NOVPUBThe former SM Mall of Asia reclamation area, now an improvised military airfield, hummed with life even in the dead of night. Makeshift hangars housed a handful of UAVs, fuel trucks lined the periphery, and armed guards patrolled the area.
In the middle of the tarmac sat an MQ-9 Reaper. Ground crews moved around it, running final checks as its engine idled in anticipation.
Inside the UAV Operations Center, a smallntrol room filled with glowing monitors and quiet urgency, Javier Cruz, the designated drone pilot, adjusted his headset. His hands hovered over thentrols, eyes locked onto the live feed from the Reaper's camera.
A voice crackled through his headset—Miguel Lopez, the air trafficntroller overseeing the launch.
"Reaper One-One, this is MOA Tower. Status check?"
Cruz toggled his mic. "MOA Tower, this is Reaper One-One. Pre-flight checklistmplete. Engine running at optimal levels, payload systems green."
"Copy that, Reaper One-One. Flight path uploaded. You are cleared for takeoff. Maintain altitude below fifteen thousand until you clear city airspace, then proceed with climb."
Cruz steadied his grip. "Roger that, Tower. Reaper One-One is rolling."
On the tarmac, the MQ-9 Reaper's Rotax 914 engine hummed louder as the drone rolled forward, gaining speed down the improvised runway. The UAV's wings lifted as its nose tilted skyward, rising smoothly into the night sky.
Inside the operations center, Cruz kept his hands steady on the HOTAS (Hands-On Throttle and Stick), eyes flicking across the displays. The screen showed a live telemetry feed:
Altitude: 2,500 ft… 5,000 ft… 10,000 ft…
As soon as it cleared city airspace, Lopez's voice returned.
"Reaper One-One, you are clear for full ascent. Proceed to rn zone. Callsign Eagle Actual is awaiting your feed."
"Copy, Tower. Climbing to twenty-five thousand feet. Switching to mission ops."
High above the dark waters of Manila Bay, the Reaper soared silently, its Lynx AN/APY-8 Synthetic Aperture Radar scanning below. The MTS-B Multi-Spectral Targeting System was already active, its infrared and electro-optical sensors painting the landscape in crisp detail.
Cruz, back at the operations center, adjusted his FLIR (Forward-Looking Infrared) camera, scanning theastline as the Reaper neared Bataan. His monitor displayed heat signatures in shades of white and black—normal civilian clusters, some isolated vehicles. Nothing stood out.
Then, he toggled to infrared mode.
His breath hitched.
Near Orani, Bataan, a cluster of military-grade vehicles was moving in a tight formation. The way they maneuvered suggested disciplinedordination, not just a band of scavengers or rogue elements.
Cruz clicked his radio. "Overlord, this is Reaper One-One. We might have something."
Marcus responded instantly. "Send it."
Cruz zoomed in, adjustingntrast. The heat signatures were too strong for abandoned vehicles—these were active units. Heunted at least twelve armored personnel carriers, several support trucks, and possibly a mobilemmand unit.
"We've got multiple armored vehicles stationed just west of Orani, possibly a staging area. No visible insignias yet, but their movements areordinated."
A pause. Then Marcus's voice came through, sharp.
"Eagle Actual, youpy this?"
Thomas, standing in themmand post at Ironhold, pressed his radio to his ear. "Copy, Overlord. Reaper One-One,nfirm if they're Philippine Armed Forces."
Cruz exhaled, stabilizing his optics. "I'm not seeing any clear markings yet, but they have the thermal signatures of soldiers in full gear. Estimatedmpany strength, maybe more."
Thomas's grip on his rifle tightened. Ampany-sized force was enough to level Ironhold if they decided to retaliate.
Phillip, standing beside him, whispered, "They were waiting for Santiago's signal."
Thomas nodded grimly. "But it never came."
Which meant they were probably reassessing their next move.
Back on the drone feed, Cruz switched to low-light mode. Thenvoy was stationary, their engines running, but no further movement.
Thomas keyed his radio again. "Reaper One-One, keep them under surveillance. If they move toward Ironhold, I want to know before they get halfway."
Cruz acknowledged. "Roger, Eagle Actual. I'll keep eyes on them."
"Is the Reaper armed?" Thomas asked, eyes still locked onto themmand post's monitor.
Cruz's response came through instantly. "Reaper has missiles, Eagle Actual. We're loaded with four AGM-114 Hellfires and two GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs," Cruznfirmed.
Thomas exhaled. That changed things. The MQ-9 wasn't just a rn bird this time—it was a flying executioner.
"Understood," Thomas replied. "But hold fire unless I give the order. We don't know if they're hostile yet."
Cruz kept his eyes locked onto the Reaper's live feed, zooming in as much as heuld without distorting the image. Thenvoy remained stationary, but something was off. The longer they stayed in one place without making a move toward Ironhold or retreating, the more it became apparent that they weren't preparing an attack.
"Overlord, I'm not seeing any aggressive movements," Cruz reported. "No perimeter defense being set up, no patrols outside the vehicles. They're just… waiting."
Marcus's voice crackled over themms. "Waiting for what?"
Cruz tapped a few keys, shifting the camera angle. "Hard to say, but they're maintaining radio silence. If they were preparing an operation, they'd beordinating overmms."
Thomas frowned, hearing thenversation through his earpiece. He turned to Phillip. "You were right. They were expecting Santiago to check in."
Phillip crossed his arms. "And when they didn't get a response, they held their position instead of charging in. That's not an attack force—it's a staging group waiting for orders."
Thomas switched his radio. "Reaper One-One, can you intercept any radio transmissions in their vicinity?"
Cruz checked his system logs. "Negative, sir. Either they'rempletely silent or they're on an encrypted channel."
That wasnfirmation enough—this wasn't a rogue element. They were waiting for theirmmander's orders.
Phillip exhaled. "They have no idea we wiped out Santiago's team."
Thomas nodded. "Which means they don't know who's inntrol of Ironhold."
For now, that gave them an advantage. If they played it smart, theyuld dictate how this meeting unfolded.
Marcus chimed in. "Eagle Actual, what's the call?"
"We wait for their moves."
