Sofska: Modern City in Another World

The Long Flight

While all this was happening, the Albatross I drones of the CSS's Rapid Response Battalion, which had just returned to the airstrip, have just been refuelled and rearmed under orders of lieutenant Alexandru. Apparently, commander Nikola and Major Viktoria are not the only ones who have been doubting what they just witnessed. Alexandru has also started to show some concern about the current events. The theory of being in another world has also started to come up in his mind. 

Sure, that sounds more like the idea of what obsessed otakus think, but given the details of the situation, from the medieval troops, to their weapons, to even those goblins, no other theory seems to be plausible. However, there are still certain details that needs to be sorted out before the theory is confirmed. They need both solid and valid evidence before coming forth to the prime minister and the minister of defence and interior.

For that reason, the lieutenant and his colleagues are going to conduct a joint long range recon flight to see if they spot anything else that isn't supposed to be in its normal place or isn't there at all. It's not a very advisable plan, but currently, it's the only discreet one. After all, until the can make out what exactly is going on, they need to keep a low profile. They caused enough trouble already with their battle against those unknown troops. It's not a good idea to escalate the situation even further.

After receiving the green light, Alexandru sits down in front of his laptop, slightly lowers his camouflaged cap, and puts on his headset over it. He then cleans his eyeglasses before putting them back on, and slowly pushes the throttle, allowing his drone to taxi down the runway. Within a few minutes, the drones are once again ariborne, this time, under escort of the Estonian-made SWAN III drones. In comparison to the Albatross I, the SWAN III is much smaller and much lighter. It can fly longer and is completely invisible to the blind eye thanks to its size.

Nobody is going to see it if it flies above them. The perfect espionage aircraft for every type of job, and in a reasonable low price too. Who needs a fleet of million dollar recon UAVs when you can have an entire squadron of mini drones that only costs a few thousands? Not only is it affordable, it is also very clean, especially for the atmosphere given it consumes solar energy to fly as long as possible.

After being airborne, the drones all split up and head towards different directions with Alexandru piloting his towards the southwest. If he remembers corrwectly, the town of Trebinje should be about 20 kilometers away. It's the only town closest to Sofska's borders from the southwest section that requires only a few minutes by air. If the town is no longer there, then his theory will be confimred.

-'Attention all aircraft, this is going to be a simple reconnaisance flight. We are to only photograph and film potential hostile positions. Do not, I repeat, do not engage any enemy troops or installations', he says to his fellow drone pilots who are sitting near him with their own laptops and joysticks.

-'Yes sir', reply the other operators. Honestly, there's no point in wearing a headset when your colleagues are sitting right near you. They can hear you just fine. On the other hand, this is a standard procedure and a strict tule in the RRB's air wing. 

You need to communicate not only with fellow pilots, but with the drones themselves. Given that most commands are voice activated nowadays, it is mandatory to keep in touch at all times. The drone is your eyes in the sky, your ears, your guardian, but more importantly, it's your wingman and companion. You can't let it down like this when it's the one protecting you from above.

For the next few minutes, the drones keep flying straight, unbothered by anything. No radar warning, no missile threat alarms, nothing. It's as if they own the skies with no one to oppose them. A literal pilot's dream. Having the skies to yourself, what pilot wouldn't dream of that? To be more honest, Alexandru's colleagues are more than eager to perform a few aerial maneuvers, but while the Albatross I and the SWAN III are made to withstand all kinds of weather conditions, they are not made to perform any aerobatic maneuvers. They are recon planes, not toys.