The Last Days of Trench - Anne R

Dinesh has been in the Holy Empire's military for almost 2 years: and he is the most experienced member of Trench F1/29 171. A surprise bombardment wiped out half his squad, including the squad leader. Leaving Dinesh pretty much in charge of a group of inexperienced teenagers.

After a cryptic message promising reinforcements, a mysterious sergeant joins them in the trench. Dinesh can't put his finger on it, but he knows he can't trust the new sergeant. Maybe it's because he doesn't seem to have any experience, or perhaps because he doesn't seem to know his own name. Or maybe it's just because he seems to be obsessed with the even more mysterious squadmate that Dinesh has been too shy to express his feelings for.

Perfect for readers looking for a character-driven military sci-fi with a healthy dose of cynical humor. The juxtaposition of a noble-bright protagonist stuck in a grimdark world. Perfect for readers looking for a light, quick read that will occasionally make you chuckle and hopefully not remind you too much of all the stupid things happening right now in the trenches of the real world.

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This story is inspired by what is probably an outdated trope -- the trench story. I think it's mostly been replaced by zombie fiction now, but I remember several Sci-fi stories set in WWI like trenches. Or maybe just stories that had that vibe, like Second Variety, where soldiers are isolated and don't really know what's going in the larger conflict around them. I wanted something that felt like a Twilight Zone or Outer Limits episode, a close look at characters stuck in an impossible circumstance. And maybe with some Red Versus Blue type humor sprinkled on top.