Ultima Ratio

Chapter 19: En Route

They flew in silence for at least five minutes, heading due north per Danya's guidance, with Makana in the cockpit and Akira and Danya sitting across from each other in the small cabin. Akira wasn't sure about the others, but she attributed her silence to caution; if they were closing in on a Concordian attack, there were bound to be enemy aircraft in the air to control it, even if the events in Dubai suggested otherwise. While they were flying low and camouflaged to avoid most detection, Akira wasn't about to let her guard down anytime soon.

The reconnaissance plane was cozier than the transport they flew to Dubai, but it was at least more spacious than the tiny aircraft they took to Pali Uli. As its name suggested, it was primarily used for intelligence gathering, prioritizing stealth capabilities and equipment for data collection, then high speed and emergency defensive measures. It had enough room onboard for a crew of six: two pilots and four technicians to analyze their findings.

Akira and Danya sat in two of the latter's seats, having rotated the chairs to face the center of the plane, as opposed to the computer stations along the hull. They were left with only a meter of space between their legs; thankfully, there was at least one meter open on either side of them for some semblance of extra breathing room.

Danya didn't seem to mind the cramped quarters; in fact, she seemed more intrigued by the complex devices around them. Every so often, she would spin once in her chair, tapping a few keys on the station behind her as she passed before stopping at the end of the revolution with a mischievous grin. Akira would return the look with a blank stare, not wanting to reward Danya with her annoyance.

"What the hell are you wearing?" was the first thing Makana said, not bothering to hide the judgment from their voice or take their eyes off the skies.

"I wasn't planning to take on any Concordians today," Akira said, having already prepared her answer en route to the Crusader. "I'm not even cleared for field duty yet."

"So you've gone rogue is what you're saying? Fantastic. If I'd known, I would've given you false info ages ago."

"It's...good info," Akira replied, a beat too slow.

Akira glanced at Danya to see if she noticed her doubtful hesitation. While Danya simply nodded casually in agreement, Akira was sure she easily caught the slip-up.

"Good info?" Makana repeated, then scoffed. "What, from your destructive prisoner over there?"

"Her name's Danya," Akira said immediately, probably with a little more force than necessary.

"Fine, Danya. Look, I don't care how much base command thinks they can bury the mess she made. I was on the Crusader when she went berserk. My ribs were fractured because of her."

Akira winced. More than once, she had thought about contacting Makana after Danya's rampage to make sure they were safe. Clearly, she hadn't followed through.

"Are you okay?" Akira finally managed to ask, her voice barely loud enough to be heard.

"Well, I am now, no thanks to you two," Makana snapped. "And now what am I doing? I just got my promotion back. And now I'm flying you ashore because she thinks there's an incoming attack? An attack that we can't even detect?"

"Apparently, your beloved Ex Deo can't either," Danya chimed in.

Makana spun around at that, their expression livid, before focusing on the skies again.

"And you told her about Ex Deo." Makana scoffed again. "What is it, Captain? Are you trying to destroy us all now?"

"I'm trying to save people," Akira insisted through gritted teeth, her voice shaking slightly with the rest of her body. "You may not believe me, but that's the truth. It always has been."