Ultima Ratio

Chapter 66: Final Countdown

Two weeks later, the plan to infiltrate Concordia was finalized, and the Aegis Squad had their orders. They also had a few days of leave prior to their departure, and while they couldn't escape the confines of the Crusader, it was better than nothing.

On the first day, Akira and Sam received a care package from their dad and guardian, respectively, and arranged a video call so he could see their reactions in real time. After he enthusiastically watched them unveil a plethora of snacks—including Chef Ray's famous cornflake cookies—then blissfully sample a small pouch of chocolate chips he had snuck out of the cafeteria, they spent the rest of the call talking.

Since Akira had been out of contact the longest, her dad filled her in on everything that happened on Base over the last couple of months, even though Sam assured him that he had already gone through the trouble. Regardless, Akira was more than happy to listen to the retelling, easily grinning when her dad did and laughing at his exaggerated reenactments.

While Akira couldn't share most of what happened to her, for both security and personal reasons, her dad gratefully understood. As a trade-off, he compensated with his over-the-top reactions to the details Akira could share, such as how horrid the meals at the ship's mess were, and how her new arm's wrist could now extend.

When they had to part ways several hours later, and her dad mentioned how he hoped to talk to them both soon, Akira could only reply with a tight smile and vague agreement. She wasn't allowed to mention anything about their upcoming assignment, not even to give anyone a heads-up that she might be out of contact for a while. But somehow, her dad heard the unspoken words just as clearly as everything else, and the wistful nod he gave her showed that he understood.

On the second day, they partied. It was nothing like their last event; evidently, a group of sailors inevitably found their way into trouble that night, and there weren't enough strings in the world for Sergeant Sam to pull. Instead, their squad and Sam simply lounged in their berthing area with the snacks from Ray and colored juices from the mess. Even Izzy eventually joined them, and while he claimed it was only for the food, he still stuck around after the refreshments were long gone.

On the third day, they prepared, both physically and mentally.

The former didn't take long, and the majority of their belongings were supplies they brought on their previous missions. If anything, the biggest difference was that they could exchange some of their wilderness survival amenities for extra weapons and infiltration gear.

The mental preparations were the challenge. So after the squad inspected their own and each other's packs, they temporarily parted ways, going about their preferred methods on how to spend the final countdown.

Akira and Danya went to their fan room, locking the door behind them and making themselves at home on the solid ground. At first, they sat side by side in silence, Akira's left arm pressed against Danya's right. While the warmth from that sliver of skin seemed to radiate into Akira's body, it was far from enough, especially when Akira's chest felt emptily cold at the thought of all the uncertainties ahead of them.

She knew she was fiddling with her wristband, running her fingers along the edges and trying to tell if the sensation from her prosthetic was any different from what she remembered. Perhaps it was recalling the past that made her unconsciously eject her phone, or maybe she thought she needed to see the background image to strengthen her resolve. Whatever the reason, the pit in her chest grew deeper at the sight of the six grinning soldiers in the photo with their arms wrapped around each other's shoulders; in the middle, Kekoa stood on his tiptoes to be the tallest, and Akira, who was being used for his support, let him.

Before Akira could dwell on the past any longer, Danya provided a distraction just in time, wrapping an arm around her upper back and pulling her close.