A seed of Destruction, A tree of Hope

by CO Mel

Take Flight! - The end of the Green Earth campaign, many old faces... and some new. Probably some degree of NSFW and what not. To be continued... New Bonus Chapter: Sami's Point of View 2. Definitely NSFW. Yet another bonus chapter: Jess' POV. *currently updating/revamping old chapters* Chapters 1-10 have been updated.

14. Orange Star: Recovery

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.

Note: If something is said in full italics like this, it means the characters aren't speaking in English

Chapter 14: Orange Star: Recovery

Time: A few days later

Place: Near the Orange Star Capital

"...Orange Star eh..." Mel said as he looked around. "It seems okay for the time being..."

"Enemy forces have been located...identifying...identity confirmed...White Sun." Came an unknown voice. A rather large greeting party of hostiles came to meet the White Sun troops.

"Whoa! More Black Hole troops! I didn't know it was that bad..." Mel said in surprise.

"Crap man..." Gabe sighed.

"Didn't expect action this early in our arrival." Gary muttered.

"Oh well...some welcome party this is. Men, kill them all." Mel ordered.

"Understood! D-Battalion moving out!" The men prepared to do battle.

Place: Orange Star HQ

"Eh...?" Sami looked outside in surprise.

"What'sa matter Sami?" Andy asked.

"Look! There's someone fighting outside already."

"What...? No way...NELL!" Andy shouted for Nell.

"What's the matter you two?" Nell asked as turned around.

"Someone's engaging the Black Hole forces!" Sami said.

"Who did that without permission?" She asked.

"I dunno, but those aren't our troops!" Sami pointed at the white uniforms.

"Oh...then...then it must be the White Sun...!"

"What? That means..." Sami pushed Andy out of the way. "Hmm...that figure in the distance..." She peered through her binoculars. "Gah...damn, can't see far enough...but I'd have to say that person is..."

"Oi...White Sun Commander in Chief Mel here..." Mel's face appeared on the com screen.

"...Mel." Nell finished. "You're late!"

"Haha...got caught up in some espionage and intelligence gathering..." He laughed. "See ya guys later...I need to waste these punks first...Mel signing off."

"Ah . . finally! Reinforcements." Nell looked pleased. "Well let's lend them a hand shall we?"

"Uh...yes ma'am!" Sami nodded. "Andy, let's go!"

Place: White Sun Field HQ

"...hmm...looks like Nell's sending some help." Mel said.

"Well it's not like we need it or anything..." Gabe said.

"I think I can mop them up without even having to invoke anything today."

"...probably. That's a tiny force of enemies here...Orange Star must have wiped out quite a few of them either way."

"Well...let's make it quick then...it'll only take a couple days."

"Sounds good..." Gary said looking up. "Hmm...hey, it's that girl...the one I was mentioning a few days ago to you Mel..."

"Hmm...?" Mel looked outside at one of the convoys headed towards their HQ. "Ah...Sami."

"So that's what her name was." The sniper said raising an eyebrow. "I knew it...I think."

"Right...oh well. Let's see what they want eh?" Mel said. "I'm gonna be in my tent."

"Aren't you gonna command the troops?" Gary asked.

"I'll do it from there." Mel answered.

"Ah...fine."

"Do you best to semi-distract her. I want to see her reaction."

"...so you have a thing for her too?" Gary asked.

"Kinda." Mel shrugged. "I dunno."

"Hahaha...as expected of you. I'll admit, she's cute."

"Well...I guess." Mel said turning away. "I'm gone then..." He headed for his tent.

Place: Main Compound of White Sun Field HQ

"Hello...?" Sami said as she walked into the base camp.

"Wha...eh...it's Red." Gabe muttered as he looked up from his book.

"Ah, Miss Sami." Gary said.

"Oh, you two. Hey...can you let me have a little chat with Mel?" She headed for the larger tents. They stepped forward to block her path.

"Ah...do we let her go Gabe?" Gary asked.

"...I don't know..."

"If you two aren't gonna let me, I'm still gonna force my way in just to let you know." She said.

"...eh..." They blinked. 'That's something you don't hear everyday...'

"Well...?" She waited patiently.

"Meh...he's in the back, in the tent there." Gary said pointing at a large tent.

"Be careful though eh?" Gabe warned.

"...careful? What for?" She asked.

"You'll see." He said.

"Right...um...okay." She walked over to the tent and examined the flap. "What the...oh. There's a name here. Ah...yup. This is his tent all right." She walked over and opened the flap without announcing her presence. Closing it behind her, she only managed to take a single step before she found herself looking up at the roof of the tent from the floor. "Oof! What the...?"

"Okay, which of you wise guys thinks it's a smart idea to come in without knocking?" Mel asked, his foot resting on her chest.

'Squish.'

"Mel...? Get off of me..." She groaned.

"..." He blinked for a moment. "...let's see...crazy...red hair...girl...crazy red haired girl!"

"..." She glared at him. "You do know my name... right?"

"Sami, how are you? I haven't seen you since I left after the Black Hole incident." He said helping her up, while laughing.

"So you do remember my name." She muttered.

"Of course. I'm only joking. Now what's the trouble?"

"We're here to give you a hand Mel." She said. "We've got troops on the way as well."

"I kinda figured that. But didn't Andy come with you?"

"Um...I think he's outside with the troops."

"I see."

"Anyway, Nell gives her...gratitude. It's good to know we have reinforcements from White Sun coming in." She smiled.

"You know I'd do anything to help my home country." Mel said crossing his arms.

"Oh? And it's not just because I'm here?" She asked indignantly.

"...eh...so you what do you care anyway?" He asked.

"Ah..." She reddened slightly.

"Hmm...ah well. Once White Sun is done giving Black Hole a thrashing here, we're off to the other countries." He said matter of factly.

"Yeah...we'll see what's going to happen once we've dealt with the mess here."

"All right."

"Then we'll check out the others as well if Nell okays it."

"Sounds good to me." Mel said.

"Say, how'd it go in White Sun?" She asked innocently.

"Just fine. Those guys there couldn't do anything. We wiped the floor with them."

"Typical of you." Sami smirked.

"Yeah. Well now, if you'd excuse me, I have forces to command...like you do too." He was about to leave his tent.

"Wait." She stood in his way.

"What?"

"It's been a while since I've seen you, and you don't even give me a proper greeting?"

"You mean tossing your butt onto the ground doesn't count?" He laughed.

"No!" She said angrily. "I mean... seriously..."

"Uh..."

"C'mon...how about just for old time's sake like during that...kinda misguided campaign in Green Earth?" She blushed slightly.

"Ah...you know what...?"

"What?"

"I think I understand what Gabe meant by finding someone to worry about you instead of worrying about other things..." Mel laughed to himself.

"Huh...what the hell is that supposed to mean Mel?" She asked.

"Heh...nothing really." He said hugging her tightly.

"Wha!" Sami didn't expect that and felt her face heat up.

"It's nice to see you again Sami. Let's hope you've been well in the last few months now eh?" He let go and messed up her hair.

"Hey!" She tried to fix it, but couldn't.

"Hmm...? It got longer...you don't look like a boy anymore." He stepped back and took a careful look at her.

"Mmm...I'd wish you'd stop teasing me about that...I mean how is it not obvious that I'm a girl?" She said crossing her arms. She had a point, since her chest was rather obvious.

"...good point." Mel said turning away slightly. 'How'd I miss those last time? Wow. Blinded by rage likely.' He thought to himself.

"Oh well, as long as you understand 'kay? I'm gonna go get our troops to cover yours. See you!" She ran out.

"...interesting...as usual." He rubbed his chin in thought.

Place: Orange Star HQ

Sami returned to the Orange Star HQ and parked herself on the couch in the officer's lounge and started to space out.

"...Hmm..." Sami stared at the wall of the lounge.

"...are you daydreaming?" Andy asked.

"Hmm..."

"You are daydreaming." The boy said as he waved his hand in front of her face. "Wakey, wakey Sami."

"Mmm..." Her face flushed.

"...?" Andy was shocked. "Nothin'."

"Hmm..." She continued to make her 'Hmm and mmm' noises softly.

"Oookay...officially creepy." Andy said. "What could she of all people be thinking of? Yelling at me? Nah...she looks far too happy."

"I wonder..." She thought aloud as she walked out the door.

"...I don't wanna know..." Andy said leaving the room through the other door. "It's times like this she starts to get weird."

---

"If he's in a good mood...is he saying something...? Does it mean anything? Is he happy to see me? He must be..." Sami asked herself as Hachi walked by.

"...What's the matter little lady?" The old merchant asked as he shuffled past.

"Hmm...? Oh nothin'. How's business Hachi?" She stopped talking to herself long enough to make small talk with Hachi.

"Lousy. Ever since that fella from White Sun left, no one's bought stuff from me as often since." He grumbled.

"You mean Mel?"

"Yeah, that's the guy."

"Oh, he's in the area...or rather he's in the country."

"Huh? You should have dragged him in! I could have used some business!" Hachi groaned.

"Sorry." She shrugged. "Ah...could you get me a very, very large crate of chocolate bars?"

"...it'll cost ya Sami. Even though you're cute, it'll still cost ya." He grinned.

"Please...?" She tried giving Hachi the 'puppy-dog' eyes.

"No. Pay up first." The old man shook his head.

"Fooey. If Mel were here, it'd be free."

"That's only because he's scarier than the devil himself." Hachi groaned. "Two devils even."

'Beep, beep, beep...'

"Huh...what's this stupid com screen beeping for?" Sami asked. "Oh...it's for me I think. Yes, what is it?" She turned and looked at the com-screen on the wall.

"Uh...Commander Sami, there's a communiqué message for you." A communications tech said.

"Okay...lemme hear it."

'Blip' The message was sent over to the com-screen.

"HACHI!" Came a familiar voice.

"...nuts..." The old merchant groaned. "Him."

"If I remember correctly, you still owe me big time you cheapskate! Now if you know what's good for ya, you'll pay back that debt bit by bit one way or another! Now then, Sami, take as much chocolate from the guy as you want. He knows better." Mel's voice rang evilly as Hachi cringed.

"Shoot..." The merchant sighed. "All right, you can have the chocolate Sami..." He put up his hands in mock-defeat.

"I can?" Sami's eyes brightened.

"Yes, I'm not gonna argue. Especially with Mel being on your side of the argument. Even in a message. This is bad for my heart..."

"Yes!" Sami cheered.

"I'll have someone send it to your room." The old man groaned as he walked away from the com-screen and the smug look on Mel's face that graced it.

"Thanks Hachi!" She waved.

"Well now..." Mel continued once the old man had left.

"Eh...that wasn't a message Mel?" Sami looked in surprise.

"Nope, live feed transmission. Haha...I planted a bug on you." He grinned.

"What?"

"It's in your hair, princess." He pointed at the back of her head.

"Grr...Mel!" She said yanking out the offending object and crushing it with her foot.

"Sorry 'bout that, but I wanted to keep tabs on you...you are my favorite Orange Star CO after all." He said with a laugh.

"Ah..." She blushed. 'Wait... what's that supposed to mean?' She thought.

"Anyway, let's get this done and over with, and we'll have some more time to chat later."

"Okay..." She nodded.

"Oh...one more thing..."

"What?"

"I need a favor..." He didn't seem to eager to say whatever it was he had to say.

"What's that Mel?"

"Um...it's kinda hard and it kinda sucks to live in these dingy field HQs...when we're done, with this fight...d'ya think you could ask Nell to see if I could uh...get a room with you guys? Like really, you know how badly those things suck, the field HQs I mean. Please?"

"Eh...? You're serious about that?"

"You don't mind do you?" He made a pleading motion with his hands.

"No! I mean, no. Not at all."

"Well...?"

"I'll try my best then! See you after this then." She ran off.

"Ah...see you...pfeh...she's gone already." He sighed as she disappeared from view.

Place: Orange Star Communications

"Nell! Ooh Nell!" Sami dashed towards her commander.

"What is it Sami?" Nell asked on the screen.

"Uh...Mel says that he's gonna stick around for quite a bit...and doesn't plan on setting up a permanent base camp, so he's wondering if the White Sun people can stay in our HQs as well..."

"Mel put you up to this...didn't he?" She sighed. "Obviously he did... otherwise you wouldn't mention his name."

"Wha...did you say Mel? Cool beans!" Andy said, walking up behind Sami. "I still didn't see him even though I got sent with Sami to check out their forces...speaking of which, why were you gone for such a long time Sami? That's weird."

"Uh...no reason." Sami shoved Andy away.

"Oh well. C'mon Nell...we haven't seen him since the last war! Let him come!" Andy shoved back.

"Please Nell?" Sami pleaded.

"Ugh...I feel like a parent in a toy shop..." Nell groaned. "We'll see when he comes by...after this sortie. Okay?"

"Okay!" Andy said excited.

Time: Some days later

Place: Orange Star Main HQ

"Well, that's done and over with." Sami said looking outside. "Thank goodness that was just a small force we had to clean up."

"Yeah, good thing we didn't suffer much damage." Andy said.

"Heeeeeeey...anyone there?" Came Mel's voice.

"Ooh! He's here!" Sami ran off.

"But I didn't even agree to anything yet..." Nell muttered. She had come back to HQ just recently. "Honestly..."

"Too late, they're here! Yahoo!" Andy followed after Sami.

"Hey guys, I'm back and it's still crazy around here!" Mel said.

"Interesting set-up." Gabe said.

"Clean..." Gary commented. "Just like it was the first time around."

"Ooh Mel!" Sami waved at him as he entered the room.

"Hmm...? Oh hey Sami."

"Nell said you can stay with us!" Sami seemed overly happy for some reason.

"No I didn't." Nell groaned as she followed after Andy and Sami. She looked... aggravated.

"Well he's here now, and you can't just kick him out!" Sami said.

"Yeah!" Andy said backing up Sami. "Hey! Cool! It's the other two White Sun dudes! Neat!"

"Mel...are all the Orange Star COs so...energetic at times like this?" Gabe asked.

"Yes...are they?" Gary asked. They had only dealt with the Orange Star COs for a short time, so they didn't see much of their personalities, whereas Mel spent more than half a year with them.

"Uh...usually they aren't." Mel said. "Remember the last war?"

"Nope." Their reply was simultaneous.

"..." Mel remained silent as Sami suddenly put a vice grip on his arm.

"Can he stay? Can he? Please? He'll be good! Honest!" Sami said, as if Mel had become some sort of lost pet or something. "Please? Please?"

"...ooh...whatever, do as you like. It's nice to see you back Mel and friends...but right now my head hurts and the last thing I want to deal with is this..." Nell groaned as she walked away. "Augh..." She was rubbing her temples. "Do whatever."

"Yes! You can stay!" Sami said happily.

"...are you okay? Did you hit your head? Are you low on chocolate? Are you really Sami?" Mel asked in shock.

"I'm fine! Really! Let's go!" She dragged Mel off with her.

"Wha-wha-wha-whoa!"

"Uh..." Gabe just stared. "I think it'd be safer to sleep outside with the troops or in a tank or something..."

"Ditto..." Gary said.

Place: Upper levels of the HQ

"Are you all right? You seem to have become hyperactive or something..." Mel said as Sami busily cleaned up her room.

"...I'm fine!" She replied.

"...isn't this my old room...in the HQs?"

"Yeah, but I asked them to give it to me since you went away. I mean it's not like anyone else would use the room that's been occupied by a psycho during the last campaign."

"A psycho...?" Mel raised an eyebrow.

"Ah! Sorry, I didn't mean it!" She said apologetically.

"..." He simply stared in surprise.

"But you can have it back now that you're here..."

"Uh...that's fine Sami..." Mel said. '...did someone replace her brain?'

"Huh? Seriously?"

"Hmm...calm down...okay?" He said gently grabbing her shoulders and easing her onto the bunk. "Hmm...no fever." He concluded after putting his hand on her forehead. "Now then..." He sat down next to her. "What's goin' on?"

"Eh...? Oh...I'm sorry." She looked uneasily at the floor.

"Now what?" Mel was worried if she was going to cry again.

"It's been such a long time that I haven't seen you...and I'm just glad to run into you again. I mean... the letters were nice... but still..."

"Run into...? You're kidding me...we're gonna be stuck with the whole bunch of them for the long run...we're in for another war. It's gonna take some time to clear this one up too...since Black Hole's got new COs as well as some weird devices I think..."

"Weird devices...?"

"I think that's what you could call them...however I didn't have much of a chance to see them myself since we blew up most of their advance forces which included just regular units...but we did get some plans for some new unit..." Mel shrugged.

"Hmm...oh well...tell me about that later. I need you help moving something." She got up from the bunk.

"What?"

"Um...you see that crate sitting over there?" She pointed near the door.

"...what the...? I was wondering what that was..."

"Chocolate."

"...Oh my...these things are huge." Mel said walking over to it.

"Yeah, now start moving it. I can't make it budge an inch..."

"Grr..." Mel growled as he proceeded in shoving the crate inside. "Where do you want this and how come you're not getting Max to do it for you instead?"

"Next to that closet is fine, I'll move it into those smaller boxes later. And I didn't feel like finding Max since he's busy elsewhere."

"...grr..."

"Oh and Mel, I'm going to get cleaned up, see you later in a bit. Feel free to wander around the HQ...it's pretty much the same." She pulled out some clean clothes from her bag and headed for the bathroom.

"Huh? Yeah...sure." Mel dusted off his hands and walked outside. "I'll be in the lounge or something..."

"What? Oh, the lounge? All right." She peered out the bathroom door and waved as he walked off. "Bye-bye."

"...wow, she's a lot more... talkative than she used to be." Mel blinked as he went downstairs. 'Is that still the same crazy girl from before...?'

Time: An hour or so later

Place: Orange Star HQ Lounge

"Hey Mel." Sami said as she walked in. She had a clean uniform on and a small towel wrapped around her head.

"Hmm...Sami?" He wondered how he could ask this 'tactfully'.

"Mm-hmm?"

"How come you're so cheerful now? Last time I saw you, you were pretty much a serious faced...no offense, bitch who'd give me a hard time all day and any day."

"Hmm...none taken. I decided to loosen up after spending too much time with you." She said with a giggle.

"Is that it?" Mel's eyebrow went up. '...so... this is because of me somehow. Weird.'

"Yup! Now everyone thinks I'm a lot calmer and level headed this way."

"I...see." His eyebrow went up even more. 'Riiight.'

"So...how long are you planning on staying around?" She asked.

"As long as I need to." He said.

"Ooh! That's good."

"Hmm..." Mel carefully examined the current situation. 'Something's definitely wrong with her...then again...nah...'

"Okay...I'm gonna go catch up on my sleep now...we've got a long road ahead of us. G'night." She said as she headed for her room. "Oh...right, Mel you can have your old room back..."

"Oh...?"

"But one thing." She stopped mid-step and turned around.

"What's that?"

"I'm still gonna be in it." She said it. With a straight face.

"...huh...? Are you serious?" Mel was taken aback slightly.

"Well...it's not like we don't have extra rooms, but it's probably easier this way." She shrugged.

"Easier how...?" He wondered.

"I dunno...saving space?" Another shrug.

"...right." Mel raised an eyebrow and reached inside his coat for a can of coffee. "Hmm..."

"Anyway, good night again." She turned around and left.

"Yeah...good night."

Place: Officers' Rooms

Mel made his way upstairs to the dormitory quarters. He passed by his old room and decided to make sure his luggage was still there. Opening the door, he walked right into Sami, who was currently wearing a somewhat overly large white button up shirt.

"Oof...sorry about that – eh...? Where are you headed?"

"Ah...knock next time will you? I don't keep it locked like you do." She said. "I was gonna go down to the mess hall and get something to drink before going back to bed..."

"Oh, sorry..."

"Room's yours to fix up if you want to. Feel free to move things around and stuff, but leave my clothing and other belongings alone!" Sami said as she left.

"Right..."

Place: Somewhere outside the HQ

"...say Gabe..." Gary was lying on a sleeping bag in an APC next to Gabe, who was sitting outside it.

"What Gary?" The ninja replied.

"D'you think she's clingy?" Gary asked his friend.

"Who?"

"Miss Sami." The sniper replied.

"Possibly yes. I haven't seen anyone that clingy for a while."

"Yeah, I know...maybe save the techs we work with..."

"How long has it been?"

"I dunno...four years we've been with them?" Gary shrugged.

"Yeah...I think so. That's crazy."

"Well, either way, I think Mel's probably completely oblivious to her existence more or less. He didn't even know they were in the same class back then."

"So I've heard...but she didn't know he was in the same class either..."

"Point taken..." The two White Sun Special Forces Commanders continued their chat about their hapless commander and the Orange Star officer that adored him so.

Place: Lounge

Mel wasn't tired, so he headed back downstairs and sat down on a nearby couch.

"...huh...ah what am I doing back here...honestly..." He reached into his coat and pulled out a pair of headphones. "Hmm...might as well sit for a bit..." Time passed slowly into the night, as the fighting continued into the dead of night. Mel stared out the window into the sky.

"Boring isn't it?" Came a voice.

"Hmm..." Mel ignored it.

"...can you even hear me? Mel?" The voice kept talking.

"Hmm..."

"Oh honestly...he can't hear me..." Now irritated, the owner of the voice came up closer to him.

'...so noisy...what is it...?' Mel thought to himself as he turned around. "Hmm...?"

"Mel!" Sami shouted into his ear after she pulled out one of his headphone buds.

"Augh...yeah?" He winced as he jumped back slightly.

"Why are you still up? I thought you'd have gone to bed already, but when I went back to check, you were gone...I figured you'd be somewhere down here by yourself." She said.

"Yeah...you're right. What's the matter?"

"...wanna sit and chat?" Sami asked.

"Some more...?"

"Sure...why not?"

"I guess that's fine...so..." Mel shifted over on his seat. "Hmm...what's up then?"

"Ah...nothing really." Sami said sitting next to him.

"Oh...? Usually that's not the case when you want to talk to me if I remember correctly."

"Well..."

"Well?"

"Hmm...say Mel, how long have I known you?" She asked.

"...almost two years...? That's not counting the fact we didn't know about each other's existence in the academy." He gave a rough guess.

"Uh huh..." She nodded.

"Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering."

"...a question. What or who do you see me as? Like...personally?" Mel usually kept to himself about these things, but at the moment, this was bothering him. A lot.

"Huh...? Um...despite how you were when we first met up...you're a truly kind person...and...I know we've had our differences during the last year or so, but...I can't help but like being around you...why?" She gave a rather straight answer.

"I see..." He nodded.

"So..." She started.

"What...?"

"...nothing. Nothing really." She said crossing her arms and edging slightly closer. "I just want to talk."

"Hmm...okay..." Mel shifted in his seat. 'Haha...smooth Mel...really, really smooth...she doesn't like being around you...she likes you.' He thought to himself. "I understand...but we can talk...for a lot longer after we finish the war..."

"Eh...?"

"Hmm...you wanna go somewhere...?" He asked suddenly.

"You mean now?"

"...no, I mean is there somewhere that you'd like to go to?"

"Ah...not really."

"You know what...I'll give you until this war is over...then once it's over, you tell me where you want to go and I'll take you there." He said.

"Oh...are you serious! ?" She asked in surprise.

"Yeah...why not?"

"Huh...? No way. Well...let me think on it okay?"

"Hmm...fine. Ah..." He yawned loudly. "Excuse me...I think I'm gonna go to bed." He got up and walked back to his room.

"Oh, I'm going too, wait up." She said following after Mel.

"Um...I've been meaning to ask you, but this may be a bit weird...but where the hell did you get that shirt?" Mel asked pointing to her current attire. "It looks really familiar."

"Hmm...? This shirt...? Take a sniff." She said holding up her arm to his face. The oversized sleeve of the shirt hung limply over her wrist.

"Wha...why should I sniff your shirt -...what in the...that smells like me."

"I took it from your luggage before you left during the Black Hole campaign." She said.

"..." Mel stared at her in surprise. "Huh.".

"It's not like you'd notice. You had like twenty of the same shirt in there...and this one was the least messed up... no blood stains and stuff."

"Isn't that why people in armies have more than one shirt so that they can change their uniforms daily?" Mel asked, his forehead creasing slightly. "Honestly, tell me if you're gonna steal a shirt or if you wanted one...jeez."

"But I like your shirt." She said. "It smells familiar and that 'you' smell doesn't go away even after I washed it like a hundred times..."

"Now you're kinda scaring me..." Mel said. "Ah well...fine, keep my shirt if you like it so much. Hell, I'll give you all my old ones if you want...I'll just buy some more later...hmph...recycling my old shirts to use as your pajamas...are you sure there's more to your 'like being around me'?" He teased.

"Ah! Mel – you – I..." Sami's face went bright red.

"Whatever. I'm going to bed. Don't do anything weird." He said as they reached the room. "Good night again. Ah...right. Where the hell am I supposed to sleep?" He asked looking around. "Oh...that spot on the floor looks perfectly fine."

"Hmm...don't you have at least a sleeping bag?" She asked. "I mean...there's the couch there too."

"Nah...I'm the kind of person that can sleep practically anywhere..." He said grabbing one of the pillows from Sami's bunk and tossing it on the floor. "See ya tomorrow." He promptly fell face first into the pillow and ignored everything else around him.

"...wow...that's just shocking." Sami said in surprise as she climbed into her bunk and pulled up the covers. "...g'night Mel."

Time: The next morning

Mel as usual slept in. Sami and Andy stood in the general area scratching their heads.

"...just how did he manage to become Commander in Chief of White Sun anyway...?" Andy asked as both he and Sami examined the sprawled form on the floor. "I mean, he's cool and all, but...he's asleep face down on the floor..."

"Zzz..." Mel snored.

"Don't ask me Andy..." Sami said, as she brushed her hair while trying to rationalize this ridiculous scene. "Well, Mel's Mel and that just how it is..."

"Zzz..."

"Do you think we should wake him up Sami?"

"...and risk getting beaten to death? I for one don't have a death wish Andy. If anything, I'd rather go back to bed too...I think I stayed up too late talking with him."

"Ooh...pillow talk?" Andy laughed.

"Ooh! You! Shut up!" She shouted angrily hitting him with her hairbrush.

"Gowch! That smarts!"

"Stupid!" She continued to berate Andy.

"Zzz...noisy...shu'up..." Mel mumbled.

"Oops...I think he's waking up..." Sami said.

"Well, I bet I know why he's so tired too Sami. It's because you and – OOF!" Sami interrupted Andy rather painfully as she drove her knee into his stomach.

"...dirty minded punk." She muttered letting Andy fall to the ground with a dull thud.

"...what in the hell..." Mel groaned as he got up off the floor. "...ah...good morning Sami." He said sitting cross-legged on the ground. "...what the hell is Andy doing lying on the ground like that?"

"Oh, he was saying dirty things so I shut him up." Sami said shrugging. "With violence."

"Okay...well, today's a new day and that means Black Hole needs to get another beating...so...what's next for you guys?" Mel asked.

"Well, I think Nell wants to talk to us all in a more detailed briefing..."

"...briefing? Count me out." Mel said flopping back onto the pillow. "I hate listening to briefings..."

"...but aren't you usually the one who starts the briefings in White Sun?" Sami asked.

"Ah...I leave that to my subordinates."

"...you're awfully lazy aren't you Mel?" She crossed her arms.

"Yup...now then. Back to sleep."

"...you're not gonna listen...?"

"Nope."

"...fine, I'll tell you about it later then...you'll want to know...right?" Sami asked.

"Maybe..." Mel said.

"...you know you should at least sleep somewhere other than the ground...it's kinda undignified..." Sami said frowning slightly.

"Meh...I'll deal with that later..." He said yawning. "Wake me up when you're done..."

"...fine, fine..." Sami said. "Later Mel..."

Place: Orange Star Briefing Room

The Orange Star COs gathered to discuss their next plan of attak.

"Anyway, like we've figured out, Black Hole is back..." Nell said

"Yeah, and they're tougher than they were last time..." Max muttered.

"Yeah! You know what? Now that Mel's here, let's have him help us get them!" Andy said. "Just send him over to Cosmo Land and have him kick butt there!"

"Slow down, Andy. The enemy's not in Cosmo Land. However...they're invading the main parts of where we are in Macro Land. Like here..." Sami reasoned.

"What about Blue Moon and Yellow Comet?" Max asked. "Have they replied yet? Are they still in trouble?"

"Yeah. And Green Earth too. I wonder if they're mobilizing to push Black Hole back, too." Sami wondered. "We haven't been able to contact the other countries lately..."

"Woohoo! It'll be like a family reunion! And we've already grouped up with a few of our old allies already too! So a couple more to go and we're good!" Andy cheered.

"Andy! This is war! Do you think that's anything to be excited about?" Sami asked irritated.

"No, but...we'll get to see everyone again, and that makes me happy! C'mon let's go!" Then he turned to Sami. "Heeey...what about you eh? I'm pretty sure you're happy to see Mel!" He said sticking out his tongue. "Well! I'm off to go kick some butt and take names! See ya!"

"Hey! Hold on! Andy! Andy? He's gone...Oh..." Sami said her face going slightly red.

"Well, we all gotta go sometime, right? At least he's got the right attitude. No sense getting all bummed out before the battle even begins." Max shrugged. "Hey, at least we got reinforcements. That's good for morale."

"You know...it was so peaceful lately...I just know you want to give us a little refresher course on basic combat ops, right Nell?" Sami suggested.

"Oh, great. Just what I wanted...Another boring lecture." Max groaned.

"I didn't know you thought my lectures were that boring Max." Nell said. "You know what? If you want combat ops, I think Mel's better at teaching that stuff than me."

"What? You want me to ask that psycho for basic combat ops?"

"Trust me on this one Max. I'll take care of the rest of my command for the time being." Nell said.

Place: Sami's room

"Mel...?" Sami peered into the room. "Oh there he is. Right there on the ground. Still..."

"Hmm...?" Mel turned over and gazed hazily in Sami's general direction. "...whaddya want?"

"Ah...Nell wants you to do something."

"...I guess it can't be helped...I can't stay here for free and get away with it this time, can I?" He asked.

"Nope."

"Okay, okay...what does she want?"

"...would you mind helping the troops go over some basic combat operations?"

"...zat all? That's easy stuff Sami...heck, you could do it." He said turning over.

"I'm not under any authority to though." She said.

"...pfeh, authority...it's not that important."

"Easy for you to say, Mister Commander in Chief." She tapped him with her foot. "Get up."

"Whatever, whatever. I'm on it." He said getting off the ground. "So what's up?"

"Andy ran off somewhere." She said.

"Already?"

"Yeah...I think he's gonna be fine though."

"...so be it." Mel said brushing himself off. "Let's go."

"You know Mel..." Sami started.

"What?"

"You really shouldn't just sleep on the floor like that." She shook her head.

"..." He just stared at her in mild amusement.

"Really." Sami sighed.

"...hmm." He nodded. "Whatever. Let's do some quick field runs then. Sami, what's your usual training routine?"

"...uh...laps...push-ups...chin-ups...normal quick training runs." She counted off various activities on her fingers.

"...ah...all right then. Let's go. We got some spare time right? Thirty laps around the headquarters' compound. I'll even get my troops to run with yours." He said, throwing off his coat and grabbing a pair of proper training shoes.

"Wha?"

"C'mon. I don't think I've done this in a while. And by the looks of it, neither have you." Mel said pointing at her stomach. "Looks squishy."

"Hey!" She covered her stomach with her arms. "I'm not getting fat!"

"Catch you outside. Hey, Max. C'mon let's do some training drills." Mel shouted as he passed the big man down the hall way.

Place: Black Hole Field HQ

"Hey! Damn you guys!" Flak growled. "Why aren't the Orange Star lines broken?"

"They're...They're stronger than we had anticipated..." One of the alien soldiers said weakly.

"I don't want excuses! I want victory! Just smash those idiots up!"

"More trouble, sir! We have reports of a new Orange Star CO arriving..."

"..."

"Lord Flak, if we continue we're only going to take more casualties."

"Nothing else to do. Use the troops we've got left. This CO...What's he like?" Flak wondered out loud. "Whatever...I don't care whoever it is. I'm gonna break those stupid little wimps whether they like it or not!"

Place: Orange Star Field HQ

"Whew! Okay, we've taken care of the majority of Black Hole's forces here. This Black Hold Army is proving to be quite dangerous." Nell said wiping her forehead with a handkerchief. "Good thing Mel showed up when he did. This makes my job much easier."

"Commander! We've located the remaining enemy units. We're preparing to launch pursuit!" A soldier said reporting to Nell.

"Understood. I'll take it from here! Let's send them packing!"

"Nell! What's the matter? Are you okay?" Andy ran into the room.

"Oh, Andy! Sorry for the sudden call. Maybe I should have told you more in detail, what you had to do"

"Where are the bad guys? Let's mess them up!"

"Settle down. I've wiped out most of the enemy with help from White Sun."

"Oh...I was hoping I'd get a chance to show off for you." Andy sighed.

"Don't be foolish, Andy! This isn't training. You might be a mechanical wizard but you still need practice with soldiers. I don't think you're as combat ready as you'd like to believe. You can take over for me, but I'm going to give you instructions as you go, and I want you to listen!" Nell said annoyed.

"Yes, ma'am! Let's get started!" Andy said. "I've got the command now. Let's move everyone!"

Place: Black Hole Field HQ

"That woman's tough...Can I win with these units? Hah! This is where the fun starts!" Flak laughed raucously as he tried to think of a semi-intelligible plot to smash up the Orange Star troops.

Place: Orange Star Field HQ

"Hey, Nell. We are fighting the Black Hole Army, right?"

"Yes. However, it isn't Sturm we're facing. It looks like another CO. I get the impression that whoever it is just wants to smash things." Nell said with distaste.

"Well, he's not getting away with anything while I'm around!"

"That's the spirit! I knew I could count on you!" Nell smiled.

Place: Orange Star Main HQ

"Move, move, move!" Sami shouted to her men as she jogged next to Mel.

"...you heard the lady, pick up the pace boys." Mel said to his men.

"Yes Commander!"

"Mel...how many is this now?" Sami asked.

"...ten."

"Only? Geez...you should have made it less..." She grumbled. "...it's been a while since I've done endurance sprints..."

"Well, we got more after so might as well make sure everyone's ready to go."

"But won't they be exhausted after this?"

"They can take a break afterwards." Mel said running up ahead. "Catch up with me in a bit or I'll catch up with you first."

"...that guy's crazy..." Max said as he watched Mel dash around the corner away from the rest of them. "...he's pretty fast for somebody that looks that lazy."

"Just shut up and run already Max..." Sami said. "He's probably not gonna let us live it down if he runs circles around us like this."

"Damn right I won't let you guys live it down." Mel said as he came up from behind them.

"WHAT THE?" Sami looked in shock. "How'd you manage to –?"

"Keep talking and you won't know how badly I'm gonna beat you all." He laughed.

"...he's twisted." Max sighed. "Oh well...can't you catch up with him?"

"Damned if I won't catch up with him." Sami sighed. "All right! Let's move!" She broke into a sprint. "I'm not gonna lose to you Mel!"

Gabe and Gary sat on some crates nearby as they watched this scene unfold.

"D'you think we should be running with them?" Gary asked Gabe.

"...perhaps. Even though I for one know I can run a lot faster than Mel."

"Yeah, yeah, I know you can." The sniper sighed.

"Well, whatever, I'm not gonna waste my energy doing something stupid like that. Let's just watch and laugh at them." Gabe said.

"Hahaha...sounds good enough to me."

Time: Some days later

Place: Black Hole Field HQ

"The Orange Star Army is here! I order you to surrender!" Andy shouted.

"You did it, Andy! This area has been liberated." Nell said.

"Hmm...But it was kinda too easy...and...the place is completely empty now...they must have ran off already..."

"Don't worry Andy. I've got a feeling that we're in for a whole slew of combat. Today, however, we celebrate your victory! Keep up the good work! Let's see how the others are doing!"

Place: Orange Star Main HQ

"Ugh...stupid...Mel...ran us...into...the ground..." Sami groaned as she was sprawled on top of one of the mess tables. "...three days of training like that...I can't take it anymore... everything hurts...bad. Remind me to never overexert myself like that again..."

"Tell me about it..." Max said. "I haven't had such a work out in a while. I'm surprised that guy's still moving about...where's he at now...?" The big man gasped while he looked around.

"Hey you two." Mel walked up holding two trays of food. "Eat up. I heard that Andy boy beat the snot out of the enemy forces. That means we get to party it up later tonight."

"Wha...Mel..." Sami looked up. "...I can't believe you...I haven't had such a rough training run in a while... especially three consecutive days of it."

"Hmm? Ah...don't worry. That's probably enough."

"...hmph...whatever what do we got? Eh...something that's not instant bread and corned beef. What's this...fresh beef?"

"Yeah, managed to scrounge up a couple steaks and stuff." Mel shrugged.

"Wow, they've outdone themselves in the mess hall today." Max said grinning.

"Ah, actually I made those for you two." Mel said.

"What? You serious man?"

"Yeah. Well, enjoy. I need to go grab a couple more things." He headed off back to the kitchen.

"Huh, surprising. That guy can cook."

"Guess it's pretty handy to have him around." Sami said cutting at the steak. 'Considering I can't cook to save my life.'

"Hmm...looks good enough." Max said taking in the aroma.

"Hey guys! Party! Party!" Andy whooped as he entered the mess hall.

"Eh? Hey Andy." Sami said waving. "Heard it went okay."

"Yeah! It rocked! Now it's time to party it up! Whoa! Where'd you get the steaks?"

"Mel got them for us." Max said with his mouth full. "Where's Nell at?"

"Oh she's comin'."

"So everybody, how did the field training runs go?" Nell asked as she came in.

"Oh it went just fine, other than the fact I'm completely exhausted." Sami said between a bite of her food. "Mel ran us into the ground."

"Hmm. I expected at least that much from someone like him." The blonde said.

"You mean you'd know he'd pull something like that?" Max asked.

"He was in charge during the advisor-ship training. I saw how he trained the troops. He's a maniac." Nell smirked.

"...and you didn't warn us before?" He groaned.

"Didn't think it was necessary...I thought he told you before." Nell shrugged. 'And this is pay back for bringing him in 'uninvited' like that.'

"No..."

"You should have told him to take it easy on us...some of us are a bit more delicate." Sami grumbled.

"Oh well. Ooh. That looks good. Since when did we have steaks?" Nell changed the subject.

"Since Mel decided to cook?" Max said.

"Ah, Nell, Andy! Welcome back you two." Mel said as he put down two trays of food. "Here you go."

"Oh! Thank you Mel." Nell said in surprise.

"Sweet deal!" Andy said looking at the food.

"Eh? You're all welcome." Mel said sitting down. "Psst...Sami." He whispered to her.

"Hmm?" Sami looked up from her food for a moment. "What?"

"...I'll make up for all that running you had to endure later...okay?"

"How are you gonna manage that?" She asked.

"...you'll see." He said getting back up. "I'm getting some drinks."

"All right! Mel, see if you can get some booze or something!" Max shouted. "Hahaha!"

"Yeah, yeah...I'll see what I can do." He said heading for where Hachi usually set up his store. 'Seriously? I... I guess it's doable.' He shrugged.

Place: Hachi's store

"Whoa! Mel! How have you been doin'?" The old merchant looked up in surprise.

"Same old, same old, Hachi. The troops need some morale boosting."

"How are you gonna go by doing that?" Hachi asked.

"Got beer?"

"Ah! Got just the stuff Mel. Since it's for the troops, you're free to take it. All right with you?" He pointed to a crate behind Mel.

"Sure thing Hachi. Thanks..." Mel said lifting the crate back to the mess hall.

Place: Mess Hall

"Hey, I'm back guys." Mel said pushing the crate. "Got the beer. Amazingly."

"Whoa! All right!" Max said. "Drink up everyone!" He said tossing cans at everyone.

"Wha? Beer?" Sami said in surprise as she caught it. "Are you serious? Don't we still have to command the – mmph!"

"Oh loosen up a bit more Sami!" Max said pouring it down her throat.

"Gah! Max!" She spluttered. "What do you think you're – hic!" She gasped as she covered her mouth. "Blech!"

"I take it that you can't take very much alcohol, can you Sami?" Max asked.

"Nope...that's why I'm trying to...hic...dammit..."

"Haha! The least you can do Sami is have a toast with the rest of us first before you pass out." Max laughed.

"Hmm...ugh...I feel really light headed..." Sami said. "I'm goin' upstairs to lie down for a sec."

"C'mon, don't be such a spoilsport!"

"Bleah." She groaned. "Whatever...I can't take this...here, Mel finish this off will ya?" She handed it over to him.

"...hmm...?" Mel looked up from the can he already had in his hand. "Can't handle your liquor?"

"Oh will you stuff it too? I'm gonna go nap." She groaned.

"Just a sec..." He said finishing off both cans. "Wait for me. I have to take care of some things." He followed after her.

"...suspicious." Andy said to Max.

"Very suspicious." Max said to Nell.

"Incredibly suspicious." Nell nodded. "Wonder what they're up to?"

"Beats me. But it already looks shady enough since they're leaving together." The big man nodded.

"Yes...very."

"Hmm...do you think they..." Max started.

"Probably not." Andy said. "They might share the same room, but Mel sleeps face down on the ground by himself in his uniform. And Sami's usually awake before he is and she's pretty amused by it herself too."

"Oh...I guess it can't be that suspicious then." Max shrugged. "Then again, they only kinda get along anyway, so I doubt they'd be up to anything weird."

"Meh...so much for rumors." Andy sighed. "Well, we can go spy on them later."

"Yeah. Let's do that." Max agreed.

"...what are you two up to?" Nell asked in surprise.

"Oh, you didn't hear about when the two of them fell asleep on the couch together, did you Nell?"

"No...not really."

"Well it all happened when..." Max and Andy retold the tale about what happened in Green Earth over a year ago.

Place: Sami's room

"Bleah...I feel gross..." Sami moaned as she flopped onto the bed.

"You okay?" Mel asked.

"No. I can't feel my muscles all over my body and I'm still sore from doing training exercises with you. And beer does not help."

"Izzat so..."

"And what on earth do you mean make it up to me? How are you gonna make up for three days worth of pain and suffering?"

"Hmm...it so happens that I know pressure point massage and therapeutic acupuncture ya know." Mel said rummaging through his suitcase. "Hmm...hmm...where's that box..."

"Wha? Massage and acupuncture? That's great!"

"Hmm...there we go. I found my box of needles." He said putting it down.

"...eep..." She recoiled at the sight of the needles.

"What? Scared of needles?" Mel asked.

"Kinda. But if it'll make the soreness go away, I'm game."

"Huh...first time for everything eh?"

"Yup." She nodded. "Uh...so do I need to do anything?"

"Oh, just for your information, I can't really find the proper places to poke, prod and jab needles into if you're in uniform ya know..." He said bluntly. "So... undress."

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh?" Her face went bright red. "No way!"

"Meh." He just shrugged. "If you don't want to, fine."

"Hmph...fine, fine...just let me grab a towel or something first..." The blush on her face still burning brightly.

"..." Mel just kept quiet as he sat cross-legged on the ground. "It's not like I haven't seen you half naked before. And not like it really matters to me."

"Well it matters to me!" She shouted back.

"Hmm." He shrugged again as he rolled back his sleeves. "Are you even remotely ready?"

"Just a sec. Hey! Turn around while I'm undressing!" She grabbed a sheet and put it over Mel's head. "Hold still!"

"Okay." He turned around with said sheet on his head. "Sigh."

"Don't you dare peek!"

"... okay. Not like I can."

"There! Done."

"So I can turn around now?" Mel asked as he wiped his glasses with the sheet.

"Hmm? Yes." She replied, standing in her underwear. "Don't... don't stare too much..."

"...hmm." He shrugged as he got up. '...white.' Mel thought to himself.

"..." The girl's face was bright red, as she laid face down on her mattress. "...don't do anything weird okay?"

"...I swear on my life that I won't do anything weird to you when you're in such a...vulnerable state or a compromising position." Mel said raising his hand. "And why would I anyway? That's just wrong, and I didn't do anything to you last time either..."

"Ah...thanks Mel." She sighed in relief.

"Well...keep quiet about this to the others. I'd like to avoid performing acupuncture on the rest of them. It's quite bothersome for me. Oh...careful now. This might sting a bit." He said as he held a handful of needles and proceeded in carefully poking them into Sami's bare back. "Just...don't move too much...okay?"

"Okay...ouch!" She winced as he began arranging the needles around her back and the rest of her body. "Ack! Careful with those!"

Time: An hour or so later

"Aah..." Sami sighed rather happily. "That was great..." She was still lying face down on her bed as Mel was cleaning up his needles.

"Well...?" He asked.

"I didn't know you knew how to do that..."

"No one asks." Mel said as he rolled down his sleeves. "Well...I'm goin' back downstairs to check on the rest of them. Get dressed or somethin' and I'll be back in a bit."

"Eh...I don't wanna move...I feel way too relaxed right now..." She said snuggling her face onto her pillow. "It's like every muscle in my body has loosened."

"...that's probably because they all did loosen Sami..." Mel said. 'Never have I ever dealt with someone who was THAT tense.' He thought to himself. "Please don't fall asleep half naked though Sami..."

"Hmm...? But I don't wanna move..." She whined.

"You're gonna catch cold that way..."

"Hmm...but..."

"No buts." He said picking up her clothes and tossing them on her bed. "Get dressed or at least partially dressed before I get back."

"You're not the boss of me!"

"Hmm." Mel just shook his head and strode out. "Don't make me tell the others that you start blushing whenever someone just brushes that part of your back gent – "

"Ack! I'm getting dressed! I'm getting dressed! Just get out already!" She said scrambling around.

"Hmm...ha."

Place: Lounge

"Yo! Mel! We're still partying it up!" Max said. "Eh...where'd Sami go?"

"Oh, she's resting upstairs." Mel said motioning to the higher levels of the base with his thumb.

"...you didn't do anything suspicious with her...did you?" Max said as Andy turned around to listen as well.

"...why do you all think Sami and I do weird things when we're alone?" Mel wondered.

"I dunno. Didn't you guys do something weird during our campaign in Green Earth during the last war?"

"...what the hell...?" Mel said raising an eyebrow. "No...not that I remember."

"But...I thought you two are pretty close now...aren't ya?"

"...you could say that. But its not like we're doing anything of whatever your morally depraved mind is thinking of..."

"Huh...?"

"...you're a moron Max..." Mel sighed. "How about I explain this to you carefully and inconspicuously."

"Uh...sure."

"There is no, and I repeat no excessively intimate physical contact between me and Sami and there is no exchange or speech or thought or mention of any activities that involve two people of the opposite gender sharing a bed doing things that can be found in a cheap movie in a store that I would care not to mention." Mel said in a single breath.

"Uh...in plain English please Mel?" Max asked.

"...that was IN plain English Max." Mel sighed again, exasperated.

"..."

"Ahem. It's quite simple. We. Did. NOT. Have. Sexual. Intercourse. You. Are. A. Fucking. Moron." He simplified it. "Understand?"

"...ooh." Max nodded.

"Now if you'd excuse me I – "

"Mel!" Sami called out as she walked into the room, dressed. "Thanks for earlier...it was really good..." She said as she hugged him from behind.

"Uh..." Mel started. "God fucking dammit."

"..." Max just stared in shock.

"So was all you just said an incredibly elaborate and well thought out lie?" Andy asked.

"Um...excuse me." Mel ran off with Sami still hanging on to him.

"Whoa!" Sami shouted in surprise.

Place: Sami's room

'WHAM' The door slammed shut.

"Phew..." Mel gasped as he made sure the door was properly closed and locked. "Sami..."

"Hmm?" She was still holding onto his back.

"...that was a very poorly timed appearance and unnecessary statement on your part." He finished.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Um..." Mel's usually blank and expressionless face went slightly red. "You just kinda blew up my entire explanation to Max and Andy that we're not banging each other up here during our downtime."

"Eh?" Her face went red.

"And saying 'it was really good' and hugging me does not and I repeat does not back up my statement."

"Oops..." Sami said, her face reddening even more.

"Very muchly so." He sighed.

"Um..."

Place: Officer's Lounge

"SUSPICIOUS!" Max shouted.

"Very!" Andy agreed.

"Hmm...knowing that they just ran off...d'you think they're doing it again?"

Place: Sami's room

"Whatever, whatever..." Mel started. "Lock the door! Oh wait I did already."

"Wait...doesn't this just make it worse?" She asked.

"Uh...it'll buy us some time to run away."

"From...?"

"YOU TWO! What the hell are you up to in there? Open up!" Max shouted.

'Click'

"Augh! Dammit! They locked it! This is definitely suspicious!"

"See? It did make it worse!" Sami cried out.

"Whatever! Let's just wait for them to come out, they have to eventually!" Max said annoyed.

"Crap..." Mel groaned.

"...They're gonna sit there all night..." Sami said.

"Hmm...fine. Let's just get them off our case."

"How?"

"You have your room key still, right?" He asked her.

"Yeah..."

"Then we're heading out the balcony window."

"But my room's on like the tenth floor!" Sami said.

"So what?" He took her hand. "My other plan would have involved you stripping naked and wrapping the bed sheet around you so that it would appear what they think we did was true."

"...um..." Her face went bright red. "I'll pass on that one."

"Exactly. Okay, I've got this thing open." He popped open the window.

"Um...just how am I going to jump out with you?"

"...you think I'm actually stupid enough to JUMP out?" He asked her.

"Didn't you always jump out?"

"I'm still human too Sami...I use a parachute like everyone else who jumps out of a helicopter or plane. Most of the time anyway."

"...mmm."

"I climbed down a couple floors by jumping down balcony to balcony. A ten foot or so fall is nothing, but a collective hundred something foot fall is plain stupid. And deadly."

"Uh..."

"Oh, this room still has a balcony too. Just like the rest of them. This makes it much easier. But since you're coming with me, I can't really risk letting you jump down ten whole floors, I don't think your body could take it."

"Hmm. Are you worried that I'm gonna get hurt?" She asked.

"Yes." He nodded.

"Oh..."

"Anyway, I'll go down first and I'll give you a hand on your way down. So don't fall!"

"Mmm...okay." She watched as he easily jumped around and over the balcony and landed neatly on the one directly below.

"Just hold on tightly to the bars and swing over and I'll catch you or something."

"That worries me...the 'or something' part." Sami said, gripping the ledge of the balcony tightly.

"Don't worry, there's plenty of room on these things for some reason. And that makes up for any error pretty well either way. I think."

"Now what...?" She asked peering over the ledge.

"Just jump over and swing around in my direction and I'll catch you or something."

"Or something?" She cried out in distress. "Again with that..."

"Carefully now..." Mel said as he watched her legs dangle uneasily down the balcony.

"Okay..."

"Uh...Sami, how tall are you?"

"Like five foot four..." She said, sliding down slowly.

"Hmm..." Mel reached out and grabbed her around the waist. "Good thing I can reach you then."

"Whoa! What are you – oof!" Her suddenly letting go caused her to knock Mel down and they both fell down in a heap. "Ow...owow..."

"...ugh..." Mel groaned. "...you're not very heavy...I expected someone who was a special forces commander to be a bit better built...actually...you're quite soft."

"Mel!" She said her face reddening again.

"...can you get off of me already?" He said trying to sit up. "...damn...I can't move if you're sitting on my chest like that Sami..."

"Huh?" She looked down at where she had landed. "...oops."

"...ugh...maybe I'll retract the part about you being light...unless you'd care to correct me."

"...hmph. I'm only a hundred and five pounds." She said getting up.

"...okay, correction about you being light. You're tiny." He said as she got off him.

"Hmph, well excuse me for being a girl." She said helping him up. "Now what?"

"Well, they probably think we're still in your room unless they heard that...dull thud. Which I doubt, but...given the situation..." Mel said, brushing himself off.

"Just how long are you two gonna sit there?" Came a voice next to them.

"Huh...?" Mel turned around to spot Gabe leaning on the balcony they were standing on. "What are you doin' here?"

"Eh...saw you swingin' around then watched as you fell. What's up?"

"Oh some bad situation that we didn't mean to get into." Mel said. "I didn't even notice you..."

"Knowin' you, yeah." Gabe said. "Heh...I'm just that sneaky boss."

"Wait a second..." Sami interrupted. "How did YOU get up here?" She pointed at Gabe.

"I ran up the wall." Gabe shrugged.

"...how?"

"I'm a ninja. And I don't tell my secrets." He had a point.

"...huh...ninjas...right." Sami shook her head in disbelief.

"Hey, if you don't believe me, fine." Gabe shrugged. "I'm still a ninja even if you don't think so."

"Uh...think you could give us a hand Gabe?" Mel asked.

"Hmm? I got a rope ladder if that's what you're askin' for." He said producing it from his pocket. "Should get you guys down like...five more floors, no problem."

"You sure that thing's sturdy...?" Sami asked, looking uneasily at the rather thin looking apparatus in Gabe's hands.

"Meh, it's silk thread, it's strong as steel when woven properly eh? Even someone like Max could be supported by it." Gabe said setting it against the balcony.

"...hmm..." Sami looked rather skeptical.

"Meh..." Mel shrugged. "This one works as well as any." He said climbing down. "Don't worry Sami, it's perfectly safe."

"It'd probably be able to carry both of ya..." Gabe said. "And since Mel's already goin' down first, he can probably catch ya or something if you fall."

"...gee thanks for that." Sami said.

"What's a matter Red? 'fraid of heights?" The ninja laughed.

"Huh? No...but are you sure he'll catch me if I do fall?"

"Look at it this way..." Gabe said as he checked if Mel was out of earshot. "Mel's not big on emotions...well except for biting sarcasm and givin' off that scary feeling you get, ya know."

"Yeah..." She nodded. "I knew that when we first met."

"However when he's around you, or someone mentions somethin' 'bout you, his face changes slightly."

"Hmm..."

"And don't tell me you don't like bein' around him. I don't think he minds you bein' around him either."

"How come you've figured all this out?" She asked Gabe.

"It's a knack...that and you're pretty cute. Hahaha. C'mon, hurry up. Or I'll toss you off and we'll find out if he'll catch you or not."

"Eep...I'm going, I'm going." Sami said as she climbed down the ladder.

Time: A few minutes later

"Hey...you're late." Mel said as she finally made it next to him.

"Sorry, Gabe wanted to chat."

"Hmm...wonder what someone like him would talk to you about."

"Nothing much..." She feigned ignorance as her face reddened slightly.

"I bet. C'mon...the door's open there. Let's go back and surprise 'em."

"...this is a pretty round about way of doing it though..." Sami said rubbing her palms together.

"Meh...that'll show 'em though." He said. "Let's go then, shall we?" Mel said brushing himself off again.

"Oi!" Gabe called out from above. "Ya know people usually thank people for their help!"

"Yeah, yeah...thanks Gabe." Mel said.

"Mm. Thank you." Sami nodded.

"Haha...you're welcome." Gabe laughed.

Place: Door to Sami's room

"...huh...where are they...?" Andy said. "D'you think they ran away?"

"...probably." Max said.

"But how...? I'm pretty sure neither one of them carry any ropes and stuff. It's not like they could – "

"Climb out the window?" Mel asked as he as he tapped Andy on the shoulder.

"WHAT THE? How'd they – " Andy was interrupted as Sami grabbed him and tossed him into Max.

"Oof!"

"Idiots..." She muttered. "Don't assume things that you're not sure of!" She stuck out her tongue at them and unlocked her room. "I'm goin' to bed. Good night."

"Uh...I'm gonna teach these two some manners before I go to bed." Mel said tilting his head side to side, making loud cracking noises. "...well then...how shall I start...?" His eyes emitted a twisted sadistic look. "It's been a while since someone's given me trouble...hehehehe..."

"...um Max...are you even remotely a match for Mel?" Andy asked as he backed up against the wall.

"Don't you remember this guy can lift me up with one hand?" Max said.

"...oh right..."

"...we're screwed."

"Damn right you two are." Mel said cracking his knuckles. "It's one thing to cause me trouble...but it's unforgivable that you had to drag a girl into this too."

That night, the headquarters was filled with loud pained screams coming from Andy and Max. However, this didn't stop the rest of the occupants of the dormitories from sleeping as they have gotten used to it already the last time Mel was there.

Time: The next morning

Place: Orange Star HQ

The next day, Andy and Max were found lying face down in a pool of their own spittle completely out cold and unfit to command for the next few days. Sami and Nell were eating breakfast together.

"...hey Sami..." Nell said aside to the red-head.

"...yeah...?"

"...Mel's kinda...scary, isn't he?"

"...yep. That's Mel all right." Sami nodded.

"How'd you sleep?" Nell asked changing the subject.

"Pretty good. I grabbed some earplugs before I hit the hay."

"Haha...me too. I figured that those two were up to something, and that they were going to get it."

"More like it was good luck on your part Nell."

"Hmm...you never know Sami."

"Well, let's get the show on the road. What are my orders?" She asked, finishing her toast.

"Hmm, let's go on a patrol along the borders here...bring Mel along with you or something. I'm sure he'll have something useful to say or he'll be more than willing to help us."

"Huh? Oh...okay." She nodded. "I guess it won't hurt to have him come along."

"Hmm, back in the day, you'd dread even being in his presence. I've heard something happened..."

"Ah...it's not much to talk about Nell." Sami shook her head.

"Oh...? But it seems so interesting."

"Really, really. Nothing important happened...not really." Sami said her face flushing.

"...hmm. If you say so." Nell said walking away laughing. "Well, I'm coming along too, so no funny business now."

"Yes'm..." Sami nodded.

Place: Rural Orange Star area

"Lord Flak! Orange Star forces sighted on the opposite shore..." An alien soldier said to the large brutish man.

"What? Is that all they got?" Flak laughed looking at the small landing force. "Hah! Send out the tanks! Tanks are powerful, and they move far. Tanks are the best!" Orange Star COs? HAH! I'll crush 'em! Crush 'em all! They'll learn not to mess with Flak!"

Place: Orange Star Landing forces

"Commander, enemy troops have been spotted on the far side of the river." A soldier reported to Sami.

"Are you sure? Here? In this rural area?" Sami looked in surprise.

"What are you orders, ma'am? Should we cease ops and attack them?"

"That's affirmative, soldier. We can't allow the enemy a foothold this deep in our territory."

"'That's affirmative, soldier'? What kinda stuffy speech have you learned while I was gone Sami?" Mel asked raising an eyebrow. "You guys back here need to take it down a notch...you know?"

"Uh..." Sami's face went bright red.

"Well either way, they're here, we're here." Mel shrugged. "Ready to send them packing?"

"Mmm. I understand Mel." She nodded.

"Oh right...Nell, what are you doing here? I'm pretty sure there's more to it than just a patrol."

"Tracking down the Black Hole CO who's invading Orange Star, of course. I've seen him here and there a few times, but I still don't know who he is. Mel, do you have anything from your sorties with them in White Sun?"

"Hmm...well I'll tell you something, White Sun's kinda in the middle of the continents you know...so we're kind of in between Macro Land, Cosmo Land and even Omega..."

"Omega...? Never been there." Sami said.

"Eh...it's kinda the continent we're close to. Ish."

"Hmm..."

"Anyway, I believe there are four COs that Sturm sent out against us. He wanted to wipe out White Sun first before we took action, after realizing that we are a threat to his invasion."

"Oh...so that's why you were in a foul mood that day." She realized.

"Yes...but sending all four of them...hmm...Sturm doesn't underestimate his foes this time around."

"Well...any idea who or what the enemy COs are?"

"...three men, and a girl." Mel said.

"Okay..."

"Hmm...I think the one in Orange Star is a rather large brutish ape looking guy. Watch out...he's got some messed up firepower..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sami asked curiously.

"I don't know how to define it properly..." Mel said scratching his head. "I do know that even though he uses Dark En...the readings from him are unbalanced...it's like he sometimes has lucky shots...and sometimes he has incredibly shitty shots that do next to no damage."

"...huh..." Sami raised an eyebrow. "That's just stupid. Whatever, Nell, Mel, give me some pointers, let's get him outta here."

Place: Black Hole Field HQ

"Lord Flak, our infantry have reported finding Orange Star properties."

"What? Enemy cities? Capturing bases is grunt work, but I was told we need cash to fund the invasion...Listen up! If it ain't nailed down, steal it!" Flak roared. "Hmm? What's this now?" He grunted as he looked at a recon transmission. "Grr! Two women COs! Good country! I must have it! Wait...what the...what's that freak doin' here? That stupid punk from White Sun is here! This is bad! Well...as long as the others don't know...and I beat the living hell out of them here...no one needs to know...hahahaha!"

Place: Orange Star HQ

"Achoo!" Mel sneezed loudly.

"Bless you." Sami said handing him a tissue.

"Thanks..." He said grabbing it and holding it over his nose as he sneezed again. "ACHOO!"

"...someone's talking about you behind your back." Nell said trying to stifle a laugh.

"...someone's always talking about me behind my back..." Mel sighed. "Oh well...I'm pretty sure that the enemy commander is Flak...but whatever, let's be careful. You never know who or what'll show up. A-a-a-achoo! God dammit."

"Hmm..." Sami frowned as she reached into her pocket for a handkerchief. "Here..."

"Thank you."

"They must have some pretty good gossip on you or somethin'." She said.

"Beats me..." Mel said as he examined the map screens. "...kinda outnumbered aren't we?"

"...yeah..."

"So much for that. Start with that neutral city...we'll need the extra cash in order to maintain repairs and stuff like that. Then park our tanks over at the allied city...and we'll let them come and we'll poke them with our artillery...and back them up with your mechanized infantry...yeah...sounds good." Mel said after he finished examining the map.

"...not bad at all Mel." Nell said nodding. "No wonder you're the Commander in Chief of the White Sun. You're an excellent tactician."

"...Nell, I think we've been over this before." Mel said reaching into his coat for a can of iced coffee. "Remember who led the troops around Cosmo Land last time?"

"Right, right. I almost forgot about that. Then again, you caused a lot of trouble yourself when we were in Cosmo Land!"

"Hey...it's not my fault that Olaf had what was comin' to him. And it's not my fault Sami here is a – ouch!"

"Stop talking about me when I'm right in front of you!" Sami said with the beginnings of tears forming in her eyes. "Seriously!"

"Uh...sorry." Mel said. "I'll tell you later Nell."

"Hmm..." Nell nodded.

"Ahem...gimme back my handkerchief." Sami said yanking it out of Mel's pocket.

"Okay, okay...everyone move out!"

Time: The next day

"...this is just sad." Mel said as he watched the Black Hole units march blindly to their doom. "Rain artillery on them..."

"I don't think this guy gets it." Sami said. "Hey! Move the heavy infantry and blast those tanks!"

"Yes ma'am!"

"Are the repairs on our light tank units finished yet?"

"Not yet ma'am!"

"Hmph...keep them back then...send out light infantry up to back up the others..."

"Yes ma'am!"

"...ne Mel..." Sami pulled him over and whispered into his ear. "...I really wish they'd stop calling me 'ma'am'...it makes me feel so old..."

"...hahaha...poor Sami..." Mel laughed.

"Mel!" She glared at him angrily.

"Sorry, can't help it. You are oh so very amusing."

"...hmph." She pouted.

"Oh well...you've got the situation under control right?"

"Yeah...this guy's pretty sad if you ask me..."

"My thoughts exactly."

"Hmm...Mel, where are you going?"

"Huh...? I'm going to take a nap. It's not like you need me around right now anyway." He walked over to his tent.

"Oh...okay."

Time: A few days later

Orange Star troops had finally defeated the Black Hole forces in the region.

"Grr! Not bad...for a girl!" Flak growled angrily.

"You're the Black Hole Commanding Officer? You're just a thug! Who do you think –?" Sami took a good look at him and was disgusted.

"Yap, yap, yap! Shut your trap! I'm leaving for now...Next time I'll put you in your place." Flak taunted.

"Hey! Who do you think you are talking to her like that?" Mel said shooting Flak a murderous glare from the com screen. "I'm pretty sure I know a lot of other COs that could cream you easily you ape."

"Whoa! IT IS YOU! GAH! Men! Retreat!" Flak screamed loudly as he realized Mel was talking to him.

"...that takes care of him." Mel said turning around to the two female COs. "What do you think?"

"...I felt like there was someone pressing a sword against my throat..." Sami said her face dripping with a cold sweat.

"Likewise..." Nell said breathing deeply.

"What...what's wrong with you two?" Mel asked worried.

"Mel...you give off way too much of a killing aura around you." Nell said. "I'm pretty sure everyone else in the room felt that too when you glared at Flak..."

"Hmm..."

"No matter...he escaped...And he was so rude too..." Nell said regaining her composure.

"Huh, excuse me for being an ex-assassin Nell." Mel shrugged. "I can't help it if I naturally give off a killing aura."

"Well...I'm pretty sure that only happens when you're angry though..."

"Hmm...you're probably right." He said turning around. "Gah...that guy really pisses me off."

"If I get the chance, I'm gonna run him down." Sami said. "That'll definitely make my day."

"Tell me about it..." Mel said stretching. "Well...let's go back to HQ...I'm starting to wonder about this."

Place: White Sun Field HQ in Orange Star

"Commander Gary!" A soldier burst into the sniper's quarters.

"...wha?"

"We've engaged with enemy units! They've surrounded the troops that were supposed to bring supplies and reinforcements to the Orange Star Army."

"You're kidding right?" Gary groaned.

"Not at all! This is serious."

"...tch...stupid Black Hole...always in our way. Well...let's go save them then. Those supplies can't get stolen or destroyed...and I think Mel would probably beat the living daylights out of me for screwing up."

"Understood Commander! Prepare to break free from the enemy lines!"

White Sun Mission: Freedom Fighter

Gary vs. Flak

Conditions: Destroy all enemy units.

Place: White Sun Field HQ

"...so...what are we up against?"

"The enemy has us surrounded with numerous tank squadrons..."

"...and we have them surrounded with artillery and rocket batteries...excellent." Gary said examining the battlefield. "They'll never know what hit them. That and since my units have heavier armor...we'll be able to break loose in time, and after we completely smash their tanks...we'll be home free."

Place: Black Hole Field HQ

"Hahaha! I've got you White Sun punks now! Huh...you're not that Mel person..." Flak said.

"...wha...who're you?" Gary asked looking a bit confused.

"What? This sucks! I thought they said that the enemy CO was some guy with glasses!"

"...I am some guy with glasses!"

"But you're not Mel! Grr...I'm gonna smash you either way! Heh...tryin' to bring supplies to those worms? I won't let ya!"

"That's what you think you thug..." Gary muttered. "Rockets...away. He won't be able to touch those APCs as long as you're in my sights."

"Yes Commander! Prep all rockets to lock onto targets and prepare firing!"

Place: Orange Star HQ

"...huh ? Where's Gary?" Mel asked Gabe as he walked in.

"Oh...Gary went out to get supplies and more reinforcements, but he should have been back by now. Probably something happened." Gabe said.

"...was he around this area of Orange Star?" Mel asked pointing to a map.

"Huh...? Oh yeah. Why?"

"...we just left a region around there. I think he probably got ambushed by a different group of Black Hole goons."

"...damn...that's no good." Gabe shook his head.

"...oh well, he can handle it." Mel shrugged.

"Yeah, probably."

Place: Gary's Location

"Geh..." Gary muttered. "...where'd this guy learn how to command anyway? I had more fun fighting against that shrimpy little bitty girl."

"Commander, it is imperative that we get these supplies out!" The tech said.

"Yeah, yeah, I know...but this guy is really annoying. He's wasting my time."

"Can you activate your CO Power?"

"...huh...yes, but I want to use my Super...a giant jolt of En will deal with that cluttered group that's slowly crawling towards us from the forests."

"How much longer would it take for that Commander?"

"Soon enough. Once I shoot out that group that's still headed for our supply convoy. Once that's dealt with, we can have the APCs head south, and behind our tank formations..."

"Very well Commander."

"...tch...c'mon, c'mon..." Gary muttered.

Time: A few days later

Place: Orange Star Central HQ

"...an incoming communication from the White Sun Field Headquarters here for Commander Mel."

"Hmm?" Mel looked up. "What now?"

"It's probably Gary." Gabe said as he continued reading his book. "Probably him complaining about somethin'."

"...probably. Patch him through."

"Gah dammit! You know what Mel? I ran into that stupid ape of a CO from Black Hole. Delayed the supply shipment you know? Well, I showed him good. I blasted his men off the face of the earth with an En Column. Pretty much made him crap himself. Anyway, I'm headin' for Orange Star HQ. The supplies have made it in one piece."

"...wow." Mel said raising his eyebrow. "Sounds like you had fun."

"That guy has waaaaaay too many units and his technique sucks. Except for his stupid 'lucky' shots. Even broke through my defense." Gary complained.

"Heh..."

"Well, I think he's probably in another region being annoying as usual."

"True...true."

"Actually, Commander Gary is more than correct." Nell said walking into the communications room.

"Oh...?" Mel said.

"Max has already encountered him once."

"Uh huh..."

"I'm sending him out again...appears that there are a number of aerial units coming in to attack another remote region." She handed a file to him.

"...hmm..."

"Mel, would you mind overseeing the situation there?" Nell asked.

"...huh?"

"Oh...right. You know that weapons research lab you told me about?"

"Yeah...?" Mel nodded.

"I believe there's a map somewhere over in the region where Max is. Oh right, take Sami with you too." She pointed to upstairs where Sami currently was.

"...take her with me?"

"You can brief her about the lab. It's vital that we can find that lab."

"Yeah, yeah...piggy bank tanks." Mel sighed.

"Hey! You know I said somethin' about tanks that looked like giant piggy banks!" Gary shouted on the com-screen.

"I thought that was me..." Gabe muttered.

"Who cares you two? Shut up already." Mel said. "...where's Sami?"

"She's probably in her room sleeping or something." Nell shrugged. "She's got a tendency to do that."

"I think she's too stressed out again." Mel said. "Whatever, I'll go get her."

Place: Sami's room

"...zzz..." Sami snoozed quietly on her bunk as Mel walked over.

"...she is asleep." He observed.

"Zzz..."

"Hmm...still in uniform. Must be really tired if she didn't bother changing before sleeping."

"...zzz..."

"Oh whatever. I'll do it subtly." He picked her up and carried her piggyback as he made his way down to the communications room.

"...uh...Mel?" Nell stared with a bemused grin on her face. "...aren't you gonna wake her up?" She asked.

"...nah. Whatever her reason is for sleeping, it's probably a good one. I'll wake her up when we arrive." Mel shrugged.

"...zzz..."

"...it's surprising she can still sleep like that Mel." Nell laughed.

"Yeah..."

"I'll have someone take your luggage for you to the field HQ."

"Thanks..."

"Be sure to brief her when she wakes up."

"Yeah, yeah." Mel nodded. "Hey Andy." He said walking past the mechanic.

"Yo Mel. What the..." The younger man stopped, a confused look on his face.

"See ya Andy." Mel said walking off.

"...hey Nell..." Andy tugged on his Commander's sleeve.

"What is it Andy?" Nell asked.

"...just why is Sami asleep on Mel's back?"

"...she just is." She replied.

"...so?"

"They're heading towards the next battlefield."

"...but why's she asleep?"

"...I dunno. She's sleeping. What else?"

"...that's not really a good explanation." Andy sighed.

"I know...but I don't know what goes on in their heads."

"I guess."

"Hmm...anyway, they're off to find the map to the weapon research lab. It should be fine." Nell said.

"...are you trying to change the subject?"

"...not really."

"Oh..."

"Anyway, ignoring Sami and Mel...let's see...Andy, we need you to go make some repairs on some of our units, so get to it." She pointed to the garage.

"All right Nell! Not a problem!" Andy said running off.

"Hmm...oh well. At least he's energetic."

Time: A few hours later

Place: Max's Location

"Max how's it going?" Mel said.

"Huh...? I thought Nell sent two of you." Max looked around for Sami.

"Hmm? Oh...yeah. Sami's here. She's...still asleep. " Mel pointed at the recon where Sami was snoozing.

"Asleep? At a time like this?" The big man was surprised.

"Yeah..."

"Huh...well. The enemy's coming with an air assault."

"Well...I'm pretty sure that Sami's troops aren't ready...so let's avoid doing anything...rash for the time being."

"Leave it to me! I'll bring those birds down!"

"Heh...good man." Mel laughed. "I'll go see if the princess is awake yet."

"All right!"

Place: Black Hole Field HQ

"Lord Flak, we've just been told that we're not authorized to use either bombers or fighters!"

"Grr...who the hell needs authorization! The damn things were just sitting there!"

"But Lord Flak, we don't have many soldiers trained to use them..."

"Trained? I'll train 'em myself dammit!" Flak pointed at the air. "These bombers...they're indirect combat units. They're good against ground units. They're even good on Medium tanks. But they can't fire on other air units. They're bombers. They bomb. And shit blows up." Flak then pointed at a fighter. "This here's a fighter. It can attack other air units. It's the best weapon to have when you're stomping flying stuff. You got it? Then attack! The more you take out, the better."

"Yes, sir! Delta squad is away!" The soldier said as the enemy plains began flying towards the Orange Star forces.

Place: Orange Star Field HQ

"...wake up..." Mel said poking Sami on the cheek.

"Mmph...wha...where am I?" The girl mumbled.

"...awake now are we?"

"Eh...Mel, how come I'm not in my room in Central HQ?"

"...I didn't want to wake you up, so I carried you and we're in Max's field HQ."

"...waa..." Sami rubbed at her eyes. "You could have woke me up earlier...now I just feel really crappy."

"Oh...sorry."

"Ugh..." Sami shook her head. "So what's the deal right now?" She asked, sitting up.

"Well, Nell wants us to find the map to the enemy weapons development lab...and Max is busy fighting off those fiends."

"...ah... okay."

"Hmm...you know what? I'm gonna go for a walk. Saw a nearby city..."

"Okay...I'll stay here." She nodded.

"...I'll call back and give a report on my radio if anything comes up. Stay at the communications tent or something..."

"Gotcha."

Time: A few days later

Place: Orange Star Communications

"...hey, come in. Somebody...anyone...?" Came Mel's voice from the radio. "Gah dammit! Anyone there? Honestly!"

"Wha – I'm awake! I'm aw – oof!" Sami fell off the chair she was leaning back on. "This is Sami."

"...I found something." He said.

"What?"

"I'll bring it base shortly. This is interesting. I didn't think that it'd be that easy to find."

"...the map?" Sami asked.

"Yeah."

"That's great Mel! Bring it back as soon as possible!"

"Got it...hmm..."

"What's the matter?"

"...that's weird. Why would they hide this in a city though? The one I found was actually on one of the technicians that I managed to capture." He muttered.

"...you managed to catch one of them?"

"It's not too hard. I mean I just thought it was one of the other COs that was from Black Hole. But it was just some tech in disguise."

"Oh..."

"Well, Mel out. I'll be back shortly. I mean it did take like three days for me to find the god damn thing in that city."

Time: Some hours later

Place: Orange Star Field HQ

"Let's see, let's see." Sami said holding out her hands expectantly.

"...see what?" Mel asked.

"The map." She said.

"Oh right." He reached into his pocket and handed it to her. "Needs to deciphering But why on earth would they bother hiding the map, unless they WANT us to get our hands on their weapons..."

"Beats me." Max shrugged. "Maybe they're stupid or something."

"Probably. Oh well...nothing a little bit of reverse engineering can't fix."

"Yup. Well...I'm almost done cleaning up here." Max said. "Oh right...so do you think there are labs in the other countries too?"

"I'd say there are. Their lame attempt of an invasion of White Sun proved that there was a lab there too. Rather...empty though according to Gabe. They'd already ran away but left their plans before they had a chance to attack properly."

"I'll have the Intel sent to Nell...then we'll be able to find that lab and we can handle it from there." Sami said.

"Sounds good." Mel nodded.

"Hmm...It'll be only a day before I wipe the rest of 'em off the map. All right guys?" Max asked.

"Huh? Yeah, that's great Max. I think we'll head to the other places afterward."

Time: The next day

"All right! How's that you two? Not a scratch anywhere!" Max laughed triumphantly.

"Heh...as expected of you Max." Mel said. "Your men are okay, right?"

"Ha! This is nothing! My troops eat this stuff for breakfast!"

"Grr...Blast!" Flak growled on the communications screen.

"Yo, Flak! You had enough?" Max taunted.

"..."

"Just give it up, already you loser."

"Don't start mouthin' off 'cause you won here today." Flak growled.

"What?"

"Ignore the lout Max...he's an idiot." Mel said.

"No one can stop the invasion. One day, you and your girlfriend'll be begging for mercy! I'll retreat for now, but we'll meet again. So long punks." Flak said turning off his link.

"Girlfriend? Who does he think he is? Ooh...I'm gonna definitely tear that guy a new one!" Sami was furious.

"Not if I get to him first..." Mel said. "Dammit...he pisses me off."

"Yeah he pisses me off too. But they're never gonna take Orange Star. Not while we're here." Max said.

"Sami! Max! Are you all right? Hmm? The battle...It's finished?" Nell asked in surprise. "Wow...you guys are fast."

"Hey there, Nell! You're just in time to join the celebration!" Max laughed.

"Huh...partying it up already?" Mel asked in surprise. "I'll pass this time around. I wonder what Andy's up to."

"I'll have to pass on the partying too Max." Sami said. "Nell, you got the transcript of the map right?"

"Yes I did, I'll see what we can do about that. Sorry Max, but I guess you'll have to party with your own troops by yourself today."

"Aw...oh well. That means more for us!" The large man laughed.

"Mel, Andy's headed for this remote region here. Go and give him some support while Sami and I properly examine the original map. We'll be back in Central HQ."

"Gotcha..." Mel nodded. "I'm taking a section of my own troops on the way there...never know if someone will try to put the jump on me...later guys."

"Later Mel."

Time: The next day. Current date: Around Mid-October

White Sun Mission: Sunrise

Mel vs. Flak

Conditions: Destroy all the neotanks being repaired in a week!

"...Commander!" A White Sun soldier ran into Mel's tent.

"...what is it now?"

"We've ambushed the enemy!"

"...what? Seriously? What's goin' on?"

"There's a large force of those...Neotanks sitting there...however it appears that they're all trapped in a pipe-lined section...it looks like they're due for repairs."

"...repairs eh..."

"Yes...s - Commander."

"I see...I'm assuming that they're all low on ammunition or something...right?"

"Yes."

"...how far are we from them?"

"Not too far. Our HQ is only a two day march away."

"Hmm...I guess that means we should just start shelling them mercilessly."

"Understood!"

"...this'll be interesting." Mel laughed. "How many units of Neotanks are there trapped in that pipeline?"

"Not too many actually. Around seven or so."

"Hmm...is there a seam around the pipeline?"

"Yes there is. However it's being protected by a number of units."

"Obviously...what kind of units?"

"...just light tanks and medium tanks...nothing spectacular."

"...pfeh...send numerous En Gunner squadrons and artillery."

"Oh! Commander..."

"What now?"

"...it appears that we only have a week to finish them off before they're let loose to ravage the rest of Orange Star."

"...a week? Huh...don't worry. I can take care of them in a week. Let's go!"

Place: Black Hole Field HQ

"Grr...not again! Those stupid punks from White Sun are back! That means that punk Mel's gotta be in charge this time around...this isn't good..." Flak muttered.

"Lord Flak! Your orders?"

"Run those bastards down!"

"Understood!"

"Heehee..." Came a giggle.

"Grr...who's there?" Flak turned around.

"It's me Flak!" Lash bounded up to him.

"Oh...it's just you Lash..."

"Lemme guess...bein' screwed up again?" She asked.

"...shut up!" He swung his fist at her, and she dodged.

"Oh well. If you can hold back the enemy for a week, we're home free...but be careful eh?"

"Why?"

"...the one you're fighting. I'm pretty sure you already fought him once in White Sun right?"

"Yeah...I hate that guy! He can smash almost anyone!"

"Heehee...that's why you'll have to be careful!" She giggled.

"Shut up Lash! I can handle this!"

"You sure? Hawke said even this guy was more than a match for him."

"Hawke said..."

"Yep. And seeing how this is your second time fighting him, you'd better learn from your mistakes!" She giggled.

"Right...right...can't lose...can't..."

"LORD FLAK!" A soldier ran in. "This is bad! The enemy is already advancing on us with heavy armor and artillery units! They're going to take out our tanks!"

Place: White Sun Field HQ

"...I won't need to use my CO Power on stupid junk like this..." Mel said. "Whatever, keep on pressing forth. Make sure we have tanks to cover those rockets!"

"Yes Commander!"

Place: Orange Star Central HQ

"...whaddya mean I can't go yet?" Andy asked Nell.

"I was meaning to send Mel there first and you were going to meet up with him...however, it looks like Mel isn't even there yet."

"Huh? But that's impossible. Mel moves fast!"

"Yes, I know that. However, there might be something wrong."

"Commander Nell, there's a communication from Commander Mel." One of the communications technicians reported.

"Oh? Send him through."

"Gah dammit! Nell, you there?" Mel was on the screen.

"Yes Mel, what's going on? How come you're not there yet?"

"Uh...delayed. Neotanks. Need to blow them up. Need to...prevent invading forces from attacking."

"Oh. How much longer will you be?"

"Give me a few more days...if you want, send Andy ahead. I'll meet up with him eventually..."

"Understood Mel. But it wouldn't kill you to hurry it up."

"Got it Nell...I'll do what I can."

"Hmm...all right. Nell signing off."

"Roger that...Mel, outta here."

Time: Five days later

Place: White Sun Field HQ

"...how many more?"

"Commander, since you've been doing damage to each tank, they've joined up their units and there are only three left."

"Are we in range?"

"Yes."

"Break open that pipe seam and start letting the tanks in. I'm not even gonna bother with minor details like their machine guns. Then continue the missile salvos."

"Understood Commander." The soldier saluted.

"Hmm...this is such a bother..." Mel sighed.

End of Chapter.