Chapter 92: Getting them Out

Down on the ground floor, Captain Vance did not lead the group toward the docks.

Instead of turning left toward Pier Four, the military truck turned right. It sped past the rows of warehouses and drove straight out toward the wide asphalt runway of the military airfield.

Captain Daniel sat in the back of the truck, holding his injured ribs. He stared out the window, his eyes narrowing as the smell of salt and ocean water began to fade away.

"Wait," Daniel rasped in Solarian, his voice sharp with suspicion. "Where are they taking us? The harbor is behind us! Are these barbarians taking us to an execution ground?!"

Miyuki looked around nervously too. She saw open tarmac, tall floodlights, and large hangars instead of boats.

"Ayanokoji-kun?" Miyuki asked, turning her head. "Aren’t we supposed to board the auxiliary ship?"

Ayanokoji looked out the window with a slight frown. He was just as puzzled as she was. "I don’t know. John explicitly said an auxiliary transport was prepared at Pier Four. Taking this route makes no logistical sense if we are boarding a vessel."

The truck came to a halt right behind a massive, four-engine military transport plane parked on the open tarmac. The back tailgate of the truck dropped open.

"Out," Vance ordered, stepping down onto the asphalt.

Ayanokoji, Miyuki, and Daniel stepped out into the open air. The wind was loud, sweeping across the runway. In front of them was a gray C-130 Hercules transport plane. Its rear cargo ramp was lowered all the way to the ground, revealing a cavernous metal interior.

Two Air Force jumpmasters in flight suits and helmets stood waiting near the foot of the ramp. On the ground beside them lay several heavy olive-green backpacks, nylon harnesses, and yellow inflatable life vests.

Daniel took two steps back, his face turning pale. He pointed a trembling finger at the aircraft.

"What... what kind of beast is this?!" Daniel shouted over the wind. "It has wings made of solid iron! No dragon looks like this! You said we had safe passage! You want to feed us to this iron monster?!"

"Quiet down, Captain," Ayanokoji said in Solarian, staring up at the wings and engines. "It isn’t an animal. It’s an aircraft."

He turned his attention to Vance, switching to English. "Captain Vance, why are we at the airfield? An aircraft cannot land near the imperial capital. The Solarians have no runways, and flying an American plane into their inland airspace would provoke their mages and dragon riders."

"We’re not flying inland," Vance answered flatly. "Supreme Commander Smith gave a forty-eight-hour deadline. A transport ship takes days to cross the water. By the time you arrived, the bombing campaign would already be underway. The Commander wants you back fast so you can deliver the warning."

Miyuki blinked. "Fast? How fast?"

"Eight hours," Vance said. "This plane will put you over the ocean just off the imperial coast before sunset. But we can’t land on water. So you’re jumping out into the sea."

Miyuki’s jaw dropped. "J-Jumping into the ocean?!"

Even Ayanokoji’s expression shifted, his eyes widening slightly. "A water drop? A parachute jump into open water without training is dangerous. And Captain Daniel has cracked ribs. If the canopy drags someone under, they drown in seconds."

"You’ll have life vests and flotation collars," Vance said. "We are dropping you two miles off the imperial naval outpost. Their coastal patrol boats will spot the canopies and pick you up within twenty minutes. It’s a static line jump. The plane opens the chutes for you. We have twenty minutes to teach you the drill, so listen up."

One of the jumpmasters stepped forward and picked up a harness fitted with a compact yellow life preserver.

"Put the life vests on under the harness first," the jumpmaster shouted over the wind. "Then step through the leg loops. Pull the chest strap across. Tighten it snug against your body."

Miyuki quickly put on the vest and stepped into her harness. Her hands were shaking badly as she tried to pull the straps through the metal buckles. The thought of falling from the sky straight into the deep ocean made her stomach twist.

Ayanokoji picked up his gear, inspecting the release buckles, the CO2 pull tabs on the life vest, and the parachute straps. He had never put on airborne equipment before, but he followed the instructor’s demonstration step-by-step, carefully threading the thick straps around his legs and chest until everything sat securely.

Daniel, on the other hand, backed away until his spine hit the side of the truck.

"I am a knight of the Holy Empire!" Daniel yelled in Solarian, batting away the straps when the instructor approached. "I will not wear these cursed foreign ropes! I will not jump from the clouds into the deep sea!"

Ayanokoji walked over to him, holding the spare harness and vest.

"Captain," Ayanokoji said in Solarian, keeping his voice firm. "They are sending us across the ocean in an iron flying craft. It will take eight hours instead of days. We are going to jump into the water right near your own coastal patrols."

"Jump into the sea from the clouds?!" Daniel choked, his eyes bulging. "The waves will swallow us! The impact will crush my bones!"

"You have a life vest that inflates with air to keep you floating," Ayanokoji explained. "If you refuse, you stay here as a prisoner while your empire gets bombed without warning. Put the harness on. I will help adjust it so it doesn’t crush your ribs."

Daniel ground his teeth, glaring between the giant plane and the straps. With no choice left, he stood stiffly while Ayanokoji and the jumpmaster pulled the vest and harness over him, tightening the straps carefully around his injured torso.

"Listen close to the water landing procedure," the jumpmaster yelled, holding up an empty pack to demonstrate. "This yellow cord is your static line. It hooks to a cable inside the plane. When you walk off the ramp, the line pulls your chute open automatically. No rip cords."

Ayanokoji listened carefully, translating every instruction into Solarian for Daniel.

"When you exit the ramp, keep your feet and knees pressed together!" the instructor continued. "Tuck your chin down! Keep your elbows locked tight! Do not spread your arms!"

"Feet together, chin down, elbows locked," Miyuki repeated under her breath, trying to steady her racing heart.

"Now, the water entry is critical," the jumpmaster warned loudly. "When you are about fifty feet above the water, look down. Unbuckle your chest strap! Do not unbuckle your leg straps yet! As soon as your boots touch the water, hit the quick-release on your shoulders to slip out of the harness! If you stay strapped to the chute, the wet fabric will cover your head and drag you down!"

Ayanokoji turned to Daniel. "When you get close to the water, unclip your chest buckle. The moment your feet touch the waves, slide your arms out and push the harness away immediately. If the wet cloth falls on you, it will pull you under."

Daniel swallowed hard, sweat running down his temples. "Unclip before hitting the water... push the cloth away..."

"Once you’re clear of the parachute, pull the red cords on your chest to inflate your life vest," the jumpmaster added. "It will keep your head above water until the imperial boats fish you out."

"Time’s up," Vance called out, checking his watch. "Pilots are spooling up. Get inside."

The jumpmasters guided the three of them up the metal cargo ramp and into the dim interior of the C-130. They sat down on the red mesh fold-down seats along the wall. The jumpmasters buckled their lap belts and secured their gear.

Daniel closed his eyes tight, his hands gripping the webbed seat so hard his knuckles turned white. His lips moved rapidly in silent prayer to Goddess Viona.

Miyuki looked across the aisle at Ayanokoji. Her chest was tight with fear. "Ayanokoji-kun... what if the waves are too high? What if we get tangled in the cords?"

Ayanokoji looked at his hands, then at the quick-release buckles on his chest. His expression remained calm, but he was mentally reviewing every physical step.

"A water landing removes the risk of broken bones from hitting hard ground," Ayanokoji said quietly. "The danger is drowning. As long as we release the harness the second our feet touch the water and clear the canopy, the life vest will keep us afloat. Focus on the release timing."

"Right... release the harness as soon as feet touch water," Miyuki whispered, taking a deep breath.

Outside, the four massive turboprop engines coughed, sputtered, and roared to life. A loud, shaking whine filled the cargo bay, vibrating through the metal floor and into their bones. Daniel gasped in terror, pressing his back flat against the wall as the plane lurched forward and began taxiing down the runway.

The aircraft accelerated down the strip with overwhelming speed, the violent rattling pressing them back against the mesh, until the vibration suddenly smoothed out. The floor tilted upward.

They were in the air.

Miyuki peeked out a small round window near her shoulder. Down below, the sprawling naval base, the concrete piers, and the giant gray aircraft carrier were already shrinking into tiny shapes against the endless blue ocean.

Eight hours.

In eight hours, they would drop from the sky into the coastal waters of the Holy Solarian Empire. And forty hours after that, the war would begin.