Twenty days had passed since the peace conference and the subsequent celebrations. A few days ago, Gilbert Durandal had sent word that Rey's paperwork was finally complete. Today, the boy was scheduled to arrive in Orb.
The welcoming committee was out in force. Mu and Natarle had headed to the airport to meet him, while Murrue was busy coordinating the arrival of those moving from Orb to the White Star. Deep within the facility, Lemon was laboring away on the T-LINK frame. She'd been grumbling about the drop in efficiency since Murrue stepped away to handle logistics, but progress remained steady. It shouldn't have been a surprise; as a former member of the Phase Shift armor development team, Murrue had a voracious appetite for Shadow Mirror's technology. At this point, her technical proficiency rivaled—and in some areas, exceeded—our own engineering squad.
Meanwhile, Cornelia was currently on a business trip, having been scouted by the Orb military to provide instruction on mobile suit combat tactics.
As for me… I was currently being yelled at.
"I'm here as promised! Now, face me in a duel!"
I stood in the Lycaeos—the teleportation hub of the White Star—staring at a silver-haired youth who had begun shouting the moment he materialized. I couldn't help but let out a weary chuckle.
"Yzak, is that any way to say hello?"
Standing beside him, looking distinctly exasperated, was his mother, Ezaria Joule. This mother-son duo had also decided to migrate from the PLANTs to the White Star. As a former confidante of Patrick Zala, Ezaria found the current political climate in the PLANTs—now dominated by the Clyne faction—stifling, to say the least. Eileen Canaver had apparently tried to convince her to stay, valuing her administrative genius despite their past enmity, but in the end, Ezaria chose to seek refuge with Shadow Mirror, bringing Yzak along for the ride.
As I watched them bicker, something caught my eye. "Oh?"
Yzak's face was clean. The prominent scar that had marked his features was gone, erased without a trace. In the original history, that scar was a badge of hatred against Kira Yamato. In this timeline, it had been a souvenir of his defeat at my hands.
"What are you staring at?" Yzak barked.
"Nothing. Just noticed you finally got rid of the scar."
Yzak looked away, his expression sour. "Hmph."
Ezaria tilted her head, looking at her son with genuine confusion. "Yzak? I thought you said that scar was a tribute to a warrior you respected—"
"Mother!" Yzak cut her off, his face turning a shade of crimson that rivaled a Justice Gundam.
I smirked. "A warrior you respected, huh? I'm flattered."
"I never said it was you! Don't get ahead of yourself, you bastard!"
I suppose this is what the kids call a 'tsundere.' Personally, I don't find it nearly as charming when it's coming from a hot-blooded pilot. I would have much preferred that trait from Ezaria, but I digress.
"Well, regardless of your motives… welcome to Shadow Mirror," I said, turning serious. "We're short-staffed, so expect to be worked to the bone. Also, a reminder: most of the personnel here are Naturals. At least, by your world's definitions. You're free to take pride in being Coordinators, but I won't tolerate any 'superior race' nonsense here."
The irony, of course, was that the average Shadow Mirror soldier was more capable than most Coordinators. Even our 'standard' technical crew possessed skills that would earn them high-ranking positions in any university or research institute on Earth.
"We understand," Ezaria said with a graceful, if slightly weary, smile. "We were defeated by those very 'Naturals' during the war, after all. It would be foolish to cling to old prejudices now."
I was surprised. In the original series, Ezaria Joule had been a staunch elitist. It seemed the sting of total defeat had fostered a bit of personal growth.
"Hmph! Mother may be soft, but don't think for a second that I've accepted you!" Yzak added, crossing his arms.
"Fine by me. By the way, there's one more immigrant from the PLANTs arriving today. Did Durandal mention it?"
Ezaria nodded. "Yes. The Chairman spoke to me directly."
"And you, Yzak?"
"I heard it from my mother," Yzak spat. "A clone of Commander Creuset."
His tone was harsh, but it wasn't directed at Rey himself. He seemed disgusted by the arrogance of the men who had played god with human life. I just hoped his attitude wouldn't cause friction with the W-Series units.
"He's arriving today as well," I explained. "Along with several others from Orb. We're holding a welcome party tonight; you're both invited."
"We would be honored," Ezaria replied. "Now, what about our accommodations? We were told to bring only our personal belongings, so we haven't brought much else."
She gestured to the pile of luggage behind them. For 'just the essentials,' the Joules certainly had a lot of baggage. Then again, considering how the collection of 'stuff' in my own home seemed to multiply daily thanks to Lemon and the others, I wasn't one to talk.
"Hold on a second." I tapped my comms and signaled a Mass-Produced W unit.
"Captain Axel, you summoned me?" The unit appeared, its face obscured by the standard-issue mask.
The masks were a necessity to hide the integrated mechanical components, but with Lemon's tech, creating a perfectly human-looking android like Echidna wasn't difficult. However, Lemon had decided that for the sake of the new residents, the W-Series should be easily identifiable as artificial constructs. There was also the matter of production costs—fully organic-looking skin was expensive.
"Take these two to the residential sector," I ordered.
Ezaria stared at the W unit, her jaw dropping slightly. Even Yzak looked stunned.
"What's with the faces?" I asked. "Yzak, you fought alongside these units at Jachin Due. Why are you surprised?"
"I saw them on the monitors! I never saw one up close!"
"Ah, right." I realized that during the chaos of the final battle, the W units had been busy with logistics and repairs. Murdoch and the other human mechanics probably handled the Joule's Duel Gundam. "Let me introduce you properly. These are the Mass-Produced W-Series. They are the backbone of Shadow Mirror—humanoid machines, or artificial humans, if you prefer."
The W unit offered a polite bow. The Joules looked at it as if they were seeing a ghost.
"Alright, that's enough gawking. Follow the unit; it'll show you to the residential block. I've picked out a few recommended spots, but if you find a vacant house you like better, feel free to claim it."
I watched as the W unit led them toward an air-car. They looked uneasy, but they were smart enough to realize that if they were going to live here, they'd have to get used to the neighbors.
"One group down," I muttered. "The next should be arriving any minute… Speak of the devil."
The teleportation field hummed again, and three familiar faces stepped out: Sai Argyle, Tolle Koenig, and Miriallia Haw. The student trio from Heliopolis.
"Axel-san! Long time no see," Sai said, acting as the group's spokesperson.
"Good to see you. I heard you guys finally got to step off the Archangel after the treaty. You're looking well. Where's Kazui?"
Tolle sighed. "He said he couldn't show his face. Since he left the ship halfway through the war, he feels like he doesn't belong. He's overthinking it, as usual."
I nodded. Kazui had always been the most fragile of the group; his guilt was understandable, even if it was unnecessary. As for the Archangel itself, it had been officially transferred to the Orb Union as part of the postwar reparations from the Atlantic Federation.
"Well, the 'Victory Party' has been rebranded as a 'Welcome Party,' but the goal is the same," I told them. "Go wild and have fun tonight."
"We heard!" Miriallia said, patting the camera slung around her neck. "I'm going to take plenty of commemorative photos of the new residents."
I smiled. It looked like she was still on track to becoming a combat photographer, just like in the original series.
"It wouldn't be right to hold a 'Victory' party with people from the PLANTs moving in," Sai added thoughtfully.
"Exactly. But a party is still a party."
"Is it true Chief Murdoch is moving here too?" Tolle asked.
"Yeah. He was frustrated that he couldn't properly maintain the Shadow Mirror units during the war. He's calling it a 'study abroad' program. He'll be staying here to learn our tech for a while."
"Whoa, really? Maybe I should try that too," Tolle grinned. "Sounds interesting."
"Tolle! Don't just decide things on a whim!" Miriallia scolded.
I watched them bicker with a nostalgic smile. Some things never change. Just then, the Lycaeos flared to life again.
"Speaking of which, here comes the rest of the crew."
Murrue walked through the field, followed by Murdoch—who was lugging a massive shoulder bag—and one more person.
"Hey, Miriallia! You been good?"
It was Dearka Elsman. He made a beeline for Miriallia the moment he spotted her.
"Ugh, you again?" Miriallia groaned. "Don't you ever give up?"
Tolle just laughed and shook his head. It was a bizarre dynamic—Tolle and Dearka actually got along quite well, despite being rivals for the same girl's affection. They were both easygoing types, and somehow, that common ground outweighed the awkwardness of the love triangle.
"Captain Ramius, it's good to see you," Sai said, greeting Murrue with his usual politeness.
"You as well, Sai-kun. It's funny—we see each other in Orb all the time, but meeting here on the White Star feels entirely different."
"Murrue," I interrupted, "take this lot to the party venue before more people arrive. It's better to catch up over drinks than standing around a teleporter."
"Good point. Who else is here?"
"So far, just the Joules. They're currently scouting for a house."
As Murrue led the group away, I ran through the guest list in my head.
Kira, Lacus, and Flay—the ultimate triangle—were on their way. Lacus was currently in Orb as a special envoy from the PLANTs. In this world, the Three-Ship Alliance didn't 'end' the war; Orb and Shadow Mirror did. Consequently, Lacus was viewed as a high-profile collaborator rather than a messianic figure. Her 'fanatics' were far fewer, though her natural charisma still drew a crowd. I'd made sure she stayed in close contact with the PLANTs to ensure the 'Meer Campbell' incident never had a reason to happen. Kira was now working for Morgenroete, and Flay was back in school. Whether this ends in a harem or heartbreak is anyone's guess. Personally? I've got all my credits on the harem ending.
Then there was Cagalli and Athrun. Athrun hadn't taken the 'Alex' alias here; he was serving as Cagalli's bodyguard under his real name. Uzumi had essentially given the relationship his blessing. In fact, because Athrun was always by Cagalli's side while she studied politics under her father, Athrun and Uzumi had become quite close. I heard the old man already views him as a top-tier son-in-law.
Mu, Natarle, and Rey were the most 'family-like' group. Mu had officially joined Shadow Mirror, but Natarle had enlisted in the Orb military to captain the Archangel. Because of Rey's medical needs, the three of them were going to live on the White Star, but Natarle had used some 'backdoor' persuasion via Murrue to convince me to let them stay in Orb. We'd settled on high-level surveillance to prevent tech leaks, so I wasn't too worried.
Uzumi and Kisaka were too busy with the literal rebuilding of a nation to attend. Being a 'victorious' small nation was apparently a logistical nightmare.
Andrew Waltfeld had prioritized coffee over the party. He was currently on an overseas trip to source beans. Last I heard, he'd gotten caught in a localized independence war in South America. I'd sent a few Megillots and a squad of W units in a captured Atlantic Federation transport to help him out. He'll be fine.
The Asuka family had to decline as well—Morgenroete was working them to the bone. Looks like Shinn and Rey's first meeting would have to wait.
"Axel?"
I blinked. Murrue was staring at me from the air-car. "Yeah?"
"What are you spacing out for? Everyone's waiting."
"Sorry. Just thinking about the guest list."
"Well, hurry up! We're heading to the venue."
I watched them fly off, then turned back as the Lycaeos hummed for the final time today.
Let's see who's last.
Status Update: Axel Almar
Level: 38 (PP: 615)
Stats: Melee: 262 | Ranged: 282 | Skill: 272 | Defense: 272 | Evade: 302 | Hit: 322
SP: 462
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consumes SP to enhance the performance of 'Slime')
Terrain Mastery: Air: S | Ground: S | Water: S | Space: S
Spirit Commands:
Accel (SP 4)
Effort (SP 8)
Focus (SP 16)
Direct (SP 30)
Awaken (SP 32)
Love (SP 48)
Total Kills: 374
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