Screams of agony filled his ears. His on-board comm equipment belted them out incessantly. But throughout the long years spent in countless battlefields, his heart grew increasingly numb, until the point where the horrors of war had ceased to rattle him.

Explosions peppered his panoramic cockpit screens like countless fireworks being set off one after the other within the cold, black void of space. And with them came the screams.

It was the screams of his comrades. It was their last ounce of struggle against the harsh reality of death in the battlefield.

Perhaps he would let out such a scream as well when lady death comes to claim him. Or perhaps not. He honestly didn't know. Nor did he care.

He could only ever move forward and fight until he has exhausted himself completely. He had lost everything there was to lose already. He was totally empty.

He fought on only because he had determined that giving up halfheartedly would besmirch the wills of all those he cared about who had sacrificed themselves in the pursuit of what they believed was peace.

They had given him, who had nothing, everything. But they had gradually left him in the end. Just like the tiny grains of sand that slipped through the gaps of his fingers as he scooped a handful of them up.

That was during a bit of R&R in one of the southern islands of Earth. It was one of the happiest moments of his life. But now it only lingers on as ghostly wisps of memories.

He honestly couldn't recall much of it even if he tried. Great sorrow and regret blotted most of it out from his mind.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

He checked his remaining ammunition.

"Nearly empty." he mused.

His charged sub-ether particle rifle only had a few shots left. He still had two full clips of e-field piercing rounds for his side arm. But those might as well count for nothing.

They caused a localized cancellation effect on enemy barriers, but had very little in the way of physical penetrative power. It was a flaw (among countless others) the UEDF had long neglected even as the last stages of the war approached ever closer.

Even as the enemy steadily prepared for a final offensive, their damned fools for leaders still bickered about fund allocation. Like they could actually take their ill-gotten wealth to the grave!...

He ground his teeth in frustration for a few moments, but his lips slowly curved to display a cynical smile soon afterwards. In the end, it didn't really matter if they got supplied with less than optimal equipment. Even top of the line, cutting edge tech didn't ensure victory from the enemies they now faced.

He turned his attention to the vast sea of hostiles in front of him once more. It was a veritable wall of enemies. Standing up to these kinds of numbers with their current strength would surely mean certain death. He was certain their superiors also understood that fact very clearly.

But that was of no concern to them. The forces dispatched here were not expected to survive the encounter after all.

His grin grew even more lopsided.

*Note

UEDF - United Earth Defense Forces

E-Field - Ether Field