Noah lives free from want and fear, in a world where life is relaxed and carefree, and helpful bots take care of much of the business and monotonous labor. For a long time, war has been nothing but a distant nightmare that had receded into the past. But recently, it has been creeping back into the world. The bots, out exploring the vast reaches of space, have encountered an alien race known as the Manu that seem bent on destruction. The artificial intelligences that now run the world assure the humans that everything is fine; that they are fighting back the Manu, and besides, they are so far away that humans have nothing to fear. Really, they shouldn't have to do anything at all; the bots will fight the war for them. So why is it that it seems that war slowly becomes all anyone can think or talk about? Is the long peace that humanity forged hand in hand with artificial intelligence about to come to an end at the hands of the Manu? Is humanity finally ready to claim victory in The Last War?

Participant in the April 2022 writathon

Note: Not really a military story