Brink of War

Author pre pre-preface: I think everything is now sorted, and while I did publish this story earlier with a different title, I am publishing it again with this title as a test and because it links to the earlier pieces in the series in the author's preface below. Why not just add the links to the other version you published Dan? you might be asking if you are not hopelessly confused or totally clueless or just pissed off at me right now. Great question, would be my reply. lol!

Author pre-preface: This is now my fourth attempt to get this story published after having been rejected for spam or AI generated content, which it clearly is not, on three previous occassions. This time I have changed the title which I am hoping is what was triggering the rejection. Apparently if you wish to write a series on Vocal you better not intend to keep the same title or you will be flagged for spam. No response from Vocal to my email asking about the rejection as yet but I will certainly be writing about it if anything interesting is said.

Author's preface: While I am flattered that this story was rejected for submission for "spam or non disclosed AI generated content" on two seperate occassions now I can assure you that I am no AI. Although, if the simulation hypothesis is correct, than I, and everyone else, are all AI. While the possibility of that is not zero, it is quite low. In any case take my word for it, I am no AI, and this is not AI generated content. I have now changed the subtitle and the primary story image in the hopes that this will somehow allow the story to make it past the obviously AI learning controlled agents that are scouring Vocal for AI generated content and erroneously targeting actual human works. Nice work AI. You suck at finding AI, surprise, surprise. This is actual part III of an ongoing series of works titled Tales of the Goddess. See parts I and II here and here

The Goddess had but one goal in mind whenever she captured a mortal to become her servant, expansion of her power and of her church and her philosophy. "A philosophy of hope and love" is what she told Baj when he first asked her to explain it to him. "Hippie dippie bullshit" is what he spat in reply when he first had heard those words. In 10 years of forced service to the Goddess he had not changed his views (much) on the hippie dippie bullshit nature of her belief system, but he had very much changed his view of the Goddess herself. Where he fist saw an ancient, power mad, narcissistic, self serving, out of control demi God with way too much time and way, way too much power on her hands, he now saw a sad, wise in some ways but so naive in others, basically good hearted being who was simply in way over her head. She had been given much more power than she knew how to handle, and she had wasted those gifts in terrible and awful ways over and over again throughout the course of history. But through it all she had remained true to her beliefs, at least in the best way she thought she knew how, and her philosophy of love and hope had not changed over the many milennia she had spent in Nortenous acting as a Goddess to those (few) people who would come to believe in her and her corny philosophy.

Because of her dedication her church had drawn many adherents over the milennia. Most had left quickly, disgusted with the abuses of power and capriciousness of the Goddess, but a few hangers on had dedicated their entire lives to her worship and elevation. When they died they became her eternal supplicants and if you looked closely enough at the Goddess (a thing it was not wise for a mortal to attempt) you could see them, floating around her like wisps of smoke and vapor ever rising to be breathed into her lungs and then exhaled out, twisting and curling down again to her feat and then back up and in and out again. Forever forming the breath and exhale of the Goddess. It was really quite unsettling and more than a little disturbing to think that these people who had dedicated their entire lives to her service were now nothing more than the air she breatherd. To them perhaps, it was a comfort, what it meant to the Goddess Baj could not say, and had never asked. Some things only Gods and Goddesses could understand is a thing she had said often to Baj, and it irritated the fire out of him each an every time she said it. But, in truth she was right, as she often (but not always) was about such things. He would leave the Goddessing to the Goddess. The actions of mortals were his concern, and right now his concerns were very high as the mortals of Nortenous appeared dead set on beginning a war which could kill and maim millions and might very well mean the end of all life on the world he called home, and, unlike the Goddess, his world was the only one he knew. Baj knew he must end that war before it started and he would use the Goddess, in every way possible, to ensure that outcome.

"Does it not bother you Goddess?" Baj asked somewhat impertinemtly. "Does what not bother me mortal?" The Goddess replied in a tone that flirted with contempt but did not quite go as far as asking it out on a date. As usual when in conversation with Baj or any mortal she struck a posture of innate superiority that never failed to raise his blood pressure and cause his already short fused temper to flare. Suppressing his irritation, he took a deep breath and composed himself before replying calmly "The fact that mankind sits on the brink of a war which could very well spell the end of us all." Elyria thought for only a moment before replying "Mortals are always on the brink of some war or disaster. Sometimes these terrible happenings come to pass and sometimes they do not. It matters little to me in either case. There are always other words with other mortals." Baj was taken aback at that, and the look of surprise on his face pleased the Goddess. "So that surprises you my young servant? Don't think this is the only world on which I play. It might also interest you to learn that on some of these worlds I am revered and worshipped with as much devotion as the great Athena herself." Elyria spoke of Athena, the Goddess of justice often. To Baj's great confusion the tone of those mentions tended to vary wildly, from admiration and awe to jealousy, hatred, and spite. He knew nothing of the actual relationship between the two Goddesses but he knew one thing for certain, if they ever were to meet in person while he lived he wanted to be as far away as possible. Nothing good could come of such a meeting and he feared the possibility of what bad might happen.