"When you sell weapons,
You should be ready to die
By those same weapons...."

His name was Baldwin, and he was a weapons dealer.

His entire life revolved around weapons: their production, their functionality, and their deployment. His money was earned through the blood and death of others, and as humanity lived to kill itself, business was always good. Baldwin was almost never without a smile on his face or a gun on his person, for he knew better than anyone else that the life you live can bring about the death you face. A favorite quote of his was one by Mao Zedong: "Weapons are an important factor in war, but not the decisive one; it is man and not materials that counts." I think that this showed his general attitude towards what he did. He was a provider, a man who simply gave what others demanded. In a way, he was no different from a farmer; his crops, however, were made of metal. To call him evil would be incorrect, as truly, he was in the grey area of life. Never once did he try to invoke conflict, never once did he start a battle, or look for ways to increase profit. All he did was wait for a phone call, then deliver what was asked of him, if the price were paid.

Yet, despite his not being an evil man, it was impossible to say he was a good man. He enabled the bloodshed to continue, provided the means. Even if he had just said no, it would have shifted the blame away from him. Lives may have been spared for a time, battles may have even been avoided entirely. In this light, yes, it can be said that he was far from the pinnacle of human kindness. Looking to his favorite quote, he was the one who gave the men the decision to use the materials for which death and pain are their only purpose.

But enough looking into the mindset of the man. This is about his death, a death he knew he'd face from his birth. Baldwin had always been surrounded by weapons. His father had been an officer on a naval battleship, his mother a member of the air force. He'd been born on a ship in the midst of battle, the first sounds he ever heard being cannon fire. His life had essentially been decided from that moment onward. Growing up, he took an immense interest in engineering, as well as finances, often tagging along with his father and learning about naval ships, upkeep costs, and the differences between how each ship was armed. In his spare time, he looked over the differences in effectiveness of different aircraft, where they were produced, and cost effectiveness of one type against another. Slowly but surely, he connected the dots to create an empire.

Baldwin graduated high school with honors as valedictorian, and against everyone's belief, he went into the military. Day in and day out, he trained and learned more and more about weapons and those who used them. On the outside, he was a brilliant soldier, and rose quickly through the ranks; in the shadows, however, his ambitions were greater. Through his travels, he slowly built up a network of suppliers across the world, both legal and not so legal. After an honorable discharge for twenty years without penalty, he retired from the navy and set forth his plan, calling in his contacts and creating a new company: B. A. and Co. While to the world, it appeared to be a simple metalworking company, it slowly became known as one of the most powerful weapon selling corporations the world had seen, and governments all over were more than eager enough to buy from him. Many attempted to buy him out, try to have him sell exclusively, but Baldwin never accepted their money. No, he sold to anyone willing to pay, no matter what their reputation, even those battling against one another. Steadily, his reputation grew to greater and greater heights, until he was considered more a legend than a man. But a man he was, a man who was growing weary of the world. I think that somewhere deep inside, he was tired of watching the world destroy itself. Perhaps he was looking for somebody who would come forward and ask, "Why do we keep buying weapons? Why waste our money on killing each other, rather than help each other prosper?" Alas, no such event came to pass, and perhaps he began to look for escape.

B. A. and Co. had been in business for roughly thirty years when Baldwin's life came to an end. Sixty-seven years old, he was in his office when there was a raid on the base he had found himself situated in. The soldiers were highly skilled, their country of origin a mystery. When they burst into his office, all seven of them, guns pointed at him, Baldwin scratched his beard in contemplation. He knew this was the end: no negotiations, no threats, nothing. Baldwin pulled his Beretta 92FS and set it on the table, hands held up. He wasn't going to fight this. He'd lived a fine life, and he'd leave it with dignity. He took a moment to look at the guns pointed at him, and a sad smile graced his face.

Baldwin's final words were "Seems the man has turned his materials against the one who provided them."

And with that, Baldwin's life came to an end.