December 15, 2025 — 06:07 AM
JSDF Enclave – Ridge Airstrip
Steam still hissed from the undercarriage of the C-17 Globemaster III, fogging the chill mountain air as soldiers in worn JSDF uniforms circled the aircraft cautiously. Their boots crunched gravel and frost, eyes wide at the sight of the hulking machine that had somehow landed on their crude runway.
It didn't look like it belonged here. Not on this forgotten ridge. Not after everything the world had lost.
Yet here it was.
The engines wound down to a low hum before finally cutting off. The roar disappeared. Silence returned—but it wasn't the same kind of silence. This one carried weight.
The silence of realization.
Of awe.
Then, with a sharp hiss and mechanical groan, the rear ramp of the aircraft dropped.
Out stepped Thomas Estaris, flanked by Reyes and Sergeant Li. Their boots thudded onto Japanese soil for the first time.
Thomas didn't speak. He simply walked forward with calm, purposeful steps.
