"This is the warehouse you requested, Axel," Kou Asuka said, gesturing to a structure on the far edge of Onogoro Island.
The area was isolated, surrounded by rolling hills of green. In the center sat a solitary building that looked like little more than a shed. I frowned.
"I asked for a large warehouse, Chief."
"Don't be fooled by the surface, Axel. This is just the entrance. Because Orb is an island nation, we maximize our space by building downward. Most of our storage is subterranean."
"I see. That makes sense."
"Follow me."
Kou led me to the building. As a Morgenroete facility, the entrance was secured with an ID scanner. Kou swiped his card, and the locks disengaged with a heavy thud.
"Oh, before I forget—take this," Kou said, handing me a silver card. "It's a guest ID with full clearance for this facility. Please don't lose it."
"Much appreciated."
We entered the building and immediately stepped into a massive freight elevator. As we descended for several minutes, the doors finally slid open to reveal a cavernous void. The space was colossal—large enough to house several Archangel-class warships with room to spare. At the far end, I could see massive blast doors that presumably led directly out to the sea.
"Impressive," I noted. "This is exactly what I needed."
"Glad to hear it. This was slated to become a Mobile Suit hangar, but since the M1 Astray has only just entered mass production, our existing facilities are more than enough. You have the run of the place. Feel free to use the electric carts parked over there. I'll take my leave now."
"Thanks, Kou. Give my regards to Representative Uzumi."
"Will do. Good luck with... whatever it is you're doing."
Once the elevator took him back to the surface, I didn't immediately get to work. I deployed my slime to scan every inch of the cavern for hidden cameras or listening devices. I trusted Uzumi, but in the world of politics, there was always someone looking to jump the chain of command or spy on the "prophet."
Ten minutes later, the scan came back clean.
"Alright. Let's set up the Gate."
I drove an electric cart to the approximate center of the hangar. With a thought, I opened my Dimensional Storage and selected the container holding the Gate System—a mass-produced variant of the System XN.
In a shimmer of light, a large metal crate appeared beside me. I activated the deployment sequence. The container's roof slid back, and the four side walls unfolded flat against the concrete floor like a disassembled die. In the center sat a five-meter-tall mass of machinery—dense, complex, and humming with dormant power.
This was the Gate. Unlike the refined Lycaon system, this was a rugged, industrial version of the XN technology originally designed for tactical troop warping.
I approached the control console. The touch panel flickered to life, showing a single option: [INITIALIZE GATE SYSTEM].
I tapped the screen.
An instantaneous, blinding flash of white light filled the entire hangar.
"Dammit... a flashbang?!"
I staggered back, shielding my eyes. It wasn't a weapon, but the sheer energy required to anchor this point in space to the White Star had a violent side effect. As the spots cleared from my vision, the monitor updated: [GATE SYSTEM: STABLE. CONNECTION ESTABLISHED.]
I hit the communication icon. The window opened, but the other side was empty—just a view of the Lycaon's silent control chamber back at the White Star. Then, I heard the sound of frantic footsteps. A man's face popped into the frame—a technician from Lemon's team.
"Captain Axel?!"
"It's me. Is Lemon there?"
"Y-yes! I'll get her immediately! Please hold!"
He vanished. I waited, reflecting on how even the techs now referred to Lemon with such reverence. Ten minutes later, the screen split to reveal Lemon Browning and Cornelia.
"Well, Axel," Lemon said with a playful smirk. "That was fast. You made better time than when you connected to Cornelia's world."
"Fast?" I blinked. "Lemon, I've been in this world for four months."
Lemon chuckled, leaning back in her chair. "Dimension-link time dilation is a funny thing. For us, it's only been one day. You left yesterday."
Cornelia nodded, her expression softening into a smile. "Indeed. To me, it feels like I saw you only hours ago. To think you have lived through four months in that span..."
"One day..." I muttered. "That's a hell of a discrepancy."
"So," Lemon asked, her eyes sharp. "The Gate is fixed. Are you coming home, or is there a reason you've anchored a warehouse in a different universe?"
I took a deep breath and laid out my plan. I explained the situation with the Orb Union—a neutral, technologically advanced nation on the verge of being crushed by the Atlantic Federation. I proposed a formal alliance: Shadow Mirror would intervene in the coming war, ensuring Orb's survival and victory. In exchange, Orb would become our primary sovereign ally and resource hub in this dimension. I briefed them on Coordinators, Naturals, and the fanaticism of Blue Cosmos.
"I have no objections," Lemon said thoughtfully. "The technical staff could use a change of scenery, and while our 'Kibbutz' facility handles our raw materials, access to entirely new branches of technology is vital for our scientists."
"I agree," Cornelia added. "Securing a stable supply line and a terrestrial base is sound strategy. But Axel... how do you know this war is coming?"
"Did you forget my 'specialty,' Cornelia?" I teased.
She smiled, nodding. "Of course. Your ability to see the 'flow of history.' I suppose it applies to this world as well."
Lemon, who knew the truth about my "meta-knowledge," just winked at the camera. "Very well. But you should know, the bulk of the forces we can send immediately will be Megilots."
"A single Megilot can go toe-to-toe with a mass-produced Gespenst Mk-II," I said. "In this world, they'll be monsters. How many can you spare?"
"Our three production lines have been running at full capacity," Lemon said casually. "I can give you five hundred units without breaking a sweat. If you need more, I can push for a thousand."
I nearly choked. "Five hundred?! Lemon, five hundred Megilots could probably take on ZAFT and the Alliance combined. That's more than enough. I'll be leading the charge in the Ashsaviour anyway."
"Then you don't even need the drones," she laughed. "But fine, we'll show them what 'quantity and quality' looks like. You say the war starts in a month?"
"Roughly."
"Plenty of time. Now... Cornelia?"
Cornelia stepped closer to the screen, her eyes narrowing with a terrifying sort of intuition.
"Axel," she said, her voice dropping an octave. "You said you've been there for four months?"
"Uh... yeah?"
"You found a new woman, didn't you?"
The silence that followed was deafening. "I... uh..."
"Oh, look at that," Lemon sang, her smile becoming dangerously sharp. "He didn't even try to deny it. Our Axel fell for another one, didn't he?"
"I... it's complicated. I can explain—"
"You certainly can," Cornelia interrupted. "By coming back to the White Star. Right now."
I knew better than to argue. I tapped the controls on the Gate. A translocation field enveloped me, and in the blink of an eye, the warehouse on Onogoro vanished, replaced by the sterile, high-tech interior of the White Star's teleportation bay.
Standing right in front of me were Lemon and Cornelia. They both wore beautiful smiles, but the aura radiating from them was pure, unadulterated pressure.
"Welcome home, Axel," Lemon said. "I knew you were a natural-born womanizer, but finding a new lover in just one day of our time? That's a new record."
"It took me over six months to win him over," Cornelia added, crossing her arms. "And yet this new one did it in four? I'm quite curious to meet her."
"I'm telling her the truth about my identity tomorrow," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "She'll probably be coming through the Gate. Please... go easy on her. And me."
"Go easy?" Lemon's smile widened. "On you? Or her?"
"Both, if possible."
"Request denied," they said in perfect unison.
Despite the 'interrogation,' the two of them seemed to be getting along better than ever. It was a terrifying development.
"Let's not do this in the hangar," Lemon said, taking my arm. "Let's head to Cornelia's quarters. We can talk in private."
"Yes," Cornelia agreed, taking my other arm. "No one will hear you scream there."
Hours later, the tension had finally dissipated into a warm, familiar comfort. We were finishing dinner in Cornelia's room.
"Lemon," I asked, "how does the time synchronization work? The clocks here and on Orb are matched perfectly now."
"The Gate handles it during the anchoring process," she explained, sipping her wine. "It synchronizes the local 24-hour cycle of the destination with the White Star's internal clock. That flash of light you saw was the system adjusting the temporal frequency of the two points. From now on, time will pass at the same rate in both worlds."
As the technical talk died down, the three of us moved to the bedroom. Lemon and Cornelia had both been drinking; I stuck to a non-alcoholic beverage, knowing I needed a clear head for what was coming next.
The teasing stopped, replaced by genuine affection.
"Axel," Lemon whispered, leaning against my chest. "Despite everything... I'm just glad you're back safe."
"I was worried," Cornelia admitted, her voice trembling slightly. "Seeing you vanish into another world... I hated not being able to reach you. Welcome home, Axel."
She pulled me into a kiss, and a moment later, Lemon did the same, her embrace possessive and fierce. Surrounded by the two women I loved, the weight of the SEED world's war felt a million miles away.
[Status Screen Update]
Name: Axel Almar
Level: 36 | PP: 165
Stats:
Melee: 254 | Ranged: 274 | Skill: 264 | Defense: 264 | Evade: 294 | Hit: 314
SP: 446
Spirit Commands:
Accelerate (4 SP)
Effort (8 SP)
Focus (16 SP)
Direct Hit (30 SP)
Awaken (32 SP)
Love (48 SP)
Skills: EXP Up, SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9 / SP Regen / Concentration), Telekinesis Lv.10, Attacker, Gunfight Lv.9, Infight Lv.9, Morale Limit Break, Geass (Grey)
Total Kills: 288
-------------------------------
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