Previous Chapter: Chapter 32: Counterfeit Concordant Cores Next Chapter: Chapter 34
Kai: Captain, we’ve moved Axel Almer to the brig.
Tetsuya: How is he handling it?
Kai: He’s surprisingly quiet about it. Though we fought against him many times in the past, he seems less dangerous than before.
Tetsuya: I see.
Kai: By the way, can we still not contact the moon or colonies?
Azuki: That’s right…
Kai: What’s the status on the moon’s surface?
Eita: 40 minutes ago, there were two explosions in the air over the Sea of Miwa…. Since then, we can’t confirm anything.
Kai: Hmm…. I don’t want to think that it’s over, but…
*Warnings*
Eita: Reading from the radar! High Energy body, from 1 o’clock, elevation 15, range 6! It’s headed for the moon! It’s a Battleship class unit… not in the database!
Tetsuya: Then it’s the Guests or the Ruina! Prepare to Intercept! All hands, Level one battle stations! Aim the main cannons forward!
Chapter 33: Bound by Viridian
Eita: Enemy mechs are in the way of our course! Their ship is trying to escape!
Tetsuya: We can’t let them reach the moon! Send out all units!
*deployment screen*
Kai: Erebus 1 to all units! Our main target is the enemy ship! Don’t let it escape the battlefield!
Chapter 33: Bound by Viridian
Victory: Defeat all enemies
Defeat: The Hagane is shot down, any of the Zelanio leave the map.
SR point: Destroy more than 20 enemies in 3 turns.
*Blow up a ship, warnings*
Eita: High energy reading moving at high speed! Approaching from 10 o’clock, elevation 20!
Tetsuya: Is it Guest reinforcements?
Eita: Yes! But there’s a unit we don’t have data on!
*Hey guys*
Seti: Well well well, I thought you were just a bit late, but it looks like you’ve reeled in quite the catch.
Latooni: That unit…. Judging by the shape and its movement, I’d guess it’s a high-speed assault unit.
Irm: Yeah, it looks like the unit the Inspector Agiha was using.
Rai: It doesn’t look mass produced, so it’s likely the person piloting it is a Commander.
Seti: We’ve got our mission to think about, so we can’t afford to lose time here. Well, I guess it’s the same for them.
*Woosh*
Arado: She’s fast!
*boom*
Eita: Aaaah!
Tetsuya: Defensive cannons! Don’t let her get close!
Kai: Any mechs close to the Hagane, get into defensive positions!
Azuki: Captain! The Vysaga is on the 5th deck launcher!
Tetsuya: Who’s piloting it?!
Axel: …I am.
Tetsuya: Axel Almer! Why are you…. What are you doing?!
Axel: I’m feeling a bit rusty from my time spent on the other side, you know?
Tetsuya: Are you trying to escape?!
Axel: I don’t plan to die in this coffin. Now hurry up and open the hatch.
Lamia: Captain Axel!
Tetsuya: Or do you want me to bust it open?
Tetsuya: Dammit…. Open the hatch!
*out he comes*
Seti: Oh, they’ve only got one unit for reinforcements?
Axel: ….I’ll keep Lamia’s basic settings… Semi-adjusting the DFS. Real-time arranging the motion data…. Contact.
Lamia: Captain, where are you going?!
Axel: I told you, I’m not dying in that coffin. And we can’t be held back here. Especially not until we know how to return the earth to normal.
Lamia: Then…!
Axel: You guys stop the enemy ships. I’ll take care of the newcomers.
*Power up!*
Kai: Axel, you…
Axel: I’m not taking orders from you. Let me do what I want.
Kai: (There’s no point stopping him in this situation.) Erebus 1 to all units. Keep the Vysaga’s IFF code as an ally.
Lamia: Roger. Captain Axel, the Vysaga is set to my preferences, but…
Axel: If it’s good enough for you, it’s good enough for me. And besides, this was originally a Shadow Mirror mech. There’s no problem.
Lamia: Understood. I’ll leave it to you.
Tetsuya: Leave the ship’s protection to the Vysaga! AAW Auto cannons, fire!
Seti: ...This is getting less fun by the second. I probably shouldn’t go at them alone.
*woosh*
Seti: You seem pretty confident. That’s not always a bad thing.
Axel: I may have worked together with your predecessors, but in the end, I can’t stand any of you guys![1]
Victory: Reduce the Beaudrifer to below 25000 HP.
*Axel versus Seti*
Seti: Do you really think anything will change by just having one more mech?
Axel: It’s a counter attack… or maybe I’m just bad at giving up. But this world doesn’t take kindly to uninvited guests!
*Blow up all the ships*
Seti: Ugh, in such a short time you’ve sunk all the Zelanios…. You’re better than I thought, Steel Dragons. It seems I can’t be holding back!
Defeat: The Hagane is shot down.
Seti: I-I’m struggling this much with them…. I guess it wasn’t a fluke that they were able to defeat Wendolo’s group. But we’re not like them!
*more warnings!*
Eita: A new reading! From 1 o’clock, Elevation 80! One unit, entering Range 3, headed this way! It’s a guest! A commander type!
Aya: Another commander unit…!
Rio: is it Rof?!
Irm: if it is, he’s looking to settle the score from last time. But there’s only one mech.
Seti: That Lige is…!
Rof: This battle is disadvantageous. Fall back, Seti.
Seti: Rof?! Is that you, Rof?!
Rof: …It is.
Seti: Th-then, the reinforcements headquarters sent…... that was you?!
Rof: …Yes.
Seti: Why didn’t you contact me…. No, why did you just disappear like that without saying anything?!
Rof: Th-that’s…
Axel: Huh? I can’t tell if he came here to help, or guard the retreat….
Seti: Back then, I was…
Rof: More importantly, it would be difficult to defeat them right now. I’ll secure a path for you. Get out of here.
Seti: I failed my mission… Commander Zezernan won’t listen to any excuses…
Rof: We can’t lose you, the head of invasion, here.
Seti: …That’s it? No other reasons…?
Rof: I…. I have personal reasons, too.
Seti: O-okay…. I understand. I’m falling back.
*woosh*
Eita: The enemy units have retreated! No traces of them on the radar.
Ryoto: That commander unit came to help the high-speed assault unit.
Axel: He helped them, but it was a reckless move.
Lamia: Captain, I don’t think you should be the one who is to be saying that.
Axel: …I see you’re still speaking in tongues, then. Ah, that takes me back…
Lamia: H-hey!
Kai: Captain, are we going to pursue?
Tetsuya: No, we still need to prepare before we reach the moon
Kai: Roger that.
Tetsuya: Stay on alert. Have all units return to the ship.
Azuki: Roger!
*Hagane’s Hangar*
Kai: Axel Almer….
Axel: Our goals were aligned, that’s all. I haven’t forgotten the past, and I’m not going to ask for your forgiveness. And I don’t owe you any favors. You were the ones who destroyed Shadow Mirror, after all.
Kai: …
Irm: Why didn’t you run when you had the chance?
Axel: If I could’ve run, I would’ve.
Irm: So you stayed because of compassion?
Axel: Nah, I figured I’d just watch you guys flounder around for a bit.
Irm: Hmmph, big talk.
Lamia: Captain Axel… Will you fight alongside us?
Axel: To get the Soulgain back, yeah. I don’t plan on joining your team or anything.
Kai: … You won’t be paid. And you won’t be allowed full access to the ship.
Axel: Do what you want. Once I get what I need, I’m out of here, anyway.
Irm: …Are you sure about this, Major Kai?
Kai: I want all the firepower I can get right now. I’ll talk to the Captain about it.
*Meanwhile, elsewhere*
Zezernan: You sure took your time getting here, Grofis Lacrein…[2]
Rof: I apologize, sir.
Zezernan: And you even failed to occupy Heaven’s Gate…
Zeb: Commander, the unnnnnknowns moved so quiiiiickly, it really cooooouldn’t be helped.
Zezernan: Even though, according to his report, he changed his teleport point to be able to fight the Steel Dragons?
Zeb: Noooo matter what, we had to stoooooop them, though.
Seti: And if Rof hadn’t have come, I would have…
Zezernan: Whatever. Chafrois, continue the assault on the moon. We need to control the Moon Cradle completely.
Seti: Yessir.
Zezernan: Lacrein, I’ll give you one more chance. You will take Heaven’s Gate with Forschwa. That is all.
Rof: Roger.
Zeb: …Commander, I thoooooought our reinforcements would suuuuuurely be ordinary soldiers, but then they send Rof? Aaaand, I hadn’t heaaaard that he was a mercenary before.
Zezernan: I don’t know why he became a mercenary. I was introduced to him by Goraikenel[3].
Zeb: (Goraikenel…. The arms trader that the Commander is all buddy-buddy with… So Mr. Rof is with thooooose guys, eh? And aaaaas for why he didn’t become a regular soldier….. Maaaaaybe it’s related to the Privy Council…)
Previous Chapter: Chapter 32: Counterfeit Concordant Cores Next Chapter: Chapter 34: Double Intercept
[1] Or something. I dunno. Incompatible fighters is the final result?
[2] SERIOUSLY WAT GUEST FUCKING NAMES MAN
[3] Hard to find Romaji for this name.