"A rebellion?" Axel asked, incredulous.
Summoned to Vindel's office, Axel was handed a mission to annihilate a Federation unit that had turned traitor.
"A rebellion's hardly a walk in the park," he said.
Vindel snorted. "As if our special ops team ever gets easy jobs."
Fair point. A unit like Shadow-Mirror, built for dirty work, wouldn't be tasked with something as tame as an air show.
"So, where's this rebellion, and what sparked it?" Axel asked.
"North America, Colorado's Verde base," Vindel replied. "According to the base commander, some jealous officers tried to assassinate him and failed. When he moved to arrest them, they seized several mechs, including the new El Eins mass-production model, and forced him to evacuate after a desperate fight."
Axel blinked. "Uh, where do I even start with that?"
Jealousy as a motive? A base commander losing cutting-edge mechs so easily? The story was riddled with holes. Seeing Axel's expression, Vindel nodded, reading his thoughts.
"I know it's fishy," Vindel said. "That commander's had a bad rep for a while. There's definitely more to this."
"And you're still ordering me to wipe them out?" Axel asked, skeptical.
"The higher-ups want that unit erased," Vindel said, his tone deliberate. "But if you can capture them discreetly, and they vanish from the public eye, that's enough."
Axel caught the hint. "Got it."
Capture, don't kill, and Vindel would handle the rest under the guise of taking prisoners. It was a workaround to preserve lives while satisfying the brass.
"What about the mass-produced W-Units?" Axel asked.
"They had issues at first, but they're pulling their weight now," Vindel said.
As Vindel had planned, Axel's squad now included three mass-produced W-Units alongside himself. Early glitches had been ironed out by Lemon's tweaks, turning them into capable soldiers—first-rate, even. Born with simulated memories and experience, they were combat-ready from the start. The catch? They were only first-rate, not elite. They'd never match pilots like those on the Hiryu Kai or Hagane. W-Numbers like Lamia might hold their own, but these were a step below.
"Speaking of, what's up with the W-Numbers?" Axel asked.
"Lemon says W15 still needs time," Vindel replied. "W16, though, will join you on this mission to gain experience."
W16—Echidna Iisaki. In the original timeline, she'd died protecting Axel, leaving a strange sense of fate. Still, her competence was undeniable, perfect for a mission needing extra hands.
"Got it. Where's W16 now?" Axel asked.
"In Lemon's lab," Vindel said. "Stop by and meet her."
"Will do. Anything else?"
Vindel leaned forward. "This rebellion reeks of deception. It's all suspicious. Capture as many as you can to uncover the truth."
"Roger," Axel said. "I'll grab some El Eins units while I'm at it."
The El Eins, a high-mobility, long-range mech with Tesla Drive flight capabilities, didn't even exist as a blueprint in the other world. Shadow-Mirror would eventually get them, but snagging a few now couldn't hurt.
"Your call," Vindel said. "They're solid mechs, and with supplies tightening, they'd help."
Vindel's reports on corruption and political misdeeds had triggered petty retaliations, like delayed supplies, yet missions kept coming as usual. It was a strain.
"I'll secure any useful gear I find," Axel said, saluting before leaving for Lemon's lab.
He'd visited her lab countless times, so he knocked lightly, entered, and found Lemon lounging on her sofa, sipping tea. Despite her talks with the Excellence Team about the Timeflow Engine five months ago, her real obsession remained Axel's slime and spatial storage.
"Lemon, I hear W16's joining the mission," Axel said.
"Yep," Lemon replied. "Echidna, come here."
From the back, where she'd been working, Echidna approached. Her striking purple bob was unmistakable—exactly the Echidna Iisaki Axel remembered.
"Meet W16, Echidna Iisaki," Lemon said. "Echidna, this is Axel Almer, Special Ops Captain and your commander for this mission."
"Understood. Pleased to meet you, Captain," Echidna said, saluting crisply.
Her movements felt mechanical, lacking warmth. "Lemon, is she really ready?" Axel asked. "She seems… robotic."
"That's to be expected," Lemon said. "She's newly created. She'll develop a sense of self over time."
"So, simulated experience only goes so far," Axel said.
"Exactly. But she's combat-ready, so don't worry."
"What about her mech?"
"Any recommendations?" Lemon asked.
Axel considered. The mission required neutralizing enemies without killing, meaning he'd rely heavily on the Growsaver's Phantoms. Directing the less adaptable W-Units would be a burden. "Have her pilot the Landgriez," he said. "She'll handle W-Unit command and provide rear support fire."
"You're delegating command to Echidna?" Lemon asked, surprised.
"Yeah. Vindel wants minimal casualties, so I'll focus on disabling enemies. Echidna can manage the W-Units and cover me. That okay?"
"Understood, Captain," Echidna said, saluting again.
"And if possible," Axel added, "I want to secure as many El Eins units as we can, plus any useful supplies."
Lemon grinned. "What, are we bandits now?"
"You know supplies are tight," Axel said.
"True," Lemon sighed. "If only this rebellion had happened half a month later."
"Why's that?" Axel asked.
"The first mothership you requested is set to roll out in about two weeks," she said.
"No way!" Axel exclaimed. The Trilobite-class was that close? Then again, with about a year until Shadow-Mirror's transfer to the other world, it wasn't too surprising.
"I named it the Trilobite-class Versatile Combat Mothership," Lemon said.
"Nice. I'll look forward to boarding it after this mission," Axel said, bidding her farewell. He and Echidna left the lab.
With the Trilobite-class not yet ready, they'd use the usual Ladybird transport. A thought struck Axel. Capturing prisoners and El Eins units meant transporting them back to the Ecuador base, but a single Ladybird could only hold five standard PT-sized mechs—exactly his squad's count, leaving no room for captives or loot.
He contacted Vindel via the hangar's comms. "Axel, what's up?" Vindel answered almost instantly.
"I'm heading out, but how do we transport prisoners and captured mechs?"
"My bad, forgot to mention," Vindel said. "I'll send a few more Ladybirds to follow you. Use them for transport."
"Better than escorting them now," Axel said. "Got it. Expect results."
"I'm counting on you," Vindel replied.
Axel turned to Echidna. "Get the three W-Units from the ready room and load them onto our squad's Ladybird. They'll use mass-produced Gespenst Mk-IIs, one in recon spec. You're on the Landgriez, as discussed."
"Understood," Echidna said, saluting and heading off.
She still moved like a robot. Needs more field experience, Axel thought.
"Time to load the Growsaver," he muttered, heading to prep his mech.