The ground, rusted, filled with metal chunks, cracked and crumbled as I planted both of my feet, barely keeping the bones of my legs in single pieces.  Muscles unraveled and my breath kept leaving my lungs dry and heaved from exhaustion.  

The ship engaged its side guns and mortars.  I flew close and ripped pieces with my epic strength, thrashing nearby ships with their own, and even managed to headbutt one of the ships in the background of the battle. Effective for the situation.  I was about to hit the cockpit, jab my strong soul through the entirety of the ship, finally releasing our planet from the grasp of humans.  

My diamond skin held scratches and cracks that leaked my essence, a charcoal liquid referred to as blood by the others. My light filtered through intricate veins, through the smallest crevice of diamond. Rainbows spewed from my heart.

I could fly relatively easy but dodging and countering was harder the longer the fight dragged.  My blasts couldn’t penetrate their armor, some extra hard material derived from the corpses and crystal skin of my siblings.  

I side swiped the admiral, but his defenses were able to lock onto our unique anatomy. I scraped off the side like a fly.

I tried with all my power to eliminate as many ships as possible before they could reach our capital and destroy even more of our beautiful civilization. One solider needed to be enough. I needed to be enough. 

Even when I wasn’t.

When they gained this technology, when they discovered travel, when they invaded—

I could hear the ships nearing me, having located me after sending me several miles through the mountains. 

I was about to set my knees upon the broken ground and surrender. I didn’t understanding the odd feeling to want to preserve my own life.  Death was normal, death was welcome here, welcomed with open arms.

So, why was I afraid?  

I’ll tell you why…

Because I don’t give up, because I was determined beyond every person on my planet to either go out dying or take out as many ships until I turned to dust.  

That’s why I was chosen, why I was the strongest.

We, as one, don’t give up.  

I will fight or I will fall, I would sing to them like their angels. Or burn everything down with their devils

Our world was young, strong, and held its right in the universe.

I saw the children in the rain, the love, the hate, a world we could make together. I saw the light in the sky, the beauty of our life right before my eyes.

They were the reason we couldn’t live, they were the ones who waved the flag to fight. We were just as good as them. We rose towards their heights and wiped stars from the sky. We walked among the shadows and found the spark to stay alive.

And, together, as one, we all departed to make sure that the enemy never existed to begin with.