10:05 PDT 13 July 2063

Nobody had slept that night.

As the moon made its journey across the sky that night, it had been accompanied by the War in Heaven. Everyone watched from the ground as the sky lit up with flashes. As the occasional shot rained down onto some unsuspecting home, we wondered if we were winning. Somehow in our hearts, we knew we weren't.

Angels and Demons clashed, and in the end, we lost. Some 14,000 brave men and women had sacrificed their lives for their home, and it hadn't been enough.

There was no work the next day. Only mourning. The airwaves were full of speeches made by anyone ranging from the Huangdi of China to the dictator of Haiti. We all waited for the Proconsul however. Andromeda Mei had herself taken to orbit to defend her home, and somehow found herself among the 700 or so survivors.

It was a unanimous mourning. People of all nations had fought together. The Internationale was sang alongside God Save The King as Cascadians fought alongside the Middle Kingdom, as Solarians fought alongside the Heartlanders, and as Dutchmen fought alongside Mongolians. It was a touching moment as we all became one.

13:12 PDT 13 July 2063

The broadcast opened with Mei sitting at the Proconsular desk. She was dressed extremely casually, and she began speaking in a somewhat creaking voice with an exhausted look on her face.

"My fellow countrymen, we fought bravely. We gave it our all, not as a state, nor as a country, but as a species. I witnessed acts of bravery up there that some would think impossible. I watched the selflessness of humanity at its finest. Sacrifices were made by all with the hope that they may save us.

Yet we find it insufficient to protect our grand planet. We fought bravely, and we fought to the last man, but we were outgunned and outnumbered. The War in Heaven has been lost.

We will fight them on the beaches, we will fight them in the forests, we will fight them in our very homes if need be. We will not let them win. The War in Heaven may be lost, but we'll fight them to the trenches of Hell.

Glory be to man."

13:54 PDT 13 July 2063

"Tom, you can't." Sam gave me a grave look, and I think deep down she knew she couldn't stop me.

"I have to and you know it."

"But you won't come back."

"I don't care if I don't come back, I'm doing this because I love you damnit. This is the only way I can keep you safe." I wish it didn't have to be this hard.

"You're throwing your life away." Her eyes were beginning to water. Fuck, this was hard.

"Would you call what the angels did in orbit throwing their lives away?"

She didn't have a response for that one. She simply sat down and her almond-like eyes stared longingly into me. I tried to look away, instead focusing my attention out the window at the trees. It wasn't enough to stop a tear from rolling down my cheek.

"Goddamn it Tom." Her head lied cradled in her hands "If you fight, I fight."

"Hell no-"

"Why not? For the same reasons I don't want you to go?"

"Wel-"

"Tom, they're going to come eventually. It won't always be a far off problem. Eventually they'll land here too, and they'll fight us in the streets. Even the fucking government knows it, why do you think they're so eager to arm us all?"

"Then why do you want me to stay?"

"Because I need you." she sounded defeated now.

"The world needs us." I said.

She simply nodded.

[Meta] This was mostly written before the new update, so whether or not I got the date right, just assume it was the day after the War in Heaven.