*City of light 

*Evan/My POV 

We entered the passageway into the research facility where the atmosphere became a little uneasy. 

"I'm sure we're at the same place, but nothing else about this facility matches what we saw before. I don't think this is the same console from before." Tallinn frowned. 

"Doesn't this feel familiar? This seems more like one of the Northern Parliament's command centers rather than what we saw before." Belorussiya remarked. 

"That's also the impression I'm getting. Belorussiya, I don't think I've seen that insignia anywhere before. Ring any bells?" Kirov asked after spotting a mysterious insignia.  

"I can't say I recognize it either. This place really is full of mysteries." Belorussiya commented. 

"Look at all those doors ahead of us! Why don't we go explore them all?" Gromky pointed at a set of double doors. 

"I don't think anyone's home anyway~ Surely nobody will mind if we take a little peek inside~ Besides, it's not like we're doing anything else right now..." Murmansk agreed. 

"Everything here must have been hidden away for a reason. I, for one, am in favor of getting whatever valuable intelligence we can. There must be something around here that gives us more information about this Mirror Sea, and how to control it. ...Having said that though, we don't have the time to look through every single room." Belorussiya pointed out. 

"How about we start from the big picture and work our way down?" I asked. 

"I agree. If this is some kind of command center, then there must also be a conference room, a records room, and some information about what this place was used for." Kirov agreed. 

"Ah... Look at that room up ahead! Don't you think that fits the bill?" Gromky pointed to a room with 3 giant screens. After entering the curious room, we were immediately greeted by a huge display screen on the opposing wall. 

"Hmm... Why would something like this be here?" Belorussiya asked while I looked at the display screen. 

"This is a chart that seems to track the course of a battle of some kind... It seems to be of... an island defense?" Tallinn examined the screen and commented. 

"The red star in the middle must represent an important target, and a defensive line has been erected all around it." Kirov commented. 

"Trying to defend such a small island in this manner seems like a fool's errand." Belorussiya remarked. 

"Indeed. You can buckle down all you want, but anyone trying to defend this island will be at a huge disadvantage due to the lack of maneuverability. You might be able to use some of the smaller surrounding islands as a buffer, but even so... Assuming each mark represents the same amount of forces, the defenders are outnumbered several times over." Kirov agreed. 

"'The purpose of this operation is the absolute defense of the island's facilities, and to prevent the enemy from establishing a foothold in the region.'" Murmansk started reading from the left screen. 

"This place must've had some greater importance we're not seeing. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense to defend this place so desperately at such an overwhelming disadvantage." Murmansk suggested before reading again. 

"'Use the fleet's speed to fight back. Even if it's impossible to overcome the difference in numbers, we can still buy more time... There is still a glimmer of hope in this operation. We were expecting to be crushed, but luckily, the enemy's forces seem to be getting diverted elsewhere. We will hold the line until our last breath. We've done all that we could. Your dedication and sacrifice shall not be forgotten.'" Murmansk finished reading.

"Thank you for your dramatic display of oratorical flair, Murmansk. We can already see all that information on the screen." Kirov thanked Murmansk. 

"What's wrong with embellishing things a little bit~?" Murmansk asked before turning to Gremyashchy. 

"...Huh? Gremyashchy, what's the matter?" Murmansk asked upon noticing Gremyashchy's expression. 

"We're not alone... Something is watching us. Do you feel that as well?" Gremyashchy replied. 

"Eh? I don't feel anything..." Gromky shook her head. 

"Me neither... Jeez, Gremyashchy, stop saying spooky stuff like that." Murmansk denied feeling anything. 

"Not going to lie, I've had an uneasy feeling ever since I stepped into this room..." I spoke out. 

"Eh? You feel it too, Comrade?!" Murmansk was shocked for a moment. 

"It's weird, isn't it? Nobody's been here for ages, but the monitor is still on, like everyone just up and disappeared." Murmansk pointed out. 

"Come to think of it, it does seem weird." Le Triomphant agreed. 

"More than weird, it's kind of creepy, even... Like we've entered a haunted house." Murmansk shivered a little. 

"Ahaha, how unscientific of you, comrade Murmansk! Besides, how could the Revolution falter before some ghosts? That said, since several of you share this suspicion, I suppose we should proceed under the assumption that we are indeed being watched." Kirov chuckled before agreeing that we're being watched. 

"Stay close, everyone. Nobody is to wander off on their own, lest we risk getting lost, or worse yet, walk into a trap." Belorussiya cautioned.

"Sir Evan. Stay close to us." Lady Forbin reminded me. 

We moved in a single group through the complex corridors. There was much ground to cover, but not infeasibly so, now that we got through some of the biggest rooms. 

"Ehehe... Let's go explore in that room and see if there's any more treasure~!" Gromky suggested. 

"Hehe~ Sounds like fun. Let's all go on a treasure hunt~♪" Murmansk agreed. 

"I didn't find much in the way of treasure. All I recovered was this stack of misprinted documents." Kirov replied. 

"Let me have a look. Hmm... "Summary on Bluepoint Ships"? Actually, it must be "Blueprint Ships." It's barely legible, but that looks more plausible." Belorussiya remarked.