Ultima Ratio

Chapter 21: Evacuations

The alliance between Mongolus and Concordia displaced an immense number of civilians, partially because of Mongolus's strict and fearsome regime, but also because of the sheer expanse of the country. After all, their territory stretched from the Caspian Sea to the East Sea and bordered heavily populated areas in China, Russia, and the Greater Middle East. When people fled, small cities became large ones and large cities grew larger. Neither were equipped to handle the population influxes.

The city of Patna was one such case. While Akira had never known of the city prior to the war, a quick glance as they approached was enough to speak for itself.

People were everywhere. Buildings seemed packed to the brim with makeshift tents set up on balconies and roofs. Streets were thick with throngs of bikes and pedestrians weaving around the sparse amount of larger vehicles that were stuck in place. The roads themselves, in the rare instance that they could be seen, were in disrepair from the excessive traffic, covered in dirt and cracks.

Their situation seemed to worsen as they descended. Not only were there too many people with too few escape routes, but there were signs of danger everywhere. Most buildings showed immense signs of wear, seemingly one attack away from collapsing. A couple sinkholes speckled the city's network of roads, and an unknown amount probably sat under the pavement, laying in wait.

But upon closer inspection, there seemed to be hope. Hidden beneath the current conditions, there were signs the city once thrived on innovation.

Most of the roads weren't mere pavement; instead, they were former smart streets, designed to collect energy from the sun and transiting vehicles to display real-time messages to commuters. When Makana lowered them to a hundred fifty meters, their sensors reported that they just passed through a disguised energy field and the city's authorities had been notified, and it could likely do the same for a Concordian aircraft. And as they approached the urban center, a web of sturdy freeways and bridges emerged, revealing a decent evacuation path to the southern edge of the city.

The city had good bones; they just were a little rusty.

It took a little over a minute for the local air force to meet and escort them—another good sign—and their identities were verified before they even reached their assigned landing zone: a wide park in the middle of the northern end of the city, spotted with patches of dried grass and curious civilians watching their descent.

"Captain Dunn, correct?" an Air Force lieutenant greeted Akira and Jivan as soon as they exited the recon plane, their English slightly accented. "I did not think the Pearl Harbor forces would travel this far north."

"It's an emergency," Akira said quietly, not wanting to startle any nearby civilians until they had a plan. "Have you heard anything over the emergency line?"

"Nothing," the lieutenant said, suddenly somber with a knowing look. "From the north, I assume?"

Akira nodded grimly.

"How much time?"

"About an hour." Akira gestured to Jivan. "This is Sergeant Jivan Gupta. They'll coordinate between us and your city's authorities."

Much to Akira's pleasant surprise, Jivan greeted the lieutenant with unparalleled professionalism, even going as far as using the local language instead of their earpiece's translator function. With the politics properly handled, the rest of the Aegis Squad got to work.

While Quyen, Elodie, and Navin quickly unloaded their bikes, Akira approached Makana as they looked on from the cockpit with clear disapproval.

"I really need you to go to Base and report this," Akira said, then used all of her willpower to ignore Makana's exaggerated sigh. "Please, Makana. They didn't hear us over the emergency line. And if they didn't, then no one did."