We are back once again with yet another image provided by our editor. This time the adorable twins Asuna and Asada! Check out the link below to see the girls on a day off. Don't forget to replace the [] with dot and com!

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Alpha is accustomed to summons from Papa. In fact, they occur so frequently that hardly a week can go by before the poster child is called before him. Today was different, however. In the month since the Third Garden had fallen to the rebels, Papa had been quieter than usual. This is actually Alpha's first trip to the orbital station after the incident. Because of this fact, the lead Nine finds himself a bit on edge as he makes his way through Cosmos.

Alpha's unease is not shared by his party. Zeta walks beside him on the left as silent as the day he had met her. Her mask hides any facial expression she might have, but the usual attentiveness in her demeanor says she isn't concerned. Likewise Delta, who is on his right, is unbridled by her squad leader's mood. Her partner Epsilon had never been once to show emotion about anything, regardless of the situation. This left Alpha the sole nervous soul.

The group of four finally reach their destination, a large briefing room, after a short walk from the hangar. With Epsilon and Delta making small talk between themselves, the party steps through the automatic door and into the lavish space. Inside, they find something that floors them.

Seated at the table is a group of three parasites. It wasn't unheard of for parasites to be included in an operation with the Nines, but to allow them an audience with Papa and the Council of Sages would be simply unprecedented. Further inspection reveals that these parasites are not your run-of-the-mill variant. Each wears a sharp-looking uniform that could be mistaken for the ones worn by Nines.

Alpha stares intently at these imposters. As a matter of fact, the uniforms are the same, the exact same as the one he currently wears. From the epaulets to the medals and dress boots. There's even a patch denoting on their shoulders, one reserved only for the Nines.

The mood in the room immediately becomes tense. The three that had been seated at the table, a male and two females, fall silent. The girl in the middle, differentiated by her blue hair and unnecessarily large bust, studies them. After several seconds of appraisal she asks, "Who are you?"

Alpha scoffs at the gall of this imposter. "Who are we? Who are you, crashing our meeting with Papa and wearing our uniform? I shall see to it personally that you are punished accordingly for this transgression."

The blue-haired girl shoots to her feet and her chair tips over with a loud bang. Her voice sounds like the scratching of a chalkboard as she speaks. "Are you threatening me?" she grates, and the smile she offers is unnerving. "Because if you are, Papa will surely overlook my executing you."

"You know, Psi," the boy sitting beside her places his hand on her shoulder. He attempts to return her to the chair the second girl had righted. "Papa will be disappointed if we create a mess." At the same time, Zeta places herself between Alpha and the girl, bending at the knees and adopting a fighting stance.

"It would be a shame to have to paint the walls of this room with your blood," Delta returns the menacing smile of the taller girl with her own. "However, I can make an exception this once if you fall to your knees and beg for mercy."

"Delta," her partner chides her. The boy looks ready to continue his attempt in de-escalating the situation when Alpha speaks again. "You have exactly seven seconds to tell me who you are or we will have no choice but to treat you as hostile."

"You threaten me, then say we are hostile?!" the still-standing girl shrieks. The eyes of the shorter one beside her narrow. "Try," she grunts, ceasing her attempt to restrain this "Psi."

The tension in the room becomes so thick it could be cut with a knife before the door opens and a figure of short stature enters. "Good grief," Doctor Franxx says with a sigh. "You all look ready to kill each other."

"Doctor," Psi hisses. "Who are these weaklings?" "They are none other than your comrades," the scientist answers. "Now sit down, all of you."

"Doctor–" Alpha begins in protest, but the old man holds up his hand to stop him. He then points down. Those who were standing are seated.

Doctor Franxx makes his way from the back of the room to the front, his cane clicking against the steel floor. "Well, I suppose that a cordial greeting is out of the question now," he says, leaning against the wooden implement. "So, I shall make this simple. Alpha, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, meet Sigma, Tau, and Psi."

There is a collective gasp. Realization dons on both warring parties and their stares are renewed.

"Doctor," Alpha can hardly contain his disbelief as he speaks, "you mean that these are not imposters, but Nines?" Psi throws him a glare. "Watch who you call an imposter, whelp," she hisses.

The doctor smacks his cane on the tabletop. "Psi, you will dispense with this personality immediately. I expect you to act with a conduct befitting of your reputation." The irony of the statement is not lost on Franxx considering his own fear of Psi, but to ensure that this meeting doesn't devolve into a bloodbath it was necessary for him to remain in control.

Psi's gaze falls to her lap. A moment later when she looks up, there is a completely different feel to her. In a much smoother voice than before she says, "Yes, doctor. I apologize for my behavior and that of my subordinates."

The first class of Nines remain on edge at this sudden shift in demeanor. Something is clearly off about this girl, but they've yet to figure out what. A tapping sound draws their attention in the silence. The shorter of the two female "Nines" the doctor has introduced taps anxiously on the table with her right hand.

It is only then that Alpha realizes the room's attention is fixed upon him. "Erm," Alpha adjusts his tie, "we would also like to extend our apologies for our less than courteous behavior." Doctor Franxx nods, satisfied with the response.

Alpha raises his hand. "Before you begin, doctor, could you explain why our brethren's existence was kept from us?"

"There are many things you do not know," is the scientist's answer. "Your duty is to fight the Klaxosaurs... and now the rebels, as fate would have it. Anything outside that realm is extraneous information, white noise."

"But surely knowing that there were others would have been beneficial," Alpha presses further. "We could have trained together to face these threats."

"You will act independently of one another," the man announces as a projection of Japan appears behind him. "The first class will be responsible for search in the northern half of the island. The second class shall comb the south. If either of you are to find the rebel base, it will be your responsibility to gather intelligence and report back to APE HQ with its location. A combined assault will then be planned to root them out."

"We stand ready to eliminate the rebel scum," Psi states. Not to be outdone by his apparent junior, Alpha also speaks up. "The Nines will gladly accept this mission from Papa. We shall find these vermin and crush them under our heels, starting with the Garden they've captured."

"You're all Nines," Franxx huffs. "And if you continue to squabble like children, the rebels will gain traction while you do."

"You know, doctor, we are fully committed to working with our counterparts," Sigma offers. "You know, I am actually looking forward to seeing our predecessors in action. You know, we can all learn from past mishaps, be they ours or those of another."

Delta slams her hands against the table. "I refuse to be insulted by inferior imitations who know nothing of our glorious past!" She faces the doctor. "How can these defective weaklings be called Nines? They can't even speak properly. And what about her," Delta points to Psi. "Is her partner so incomplete that he must be kept in a cage?"

Doctor Franxx is unable to stop Delta's rampage in time as she utters those words. He is nearly ready to hide in the corner and pray Psi gains control after ripping out Delta's throat when something else happens. The girl lets out a soft cry and buries her head in her hands. "Please don't, don't insult my Omega like that. Not after he's been taken away from me. He was e-everything I had."

The mint-haired Nine appears taken aback by the effect her words have. Clearly, she intended to fire Psi up, not reduce her to a crying mess. As a result, she stands there awestruck as the other second class Nines tend to their squad leader.

"Nine Omega is dead," Doctor Franxx explains. His revelation is followed by a louder sob as Psi accepts Sigma's shoulder. Delta quietly sits back down.

"Doctor," Epsilon whispers loud enough that only the scientist and his companions can hear. "What happened to them?" The man sighs. "They had a rough start and it has left them scarred as they are now. Omega was lost during a training exercise, and Psi hasn't yet recovered."

The silence allows the first class of Nines a moment to reflect. Alpha had never considered the notion of losing Zeta. She never spoke in anything but grunts and was overbearingly protective at times. Yet, somehow the idea of her not being around any longer made him somewhat uneasy. They had been partners from the beginning, and he had always assumed they would be partners until the end. But if what Doctor Franxx is saying is true, that paints things in a different light. A Nine had been lost, and not in combat but in training. Maybe they weren't invincible.

It's time to bury the hatchet, he tells himself.

"Psi."

The blue-haired girl convulses, letting out another whine. She does turn to look at him, however. "Go ahead," she whispers. "Tell me that I'm weak for losing my partner. Say I'm a disgrace to the Nines for acting this way over him."

"On behalf of the first class," Alpha continues, "I would like to offer our condolences. Should a rivalry exist between our squads, I hope it is friendly."

Psi pauses before she nods and finishes drying her tears.

Doctor Franxx clicks his cane. "Now that that's settled, we can continue with the briefing." Portions of the map are highlighted. "First we will discuss possible locations of the rebel base, as well as critical locations that must remain in APE hands…"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A week after meeting the twins, you are lying in bed sound asleep until a tugging at your arm causes you to stir. At first, you swat away the nuisance and hope it will go away so you can return to sleep. However, it returns a moment later. With a groan, you rub your eyes and sit up in bed.

The source of your awakening stands beside the bed, clutching to the hem of her blue nightgown. She opens her mouth to speak, but as far as you can tell says nothing. Perhaps due to your groggy state, you were unable to hear Asada's words.

The moon is still visible in the night sky and has yet to begin its trip down, giving you a rough estimate of the time. You swing your legs off the bed, bringing you face to face with the child. "Asada, what is it?"

"I h-a bream," she mumbles, still focusing intently on her feet. "What's that?" you ask. "I ad drm," is all you can make out of her reply.

You take one of her hands and she stands stiff. "I can tell something is bothering you, Asada, but I can't help if you don't tell me what it is."

Asada looks up. "I had a bad dream," she whispers. You exhale, relieved it wasn't something truly worrisome. "Do you want to tell me about it?" you ask. She shakes her little silver head.

"Okay," you say, trying to come up with a solution. What is it Ichigo does that makes them calm down? She read them a story before going to bed, so maybe that'll work. "Would it make you feel better if I read you a book?"

"I don't know," she answers dejectedly.

"Alright, no book," you repeat, pursing your lips. "What about some warm milk? It is supposed to help you fall back asleep."

Asada's eyes bulge and she grips your hand tightly. "I don't wanna go to sleep. The dream will come back."

Quickly running out of ideas, you offer another. "How about we go for a walk, then?" It's shot down immediately by the young girl. "But it's cold."

Having now exhausted all possibilities, you suggest the only thing left. "Do you want to sleep with me and Ichigo?" Asada considers the idea for a moment. "Can we sit in the chair?" she asks.

At first, you aren't sure what chair she is referring to. However, when Asada points through the wall separating your room from the one she shares with her sister, it makes sense. You nod, standing in the process.

"Upsy daisy," you say and hoist Asada from the floor, carrying her into the adjacent room. By the sliding glass door leading to the balcony is a wooden rocking chair Ichigo had brought in. It takes a moment for the two of you to become comfortable once seated, with the chair obviously having been designed for one, but together you manage.

Asada lays her head against your chest and stares out at the moon. You hesitantly wrap your arms around her midsection, knowing that touch often upset her. The silver-haired girl doesn't flinch as you'd expected, and for a change seems to welcome the contact.

Five minutes pass before either of you speak. "You aren't going to let them take us back, are you?" the girl's tiny voice asks. "Is that what your dream was about?" you reply. Asada nods.

You wipe a strand of hair out of Asada's eyes and say, "I promise that they will never take you away from me. You and your sister are going to live the rest of your lives here, with Ichigo and I." The tension her face lessens.

Asada looks like she so desperately wants to believe you, but something holds her back. "Do you really mean it?"

"Yeah," you whisper. "I mean it. You're mine now. I won't let anything happen to you." "Thank you," Asada meekly replies as her eyes begin to flutter. "I'm sleepy," she yawns.

"Let's count stars then," you tell her. You point into the night sky. "That's Polaris, the North Star, one." Asada follows along as you continue through the stars and constellations of the Milky Way. Finally, after finishing the Gemini cluster, you realize from the soft rise of fall of her chest that Asada has fallen asleep.

You are about to get up from the chair when a floorboard creaking draws your attention. Standing in the doorway to your room, wearing her own nightgown and a proud smile, is Ichigo. She tip-toes over to you and seats herself on the footrest in front of the rocking chair.

"What are you doing up?" you whisper. "The bed got cold because you left the covers down," Ichigo quietly replies. "Shit," you whisper. "Ah, language!" Ichigo hisses.

You give her an awkward smile. "Sorry, force of habit. I didn't want to wake you. Why don't you go back to bed? I've got things under control here."

"I will in a minute," Ichigo says. "I just want to drink in this moment for a little longer. I never thought she'd come to you for a bad dream."

You stifle a chuckle. "Me either." "What was it about?" your partner asks. "She didn't really give me any details," you admit. "She just asked if we would let APE take her back." The fear in Ichigo's expression is unmistakable. "You don't need to worry," you say to calm her. "I promised that her and Asuna were safe here and that we'd never let anything happen to them."

"That was the right answer," Ichigo agrees, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "You know," she muses, "seeing the two of you like this only makes me love you more. You didn't ask for the girls, but I said I wanted to take care of them and you never hesitated. Now here you are, up in the dead of night because Asada was scared. I really am the luckiest girl in the world."

"Go back to bed, love," you say as Ichigo yawns. "Alright," she acquiesces. Ichigo leans over to give you a kiss before slinking back to the door. She takes one last look at you and Asada in the rocking chair before gently pulling it closed.

You shift your weight in the chair to make yourself comfortable, and the girl sleeping in your arms does the same. Looking at Asada sleeping so peacefully, it's hard to imagine that she had a bad dream only an hour ago.

Your gaze wanders to the golden blonde Asuna sprawled out on her bed. The girl takes up the whole thing despite being small, sleeping at a strange 45-degree angle with her head just an inch or so from the edge of the bed. She too looks completely at ease.

I promise, whatever they did to you, it will never happen again. You're my responsibility now. I'll protect you like I protect Ichigo.

You run your hand through Asada's hair. She may dislike it when you touch her while she's awake, but her sleeping form doesn't seem bothered. It has the same color and texture as silk.

"Sleep well, my little angel."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The following morning, you awake to the sound of birds chirping and the gentle rays of the sun beaming down on you through the windows. Your neck feels on the stiffer side as a result of sleeping in the rocking chair, but it's worth it. The bundle of silver that is Asada still sleeps soundly against your chest and shows no sign of stirring. The young girl looks completely at peace and it would be a crime to disturb her.

Based on the sun just peeking up over the horizon, you can assume it is nearly 0600. You and your partner both typically awaken then, but Ichigo has been allowing the twins to sleep for another hour at least as she gets herself ready for the day. In fact, you hear the rustling of the covers in the other room and the creak of the mattress as Ichigo gets out of bed.

A moment later she appears in the doorway. It's amazing how something so simple that you've seen so many times can still manage to take your breath away, but Ichigo does. You take all of her in: the frilly pink nightgown, her messy hair, and the way she closes one eye to yawn and stretch in the same motion. She'd be terrified if anyone but you saw her in this state, but it could be your favorite view of all.

"Good morning," Ichigo murmurs. "Morning, love," you reply. Your partner steps into the girls' room and surveys. "Both still asleep," you inform her. "Go take your shower, I've got this." "Don't you need to get ready to be the commander?" she asks.

You crack a smile. "The 'commander' can be late every now and then." You then shift your attention to Asada. "If I move, she might wake up, and I'm not willing to take that chance."

Ichigo smiles brightly. "I'll take my shower then go get you something to eat." She pauses. "You don't have to worry, I'll have someone else make it." "I enjoy your cooking and will reiterate that until you decide to believe me," is your response.

With a roll of her eyes, Ichigo steps back through the door. "You ate a blackened chicken for me once. I won't make you do it again." The young woman is already gone, so she misses your reply. Although, it surely would please her. "I'd eat it everyone night if you made it."

Some forty minutes later, Ichigo returns with a plate of toast, bacon, and a cup of tea. She has also brought a cup of coffee for herself, though calling it coffee is generous considering the amount of cream and sugar she adds. Sitting the tray on the small table beside the rocking chair, she seats herself on the footrest and blows on her coffee.

You nod in appreciation and take a piece of bacon. "Did you eat while you were in the kitchen?" Ichigo finishes a sip. "I did, everything here is for you."

The two of you sit in silence as you eat. It's a bit tricky to consume the toast without getting copious amounts of crumbs in Asada's hair, but you somehow manage. Ichigo departs shortly after, taking the empty tray with her and leaving you with a kiss on the cheek.

Asada begins to stir as the sun reaches approximately 0730. At first, she twitches in your arms and you struggle to keep hold of the wiggling child. Then she groggily opens her eyes to find you staring down at her. A deep blush sets into the girl's face as she comes to the realization of where she's spent the night.

"T-Thank you," she whispers, avoiding eye contact. You plant a kiss on her forehead and her cheeks redden further. "You're welcome. If you ever have another bad dream, come get me." "Wasn't I bothering you?" the silver-haired girl asks. "I woke you up and made you take care of me."

"Never worry about bothering me, taking care of you is what I do," you answer. Asada's eyes glow with happiness and she wraps her arms around you as best she can. "I love you."

Asada's sudden admission surprises you. Not only were you unaware she knew the phrase, but you also didn't know that was how she felt. To say it makes you happy would be an understatement: it makes you want to squeeze her and her sister tightly and never let go.

You run your hand through her silken hair. "I love you too." Asada releases you and looks up, giving you the opportunity to ask, "Where did you learn what that meant?" "Ichigo always says it when you do nice things for her. And I heard Mister Zorome say it to Miss Miku. He was really red when he said it."

You chuckle at Asada's unintentional gossip. "I think it's time for you to get up, don't you?"

Asada nods and slips out of your arms. She walks over to Asuna, who is still managing to occupy her entire bed. "Sister," she pokes her. "Sister, it is time to get up." Asuna rolls over to face the opposite direction of the nuisance.

The seven-year-old looks at you. You shrug and lift yourself from the chair to stand beside the wakened twin. "What should we do?" Asada inquires. "I don't know," you admit. "What do you think?"

Asada climbs onto the bed. "We should tickle her." Amazed by the suggestion for the more passive of the twins, you allow Asada to take the lead. She begins the assault on her sister's exposed side.

Almost immediately Asuna reacts, rolling farther away. She is met by you on the far end of the bed, where the skin on her abdomen becomes the prime target. Not to be left out, Asada follows her now trapped sister and renews the assault.

Pretend to be asleep and suffer the consequences.

This ends with Asuna laughing and kicking while the two of you tickle her. Eventually the fun dies out and you allow the blonde to sit up. "That was fun!" she pronounces. "That's good," you tell her. "But playtime is over, bath now."

"Aww," she moans. "Asuna," her sister chides and attempts to pull her from the bed. "I don't want a bath," Asuna continues her bellyaching. "We took one yesterday." "You have to take them every day," you remind her. "Now hop to it or I'll dump you in, clothes and all."

The threat is enough to motivate the girl and she quickly follows her sister to the bath. You take a quick shower as the girls dress, then throw on your uniform. Inside of thirty minutes after waking you have both girls dressed and ready for the day, a feat you are quite proud of.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That afternoon you find yourself sitting through yet another weekly meeting of the council. Gathered in the war room around the large central holotable, everyone gives brief reports to update the council as a whole as to their progress. The current speaker is Mitsuru, who is explaining the expansions made to the base and Haven's infrastructure.

"As of yesterday, work on the secondary cavern we hope to use for a docking bay is underway," he says as Freya manipulates the holotable to show the desired segment of the base. "It will still be necessary for the FranXX to be fueled in the main docking bay for the time being, but once it's finished we should be able to at least store them down there between sorties."

The image shifts to Haven. "We've also gotten several more houses converted into dorms for our parasites, and the old hospital is now 100% online. No more settling for the infirmary located in the base anymore."

"That's excellent," you commend him. "You and your team are making tremendous progress." "It isn't enough," Zero Two disagrees. "If we don't build more FranXX then we can't win. Not against APE."

Kana's projection nods. "She's not wrong." Kana is currently overseeing the Third Garden's fortification along with Kyo, so she is remotely attending the meeting. "We've got more than enough parasites but not enough units to fight back with. There are teams on standby here at the Garden waiting for FranXX that haven't even been built yet. Training units won't protect this place if APE launches an assault."

"The Stampede Division is nearly ready," Ichigo offers, attempting to provide a solution. "The first class graduates in a few days, and after that we can begin training them in greater numbers."

Hachi cups his chin. "Unfortunately, three units isn't enough. Especially when two of them are imprinted on you. We would need to vastly increase the scale of both the training and recruiting pools to make something of it."

"As I understand it," Ikuno inserts, "there is a large group of girls from the Maternal Ward that aren't currently with child. Why not offer them the chance to join? Because Ichigo figured out how to train the Stampedes in a way that they can't hurt themselves or others while they gain control, so their compatibility shouldn't be an issue anymore."

The table looks to Ichigo as the leading expert on the topic. "In theory, any pistil can do it. Some just take longer than others to learn to control the FranXX. We're actually struggling to find handlers at the moment. Stamen don't seem to want to be responsible for more than one pistil at a time."

"Yeah," Zorome agrees with a poorly timed joke. "I wouldn't want to have two girls to deal with. Miku's high-maintenance enough by herself." Miku scoffs and slaps the back of his head. Zorome sheepishly rubs it but nothing further comes of the incident.

From the head of the table, Hiro adds himself to the conversation. "Hopefully the handler situation will sort itself out in a few days. Once Argentum and Aurum are ready we can stage a mock battle to show how well they respond to commands and the ease of which they can be controlled."

He turns to you to validate his claim. "They can be easily controlled, right?" You give a deft nod. "Asuna and Asada are responsive to everything Ichigo or I say when they are in Stampede," you reply. "I think showing them off would be a good way to build confidence in the idea."

"Make sure everyone gets to see the girls," Miku points her finger at you. You cock your brow. "If everyone sees how cute those two are they might think that they'll get one of their own," she explains. "I mean, every time I see Asuna or Asada I just want to squeeze them. They're totally adorable."

Miku makes a very good point that you hadn't considered. Asuna and Asada do make the perfect poster girls for the Stampede Division. They're both smart, well behaved, and pretty. Not to mention tough.

"Shall I put that on next week's agenda?" Freya asks. "Thursday at two o'clock seems to be free on the majority of your schedules." There is a general murmur of acquiescence and the AI nods.

Nana studies the live map on the far wall that stretches from floor to ceiling. "As much as I hate to send you kids into danger, there might be a way to solve our problem. Freya, pull up coordinates 35 degrees, 28 minutes north by 135 degrees, 23 minutes east."

The holodisplay shifts from the map of Haven to Nana's desired coordinates. It is a mountainous region near the sea. The wreckage of a city lies approximately fifteen miles to the south-east. The only object of interest is an APE production facility, one specifically for FranXX.

"Looks like we'll get to put those new outposts to good use," you say to no one in particular.

The outposts in question are simple staging areas built in the shambles of the old world. Keeping all the rebel forces in Haven or stationed at the Third Garden would push the facilities to capacity and limit the production of further units. The outposts solved this problem by spreading out the military and making it harder to find as a result. The ability to cast a wider net for operations also allotted a new level of tactical planning that was sure to catch APE off guard.

Zero Two licks her lips. "Good, I was getting bored of sitting around. Time for some fun."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Three days later, Delphinium observes the factory's defenses. The industrial park is massive in scope, easily covering several square miles. The space is left open without a perimeter wall as a result, making the defenders the only real concern. Its location in the valley between two massive hills provides you with a tactical advantage, in addition to affording a good view of the process.

The manufacturing of the war machines appears to follow the same pattern as you'd seen at Dr. Franxx's personal facility. Everything is compartmentalized. One building produces the weapons, another the heads of the units, and so forth. What doesn't add up however are several of the skeletal outlines making up the facility's work in progress. In addition to the standard units torsos, much bulkier ones litter the complex in addition to others that make the proto-FranXX found in Haven appear well-armored.

"They're up to something," you murmur. "Yeah, I don't like it," Ichigo finishes your thought. "Seeing the number of guards, I'm glad we didn't bring the girls along. They aren't ready for a fight this big."

You sigh before activating the comm. "All teams this is Cerulean lead, how copy?"

There is a brief pause. "Crimson lead, we're ready to go," Hiro answers.

A second voice, this one feminine reports, "Coral here, how much longer we going to sit around?" Miku's boredom causes you to smile.

"Cotton artillery squad is awaiting orders, commander," Sylvestris's steely reply answers for the fourth and final team.

For this mission each squad was fielding ten FranXX, split into two fireteams. By having members of Squad 13 and Kana's Cobalt squad lead the operation, you not only had distributed command to those you trusted but had intermingled those with less experience alongside veterans.

"Let's get to it then," you say to yourself and Ichigo. "All squads, commence operation."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A short while later, the recovery efforts begin. The rebel force suffered minimal casualties during the operation, with the only serious complication being the loss of a unit's hand. Resources are being carted away as fast as the trucks can carry them to the outpost in the ruins of Kyoto. You have at most an hour before APE realizes something is wrong, based on their newest detection protocols. Freya had locked down the plant's network and isolated them from APE before the assault had even begun, and was even actively masking your presence from satellite imaging and all other modes of detection. But a failure to report from the base's commander, delivered in his own voice, would be the dead giveaway.

As you observe the scene there is a cry of pain in the comm. A warning flashes in your HUD, saying that Cerulean 5 has sustained an injury. "What's going on?" you demand.

There is only silence. Then the unit flatlines. What the hell? We swept the whole area!

"Everyone, we're under attack… battle stations!" you shout.

Amidst the chaos of a battle soon to be made, an unfamiliar voice comes over the comm. It is soft and scared, as if the owner is uncertain of what they've heard and are pleading for it to be true.

"O-Omega?"