"Pirate hunting?" Axel blurted, incredulous.
Five months after Gilliam's transfer to another world, Axel found himself in Vindel's office, briefed on a new mission that left him baffled.
"Pirates? In this day and age?" he asked.
"Yep," Vindel replied. "And they're using Sealion mechs to raid ships."
Sealion? Axel thought. The aquatic variant of the Lion. If they were using Lion-series mechs, the culprits might be linked to one group. "DC remnants?"
"Can't rule it out," Vindel said. "That's why we got the call. The plan's simple: you hide your Growsaver on a tanker, wait for the pirates to strike, then repel or capture them. Capturing's preferable—it'll make tracing their backers easier."
Sure, air transport could avoid pirate attacks, but the cost and cargo capacity differences between air and sea routes were night and day. Sea travel remained the dominant method.
"Backers?" Axel asked.
"Yeah," Vindel said, his voice heavy with disdain. "Seems our favorite corrupt politicians might be pulling strings again."
Lately, Vindel's frustration with political corruption had been palpable. Mission after mission, he'd grown fed up with the rot in the system.
"For this decoy op, it's just your Growsaver," Vindel added.
"What? No Martin or the others?" Axel asked.
"Sorry, but they're tied up with other critical missions."
"What about Barison's squad?"
Barison, recruited to Shadow-Mirror last year, had been leading the second Special Ops team with distinction.
"They're swamped too," Vindel said.
"Things are getting awfully busy all of a sudden," Axel remarked.
"You know why," Vindel said grimly. "Cleaning up their messes."
So, everyone's stuck dealing with the fallout of corrupt higher-ups, Axel thought.
"But sending you out alone is risky," Vindel continued. "I've arranged for backup."
"Backup?" Axel perked up.
"Yeah, a few units from the ATX Team."
Axel nearly choked. "?!"
"What's wrong?" Vindel asked, frowning.
"Nothing," Axel said quickly, suppressing his shock. I deserve a medal for keeping a straight face. The ATX Team meant Kyosuke Nanbu, who, after the shuttle crash, was already infected by the Einst. Axel had assumed their reunion would come during Shadow-Mirror's rebellion, not now. Wait, it's just a few units from the ATX Team. Doesn't mean Kyosuke's coming.
"They're busy too," Vindel said. "They'll deploy once you engage the pirates."
"Any idea who they're sending?" Axel asked.
"Nope, no details."
Kyosuke, maybe? Axel hoped for Britt instead. With Lemon existing, Excellen couldn't be part of this world's ATX Team. And Zengar had left the team after the DC War. So who else is in it?
"Pirates with Sealions are a tough match for the Growsaver," Axel said. "Its only sea-capable weapons are the Fire Dagger and Sword Breaker."
"Oh, I forgot to mention," Vindel said, just as a familiar knock sounded at the door—Lemon's distinctive rhythm.
"Vindel, you free?" she called.
"Perfect timing," Vindel said. "I was just about to explain."
Lemon entered, handing Axel a stack of documents. "The T-Link-compatible Sword Breaker we talked about is done and installed on the Growsaver. The details are in there, but I'll give you the gist."
"Thanks," Axel said, taking the papers and nodding for her to continue.
"First, 'T-Link-compatible Sword Breaker' is a mouthful, so we're calling it the Phantom from now on," Lemon said. "Thanks to the T-Link System, it's less than half the size of the old Sword Breaker. That means we've upped the Growsaver's loadout from six main units and eight Chronos units to twelve main and sixteen Chronos."
Axel held up a hand. "Whoa, hold on. I was barely managing all fourteen Sword Breakers with the T-Link System. Twenty-eight Phantoms? That's overkill."
Lemon smirked. "Relax. The T-Link System isn't just for show. I told you it's a step above the Ashsaver's brainwave system. It cuts the operational strain by more than half. With your telekinesis, you should handle all twenty-eight Phantoms no problem."
Twenty-eight funnels—er, Phantoms—under my control? Axel thought. What am I, a Level 9 Newtype?
"The downside," Lemon continued, "is that the smaller size makes them unusable as melee weapons like the Sword Breaker. They're designed for all-range laser attacks and cutting or piercing with laser blades. For this sea mission, use them up close or at point-blank range, and you'll be fine."
Losing the melee capability stung, but the reduced mass made sense. The Growsaver's barely an Ashsaver anymore, Axel thought. It's practically Shadow-Mirror's original AD.
"Also, the Phantom's laser output scales with your telekinetic strength, thanks to the T-Link System," Lemon added. "Be mindful."
"So, weaker telekinesis means weaker Phantoms?" Axel asked.
"No, the baseline power is set, but stronger telekinesis boosts it further."
Like the R-1's T-Link Knuckle, merging telekinetic fields with weapons, Axel thought. No need to overthink the tech—just know my telekinesis amps it up.
"If you want details, read the report," Lemon said, nodding at the documents. "It'll keep you busy while you're hiding on that tanker."
Waiting for pirates would be tedious, so the reading material was welcome.
"That's it from me," Lemon said.
"Good work," Vindel said. "Axel, any questions?"
"Yeah," Axel said. "This mission aside, we're stretched thin. We can't keep this up."
If the personnel shortage continued, they'd hit a breaking point. More Special Ops members were needed.
"I'm working on it," Vindel said. "Lemon, what's the status on the mass-produced W-Units?"
Here it comes, Axel thought.
"They've finished memory integration for simulated experiences," Lemon said. "They're usable, but they're not fully tuned. Flexible improvisation isn't their strong suit."
"They'll follow a commander's orders, though?" Vindel asked.
"Absolutely," Lemon confirmed.
"Good," Vindel said. "Axel, after this pirate mission, we'll test a squad with you and a few mass-produced W-Units. If it works, we might have all ten Special Ops members lead W-Unit squads in the future."
"That'd solve the manpower issue," Axel said, "but if they can't adapt on the fly, isn't that a problem?"
"We won't know until we test them," Vindel said. "It's a start."
Mass-produced W-Units, huh? Axel thought. It was a practical solution, but he'd rather see the W-Numbers prioritized for their individuality.
"Got it," Axel said. "We're short-handed, so I'll take whatever we can use."
Vindel nodded, satisfied, then turned to Lemon. "Keep improving the W-Series."
"Of course," she said. "The W-Series was my first project. I'd never slack on it."
Her words jogged Axel's memory. "Speaking of your projects, Lemon, what's up with the mothership and high-performance ECM?"
"The mothership's in development, tailored to your specs," she said. "But it's a big project, so it'll take time. The ECM's proving tricky, even with Tesla tech."
Axel sighed inwardly. The ASRS would've been perfect for this pirate mission. Oh well.
"That's all for now," Vindel said. "Time to move. Axel, the pirate op is on you."
"Roger," Axel said. "Lemon, keep up the good work."
"You too, Axel. Stay safe," she replied.
With a nod to both, Axel left Vindel's office, heading for the hangar. The prospect of working with the ATX Team sent a flicker of unease through him—his telekinesis, perhaps, warning of trouble ahead.