As the Machines descended toward the ocean's surface, Axel made a decision—he wouldn't follow the script. He wouldn't integrate with Gargantia, nor would he align himself with Kugel's eventual conquest. He had another goal: survival and escape.
Axel switched his Machine Caliber to stealth mode, silencing all active transmissions. While Ledo and Kugel focused on assessing the civilization below, Axel veered off-course, using the cover of low-hanging clouds to disappear from their radar. His AI assistant, CHM-002, beeped in confusion.
"Ensign Axel Leo, deviation detected. Orders?"
"Switch to autonomous exploration mode. Begin scanning for submerged wreckage, old technology, anything I can use."
The AI complied, launching a passive sonar scan beneath the waves. Axel knew that Earth's oceans held remnants of a long-lost advanced civilization. If he could recover enough materials, he could build something capable of taking him back to space—or at least securing his independence in this world.
His Machine Caliber descended beneath the waves, pressure sensors adjusting accordingly. Darkness surrounded him, but his display illuminated a massive graveyard of ancient vessels.
Axel grinned. Jackpot.
He moved cautiously, using mechanical arms to sift through the wreckage. Among the debris, he spotted shattered spacefaring hulls, rusted drones, and broken energy cores. He documented everything, marking points of interest for future retrieval.
Then, something unusual caught his eye—a cylindrical device, still faintly glowing. CHM-002 identified it immediately.
"Analysis: High-energy storage core. Origin: Pre-cataclysmic human civilization."
Axel's heart pounded. This was it. The first step toward his goal.
He secured the device and began collecting smaller functional components. He had neither the resources nor the tools to construct a spaceship immediately, but this was a start. Over time, he would gather everything he needed.
As he resurfaced, he activated an emergency protocol within his AI, creating a false distress signal that mimicked an error in his Machine Caliber. If Ledo or Kugel searched for him, they'd assume he malfunctioned and sank, possibly lost forever.
For now, he was a ghost.
Finding a network of underwater caves with air pockets, Axel maneuvered his Machine Caliber into a concealed cavern system beneath the ocean. The caves provided a hidden sanctuary, shielding him from detection while offering a stable environment to store and analyze his findings.
Days turned into weeks as he scavenged tirelessly, collecting and analyzing lost technologies. He developed makeshift tools, rewired dormant power cells, and tested propulsion systems that could eventually be repurposed.
But he knew he couldn't stay hidden forever. Eventually, Gargantia would expand, Kugel would rise, and Ledo would change.
Axel had to be ready.
As he gazed at the distant ocean horizon from the entrance of his submerged refuge, he made a vow.
He wouldn't be a pawn in someone else's story.
He would forge his own path—among the stars.