Edmond/Chains: The Highlander Value

Edmond is a virtuous immortal swordsman of the Highlanders who contends with the rival evil Outlander warlock known as 'Chains' while humanity faces the Coronavirus pandemic.

Here's one more Coronavirus parable, inspired by the Highlander warrior-defender media (comics, movies) franchise, but alas, there're no pictures this time!

Thanks for reading (signing off),


====

Edmond was descended from a line of immortal swordsmen known as the Highlanders. These valiant defenders of democratic principles were seen throughput human history and were sighted fighting alongside kingdom and republic knights and soldiers in wars involving Ancient Israel, Constantinople, Carthage, Britain and Camelot, Vietnam, and World War II. The Highlanders were challenged by rogue pirate warlocks called Outlanders who used brutish strength to conquer lands and pillage and may have been allies to Genghis Khan, the Caesars of Rome, and Nazi Germany. If the Highlanders were 'Jedi knights' from modern-day American Star Wars space-republic folklore, then the ugly Outlanders were like 'Sith lords' who frustrated the democratic Jedi order.

Edmond was a Highlander from Medieval Scotland who thought of his sword as a mighty quill used to espouse human virtue. He was a very good fighter and his Highlander mentor Ramirez trained him in the hopes that he'd contend someday with the ruthless Outlander warrior Chains who was as ugly as he was strong. Chains destroyed Ramirez's bucolic village in Mexico and stayed his beautiful wife Isobel. Ramirez hoped now that Edmond would take up his great sword and finally cut down the evil Outlander known as Chains. Ramirez taught Edmond how to be both brave and honorable in fighting and never allow the dirty tactics of the Outlanders to tempt him to becoming a merciless executioner. Edmond considered Ramirez a great teacher, and when Ramirez was decapitated by the Outlander known as Chains right in front of Edmond, Edmond vowed revenge.

Edmond and Chains ended up both traveling through time using a magical portal opened by the wizard Merlin in England. Edmond and Chains both landed in 2020 Los Angeles (America), where the 21st Century dreadful Coronavirus had already begun to transform human life, requiring strict social quarantine policies and anti-bacterial washes. The Coronavirus spread across Los Angeles (L.A.), America, and the whole globe, creating over 500,000 cases of reported respiratory and immune system failures in infected patients and over 20,000 deaths all within a period of just 4 months (December 2019 - March 2020). This global pandemic created city angst of a high level and retarded commerce and industry. The stock market was crashing and the National Guard was called to maintain civil order in the streets.

Just three years prior to the 2020 Coronavirus outbreak, the American President Donald Trump contended with an unhappy North Korea testing nuclear weapons and threatening to throw around its weight to defy the world power of America in dominating nuclear weapons control discussions. Edmond the valiant Highlander realized the new millennium, since the 2001 terrorism affliction of 9/11 to the emergence of the fundamentalist super-terrorist group ISIS to the nuclear boasts of North Korea, was fraught with anti-globalization troubles that made life on Earth seem like it was bubbling against an Apocalypse wave. Edmond feared the evil Outlander warlock known as Chains would seek to exploit this 21st Century unrest by creating urban anarchy and fanning the flames of disorder.

Indeed, the Outlander known as Chains was allied to the corrupt Russian underworld and making money helping druglords create potent dominions of urban piracy and political siege through seizure of pedestrian resources. Chains wanted men who were exploiting the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic to expand spheres of piracy to become messengers of the adversarial AntiChrist who might come to Earth in the form of a democracy defiler. Chains forced Russian prostitutes to run drugs and black-market guns to criminals and terrorists who were regular clients and create general urban anarchy. This would make it difficult for social leaders to reach everyday people with words of virtue and sanity as humanity became socially unhinged by the mass effect of the quarantine-mandatory Coronavirus pandemic. In other words, the evil Outlander known as Chains sought to make modern life on Earth a living hell.

Edmond found Chains in Moscow one Saturday night and forced him to fight him with his sword. Edmond was trained and ready to deal with this nefarious Outlander and used the excellent training given him by his Highlander mentor Ramirez (who was mercilessly slain by Chains) to withstand the gargoyle tactics and swordplay of Chains. Edmond held Chains back and finally used his sword to cut off the Outlander's swordbearing right hand. After Chains fell to his knees, Edmond demanded to know why the evil warlock was making matter so much worse for human beings struggling to survive the 21st Century Coronavirus pandemic. Edmond wanted to know why Chains employed Outlander tactics to create unholy dominions on Earth in a time of great tribulation. Was this the hallmark of might --- exploitation?

CHAINS: You don't understand the depth of darkness!
EDMOND: Earth is a planet of life, not piracy.
CHAINS: Why are you the anointed defender?
EDMOND: My mentor Ramirez taught me about equity!
CHAINS: The Outlanders are devoted to fury, not prayers.
EDMOND: One can not honor strength through exploitation.
CHAINS: The Highlanders are governance idealists.
EDMOND: Only idealism can save us from the hell of ambition!
CHAINS: My swordbearing hand has been cut; I must resign.
EDMOND: Depart to your place Outlander and never return to the city.
CHAINS: Where will your future carry you, if I may ask?
EDMOND: I will remain a friend of humanity and honor my mentor.
CHAINS: You've avenged Ramirez, Edmond.
EDMOND: Everything is for life, Chains!

====

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5)