Orange Star: A seed of destruction...a tree of hope
Commanding Officer Mel
Disclaimer: I still don't own the company that made Advance Wars but I do own a copy of the game as usual. However... I own my dossier style in Orange Star: A revised history and the characters I have created. As well as any concepts/ideas for the stories.
So don't even think about 'borrowing' them without my permission or I will kill you.
Note: If something is said in full italics like this, it means the characters aren't speaking in English
Author's note – This is my third AW fic. This one is an alternate universe of Orange Star: A revised history. That is... if the advisor had never met any of the COs in AW ever. Until now...
Chapter 1: Beginnings
Time: A morning
Place: Over the ocean between Yellow Comet and Orange Star...
A cool breeze blew through the air; Sami stared into the sky, the sun glared back into her eyes. She brushed aside her hair and proceeded to survey the open sky and sea. Nell had her patrol right smack in the middle of nowhere in the Terra Ocean, where 'suspected' Blue Moon activity was occurring. She would rather be on a recon mission, but presently she couldn't be picky about her orders.
At the moment, Orange Star was in need of a miracle and fast; so for the time being she was needed there on patrol duty. In the middle of nowhere.
The reason that Orange Star needed a miracle was because former Commander Olaf had gone and back-stabbed Orange Star. Hard.
A sudden glint in the sky caught her eye. There was a transport copter, heading straight towards Orange Star territory. It was an off-color blue and displayed Blue Moon's insignia.
"Captain!" Sami shouted.
"Yes Commander Sami?" The captain responded.
"Do you see that?" She pointed at toward the sky.
"Yes. It's a transport copter." He said.
"Well?" She waited for more.
"It appears to be blue." The captain continued. "Likely a Blue Moon unit."
"...hmm. I'm considering we shoot it down." Sami suggested.
"What for? Shouldn't we follow it?"
"It looks like an older model of a Blue Moon transport." She noted. "It'll save us some trouble later..."
"I see." He nodded.
"Perhaps spies or saboteurs?" She put down her binoculars, and headed towards the gun deck. "Better take some supplies just in case it lands on one of those islands." She said, as she took a handgun and her own survival pack. "If we manage to shoot it down, I'll go on ahead and check it out by myself."
"But miss, it might not be safe." The captain said.
"I'll be able to take care of myself Captain. Now move in closer and shoot it down!" Sami ordered.
"Aye-aye." The cruiser headed towards it, guns ready.
"All right... fire the anti-air cannons!" She said with grim satisfaction.
Time: At that same moment...
Place: Skies - Transport Copter
The copter shook as anti-air cannon fire started to punch holes through it.
"What the? Damn it! Orange Star is attacking neutral units? What the hell is going on? I knew I shouldn't have used this damn stolen Blue Moon copter..." The single crew member and pilot of the copter spat angrily. He ran a hand through his black hair and leapt up and gathered his supplies. Dashing for the airlock, he pulled on his parachute and his weaponry; guns and a sword. He checked that all the belongings he needed were on him, and jumped out. "Outta here!"
Just as the copter had started to fall out of the sky, it was destroyed with a deafening explosion. The pilot engaged his parachute and started to drift toward his attackers.
"Bloody cruiser... I'll teach them." He took aim with his gun while looking through a pair of binoculars, straight at the center of the ship as he was descending towards an island. Fortunately for him, the cruiser appeared to be heading in the same direction, which proved more advantageous to him. "Hmm..." He was just about to pull the trigger but he was caught off guard as a girl had just stepped onto the main deck. "What the hell? A girl?" Either way, he had pulled the trigger, and a blast of energy ripped a very large hole straight into the cruiser. "Ah well... direct hit either way. I wonder... wait... that island looks awfully familiar..." He 'half-shrugged' as he guided the parachute down to his landing point.
Time: Right after the blast
Place: Middle of the ocean, boat wreckage
The Orange Star patrol cruiser and most of its crew had been wiped out after the pilot's counterattack.
"What the hell was that?" Sami sputtered, as she clung onto her pack. She had no idea what just happened. She and her crew didn't even have a moment to react to whatever caused that massive explosion. She looked around for survivors, but to her dismay, there were none. Of the entire crew of twenty or so men, she was the only one left. She surveyed the scene in front of her. Planks, chunks of metal and steel, smoke and steam coming from the waters... it was incredibly strange that a single blast had ripped through the hull of the ship. Only battleships were able to do that, but in these waters, there were none in sight. Sami only remembered the explosion, knocking her off balance and into the water. If it was fate that protected her from the grisly end her crew mates had, she thanked it repeatedly. She started to swim towards the nearby island that she was planning to head to earlier. Perhaps the pilot or crew of the copter shared her similar fortune...
Time: Later...
Place: Deserted Island
After landing in a large semi-tropical tree, Mel (the helicopter pilot) groaned and swore.
"Dammit... friggin' shit... stupid tree..." Sighing he reached for the sheath on his waist, drew his sword, and swung blindly a few times to cut the tree branch. With a thud, he landed on the ground. Another thud followed, and the branch had landed on his head. "Ow... that hurt... stupid tree..." Sighing he tossed the parachute on the ground and proceeded to repack it. He stared around at his whereabouts and recognized the island. "...hey! This is the island that I snuck off to hide on..."
He used the deserted island as a getaway to avoid military life, annoying subordinates, as well as nosy government officials. "...coincidence... or good luck on my part? Whatever..." He shrugged and finished packing up his things.
The current commander of the White Sun military forces had decided to go scouting, but ended up stranded. After gathering his bearings, he headed northwards to the cave that he had previously set up camp in, filled with emergency supplies that he had left there.
Time: Within the next 10 minutes
Place: Deserted Island
"An island. Deserted to boot. Great..." Sami lamented. She had just swum up to the shoreline. Just then a large wave had pushed the supply pack out of her hands and straight back into the ocean. She groaned as she cursed her luck. "Damn... I needed that stuff... ugh..."
Right now, she was wet, cold and pissed. She had no energy left to go chase it, her gun had only eight rounds in it, her chocolate was in the bag and she really needed a towel. She decided she had little choice in her surroundings, so she headed deeper into the island itself to explore if maybe there was something, or anything that would help her situation.
"...first things first... shelter. Or maybe someone to take out my anger on..."
She walked deeper and deeper through the trees and rocks and she made it up a hill. The sound of trees rustling and waves crashing calmed her heated nerves. After reaching the top of the hill, she looked at her surroundings and saw the shore again, this time, it was covered with many sand dunes and small waves washing up on it. Near the edge, she saw someone standing there. A man in a white uniform was looking around.
"What the? The pilot? Can't be... he should be dead... I think." She quickly drew out her handgun and cocked it. "I'll see what I can do and if he's got any information..." She carefully went down the other side of the hill and hid behind a sand dune. "...he doesn't look like Blue Moon though... whatever." Shaking her head, she crept out of sight.
Meanwhile, Mel, unaware of what was going on behind him, was preparing to set up his camp near a cave by the shoreline. He could have sworn he heard the sound of sand being stepped on, but he attributed it to him being paranoid and the explosions from earlier messing with his hearing.
"Gotta radio for back-up I guess. Damn those Orange Star morons for hitting me... especially a neutral... though... it's probably my own fault.." He muttered. "...note to self, use a non-enemy marked transport..."
Sami was about to jump out and shoot, but she drew back as she heard a mention of Orange Star.
"What? Orange Star? Who is this guy anyway? He doesn't look like he belongs in any militia or military that I know of..." She chose to stay and listen for any more information before ambushing the pilot.
"Eh...stupid subordinates. I knew I should have told them I was going to check out the - hey!" His body instinctively moved as it sensed danger.
'Bang!' A shot rang out, and Mel dove out of the way.
"Who in the fucking hell fires at someone on a fucking deserted island?" Mel groaned, as he checked for his side arms. "Dammit, dropped them. So much for what's left of my luck..." He looked out at where he had dropped his guns. He reached over on his side and drew out his katana. "Aw hell, this is better than nothing. Now who the hell is firing at me?" He shouted out. "I know you're there! Show yourself!"
Sami decided to stop listening and tried to see if she could wound the young man and maybe force some more information out of him. But she missed and watched him jump behind a sand dune, but he had dropped a large gun and two smaller handguns. Perfect. She had the upper hand. Keeping her gun at ready, and she slowly made her way towards the weapons.
"Dammit... who is that guy?" Mel muttered to himself. He kept his sword at ready, and he crept over to the next sand dune.
"Almost there... careful... careful..." Sami said to herself, in an effort to calm her nerves. Just as she was about to pick up and examine the large gun lying on the ground...
"Die!" Came a cry, as she was knocked onto her back and a rather large, sharp blade was hovering inches from her throat... then she screamed. Loudly.
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeek!"
"God dammit! You don't have scream so damn loud! Shit!" Mel cringed as he continued to keep the sword in its place. "Honestly, I've never heard anyone scream like that during a war..." He kept his right arm with the sword balancing precariously above her throat and his left arm had pinned her down by her chest. "Okay... listen buddy... I don't know who you... eh?" He moved his focus slightly downwards, took a glance at the face that was inches from his, then to where his arm was. "What the fuck? A girl?"
"Of course I'm a girl you stupid jackass! Now get the fuck off of me!" She hissed.
"Ah, ah, ah. I don't think I can do that. After all you're the one who started it." He had a point, she did shoot first.
"Whaddya mean?" She looked over to the side and saw where her gun had flown when the maniac with a sword appeared and tackled her. "I didn't start anything!"
"I remember who you are now. You're that girl I saw on that cruiser I blasted to pieces." Mel realized.
"What the? How on earth could you blast a cruiser?" Sami demanded.
"I was in that T-copter that you bloody Orange Star idiots happened to shoot down, just because it had Blue Moon insignia on it."
"You were in there?"
"Of course I was. I was the only one on it." He said, rolling his eyes in irritation. "Judging from your looks, you're a field commander, and a fairly... new one."
"Yeah? What if I am?" Sami asked indignantly.
"I don't know..." He thought for a moment. Standing up, he kept the sword pointed at her. "Move, and you die. Understand?"
"Grr... yes." She gritted her teeth as she continued to lie on the sand.
"At least we've made one agreement so far." He slowly moved back and picked up the guns. Taking his own, he holstered them and taking Sami's, he tossed it up and cut it in two. "Problem solved." As he walked away from the ruined weapon, the bullets inside it exploded, ensuring that the weapon was rendered unusable.
"...you... you destroyed my gun!" She said in shock.
"So what? You freaking tried to kill me. So we're even." He said as he sheathed his sword and turned his back to her.
"Hmph. You can't be that tough without those weapons." She said spitefully.
"What was that?" Just as he turned around she jumped at him. "What the?"
"I'll show you!" She aimed a punch for his face, but just as she was about to hit it, his hand appeared right in front of her fist and grabbed it.
"What the hell are you doing girl?" He retaliated by driving his knee straight into her gut, knocking the wind out of her. "Ugh, I hate being rough with the ladies... but you leave me no choice..."
"Ack! (gasp)...you ...you..." She wheezed just as she looked up and saw him with a small device that was emitting a slight hissing noise. "I... I... get...y-" She collapsed onto the sand, unconscious.
Time: Two hours later
"...where... where am I?" Sami groaned as she looked up. She stared into the sky and saw that it was just somewhere around the afternoon. She tried to get up, but she couldn't move her hands and feet. "Dammit..." She remembered where she was. She was stuck on an island, with someone likely in an 'enemy' army, supply-less, weapon-less and minus an entire ocean patrol squad. She heard the crackling of a fire and she turned over and saw light coming from a small cave. Supplies, boxes and such littered the beach where the 'madman' had set up his camp.
Mel who had finished setting up his things on the beach looked out at the clouds.
"Looks like a storm is brewing..." He said as he moved the last of things into the cave and looked out at the tent and some supplies he had out for the next day. "I wonder what the heck that crazy girl is doing?" He headed towards his 'prisoner', sighing as he had his fill of crappy things happening in one day. "Note to self... announce presence to other armies to avoid getting attacked in the future..."
"Where the heck are you? You stupid jerk! Untie me at once! Or I'll have Orange Star so far into your ass, you won't be able to - " Sami started to shout various empty threats.
"Now that language isn't necessary." He said standing above her. "That and you are definitely in no position to order me around or threaten me. You're tied up and lying with your face in the sand."
"Grr..." She growled at him.
"Don't you do that either." He said simply as he lightly stepped on her head with the toe of his shoe. "Heel."
"Mmph!" She grumbled as her face was shoved into the sand.
"That'll teach you. I'll be in that cave over there if you need anything. Which I highly doubt."
"Bleh! Yuck! Ew! Hack! Cough!" She spat out the sand and her rage filled eyes followed him up the sand dune. "Jerk..." She muttered under her breath.
"I heard that." Came the voice beyond the sand dune.
"...grr..." She growled and flipped over again and stared into the clouds. "Hmm, it's gonna rain soon. I might try and get to some sort of a shelter." She started to crawl up the sand dune with her knees slowly, so that she wouldn't fall back down.
Mel sat back and pulled out the radio. He needed to get out and away from that crazy red-headed girl.
"Hello? White Sun? Over." He said into the receiver.
"Bzzrtk! Bzzk! ...he-hello? W-w-ho is th-is? Over." The signal sucked. Horribly.
"This is Commander General Mel. I was going to check out the Orange Star situation, when those ingrates shot me down. Over."
"...bzz... bzzz... Roger... it's... nice... t-to kn-ow that... you ...you're ali-alive Commander. Over."
"Now get me outta here. My coordinates are at my island hiding spot. That crazy ass girl is... oh damn..." Mel looked out and saw that a storm had started and the interference was too much. "Shit. God damn shit!"
Sami had just about crawled up the sand dune, but the sound of thunder and a flash of lightning surprised her, made her lose balance and she rolled back down the hill with a yelp.
"Crap! Shit! Dammit! Ugh..." She yelled as she rolled into a shallow pit in the sand full of sea water. "Where the hell did this come from?" She muttered, as it started to rain. "Mmm... this sucks." Thunder clapped again. She tried to get up, but the more she struggled the deeper she went into the wet sand and the more water started to fill up the pit. "Damn it... glub" She moaned as the water went into her mouth. "Pfeh! Sandy. Salty. Yuck."
Mel wondered where the foul-mouthed girl went, so he walked out of the cave to see where she was. He drew up his coat and slid down the sand. There he saw her trying to stay afloat in the water.
"What are you doing?" He asked innocuously.
"Trying to get out!" She yelled as her head got dunked under water again. "This sucks! Ugh!"
"So?" He shrugged.
"Help me damn you!" She said, attempting to stare daggers at him.
"Why should I?" Mel asked.
"Because!" She replied again. Then she went back into the water. "Glub!"
"Why?" He asked again.
"Just do it!" She shouted.
"I don't feel like it." He said walking away. '...I feel bad... but whatever... let her stew for a bit.'
"Please!" She shouted desperately. "Please..." Sami realized this exchange wouldn't go anywhere unless she caved.
"Hmm? What was that?" He said stopping.
"Please..." She said it again, with a defeated tone. "Help me out. Please..."
"All right, all right." He went over, grabbed the ropes around her hands and pulled her upright with one hand. "There. Better?"
"...thanks..." She panted, spitting out sandy water. "Ugh... (cough)..."
"Here, hold on." He helped her up onto her feet and let her stand up.
"...I'm covered in sand." She hopped over to where the rain was coming down the most.
"What are you doing?" He asked, bewildered.
"Taking a shower. I need to get this sand off. Hmm... this feels good." She said grinning childishly.
'Just like a kid.' He thought. 'But she seems to be the same age as me though. Roughly anyway. Just really short...' Mel kept his bemused thoughts to himself.
"Huh? What are you doing?" She asked as she saw him pull out a knife. "Please don't..." She closed her eyes and waited for the blow but it didn't come. "Huh?" He had cut the ropes tying up her hands and feet.
"There." He clicked the knife back in place and stowed it in his pocket.
"Why'd you go and do that for?" She asked, massaging her wrists.
"You have no weapons so you can't possibly do a thing. And you know I can fight better than you, so you won't try anything stupid." He reasoned. "I think. Or at least I hope."
"Hmph. How do you know that?"
"Because I know. And sorry for that knee to the gut, I normally never have to hit a girl." He seemed earnest as he apologized. "Though lately 'normal' has gone to hell."
"Okay..." She made a face.
"Heh... heh... heh." He chuckled softly.
"What's so funny?" Sami asked.
"You have a small crustacean in your hair." He said pulling out a dinky little crab and flicking it back into the water. "Shoo."
"What's so funny about a crab!?" She asked, cocking her head to side.
"It just is. By the way, judging from that lump in your shirt, there's one in there too." He said walking away. "And... by the way, nice bra. The color suits you."
"Really?" She lifted up her shirt and another one fell out. "Eek! There was!" She waited for a response, but the only thing she heard his laughing. Feeling her face turning red, she followed him. '...ugh, this top is soaked... and see through to boot...'
"And watch that first step, it's a doozy." He warned.
"Huh?" Sami didn't realize what he meant until it was too late.
'Thud' Sami landed face down into the sand again.
"Ha." He laughed drily.
"Grr... dammit..." Slightly annoyed and dejected, she sighed, got up, brushed herself off and followed him toward the cave. "Why'd it have to be a deserted beach of all things..." Sami muttered.
Time: Uncertain (Track of time has been lost at the moment)
The warm crackling of a campfire sounded as Sami sat with a worn blanket wrapped around her. Her uniform was hanging near the fire drying after another 'shower' in the rain. That pilot; as she called him, was staring outside where he had set up some things and he was busying himself searching for rations in his pack. His coat sat on his side of the cave, as well as the button down shirt he had on earlier. He stood wearing a white sleeveless undershirt and Sami noted a number of small scars along his arms.
She had got a better look at the pilot, he was obviously of some Asian descent, had messy dark hair, brown eyes, was fairly lithe and well built. His clothes were all white, save for a black leather belt and he had a pair of gun-metal grey glasses on. He also had a somewhat intimidating air about him.
"Do you like anything in particular miss?" He asked as he rummaged through the bag.
"...chocolate would be nice." She said quietly, her stomach grumbling. "Oh... excuse me..." She said turning red.
"It's all right. I think this is what you want. Here." He took two small bars and a mug of hot tea and placed them in front of her. "It might not be Orange Star issue, but rations are still rations."
"Thanks..." She picked up the chocolate bar, slowly unwrapped it and took a bite. "Mmm... this is good."
"Hmm. You finish eating up, I need to get some rest." He groaned as he took knelt down.
"Are you sure it's safe... to umm... sleep while I'm untied?" She asked curiously.
"Yeah." He nodded as he unrolled a sleeping bag.
"Why? I can steal you guns when you're asleep and then I'll have the upper hand though."
"If you try, I will kill you." He replied rather coldly. 'Although I'll probably just knock you out again.' He thought.
"...oh..."
"Now excuse me. I need to get some sleep." The pilot turned his back to her and lay on the sleeping bag he had there. On the other side where she was, laid a similar one.
"...what to do..." Sami sighed as she bunched up the blanket around her. She turned to look at the fire, her eyes watching the flames and the clothes hanging above them. She remembered her field training. When you are stuck or stranded with a member of the enemy force, you should take advantage of them no matter what, unless they have the upper hand, you try to catch them off guard. Right now, was the best time to try something. But the words of the young pilot rang through her head.
'If you try, I will kill you.' She shuddered at the thought of dying so soon. She was only twenty and she hadn't even bothered trying to fall in love yet. She always told herself that most men are selfish and ignorant. That or they were incredibly stupid. Turning to look at the pilot again, she noted that he was sleeping. Already. That was fast.
"Should I?" She asked herself as she drew the blanket up closer to her chest. Deciding she had little choice, she slowly went over to the opposite side of the cave and spotted where his gun rested in its holster. She reached out carefully, and undid the holster and she pulled out the gun.
"...huh?" He stirred and woke up grabbing at the nearest thing, her blanket, and he pulled it off. "What the?" Finding that she'd taken his gun, he drew his sword.
"...don't...move...or...I'll...shoot..." She said, shaking slightly. She was standing there, in her underwear, holding the gun and was shivering from the cold.
"I told you. Take my gun, or try, and I will kill you. You've left me little choice." He said, readying himself.
"...I... I..." Her eyes remained focused on the pilot, until lightning flashed again, startling her. At that moment, he leapt straight at her, and then ...
'Bang' a shot rang out...
Time: Moments later...
Place: The cave
Sami had her back against the cave wall, the sword's blade resting on her neck. The pilot's face very, very close to hers. Her eyes were wide with fear, and she couldn't hold back the tears that were forming as she knew she was going to die. Half-naked no less.
"WHO THE HELL THROWS A LOADED HANDGUN?" He screamed at her. "GOD DAMN! SHIT!"
"...sorry..." She said, sniffing.
"Hmm...I guess I won't kill you. I really don't have the heart to do it." He put his sword back and stood up. "...always had a hard time trying to kill women..." He muttered as some blood trickled down his arm. "Ouch...dammit, you grazed me." He said, putting his hand on his arm. He bent over, keeping his eye on the scared girl and holstered his gun. "I gotta wrap it up now..." He went and picked up the first-aid pack, but he found she had managed to grab it too. "Uh... what are you doing?" He asked pulling the pack towards him.
"I've technically been indebted to you since we've met. Let me do it." She said tugging the pack towards her.
"I can do it myself. It's all right." He tugged it back.
"But I want to!" She tugged again.
"You don't have to!" It started to ensue into a tug-of-war.
"But I want to! It's the only way I can repay you!" Sami said.
"That's fine! I'm capable of doing it myself!" He said. "You don't owe me anything!"
"I can do it!" With a tug, she yanked it out of his hands and was gripping it tightly with both hands to her chest. "I'll do it! Really! I insist!"
"Okay, okay." He said holding his hands up in mock surrender.
"Hmph." She had a small look of victory on her face.
"But you know, it might help if you get some clothes on first." He said motioning at her state of undress. "...I mean it's cute and all... but... aren't you cold?"
"Wha...? Oh!" She felt her entire face go crimson as she sunk to her knees, hugging the pack tightly against her body. 'Nononononononononono...!'
"Hmm." He gave a slight chuckle and grabbed her clothes from the rack they were drying on. "They're dry-ish now. Here you go." He tossed them at her and they landed on her head, covering it.
"Mmph... ugh..." She moaned as she curled up on the ground, practically dying of humiliation. 'Is there a hole somewhere I can crawl into and hide in?'
"...weird girl." Mel said to himself as he looked at the spot on his arm. "Great... another scar." He waited as she got dressed and she half-walked, half-hopped over to where he was.
"...sorry..." She said sheepishly.
"Sorry for what?"
"Shooting you...sort of..." She said. "... I mean... sorry! Really! I'm sorry for shooting you..."
"It's nothing, you just grazed me. I'll be fine, but if you're so insistent on helping me, then start helping, or I'll do it myself and you'll still be 'indebted' to me."
"...okay..." She nodded.
"Hmm..." He carefully studied her as she opened up the first aid pack.
"What?"
"Why on earth aren't you going try to try to kill me now?" Mel asked suddenly.
"...uh... um... ah... I... umm... err... eh..." She started to stammer.
"Never mind..." He said, noting he had his sword nearby and on hand.
"..." She silently went on dressing the wound, shaking nervously.
"Hey, hey! Not so tight!" He said, wriggling his arm slightly.
"Sorry..." She sighed. She knew when she was beaten, and this was probably the first time in a long while. And maybe in a while since a guy has done it too. "...how did you... do that?" She said, as she finished wrapping up his arm.
"Do what?" He asked, rubbing his arm. 'Not a bad job.'
"Blow up a cruiser by yourself."
"...ah...that's a military secret." He answered.
"But I remembered a bright flash, then an explosion..."
"That much eh?" He asked, as he sat down cross-legged across from her.
"Yeah..." She nodded.
"Well that's all the survivors usually remember." He said, as he started to clean his glasses.
"Hmm?"
"Let's see... how should I start..." He picked his words carefully.
"Well...you could at least tell me who you are, so I'm not stuck referring to you as well ... you." Sami said.
"All right, but who are you first? I know you're Orange Star, but of what and where? You should introduce yourself before demanding to know who others are after all." He said back.
"Right... okay... I'm Captain Sami Mui of Orange Star. Infantry Special Forces. I was sent here to check on Blue Moon activity overseas, and then you blasted my entire crew... I lived in the Lost Forest region, until I enrolled in the Academy a few years or so ago and became a Commanding Officer there. And currently, Orange Star is in deep trouble."
"I know that much about the situation in Orange Star, but what are they going to do?"
"...I don't know. We need some miracle or something...we need to beat Blue Moon back."
"Huh... I was headed there, until you shot me down." He crossed his arms, an ironic smile crept across his face.
"...oops..." Sami realized she had goofed. Badly.
"Ah well, like it matters, my subordinates are gonna come eventually. They figured that much that I'm stuck with some crazy... sorry... Sami, right?"
"Yeah. You have subordinates? Who are you then?" She asked.
"Ah right, I'm Commander Mel Mah of White Sun. A neutral continent located North of Yellow Comet. It was formerly under the control of Yellow Comet ages ago... until it was put under independent control around oh... a few hundred years ago or so. I am the current Commander in Chief of the forces and I had recently heard about Orange Star's troubles. Therefore, I decided to check out the situation. But... currently I can't because I'm stuck here with you. Funny coincidence eh?"
"...Commander in Chief? You don't look like you're that much older than I am." She said looking at his face.
"I'm probably not. I'm twenty-two." He shrugged.
"...twenty-two? I was right... but how?" She asked.
"That's part of the secret of how I sunk your cruiser..." Again he shrugged.
"...you're not gonna tell me, are you?" Sami sighed. He was being vague on purpose.
"Nope. Not yet anyway. I don't feel like it. And you don't really need to know."
"...all right, I give. But still... what can you do?"
"...ally my forces with Orange Star and beat the living daylights out of Blue Moon?" Another shrug. Sami noted, for a military commander, he seemed rather... indifferent.
"...that would work..." She nodded.
"Exactly. But... that may take a while... so I decided that I myself would join up with Orange Star. That might help... but I'm not sure I can gather up a force large enough to hold them back fast enough either..." And yet another shrug.
"..." Sami remained quiet as he looked pensively at the ceiling of the cave.
"Either way... I'll see what I can do, judging by how much of Orange Star has been taken, Blue Moon might come after other countries."
"...I didn't think of it that way..." She nodded.
"Neither did your superiors probably..."
"...well do you know any way I can get off this place and back to my post?" Sami asked. "Or at least back to Orange Star?"
"...see if you can contact your superiors on that radio there..." He pointed with his thumb. "Judging from the way the weather's going, it's not gonna let up. And it's gonna take a while to get off. Fortunately, I thought ahead and left a lot of supplies here on this island, where no one ever goes except me." He motioned around the cave. It did look quite livable. For a cave at least. "I've got quite a bit of luck on my side today... aside from being shot down of course."
"I see..."
"Anyways, give it a try. And if you don't try to kill me, I won't kill you." He nodded.
"...eh... okay." That last statement kind of freaked her out, but other than that, Mel seemed to be rather nice, if insane.
"Just kidding of course. I can't hurt a girl... it's not me." He said laughing as he watched her expression change.
"Phew..." She sighed in relief.
"But if you do something that's completely unnecessary, I might change my mind though." He warned.
"...fair enough." Sami nodded.
"Now how about we turn in for the night?" He asked, looking out as it got darker, and the rain continued to pour.
"...all right." She decided that perhaps some sleep would do her some good. "Good night then..."
"Good night." Mel said as he got up and walked over to his sleeping bag.
Time: Next morning
"...ugh..." Sami was bombarded by extremely bright light and she blinked furiously as she struggled to keep her eyes closed.
"...yawn..." Mel propped himself up on the cave wall and observed the other occupant as she attempted to avert her eyes from the sunlight. "What are you trying to do?"
"...need sleep..." She moaned.
"...right."
"...it's not funny..." She whined as she put her face into the sleeping bag.
"Uh huh. Now you don't expect I'll let you stay here unless you do your share of your work now?"
"...work?"
"...think 'Survivor'. That everyone has to do their part and you get kicked off if you don't do your job."
"...uh... what do you mean kicked off?"
"...you can swim. And I'll throw things at you if you try to come back onto the island."
"...wha? ...umm... er... please... no..." The last thing she needed is to get stranded in the ocean. "All right... I'll help then." She wasn't sure if he was being serious or not either.
"That's good. As far as I'm concerned, the only things we need to do on this island is to find some more firewood and fresh water."
"...is there water here?" Sami asked.
"There should be a spring somewhere deeper in. You can go explore if you want. I won't be doing anything right now, I need to try and radio for help. You can radio Orange Star later." He handed her a large water bottle and some canteens. "I'll go look for some more firewood."
"Okay..."
"...I'll be seeing you." He said turning his back to her.
"...I'll be back soon." She went off with and headed towards the depths of the small forest on the isle. 'I hope...'
Time: At that same time
Place: Orange Star HQ
Nell was frantic. Sami's unit had gone missing. Grit had gone missing as well. Olaf was continuing his assault on the country and was taking over bits and pieces of Orange Star as time passed.
"We really need a miracle..." She sighed.
"Excuse me miss..." Came a voice behind her.
"Yes?" Nell said turning around.
"I think we should get allied help." The owner of the voice said. It was Andy, one of the newest graduates of the Orange Star Military Academy.
"...it would be great, but who would be willing to help us?"
"...good point..." Andy nodded. "It doesn't look good."
"I wonder..." She quickly headed to her desk and flipped open her laptop and checked the database on all the officers that were listed in the registries.
"...what are you looking for?"
"Our miracle..." She was scanning to see whether or not there was a neutral country uninvolved in the fighting and see if she could get their aid.
"Anything, Miss?"
"...nothing...wait..." She continued to scroll down to the bottom of the screen. "What's this?"
"What's what?"
"Andy, I think I've found something." She rushed off to go tell her superiors. "Or rather, someone."
Andy just stood there looking confounded as he peered into the computer screen. There was a profile showing a guy in white, with black hair, a pair of glasses and a dog tag chain around his neck.
"Hmm...nice guy, it looks like. But what's some officer from a country I never heard of gonna do for Orange Star?" Andy wondered aloud before she left.
"He's a graduate from Orange Star's Military Academy, and he's on active duty as a field commander of an uninvolved party, maybe he can provide help..." She answered. "Here's hoping we can get a hold of him, fast." With that she dashed off.
Time: 11:00 am
Place: Island
"...uhh... I'm exhausted..." Sami muttered to herself as she trudged through headlong into the dense forest. "It's way too hot here..." She undid her bandanna and shoved it into her pocket. "This thing isn't really helping much either..." She sighed as she tried to look for the so-called fresh water spring. "I wish he'd given me more specific directions, instead of telling me to wander to my own doom..." She continued her trudging as she headed further and further away. And then she ended up going around in a circle... for the last half hour. She was about to collapse just as Mel had stepped in right next to her and said,
"Boo."
"GAH!" She leapt up and with a loud splash, she landed into the pool of fresh water.
"Uh... what were you doing for the past half hour?"
"...looking for your stupid pool of water." She grumbled.
"...you did realize that it was just a few meters next to the camp?" He pointed to where she was sitting.
"No. You didn't say anything." She pointed back at him accusingly.
"Well you could have asked before you set off." He shrugged.
"...well that doesn't help, unless I knew I could ask."
"...and what does that mean?"
"...ugh... never mind." She shook her head. 'Men...'
"Either way, you're soaked... again. You really like water don't you?"
"Shut up... hmph... I might as well get cleaned up properly, now if you don't mind, LEAVE!"
"...uhh... but I have to drink that water..."
"Well you know you can get it from the river that leads to this pool." She pointed upstream with her thumb. "Right?"
"...uhh... right." Mel mentally hit himself for totally disregarding that detail.
"Now that you're gonna get the water, after you're done doing that, can you find some way to dry my clothes after you... inadvertently made me wet..." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"All right, all right..." Mel said rolling his eyes, behind his sunglasses.
"Here, take these." With a thwap, Mel was smacked across the back of the head by a pile of wet clothes.
"...grr..." Mel muttered a few swear words under his breath. "...stupid... girl ... grr... mmm... rrr..." He stormed off and disappeared with the wet clothes.
"...weirdo." Sami said to herself as she scrubbed at the sand on her hair and skin and dunked her head down into the pool. Coming back up for air, she saw the blanket she had used the day before, neatly folded on the ground and what looked like a uniform from a different army. "What's this?" She wondered, pulling the blanket over herself and using it as a makeshift towel. "A uniform, how nice." She mused, drying off and pulling it on. It was a rather comfortable fit, though it wasn't a tank top and cargo pants, it did the job. "White, at least he's got that much right." She walked over dragging the blanket with her and headed towards the encampment. "Hey! You!"
'Who the hell is she calling 'you'?' Mel thought to himself, as he hung her uniform on a makeshift clothesline. "Yeah?"
"What are you doing?" She asked, walking over.
"Drying-your-clothes..." He muttered. A large wet spot was on the back of his white shirt and it hung there as well. "Now, if you don't mind. Try contacting your superiors, while I figure some way to get off this island." He had already changed into another shirt.
"But I thought..."
"Don't screw with me right now Sami. I'm in a rather foul mood right now, and I don't want you to be on the receiving end of my rage."
"...are you threatening me?" She asked, annoyed that anyone, especially a guy for that matter would speak to her that way.
"...noo, what do you think?" He answered, dripping with almost venomous sarcasm.
"...whatever. I'm gonna try using the radio!" Sami rolled her eyes. '...whacko...' She headed towards the cave and got onto the Orange Star transmission. "Hello? Hello? Come in! This is Sami. Over."
"...bzz... krrt... Sami?" It was Nell on the other end.
"That's me."
"Where... zzz... are you?"
"Stranded on an island." She said simply.
"...zzz... we thought you were... dead."
"...no, a little shipwreck won't get rid of me." She giggled.
"...thank goodness. Where's your crew then?" Nell asked.
"...umm... M.I.A." She gulped as she realized that her entire crew was probably wiped out. "Er... make that K.I.A."
"...K.I.A.? How?" Her commander was in shock.
"...they weren't there when the ship went down. I swam to this island."
"I see... zzz... zzz... we're breaking up!"
"Oh crap!" Hurriedly, Sami quickly tried to reconnect. Fortunately, the signal was still good. "Phew..."
"Okay, good. Do you have the coordinates?" Nell asked.
"Not really..." She realized.
"Great..."
"I just know it's an island off the coast of Orange Star." Sami said.
"That makes it much easier then. Kind of." Nell sighed. "But not really."
"Anyways, there's this... uh... guy I'm stuck with..."
"Oh? What sort of person have you picked up this time?" Her commander asked.
"Uh... more like he picked me up... anyway, yeah. He's the one who sank the ship..."
"...what? What is that supposed to mean?"
"That's kinda because I ordered to have his transport shot down..." Sami said rather shamefacedly.
"Is he a neutral?" Nell asked, almost immediately.
"...yeah...but he was in a Blue Moon copter though..." She said, trying to make herself look a bit better in the eyes of her superior.
"...great... you know you're going to have to write this up, right?"
"Right. Oh, and he's a commander in the neutral army! But he's a tad... psycho. So please! Please! Get me outta here!" Sami pleaded into the microphone.
"...umm okay... but we don't have coordinates, so we'll have to get a search party..."
"Hmm? Found your superiors, Sami?" Mel asked as he walked into the cave.
"Yeah, now if you don't mind..." She glared daggers at him.
"I'll launch a flare, that might help." Mel said helpfully.
"Urgh... you're so annoying..." she mumbled.
"What was that Sami?" Nell's voice said from the radio.
"Ack! Sorry! I meant that guy... Mel..." She said, turning red.
"Mel? That's the guy we're looking for!" Came an excited response.
"Him? Why?" Sami was aghast.
"Don't ask questions, get him on the line!" Nell said. "That's an order! Now!"
"...okay..." Sami reluctantly handed the microphone to Mel. "Here. Nell wants to speak with you for some reason..."
"...hello?" Mel said warily.
"...Commander Mel?" Nell started.
"That's me..."
"This is Commander Nell of Orange Star..."
"I see." He nodded. "And?"
"Uh... um... I, er we were wondering if you and your forces in White Sun would be willing to give us some aid in getting Blue Moon out of our territory."
"Huh... I was just coming over to check that out. I knew I should have given some degree of warning..."
"Yes... and we apologize for shooting you down."
"...apology accepted, but you do realize that it came with the cost of an entire crew?"
"Minor losses we can take... somewhat, what's important is that our officer is still alive."
"Ah, you mean crazy red haired girl with a grudge?" Mel asked jokingly.
"Hey!" With that, Sami smacked Mel on the back of the head.
"Ah... and your officer has just hit me." He said bluntly.
"Oh don't pay her any mind. She tends to be a bit hot headed." Nell answered. "Often."
"...I see. So... it looks like you want me to come and help you guys out huh?"
"...that would be very much appreciated yes." Nell said quietly.
"Nell! What the heck do you think you're doing getting someone we just learned about-" Sami yelled into the microphone.
"Ah, but we do know quite a bit. He's in the officer's database of Orange Star. It appears he was an Orange Star Military Academy graduate."
"You? Orange Star? I refuse to believe it." Sami said crossing her arms over her chest.
"Don't believe me? Here." Mel removed the dog tag chain from his neck, and hanging there next to his silver White Sun tag, was a golden Orange Star one. "Proof enough?"
"...how come I've never seen you before? Or recognize you?" She asked.
"I left early to pursue my own goals. Very early. That is within reason, isn't it?"
"All right...all right. But still, what were you doing in a Blue Moon copter?"
"...I told you... it was stolen. I happened to use it because it was the first one handy. I didn't realize that I'd be attacked within the next ten seconds of my entering Orange Star territory though." Mel said, tucking the chain back under his shirt.
"Umm... you two, can you stop arguing, and listen?" Nell interrupted.
"All right. What?" Mel said.
"Mel, do you happen to know the coordinates of the island you're on?"
"Yeah, sure, 36° North, 75° West. I'll launch a flare if you want."
"That would be good. A rescue party will be approaching in a few hours. However, there will be two groups as Sami has just been assigned a new front."
"Huh? Already?" Sami asked in surprise.
"Yep. Upon learning that you are indeed alive. The higher up commanders have decided to post you off to the South. Immediately."
"Eh... great." She groaned. She hated being in the southern part of the country. Something about 'bad memories' for her.
"Well then... I suppose it's goodbye then Sami." Mel said chuckling.
"I'll say good riddance."
"That's not a nice thing to say." He said raising an eyebrow.
"Hmph. Honestly, you've caused me more trouble than you're worth." She sighed.
"Oh? Is it that way? Maybe I should have tossed you back into the ocean then." Mel said bitterly.
"I would've made it." She retorted.
"Yeah sure, with your body riddled with bullet holes? I think not."
"Are you man enough to shoot me?" She asked.
"I would if I had to." He shrugged.
"Fine, prove it." She said.
"No, why should I?"
"Because, you just said so."
"You don't understand, do you?" He sighed, shaking his head.
"I think I understand just fine. You killed my crew, now it's probably high time you finished me off as well."
"Stupid girl..." He muttered.
"Excuse me!" The voice on the radio said, rather annoyed. Nell was still listening in on them.
"Yeah?" Mel said, looking equally annoyed at Sami.
"Well, now that you two are done threatening each other, you should get ready to leave this island in a matter of hours. Launch that flare then. I'll contact you two later then. Nell out."
"All right." Sami said, looking around for a flare. "Where is it?"
"What are you looking for?" Mel asked.
"The flare you were talking about."
"I don't carry flares..." Mel said, shaking his head. He brought up his hand and formed an energy ball and launched it into the sky. "Hmph." It burst with a bright flash in the horizon. "I can do this."
"How... how did you do that?" Sami asked bewildered.
"I thought all COs could do that..." Mel said, surprised.
"No... unless I missed that class..."
"There's no class to learn how to manipulate CO energies, it's an innate ability... or at least that's how it is at White Sun..." Mel said scratching his head. "That's bizarre."
"Eh, whatever, you can show me later." She muttered.
"And why should I?" He asked as he packed up his things. "Well... time to get ready to leave... soon-ish. And I should probably... meh, worry about that later."
"...never mind then." She said gruffly as she pushed past him and sat down. "Ah... ugh. Wake me up in a few hours then." Sami lay down on the sleeping bag. "Ugh..."
"Hmm? Sure whatever." Mel said as he continued to put stuff away.
Time: A few hours later
Mel launched another flare and that got the attention of the transport copter pilots.
"Oi... wake up."
"...mmph." Sami groaned as she sat up. "I'm up... I'm... oh. Still stuck on this island with you." She sighed. "What's... oh, the choppers are here?"
"Yep."
"Well... I guess I'm off to work again. I'm outta here." She said as she grabbed what few belongings she still had with her and hopped into the copter. "Later jackass. You should get going too."
"I am. Seems like Nell wants to have a few word with me... See ya then crazy girl." He smirked as he boarded the copter opposite of hers. "I hope I won't have to see you again anytime soon."
"That goes double for me pal." She gave him the one fingered salute. "Nyaaah." Sami pulled down the bottom of her eyelid and stuck out her tongue as well.
"Heh. Very well. Goodbye." With that, he slid the door closed, and let the pilot fly. "Let's get the hell outta here." He said to the pilot.
"Understood."
Time: A few more hours later...
Place: Orange Star Central Headquarters
Mel arrived at the Central HQ after the ride back. Nell stood at the helipad to greet him.
"Welcome to Orange Star headquarters Commander Mel..." Nell said, leading him in towards the war room.
"Yeah, yeah. Now what do you want with me?" He asked.
"Well, we want you to help us... isn't that obvious?" She said.
"Oh? Well... yes." Mel nodded.
"As you can see, our country has been under attack for the last few months. And no one else gives a damn right now." Nell said shaking her head.
"I understand that you are screwed, but what can I do? My forces are far from here and my men aren't ready to be mobilized anytime soon." He crossed his arms.
"Well, can you make do with what we have?" She asked.
"I'll see..." Mel said, looking increasingly worried at what he had gotten himself into. The two of them boarded an APC headed to their next destination.
Time: One hour later
Place: Alara range HQ
"Welcome to Alara Range..." Nell said, stepping out of the APC and into the compound. Mel stretched slightly and made a quick check of his weapons.
"Still there...great." He sighed in relief.
"What was that?" Nell asked looking at him, slightly confused.
"...nothing. Now... what seems to be your main concern?"
"Well... other than the fact that we are under constant attack by that madman... er I mean Olaf."
"...I see you have some sort of... animosity towards him..."
"Umm...yeah I do." Nell said turning slightly red.
"Also, it appears that that red haired girl holds similar feelings towards me."
"It looks like Sami isn't too fond of guys that can best her. She says most guys that try to mess with her end up with a bullet in their skulls." She said, as they continued to pace towards the command center. "Figuratively speaking. She's got a weak stomach around blood and guts and stuff."
"Ooh, vicious, hahaha. Now what's the situation here?" Mel said looking at the various screens and the intel officers busily typing and checking battle status.
"Well... let's see... we need to take back our territory and fast. Say... can you show us what you're made of?" Nell said, hoping he'd oblige.
"All right, if you insist." Mel stretched out his arms and cracked his knuckles. "Well... what do I have to work with?"
"...two infantry units..." Nell said weakly.
"WHAT? ARE YOU MAD?" Mel yelled abruptly, with much annoyance. "...ahem ...how do you expect to win?"
"...well... they only have two infantry as well..."
"...oh. That makes it much easier." Mel just let them move out and attack. "This seems too... simple. Minor skirmish then... although... really, this is insulting."
"I know, but we're running short of troops." Nell said, looking at the nav screen while Mel continued giving out orders to the two squads.
"This is pathetic. Just who does this Olaf think he is?" Mel muttered as he then had his troops finish off the last infantry unit.
"...done already?"
"Yeah, I don't really see why you need my help."
"Well... we could use some troops..."
"No, no and no. Considering that White Sun is around the border of Yellow Comet and White Sun is neutral, Emperor Kanbei would suspect something, and then he'd enter the fray. At least I'd think that's what he'd do. Despite all things... ugh." Mel's forehead creased. 'The last thing I need is him to get mixed up in this... mess.' He thought angrily.
"Oh... well... I guess I can leave the Alara region up to you for now, you seem to have an excellent grasp of how to command."
"Listen Nell, I didn't come here to let you tell me that I have an 'excellent grasp' on commanding. I'm the same rank as you, and I can leave right now and let you all get screwed over, but since I realize that Blue Moon is being plain greedy, I've decided to stay and help out so that White Sun doesn't actively get involved. Speaking of which, patch me into their communications, I need a word with my men." He ended his rant.
"..." Nell was just plain shocked that anyone would talk to her like that, let alone someone she just met, but a gleam in his eyes gave reason to her to keep her mouth closed and to comply. "What's the communication number?"
"...08, 045, 0221..."
"All right, patched in." She said. '...scary.'
"Gabe? Gary?" Mel said into the microphone. "Are you guys there...?"
"Eh? Commander, I mean... Mel! You're alive!" The girl on the screen replied. "Well... I mean we knew that... but you know."
"Well of course I am. Where's Gabe, Alice?"
"He's currently on the lookout in the skies for you. And Gary's in the seas."
"Dammit... call them back, I need to have a word with them. I'm at Orange Star right now, surveying the situation. It seems bleak. However, I've agreed to lend some aid, but not with troops, it's too risky. Now, if one of those two can come by later, I think we'll be set."
"Of course Commander..." Alice nodded. "I'll let them know."
"You can call me by my first name, Alice..." He sighed.
"Sorry... Mel."
"Thank you. Now I'll be calling in later, see you."
"See you Commander... I mean... Mel." The girl fumbled with her words, and then she bowed respectfully and cut the communication.
"Nice bunch. But still, they're far too uptight." He sighed.
"I've noticed..." Nell said, still slightly annoyed at him.
"If you want, I'll take a look and rid Olaf from Alara, call me within... a month." With that Mel had just walked out of the command room, and disappeared.
End of chapter.