November 12, 2025 – 1:43 PM
Somewhere Over Western Luzon – Aboard Valkyrie One
The sky stretched endlessly ahead, painted in soft hues of pale blue and streaks of thin white cloud. At 31,000 feet, the world below seemed quiet. Still. And for the first time in a long time, Thomas Estaris found himself without the hum of chatter in his ear, without gunfire in the distance, without orders barked over radios. There was only the steady thrum of four massive turbofan engines, the glow of his cockpit display, and the dark, sprawling land far below.
Valkyrie One was in cruise. Smooth. Stable.
Everything that Thomas had asked for.
He sat in the pilot's seat, relaxed but focused, both hands on the yoke. His helmet rested in the seat beside him. He didn't need it now. Just the old-fashioned headset and the weight of silence.
