Mobius 13 Presents:

Advance Wars: First Strike

January 15, 2253

War is something of the past. It has been for 20 years. Because 20 years ago the world realized it had been turned upside-down as nations splintered and fought each other like crazed beasts, unknowing of what they were doing for 30 years. The world had become a desolate playground for weapons of death. But now the world has begun to heal, greenery returning to brown and blackened landscape. Rubble became foundations, foundations became buildings. The world was once again at peace. And after 20 years, it would appear that peace would last forever…

Advance Wars: First Strike

Chapter 1: History Lesson

A Dark History

Wars World. The name of the world we live on. Its history has been shaped by countless wars between nations. This war was no different. 50 years ago, two nations, Blue Moon and Green Earth, were facing each other in a sort of cold war over their borders on the Bankan Sea. They sent threats and created a naval blockade around their nations. Yellow Comet and Orange Star pushed for peace, but their cries were ignored. Then, on December 7, 2203, an Orange Star fleet was annihilated by a joint GE and BM assault. The claim was that the OS fleet had pushed through both blockades without the proper ID signals. GE and BM both argued over who finished off the intruders, and who would take the blame. The next day, BM was hit by a nuclear weapon that wiped out one of their major cities. GE also was struck by rebels claiming to be from BM. Both countries now faced each other in war, showing no mercy towards their foe.

Despite repeated peace talks and negotiations with OS and YC, BM and GE continued to strike at each others' throats. No advances were made until OS and YC made a decisive pact to not help either nation economically or politically. In effect, OS and YC locked out BM and GE from the world. The people of the two nations were split. Without action, the war would drag on forever. By fighting, the war would be short but deadly. This caused OS to face a rebel coup on September 11, 2208. The country of Red Star arose in its place, and the OS pacifists were sent to live on a small peninsula to the south of the RS-BM border. The YC government also was defeated by their aggressor countrymen on February 14, 2209. The new government, Yellow Sun, pushed pacifists to the northern territories and sent troops to BM and GE.

By August 30, 2225, the war had been dragging on and on due to stalemates. Accusations and suspicion led each nation to believe that the world was the enemy. OS and YC were tired of war by then, and had ostracized themselves from the world. A new nation calling itself the United States of Evangelon Alliances was formed north of RS. This nation had fought for independence from OS for many years, and when OS was defeated, USEA began to create a constitution. After their constitution was completed, the USEA then began to form defensive barriers and a defensive military force. They had seen the world collapse many times, and nothing would be accomplished with more hatred and war. USEA was now the prime peace advocate.

On December 7, 2228, another new nation was formed. This new nation called itself the New Order of Valance Alliance Republics, or NOVA. This nation was headed by Jack Valance, among three other high-ranking military leaders of each aggressor nation. NOVA, along with USEA, revitalized peace talks and got OS and YC involved. By now, each nation was beginning to slow down in their war efforts. But RS, the nation with the most advanced war machines, favored one last strike.

Red Star attacked the defenseless NOVA nation in the middle of the Core Ocean, which is the ocean that separates the great landmasses. NOVA defenses rested largely on an air force with outdated planes and a rusting navy. RS gained four NOVA islands, but was forced to withdraw upon facing NOVA's new Behemoth (a battleship) and the Rising Star (an aircraft carrier). RS also invaded Evangelon, but was defeated when the island defenses wouldn't fall. BM, YC, and GE all stopped combat operations as well.

On July 4, 2233, all eight nations of the world signed a peace pact, stating that they would no longer use war to solve their disputes. The world was at peace once again. The economic costs of the war were in the multi-trillions. The human costs were two billion dead, 3 billion wounded. The natural costs couldn't be calculated. The landscapes of the coastlines and the RS-BM border were charcoal for a grand barbecue of human flesh, smothered with oil. The nuclear weapons being developed were sealed away in deep bunkers. The horrors of the war would never again be seen…

Recovery (Andrew)

January 15, 2253

My name is Andrew Andrews. Odd name, but I'm not arguing. I'm 25, quite handsome, still single. I live in a refugee camp called Recovery. It is one of the hundreds that Orange Star set up to house the people who were lost during the war. This is the last one they built. I helped in the construction, having been lost myself. My parents died of poisons in the dirty water and old bread we had to eat. They would give me the best portions and the cleanest sips. I never realized it until they died.

But that is the past. I don't like the past. The memories that are etched in my head are never happy. I don't recall ever having a warm bed or the feeling of good food in my stomach until I came to Recovery. Now I have a comfortable (but not warm) bed, and healthy (but not always good) food. And there's Ms. Hakari, the young woman who lives across the lane from me. She's 25, like me, and has beautiful jet black hair down to her shoulders. She's a little short, maybe 5'3", and has a nice pair of, uh, well...she has the cutest lips and nose, and her eyes are a sparkling green, like the emerald plains that once spread everywhere across Orange Star! And she's from Yellow Comet, the other nation that was overthrown.

Anyway, Recovery is a small refugee camp. It spans about 55 acres, with 50 acres for small farms. The other five acres contain single family houses made of patchwork materials and the city hall, police station, fire station, library, and the farmer's market. The homes are quite unique, despite being structurally the same, and having the same layout for each house. Each house looks rather slipshod on the outside, with patches of mud, brick, and wood showing all over the houses, but inside is nice and cozy. You can look at all the houses on the block and never find two with the same outside. There are 100 houses here, so that's a lot of variety!

Recovery is very peaceful, with rolling hills and no major roads. I like the serenity here. It's a change from my childhood of loud explosions and the death cries of soldiers. I hate that memory…

Place of Peace (Hakari)

Konnichiwa, my name is Hakari Hachiyama. I used to live in Yellow Comet, the nation that was overthrown by Yellow Sun, a more aggressive nation. I lived there with my older brother until I was ten; by then, he was dead. I slept in the streets with only rags to keep me warm. I lived like that for three years; my brother died in the year 2238, and the calendar on the ship to Orange Star was dated 2241.

One day I heard a man speaking of a nation that was creating homes and jobs for people like me; people who had lost all during the war. The man was talking to a crowd of people in the devastated town square. He openly wore a military outfit. He was from Orange Star, another nation that lost its power during the war. He had a comforting smile, one that hid the pain of seeing his comrades die. I saw it in his eyes as he cheerfully spoke of Orange Star's refugee camps. I never saw that man again. I boarded a ship to Orange Star easily; the captain turned down nobody.

One month later I saw the land of Orange Star myself. The verdant land slowly rose from the blue sea, bringing hope to the people on board the ship. We docked in a hustling port town, but the sights there would be quick—our destination would be one of the ten camps being prepared. I signed up for the one that was called "Recovery". The name stuck out as a place where I could heal the wounds inflicted by the war. I was right.

Recovery was small, but very peaceful. There were many farms, and about one hundred houses. I was only 13, so I was placed in a sort of orphanage where a kind old lady and her husband watched over us. I spent five years there; when I was 18 I moved to one of the vacant houses. It was pretty simple, only the basic needs: kitchen, bed, washroom, and a den. The houses to either side were empty, but across the street lived a young man by the name of Andrew Andrews.

Andrew is quite odd. He has silver hair and red eyes. He is a little taller than me and has a very fit look to him. He wears a mechanic's outfit a lot, probably because he's a mechanic and that's the only clothes he has. I don't mind; it gives him that look of a man with strong character. He seems to have trouble focusing around me. He often stumbles with his words and stares blankly at my eyes. I like him a lot; despite his little social problem, he's very kind and tries his best to get others to be happy.

I work at the Recovery library. I like books; they give me a sense of happiness. I think it might be the general aura of Recovery, enhanced by the content of the books. My favorite is a book without a title. The pages inside are worn out, so it's hard to read it sometimes. There are many pictures, beautifully drawn but fading. The head librarian let me keep it, especially since it was in no condition to be in circulation. I keep it safe near a fading picture of my brother and parents. It seems that the past is slowly slipping away from us. In Yellow Comet, the past is an integral part of the future; without the past, the future is clouded by mistakes repeated over and over. When the past and future are placed together, one can create a future where they forge a new path, using their full soul to make the right decisions and keep their mind clear.