Chapter 17 - Meeting Between Admirals

Inside the Eagle Union command room, an Admiral was seen holding an order paper and a black disc that said "TOP SECRET". His facial expression was filled with confusion when the highest command of the Admiralty Code had to be carried out in the Azur Lane area.

 "What happened? Why did they stop the Seawolf-class program?"

 In front of his eyes, a camera capture was seen containing rows of submarine corpses. The submarine frame, reinforcement iron, protective steel, and submarine weapons were destroyed to eliminate evidence including the people involved in it.

 "Aaaahhh... This is why Enterprise went berserk in that place. They were too stupid to involve civilians as test subjects. Creating a replica of the Wisdom Cube that was born naturally from the ship was just a waste of effort."

 Toook... Toook...

 Suddenly, a soft knocking sound was heard on the door of his room.

 Kreeeekk...

 "Admiral, it's time for lunch."

 From behind the open door, a girl carrying a stack of papers entered his office.

 "Helena? I'm waiting for someone," the Admiral answered without looking at the girl.

 "Admiral, have you forgotten? They have been waiting for you. If you do not fulfill their wishes, the security and harmony of Azur Lane will be torn apart again," Helena said.

 "Ugh… I-I understand. They are very annoying when it comes to getting classified information," the Admiral grumbled.

 Information about the Seawolf unit had become common knowledge for the Eagle Union but for other nations, it was information they did not know. The appearance of the Seawolf Flagship involved in the Siren Strongholds battle in the Gibraltar region had spread to the Azur Lane main base. All Admirals who represented the nations held a luncheon to discuss the Seawolf unit.

 The journey felt very heavy. Every step the Admiral took was filled with heavy pressure on his shoulders. A piece of classified information belonging to the Eagle Union and the crimes against humanity behind it. Behind all that, he remembered his old child friend who was the subject of the Seawolf unit experiment.

 "Altair, huh?" he muttered softly.

 "Admiral, I heard a rumor about a Seawolf submarine docked at the spare dock. Is that true?" Helena asked.

 "That's right, Helena. I've sent a destroyer to escort his arrival."

 "Umm… Admiral…"

 "No, Helena. I won't answer that question," the Admiral replied in a firm tone.

 The Admiral's instincts worked quickly. With the rumors that had been circulating and Helena's high curiosity. He had anticipated the sensitive question that would come out of Helena's mouth.

 "I-I understand."

 Helena was surprised by the Admiral's answer and fell silent. The long journey was filled only with the sound of footsteps echoing in the hallway. The atmosphere between the Admiral and Helena felt very awkward.

 "It's not that I don't want to talk about it, Helena. It's just…"

 "I remember my old child friend who was involved in it."

 "He was a mysterious, quiet, and hard-to-understand child. You know my past, right? Born during the siren invasion and surviving in the secret Eagle Union orphanage as caretaker. I met someone strange in that hell."

 "Using the code name Altair, he was enrolled in the secret Seawolf unit developed by the Eagle Union. Every cold night, I heard him groaning in pain. While other children were eating warm soup, I saw him eating military rations that tasted like coral! All of that was done to adapt his body to the imitation Wisdom Cube and the war situation."

 "One day, I read a small paper that he hid. The side effects of the imitation Wisdom Cube on his body were heart attacks and muscle shock. Out of the three hundred children who were registered, only a hundred survived and only he had a normal status. The brain condition of the remaining subjects was like a living corpse that carried out orders to get the death reward of their pain."

 "Helena, can you survive alone in the ocean for six months and return to base only to replenish ammunition and food supplies that taste like a shit?"

 "..."

 "..."

 "..."

 There was silence between the Admiral and Helena,

 "Sorry, Admiral."

 With that one sentence, the Admiral and Helena continued their awkward and empty journey.

 The silence led them to a simple restaurant run by Sakura Empire.

 Kliiiiing...

 Kachiiing...

 As the bell rang, all eyes turned to the Admiral. Far in front of him was a special table with food prepared. He walked over to the table and sat down to enjoy his lunch.

 The Admiral was not alone. He was surrounded by Admirals from other factions enjoying lunch at the same table.

 "Arthur, it's time for you to talk about it," said an Admiral from the Iron Blood nation.

 "Karl, I just got here. Even my lunch is still untouched," replied Arthur.

 "Is it just me or is the Eagle Union exploring dark history to be known by public."

 Beside him, an Admiral from the Sakura Empire faction entered the conversation that had been created.

 "Miyamoto, don't be so rude. The Eagle Union has a dark history that they don't want to talk about it. The Royal Navy also has a history that they don't want to talk about it. All those bad things are just stories from the past that they want to forget. Isn't that right, Arthur?" replied the Admiral from the Royal Navy nation.

 "Ugh… You guys," responding to the question from the Admiral from the other nation, Arthur held his head.

 "Don't you guys want to ask questions too?" said Arthur to the remaining Admirals.

 "As representatives of the Northern Parliament, we are not interested in the human rights violations committed by the Eagle Union."

 "Guuuuhu… That hurts my little heart, Vladimir!" Arthur exclaimed while holding his chest.

 "However, I am interested in one thing. The Empress III and the Siren Strongholds were destroyed by a single Eagle Union submarine. That sounds so impossible," Vladimir said.

 "Trust me, Vladimir. It happened. This particular Seawolf unit is so abnormal and unpredictable. Moreover, it is the Flagship of the Seawolf class. Its combat ability against the sirens is beyond doubt. All records regarding its battles are top secret. So, you will not get any Seawolf-class information from me," Arthur replied.

 "Speaking of abnormal and unpredictable. I received a report from King George V that sounded strange. He saw a small torpedo-shaped aircraft flying above her. Is that a new weapon belonging to the Eagle Union?"

 "Hmm…"

 "Interesting question…"

 "I am curious about this one…"

 The important question was raised by the Admiral of the Royal Navy and invited the curiosity of other nations. A secret weapon that could be developed by their technology.

 "Aaah… That's not the aircraft you're thinking of. Submarines have limited space for storing food and ammunition. The aircraft King George V referred to was a simple reconnaissance aircraft. Its range and altitude are very limited for single use. Of course, that's a top secret of the Eagle Union."

 "Speaking of aircraft, Akagi reported that her reconnaissance aircraft was shot down by a very fast small object. She saw a line of Eagle Union destroyers escorting the small ship and her reconnaissance aircraft was shot down," Miyamoto said.

 All eyes were back on Arthur.

 "I don't know about that, why was Akagi's reconnaissance aircraft shot down?" Arthur turned the question back to Miyamoto.

 "I don't know either, there was no report of an air attack occurring in the Azur Lane area."

 "So, does that mean your aircraft is having problems?" Arthur wanted to avoid questions about the Seawolf unit and end the troublesome lunch.

 The heavy lunch added to Arthur's mental stress. Paperwork was much better than this. The pressure from other nations who were prying into Eagle Union's top secrets increased his stress level.

 "Ugh… When will they stop talking about it?" Arthur muttered.

 After lunch, Arthur and Helena returned to the Eagle Union command room.

 When Arthur opened the door to his office, he saw someone familiar. A young man in military attire, neatly styled hair and a relaxed look in his eyes.

 He was holding a small photo frame containing Arthur's memories.

 "Altair?" Arthur said.

 "You still have this photo, huh? Long time no see, Arthur."

 Altair greeted Arthur who was silently staring at him.

 The reunion of the two old friends had begun.