As Ushu busies herself assisting the other elves, she notices Major Drek sitting alone under a nearby tree. His presence amidst the chaos brings a sense of reassurance, a reminder that they are not alone in their struggle.
"Drek is taking a break over there. I want to join him, but... I need to help the others." Ushu said in its mind.
On Major Drek's side, he is just taking a close-eyed nap, but he is still not letting his guard down. While he takes a nap, he suddenly dreams of the past, finding himself in an aerial dogfight with the unknown.
In the year 2100, somewhere on the Korean Peninsula, Drek is only a first lieutenant. Fighter planes zoom in the skies as a squadron of KF-16s flies over the buildings.
"Target locked! Fox one... Fox two..!" exclaimed a random pilot in a KF-16.
"Target hit!" declared the pilot.
Suddenly, an unknown spacecraft materialized behind him and shot him down.
"I'm hit! Ahhh—" A KF-16 exploded.
The dogfight continued in the skies.
A loud noise suddenly erupts from nowhere, and certain parts of the city darken, as if a shadow looms overhead.
Drek looks up and beholds a colossal ship, vast as a city, materializing in the sky. It descends slowly, hovering above the city, and he notices smaller spacecraft emerging from its belly.
"This Alpha 1-1... focus your attack on their big ship, their mother ship" said Drek on the radio.
"This is Bravo 1-1, Copy!" declared the Leader of Bravo Squadron.
"Charlie 1-1, Roger!" affirmed the Leader of Charlie Squadron.
"Delta 1-1, Copy!" confirmed the Leader of Delta Squadron.
The radio fell silent.
"Where is Echo Squadron?" Drek inquired over the radio.
"Echo Squadron... is lost, sir.." came the somber response over the radio from Delta Squadron.
"... Damn it! Let's do this! IN MEMORY OF OUR LOST COMRADES!" Drek declared passionately over the radio.
"Roger!" echoed the squadron leaders in unison over the radio.
In a tense aerial dogfight between the KF-16s and the unknown spacecraft, fighting raged over the buildings.
Drek and the other squadron members maneuvered through the swarm of unknown spacecraft fighters, heading towards the massive ship looming overhead, known as the mother ship.
"We are almost there! Get ready to fire all your missiles," Drek commanded.
"Roger, missiles ready," replied the squadrons.
"On my mark... 3...." They closed in on their target.
"2..." Suddenly, a hatch began to open.
"1... OPEN FIRE!" All squadrons unleashed their missiles, dozens streaking through the skies.
"Wait, what's with that hatch opening wide and a light coming out of it.." Drek voiced his concern.
Drek looked carefully and suddenly exclaimed, "EVERYBODY! EVADE! EVADE! SCRAMBLE!" over the radio.
A giant white beam emanated from the mother ship, obliterating all wayward spacecraft and KF-16s in its path.
Drek's KF-16 was struck on its right wing, rendering it uncontrollable.
"Mayday, Mayday, Alpha 1-1 going down, ejecting out," Drek radioed urgently.
He ejected from his fighter plane, the KF-16, and successfully deployed his parachutes. The ejection seat safely landed on the roof of a building. Drek unstrapped himself, grabbed his equipment and weapon, and picked up the radio.
"This is Alpha 1-1, come in, come in. Is someone on this frequency? Over," Drek said into the radio.
"... ... ..."
"No response," Drek muttered.
Looking around, he spotted a stairway leading downward.
"I should get out of here," Drek decided.
He began walking towards the door, simultaneously checking his equipment and weapons to ensure they were loaded. With everything in order, he prepared to breach the door.
He swiftly reached the door and kicked it open. The door swung wide, revealing a staircase leading down to the third floor of the building.
"Okay, information about this building is unknown; I don't know where I am at the moment; the building has a fire on the 2nd floor; this might just be a staircase way down, right?" Drek pondered to himself.
Drek continued descending the staircase, periodically glancing to his left to gauge the distance and confirm that it was indeed just a straightforward path to the ground floor. He pressed on until he finally reached the ground level.
Suddenly, the radio began picking up signals.
"This is Captain Haymond! Does anyone read? All units, fall back to the First Defense!" the urgent message blared over the radio.
Drek heard a cracking sound and instinctively rushed to open the door, seeking a way out of the collapsing building. Despite the imminent danger, he didn't hesitate to keep running, his alertness heightened.
Bounding from one alleyway to the next, Drek felt an unshakable sense of pursuit driving him forward. Finally, he emerged onto a highway with a clear field ahead. With nimble agility, he dodged obstacles, then swiftly retrieved his weapon, tensely scanning behind him for any threats.
"Come on, just get out..." Drek muttered to himself.
Suddenly, loud noises grew closer and closer to Drek. Then, a missile impacted the alleyway with tremendous speed, and an alien-type fighter jet hovered just above him. The noise of armored vehicles and the shouts of infantrymen followed.
A group of infantrymen rushed towards Drek, aiming down the alleyway.
"OPEN FIRE!" shouted the rambunctious group of infantrymen.
They unleashed a barrage of gunfire into the alleyway, while armored vehicles and the hovering jet fired missiles.
The infantrymen swiftly advanced to the scene, firing a dozen rounds of ammo at the creature that posed a threat to everyone in its path, confirming its demise.
Armored vehicles rolled in to support the infantrymen, providing additional firepower and protection.
Meanwhile, the hovering fighter plane shifted position slightly and caught Drek's gaze. The pilot waved before flying away.
A humvee approached Drek, and a figure emerged from it.
"Good to see you alive, First Lieutenant Drek," Captain Haymond stated.
Drek, shocked by the sudden appearance of his captain, snapped into a formal stance and saluted.
"Yes sir! Thank you sir!" Drek replied.
"haiyah..." said Captain Haymond.
Captain Haymond approached First Lieutenant Drek and shook his right hand.
"Don't be formal in front of me; I'm glad you're alive," Captain Haymond said.
Filled with happiness and relief, Drek extended his left hand and clasped Captain Haymond's hand.
"Yes, father, I'm here now," Drek replied.