Back with another chapter for you all, now we get to see what Cutter has been up to while Miles tries to figure out his next move after the Union took Azur Lane away from him.

Sorry this took a while to come out, but it took a lot of time to work on and edit it.

Anyway, I will not keep you waiting, so as always, all rights go to their owners, as I own nothing!

PS: I also switched over from Doc 07 to 365 and started using Grammarly, let me know if you notice any changes in grammar wise as I ran all the old chapters through it.


Cutter was currently in the ship's meeting room, looking over the last-minute reports that he had placed on his desk. As the ship's scanners had picked up readings that matched that of a low-yield nuclear device. But when they had tried to send some recon drones to investigate further the drone operators had quickly pulled them back, as it turned out that the whole area was being heavily patrolled by Union ships personnel.

Leaving them with only orbit scans and high-flying drone recon to figure out what had taken place.

This of course was not enough for Cutter, as he had learned long ago that in situations like this that there were only two ways of getting the information that would need to get an idea of what had taken place.

The first and most obvious one was to send a team down to gather what information they could, even though Cutter knew what information that team would be able to gather would be nothing better than mere rumour.

This was why Cutter would have preferred the second option if it had been available to him, because if they had an inside source then they could've easily fact-checked what they passed along with what information the ground team brought back to him.

But considering that they had not been here all that long it was not a realistic option, to say the least. Still, the ONI officers on the ship were working on creating those sources of information. Because one thing was for certain, as with this world war raging there was propaganda everywhere you looked, making it hard to get a real sense as to what was going on.

Especially considering the world in question.

As before this… Sirens had appeared, and this world had been alarming like their Earth! The only real differences are in the planet's current landmass and history.

The only reason why they had changed was because of both the Siren invasion and the discovery of a new energy source that changed the course of this history.

This fact had already led Andres to theorize that the Sirens might have been attracted to this world because of the Cube technology.

But until they had more information, all Andres could do was speculate.

'Eagle Union, United Kingdom, Iron Reich, Northern Parliament, and Sakura Empire,' Cutter then listed off all the major players of this world in his head.

The fact that all the world's major players were seemingly on the major powers of World War II was not lost on Cutter, as even, he was still trying to figure out how something like this was even possible.

But Cutter could wonder about this at a later time, as he was too preoccupied with trying to figure out just what poison to drink regarding alliances. As the Spirits captain knew that he was limited in who he could reach out to.

Most of the other nations he might have wanted to reach out to were either too small or did not have the resources to meet their needs, so it left him with the big five to choose from.

A decision that Cutter would have to make soon, as he knew that they were starting to run low on medical supplies. As most of it has been used to treat crew members that had severe cases of freezer burn.

Still, Cutter felt that he needed more information before he did so. Especially because once he chose a side he would be forced to deal with their conflict.

"Sir?" The unexpected voice then brought Cutter completely out of his thoughts, and he then turned to face the speaker.

"Sorry," Cutter took a moment to remember the name of the bridge officer was speaking to, "Smith, I was going over a couple of last-minute things in case I missed anything," Cutter explained to him.

As there had been at least three new reports had come in that Cutter had been working through, most of which were related to the small nuclear device they had detected detonating on the planet's surface.

'Makes you wonder what they're up to down there.' Cutter thought to himself as Smith then spoke up.

"I understand; also, they're waiting for you on the bridge." Smith then informed the captain.

As the Communication Officer was starting to get a little impatient with all the waiting, Cutter did not blame Peterson, as he was feeling that way as well.

"Very well, inform them that I'll be with them momentarily," Cutter informed him as he turned back to look over the reports one last time.

It was a moment like this that he wished that Forge and Serine were here.

As he could use their opinions on this situation, but they weren't here, and Cutter knew that dwelling on that point wouldn't change anything. Besides, he was already running behind schedule. And it would not be due for him to be late for his meeting.

Knowing this, Cutter then ran his eyes down the reports one last time, in case there was any relevant information that he needed to account for.

But seeing that there was none to be found, Cutter then put away the reports before he exited the room and started to make his way to the bridge.


"Captain on the bridge!" One of the Marines that were on duty called out, as Cutter entered.

"At ease, Peterson do you have the package ready to send?" Cutter then asked as he approached his Communication Officers station.

"I already have it preloaded and ready to send. Unless you have any last-minute changes, you wish to add." Peterson said as he mentioned the relevant screen.

Seeming to sense where Peterson was going with this, Cutter decided that he would play along just to see if the man had a good joke this time.

"What demands did you think I would have in mind?" Cutter asked, playing along with Peterson.

"Oh, I don't know sir. Demands for a nice dinner date with a fine lady, less we blow them away without obvious superior tech from orbit for resisting." Peterson joked in good humour.

Peterson was known for doing that when he got nervous, then again Cutter could tell that his bridge crew were all in a heightened start of alert. Thou this was not unexpected given that they were about to make first contact with those on the planet just outside their window.

That fact alone was enough to put everyone on the ship on edge.

"Not today, Pet, also is there any more development on that explosion we picked up a couple of hours again?" Cutter then asked his Communication Officer.

"Ask our local Drone Supervisor. He'll be able to tell you more than me, given that he has access to the latest information from the drones and ships' sensors." Peterson suggested, as he could only repeat what he had told the captain in his earlier report.

"Very well Peterson since you suggested it. O'Saulliven, what latest information have you been able to gather on our little anomaly?" Cutter then asked his chief drone expert.

"Nothing too much, given the information we have to work with. Even so, Andres had theorized that whoever attacked that place hit the bomb while they were in the middle of putting it together. That is where we picked up the radiation signal without the accompanying blast signature; unfortunately, we can't gather any more details due to the activity in the area." O'Sullivan explained to his CO.

As that is all Sullivan could give Cutter at the moment: theories and nothing more. As he like the rest of them on the ship lacked a lot of critical information regarding this world.

Other than the fact from what little information they had been able to gather pointed at this place being some long-lost colony that had reverted to using World War II technology, while at the same time claiming that they had people with the souls of ships in them alongside all the other things they had claimed to encounter.

This, like everything else, left Sullivan with many questions about this place.

Questions he hoped that they would start getting answers once the Cutter contacted whoever it was that he was sending this message to.

As the Captain had not shared that information with him, but then again Sullivan was a Drone Supervisor and didn't need to know who this message was for, as that was Peterson's job as Spirit's main Communication Officer.

"Can you write a report on this or task one of the AIs to do it?" Cutter then asked.

"I'll get one of the dumb AIs to write something up. Still from what we've been able to gather whatever is going on down there, that earlier reading when we came into the system earlier wasn't the only plasma signature, we've been able to pick up." Sullivan then explained.

As Andres had requested that he ran his drones over certain areas of interest for her. They had both been surprised to find readings of past events like Jerome's team had investigated.

"This place keeps getting better by the day," Green muttered sarcastically as he continued to work at his station.

He was not wrong about that, as the Spirits drones had finally finished surveying the entire system and what they found was surprising. As it turned out that the whole solar system, despite certain planets not being the same type or size, was almost a one-for-one replica of the Sol system.

Even Anders wondered as to where this solar system was even natural in the first place. Because the only what that this could have occurred was if someone made it this way.

Still, Cutter had silently wondered if the report that Andres was making would be read by anyone back in the UEG.

As the fact hadn't escaped him that when they had gone into cryo-sleep the UEG had been losing the war badly.

Still, it was obvious that Cutter wasn't the only one thing about this, as despite trying to hide Cutter knew that many of the Spirit of Fire crew were worried as to what had become of their loved one given the situation in which they had left them.

But sadly, there was truly little Cutter could do to help them on that front, as he was left wondering as to what had become of his family or even if there was a home to return to.

Even so, Cutter tried not to let those feelings affect him, as he knew that he had to be strong for his crew. For they were in turn a mirror of their commanding officer, for if Cutter seemed calm and confident, they would take a cue from him and reflect that.

But if Cutter were to be seen to be uncertain and indecisive then that could spell trouble for the whole crew if they reflected that.

Which Cutter feared more than his uncertainties over the outcome of the Human-Covenant War. As such things could end up getting a lot of good men and women killed. Knowing this Cutter was not going to allow his personal feelings to jeopardize the lives of those under his command.

Especially since he had promised himself that he would do everything in his power to ensure that his crew would be able to return homes and see their families once again.

Knowing this Cutter saw no more reason as to why he should delay this decision any longer. As he knew that the longer, he put this off the more likely that his personal feelings would come up again.

"I'll talk with Andres about this in more detail later on. Peterson, is the package ready to send?" Cutter then asked, changing gears.

As the captain knew it was time to get down to business.

"The package is loaded and ready to send. All I need is your authorization." Peterson informed the captain.

"Peterson, as a member of the UNSC military representing the United Earth Government; I'm using my authority as a member of that governing body to authorize the opening up of negotiations with this splitter group of humanity," Cutter said in a formal matter.

Though this was not that necessary, Cutter felt that it was needed given their current situation given all the uncertain surroundings.

"Understood Sir, I await your order to make contact," Peterson informed his Captain, having ensured once again that it was ready to go.

"Send the package," Cutter stated crisply, and without any hit of hesitation.

"Package it away, all we can do now is wait and see if they respond to it." Peterson did not sound too confident in this.

But it did not matter as it was done. As everyone in the room knew that there was no backing out of this now, because if this plan did fail then they would be forced to enact plan B.

A plan which Cutter and most of his staff hoped would not be needed. The Captain of the Spirit of Fire then looked out the bridge's window, wondering just where the events he had set in motion would take him and his crew.

But wherever that future would hold, Cutter did not doubt his crew's ability to meet it.


When Biloxi proposed the idea that she and Miles have a drink with one another, she could not have imagined that it would happen so soon.

Nor would the light cruiser have even imagined the circumstances that would lead to this, but if there was any upside to this, then it would be the fact that Biloxi would be able to meet and talk with those that she hadn't seen before the war started.

As she looked out across the captain's quarters Biloxi could see that Amagi and Yamato were sitting near one another chatting quietly in a corner of the room, as Taihou hovered nearby Amagi. Seemingly kept a close watch over the sickly woman.

Nearby Graf Spee sat with Leipzig, whose face made the clear impression that she wanted to be anywhere but here right now.

Biloxi would have to ask Miles later as to what had happened to the light cruiser. As she then scanned the room and finally spotted Belfast who was where one could expect her to be. Hovering around the Grand Admiral, who for his part was already working his way through one of the drinks that were on call.

Still, not everyone was here, as Biloxi knew that Hiryuu and Suruga were currently busy looking after the young Destroyers of Sakura Empire.

Biloxi did not envy their task, as she knew that young Ship-girls could be a handful at most times.

But Biloxi knew that some had to look after them, lest they do something that gave Hunter an excuse to take them all into custody. Which was something that everyone wanted to avoid until Miles could spirit them away to safety.

At which point Biloxi's thoughts then turned to Leipzig and Hiryuu. As she could only imagine just what her commander would have to go through to get them off base.

But she was certain that he would do it, as the two ships had no legal protection as the others did, so if they were caught by Hunter then there would be nothing Miles could do to help them.

Still, this left out the fact that Miles had been sheltering the two girls here illegally, because if that should become known, Biloxi had no double in her mind that Hunter would exploit that for all that was worth.

"Biloxi, is something the matter?" The unexpected voice of Amagi cut through the cruiser's thoughts, as she then turned to face her.

"Just, unpleasant memories," Then lied to the elder sister of Akagi.

As she saw no reason to talk about what was on her mind with Amagi, but the Empresses of the Sea had other plans for the cruiser.

"You should know better than to lie to your elder's child. As such lies tended to reflect poorly on thy self." Yamato said in her usual matter.

In response, Biloxi then turned to look at Amagi who herself seemed to be eyeing her more closely now. To which after a moment she gave her a small smile.

Biloxi did not understand what this was about but then again, she had not known Amagi, given that she had been something of a state secret of the Sakura Empire. So, she was not aware of what Amagi found enjoyable about this situation.

As for Yamato however… Biloxi had never really come to understand Yamato, as she was something of an enigma to most of those she had served with. This made her a different person to work with next to Queen Elizabeth.

But this was not the case between her and Miles, well mostly.

As there had been times when the two of them had clashed, but otherwise the two of them had a good personal and professional relationship with one another.

"Do you dispute my claim?" Yamato's voice then cut through Biloxi's thoughts as she then realized how much time had passed.

"I, um, well I didn't…" Biloxi started to stutter under the battleship's withering gaze.

But seeming to sense what was needed Amagi then spoke up.

"Yamato wishes to offer you her advice on what troubles you." Amagi then explained to Biloxi.

Yamato then turned to look at the elder Kansen with an interested eye.

"Do you believe that you can infer my real intent, Sensei?" Yamato inquired inquisitively.

"No, but I still know my Kōhai well enough to infer what your intentions might be," Amagi stated simply.

To which much to both Biloxi and Taihou's surprise, Yamato bowed to her.

"Nothing slips by you Sensei. But yes, I do wish to know what troubles thy heart." Yamato stated simply.

"Why do you wish to know?" Biloxi asked.

To which the Empresses of the Sea flashed Biloxi a small smile as she then took a draw from her pipe.

"Can't an Empress have moments in which she wishes to her what troubles those around her?" The battleship asked.

To which Biloxi sighed in relief, as it was not as bad as she had originally feared, for she had felt as if the wrong word at that moment would have brought down Yamato's legendary judgment upon her.

But with Amagi her to play something of a referee between them, Biloxi felt comfortable enough that she could find her voice.

"It's just; well, it's something that wouldn't be of interest to you." Biloxi then tried to brush off the idea, as she didn't have anything worth talking about at the moment.

"Is it?" Yamato asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

At this point, Biloxi realized that she was not going to escape this, as such she knew that the only way out of this was to give Yamato what she wanted, or the bare minimum at any rate.

"I'm just worried about what's going to happen to my sisters going forward. That's all," Biloxi explained.

"Alongside all those you know?" Amagi supplied what Biloxi could not bring herself to say.

To which cruiser was forced to respond with a simple nod of her head. As she was too worried about that, because despite everything that had happened there were still those in the Crimson Axis, she was still considered to be close to.

"Fret not child, for you aren't alone in worrying about such things; for I do so as well," Yamato admitted to her.

Which Biloxi then asked what would have been considered a foolish question in any other setting.

"You have them as well?" To which the light cruiser sounded incredulous.

She was not the only one taken aback by this as well, it seemed. As Taihou and Amagi seemed to be surprised by this as well; that or the fact that Biloxi had the gull to make such a statement.

But Yamato for her part seemed more amused by Biloxi's response than anything.

Then again it was probably because she was in a good mood as to why she had not responded in her usual way.

"Indeed, as I have already lost many friends alongside my sisters. So, I can understand the worries of thy soul." Yamato gave what would pass as a moment of sympathy.

As she did know the pain and uncertainty that came with not being there while they were going to harm's way. It was one of the fewest things that she had come to regret once she had gotten the news of first Shinano and then Musashi passing.

Which led Yamato to question her choices that had led up to those events.

So, she could sympathize with Biloxi, as she had more sisters than her. As such Yamato could only imagine the pain that Biloxi went through when she was informed that she had lost another sister to this pointless war.

"Well, isn't that something…" Biloxi muttered to herself, not sure how to respond to the usually unreadable Empresses.

"If I may," Amagi then spoke up, filling the rapidly growing silence that had been growing between the two women, as the older woman wished for this opportunity not to pass without any use being made of it.

"Do you have something you wish to add Sensei?" Yamato then asked as she turned to face her elder with an interested gaze.

"I do," Amagi stated simply before she took a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing, "As you know that I have actions that weighed on my thoughts as well." Amagi did elaborate, as she trusted Yamato to notice what she was implying.

"As I see what you mean, then thus shall prove as interesting than I had anticipated." Yamato sounded pleased with these developments.

As Yamato had been hoping to talk about a topic like this for some time now; thou she had felt it was not her place to bring up such a conversation given the current environment. But unwittingly, Biloxi had provided her with the excuse to start this conversation.

What had been an even more pleasant surprise however was the fact that her Sensei: Amagi would be joining in on their conversation. Something that not even Yamato had not expected at all given the news she had gotten earlier today…

"You speak of action versus inaction? For I know that you are the sister of Akagi; or at least she claims this to be the case. It's hard to tell with her these days." Biloxi stated simply.

As she considered the two women not to be related, as their honesty made it easier for her to talk to Amagi. Still, this drew a reaction from the older woman, as Biloxi watched as Amagi looked at her head in shame, as she then responded in something close to a whisper.

"Yes,"

But it carried more weight than anything else she could have said.

"If you do wish to speak of such things, it would be unfair to anyone if we didn't take my actions into consideration," Yamato said, trying to draw Biloxi's attention away from Amagi.

As it was obvious that her Sensei needed a moment to center herself; but also, it wouldn't have been too far off to say that she and Nagato were fully responsible for everything that had taken place.

For they had been the leaders of the Sakura Empire navel arm at the time when Akagi and a small group of her supporters had forced them to accept the alliance with the Sirens and the coming war with the Union.

"You? What could you have personally done?" Biloxi then asked as she was not privy to the politics that had taken place within the Sakura Empire.

"Yamato and Nagato were originally the co-leaders of the Sakura Empire armed forces before Akagi's faction took control." Taihou unexpectedly spoke up, explaining to Biloxi why Yamato was saying this.

"I was under the impression that Nagato and Akagi were the only ones that held political power in the Empire." Biloxi sound surprised by this revelation.

As she, like many in the Union, knew a little bit about the Sakura Empire from the time they had spent with one another while in Azur Land. Even so, many of its members had kept a certain amount of information from one another.

"And we once thought your country was ruled by a mob. It just goes to show you how little we truly know about one another." Amagi then pointed out.

As the Sakura Empire was a monarchical government, it has been that way for centuries now. Though at one point there had been signs that the Empire might have adopted some of the Union's political practices; that was until the Sirens attacked and forced all major world powers out of the ocean for a certain period.

Thus, killing off any attempts of adopting such changes; as survival had been the order of the day.

"I guess there are many things we don't know about one another, especially considering that one of those things is sitting in front of me," Biloxi stated simply.

For this was indeed the truth. As no one had known that Amagi had been alive until only recently, and even so that knowledge was still very much unknown to most of the wider world. Because despite Akagi's announcement about her return many people had simply seen it as a propaganda move and moved on with their lives.

"Indeed, but shall we now talk about what we were originally planning to speak on lady Biloxi; for I see that Yamato is growing impatient," Amagi said, as Biloxi then did a glance at the other two people that were here.

Taihou seemed more than content in keeping quiet and by Amagi's side, as for the Empress however, it was clear that she was less than amused at the unexpected wait, as the Union light cruiser had to be explained everything by her peers.

As such Biloxi knew it to be the best course of action to follow Amagi's suggestion, given her familiarity with Yamato more than anybody on base currently.

"Okay then, so where do you want to start?" Biloxi deliberately looked at Yamato when she said this.

As if giving her the opening to begin the conversation as she wanted. To which the battleship was silently thankful, as she already knew what she wanted to talk about.

"I believe that the best place to start is where we began; with thy troubled heart," Yamato said, knowing that there was no point in tiptoeing around the matter.

Besides the Empress saw this as a good jumping-off point should they need to switch off the topic and into something else quickly.

"Sigh, you're not going to let me leave until you know," Biloxi said, resigning herself to the fact that she would have to tell them.

Yamato nodded simply as she then took a long pull from her pipe, waiting in anticipation of what the Union ship had to say.

"As I told you all earlier, I'm just worried as to whether I'll see my sister alive again every time I leave them," Biloxi repeated what she had said earlier.

As the light cruiser was trying to understand why Yamato had brought up this conversation again.

"I can understand that Biloxi, still I do envy you. As you still have your sister, as mine have long since met with the Gods. So, I do…" Yamato was saying this before an unexpected person interrupted their conversation.

"It's all my fault that this happened to the two of you…" Amagi said unexpectedly.

"Amagi, we all know that-" Taihou started to say before she was cut off.

"NO!" Amagi said with such force that others around her looked up from their conversations to look at the sickly Kansen.

"Sensei, I would advise you to watch to not speak so loudly, as you're drawing attention to yourself," Yamato said to her elder.

"Right, my apologies," The look on Amagi's face showed it all.

As Amagi looked embarrassed, not only for herself but for those around her as well.

At this point, the four of them decide to remain quiet until everyone around them turned back to their conversations before they continued with theirs.

"I didn't mean to disrespect you Biloxi. It is just…" Amagi broke off her gaze from Biloxi as a pained look came across her face.

"You aren't the only one with a heavy soul Sensei." Yamato then remarked.

As she had not expected this topic to come up in their conversation. Even so, the Battleship could see some benefit of having Amagi speak with the Union Ship-girl, as it might give her some measurement of peace.

Even so, she just hoped that Biloxi did not try and lay any of the blame unnecessarily at the older woman's feet. As it was already obvious that Amagi already blamed herself for everything that had happened regarding her sister's ships.

"Is fine Amagi, besides, I've only just met you," Biloxi then pointed out this fact.

"Does our guest speak the truth?" Yamato then asked Taihou.

To which the raven-haired girl responded with a nod of her head.

"Shikikan kept Amagi-son present here a secret. As he feared that the Union might try to take her and use her as leverage against the homeland." Taihou explained to the Battleship.

Still, this was not entirely true, as there had been rumours about a mysterious guest taking up residency in one of the few beds that were available in the medical ward for a while now.

Biloxi had even heard the rumours about that, but what was not clear was who it had been. The cruiser had of course heard the name Amagi mentioned a couple of times by the smaller ships, but she had brushed it off at the time as kids being kids as it were.

Even so, now that the Union cruiser was now faced with the truth, she found that it didn't bother her.

As she knew what Taihou said about the Union taking Amagi was something they would probably do at this point.

Even so, Biloxi knew that trying to use her as a bargaining chip with Akagi would never work.

Especially now, as there was simply too much bad blood between the Sakura Empire and the Eagle Union for this conflict to be stopped by negotiations, let alone one person.

"I'm sorry; I know that everything that's happening must be very hard for you to come to grips with." Biloxi offered Amagi her sympathies.

As the light cruiser knew that this all must have been extremely hard for her to come to terms with everything that had happened.

Still, there was a part of Biloxi that very much wanted to rip into the woman. But from what Biloxi had seen of Amagi, she had realized that doing so would not have meant a damn thing.

Especially considering the fact of just what Amagi had to be dealing with knowing that this so-called war was being wedged in her name. And for that, Biloxi could not help but feel pity for her, as her sister was solely her name. Even so, there was a bitter smugness that came from this knowledge, as Biloxi could not help but feel that this was justice in a strange twist sort of way.

But this feeling was also tempered when Biloxi investigated Amagi's face and saw nothing but pain, anger, and most importantly guilt that seemed to verge on helplessness.

"If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me to you. As all your sisters; friends were lost because of my blind faith. I should've done more then maybe everyone would still be alive." Amagi was extremely assertive when she said this.

As this yet again this just showed how affected Amagi was by the events that had been taking place in her name.

"Amagi please," Taihou was begging her to stop, "It wasn't your fault, they made their choices."

"But I was the one who raised Akagi and Kaga." Amagi then argued with her junior.

"But it was I and Nagato who were supposed to prevent something like this from happening, so we also have our share of the blame as well." Yamato pointed out the fact as well.

As it was the truth of the matter, Amagi could not have done anything to stop her sister at the time.

"I was still the one who should've raised her better. If I could have…" Amagi started to speak before Taihou cut her off.

"Amagi, you did your best. But the Gods decided that you weren't to play a part in this." Taihou did her best to comfort the woman she had come to rely on while she had been in Azur Lane.

At which point Biloxi seemed to sense that her part in this conversation was over.

As she could sense that both Taihou and Yamato wanted to have a moment alone with Amagi to prepare her for what was likely to be an unpleasant conversation between Miles and all those currently waiting in this room.

"If you don't mind, I need to take my leave, it was a pleasure meeting with you all: Lady Amagi, Empresses Yamato, and Taihou. I hope that we'll be able to talk more once things have calmed down a bit." Biloxi said, trying to be as polite as she could in this situation.

"Smooth sailing lady Biloxi." Yamato bid her goodbye as did Amagi and Taihou.

Biloxi then detached herself from the three women as she then started to make her way over to Belfast at a brisk pace.

Upon approaching Belfast, Biloxi could not help but note the way she was eyeing her Commander with a look that seemed to be a mix of sadness, worry, and acceptance, colouring her lovely face.

But as Biloxi continued to come closer, she could see why Belfast would wear such an expression. As she could now see the reason as to why that was, she then called out to her.

"I wasn't aware that Alex even liked drinking hard liquor," Biloxi said as she continued to approach the maid.

"It's been a habit that Master Miles had been developing for the last three years," Belfast explained to Biloxi, her voice conveying the disappointment she felt over this development.

Then again, given what had been taking place over the last couple of years, it wasn't much of a surprise to Biloxi that Miles had started to develop such a habit. For there was extraordinary there had been little in the teams of good news to balance out the bad that came in daily.

Even so, Biloxi could not understand why Belfast did not stop him from doing. As she knew that she and Miles had something of a special relationship with one another since they had met.

Despite the two of them claiming otherwise, Biloxi, Revenge, and anyone else who had been close enough to Miles and Belfast knew that their relationship was more than that of father and daughter.

Though as weird as it might sound to anyone listening, Biloxi saw it as love at first sight sort of thing, as it would explain too much.

"I would've thought that you would've talked to him about changing your relationship so that you two could be more open with one another" This was not what Biloxi did not mean to say, as it just slipped out of her.

Because as Biloxi saw it, this was the best option for them to cope with what was happening around them.

Even so, Biloxi instantly regretted saying this, as the disapproving look, she had gotten from Belfast alone made her regret saying anything.

"I respect Miles's position on personal relationships between us. I wouldn't want to change it unless he's ready to do so." Belfast said this last bit a little too quickly for Biloxi to believe.

As she felt that Bel was doing her best to hide her true feelings about the situation between herself and the Commander.

But for the moment the light cruiser did not push the issue any further, as Biloxi knew that she would not get anything more from the maid if she did so.

Even so, Biloxi couldn't help but wonder whether this situation had anything to do with the fact that Belfast was in Royal Maid Core.

Apparently from what she had heard, the way that Belfast had become Head Maid of the Royal Maid Core had been considered controversial at the time.

Because from what Biloxi had been able to put together, Belfast, despite being the youngest maid in the Core had been chosen by Elizabeth herself to oversee the entire organization.

Which of course meant that Belfast had jumped over other maids with seniority over her. This of course didn't sit well with the other maids alongside a couple of other people in the queen's court who were against such a move.

Chief amongst them was the old battleship Revenge, who had argued at length with Elizabeth that Belfast was not yet ready for the responsibility that such a position would entail.

But their concerns had been either ignored or overruled, as Belfast still ended up as Head Maid despite these protests.

Which, of course, made Biloxi wonder if this was the thing preventing Belfast from attempting to pursue the relationship with Miles. As she knew what such a relationship could mean for her position in the Royal Navy if she did pursue it.

But before Biloxi could think about this any further, it seemed that Miles was ready to start this meeting.

Sensing this, Belfast then gave Biloxi one of her best smiles as she then spoke up.

"It seems that we're starting, we'll speak more on this once this is over," Belfast promised the Union ship.

At which point the light cruiser followed Belfast's lead; as she then took up a position in the semi-circle that had formed in the room, all the while she could feel the gaze of the white-haired maid upon her.

'Guess I touched on a sore spot.' Biloxi thought to herself.

As she had not seen Belfast ever act in such a way before.

But thankfully for both her and Belfast, Miles started speaking breaking the silent tension between the two women.

"I'm glad that you decided to join me and Biloxi on such a short note." Miles tried to make a joke to break the ice.

Which unfortunately didn't work, as everyone here knew what was happening and was more interested in what he had to say regarding current events.

Something which Miles picked up quickly when no one here realized that no one had said anything.

At which point he signed, took another sip from his drink, and prepared himself for a rather unpleasant conversation.

"As you all know; the Union has delivered an ultimatum for Azur Lane integration into the Eagle Union command system. Seeing as I'm in no position to refuse their demands, I'm sorry to inform you all that this transition will be taking place." Miles informed everyone in the room of what they already suspected.

"We already suspected that, but our question is just what are you planning to do because of it?" Biloxi was the one to ask the question.

As this was the main question on everyone's mind.

"For the moment, I'm not certain uncertain as to what I can do. As I have yet to get any details as to how they're planning to execute this transition." Miles explained to all those current presents.

To which another voice: Yamato spoke up.

"I do believe I speak for everyone here when I ask you Shikikan; just what are your plans regarding the future?" Yamato asked in her usual way.

"Can you be more specific?" The Commander asked as he wanted to know just what plans they were asking about.

To which Yamato raised an eyebrow, at which point Miles knew that she had seen through what he had been attempting to do.

"You know exactly which plans I'm speaking of," Yamato stated simply as she then took another pull from her pipe.

Sighing to himself, the Grand Admiral of Azur Lane prepared himself for what was likely to be an uncomfortable conversation.

"Okay, I can't give you details, but I'm planning to do everything I can to look out for you all. As I have no idea just what the Union is planning regarding you once their takeover is complete." Miles was of course referring to the Kansen that were originally from the Crimson Axis as he said this, "Still I'm certain that they'll do everything they can to keep me out of a command position, especially given my history." Miles then stated; as he did not sugarcoat the situation.

Because Miles knew from the moment the Union had placed their man to oversee Port Azure, they would most definitely try to do everything in their power to sideline him as quickly as possible.

As to ensure that Miles couldn't start making any problems for them once the takeover was complete.

"You're not suggesting that we'll go back to being treated like our predecessors. They know better than that, especially with the mutinies that resulted from our poor treatment." There was an air of disbelief in Biloxi's voice as she said this.

"With Hunter running things, anything's possible," Miles remarked.

At which point Biloxi bit her lip, as he was right in that regard. For she knew that Hunter was a man who was willing to lie about how a battle had played out and throw his subordinates under the bus to cover up his failings.

"Master, if I may ask. I do believe that everyone wishes to know just what you're going to do once this new system is imposed upon us of course." Belfast said with her usual grace, even though there was a slight edge to her voice.

As this reflected the mood of everyone in the room, as no one here was happy with the answers he was giving them.

But Miles didn't have any real answers to give any of them.

For all the options that were now available to him were simply put: bad, as there was no other way of putting it.

As the Grand Admiral knew the moment this transition was done, Azur Lane would become nothing more than a puppet organization for the Eagle Union.

"For the moment Bel, I'm not sure what I should do," Miles admitted as much to her.

It wasn't the answer he wanted to give them but considering just how many unknowns he was currently dealing with; Miles saw no reason why he should lie about this situation.

As it wouldn't do anyone any good.

Even so, this announcement did generate a lot of quiet conversations, as everyone talked about what Miles had just admitted to them and what it meant.

But despite that one person at least seemed to have an idea as to where Miles should start looking to figure out what came next.

"Kommandant…" Spee then spoke up.

"Yes Spee, what is it?" Miles asked as he continued to slump in his chair.

"Kommandant, from what I understand, you have two options…" Spee then trailed off not sure how Miles was taking her words.

But upon seeing him sit up to listen to her, she continued speaking.

"One option is to play long term, the other short." Spee kept her explanation short.

As cruiser felt uncomfortable speaking with many eyes on her.

But despite her feelings, she managed to get her point across to the others.

Even so, this did not have the effect that she had been hoping for, as the whole room erupted into a debate as to where Miles should either look out for the ship-girls that would serve under him or the future of Azur Lane.

Needless to say, this was a heated conversation between the supporters on both sides of the issue.

"Obviously Shikikan will ensure our safety."

"Suggesting that we sacrifice the future for a couple of…"

"-won't matter if there isn't a force left!"

From there, any chance of a civilized simply devolved into arguments as to whether Miles would support one course of action, or those trying to make their case for the Commander to follow theirs.

But just as this might come to blows, a small nervous voice managed to cut through the ongoing conflicts that were raging throughout the room.

"A-Ah, if I can say something," Leipzig's voice seemed to come out in a squeak.

But this wasn't a surprise, as the light cruiser hadn't been the most confident Kansen. Even so, she felt that she had not only important things to say but also something to prove something to herself.

Even so, despite her sudden surge of bravery, Leipzig couldn't help but feel nervous with attention now on her.

'Just, don't faint!' The light cruiser thought to herself as she then forced herself to speak.

"I... was helped by Kommandant. When he did not need to, it was a risk he took for me. So, um, Kommandant whatever choice you make; I know that it will be the best one for us." Leipzig gave her support to the Commander who had helped smuggle her out of her country in her time of need.

This made everyone present realize that the young woman was right, as they all knew that Miles would not simply leave them out to dry.

Even so, there was the question of what choice he was going to make.

But thankfully for everyone there, Miles had finally seemed to make up his mind, as he then spoke up.

"Thank you for your support, Leipzig, as I know that wasn't easy for you to say. But you are right; the choices I make will be in the best interest of everyone here. As I need to look after you, Hiryuu, Amagi, and anyone else that cannot afford to be here once the Union takes full control of this facility." Miles stated.

As he knew that he couldn't risk having the Union find them here.

Because Miles knew that if they did, they would use this against him from Port Azure while ruining his reputation with the wider world.

Which Miles would like to avoid for obvious reasons.

"If I may Master, may I suggest a course of action?" Belfast inquired of her admiral.

"You may unless anyone else has something they wish to say first?" Miles made the offer to all those who were currently present in the room.

But given the fact that they were still brainstorming their ideas, they were happy to let Belfast have the spotlight.

"So, Bel, what is it that you are suggesting we do?" Miles then inquired after the time he had allotted for someone else to voice their ideas had elapsed.

"I would suggest we contact Revenge, for I do believe that she'll know of someplace that we could use for our needs; especially considering she's been banished from the UK for quite some time now. As such, I'm certain that she'll help us given our past relationship." Belfast suggested to him.

"Very good Bel, do you have any idea how long it would take to get in contact with her?" He then inquired about his right hand.

But before Belfast could respond to Miles, she then spotted Suruga, who was standing in the now-opened doorway.

As the battleship was giving her a prearranged signal that automatically told her that her presence was needed immediately elsewhere.

Knowing full well that Suruga would not have intruded on their party, let alone leave Hiryuu alone to placate the destroyers if this wasn't something that she could handle herself. Belfast knew that she needed to make her excuse and go and see what Suruga needed her for.

"I'm sorry Master, but you could excuse me for a moment. There seems to be an important message coming in for you that requires my attention." Belfast explained.

Miles simply responded to this with a small nod, at which point Belfast gave him a small bow and left the room.

Once she had left Miles then picked up from where he had left off.

"So, as I stated before, with the Union on base we can't risk having some of you here anymore. As that's just asking for the Union to pick you up and lock you away. So, knowing this, we need a place where we can keep you out of sight of the Union for the rest of the war and possibly beyond depending on what happens after the war ends." Miles explained to everyone there.

As he strongly suspected that he would be forced to smuggle Leipzig, Hiryuu and other Kansen off Port Azure in the coming days.

"I for one agree with this statement. But I would advise you to be careful with this line of thinking Shikikan." Yamato gently reminded Miles as to where this line of thinking could lead to.

But before Miles could respond to Yamato the door to the room opened and Belfast quickly stood back into the room. With an expression on her face that Miles knew often was a forbearance of problems that require his attention in some way.

Most often they took the form of those events that not even had been expecting to come across.

"What is it, Bel? Has something happened?" Miles then asked, cutting through the current conversation.

The maid did not respond immediately, as she tried to find the right words to explain what had just transpired. This only served to raise alarm bells in Alex's head.

"Master, it seems that there's a new player on the board." Belfast tried her best to keep the uncertainty out of her voice but failed to do so.

As the maid was extremely uncertain given the massage transcript she had received from Suruga. For she had clearly understood the message, but the implications of it were something Belfast was not entirely sure as to whether they were a good or a bad thing.

Because from her and most of the world's understanding the Sirens had wiped out about half of the world's population in the first wave of their invasion. As if most of the major powers had tried to establish contact with any surviving elements of humanity once they had been able to get a foothold back in the sea.

As to spread out their enemies' forces.

So, to hear that there was an unconnected part of humans after what had taken place was nothing short of a miracle in Miles' eyes.

"Did they explain who they are and what they want?" Miles inquired.

"No Master, the message was rather brief; still it contained a way to contact them back so that we can set up a meeting," Belfast informed him.

"Did they at least give a name of the person who I would be meeting with?" Miles then asked.

"They did Master, though I will admit I'm unaware as to whether meeting with them is wise given our current situation," Belfast admitted to not only Miles but all those currently present as well.

"I expect you to say that given the circumstances; still did they give the name of who would be their envoy, Bel?" Miles asked her, not sure as to what to make of Belfast, seeming uncertain about this.

"They did, as the name of the envoy that you are to meet is Commodore James Cutter," Belfast informed her Commander.

But little did anyone in that room know just how quickly they would come to rely on this mysterious man in the months and years to come.


I hoped that you all enjoyed that chapter, as the Spirit of Fire and her Captain are finally making their presents known to this world. And considering the situation that Miles is in, it should be an interesting meeting indeed.

Sorry for the long setup though, as I was setting the stage for this, among other things. As I wanted to make this story unique compared to other stories I have seen on the site where the two crossover factions start working with one another right off the bat.

Besides, if this goes to plan, then there should be more then enough time to make up for this if I continue the story.

Anyway, that is enough of me rabbling, so I'll let you all go now, and until next time have a good one.