November 14, 2025 — 04:32 AM
Over the Luzon Strait – Aboard Valkyrie One
The KC-135 Stratotanker, Valkyrie One, flew steady and silent through the darkness, its four massive engines humming with mechanical precision. Outside the reinforced cockpit glass, the black ocean stretched endlessly below, calm and featureless under the early morning sky. Navigation lights blinked red and green at the wing tips, slicing across the void with rhythmic certainty.
Inside, the hum of onboard systems, quiet breathing, and the occasional shuffle of boots filled the cabin. Thomas Estaris sat in the pilot's chair, eyes focused on the heads-up display projecting their route forward. Beside him, Lieutenant Madel checked the avionics again, ensuring fuel burn, cabin pressure, and auxiliary systems remained within nominal parameters.
They had departed Forward Agro-Zone One just after 3:00 AM, flying low over northern Luzon before banking east across the Luzon Strait. Now, they were halfway to Taiwan.
