Ultima Ratio

Chapter 1: The Legend of Pali Uli

Part One: Sic Parvis Magna

Year 2208

Akira had nothing against traveling to a tropical island in the middle of nowhere. It was better than the alternatives of getting shot at by a drone during a recon mission, or being on the receiving end of a shockwave in an ambush, or most scenarios she's been in during the last six years. A vacation was fine; she just figured it would come after the war. While the end was nowhere in sight, even after fourteen years, one side had to win eventually. Hopefully, it was theirs.

Outside their little plane, nothing much had changed from when she last checked a minute ago. They were still coasting above the dark blue sea, just close enough to make a relatively safe emergency water landing but far enough to not leave a mark on the ocean's surface. A quick glance at the wing outside her window showed that the camouflage feature was still functional, and a few more seconds of searching the water's surface proved their shadow was receiving the same treatment. But any danger wouldn't come by sea, or by land.

While the pristine blue sky above them seemed friendly and welcoming, everyone on Earth knew it was anything but. They learned early on that clear weather didn't mean safety; if anything, that was how the enemy caught their targets by surprise, and anyone that lowered their guard on a sunny day would be the first to die.

Unfortunately, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and Akira was in charge of keeping them alive.

"Anything on the radar?" Akira asked, craning her head over the back of the pilot's seat to see the controls. She couldn't understand them, but she figured any flashing red lights would warrant worry.

"No hostiles in sight," the co-pilot replied with more than a hint of impatience.

Akira frowned. She figured the co-pilot's main job was to accept Akira's pestering and prevent the primary pilot from crashing the plane out of annoyance.

But Akira was used to being dismissed. Not only did people assume she was inexperienced as a twenty-six-year-old Army captain, but she was frequently mistaken for being five or more years younger. People weren't used to taking orders from someone that looked like they should be in high school.

"What about our thermal camouflage?" Akira asked. "A minute ago, the display looked like we were transmitting five degrees above atmospheric."

"And that's within the allowable range," the co-pilot said, but they still rapped a finger against the temperature display, as if that would do anything to the digital screen. "Temperature fluctuates in the air all the time—that's science. Even if you're in the Army, you should know how air works. That's where the enemy is, after all."

Akira did know that; she also knew that the margin for error decreased with wind speeds, and gusts at their low altitude were projected to be two meters per second, at most. Five degrees were three too many when it was a matter of life or death.

"Look on the bright side!" Akira's fellow passenger and charge grinned next to her. "If we're attacked, it'll be a perfect time to see my portable airbags in action!"

He tugged at the collar of his combat vest, a garment identical to what the rest of them were wearing but looked baggy on his tall, gangly figure. "They deploy automatically, and they increase chances of survival by 16 percent! Although, I'm not sure how they'll fare in the water... It might actually force the user's head to submerge."

After pausing to think, he procured a notebook from his vest and a pen from the depths of his voluminous afro, then began scrawling zealously on the paper. He seemed completely oblivious to the tense silence that followed his admittance, and the concern seemingly amplified within the tight confines of the tiny aircraft, filled only with the hum of the engines and the erratic scratching of pen against parchment.