November 17, 2025 — 11:36 AM
MOA Complex – Operations Deck
The base was alive with movement.
Crates were being cataloged, drone frames inspected, and packing manifests drafted. A dozen Overwatch personnel bustled across the tarmac and into the adjacent loading depot, working efficiently. Everything was being prepped for the second Japan mission. The return trip would involve more than just Thomas and a Stratotanker. This time, they'd be bringing gear.
A lot of it.
From the command balcony overlooking the operations deck, Thomas Estaris leaned against the railing, arms crossed, watching it all unfold. His thoughts weren't on the drone crates, or the relay towers, or the modular shelters being pulled from storage. They were on something bigger—how to get all this across the ocean.
Valkyrie One was good. Reliable. The Stratotanker had the range, the fuel capacity, and the endurance.
But it wasn't made to carry a full forward operations package.
