By MesanShade.
Prologue.
Omega Land was silent once more; no longer did its dry, dusty, drained fields echo with the angry rumbles of guns, no longer did planes of war swarm around like steel flies. The last great war with Black Hole had finally come to an end, after nearly a year of arduous, bitter fighting. The price was high, very high indeed – not many wars are fought to save a continent from being turned into a lifeless wasteland – but it had been won. Even though it was beginning to heal again (no-one could offer an explanation why, though), the damage to the environment had been high – but the damage to the hearts of Omega Land's people had been greater. Many homes and towns had been ripped asunder, whether from the calculated, methodical strikes of Lord Jugger's 'Firewall' Army, the rampaging speed demons of Koal's 'Road Rage' Army, or the casual, indifferent destruction wreaked by Kindle's 'Urban Plague' Army.
The skilled CO's that stood in the way of Black Hole's warpath suffered as well. Sensei, feeling the lethargic pull of old age, had decided that war was finally too much for him, announcing his retirement to great sadness from the military community. Sami, Grit, Sonja and Eagle had left to return to Macro Land to help in the ongoing rebuilding efforts, leaving the others with the tiring task of cleaning up random pockets of Black Hole resistance still dotted around Omega Land. The departure of Lash was another big blow; she had left quite suddenly, a month after the end of the war. She had disappeared completely, leaving nothing but a short note, stating that she had to 'check something weird out'. The Allied Nations were at a loss what to do about her; even though she had left behind a folder full of brilliant plans for rebuilding Omega Land, her expertise was extremely useful.
None of these shocks compared to Hawke's apparent death, though. Searches through the rubble of Von Bolt's fortress had turned up nothing save the corpse of Von Bolt himself, but everyone knew that if Hawke had survived, he would have made his presence known by now. The Orange Star CO known as Jake was especially depressed by Hawke's fall; out of all of the Allied Nations CO's, Jake was the only one who really trusted Hawke, and losing someone who he had looked up to and respected had taken its toll on the young commander's mind. He had become depressed and withdrawn, spending most of his time back home, sometimes spending hours sitting on the hill nearby, lost in his thoughts. Rachel, his tag partner and the leader of the Allied Nations in Omega Land, was getting worried. She often checked up on him, concerned about his mental state, but her workload often meant that she could only watch him from afar, and wonder...
But while the Allied Nations celebrated their hard-won victory, and turned their attentions to rebuilding the land they had sworn to protect, other events were afoot...
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"And you are saying that this...thing...is still in Omega Land?" The tiny, glittering black eyes of Lord Koal stared at his superior over the small, carved wooden table, the characteristic red markings framing them like lumps of coal set ablaze. "How can you be sure?" the person he was questioning waved a hand, and laughed snobbishly.
"Aha ha ha! Koal dear, I would not waste my time on a mere hunch. Believe me when I say that I am sure. However," Kindle said, gesturing to her right, "If you do not believe me...perhaps you would like Jugger to confirm it?" Koal nodded and looked at the spherical shell of metal known as Jugger, his eyes matching the robotic CO's single, bluey-green eye.
"Well?"
"Jugger analysis completed as of twelve P.M yesterday. Analysis indicates that target is indeed still in Omega Land; exact position unknown." Jugger watched silently as Koal crossed his arms, a frown on his impish features.
"And how thorough was this...analysis?" Koal watched as Jugger's single eye flickered momentarily; whether it was an expression of frustration, or simply a sign of him accessing data, he did not know.
"Self-unit Jugger's analysis is accurate to within ninety-eight-point-seven-five to nintey-nine percent, with a margin of error of zero-point-zero-zero-zero-one percent. Lady Kindle has deemed that such accuracy is acceptable." Koal grunted and looked to the side as Kindle laughed again.
"Aha ha ha ha! Jugger is right, I do find such a stunning level of accuracy acceptable. Of course, there is still a chance that he may be wrong, but...c'est la vie..." Kindle fell silent as Koal sighed and looked back at her.
"Even if it is in Omega Land...where could it be? For all we know, it could be hundreds of meters underground by now, in the middle of the ocean, or hidden under the desert sands...and that is without considering all the security measures set on it. In our current state, starting such a search would be as foolish as trying to find a sand grain in the sea..."
There was silence. Jugger shifted nervously as Kindle stared cooly at Koal.
"Are you suggesting," she said quietly, "That we should give up now? Before we have even started?" Koal looked back at her, regarding her as coldly as she did him.
"No..." Koal began, his voice low and calculating, "What I am suggesting is that we lay low for a little while longer, to gather more intelligence on it's whereabouts...at least then, we shall have eyes to see the sand grain, even if we do not have the hands to pick it up with..." Kindle nodded slowly, before speaking again.
"I see your point...any direct attempt to find it now would alert those lower-class, bothersome Allied Nations...better to rebuild an army and gather intel than let everyone know we're back..."
"It is settled then," Kindle continued. "We wait, and gather troops and intel before mounting a large-scale search...yes, we wait...for now. After we have found it, though...hmhmhmhm...aha ha ha ha!"
"Heh heh heh..."
"Initiating laugh mode."
"Quiet, you."