So, I am back with the next chapter.
Apologies for it taking a while for this update, but RL stuff along with editing this took quite sometime for me to get through.
Anyway, we finally got to see both worlds finally meet one another, sorry it took a while. But I simply wanted to set things up before we got to this point. Honestly, I have been both anticipating and dreading this; still, the show must go on!
So as always, all rights go to their owners as I own nothing!
When I accompanied Miles to this meeting, I expected him to make some desperate move. But the lengths he was willing to go to get the support of these people took even me by surprise...: Belfast in a private moment with Revenge
It had been nearly four going on five days since Miles had gotten Cutter's request for a meeting between him and the Commodore.
Honestly, Miles was glad that Cutter had given him the choice as to when the two of them were going to meet.
The last couple of days had been nothing short of a nightmare for him, especially if you took into consideration what was currently taking place. Between all the Union personnel moving into the base, the complete restructuring of Port Azure's chain of command and the fact that Miles was trying to keep the Kansen here illegally out of sight.
Needless to say, Miles had been moving heaven and earth to ensure that this meeting with Cutter was even possible. All the while he had worked to ensure that the Union was completely unaware of what was taking place.
There were two reasons for this; the first one being the simple fact that Cutter had asked to speak to him alone, a request that he would honour.
As to the second reason, this had more to do with Miles's motives for this meeting.
Still despite doing everything in his power, Miles couldn't help but worry as to the legal implications should Hunter find out what he was doing.
Because in all technically he didn't have any authorization to host this meet on what was technically a Union base.
A fact that Miles was certain would be brought up in his court martial should he be caught.
But considering everything, that felt like the least of his worries at the moment, as he and Belfast continued to wait for their guests to arrive.
"Are you certain that this is the right course of action, Master Miles?" Belfast then asked Miles what the tenth time was possibly this afternoon.
"I'm not sure I can say, Bella. But that I'm taking the only course of action that is open to me." Miles admitted as much to her.
This whole meeting between him and Commodore Cutter was a desperate gamble on his part. Depending on how this meeting went, Miles was prepared to do something he would not have even considered under normal circumstances.
"I understand, but Alex should you ever need me…" Belfast trailed off, leaving her offer open to him.
Belfast knew that Miles would understand what she was offering to him. It would not have been the first time that she had offered this to him, but Bel wondered if he would take her offer this time.
Still, it did not take long for Belfast to get her answer, which in all honesty she should have been expecting.
"I'll think about it, Bella. But you probably know the answer already." Miles replied, which for some reason made the maid's heart sink in her chest.
Belfast had never really understood these feelings that would occasionally bubble up whenever this kind of topic came up for her.
But Belfast knew deep in her heart as to why that was this, but the light cruiser knew that she could not acknowledge those feelings. For if she did then she would be forced into a choice.
A choice Belfast did not want to make, considering what she stood to lose no matter what decision she made.
Knowing this Bel continued as she had for years before, but in her heart, it told her that this status quo would not remain forever and that she would be forced to make this decision eventually.
But until then Belfast was more than content to play the part of the perfect maid. Or at the very least what she understood to be the perfect maid.
"Very well Master, also I do believe that our guests are arriving," Belfast informed him as she pointed towards something just out of Miles' view, but then again this was not the first that this had happened to him.
As a Ship-girl on average possessed better eyesight than most humans.
If Miles were to guess why this was, he would guess it was a byproduct of the fact that they were a part ship, as not having such abilities would be detrimental to their potential in battle.
Especially given the weapons could fire farther than the human eye could see, Miles could only imagine what might have happened if the Kansen hadn't possessed this advance.
But such thoughts were quickly put on the back burner as Miles realized that he hadn't gotten the chance to ask Bel just how she felt about this whole situation.
But then again Alex knew that he wouldn't have gotten a straight answer from Bel.
But now that he thought about it, Alex never got a straight answer as to how most Ship-girls felt about returning to the fold as it were. Because despite what they said, he could tell that each one held a different view on their return to this mortal plain and in this form.
"Is there something you need Master?" Belfast then asked as she finally realized that her master had been staring at her for a while now.
"Um, no Bella; I was just-." But before Miles could continue making a fool of himself, Belfast provided him with the answer he was looking for.
"Caught in deep thought again Alex?" She asked him with a soft smile.
As this was not the first time, she had caught him in this state. As she knew that he tended to get that this way when something big was on his mind, and with everything that was happening, it was not a surprise for her to see him in such a state.
"Yes, and sorry Bel, as you know I just have a lot on my mind. I hope that you understand." Miles said hoping that would be enough for Belfast.
As he did not want to have to explain something to her that they had already talked about at length before. But he should've known better than to attempt to brush off his maid; as Belfast had been around Miles long enough to know when he was trying to keep something from her.
"Care to share what you're thinking about Master? As talking about it might help take a load off your shoulders." The maid then offered to him.
"I was just thinking about the Union, and what might happen should they learn of this meeting," Alex said, deflecting her from what he had originally been thinking about.
As these two had been on his mind as well.
Because he could only imagine the fallout should knowledge of what was taking place here get out to the public.
But in all honesty, Miles suspected that this would be the least of his troubles, as this would most likely lead to the Union discovering the other Ship-girls that Miles was sheltering on base.
Knowing Miles knew that he would most likely have to beg, bargain, and steal if he was going to have any chance to turn things around.
If he could at any rate; as Miles had been thinking about what had been taking place and he was not sure if he could truly turn things around considering the current situation…
Still, if he couldn't turn things around, he would at least make sure that he at the very least had a backup plan to fall back on.
"As have I Alex, I know what will happen to you should anyone find out any of this." Belfast then said as she could not keep the slightest edge of worry from entering her voice.
The light cruiser knew what would happen should this word of this leak out to Hunter. For she knew that he would most definitely hang Miles with this.
"What about you, Bel? As I can handle what might happen, I just don't want to see you sent to the breakers over this." Miles said in turn.
As he also was worried as to what might befall, Bella should her involvement in this become known.
"Don't worry about me, Master. As I'm still a part of Her Majesty's court, which should be enough to protect me," Belfast assured him.
But Belfast knew that once Elizabeth was to learn about these events, there was absolutely no doubt in her mind that she would be recalled immediately and either stripped of her rank as the Head Maid of the Maid coups. Or just as likely face the prospect of house arrest, while being stripped of her privileges and sent to raise the next generation of Kansen.
Because, simply put, Belfast was too important and popular to be sent to trial. Like her mother figure and Wales, she was one of the extremely few members of the Royal Court to venture out and meet and interact with the people.
So, any action against her had to be quiet and internally handed out. Anything less could be a death sentence for Elizabeth's regime.
As such Elizabeth needed to tread carefully; something which she had proven to be rather poor at doing.
But such things could be worried about later, as Miles finally responded to her earlier statement.
"I hope that is the case, Bel; still I do believe that I can see our guests," Miles said just as he finally caught sight of the planes that Belfast had spotted earlier.
He couldn't make out any details at first, as all Miles saw were nothing but three black dots in the sky. But as they came closer, he could see the green on their hulls.
But what surprised Miles the most was their lack of escorts, as with all the chaos in the world these days it was rare for any ship, let alone a plane, to go somewhere without any sort of escort.
"A rather interesting design, wouldn't you say?" Miles commented as the 'aircraft' continued to approach.
"I would say so, Master. A design that I would imagine that Her Majesty would be most interested in." Belfast then commented.
"Will she be informed about this?" Miles then inquired.
He knew that the UK was nothing short of a political power keg, mostly because of the delayed invasion of mainland Europe. As because of that the alliance between the United Kingdom, Eagle Union, and other powers was already stranded to breaking point. And the last thing Miles wanted was to be the spark that set off everything.
"I will inform Her Majesty once I believe the moment is right," Belfast stated simply.
As the light cruiser knew that Elizabeth had to be informed of this new development. But even so, Belfast did have the track to know that this was not the proper moment to do so, and given what news and rumours were coming from the homeland, it was becoming obvious that she would have to return there soon.
Hopefully, before the tension between the major factions boiled over.
As Belfast knew that were to happen then everything, they had worked so hard to build would be lost. And she for one could not stomach the thought of Elizabeth for all her good intentions, being the one to bring the whole country down into a storm of iron and blood.
Because as much as Belfast did not want to admit it this had not been the first time that the United Kingdom stood at such a crossroads. Without the influence of levelheaded people, such as Revenge, Warspite and the board of high lords the cruiser feared what the outcome might be this time.
As Belfast was more than aware of just what her majesty wanted.
Elizabeth wished to have the full unrestricted power of the monarchies of older Britannia, as she saw herself as the only one who could lead her country through this crisis.
'The ends justify the means.' The words echoed in Belfast's head, as they were the words that her majesty where fond of.
She picked them up while she was serving during the earliest years of the war.
Which wasn't surprising to Belfast given what she had read about the earliest years of the Great War, as it was still called.
Humanity had been completely taken aback by the unexpected strike, especially because they had spent the last few years fighting amongst themselves in another war of which they had forgotten the name.
But it had been guessed by historians that the name given to the first Siren invasion had been simply seen as a continuation of that earlier conflict; even if it was against a different enemy.
So, the name for the two conflicts had simply merged into one, acting as a blanket statement for the whole conflict that had taken place in those years.
"Bella, I think they're coming in for their final approach." Miles gently placed a hand on her shoulder, helping to bring her out of her thoughts.
Feeling his hand on her shoulder, the cruiser then came out of her thoughts, now realizing how close the three aircraft were.
"Oh, my apologies Alex I was just distracted by my thoughts. Please forgive my oversight." Belfast said as if it was her turn to be the one to be caught up in her own thoughts.
Still, there was a slight hint of embarrassment as Belfast said this.
As was not becoming the head maid of the Royal Maid Corps, as she was supposed to be the prime example for her peers.
Yet, Belfast could not help but feel as if she were at the time still unfit for the position. For she was the youngest out of all of those in the Maid coups bar two others.
'This isn't the time for that; Alex is the one who needs your attention.' Belfast then scolded herself for allowing herself to be distracted twice.
As this was not becoming the Head Maid of the Royal Navy, but still… she could not help but feel mixed about this whole situation…
But Belfast quickly put that feeling down as she refocused herself, as she could not afford to become distracted by her thoughts again.
"-problem, it happens so times." Miles was just finishing his sentence as Belfast finally came back into the fold.
"Thank you, Master, still I'll try to ensure that this doesn't occur in the future." Miles's maid assured him.
"Do you have any ideas as to who they're planning to land Bel?" Miles then inquired.
"I'm uncertain as to where that might be Master, I just hope that it isn't too conspicuous. As it would ruin all your efforts," Belfast commented.
As she was correct on that account; Miles had made sure that everyone that should have been here should have been assigned somewhere else.
Still, all this effort on Miles's part wouldn't matter if their guests put on a big show during their landing.
Because Miles had been fully expecting either a ship, a standard aircraft landing, or even a flying boat. As he had already come up with a cover story should either one be used?
But this?
This might be a problem considering he had no idea how these transports were going to land.
"They seem to be about to land, might I suggest we clear the way?" Belfast then suggested.
Miles nodded silently, as the two of them left the small field they had originally been waiting in and instead moved towards the head office building on the small atoll.
At which point did they reach the aircraft or ship? Neither Miles nor Belfast truly knew what they were looking at, only that all three of them landed on the small field in front of the office complex they now waiting in front of.
Belfast and Miles then watch as the boarding ramps of the three ships open and out of them came a security detail of several men and women. But what caught both Miles and Belfast's attention was not the strange soldiers but instead the walking tanks.
This was the only way that either of them could describe the two six to seven-foot humanoid figures in olive green battle armour.
'Guess that explains how they survive the Sirens,' Miles thought to himself as a thought crept into his mind.
Because if these people could do all this in isolation, then Alex could only imagine what might have happened to force them to come to him for aid.
But Miles could worry about this later, as he then spotted the man who he assumed to be the Commodore walking out of the transport.
From his first impression, the Commodore struck him as one of the more reasonable people that he had to deal with. As to how he knew this?
It had been a skill that he had inherited from his father and learned to sharpen while he had too often time read a person on the spot. This skill had helped him innumerable times when he had to deal with the now-defunct board of admirals.
As such he hoped that he would be able to use his skill to the same effect as he had beforehand, as Commodore Cutter finally approached them.
"Apologies for my large security detail; but with the reports we have been getting about current events in the world, my head of security felt it necessary," Cutter explained to his host.
Miles was not aware of how long it had taken for Cutter, Jerome, Kinsano, and the head of the Spirits security to agree on a plan for his security detail. So, the delay of a couple of days was welcomed, especially since Major Rose had insisted that Cutter bring along her squad of Pathfinders, desperate the fact that he had two Spartans acting as his bodyguards.
This had been something of a hot-button issue for all those involved, as they were not sure how their host would take to this unexpected escort. But in the end, they had decided to air on the side of caution, as no one knew exactly what they were walking into.
"There's no need to apologize, Commodore. As most VIPs travel with an escort these days," Miles said waving off the Commodore's concerns.
As this was the sensible thing to do with the Sirens becoming more active and most of the world's major powers were currently engaged with their agenda. As Miles suspected, it wouldn't be long before the seas and skies across the Pacific once again became unsafe to travel.
"I hoped that extra security wouldn't be taken the wrong way, given what we had worked out before had Admiral. May I ask who your companion is?" Cutter then inquired, turning slightly to the snow-white beauty that was Belfast.
"My name is Bell; I'm Miles's secretary and handle most of the day-to-day operations on base," Belfast explained to her guest.
Her claim to be Miles's secretary was reflected in Belfast attire as well, as the usual maid outfit was replaced with a smart dress.
As she and Alex had found out those visiting from outside Azur Lane found it a little disconcerting to be greeted by Kansen when they were wearing certain clothes.
As such Miles had worked to ensure that everyone had something to wear when guests were on their base, while at the same time making sure that they also had clothes available should any of the Ship-girls be required to leave the base for any amount of time.
It made life easier for everyone involved, well mostly as there were those who despite having them simply ignored the rules and wore what they wanted anyway.
Much to the frustration of everyone involved.
"A pleasure to meet you, but from what I understand we're under a tight schedule. As such, I don't wish to keep you both waiting any longer than necessary, as I can imagine that you have another event immediately after this." Cutter then stated.
Miles had stressed this fact in his reply message, as he had insisted that any meeting that they had had to be done quickly.
Which suited Cutter fine, as this meeting was more an exploratory diplomatic mission than anything else.
So, if nothing came of this then it was not a complete loss on his part. But if they did manage to get a proposal put together, then all the better.
This would move Cutter's timetable up by months if he were able to gain Miles's aid, and this was not even considering the wealth of information that the Grand Admiral might potentially have.
Even so, Cutter was more than aware of the cost of such a bargain might be.
But this didn't matter that much to him, as Cutter's main objective was to get a deal that would gain him access to medical supplies.
Everything else that came of this meeting with this would be a welcome bonus for him and the crew.
"We do sadly, so if you and your escort would just follow me. We've already set up the room in which the meeting is to take place." Belfast informed Cutter; and he, Miles, the Spartans, and the rest of the crew followed the maid.
But little did anyone know that once Cutter had set foot upon the ground. Something that had long since been dormant had started to awaken in reaction to their presence, as deep underneath their feet in a nearly forgotten storage area, a once dormant object started to stir…
Miles and Belfast led their guests to one of the side offices in which the meeting was to take place.
As they didn't want anyone from the Union to know that this meeting was taking place, using a lesser-used supply office located just off the main island atoll suited their needs perfectly.
"I'm sorry for all the delays Cutter, but I do believe that I owe you some explanations for what has taken place over the last couple of days," Miles said as he took one of the empty seats.
As Belfast took her usual place beside him, while the Spartan that he had heard Cutter call Loan took a position beside and behind his CO, while the other one took up a position just outside the door, and the rest of Cutter's security forces were just outside the building.
So, it was safe to say that the two of them would not be disturbed while they were talking.
"Does this have anything to do with the sudden urgency for our meeting?" Cutter then Inquired.
To which Miles simply nodded.
"I do, and I'm sorry to inform you that as of four days ago the United Eagle Union has taken full control of Azur Lane away from me. As such I am not able to offer you much in terms of certain. Still, I'm more than willing to do what it takes to hold up any agreement we may come to." Miles assured them.
"I wasn't aware that this had taken place. Even so, I know that you would not have insisted on having me here just to tell me this. So, am I to assume that you wish to work on something under the table as it where?" Cutter then asked.
This was the only reason Cutter could think as to why the Admiral would make all these efforts to ensure that no one was aware of what was taking place in this building.
"I am, I know that isn't what you were coming here expecting to find. But trust me when I say this; I will do everything in my power to uphold any arguments that are struck between us." There was no mistaking the truth in Miles's voice as he said this.
Miles had exhausted all his remaining options and was now without any recourse but to bargain. And being fully aware of the position that he was currently in, Miles knew that he could not afford to hold back anything at this stage if he was going to have a chance in hell of pulling this off last despite gambit.
"If you're willing to do what you say, Admiral. I want to know what it is that you want from us before we hear your offer." Cutter then inquired.
As Cutter could see how desperate Miles was, it was an understandable desperation.
Still, the Captain watched as the Grand Admiral sighed to himself.
As Miles prepared his hail mary proposal, knowing that this was not the time to hold back, so he laid out what he wanted; plain and simple.
"First off, I need your help in moving some personnel that I can no longer house here. As they would be thrown into the deepest darkest cells the Union can find if they're discovered here." Miles explained to Cutter but did not elaborate further.
Because he knew that he could explain to him who they were later. But right now, Miles needed to gauge his reaction to this, to which Cutter's immediate reaction was more than enough for him to judge how well this went over with him.
"How many would we be talking about admiral?" Cutter then inquired.
He was not going to agree to house a whole army if that was what Miles wanted him to do. Because that would be an immediate deal breaker for him and his crew, no matter what he might offer in exchange.
"No more than three to four at the moment. But that might change in the future; if so, I'll try to inform you ahead of time." Miles then informed him, taking Cutter a little by surprise.
Because if it was just three people that he wanted him to take in then that was more reasonable.
But still, Cutter was suspicious of just who he was asking him to take in. Because for all he knew this could be some ploy to have him take in a Trojan Horse as it were.
As such Cutter felt like he had to probe a little deeper before he accepted the people that this man wanted him to take in.
"What should I know beforehand about this, 'guest' that I will be having on my base?" Cutter asked the Grand Admiral.
"One of them has a serious medical condition, so I was hoping that you might have the facilities available to help her treat her condition. As for the other two, they are officially not on the record as being here. As such I would prefer that it's kept that way, as my enemies will hang me with this should they be found at any rate." Miles said with a brutal honesty that took even Cutter aback.
Cutter had never experienced this kind of openness in their negotiations. Which was a pleasant change of pace from the usual things one would expect from someone negotiating; but then again, this simply reflected the current situation that the Grand Admiral now found himself in.
Simply put, he could not afford to pay for the usual politicking and the usual negotiation tactics. As Miles needed a deal now!
"An interesting request, but I would like to know just was it what you are offering in exchange for this?" Cutter asked this question with a certain amount of caution.
Because Cutter knew what Miles was asking him to do; so, Cutter wanted to know just what Miles was offering in return for this.
While on Miles's side, he knew that he had to convince Cutter that what he was offering was worth the risk of taking strangers onto their base, or wherever they ended up housing the Kansen.
Which meant he couldn't hold back his offer.
"What I'm offering in exchange for this Commodore; is a list of names of top scientists that had expressed interest in continuing their work for Azur Lane. Alongside that, I'm also offering my insight into the current major players on the world stage." But before Miles continued his offer to the Commodore, he then paused and caught his breath. As he knew the last part of his offer was the most likely to get a reaction from everyone in the room.
But whose reaction he was most worried about was Bel.
He knew that once she her what he offered and the orders he would give to her after this would put her in a very precarious position.
'Bella, why couldn't you have listened to me for once?' Miles asked himself.
But Alex already knew the answer to that question, as the light cruiser had already guessed that something was amidst given the fact that he had asked her to allow him to meet with the Commodore alone.
This is something that Belfast would not allow, considering that he was both his secretary and involved heavily in ensuring his security and safety.
As such she would have never allowed him to meet with the Commodore without at least some sort of security presence.
But considering that Belfast and Biloxi were the only two Ship-girls that were trusted enough by Hunter to move around the base without issue already limited his choices.
What made him choose Belfast over Biloxi was the simple fact that she was most trusted by Eagle Union and by extension Hunter.
Which had left Belfast the only person available for this meeting.
'I'm so sorry for putting you in this position Bella, but I have no choice.' Miles then thought to himself as laid out the last part of his offer to Cutter.
"Finally, I'm offering you full access to all documents regarding the Kansen programs. Everything, from the basic information to the latest break thoughts, alongside that you would have free access to!" Miles was surprised that he made it this far through his offer before she spoke up.
"Master, I must advise you to!" Belfast started to speak up before Alex cut her off.
"I know what I'm doing Bel unless you have any better ideas. Then just trust me." Miles pleaded with her.
All the while Cutter and Leon watched this drama unfolding in front of them. Both men were uncomfortable with the drama that was now unfolding in front of them.
But then again, they both knew that such a reaction was to be expected, especially considering what the Grand Admiral was offering in exchange for their aid.
"I know you don't have much in terms of what you can offer the Commodore Alex; but this?" Belfast then shook her head in disbelief.
She could not let this stand unchallenged, as what Miles was proposing was treason of the highest order.
For Miles to even think about handing over classified information to a third unknown party was already bad, but for him to allow them to have free access to the remaining Ship-girls under his command?
Now that was completely unthinkable and unforgivable in her mind.
As she would not allow her Master to make such a foolish decision, Belfast could not afford for him to do so!
Because if he did so Belfast would be under an obligation too!
The light cruiser didn't want to think about what she would have to do should she fail to stop him from pursuing this course. Before Miles did something that he would most likely come to regret for the rest of his life.
"I have no choice." Miles then hissed at her.
As he was backed into a corner and they both knew it, Miles saw no reason he had to explain this fact to her. But he had to, as Belfast's next question/demand made that extremely apparent.
"Then tell me why you believe you don't have a choice!" The light cruiser then demanded.
As Belfast needed to know why this was, even if deep down she dreaded the answer Miles would give her.
"Because Bell, Azur Lane as an organization; is dead." Miles finally gave words to what he had concluded only a day before.
As with all the sweeping changes that were taking place under Union command, Miles could see the writing on the wall.
Because once the Eagle Union was done reorganizing it, Azur Lane wouldn't be an international alliance; rather it would become something that he, his mentor, and many others had feared: an unofficial arm of the government that would ensure that its interests were always taken first.
This had always been the greatest fear of everyone who had joined Azur Lane.
Despite being a military alliance founded on fighting against the Sirens, there was also the factor of politics to figure into as well.
So, the fact that they were even able to come together and formally create this military alliance during a war was nothing short of a miracle considering the circumstances.
Even so, that didn't mean that when the fighting had stopped in the seas and land between old enemies and had turned all their attention to the Sirens, it didn't mean that they stopped fighting against one another.
It merely meant that they had turned to the political ring to settle old scores.
In Azur Lane had quickly become one of its epicenters, as none of the great powers at the time had truly trusted one another, and as such tried to ensure that their interest was met whenever they could.
This infighting had caused as much damage as the Sirens in some cases and at certain times threatened to have the alliance break apart due to some of its members' actions.
Thankfully, Miles had been on the tail end of that situation, even so, he had been forced to work hard to ensure that the new status quo that had been handed to him remained intact.
Which he did, but not only that Alex had been able to expand on it! And if given another couple of years Miles might have been able to choose who would succeed him as Grand Admiral and help them from behind the scenes.
But needless to say, that opportunity was now gone.
The possibility was swapped away the moment the Union took over Azur Lane. Which was of course heartbreaking for Miles, as to see all that progress, he had made over decades simply swept away in less than a week. And by one of the nations that should have known better than to do this, then again Miles was more than aware that the Union, for all its great strengths, had major flaws.
One of which was the short-term thinking that if there were an option that was good for them right now but would come back to bite them later, nine times out of ten the Union would take it.
Though this could be argued that every major power was guilty of this, Miles thought the Union was more prone to this kind of thinking.
'What a waste,' Miles thought to himself.
Still, Miles was quickly brought to his thoughts as to how they got into this mess in the first place when Belfast finally spoke up. Needless to say, no one in the room was expecting what she was proposing.
"If that is indeed the case Alex, I will allow you to do this. But if only the Royal Navy's files are left out of this!" Belfast stated her demands for a compromise to the deal Miles was making.
It was a compromise that in no right way she should even be proposing. Yet, Belfast was doing so, seeming to be against everything she had been raised to uphold.
But at the same time, Belfast knew that Miles was right in his assessment of the current situation.
As even Queen Elizabeth knew that, as she had sent Belfast several messages for her to launch an official complaint with the local Union repetitive as to what was taking place.
This evidence was also compounded by the files and papers she handled for Alex during this whole process.
So, Belfast was not ignorant as to what was taking place within the organization, but to hear Miles say what she had unconsciously concluded herself.
As such there was no point in denying what was happening anymore, but still, Belfast could not understand why the Union would do this so openly. She knew that they were usually more careful than this, but then again it probably reflected the despair state that they were in.
Even so, Bel guessed there must have been another reason the Union was taking this approach.
Then again, she might have been overthinking the whole situation, as they might just be out to spit her Master given that he didn't support his nation's interests.
Still, Belfast knew she could speculate as to why the Union was taking this approach another time, for her Master had finally seemed to recover from his disbelief at the fact that she had allowed him to do this.
"I-I surprise that you would allow this Bell. I don't know what to say." Miles managed to mutter out, as he was still trying to understand what Belfast was thinking.
"Then don't say anything Alex, as this isn't over. Once this meeting is done w-!" Belfast was in the middle of delivering her ultimatum to him when without warning there was something akin to an earthquake that threw everyone but the Spartan to the floor.
"Belfast, are we under attack?" Miles then asked as he, Cutter and Belfast were picking themselves up from the floor.
"Sir, I'm picking up movement blow us, and it's coming up fast!" Leon informed everyone in the room just as the sound of something smashing its way through the lower building could be heard.
In response to this, Belfast and Leon moved closer to their respective charges, more than prepared to lay down their lives should it come to that to ensure their safety.
Which they might very well have to, as moments after they had gotten them behind the room's only desk an object came smashing out of the ground where the doorway once was and revealed itself to be something that no one had been expecting.
"A Wisdom Cube?" Miles was completely taken aback by what he saw.
Because there was only one in storage here on this island for quite some time now. But for the longest time, it had remained dormant, with whatever efforts they had tried to reawaken it, ending its failure.
So, to see it here, let alone moving on its own accord was nothing less than shocking to him. Wisdom Cubes were not able to do things like that.
But it seemed that this one was an exception to this rule as it then made a beeline straight towards their guest!
Reacting immediately to this unknown threat, Leon managed to intercept the rouge object with the end of his rifle. Used it as a baseball bat as Leon sent the foreign object flying across the room.
But midway in its flight, the Wisdom Cube suddenly stopped, and for a moment seemed to fill with energy as it once again tried to get Cutter. But once again it found its way blocked by the Spartan, as Leon placed himself quite little between the Captain and the Cube.
Blocking the Cube as a football player would intercept another player. The force of the Cube's impact forced Leon back a couple of inches, but Leon stood firm despite the efforts of the Cube to push him toward where the Captain and Admiral were sheltering.
Seeming to realize this it was not making any progress, the Wisdom Cube then started to glow a bright electric blue as energy started to collect within it.
Realizing what was about to happen, Leon immediately threw the Cube as away from him as he could.
But as it started to fly away from Leon, the Cube then stopped in midair only a couple of feet away from him, as the light grew even brighter with sparks gathering around it.
Moments later the Cube released all its collected energy in the form of what looked like a blue, white butterfly, that was now quickly making towards the man who had thrown this around the room like a ball.
Immediately realizing the danger, Leon immediately attempted to dive to safety.
But despite his augmented abilities, Leon was not fast enough, as in mid-dive one of the butterflies' wings grazed his side sending him flying into the nearby wall.
Moments later everyone in the room heard Leon hit the wall, as the Spartan then crumpled in a heap on the floor.
Unmoving, and to those watching uncertain if he was still alive.
But that was simply an afterthought, as they had more present issues to deal with.
"Master, Commodore, please stay behind me," Belfast said as she brought out the small sidearm that had been carrying with her.
This of course would do nothing to delay the Wisdom Cube in any capacity but considering that her rigging was still in transit. It was the only choice that Belfast had for attempting to delay the rouge Cube until her rigging could arrive.
But considering what Belfast had just seen, alongside the fact that she was extremely under-armed; the light cruiser did not rate her chances of being able to delay this rouge Wisdom Cube until her rigging arrived very high.
But thankfully Belfast would not have to, as moments later another of the familiar olive-green men came bursting through one of the side walls and into the room.
Not even wasting a moment, Jerome took stock of the situation and saw that his fellow Spartan was down, the glowing blue Cube and Miles's secretary standing between the captain and the foreign object.
Immediately figuring out what had taken place, Jerome immediately went for the Cube.
He then somehow managed to wrestle it to the ground and get it under his foot, thus allowing the Spartan to draw his weapon and start unloading it into the Cube.
While this was going on, Belfast took a glance out the window and saw what she had been expecting for a while now, as seconds later the window leading into the room got blown out!
Thousands of smaller blue cubes came rushing into the room and collected around Belfast. Quickly manifesting her rigging, she then turned towards Jerome who was still struggling to keep the rouge Wisdom Cube trapped under his foot.
Upon seeing this, and the effect that Spartan's weapon had up to this point, Bel thought it was about time that she tried her hand at this.
"GET BACK!" Belfast shouted, as she then brought her main guns to bear.
Knowing what was about to happen, Jerome jumped clear just as the light cruiser opened up with her main armament.
But when the smoke cleared, the Wisdom Cube was completely unscathed by the point-blank attack by Belfast's main weapons.
Taken completely by surprise, Belfast then fired another salvo and again the same result was achieved. As the Wisdom Cube once again came out of this latest attempt to damage it unscathed.
Still, it seemed that their efforts had some effect, as the Wisdom Cube then turned a violent shade of dark blue and seemed to start charging up for what was to be an area-of-effect attack. This of course caused both Jerome and Belfast to prepare to shield their charges with their bodies should it come to that.
But before that could happen, a completely unexpected development occurred.
Cutter, not knowing what else he could do, pulled out his sidearm and unloaded a full clip into the Wisdom Cube.
Even though he knew that it was a useless gesture, by doing this Cutter hoped that we would at the very least be able to draw the Cubes' attention back to him before it could finish charging up whatever attack it was preparing to unleash.
But strangely enough, where Spartan, Ship-girl, and raw firepower failed, the bullets from the captain's magazine succeeded.
The moment that the bullets fired from Cutter's pistol made contact with the Wisdom Cube, it seemed to stutter; the sparks of energy that had originally been gathering around it lessened with each hit.
Until finally, with a bright flash of blue light, the Wisdom Cube dropped to the ground as it once again took on the same gray colour that it had been when it had first arrived here.
At this point Jerome approached the object, using the sensor in his helmet, alongside the other scanners to decide whether the danger had passed. But seeing nothing and got no reaction when he tapped the Cube with his rifle.
Jerome said the words that everyone currently present in the room seemed to be hoping to hear.
"Clear," The words came from the Spartans, much to the relief of everyone in the room.
"Master Miles, Commodore Cutter, are you injured?" Belfast then asked, as she then returned to her usual self.
"We're fine Bel, are you certain that the Wisdom Cube isn't going to…" Miles then trailed off, as it was hard to find the right words to explain what had just taken place.
Even so, Belfast did not seem bothered by this, as she replied promptly.
"I can't say for certain Master Miles. But given that the Cube had returned to its previous coloration, I would say yes." Belfast said as she looked around the ruined room. "Though I would recommend that we secure it as soon as possible, to avoid a repeat of what just happened." Belfast then suggested that the sounds of Cutter security forces could be heard outside.
"Agree, can you arrange for that Bel? I'll finish up with the Commodore in the meantime." Miles then asked her.
To which she responded with a nod, after which Miles then turned his attention back to Cutter, who was speaking with Jerome and ensuring that Leon was not too badly injured.
"I'm sorry for this Commodore. We never knew that a Wisdom Cube could do something like this." Miles admitted to him.
This was very much true, as there were many things, they still didn't know about the Wisdom Cubes, especially considering how they came to possess many of them.
But this was mostly due to the fact that there wasn't any real time to assemble a team to study them, but instead, any Cube they could get their hands on was immediately put to use to either create a new Ship-girl, repair their rigging, or power some technology.
So, it was rare for a Wisdom Cube to be available for study.
With the exception of this one, as ever since the Kansen that had originally come from this Cube had died, her Cube had remained dormant. That was until now, and honestly, Miles could only think of one reason as to why it had awakened.
'But why is he so important? Yamato will know something about this.' Miles thought to himself as he came out of his thoughts when Cutter finally responded to his apology.
"Nor was I aware of that either. And to be frankly honest with you admiral, we don't possess such technology." Cutter said confirming Miles's previous assessment of the government.
"It's not uncommon, for there are barely enough Wisdom Cubes to go around these days," Miles admitted as much.
"I can imagine that most of them are currently being used by Azur Lane's former members if I'm not mistaken. But that's not what we're here to talk about. If you want Admiral, we can move to another area of the base to continue our meeting." Cutter then offered, as he was not going to allow this little incident to ruin these talks.
Especially considering what he stood to gain should this talk be a success.
"I'm afraid I would advise against doing so, as the others on the main base would've seen my rigging come here and will come to investigate. So, if I may suggest Master Cutter, unless you wish to meet with the Union Commander of this base, that you depart immediately." Belfast then suggested to the captain of the Spirit of Fire.
She knew that it would be a very tight window for them to leave before any Union personnel arrived.
A fact that suited Cutter just fine, as he was not ready for a meeting with a Union representative at the moment. And given the current circumstances it was probably best that he wasn't here when they arrived.
"Very well, I'll have Major Rose signal the Pelicans to do an emergency pickup. Jerome are you able to carry Spartan-011 or do you need assistance?" Cutter then asked.
He knew that when a Spartan went down, it often required heavy equipment to recover them. But upon seeing Jerome flash him the all-good signal, Cutter knew at this point all he had to do was ensure that there were no problems with their departure with Miles.
Especially if he wanted to continue this meeting at another place or time.
"I apologize for any inconvenience this might cost you in the future admiral. But still, if you need anything to help you cover this up, just let me know and I'll see if we can fabricate some documents for you." Cutter then offered.
A Cutter knew that a simple jester like this often went a long way in negotiations.
"Just consider my offer Commodore, that's all I'm asking for in terms of help at the moment," Miles replied just as a team of Marines came barreling through the hole in the wall that Jerome had made earlier.
"I will, but I must ask you, Miles. Are they worth the risk you are willing to take?" Cutter then asked.
As he could see a bit of himself in the man. Miles was simply trying to ensure the future safety of those remaining under his command. It was admirable, if a little foolish, considering the risk he was taking with his own life.
So that was why he had asked this question to the young man. Cutter needed to know the kind of man he was dealing with.
"I wouldn't be taking the risk of making you this offer if they weren't," Miles stated simply.
But little did Miles know by doing this he was playing straight into his enemies' hands with his actions.
Little did they know they had severely miscalculated as to who Miles would end up allying with.
A miscalculation that would cost them dearly in the future…
That is, I hope that it was worth the wait!
As a lot happened in this chapter, from the long-awaited meeting between Cutter and Miles to the sudden appearance of a certain Wisdom Cube, things will hopefully start picking up soon enough.
Anyway, that is all I have to say for now, until next time, have a good one.
