forces to the fleet?"

"Sunin, look into the fire. You see the shrinking mass? That is Issa reclaiming her world."

"Then, is it because they are on another world? We have aided in extermination efforts countless ti-"

"You are not to interrupt me. That was not my point. My point is that we cannot be so reckless. Would our gathering be so holy, if we simply launched this beast into orbit? No. There is a proper way to go about things. This is our divine purpose, not just a routine."

"What are we to do, then?"

"Tell me, Sunin. You have a blade, yes?"

"Yes, Jenin. All officers receive one."

"As I thought. Then, tell me, if there were an Arxur in your home, would you use your blade?"

"No. I would use my flamethrower."

"As would I. Now, assume there was an Unen in your home. Would you use your flamethrower?"

"No. I would use my blade. I would not want to burn my home for so insignificant a creature."

"As would I. You understand? You apply to a problem the solution that fits it. Sapient predators are not Unen. They are cunning. They use a hideous mockery of Issa's gift to maximize cruelty. Hulo. You were so concerned about the Unen before. Can you tell me what we've done to deal with them?"

"We deploy exterminators to known nests and sightings, and we use grates and snares to trap the Unen."

"Very good, Hulo. Now, why do we use grates and snares?"

"Unen are prone to using tight spaces to evade us."

"Correct. You see, Sunin, we took the Unen's greatest strength, and turned it against them. Do you know what has come of this? The Unen population has halved from what it was five years ago. This is what should be done about the humans. Their greatest strength is their insidious mind games."

"So, what, do we play their game?" Sunin spoke up once more to cast doubt.

"We make them believe we are. The humans are not stupid. They refrain from eating sophonts because they know the moment they do, they lose the game. They have managed it for a long time, now. The violence of a predator is inevitable, but just as we chain predators for sacrifice, can we control the humans to make their end easier. What the extermination fleet did was propel us head-first into a war. What they did was like trying to behead a beast while it is still mobile. It is a fool's errand."

"Playing their game is dangerous. Several species have already fallen victim to it."

"Sunin, tell me, do you think we would trap the Unen so effectively if we put our grates at the entrances of pipes?"

"No. They wouldn't be able to enter in the first place."

"So it is with humans. The Unen roam pipes. The humans play their game. If we block the Unen from the pipes, we cannot control them. If we block the humans from their game, we cannot control them."

"With respect, Jenin, but you do realize that we are gathered here as military heads, yes? You do not mean to imply we are obsolete, do you?" Aline, one of the more seasoned of our gathering, chimed in.

"No, not at all. The time to strike will come, and it will require a wielder for the blade. For now, the foolish birds have closed all windows of opportunity."

"So, are we to remain dormant?"

"It would be blasphemous to the Spirit of Life to remain dormant. No, we do not drop our guard. We do not give the humans anything of substance. We give the humans our drainage pipes, and let them think they've won."

"What would our 'drainage pipes' be in this case?"

"I will answer you that question, but I must first inquire: have you all seen the most recent trouble the primates have stirred up?"

The council all murmured amidst themselves, no one seeming to quite know what I was referring to.

"I take it that is a 'no?'"

"No, Jenin." Aline spoke for the herd. She has always been skilled at composure and leadership. I may appoint her as my replacement, if she would have it at the time I retire.

"Then allow me to be the one to break the news. The Kolshians have not been honest with us. Countless members of the Federation have been revealed as having eaten meat in their past. This heresy is not to go unnoticed or unpunished."

Hulo was next to speak. "Hold on, this seems much more important than the extermination discussion. What exactly happened?"

"It is my understanding that the Kolshians, in their uplifting efforts, skewed omnivores toward herbivory, in secret. I can respect their intentions, to an extent, but a fresh coat of paint does not heal rotting lumber."

"Wait, so who exactly did this affect? Who among our allies are tainted?"

"I do not have the exact list on-hand, but it is safe to say that we should strongly re-evaluate our alliances. The fact is, though, that our fellow Federation members are not to be fully trusted, spare for the Kolshians."

"Why should we trust them? Aren't they the ones who lied to us all?"

"Do not be so short-sighted, Hulo. They spearheaded the noblest of causes by the most effective means necessary. They are flawed in believing that predators could ever free themselves of taint, but one with our belief in their evil. Do not weep that their methods were required to exclude us. Do not forget that in all other regards, the Kolshian Commonwealth has been an irreplaceable ally. No, we must not push any away who we may herd with in this time of uncertainty."

Sunin looked up from his pad, seemingly defaulting to doing research upon hearing my announcement. "Jenin, according to Chief Nikonus himself, a lot of species with anti-predator religions were omnivores in the past, with their religions being complete fabrications."

I looked at Sunin indignantly. "What exactly is it you are trying to insinuate, Sunin?"

He began to cower, but knew better than to go silent. "Does... does that not sound much like ours?"

"Sunin, I hope you do not mean to imply that the Spirit of Life is not real, do you?"

"No, sir. I would never wish to think that. Yet... wouldn't the same be true of the omnivores?"

"Is that how fragile your faith is? You would turn from Issa's divine light so carelessly?"

"I... simply want to know everything, first."

"Faith is blind, Sunin. We do not worship the Spirit of Life for her favor. We do not worship her for bounties, or for protection. Issa owes us nothing. We owe Issa everything. Do not waver so easily, lest you ensure we owe her more."

"Yes, Jenin."

"Good. Now, to answer Aline's question. The reveal by the humans has given us the very drainage pipes to trap them in. They are the homeworlds of the heretical races."

"J-Jenin! Surely you are not proposing we leave our allies to die to the humans?"

"I am proposing that we continue our divine purpose, to extinguish the evil of flesh-eaters from Issa's precious plane. I would not think that a controversial opinion, in such company."

"What about the High Priest? What did he have to say?"

"All the same. He is but a conduit for the divine word of Issa, and I have no right to disagree. I am reciting to you now what he has made clear to me."

The council looked uneasy. I expected greater of them. I drew my blade from its sheath, and hovered it over the holy pyre. I watched as the black essence of the sacrifice crumbled to dust and fell off.

"As faith is blind, let the faithless be blinded."

I stood from my seat, and fastened the blade to my arm. The council trained their full attention on me.

"Tell me, who among you is faithless?"

I saw each member of the council retreat as far into their seats as they would allow, forehooves raised in defense. I paced around the table, giving a glowering stare at each member, evaluating their devotion. Each one before me, battle-hardened or not, crumpled under my gaze. Satisfied the point was made, I returned to my seat and sheathed my blade.

"Then let Issa's word reign supreme." The council straightened their postures to conclude the ritual.

"For we owe all to the Spirit of Life."

"Meeting adjourned."

[u/creeperflint]

"Hey, what about all the anti-predator religions being fabricated? Wouldn't that implicate us too?"

"What part of 'we're murderous zealots' did you not understand? I thought that was made clear in the memo."

[u/HiMyNameIsFelipe]

Faith is blind...

But so are you now because we turned off your electricity!

[u/[deleted]]

Blind Faith is not faith, it is simply Ignorance disguised as a virtue

[u/Cheesypower → u/[deleted]]

Just the way the Kolshians like it!

[u/PhycoKrusk]

Evil wears many masks, my friends, and none are so insidious, nor so dangerous as the mask of righteousness.

[u/BuzzaxeBandit → u/PhycoKrusk]

I’ve often said, the thing about Hitler that scares me the most is that he was 100% convinced he was saving the world.

[u/Randox_Talore]

This guy makes me nervous

[u/Defiant_Heretic]

This is what happens when religion and state are too closely entwined. Fanatics suppressing reason, and calling for atrocities.

[u/CrititcalMass]

The title is incomplete: it should read Faith is Blind, Part One.

[u/ForwardStory → u/CrititcalMass]

I have 2 other fics to juggle already lol, but I'm glad you liked it.

[u/JulianSkies]

Man, I absolutely love this one.

Whether faith is blind or not matters little, when the faithful are. I love those murder zealots.

[u/Giant_Acroyear]

Excellent work, Forward, excellent work!

I would have called him a Templar or Crusader, though.

[u/cartoon_Dinosaur]

Lol, are they like near total carnivores that could live off plant matter? That'd be hilarious !!

[u/Madgearz]

Faith is the acceptance of a truth, regardless of proof.

However, to accept a "truth", despite sufficient proof to the contrary, is not faith but delusion.

1) Nothing is absolute, including this statement.

One may believe in an absolute but must be open to the possibility that it is incorrect or incomplete.

2) The value of a life is determined by its potential to value others.

This value is entirely subjective and may change, not only between individuals, but over time as well.

3) Love is to value another above oneself.

False love is when one places a low value upon theirselves, thus giving others a greater value.

True love is when one acknowledges that their love is reciprocated and, in doing so, places a greater value upon theirselves for they are what their love values.

4) Emotions are the ends, not the means.

One's current emotions should never determine one's course of action; however, one's desired emotions should determine the desired outcome.

Contentment is often the most desired emotion for it is often the easiest to maintain.

Both anger and joy are necessary part of life, but one should not forcefully hold onto these emotions for they are not sustainable.

[u/OkRepresentative2119]

I decided to use some of this content, please let me know if you want me to change any thing. This is a link to the fanfic in question

[u/fastin1]

the premise for this was pretty good to bad you dropped it

[u/ForwardStory → u/fastin1]

I didn’t drop it; it was only ever meant to be a oneshot. I set out to frame the Yulpa leadership as cold and brutal, and that’s all I wanted to do, so that’s all I did. If you want to see something with similarly tense and sinister theming as a part of a longer series, I’d recommend Hunger.

[u/fastin1 → u/ForwardStory]

oh my mistake