The Meryton War

by Deborah E Pearson

  Casualties: 45 Deaths: 2

  31st August 1811

  Today was eventful, and I fear that soon Guns and Bayonets will be added to the weapons of the Blessed and the Empty. Should this happen the horrors that would ensue would be beyond horrific. I fear that most of our numbers would not be able to cope with the horrors of war as fought by what we refer to as Children of the Past; we are a peace loving and peace seeking people who only wage war as a last resort.

  Our day started off as usual with an Early breakfast before we set off to the outer field of Netherfield. It was Mrs Elizabeth Darcy who entertained Mrs Phillips. Mr Phillips as a solicitor had refused to take part in the war. Mrs Phillips news was nothing new as our spy in Meryton had brought similar News. The Militia is a disgrace to His Majesty’s Army. The reports are that Colonel Forster and his men are raging a war of terror over the unsuspecting, sleepy town. Unfortunately, I have not the men to spare to oversee the town, unless His Majesty’s Army sees fit to deploy another regiment to Meryton, I can only keep my spies in the town to keep myself, and yourselves informed as to what the situation is.

  The day was half spent when we received warning from Mr Phillips that the unrest within the town had reached the end of its tolerance levels for the disruptions that the war was causing and that an angry crowd was on its way over to the main house of Netherfield. Their anger was simply caused by a lack of understanding. The crowd had we not had the warning, could have been injured or worse being caught in our cross fire. It was only half the hoard that approached the battlefield, intent on some mischief. They were attracted to the Empty.

  The Hoard arrived at the worst moment possible. Battle had heated up between the Blessed and the Empty, the sky seemed to be permanently alight with how fierce the engagements were. A few of our members had managed to penetrate the Empty’s ranks and were slowly turning the engagement in our favour. When our white energy bolts met their multi coloured ones an explosion of colour is seen. This riot of colour, although pretty hides a deadly side. The visible part is not dangerous, but each one sends a ripple of disruption into the air. This disruption has the potential if this war goes on long enough to disrupt the fabric of our existence, the very essence of what keeps up alive. We had to dodge not just the energy bolts that were going in every direction but the fall out from those that had exploded together in the middle of the sky. Our younger members seemed to be the most adept at this dodge and weave, and soon anyone over 50 was retired from the field, with the exception of any that were members of His Majesty’s Army. Injuries at this point became few and far between as the young weaved and dodged amongst each other.

  I am pleased to report that the Empty forced the town’s hoard to watch at the back of the field as the intense fighting could not be slowed or halted. The ferocity of the engagement became most intense around 3 pm. The Empty rallied their forces and tried to force ourselves into retreat. To that, the Blessed replied by linking arms together and becoming together as one single man, each one adding their intention into a single large energy bolt that was then directed towards the empty. This large energy bolt landed safely on the ground in the centre of the ranks of the Empty and sent shock waves rippling through the whole ground underneath our feet.

  We had caused a local Earthquake.

  Not one of us on the field remained on our feet, only those who were in the air remained standing. Fighting quickly resumed, but with less intensity than before, leading us to a false confidence that this war would now be quickly over. This confidence will be our undoing, I am sure of it.

  Casualties 0 Deaths: 1

  1st September 1811

  The Blessed refused to leave the field last night, as the battle raged throughout a long night. The light that we were creating meant that at first, we had not noticed that Night had fallen, then the Empty refused to stop engaging our people. Many were injured during the night. Dislocation of arms, burns to skin, ulcers seem to have developed inexplicably and for some, the wounds are so serious that the skin around the wound has become black very quickly. This is especially true of those who once seriously wounded refuse to quit the field. Our very essence seems to be affected with these wounds. Overnight my Father seems to have lost a lot of his life force, as have many of the elder members of the Blessed. We fear that this is partially because of the earthquake yesterday, and partly because of the drain that the prolonged engagements are having on the earth in general. We fear that the life-force of the earth is draining away.

  Slowly the Empty are developing more cohesive recognisable ranks, and the Blessed are being able to use the standard engagement techniques that His Majesties Army has taught his soldiers. Battle carried on until 5 pm today when all participants needed much rest and sleep.

  Casualties 100 Dead: 0

  30th September 1811

  The field of engagement has changed this morning, to the northern most field of Longbourne. The battle began at 9 am this morning. The Empty formed a circle around the Blessed while the Blessed took the formation of a Catherine Wheel in the centre of that circle. Or air fighters stood in the centre of this wheel. Many of the Empty are beginning to get tired from the constant attacks that they are mounting on us, the Blessed. Some of them have resorted to Weapons such as swords, but have found that such weapons are heavy and clumsy in contrast to the usual means which we use to fight, and quickly discard those barbaric methods for more finesse in our usual mode of fighting. The Earth is trembling with the thunder and crash of our warfare. There is nothing to be done. The earth and its delicate balance must be protected. Many of both the Blessed and Empty have forgotten what the fight is all about. Few remain with any desire to continue fighting and the lack of morale amongst both sides shows through.

  Casualties 25 Dead 0

  31st October 1811

  Morale has spiked amongst both sides and the fighting is once more fierce. Every day a new battle formation is used on both sides, in order to try to win this war. Almost all of the Blessed have learnt to bend air and space. The benefits of such are spectacular and grant us many advantages over the Empty who remain on the ground at all times, however, it also gives us more exposure and the risk of injury is higher.

  Training for those called Children of the past is going well, and our ranks have swollen to include some of them, but they are inexperienced and at more risk than our people of being hurt, so on both sides they are kept in training or at the very back of the ranks for their protection. There is a general unrest amongst them that they want to do more to aid in this fight, however, the fight is not theirs. We should never have allowed them near the fighting in the first place, and surely would not have done so had they not sought us ought when we were most engaged in the ugliest conflict in our history.

  Casualties 3 Deaths 0

  1st December 1811

  Lord help us! The Children of the past are too impatient and inexperienced. The engagement was due to begin at 9 am. At 8 am the Children of the past rolled into the field bringing with them pitch forks, swords of every type and description, and guns of every type. Thankfully they do not have access to His Majesty’s Cannon. It is with great regret that I declare there has been more blood shed and serious injury this day than all previous months combined. Many deaths today with more expected every day from now on. The ranks of both sides have become disorganised and sometimes the Empty have even resorted to fighting each other as faces and sides have become blurred and confused. The true horror of war fought Children of the Past style is worse than anything we Blessed or Empty could even dream up. The Earth will not survive should this fighting continue like this. Men and Women being blown apart with gaping wounds that refuse to heal. The smell of the battle field has become that of rotten and burnt flesh. Many have lost their stomachs this day as the true horror unfolds. As soon as we realised how horrific this day would be we tried to remove the women from the field, but many of them proved to be stronger and braver than their male counterparts. The nurses amongst the Blessed
work tirelessly to heal both the Empty and the Blessed Casualties. Nature is broken and without the intervention of our Nurses no wounds would heal, and certainly, their efforts are resisted while out on the field at the centre of the disturbances in the earth.

  Casualties: 800 Deaths 20.

  15th December 1811

  Many of the injured are returning to the field fully restored, after only one night with our Nurses, and the fighting continues. The Death toll is rising higher and higher. Amongst the Blessed morale is at an all-time low. We are at heart a peace loving people and this amount of senseless bloodshed and death goes against our very being. Each death, whether it be from the Blessed or from the Empty cuts another hole in the fabric of the earth, and we feel the death as if part of us has also died. The Empty also feel this loss, although to a far lesser degree, and their desire to continue lessens each and every day. Our Nurses are the most affected by each death as they are the ones who feel the losses most keenly in their very being. Families and Soulmates are being torn apart. Grief is not being expressed because it goes too deeply into our essence. For those of us who are fortunate not to lose a family member, we are affected worse because throughout this war we have felt more connected to all who are a part of the human race, no matter whether they are Blessed, Empty, or Children of the Past, it is necessary for our defence as well as the way in which we wage war.

  The wounds the sights and sounds of the battlefield will never leave the minds of any of us who have fought this war. We long to return to our world of peace. Yet all the while that Men and women are being torn apart with gruesome and barbaric weapons this war seems to be without end. Today’s engagement was fought on the original field in Netherfield. The dead, dry and dusty ground was churned up by the rush of feet and parched ground swallowed up the blood that flowed from the wounded and the dead. If this keeps up our numbers will be sorely depleted. Despite being able to use the air, we cannot avoid the terrible consequences of our using crude weapons now. The blood on the field seemed to grow ever deeper before the ground swallowed it, at one stage we were wading in it up to our ankles. The formation that was used was haphazard and poorly planned, even worse executed on both sides. The day ended with neither side being able to say that they had gained any kind of advantage.

  Morale is so low, it was agreed between the Blessed and the Empty to take a break in this war from tonight until after Christmas. This is to aid all to heal and gather some new strength and to improve the morale of all involved.

  Casualties 400 Deaths 50.

  1st January 1812

  The events of the past months have been truly awful, and it is with great relief and pleasure that I report to his Majesty’s War office that the elders of the Blessed received this very morning a letter from the Elders of the Empty suing for peace. We have neither the will nor the inclination to carry on this war ourselves, and so once the negotiations are complete, I am pleased to inform you that the Blessed and the Empty will no longer meet on the fields around Meryton to continue this war. Our Healers and Nurses who are not healing those few casualties who need to return to health have now gone out into the fields where our war has taken place and each one is taking what little dry vegetation is there and beginning the process of healing the earth.

  As part of our peace negotiations, we will organise schools where children of the Past, the Empty and the Blessed will all send their children to learn the history and lessons from this engagement. We will teach them to balance within themselves, and with each other. If this were allowed to ever happen again we would and will wipe out all life on planet earth, and maybe even the universe.

  I also enclose a copy of the warning that our patriarch, Socrates, left for his sons warning us of the threat that is to come from beyond our planet in the hopes that that dire future can be prevented.

  Post script added in the 23rd century from an unknown person for the benefit of future generations: Thanks to the warnings of Socrates, and the teachings he left behind from the Blessed and the Empty, Humanity never surrendered to any off worlders. We did not enslave the off worlders but resisted them and their efforts. We now know that for humanity to survive we must be united in purpose and in heart and mind. They fled from us, and we leave this on record so that future generations should do the same should the off worlders once more come along to try and enslave humanity.

  Excerpt from Darcy Vs Bingley By Gianna Thomas

  Foreshadow of Things to Come

  “Sweetheart, I’m only going to stay for a few minutes, but I wanted to apprise you that my solicitor is drawing up the settlement papers. If I am moving too quickly, please let me know, but I would like to ask your father’s blessing as soon as possible. Bingley mentioned that he is quite in love with your eldest sister and wishes to be able to announce his engagement at his ball.”

  “Oho, Mr. Darcy. You would ask for my father’s blessing even before asking me? Tsk, tsk.”

  And he couldn’t resist those kissable lips and proceeded to brush his lightly over hers until she gently grabbed his face and let him know how she felt.

  “I cannot stay, Elizabeth. I would hate for your father to reproach me for not adhering to propriety any more than I have.” Getting on one knee, he took her hand in his and asked, “Will you make me the happiest man on earth by becoming my wife, Miss Elizabeth?”

  “My family—and yours, I daresay—will proclaim that we are candidates for Bedlam, but my answer is yes. I feel as if I have known you forever, and I don’t believe I could live without you.”

  As he pulled her to her feet to give her another toe-curling kiss, the skies opened up pouring rainwater down the front of her dress and the back of his neck despite his cravat. A cloudburst on the scale of the Noachian flood struck both and soaked them within seconds. “Come. We need to get you back to Longbourn.”

  “Oh, but not the way we came up. I got caught like this before and slipped as I was descending. There are too many rocks this direction, and I had bruises for three weeks. This way is more of a gentle incline, and if we lose our footing, it is much better for going down. Just mud.” Laughing aloud, she led him to the side of where they had been sitting and through a narrow place in the rocks. “It should be an easy descent if we can stay on our feet.”

  “Oh, doubting one. I am very sure on my feet. Take my hand, and I’ll get us down.”

  “Oh, no, Mr. Darcy. The footing can be treacherous here, and it would be best if we make our way down separately.”

  “I bow to your experience, and I will let you be my guide.”

  As Elizabeth started down the slight incline, she could feel her boots start sliding. “Beware, William, it is getting slick rapidly.” She had barely said the words when her feet slipped, and she went down the side of Oakham Mount with a shriek.

  “Elizabeth!” Darcy panicked then he went down as well.

  Chapter I

  Fitzwilliam Darcy had traveled from London that day and was informed on his arrival that Charles Bingley expected him to attend the assembly in Meryton that evening. Having spent the last few days in completing all his affairs before coming to Netherfield Park in Hertfordshire, Darcy had planned on relaxing for the rest of the day and retiring early as he was rather fatigued. Instead, he indulged his friend and attended the assembly where he was introduced to a family with five daughters.

  Wincing at the comments as he, Bingley, Bingley's two sisters, and his brother-in-law arrived, Darcy expected to despise the evening. In fact, he even made a disparaging remark— about no one being tolerable enough in looks to tempt him to dance—that he regretted the moment he made it. But he was surprised to find that the congenial atmosphere and especially the 'fine eyes' of the second eldest Bennet daughter caught his attention, enough so that he did ask her to dance. Bingley's raised eyebrows indicated his shock that his friend readily joined the country dance with Miss Elizabeth Bennet when he usually had to be coerced into doing so.