November 16, 2025 — 2:02 PM
Above Metro Manila – Valkyrie One
The Stratotanker cut through the clouds with a steady hum, descending toward the Manila Bay coastline. Its landing gear deployed with a mechanical hiss as the sunlight bounced off the ocean below. From the cockpit, Thomas Estaris saw the familiar sprawl of Metro Manila, much of it still in ruins—collapsed buildings, overgrown roads, and distant Bloom Zones marked with scorched perimeters. But as the aircraft angled eastward, a different sight greeted them.
The MOA Complex—Overwatch Base of Operations—stood like a fortress on the bay. Antenna towers, solar panel fields, elevated gun nests, and layered barriers formed a secure perimeter that had held for over a year. Drones hovered in lazy loops above the rooftops. Vehicles moved in orderly rows near the tarmac. It was organized. Alive. And most importantly—theirs.
