Story - Upper Vale

Awoken by a loud 'whooshing' sound, bleary eyes opened. "Computer, readout warnings."

A pleasant omnipresent voice responded, "Certainly. There is one warning in effect. Class 5. Several vessels are currently involved in maneuvers intermittently intersecting all commercial and residential sectors with grid coordinates 12 3 17. All individuals within these sectors are advised to take shelter."

As the computer spoke, the occupant had already gone to the window which filled an entire wall of the small room and parted the blinds. They stood, silhouetted against the bright sunny morning and gleaming white towers of the sky enclave of Upper Vale as a vessel shot past. The rumbling of its fiery red engines momentarily shook the room and left a streaking trail of energy which blotted out their view before it dissipated.

Having gone from curious concern to wild worry, they recognized that craft, or more accurately the organization which used vessels like it. Upper Vale was no longer the safe haven it was supposed to be. They had to get out.

A bag of essentials. A flight suit and helmet. An encrypted tag: id ORDINAL.

Time to get back in the air. They took one final look at the apartment and the life it had represented. Back into freefall.