Chapter 93: Back on the Coast

The inside of the C-130 was loud and freezing cold.

For nearly eight hours, the four turboprop engines droned on without stopping. The constant vibration made their teeth ache. Daniel kept his eyes squeezed shut the entire flight, clutching his bandaged ribs, shivering as he muttered continuous prayers under his breath. Miyuki sat stiffly across the aisle, rehearsing every single instruction in her head over and over.

Suddenly, an alarm buzzed above the loud engine hum.

A yellow light switched on along the ceiling, bathing the dim cargo hold in an amber glow.

The two jumpmasters stood up immediately. One of them tapped his watch, holding up ten fingers, then closed his hand and held up five.

"Ten minutes out!" the lead jumpmaster shouted over the noise. "Stand up and hook up!"

Ayanokoji unbuckled his lap belt and stood up, finding his footing on the vibrating floor. Miyuki took a shaky breath and pushed herself up right behind him. Daniel didn’t move until Ayanokoji reached down, grabbed the collar of his tunic, and pulled him to his feet.

"Move, Captain," Ayanokoji said in Solarian. "We’re over the drop zone."

The jumpmasters moved down the line, grabbing the yellow static line cords dangling from each of their parachutes and clipping the heavy metal snaps securely onto the overhead steel cable running the length of the ceiling.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

The instructor vigorously yanked on each snap hook, ensuring the pins were completely locked.

"Static lines are locked!" the jumpmaster called out.

A loud hydraulic hiss echoed through the bay. The rear cargo ramp slowly unlocked and tilted downward.

Freezing ocean wind rushed in with the force of a battering ram, instantly whipping their hair and clothes. Miyuki gasped, squinting against the fierce gale.

Out beyond the open ramp, the view was breathtaking and terrifying. The sun was dipping low toward the western horizon, painting the sky in streaks of deep orange and purple. Down below, thousands of feet down, stretched the vast, dark blue waters of the Eastern Ocean.

Faintly in the distance, a thin jagged coastline was visible—the maritime border of the Holy Solarian Empire.

"Five minutes!" the jumpmaster yelled, checking the altimeter strapped to his wrist. "Descent to drop altitude! Stand in the door!"

The nose of the heavy transport plane dipped slightly. The roar of the engines changed pitch as the aircraft descended toward the water, leveling out just above twelve hundred feet. At this height, the individual whitecaps on the waves became clearly visible.

A sudden loud buzz filled the hold.

The amber light snapped off, replaced by a solid, bright GREEN light.

"Green light! Go! Go! Go!"

The jumpmaster slapped Ayanokoji on the shoulder.

Ayanokoji didn’t hesitate. He stepped up to the edge of the vibrating ramp, locked his elbows tight against his ribs, pressed his knees and boots together, and threw his body forward into empty air.

The rush of wind took him instantly.

For three seconds, gravity dragged him downward into the void. Then, with a sudden, violent yank that pulled hard on his chest and thighs, the static line reached its end. The pack tore open, and a massive olive-drab canopy blossomed overhead with a loud crack.

Ayanokoji swung like a pendulum beneath the parachute. He looked up—the canopy was fully deployed, perfectly round. Below him, the dark ocean rushed closer with every passing second.

Above him, two more chutes snapped open.

Miyuki had jumped clean, floating down a few dozen yards to his left. Behind her, Captain Daniel was falling, flailing wildly for a second before his parachute jerked him upright, cutting off whatever terrified scream was coming out of his throat.

The sea was approaching fast.

Fifty feet.

Ayanokoji reached up with both hands, located the quick-release chest buckle on his harness, and popped the clasp open. He kept his legs clamped tight.

Ten feet.

The dark water rushed up to meet his boots.

Splash!

The instant the frigid ocean water hit his legs, Ayanokoji slapped the shoulder quick-release latches and threw his arms back. The heavy nylon harness slipped off his shoulders like a loose coat, and his body sank under the surface while the wind caught the deflated silk chute, blowing it several yards away.

Ayanokoji kicked hard, breaking the surface of the cold brine. He immediately reached down to his chest and yanked the two red pull tabs on his life vest.

Hiss!

Two CO2 cartridges punctured simultaneously. The yellow flotation collar inflated with a sharp hiss, popping up under his chin and lifting his head and shoulders cleanly out of the water. He treaded water calmly, wiping salt from his eyes.

A few yards away, Miyuki surfaced, coughing and spluttering. Her yellow vest hissed as it inflated, keeping her afloat. She shoved wet hair out of her face, breathing heavily.

"A-Ayanokoji-kun!" she called out, her teeth chattering from the cold water.

"I’m here," Ayanokoji answered, paddling closer to her. "Are you injured?"

"N-No! Just cold!"

A violent splashing and thrashing erupted twenty yards behind them.

Captain Daniel had hit the water, but in his panic, he had forgotten to release his harness in time. The heavy, wet silk of the parachute was beginning to sink, dragging the cords across his shoulders.

"Help!" Daniel choked in Solarian, swallowing seawater as his head went under. "By the Goddess—I’m sinking!"

"He panicked," Ayanokoji muttered.

Ayanokoji kicked his legs through the rolling waves, swimming quickly toward the struggling officer. Reaching him, Ayanokoji grabbed Daniel by the collar, hauled his mouth above the water, and reached across the captain’s chest to find the release tabs. He slammed the quick-release buckle, stripping the sodden straps from Daniel’s bruised torso before yanking the red cord on the officer’s vest.

The yellow collar expanded, snapping Daniel’s head upright.

Daniel floated on his back, gasping and hacking up salty water, his eyes wide with utter shock. He looked up at the sky.

High above them, the gray C-130 was already turning back toward the west, its four engines a fading hum as it vanished into the dusk.

"By the Goddess..." Daniel wheezed, clutching his chest as waves gently bobbed them up and down. "We... we fell from the sky... and survived..."

"Save your breath, Captain," Ayanokoji said, treading water beside him. "Look toward the coast."

Miyuki paddled over, joining them. All three turned their heads toward the eastern horizon.

Less than a mile away, slicing through the calm coastal waters under full sail, was a two-masted Solarian patrol cutter flying the golden sun banner of the Holy Empire. The soldiers on the deck had clearly seen three large canopies drop from an iron bird in the sky. Magic flares were already shooting up from the cutter’s bow, and the vessel was turning hard toward their position.

"They spotted us," Miyuki said, a wave of relief washing over her face.

Daniel let out a hoarse, trembling laugh, his chin lifting with a flicker of his old imperial arrogance as he watched his navy approach.

"The patrol..." Daniel coughed out, his voice shaking with cold and vindication. "The imperial vanguard! We are back on sacred waters! I admit, it was fast..."