A Meticulous Absence

General, the troops are ready.

Excellent. All right. Men, today is the last day of your lives. I expect no one to return alive from this battle. And I expect no one from their side to return either. For years we have trained for this day; we have readied ourselves to kill with extreme prejudice, all in the name of absolute freedom. The men we fight today are not mere pawns for their cause. The men we fight today are not men, but destroyers of faith and liberty. We are not men; we are defenders of all that is good. We are defenders. Nonetheless, we are also warriors. We will destroy the destroyers, the oppressors, the savage tyrants of evil. We will destroy, fight, and die to ensure that freedom will survive. We fight for those who can't fight. We will die for those so they may live under a brave sun. They, the destroyers of all that's good and free, will not win. They will not prevail. They will not force their malevolent will on anyone any longer. Now, the final battle.