Chapter 210: | 210 | The Arrival of the Higher Echelons
Somewhere in the northeast of the island of Terra...
In the middle of the seemingly endless cold waters of the northern sea, the tides surged along with the vicious waves that threatened to consume those that dared to sail upon it. However, above savage sea was a lone Osprey soaring through the clear azure skies emptied of any canvas of clouds.
And inside of it were two of the Higher Echelons in the naval organization, who were temporarily situated in the island of Terra after the final battle between the Colonial Dominion and the United Navy.
These two were Lieutenant Colonel Laplace also known as the Dragon of Liberation and the commander of the Special Response Unit, and First Lieutenant Mercedes, the one and only secretary of the Fleet Admiral.
As the interiors of the Osprey trembled from the turbulence brought about by an empty sky. Laplace maintained a smirk on her face, glancing around the aircraft with interest. The Naval SEALs still surrounded them, though these new guys maintained a clear distance from them.
"So, what did you discover in the docks, Laplace? Is there something interesting inside?" After observing the Naval SEALs, the dragoness turned her attention to her former second-in-command.
Mercedes, who found herself in a trance, was disrupted from whatever came through her mind and imagination to answer the dragoness before her. The silver wolf lycanthrope gazed forward and into the golden eyes of the lieutenant colonel.
Without a tinge of obvious reaction, Mercedes aloofly answered. "Nothing of interest was discovered in the docks. There was no secret or hidden artifact after our second round of searching through the abandoned ships. It seems that the secrets of the Magus Tower may lay deeper than we imagined."
"Oh, I see... I guess searching for Magus traces in the port was already a bad endeavor to begin with." Laplace was cautious and a bit paranoid when facing against the Magi. These bastards knew how to maintained or place secretive runic spells.
The dragoness needed to make sure, not wanting the island of Terra to be even more compromised that it currently was.
"The Magus Tower is off-limits until the Fleet Admiral returns to the island of Terra. That was the agreement, the choice we have made." Mercedes calmly responded, earning the pout of the dragoness. "I know, I know... I'm just thinking that we could investigate a bit of it."
"Maybe, we can make sure that it would be safe for Abraham to enter." Laplace suggesting with an innocent smile, which Mercedes immediately shut down without hesitation or delay. "No, we have already made our decision. There's no going back from that."
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"Humph..." Laplace pouted even further and turned her head away from the first lieutenant. Promises were something she considered as important. So, if she wanted to do something that breaks the agreement, she would usually ask the one who she gave her word to.
But if they disagreed with a break of their agreement, there was nothing she could do. Laplace wanted to maintain her integrity as a dragon, so she halted in her activities of trying to change the agreement.
Seeing the reaction of the dragoness, Mercedes could only sigh to herself and glanced at the endless sea below them through the windows of the aircraft. Beforehand, a couple of years ago, she never thought she would go so far into the skies.
Now, it became a normal occurrence for her. The usual amazement of flying had already worn off the moment she reached her twentieth time in an aircraft.
However, the sceneries that could only be seen by birds, or perhaps dragons, were amazing nonetheless. The beauty of the skies was something that was difficult to be dismissive about. It reminded her the vastness of the world and the freedom they could accomplish inside of it.
"Have you thought about what I said before the operation?" Before Mercedes could continue her thoughtless search for beauty amidst the heavens, the smug voice of Laplace echoed inside her fluffy ears. Her eyebrows rose, remembering what the dragoness had said a couple of days ago.
"I heard you gave the Vice Admiral the same offer a month ago. I thought you had already given up on it after not hearing about it for a few weeks." Mercedes was curious as to what could have prompted the dragoness to do such things.
She didn't know if she should be in favor of it or not. Her mind kept her rational, reminding her to not overstep the boundaries of a subordinate and a superior. But her heart wrecks havoc in her thoughts, wanting to step beyond the lines of normalcy.
Nevertheless, Mercedes kept such thoughts within herself. It was better for things to remain unsaid, her thoughts should be forever be nothing more but a figment of her mind.
"Have you ever heard a dragon giving up?" Laplace questioned while chuckling as though the word giving up had never gone through her mind a single moment in her entire life. Her dictionary didn't contain such a word as giving up would mean more than what it should be.
"I haven't... After all, you are the first dragon I have ever talked to." Mercedes replied in a straightforward manner prompting Laplace to stop chuckling. She looked at the silver wolf and felt as though this lieutenant was as dense as the world itself.
"At any rate, whether or not I chase after the Fleet Admiral does not correlate to your activities in pushing it forward. I'll choose in my own terms, and the results will be something I can accept." She continued and answered the words that the dragoness had spoken before.
Laplace's gaze narrowed as she quietly muttered in a cold tone. "But you better be fast. After all, I won't keep the gates open forever. I'm sure you understand the most how dragons treat their treasures."
"With greed, obsession, and arrogance." Mercedes responded, her eyes also squinting at the dragoness. She knew how dangerous Lady Laplace was. A dragon's power wasn't to be underestimated, Mercedes herself had personally seen it.
Laplace was the strongest individual in the United Navy. Even though dragoness sometimes follow through the words of the vice admiral and herself, Mercedes knew the most that the only one that could reel her in and keep her in line was the fleet admiral of the United Navy.
Though, her hesitance was never related to the power imposed by the dragoness. Mercedes didn't fear anything after losing her freedom. Regaining it returned some of her emotions, but most were reserved to the fleet admiral.
If she decided to take the fleet admiral for herself, she would do so without a tinge of hesitation. Even if she faced the wrath of the dragoness and die in the process, she would leave the world in her own terms, living a life without regrets.
"I already know that. There's no need to remind me, Lady Laplace." Mercedes softly answered, earning the nod of the dragoness. "To live life is to make sure you don't have a tinge of regrets. Otherwise, you would feel as though you haven't live your fullest."
Laplace remarked and continued. "But opportunities are rare and not always present. There will be moments that will be once in a lifetime. Don't hesitate, no matter what."
Meanwhile, the Navy SEALs calmly watched in the sideline as the two ladies conversed with silent venoms. It made them think of the fleet admiral's ability to tackle such women without losing his life. As expected of the one that could only be considered as the man amongst men.
Though, before the Navy SEALs could continue thinking about what had just happened in the interiors of the Osprey. Laplace and Mercedes turned her attention away from each other and into the windows right beside them. Beyond the reinforced glass was a massive island resembling a nine-pointed star.
At the middle of the strange island was a dome-like structure with a protruding tower at its center. It pierced through the skies, and it was the largest building they had ever seen. It towers even the most highest skylines in the Port of Dawn.
"So, this is where he got himself into." Laplace mumbled to herself, staring at the installation below one. Her scrutinizing gaze laid bare the secrets buried throughout the island. The more she observed it, the more she realized that it was more of a fortress than anything else.
"It seems that the United Navy has grown even further than ever before. Perhaps, now a hundredfold stronger. The dream of establishing a country will be easy to achieve with this island around." She continued to silently mutter, realizing the reason why her lover had called for a meeting.
Things were bound to be interesting. After all, the creation of a country wasn't a mere affair. With the allied islands surrounding them, it would be a complicated one. Though, regardless of the results, she would stand by the United Navy.
On the other hand, Mercedes's mind was riddled with countless of thoughts. The marvel of engineering before her and the invincible-like fortress architecture of the island deeply amazed her. She couldn't help but feel a slight excitement in her heart as it steadily pounded inside her chest.
'As expected of him.' She thought to herself, gazing at the Citadel with hidden amazement.
The Osprey soon made its landing, along with many others like it. Inside them were also the Higher Echelons of the United Navy, from the rear admiral, to the respective lieutenant commanders, and lieutenant colonels. It would be a meeting that would shape the United Navy.