Her name was Dido, head of the Royal Maid Squad and the Royal Navy's strongest group of fighters. Originally, the group was headed by Belfast as she personally trained all twelve of them. But when the Siren's attacked once again, Belfast died in the initial attack and the position of the leader became vacant.
After hearing the proposal from Queen Elizabeth, the Commander had Dido sent to the hospital for a checkup and then met with the high-ranking members of his fleet and replayed the message.
One of the greatest dangers the Siren forces posed was their ability to literally appear from nowhere, which was form of teleportation technology. This came about after a small fleet of Siren ships came to this world incognito and built a technological superstructure called an 'anchor.' As the name implies, the anchor allows the Siren fleet to freely move about the world without expending energy and creating the ever-present threat that they could attack at any time.
The Royal Navy had amassed a considerably large fleet and were about to attack the superstructure, but the Sirens were a step ahead of them, ambushing their forces and severely weakening their combat capabilities.
Which was why the Queen sent Dido to the headquarters of the Coalition fleet requesting their assistance. Together, the Queen and the Commander would launch a joint assault on the Siren device and take away their biggest advantage.
"She mentioned Dragon," said the Commander, after hearing the brief.
"That must be the Dragon Empry," said Wales, "the two sides must have formed an alliance."
"I don't recall there any mention of this faction," he said.
"Because there aren't that many members there to call it a faction," said Yorktown.
"An Shan, Fu Shun, Chang Chun, Tai Yuan, Ning Hai and Ping Hai," said Akagi, counting off each member on her fingers "the six of them are led by Yat Sen."
"Very well," he said, leaning forward "for this mission, I'll be taking Saint Louis, Neptune, Kaga and Tirpitz."
"What?" shouted everyone in the room, Akagi's voice being louder than the rest.
"Given how much all of you have been on missions one after another," he said, standing up "I need you all rested and refreshed. That is all."
"But Commander," said Akagi.
"I've already sent a message to Kaga, she should be arriving shortly. With her here, I need you to go back to the Island Akagi," he added, walking out the door.
"I swear you all do more harm than good," spat Akagi before stomping out the door, most probably to chase after the Commander.
The room became silent after that. The line up chosen was considerably different from what he normally used and there was good reason.
"No," said Belfast, clenching her fists "I am not letting this go on any further."
With that said, she marched out the door.
"She is right," said Illustrious, also standing up then turning to Wales. "we started this. It's only right we end this."
Wales nodded and the two went out of the meeting room.
"Commander," Akagi called out to him, while in the hallways.
"Why are you sending me back to the Island?" she asked as he turned around.
He was about to answer when he saw Belfast, Illustrious and Wales also coming to him.
"Akagi I really do want you to rest," he said putting a hand on her shoulder "you've been a part of nearly every mission we've undertaken. I want you to rest. You've earned it."
"But…"
"With the Royal Navy we are now one step away from the final fight. Once this mission is over I'll be committing everyone we've got into attacking the Siren forces. And when that time comes, I need you fresh, ready and focused Akagi."
On one hand she had to agree with him. Resting now and preparing for later was the strategic move. It made sense strategically. Yet emotionally, the last thing she needed right now was to have any distance between her and the Commander.
But she could see that his mind was made up.
"Fine," she said, lowering her head in defeat "but I'm coming back here the moment the mission's over."
"I understand," he said and Akagi left.
"And what about us Commander?" asked Belfast.
He turned his attention to Belfast, Wales and Illustrious. This was honestly not the time to be having that conversation.
Despite his fiasco with the Wisdom Cubes, the only one that was angry at him was Akagi. That no one else in the fleet approached him and voiced their opinion on the matter told him that only a select few in the fleet knew about this. It didn't take long for him to figure out who withheld the information and which ones doubted his motives.
He first ruled out Hornet and Cleveland. Cleveland was a good girl but she's only come to a few meetings. She wasn't yet part of the inner circle. Next was Hornet, she was simply too much of a good-natured person to doubt or suspect him. Yorktown and Enterprise were free and clear as well. Z23 and Eugen were next in his mind but since he had the approval of their family, they wouldn't doubt him. Aside from that were the PR class of ships but they were something like Akagi, in that the six were loyal to him.
Which meant that the only ones to suspect him were Wales, Illustrious and Belfast. Considering their personalities, Illustrious and Wales felt hesitant to speak their minds, which meant that Belfast had to take the hit for them.
Perhaps they felt bad, perhaps the others told them off, perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. Right now, he needed to be focused on one thing and this was a diversion he did not need. Yet, the fact that they were here meant that they felt bad and wanted a chance.
"Akagi's going to kill me when she finds out," he muttered to himself "fine you're coming as well."
"And Belfast, stop by the hospital to check up on Dido. If she's able, then bring her along too."
Belfast nodded and went to the hospital while Illustrious and Wales went to their rooms and prepared. It took all of twenty minutes for the team to assemble outside, near the beach shore.
"Having trouble Tirpitz?" he asked.
"Apologies Commander," she said, "up in the north there's not much sun, only snow. So much of the sun is…. strange."
Just then, he saw Belfast coming, along with Dido.
"Apologies Commander," said Belfast "Dido insisted on coming along."
"Please Commander," said Dido "I can help."
"Fine, but if a fight breaks out, let the others handle it. Only join in unless absolutely necessary."
Dido nodded and the group set out.
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Dido gave them the location; they were to head South. It would take a total of two days to get there and two days to return. Along the journey, he took a little time to recall what he knew about the Royal Navy.
They were similar to the Eagle Union, in terms of numbers. But, while the EU had aircraft carrier aces like Enterprise, Hornet, Long Island and Ranger, the Royal Navy had powerful battleships like Warspite, Queen Elizabeth, Repulse, Renown and Wales. Then there was the recent knowledge of the Royal Maid Squad. If this was a group that Belfast personally led, then they'd also be a boon. Lastly, there's the Dragon Empry, an as of yet unknown group.
He shook his mind in order to get rid of all those thoughts. He was making the mistake of putting the cart before the horse. Right now, he needed to first get rid of the Sirens and then think about what he's to do later on.
Although no one said much during the journey, there was a palpable tension in the air. The Royal Navy was the last faction in the world that wasn't yet recruited. With them joining the Coalition fleet, the war would progress to its final stages.
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After two days of travel, shifting from using Wales' and Illustrious' ship to reduce fuel usage, the team finally arrived at their designated location. Belfast, Wales and Illustrious got off first, followed by Kaga and Tirpitz with the Commander being the last to step onto the island.
He was flanked on either side by Neptune and Saint Louis, who looked like there were walking pretty close to him.
"No Commander," said Neptune, cutting off what the Commander was about to say "Saint Louis and I will not give you any space as it is our job to keep a close eye on you at all times."
"Neptune speaks the truth my Lord," added Saint Louis "your safety is our priority."
Their conversation was cut short when the team noticed half a dozen siren ships teleporting above them. There were three cruisers and three destroyers and all ships wasted little time in turning their guns onto the team.
"Everyone scatter," he called out and the team ran off in different directions, avoiding the initial barrage.
"Time to put these new improvements to the test," said Kaga, forming her run way and firing a few airplanes at the ships. She was delighted to see them do considerable damage to the enemy cruiser. Kaga expected to see the ship turn its guns and attack her, but instead, it's attacks were focused on the Commander.
In fact, all six ships were only going after the Commander.
"Oh come on I'm the least threatening one here," he shouted upon seeing this.
"What's going on?" asked Belfast, "why are they only going after him?"
"Because the Siren fleet knows how dangerous he is," said another voice.
The group turned around and saw a young, blonde-haired girl wielding a broadsword come out from hiding in the bushes.
"That otherworlder is responsible for the deaths of two of their leaders and has steadily slowed down their invasion progress. As such, the fleets are ordered to prioritize him as a high value target."
"Arrogant fools," chided Saint Louis, unleashing a barrage of fire onto a cruiser and sent it crashing into the ground.
"There's no need to pursue them," said the blonde-haired girl.
With that said, the team noticed multiple unseen figures emerge from the bushes and trees. The figures then formed their weapons and launched coordinated attacks on all the Siren ships, greatly damaging them.
"I can't let Louis outshine me," said Neptune to herself as she dug her trident into the side of a Siren destroyer and ran along the length of the ship, landing a deep cut. Then she leapt off and fired into the hole she created, downing the destroyer.
The Commander noticed three women positioned ahead of him. One looked almost similar to Dido, except this woman had a large sword behind her. The second maid was a raven-haired beauty that looked like a traditional Victorian-era maid. The third was dressed similar to the second maid, except she had long, purple hair, which was braided up.
"Sirius, Curacoa and Curlew," said Belfast, "which means the rest of the Squad are here too."
The trio leapt over the Commander with the Dido lookalike attacking a Siren destroyer near him with a single swing of her sword. The other two attacked the destroyer along the side of it's body and sending it crashing downwards.
Two of the six ships that remained quickly teleported out of the area. Seeing this, the Commander sighed in relief and wiped the sweat off his forehead. Now that the threat was taken care of, he reunited with the rest of the team.
"Not two minutes you're here and you're already causing a ruckus," said one figure, emerging from the forest. It seemed like Belfast, Illustrious and Wales knew who was speaking as they immediately bowed their heads.
The rest of the team now saw another short, blond-haired girl emerge, wearing on a long black dress, with a patch of white sticking out at the ends, holding a scepter and had a small crown on her head.
"Hello Commander," she said, "you're a lot shorter than I expected."
"Greetings Queen Elizabeth," he said, bowing to her "thank you for coming to the aid of my team."
"Think nothing of it," she said, sounding a little haughty "we must all work together in this time of need."
"I hope my subordinates haven't caused you too much trouble," she added, turning to the three former members of her fleet.
"They have all formed an essential part of my fleet," he said "if possible, I'd like it if we can continue this discussion at your base."
"Agreed," she said, then turned to the blond-haired girl with a sword "Warspite, accompany our guests back to base. The rest of us shall go on ahead."
The one called Warspite nodded in agreement.
"Wow," said Neptune as Queen Elizabeth and the group that accompanied her vanished, heading back to their base "I guess that was the Royal Maid Squad we heard about."
"Their teamwork is incredible," said Saint Louis, "throughout their operation, they protected their Queen. I must strive to reach that level as well."
"Commander," said Warspite "please come with me."
The team followed Warspite. It wasn't long before they came upon a forest encampment. The first thing that they noticed was how many girls were covered in bandages or were being administered some medicine.
"Warspite," he called out and the girl turned.
"Does my team need to be with me when I meet Queen Elizabeth and Lady Yat Sen?"
Warspite paused for a moment, then said "not necessary Commander. But it would be good if you were accompanied by at least one member of your fleet."
"Then I shall accompany him," said Wales, speaking before Belfast could say anything and before the Commander could object.
"The rest of you," he said turning to his team "spread out and see if you can help."
With that done, he turned back to Warspite and alongside Wales, the trio headed into a large tent. Inside he saw a long red carpet, flanked on either side by members of the Royal Maid Squad. At the end of the carpet stood Queen Elizabeth and alongside her was a woman with long-black hair. This was either Yat Sen or a representative of the Dragon Empry.
"You're late," declared Queen Elizabeth "it's not in good form to keep two ladies waiting."
"Apologies," he said "I had requested my team to help tend to the wounded and injured."
"Hmm," said Queen Elizabeth "very well, I will ignore your tardiness in light of your deeds."
"And Prince of Wales," she added, turning to the woman beside the Commander "when last I saw you, you and Illustrious were holding the line for the rest of us to escape. I thought you died."
"I did," said Wales "but then, the Commander was able to bring Illustrious, Unicorn and I back to life. Since then, the three of us have been fighting with him to help combat the Siren threat."
"It would seem I am already in your debt Commander," said Queen Elizabeth.
"Think nothing of it. You mentioned that you planned on attacking a Siren superstructure. What can you tell me about that?"
"Quick to business I see," said Yat Sen "I am Yat Sen of the Dragon Empry. I apologize for not introducing myself right away."
Queen Elizabeth clapped her hands. At once, some of the maids brought out a wooden table, another brought out a map with a few markings and a few of them provided folders to Queen Elizabeth, Yat Sen and the Commander. Once that was done, they left the tent.
The mega structure in question looked similar to a futuristic building seen in sci-fi movies. The top of the building arched down, allowing multiple radars and antennae to stick out. At the base of it were platforms or docks for the Siren ships to land.
"Wales," he said "you should go as well. There must be a few friends who will be glad to see you're alive and well."
"Are you sure Commander?" asked Wales.
"Relax, this is just a strategy meeting."
Nodding to him then bowing to Elizabeth and Yat Sen and left the tent.
"This is the location of the superstructure," said Queen Elizabeth "my maids have located certain structural weaknesses that we could use to destroy the device."
"We had hoped that you would bring a considerable group with you Commander," added Yat Sen.
"May I ask why?"
"Come tomorrow," said Queen Elizabeth "we'll be launching an all-out attack on the superstructure. In the midst of the attack, I'll have a secondary team go after the weak points in the device."
"But in that scenario, you'll likely take heavy casualties."
"It is…. a necessary risk."
"But many of you are already injured," he added "how did that happen?"
"That is because of this Siren," she said and opened the folder. Yat Sen and the Commander did the same and saw a picture of a Siren.
A girl wearing a long white, coat. What was interesting about this was that the girl's skin color and hair was as white as the clothes she wore. She was flanked on either side by two large cannons. Behind her, was a large-blue jellyfish. All things considered, she looked like one of those unique types, one of the three that Akagi mentioned.
"That is Observer Zero and she's made it her life's mission to wipe out the Royal Navy," said Queen Elizabeth "she's been relentlessly pursuing us for days on end, only giving us the smallest of opportunities to rest and recover."
"Many of the injured you see out there was thanks to her efforts," added Yat Sen.
"We have no doubt that she'll also be at this structure," said Queen Elizabeth "if we attack, we'll take out two of their best weapons in one shot.
"Then you're still facing the same problem," he said "most of your troops are injured, tired or hungry. Asking them to fight against a prepared opponent will most likely end in a massacre."
At this, Queen Elizabeth and Yat Sen looked at each other.
"Forgive me if I overstep my bounds," he said "but what if I can find a way to achieve our objective without the loss of life?"
"Impossible," said Yat Sen "Ning Hai, Ping Hai and An Shan have probed that area for weeks, the structure is heavily guarded and there is no possible way to infiltrate the area."
"Ten minutes," he said "just give me ten minutes to go over the map. If I can't find anything in ten minutes, then we'll go ahead with your plan."
The two nodded to each other and took a step back.
At once, the Commander started going through the map and reading about everything he could on the device, the island and the special Siren that waited. Their patrols were tight, their security was flawless; there was no way of getting in without being detected.
Then there's the other problem. The device's units will be bolstered by the arrival of Observer Zero and her troops. All in all, this looked like a dangerous mission.
That was when he noticed something on the left side of the island. Upon seeing this, the gears in his mind started turning and now a plan formed.
"Elizabeth, Yat Sen," he called out.
"That's Queen Elizabeth," she said, as the two came back to the table.
"Have you found it?" asked Yat Sen.
"Indeed, I have," he said "let's show the Sirens how dangerous this world can be."