Thankfully, the "Focus" Spirit Command had sharpened Axel's senses, letting him react to the captain's desperate warning. Without it, he might've been skewered by that machine's horn.
A beetle-like Heat Horn on its head, a Revolving Stake in its right hand, and a heavy frame offset by high-thrust boosters—this was no ordinary Personal Trooper (PT). But its color wasn't the iconic red.
"Alteisen," Axel muttered, then corrected himself. "No, in this world, it's Gespenst Mk-III."
And its pilot? "Kyosuke Nanbu."
Axel wasn't shocked. When Vindel mentioned ATX Team reinforcements, he'd half-expected Kyosuke. The Gespenst Mk-III roared toward the Sealion, its Revolving Stake aimed at the cockpit. The metal spike shot out, piercing it clean through with a burst from the stake's mechanism. Seconds later, the Sealion exploded.
"No, senpai!" Axel blurted, the word slipping out. The Gespenst Mk-III didn't flinch, calmly finishing its attack.
Axel caught himself, muttering, "No, not senpai anymore. That's Beowulf out there."
He opened a comm channel. "This is Shadow-Mirror, Special Ops Captain Axel Almer. Thanks for the assist, but the mission was to capture the pirates alive for intel. Why'd you kill them?"
"Enemy… neutralized… confirmed," came Kyosuke's fragmented reply.
Is the Einst infection worse than I thought? Axel wondered.
"ATX Team, Kyosuke Nanbu, respond if you hear me," he tried again. No answer. The Gespenst Mk-III turned and left the way it came.
"Soldier, you okay?" the captain's voice crackled, tinged with caution.
"Yeah, you saved my skin," Axel said. "Without your warning, I'd have lost more than just a leg."
The Growsaver's monitor flashed a right-leg damage alert. Despite dodging, Axel hadn't fully evaded the Gespenst's charge.
"Good thing you tipped me off," the captain said. "I never imagined an ally would attack without warning."
"Yeah," Axel agreed. "Can you retrieve the two Sealions floating out there? My unit will pick them up at the nearest port."
"You got it," the captain said, barking orders to his crew. "Hey, pull up those two mechs! They're pirates, so stay sharp!"
As the captain operated some equipment, Axel maneuvered the damaged Growsaver onto the tanker's deck. The leg damage was minor, and the mission was complete—emergency repairs could wait. Amateur tinkering might only delay proper fixes. Warning the crew to steer clear of the mech for safety, Axel approached the retrieved Sealions.
Both were secured: one missing all limbs, the other its lower half, neither moving. The captain and crew surrounded them, clutching rifles and axes.
"Captain," Axel called.
The captain turned, looking bewildered. "Hey, soldier. We got 'em, but the pilots aren't coming out. What do we do?"
"There should be a device to force the cockpit open," Axel said, inspecting the limbless Sealion's cockpit area while talking. "Opening it now."
He activated the device, forcing the cockpit hatch. The crew tensed, weapons ready for any attack. Axel finished and joined them, pistol in hand as a precaution.
"Hey, soldier?" the captain said, his voice stunned.
"What's up? Where's the pirate?" Axel asked.
"Take a look," the captain said, gesturing to the cockpit.
Inside was a boy—barely ten, glaring fiercely at Axel.
"You the pilot?" Axel asked, though the evidence was clear.
"You blind? Who else would be in here?" the boy snapped.
"Just checking," Axel said. "Your buddy in the other Sealion—can you tell them to come out?"
"Hmph! Like I'd listen to you military dogs! Go ahead, kill me! I ain't obeying you!" the boy shouted, defiance aimed at Axel and the crew.
"Uh, captain?" Axel said, turning. "What do we do with him?"
"Don't ask me," the captain replied. "He's your prisoner, right? Military's responsibility."
Axel had expected thugs or DC remnants, not this. Wait… a kid pilot? Could he be from the School?
"You from the School?" Axel asked.
The boy frowned, suspicious. "Never been to no school. If I had that kinda money, I'd buy food."
Not from the School, then, Axel thought, ruling out connections to Latune, Arado, Seolla, or Ouka. He called to the other Sealion. "Hey, pilot, come out. If you don't, I'll have to get rough with this kid."
The second Sealion's cockpit opened, revealing another child, about the same age. Unlike the defiant boy, this one seemed timid.
"Idiot, why'd you come out?" the first boy yelled.
"They said they'd hurt you…" the timid one mumbled.
Ignoring their bickering, Axel turned to the captain. "Can you prepare a room? I need to question them."
"Yeah, sure," the captain said. "I'll have one ready. Follow him."
A crew member led Axel and the boys to a room. "Who's Cal?" the defiant boy asked as they descended a staircase.
"Cal? The third Sealion's pilot?" Axel guessed.
"Yeah, the best of us," the boy said proudly.
Axel hesitated but decided to be straight. "The third Sealion was pierced through the cockpit by our reinforcements and exploded. No one could've survived. You should accept that."
The defiant boy choked on his words, while the timid one's eyes welled with tears.
"We're here," the crew member said. "This room's secure."
"Thanks," Axel said, ushering the boys inside.
Why were kids playing pirates? Axel wasn't great with words, but he'd have to get answers out of them somehow.