REV, Part IV

Pale Horse is our emblem, the Third Army of the Apocalypse in the Armies of God's Republic. We wear the emblem on our sleeves, right under the flag patch with its white cross surrounded by a sea of 56 stars on a blue field, adjacent to its red and white stripes ("red for the blood the Redeemer shed for our sins," says REV). On my other sleeve are sergeant's chevrons. This is a war with many casualties and quick promotions.

And me, just another grunt in a long line of draftees dating back to the Civil War. My great-granddad told me tales of Vietnam. My granddad was hauled into the ill-fated Arabian Gulf Wars. Then came the HIV plagues and then The Great Purge of the New Millennium. My dad fought in the First New Crusade. Now here we are, waist-deep in the Third New Crusade, sponsored by Americorp, part of "The Trinity of U.S. Companies" ("On earth to serve the Lord -- and you," boasts the vid ads).

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