It had been two weeks since our summit in the PLANTs with Eileen Canaver, Gilbert Durandal, and Rey Za Burrel. Finally, the three-ship alliance—the Archangel, the Kusanagi, and the Eternal—descended through the atmosphere to return to the shores of Orb.
One thing that genuinely caught me off guard was seeing the Eternal operate within the atmosphere. In my personal memory, I'd always pegged it as a space-only vessel.
The Archangel had plenty of atmospheric screentime in the original story, and the Kusanagi was originally a transport vessel between Orb and Heliopolis, so seeing them planetside felt natural. But in both SEED and DESTINY, the Eternal was only ever depicted in the vacuum of space.
Wait... I thought, second-guessing myself. In the Super Robot Wars games, the Eternal deploys on Earth all the time, and its terrain adaptation for air is usually an 'A.' I guess it makes sense in this hybrid reality.
"Welcome back. I am truly grateful to see you all returned safely from such a harrowing conflict."
As the three ships settled into the docks of Morgenroete for resupply and maintenance, we were met by Uzumi Nara Athha and a full assembly of Orb's high-ranking officials.
Our representative group was a crowd of twelve: from the Archangel, there was myself, Lemon, Cornelia, Murrue, Mu, and Natarle; from the Kusanagi, Cagalli and Kisaka; and from the Eternal, Lacus, Waltfeld, Kira, and Athrun.
Technically, Yzak and Dearka could have been here, but Yzak was still an active ZAFT officer, and Dearka's status was... complicated. He'd gone from a ZAFT pilot to an Archangel prisoner to a voluntary ally. Given the legal ambiguity of his position, he'd decided to sit this one out.
I wonder why Athrun gets a pass? I mused. Is it because of his 'personal' relationship with Cagalli? Or because he's piloting a unit with a Neutron Jammer Canceller? Or maybe just the sheer political weight of being Patrick Zara's son? Then again, if that was the criteria, Yzak and Dearka—both sons of Council members—should be here too.
"Representative Uzumi, I imagine you're the one who's been busy, what with the peace conference preparations," I said, taking his hand in a firm shake.
Uzumi had aged, but the "Lion of Orb" didn't look like a man crushed by the weight of a world war. If anything, the prospect of a lasting peace seemed to have put a bit of fire back in his eyes.
"Nonsense. Compared to what you all faced on the front lines, my struggles are trivial," Uzumi replied, his slight smile fading into a look of professional gravity. "Now, regarding the matter of Director Azrael... I am told he is in your custody?"
"Yeah. We've got him in a holding cell. He's all yours."
Azrael had been a nightmare since we captured him at Mendel. Once he'd regained consciousness, he'd done nothing but scream. He demanded to be released, threatened us with the wrath of the Atlantic Federation, and shrieked about how we wouldn't get away with this. Eventually, I decided it was too much of a risk to let the Archangel's crew handle him, so I put the "W" units in charge of his cell.
Apparently, being guarded by silent, unblinking androids with visible mechanical components had finally creeped the madman out enough to shut him up.
"Understood. We will take custody of Director Azrael immediately," Uzumi said. "He will remain in Orb under heavy guard until the peace conference begins."
"Just be careful with Blue Cosmos," I warned. "If the fanatics find out their leader is being held here to be used as a scapegoat for the war, they'll definitely try something. They won't see it as a trial; they'll see it as a holy crusade to rescue him."
"Saving a 'princess' in a tower is one thing," Mu chimed in from behind me, "but I'd pass on risking my neck for an old man like that—OW!"
I glanced back to see Natarle stepping squarely on Mu's foot.
I'd grown fond of their little routine. The stiff, by-the-book Natarle I'd met at Heliopolis was gone. In her place was a woman who remained a brilliant tactician but had developed the emotional depth and patience to handle someone like Mu.
"I'm sure you're all exhausted," Uzumi said. "Take today to rest. I'm sure Shadow Mirror has its own internal reports to file. We can handle the official debriefing tomorrow."
"That would be a huge help. Thanks, Uzumi."
The group dispersed, everyone eager to enjoy the peaceful air of Orb for the first time in months. My core team—Lemon, Cornelia, and Murrue—piled into an electric car and headed toward the nondescript warehouse that housed the gateway to the White Star.
"I never thought I'd actually feel 'nostalgic' looking at this dusty old warehouse," I muttered as the elevator carried our vehicle down into the hidden sub-levels.
I'd only been in this SEED world for six months. The gate had only been active for two. And yet, the sight of it felt like coming home.
"It just proves how much you've come to care for this world," Lemon said with a knowing smile.
"Hmph. Does that mean you'll feel the same way about my world when we return?" Cornelia asked with a provocative tilt of her head.
Murrue watched them both with a quiet, amused smile. It was hard to believe it had only been two months since we'd started living together. Our chemistry felt like it had been forged over a lifetime.
The elevator doors hissed open, and I stepped out, only to stop dead in my tracks.
"...What?"
The space in front of the gate, which should have been clear, was filled with a massive, haphazard pile of Strike Daggers. There must have been at least thirty of them. They weren't neatly organized; they were tossed together like a pile of discarded toys.
I looked at my companions. Lemon was wearing a strained smile. Cornelia let out a long sigh. Murrue just looked stunned.
"Welcome back, Captain Axel. We are glad to see you unharmed."
Echidna approached us, flanked by a few "W" units. Her expression was as stoic as ever, but there was a subtle softness to her aura that suggested she was genuinely relieved to see us.
"Glad to be back, Echidna," I said, gesturing to the mountain of scrap. "But... what the hell is this?"
Echidna looked away, looking uncharacteristically sheepish. "Well... after you left for space, the Alliance attacked Orb. The technical team requested that we secure as many local machines as possible for 'research purposes.'"
The tech team, I thought, rubbing my temples. Our engineers were brilliant, and unlike Agilla at the Earth Cradle, they weren't sociopaths. But their intellectual curiosity was borderline pathological. Once they satisfied their itch to take something apart, they tended to lose interest immediately. This pile of Strike Daggers was the physical manifestation of "I'm bored now."
"…Lemon?" I said quietly.
"Oh, don't worry," Lemon replied, her voice sweet but carrying a terrifying, sub-zero pressure. "I'll be having a long, thorough talk with the tech department later. Very thorough."
"So, what do we do with them?" Cornelia asked. "We can't exactly leave a pile of stolen Alliance hardware sitting in front of the gate."
I sighed. Using them was out of the question; even the Megillots outperformed a Strike Dagger.
"Fine. For now..." I walked up to the pile, touching the nearest unit. Using my system's Spatial Warehouse, I began storing them one by one. I hope my inventory doesn't turn into a literal junkyard, I thought.
"Thank you, Captain," Echidna said, looking relieved to have the clutter gone.
"Everything's cleared out," Lemon said, her terrifying smile vanishing. "Shall we head back to the White Star?"
We triggered the gate and transitioned to the heart of the Shadow Mirror base.
"Even though I spent years in the Britannian Imperial Palace," Cornelia mused as we stepped out, "this place feels more like home than any of those halls ever did."
"That's because it's the home you share with Axel," Murrue said. "Look at Lemon—she's practically skipping."
"I don't think 'skipping' is the word I'd use for the look on her face," I muttered.
Lemon was already boarding an air-car with Echidna and a squad of "W" units, likely headed straight for the tech division to deliver a verbal (and possibly physical) thrashing. Cornelia, Murrue, and I hopped into another car to head back to our personal quarters.
That night, we held a small victory celebration at home. It was just the five of us: myself, Lemon, Cornelia, Murrue, and Echidna. I'd promised a bigger party for everyone once we were back, so this was more of a private "pre-game."
"To the victory of Shadow Mirror... Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Crystal glasses clinked. Mine was filled with Oolong tea, but the atmosphere was intoxicating enough. Murrue had gone all out on the dinner, and Lemon had even pitched in to help.
I didn't ask what happened to the tech team. Lemon just told me "not to worry about it," and I decided to pray for their souls in silence.
"I have to say," Cornelia said, swirling a glass of wine, "the Rapiecage is a masterpiece. It moves as if it's reading my mind."
"Of course it does," Lemon replied. "Underneath the armor, it's an Ashsaviour—the same base as Axel's Glowsaver. We just modified it using data from a very... troublesome... group called the ATX Team. That's why it has the name Rapiecage. It means 'Patchwork.'"
"Patchwork, huh?" Cornelia murmured.
"Want to change the name?" I asked.
"No. I like it," she said, her cheeks slightly flushed from the wine. "A machine from your world, piloted by a woman from another. In a way, I am a 'patch' on this reality myself. It's a fitting name."
Murrue smiled, leaning back. "As an engineer, I have to admit... the potential of those machines is on a completely different level than a Mobile Suit. It's a humbling reminder of the gap between our worlds."
"Well, the Rapiecage was originally built for a pilot named Ouka," Lemon noted. "Maybe one day I'll build a custom machine specifically for you, Cornelia."
"Ouka?" Cornelia asked. "Who is that?"
"Ouka Nagisa," Lemon explained. "One of the best pilots in our world. She couldn't come with us because she chose to stay with her family."
Cornelia glanced at me, then back to Lemon. "Was she... one of his, too?"
Lemon chuckled, noticing Cornelia's sharp gaze. "Ouka is living happily with Arado and Seolla now. Besides, first loves rarely work out. That's just the way the world turns."
"First love?" I asked, oblivious. "Who was Ouka in love with?"
"Oh, just someone she could never realistically be with," Lemon said, her eyes twinkling as she looked at me.
"That's a shame," I said, shaking my head. "A woman like Ouka could have any man she wanted. Whoever he is, he must be blind to have missed her."
"…You have no idea," Lemon whispered, hiding her grin behind her glass.
And so, the night passed—a quiet, warm evening of peace that we had fought so hard to earn.
Pilot Data: Axel Almer
Level: 38 | Kills: 374
Stats: Melee: 262 | Ranged: 282 | Skill: 272 | Defense: 272 | Evade: 302 | Hit: 322
Spirit Commands: Accel (4), Effort (8), Focus (16), Direct Hit (30), Zeal (32), Love (48)
Abilities: T-LINK System Lv.10, Attacker, Gunfight Lv.9, Infight Lv.9, Morale Limit Break, Geass (Grey), SP Boost.
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