Massive desertion is reported on the Queensland front

Sydney, Australia - February 11, 2047 - As Australian forces staunchly resist the invading North, a massive desertion is reported on the Queensland front. Despite this, no enemy breakthrough is felt. In Brisbane, the Governor mentioned the possibility of peace negotiations for the first time.

It was as if we were in paradise, on the edge of the Kinrara forest, on a mild February morning. When the order to assault the enemy's drone control unit arrived, Noah W. fires the first round of his depleted uranium missile launcher at the entrance to the bunker. With a crackling sound, fire and shadow fill the forest. The combat unit rushes through the thick smoke and into the gaping hole left by the explosion. The action lasts only a few minutes. As ordered, the drone pilots are taken prisoner, most of them teenagers with frail bodies, more adept at video games than close combat.

After being evacuated by helicopter to the rear of the front line, the Special Forces unit, and its precious prisoners, celebrated the operation, which resulted in no casualties in the Australian camp. The enemy drone pilots were invited to the party, on the orders of the commander. The intention was to create a relationship that would facilitate their interrogation the next day. The alcohol flowed freely and Noah, finally relaxed, fell into a deep sleep in the middle of the party.

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Christmas 1917 - Slowly, columns of German soldiers emerged from their trenches and advanced to the middle of no-man's-land. They called for the British enemy to come and join them. The two sides met amidst the shell holes, the torn trees, the shredded bodies. They exchanged gifts from their families, talked and played soccer the next morning. Among the German soldiers was an opera singer. He sang a Christmas song to great applause. Within a week, half the soldiers on both sides were shot for sedition.

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Noah woke up at about two in the morning. The interrogation had begun: the prisoners were exhausted and it was easy to get the information out of them. He entered the interrogation room. The 7 teenagers were standing, lined up against the concrete wall. Some were crying, others were talking to the interpreter. The interrogation was recorded on video. It was calm, without excessive violence. It was like the calm before the storm. The information that the young prisoners were giving up would allow the Australian forces to kill thousands of enemies. Noah wondered who our enemies were, for real, and if it was really worth it, if there wasn't something else to do. This had been his obsession since the beginning of the war: the whole earth was rebelling against man by climate change, and instead of making peace with the earth, we were making war with each other. 

That night, Noah spoke up. The interrogating officers allowed him to ask a question. He asked, "Where do you want to live?"

In the days that followed, the question spread like wildfire: where do you want to live? At parties, in guard towers, on the battlefield, the question freed speech, silenced weapons. Once, a soldier took a radio and sent this message to the enemy: where do you want to live? And the enemy answered.

Within a few weeks, the war was still declared, but no more bullets were fired, and the front line was frozen. Faced with what was happening on the battlefield, the staff officers, governments and heads of state became afraid. At first, some belligerent officers imprisoned all those who refused to fight. Others shot them on the spot. Other states called for peace. But the question was so simple and so profound, the possible answers so diverse, that the people of the world, of all classes, rose up and took power.

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Psalm 62:11 : "God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.”

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