The dropship thrusted upward.
Ignoring the ship's limit.
The mountains vanished beneath them as the engines roared at maximum output, And starting to leave the atmosphere.
Inside, the ship shook violently.
Metal strained.
Warning lights flickered across the cabin.
"Stabilize! Stabilize!" the pilot snapped.
Aira grabbed onto the overhead rail.
"Everyone, stay steady"
She wasn't shouting.
She didn't need to.
They listened.
Silence filled the air among them.
Akane stood near the rear window.
Silent.
His gaze fixated on the horizon—
where the sky was beginning to darken.
The planet slowly shrunk away them.
"Altitude climbing" the pilot reported.
"We are almost out"
The ship burst through the Atmosphere layer.
And then—
space.
The shaking eased.
Silence followed.
Only the low hum of the engines remained.
"We... made it out" the pilot exhaled.
No one responded immediately.
The battlefield below—
was already gone.
Like it never happened.
Aira stepped forward.
"Status check, Report in"
Hakamo nodded.
"I'm good."
Aira looked across the cabin.
"Akane?"
"Still alive" he replied.
She stared at akane for a moment.
Then sighs.
She turned around.
"Tanako is unaccounted for"
Silence.
It tried to settle.
She didn't let it.
"We don't assume anything yet" Aira said firmly.
She held them together.
Even now.
The comms activated.
"Squad Seven, Prepare for immediate transfer"
Hakamo frowned.
"Transfer?"
Aira stepped closer.
"Clarify, We just exited combat airspace"
"Your current dropship will proceed with supply transport, A secondary unit is inbound. Board immediately"
The line cut.
Akane's gaze shifted.
Towards the cargo.
Still untouched.
Still unsecured.
"They're leaving it" he said quietly.
Aira didn't answer.
The second dropship appeared ahead.
Fast.
Precise.
Slowly-
It aligned with them perfectly.
"Prepare to move!" Aira ordered.
The hatch opened.
A narrow bridge extended between both ships.
"Go" she said.
Hakamo crossed first.
Aira followed.
The ship trembled again.
Akane stepped forward—
then stopped.
His eyes drifted back—
to the cargo.
Left behind.
Unclaimed.
Forgotten.
Something about it—
felt wrong.
"Akane!" Aira called.
He moved.
Stepped onto the bridge—
And in that exact moment—
the connection disengaged.
Too early.
The hatch slammed shut.
On both sides.
Aira froze.
"AKANE!"
The second dropship pulled away.
Fast.
Inside—
"Huh, they... Already left?!" Akane murmured.
Outside—
A streak of light cut through space.
A missile.
It struck the original dropship.
One hit.
Precise.
The rear engines exploded.
The ship tilted—
then began to fall.
Back toward the planet.
"CONTACT!" the pilot shouted.
Multiple signals appeared behind them.
Fast.
Mercenary spacecrafts.
"They followed us!" Hakamo snapped.
Missiles launched.
"Brace—!"
The dropship veered hard.
One missile missed—
Another—
closer.
"They're locking us down!" the pilot yelled.
Aira grabbed the rail.
"Stay together hakamo!, Watch their pattern—they're controlling our movement!"
Even now—
she held them steady.
The ship twisted again.
Barely avoiding another missile.
"They're herding us" Akane's earlier words echoed in her mind.
Aira checked the navigation course.
Her expression tightened.
"We're off course"
Hakamo turned.
"You serious?"
"We're not heading back"
Another missile locked.
Then—
something appeared above them.
Massive.
A shadow against the stars.
"What... is that"Hakamo said.
The mercenary spacecrafts reacted instantly.
They tried to scatter—
Too late.
A beam cut through space.
Clean.
One ship—
gone.
Another—
erased.
No explosion.
No debris.
Just gone.
The rest didn't escape.
Within seconds—
silence returned.
The warship loomed above.
Watching.
Aira stared at it.
"What's it doing here?"
Hakamo frowned.
"Containment??"
Aira's voice dropped.
"How strong did the infected get!?"
The dropship stabilized.
Safe.
Far behind—
something burned.
The inside of the dropship was collapsing.
Akane slammed into the wall as the ship spiraled downward towards the planet.
Alarms screamed.
The rear section was gone.
Flames spread rapidly.
The ship dashed through the clouds.
Akane gasped for air.
He forced himself up.
The floor tilted violently beneath him.
Gravity pulled harder—
dragging everything down.
Akane was pushed back down.
Crates slammed into each other.
Metal tore apart.
Through the cracked viewport—
the atmosphere ignited.
Fire wrapped around the ship.
The planet rushed closer.
Fast.
Too fast.
Akane steadied himself.
His breathing—
calm.
"So this is it" he said quietly.
The ship shook again.
A section tore off—
spinning away.
The descent became unstable.
Violent.
Uncontrolled.
And yet—
Akane didn't panic.
Didn't look away.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"I... Hope... Hayan....I-is... okay"
Something shifted inside him.
Not memory.
Instinct.
The flames grew brighter.
The ground rushed closer—
Closer—
Closer—
And Akane—
still held on tightly.