Authors note: Okay, another chapter, both because I'm on a roll, and because I wanted to make it clear through the story that it is not the same as my other Azur lane story, Agincourt. Of course many AL fics will have similarities, but I'm trying to have this one have a bit of mystery to it compared to Agincourt's adventure and discovery focus.
I'm also trying to shift around my writing planning to put chapters out for stories more often. We'll see how that goes.
Hope you enjoy the chapter
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Alexander Mathew Bartholomew Rhodes, Commander of Azur Lane, was not a happy man as he sat in his office and looked out the window at the devastation that had been done to his base, to his people, to everything he had command over. Three piers had been completely destroyed, little more than rubble now, while only one of the docks had been damaged; a small mercy in regards to damage that the harbour took.
And that was to say nothing about the damage to the rest of the base.
A knock at his door pulled his musing away from the destruction outside for but a moment before he realized what it was and sighed. "Come in."
The door clicked open and then closed, and in that moment the commander turned his chair around to find Hermione of the Maid Corps standing just inside the room, hands daintily crossed in front of herself. "Master, the Faction leaders on the island have convened in the meeting room and await your arrival."
"About time," the Commander said as he got up from his chair and began to walk around his desk. "Who was last to arrive, aside from myself?"
"Lady Bismarck and her adjutant, Prinz Eugen."
"So the ones who insisted this meeting be called now, instead of when all of our initial repair work and death tallies are completed. Goodness."
"If I may ask master, is it an issue for Lady Bismarck to have called this meeting?" Hermione asked as she opened the door for the commander and followed him out.
"No, any faction leader may call a meeting if they feel the need, it is the words she imparted that have me worried, and the timing of calling the meeting not even a full twenty four hours after we have been attacked and seeming unable to see it coming."
"I understand," Was all Hermione said as the pair walked the halls pf the Azur Lane HQ building. It had been spared much of the damage the base had taken surprisingly, but that had not stopped a number of windows to be cracked or outright destroyed by the numerous explosions and conflicts that had spread across the island over the three hours of conflict the day before.
It took only a moment more to arrive at the meeting room, and without letting her move first the commander opened the door and strode in.
The meeting room was not large. Big enough for an oval shaped table, with chairs around it and a projector on the ceiling, but room for little else. It was not a room to decide combat operations or the like, just simply a meeting room. One with triple thick walls to dissuade peeping and listening in.
Once at his head of the table the commander took a count of heads. Shangri-la was present as the Eagle union faction representative, a position they rotated regularly as none of them could stand being in command for a long period, while Queen Elizabeth was present for the royal navy with Warspite as her adjutant. Avrora was present for the Northern parliament, but also the only one of their faction on the base. Richelieu and Jean Bart were present as heads of the Iris Libre and Vichya dominions, both still unwilling to sit beside or glance at the other, while Bismarck was present as the Ironbloods leader, with Prinz Eugen as her adjutant. The Dragon Empry, Sakura, and Sardegnian Factions had yet to arrive at Azur Lane, and as such wee not present.
"Alright, all of us present upon the base are now here," the commander said as he eyed Bismarck, who looked as stoic as unreadable as he tended to be. "Bismarck, there is much work to still be done to recoup and tally losses and repairs. What have you called this meeting for so early?"
"To accept responsibility for this attack taking us all by surprise," Bismarck stated simply, leading to a sudden silence that was only broken a minute later when Queen Elizabeth spoke.
"I am sorry, are the Ironblood admitting to colluding with the Sirens, again?"
"No," Bismarck said simply. She then looked to Prinz Eugen, who placed a small hologram projector on the table, showing an image, of a table of all things. "The Ironblood has built a specialized war table that by using a small amount of Siren technology within it, allows us to know the positions of Siren energy signatures in any single theatre of combat. It was sent to Azur lane before our arrival as a, test, to see if anyone on this base had knowledge of Siren technology and would detect it."
"And how does that give you responsibility for the attack?" Shangri-la asked curiously.
"The union mechanics that installed it did not notice it, but also did not install it properly, causing the whole table to not work," Prinz Eugen spoke up this time. "My sister sent a repair ticket for it to be repaired, not knowing the table's purpose, and it was repaired, but nothing was commented upon for its Siren technology. When we arrived, it detected Sirens near the base. However, we believed that since no mention of its Siren technology had been detected, and since the one who repaired it showed no understanding of the particular piece of technology to be of Siren make, that it was simply calibrated improperly. In truth, it was perfectly activated and calibrated, but we in our arrogance of trying to show off, did not believe it to be. Leading to the situation at hand."
Instantly Queen Elizabeth, Shangri-la and Richelieu all began demanding recompense, but stopped a second later when the commander raised a hand for silence. "Bismarck, are you admitting that the Ironblood knew of the impending attack, but instead of perhaps suggesting to someone it could happen, you simply assumed someone on the base made a mistake as you arrogantly believed no mechanic not from the Ironblood could work Ironblood technology, correct?"
"That is correct."
"Fourteen Shipgirls are in Vestals care for injuries, and at current the death total for humans on the island is expected to be at almost thirty," Shangri-la spoke up seriously as she glared at Bismarck. "Seven of those are civilian contractors. One was a woman acting as a dormitory caretaker who was two months pregnant."
"I understand how this looks, however we were certain that no union or Royal mechanic could work or calibrate, the machine. We initially intended for it to be a simple and undisruptive way to humble them so that our mechanics could begin showing them how and start a spread of knowledge for how to detect Siren technology."
"And instead we have dozens dead and injured, our own defences damaged, and a number of other issues," the commander said in a steely tone.
"Yes, that is why we are admitting to this situation so it does not occur again," Bismarck said. "We also would like the mechanic in question to be held for questioning."
"Why would you think you could demand such a thing after what you have just wrought, Bismarck?" Queen Elizabeth asked, her tone cool but still very angry at the revelations brought forth.
"Because, he managed to calibrate Siren technology, without realising it was Siren technology, "Prinz Eugen spoke up with a smirk. " Does that not seem peculiar to you?"
"While I agree to some reasoning, any meeting with him will be difficult as he is one of the civilian contractors that have been injured," the commander stated.
"Oh? Was he not repairing something for the Royal maids?" Prinz Eugen asked.
The commander looked at her with a raised brow.
"My sister spoke with him alongside Prinz Adalbert a few hours before the attack. She was to be the one to calibrate the machine, and wished to speak to him about it."
"I see. Well, it will be hard. Because where he had been at the attack happened was where one of the Siren Landforms landed."
"Ah, the same location that we are figuring out," Queen Elisabeth said to herself, being heard by everyone.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Richelieu asked curiously.
"Well, uh, I mean-" Queen Elizabeth faulted, prompting Warpsite to speak up.
"A Siren Isopod Landform landed outside of the Royal dormitories just after the plane carrying it crashed into the main foyer. No one knows what occurred, but that mechanic, Belfast and Duke of York were found in the area. Both the mechanic and Belfast were injured, while duke of York was not physically injured but instead unconscious from what appears to be extreme exhaustion. The Isopod landform was nearby in numerous pieces, many of which looked to have been blown apart by Siren weaponry instead of our own canons, but also had numerous edge based injuries upon its remains as well."
" . . . So, what occurred then? Does Belfast not know?" Prinz Eugen asked after a few seconds of silence. "I saw that she was up and moving a few scant hours ago, no?"
"Belfast is up, but her injuries are restricting what she can do, and she refuses to lie in bed," Warspite said with a sigh, making it clear she had already tried to deal with that particular situation.
"Yes, and unfortunately she knows little of what occurred," the Commander added. "She told me she recalled the landform crashing nearby them and Duke of York moving to protect the technician with the two of them, but then all she can recall was some sort of flash of light, a crackling noise, and then everything went black. She believes she was struck from behind by the landform before she could gather her bearings, as the Siren craft that had crashed beforehand had almost struck them all."
"That does make sense, those landforms may not be Ships, but they hit pretty hard if you don't have your rigging on," Shangri-la said with a sigh.
"Really? I find it difficult to believe that Belfast of all people was taken off guard," Prinz Eugen commented, earning ireful glares from a few.
"Enough. She does not know, and the other two who might, including that engineer from the maintenance division are currently out of commission. They will be asked when they awake, and only after they are healthy and back to work will anyone speak to them about this matter," the commander stated, bringing an end to that line of conversation before locking gazes with Bismarck. "We will speak of what is to be done about this situation when the situation at hand has stabilized. Until then, there is much work to do to secure the waters around the base, repair damages and prepare for the Sakura, Dragon Empry and Sardegnian forces to arrive in a week. Now, is there anything else that anyone wished to bring up while we are here, or no?"
Both Warspite and Avrora put their hands up gently, signalling that they did indeed have things to mention.
The commander nodded to both of them, Avora then gesturing for Warpsite to go First.
"I have just been informed that duke of York has woken up and that Vestal is requesting both yours and Her Majesties presence in the medbay."
"When this meeting is done we shall head over then," the commander said with a nod as he looked to Avrora.
"I received a message from my sisters in the north that one of the Ashes has been sighted in that area."
The entire room tensed, even Bismarck, at the word of the Ashes showing their faces again. Startling though, the commander did not look tense, and merely scowled. "Nothing can be easy it appears. Keep us posted of any news passed onto you please Avrora."
"Of course commander," she said with a gentle nod.
"Good, then if there is nothing else, there is a lot of work to do. Get to it. Dismissed." The commander then watched everyone but Hermione, Elizabeth and Warspite leave the room. Bismarck giving a glance of understanding his way before she left. A minute after he let out a sigh. "Now then Hermione, please fetch Belfast. Let us go see how the Duke of York is doing."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Duke of York found herself standing in the middle of the sea, the water black like obsidian while the sky was as a roiling tumult of blood red chaos. She glanced around. The water was filled with burning wrecks and flaming fuel and oil, but she could not see anything she recognized in any direction. The wrecks looked like nothing she knew, and there was no land anywhere in sight.
"Where is this place that I find myself?"
"An end."
Duke of York turned to see Ark Royal standing upon a flaming wreck, the flames seemingly avoiding her as she stood there, Rifle pointed at her from above.
"What, Ark royal, what is the meaning of-" Duke of York tried to say, only for Ark royal to fire a shot past her, a plane forming from the bullet only to fly into another wreck and making a large explosion behind duke of York. "Why are thou striking at me when-"
Duke of York was cut off as she turned to look back at Ark royal only for Ark royal to grab her by the throat and, much to Duke of Yorks surprise, lift her off the water. "We all make choices to protect what we wish to. I am saddened that you of all chose the wrong side. Perhaps this timeline has no hopes after all."
"What, what are thou speaking of?" Duke of York said as she tried to struggle, finding her rigging not responding, and Ark Royals grip to be far beyond merely strong. It was also at that moment that she realized this Ark Royal was not the one she knew. She had a shredded coat that was black and red, her coat itself had much more adornment upon it, and perhaps most telling was that Ark Royals left eye was a glowing blue blaze of fire. "An Ashes?"
"A simple term, but effective enough for its purpose," Ashes Ark Royal stated as she suddenly threw Duke of York into a nearby hunk of wreckage, making it shake and ebb in the water. "Unfortunately for you, that purpose is execution," she then said as, to Duke of Yorks surprise, Ark Royal put her rifle on her back and pulled out a sword, a well adorned sabre that's edge looked long tarnished by fire and blood.
She knew what was coming and rolled to the side off of the wreckage, narrowly avoiding the blade as she tumbled down to the water. "What, what is the meaning behind thy actions? We are allies!"
"Allies are those who stand beside you even as the world burns," Ashes Ark Royal said as she stood upon the wreckage and looked down at Duke of York while puling her rifle back out with a free hand. "And you have chosen the path of destruction and betrayal."
"What are thou speaking of?" Duke of York Pleaded as she drew her own blade and used it to parry the first few strikes from Ark Royal, only for ark royal to then swing her rifle like a club into Duke of York's legs, knocking her to the water.
"You know what I speak of betrayer . . . . Or, do you perhaps not even realize the depth you have fallen?"
Duke of York looked up to speak, only to find Ark royals rifle pointed at her face, nearly point blank. "What, are thou, speaking of?"
"So you do not know," Ark royal said, her expression softening only a tad." Then as a last mercy, look down upon the water at yourself. Witness your own betrayal before I kill you."
Duke of York stared at Ark royal for am met before taking a wary glance down at the water, her blood running cold as she did. "What trickery is this that you-" she asked as she looked back up, only to see Ark Royals rifle flash.
Xxxxxxxxxxxx
Duke of York suddenly sat up, her consciousness returning in an instant as her breathing was painfully fast. She felt her body covered in sweat and heat, and a glance around at her surrounding made her suddenly swallow hard. She was in Vestals Medical room.
"A, a nightmare brought about in mine own mind then?" she found herself asking no one in particular. A second later she felt the need and brought up an arm, finding her skin the proper pallor and shook her head, trying to remove such absurd and nightmarish thoughts from her mind.
"Duke of York, lay back down please."
Duke of York looked up to see Vestal standing between curtains that cordoned off her bed. "Vestal, it is fine, I-"
"Lay, back, down."
Duke of York was caught off guard by Vestals insistent, and downright demanding tone, and did as she was told; laying back down on the bed and finding the pillow was a bit wet from sweat as well, making it rather uncomfortable.
"Goodness, each and every one of you," Vestal stated as she took a step forward and closed the curtains behind her before stepping up to the bed and resting the back of a hand against Duke of York's forehead. She then tapped a computer beside the bed a few times and pulled out a metal disk on a wire and placed it on duke of Yorks bare arm. "You still have a substantial fever, and your body has not regained its strength back yet. Hah, I'll have to replace the bedsheets again it appears as well," she said as she plucked a bottle from the bedside and handed it to Duke of York. " Drink, you need to regain fluids."
"I feel fine," Duke of York said as she took the bottle, finding it nearly ice cold to the touch.
"You have a fever of nearly 45 Degrees Celsius, you are not fine," Vestal stated clearly, making Duke of York look at her in shock.
"What, but, how?"
"Drink." Vestal said again, staring at her seriously. Duke of York then obliged, finding the water very cold, but also a bit sweet and salty. Rather disgusting really. "That water is room temperature. If it feels cold, it is simply more proof that you are not well."
Duke of York paused and slowly reached up, brushing a layer of sweat off of her forehead to her surprise as she handed the bottle back to Vestal. "What, happened?"
"I was hoping you could tell me that," Vestal said as she took out a cloth and gently wiped down Duke of York's head, and then her arms and shoulders. "You were found with Belfast and one of the maintenance division contactors unconscious outside of the Royal Dormitories."
"I see, are they in good health?" Duke of York asked as Vestal then removed the beds covered, revealing her fully naked body upon the bed. An action that made her a might bit embarrassed.
"They are both fine considering the circumstances," Vestal said as she began to wipe down Duke of York's body in a perfectly professional manner. "Belfast is up and about already as she will not stay still even with her wounded arm and leg. She will not be deploying for a week at minimum."
"And the engineer?"
"Unconscious with some bruising and a possible concussion, but nothing worse," Vestal answered as she finished wiping Duke of York's body, and then threw the cover off the bed only to pull a fresh one out from somewhere underneath the bed. "Made a friend outside of our kind then I suppose?"
"No, I would not say friend," Duke of York said solemnly. "He fears us, and I may perhaps be responsible for the death of one of his parents."
"Are you certain of that?" Vestal asked carefully as she carefully put the new sheet on the bed. "You are not one to be so inaccurate that your cannons could do such a thing."
"He was certain of it, however I had not the chance to learn more as the Siren attack came," Duke of York said as she looked at Vestal. How bad was it?"
"I contacted the Commander when the computer alerted me to your awakening, so I will let him explain it to you."
"I see. Very well," duke of York said before a thought came to mind. "If mine body was found unconscious, why am I wracked with fever?"
"Your body was heavily, dangerously, exhausted for some reason I have yet to discern," Vestal stated as she lifted Duke of York's head and replaced her pillow with one not drenched. "Though it is possible that it was a weapon that the Siren Landform you fought had something to do with it? Do you recall?"
Duke of York tried to, but shook her head. All she could remember was leaving the dormitory, and then that strange nightmare dream.
"Very well, I will prepare some tests to see if your mind has suffered, but for now you can rest and wait for the commander to arrive. It should be soon I believe," Vestal said before leaving the curtained off bed and closing it behind her, leaving duke of York alone with her thoughts.
Knowing Belfast and the mechanic were both fine considering the circumstances was good, but not being able to recall what happened was an issue, especially if it could answer the question as to why she had a fever of all things. The fact she could be responsible for that mans hatred was also a cause for concern, but until she could speak with him she could not be sure. The Fall of Hudson Harbor was a serious and painfully long mission that, while it was considered a success from the point of leading to the creation of PR ships and the end of the war, most who had took part in it, herself included, considered it a massive failure when one simply considered the loss of life it resulted in.
Before she could sink further down into her thoughts the sound of a door and conversation caught her attention, and she only managed to pull she bedsheets over her naked body a mere second before the curtain opened and the Commander, Queen Elizabeth, and Belfast, stepped inside. Both the commander and Queen Elizabeth looked fine, but Belfast had bandaged wrapped around one arm tightly, and looked to be not standing perfectly as she normally would.
"Duke of York, We are pleased to see you awake, how are you feeling?" Queen Elizabeth asked promptly.
"I feel better than I seem to be, your majesty," Duke of York Responded. "Vestal tells that I have a rather bad fever and was suffering from exhaustion."
"Well we should not ignore the doctors' orders then," the Commander said as he stepped up to the bed. "There are some questions I must ask in regards to a situation on the base."
"I will my best to answer Thee," duke of York answered in turn.
"Good. Belfast tells me that you joined in on a conversation with her and the mechanic Maximus Grey while he was finishing his work in the dormitories. He made mention to the Fall of Hudson Harbor as being when his mother died, and then before you could get further into the conversation the Raid alarms when off. Correct?" Duke of York nodded to the commanders words. "Good. The three of you ran out with the intent to defend the base and escort Mister Grey to the maintenance hangers, but when you left the dormitory you three were almost hit by a crashing Siren fighter. Can you tell me what happened after that?"
"Mine, memory is difficult, hazy or outright missing," Duke of York admitted. "All I recall is leaping to protect the mechanic when the Siren craft fell. I then awoke here. May I ask why thou wish to know this?"
"Belfast doesn't recall what happened either," the Commander stated. "You, her, and Mister Grey were found lying on the ground, two of you slightly injured and unconscious, while you were unconscious and under extreme exhaustion, while to the side of you was a destroyed Siren Isopod Landform that had been destroyed by damage inflicted by an edge, and by Siren Weaponry."
" . . . .I presume thou are insinuating that I must have tricked a Siren into striking it when I was fighting it with mine blade?" Duke of York asked calmly.
"That is the current concept that seems most likely, but a number of things do not add up," The commander said with a sigh. "Though admittedly some things do not quite add up all the way. We are looking into them though. More importantly, can you tell me about what you believe mister grey was referencing about the Fall of Hudson harbor?"
Duke of York looked visibly taken aback for a moment. "I, suppose yes, but thou have all of the documents from that time, do thou not?"
"I do, and I have read them, but I would like to hear your account of the events that you feel matter," the commander said simply.
"Very well. The mission was to protect the loading and departure of a convoy of materials from the Hudson Bay Harbors, an area that provided much of the Eagle union and royal navy with much of our materials for both shipbuilding, and the construction of wisdom cubes. While the ships were being loaded the Sirens attacked the harbor, and those of us moved to defend it. We managed to bar and hold them off for departure, but the one in charge of the mission, Ark Royal, made the call that protecting the fleeing convoy was more important than destroying the Sirens second wave. The same second wave that then began bombarding the harbor and its surrounding city and facilities as we left"
"But not all of you agreed and decided to stay back, against orders," the Commander stated.
"That is correct. Myself, as well as Howe, Eskimo, Haida, and Arethusa stayed back, to try to taunt our foe away from the harbors. It was only somewhat effective, but a Siren leader, a Humanoid one, appeared not by the harbor, but inland, seemingly chasing refugees away from the city. I volunteered to strike it myself, and disembarked from the water to the land to engage it so that it could not further harm any civilians."
"You destroyed it, or did it force you to retreat then?" The commander asked before seeming like a though occurred to him. "And what humanoid Siren was it? The reports do not say?"
"I do not know. I fired at it at range many times as I approached, but when I arrived it was already almost dead. The area around it was aflame, and covered in damage from my shells. There were some bodies nearby, and a single male human in his forties holding a child. When the Siren was killed by mine blade it did not resist, but the human began screaming, calling out about how I killed his wife. He was beside the body of a deceased woman who looked to have been blown apart. I could not refute his claim."
"I see," the commander said with a nod as he seemed to think to himself again. "Did the Siren look like any seen before, or since?"
"No, it looked nothing like any I had seen, nor heard of being reported," Duke of York said quietly. "Her Rigging was shaped as if armor formed around a great reactor with cannons hanging off of it and coils of bone trailing behind. Her outfit was little more than panties and a top not dissimilar from lingerie, while he hair was long with great braided buns upon the side of her head. Before I killed her she had simply smiled at me, her rose red eyes glowing strangely. Her body turned to particles and disappeared a moment later as the man yelled at me, providing no proof for my claims other than what I reported those years ago."
The commander was silent, eyes closed in thought for many moments before making a gesture to Belfast. She left the curtained area around the bed, and then came back a minute later.
"Vestal has activated security measures master."
"Good," the commanded stated as he took out a small metal half sphere and turned it on. "This will stop anyone from hearing us outside of the curtains when combined with the room's security. Duke of York, do you believe that the child that man held was mister grey?"
"I believe that that is most likely considering the words of that man back at that time."
"And the child, had you seen its age? How big it was perhaps?"
"Nay, I did not," Duke of York asked, now very curious about where this was going that they needed to be wary of anyone listening in. "What is this about truly?"
"Mister Grey is said to be twenty seven years old. However his health records state that he is twenty four."
"So there is a misinterpretation of age then?" duke of York asked, causing Belfast to step forward. "It is more than that unfortunately. "Just before you joined us yesterday I learned that Mister Grey has the uncanny ability to understand any mechanical technology he touches. This includes we Shipgirls it would appear."
". . . You believe he is far more than what he appears at a glance then?" Duke of York asked.
"Yes. The ability itself is strange. It's possible it could be due to in utero contamination by Wisdom cube materials, but we don't know for sure. I simply was hoping you could give us some confirmation of some kind," the commander said with a sigh. "Are you sure you cannot remember anything after the Siren craft crashed near the dormitory?"
"Nay, I recall nothing sadly," duke of York said with a sigh. "It as if I was simply knocked unconscious while saving the mechanic.
"That is fine, it cannot be helped," the Commander said as he turned off his object and put it back in his pocket. "If you do recall something please inform me when Vestal lets you out, alright?"
"I will, our Adonis," Duke of York said before the Commander, and Belfast left, leaving Queen Elizabeth alone with Duke of York.
"I can tell that there is yet something else you did not speak of," Queen Elizabeth said simply.
"I merely had a strange dream, that is all," duke of York said dismissively.
"About?"
"The Ashes, nothing important."
"No," Queen Elizabeth said seriously. "It is important, as there has been a report of their reappearance once more."
"What? Where upon?"
"In the Northern Parliament waters," Queen Elizabeth answered with a heavy sigh. "What was your dream?"
"Of one of the Ashes, trying to kill me."
"That is all?"
" . . . . Yes," Duke of York said anxiously.
"I understand," Queen Elizabeth said as she turned toward the curtain. "Get well soon; your sisters are rather worried for you and the state they found you in."
"I will do my best," Duke of York said before Queen Elizabeth left the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts once more. Including the thought of what exactly was going on?
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In a Dark, unknown location most would assume was a mirror sea, a single Siren sat with a console in front of them, waiting the next time they would need to act.
Then, quite suddenly, a new screen appeared, showing Observer alpha. "Greetings Arbiter,"
"What do you want? I have no time for your timelines shenanigans at this time."
"I merely thought proper to alert you that a plan of yours within this timeline appears to have come to fruition," Observer Alpha said as a new image appeared on the screen.
The Arbiter simply stood up and smiled.