Author Note: Gah...Stupid GCSE mock revision...getting in way of writing. Chapter 5, requesting permission to read! Black Hole has invaded Orange Star while they're still fighting Red Mesa, and Diesel shows off the Heavy Tank!
Shade: All I can say about the Heavy Tank is, 'Ouch'.
Yes, ouch indeed. Oh and, to answer the question from last time, Hawke's war tactic is better known a Blitzkrieg, AKA 'Lighting War'.
Disclaimer: Advance Wars, Advance Wars 2, and their content are copyright Nintendo and Intelligent Systems. Red Mesa and its CO's are my intellectual property. Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine...
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Advance Wars: Red Mesa – Chapter 5: Black Tide.
By CO Shade.
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Location: Black Hole Field HQ, Orange Star.
Time: 2000 Hours OS Time.
"We've had no reports of heavy Orange Star resistance."
"Good. Lash?"
"The missile platform will be ready for launch in a 10 days."
Hawke, Lash, Adder and Flak were discussing their Orange Star invasion, which had so far been a total success. Hawke leant back in his chair and steepled his fingers together. "Good. Our next course of action is to envelop the Orange Star Army. Between Red Mesa and us, they'll be crushed." His fellow CO's nodded in agreement, with the exception of Flak, who was busy looking gormless. Hawke coughed loudly, trying to attract his attention. Flak snapped back to reality somewhat, and Hawke continued. "Adder, you concentrate on securing the north." Adder nodded, and said "I will crush them like insects beneath my feet." Hawke smirked. "That's the sort of attitude I like. Lash, you advance to the south and cut them off from Blue Moon." Hawke then looked at Flak. "Flak? You just make sure there's no resistance in captured territory. Can you handle that?" Flak thought about it (which in itself was a great achievement for him), and nodded an affirmative. "Yeah...I can handle it. I'll...crush 'em." Hawke rolled his eyes and sighed. "Right. Now we can-yes?" Hawke looked at Lash, who had just raised her hand.
"I was wondering what we'd do with Red Mesa if we take over Orange Star," She said. "Their technology would be a great new benefit. I could make some new toys!" Hawke looked thoughtful. "We'll ask them to join us," He said. "And if they don't...we will force them to." Satisfied, Lash nodded. Hawke got up from his seat. "I think that's everything covered," he said. "Just remember: we've only taken a small part of Orange Star, and even then, it's only because they're busy with Red Mesa. So don't get complacent. They could decide to forget about the Reds and turn on us." Hawke walked to the door of the room, and turned back to the other CO's, who were collecting their various papers to leave. "I'll see you all in the Orange Star capital."
Location: Conference Room, Orange Star HQ, Orange Star.
Time: 2000 Hours OS Time.
At the same time as the Black Hole CO's were discussing the war, Orange Star were doing the same. They had been taken completely by surprise when Black Hole had attacked, as they were focusing on Red Mesa, any resistance they could muster was inadequate to stop their advance. Nell was at the head of the conference table, with Sami on he left, and Max and Andy to her right. "Sami, Max," She said. "You gather anything and everything you can and try to stop the Black Hole advance." Sami and Max nodded, gathered their papers and left without a word, such was the seriousness of the situation. Nell then turned to Andy. "You and me will try to incapacitate Red Mesa, if only for a while, with a single blow. I will go to Red Point to take down their strong presence there." Andy looked confused. "What will that do to incata...incapica...stop them?" Nell rolled her eyes. Andy had the brains, but he just didn't try to use them. "The reason there is such a strong Red presence there is because it is their weakest link strategically. If I can remove them, that'll give you a clear shot at one of the mesas." Understanding slowly dawned on Andy's face. "Oh."
"Exactly," Nell said. "Intel shows that I'll be going up against Swift, the Red Mesa air-based CO. You'll be against Diesel, most probably. Sonja's found out that she's good with fuel-based units." Andy scratched his head. "Fuel-based units?" Nell shook her head, exasperated. "Basically all ground units, not including infantry or mechs, and aircraft. Most ships are powered by generators." Nell then stood up and collected her papers together. "Remember Andy; bring our superior manpower into play. The Reds might have the upper hand in technology, but they've been dealt a proverbial bad poker hand in numbers." She and Andy left the room, still discussing their offensive, and all was quiet in the room for a few seconds.
Then, a black-and-red clad figure shimmered into view, gripping the ceiling with magnetic gloves and boots. It flipped off the ceiling and landed on it's hands and knees with a thud. It lifted the visor on a full-face helmet, revealing a dark-skinned male face. He took out a radio from his jacket and flipped it on. "Viper Leader, this is Viper Seven. I'm sending the recording now." A voice came out of the radio's speaker, crackly with static. "Roger Seven, we'll warp you out now. Stand up straight, remember: this prototype might do very nasty things if you don't." At this doom-laden instruction, Seven stood up as straight as possible. He flipped his visor back down and pocketed the radio. "This Event Horizon prototype is a godsend," He muttered to himself. "Instant insertion into an area hundreds of miles away, as well as other things..." A humming noise emanated for nowhere it seemed, or maybe it was from Seven himself. As it rose to a staticky whine, Seven's body was enveloped by a glowing reddish-white aura that expanded from his chest to cover his entire body. There was a flash of light, a sudden thumping boom, and Seven disappeared.
Location: C&C Room, Red Mesa HQ, Red Mesa.
Time: 2010 Hours OS Time, 5 Days later.
"You lost?"
"Yes. Nell beat me. She's lucky; I'll give her that."
"But our Viper Team spy told you that Nell was going to be your opponent. You should have prepared. And we wasted a prototype EH charge for that." Shade sighed as he waited for Swift's response. She was sitting next to him, having retreated back to the HQ after getting beaten at Red Point. Swift looked irritable, and finally said "You know where they're going to attack next." Shade nodded grimly, he knew very well what would happen. "Mesa 2." Mesa 2 was the second most important Mesa in the country; it's name being rather self-explanatory. It contained practically all the R&D bases Red Mesa had, and was where the Red Zephyr was being constructed. It was also home to the testing ground of the Event Horizon. "It's our weakest link strategically, and if they capture it, imagine all the technology we'd lose." Swift nodded in agreement. "R&D, Event Horizon, Red Zephyr, and the new Singularity Tank." She said, counting them off on her slender fingers. "That's a lot of tech." Shade was about to reply when an excited-looking tech rushed up to him. "Commander Shade, Sir! The Heavy Tank is ready for use!"
Shade's face twisted into what looked like cold glee. "Well, well, well," He said, chuckling. "Looks like Orange Star are going to have a bit of a nasty surprise." He glanced at Swift, who had a mischievous grin on her face. Turning back to the tech, he said "Send them into mass production immediately." The tech nodded, saluted, and scurried out. Swift smiled at Shade. "You just plain evil you know, with a slight glimmer of humour. But that's what makes you so cute!" Shade pretended to be flattered. "Oh, you're too kind!" He said, sounding like a female movie star, before they both cracked up laughing. After they had both stopped, he wiped a tear from his eye. "I needed that," He said. "We haven't had a lot to laugh about for a long time." Swift smiled, and said "Yeah." Shade ran a hand through his hair, not that it did anything anyway. "Diesel's gonna have the honour of using the Heavy Tanks," He said. "They're going to be even more powerful when she uses them." Swift got up from her chair. "We'll just have to wait and see," She said. "We're screwed, put simply, if they use their numbers against us." Shade grumbled. "Don't remind me." Swift started to leave the room, and was at the door when Shade spoke. "Oh, and Sarah?" He said, using Swift's real name. "Yeah?" She said.
"Thanks for the compliment." Swift smiled, and said "Which one? The evil one, or the cute one?" Shade smiled back. "The cute one. I take pride in my appearance." Swift laughed and left. Shade stood up soon after, and left to find Diesel.
Location: Diesel's Workshop, Red Mesa HQ, Red Mesa.
Time: 2020 Hours OS Time.
Shade found Diesel in her workshop. It was a large, disused room on the ground floor, with vehicle access, making it prefect for Diesel and her tinkering. Diesel herself was under the body of her newest toy, a custom-made Red Mesa Lightning Tank. It was sleek, eight-wheeled, and unlike most tanks, had no turret. Instead, the twin light cannons were mounted on each side of the sleek driver's cockpit, and its eight-wheel drive system let it spin on the spot incredibly fast. Altogether, it was a lightly armoured, fast tank, and Shade personally liked it. He walked up to the legs of Diesel, those being the only part of her he could see. He could hear her grumbling as she tinkered with something under the Tank. "Stupid...useless...eight-wheel reliability my ass..." Shade smiled typical Diesel. "Hey Peroxide!" He said. Diesel rolled out from under the Lightning Tank. "Not funny Shade!" She said. "And it's not even pure blonde right now!" She had a point. Her hair was stained with oil, as was the rest of her. She stood up and brandished a nasty-looking mechanic tool at him. "What do you want? If it's to joke about my hair or my supposed lack of intelligence, you can sell it online for all I care."
Shade had to smile. Diesel and him had always sparred with each other verbally, him calling her a dumb, vacant blonde, and her calling him a self-obsessed egomaniac. He coughed and said "Well, the Heavy Tank is ready for use, and I want you to defend Mesa 2. Two and two make four." At this, Diesel's eyes lit up. "The Heavy Tank? Sure!" Shade smiled. "I thought as much. Just remember not to let yourself get outnumbered." Diesel nodded. "Sure, I'll steamroller them!" Shade smiled, said " That's the spirit," and left. Once out in the corridor, he grinned. "Orange Star are gonna have it taken to them big time," He said. Then he looked thoughtful. "But they're having trouble with Black Hole. Maybe when the Red Zephyr is finished we'll help them."
Battle 3: March to the Mesa.
CO's: Diesel (RM) vs. Andy (OS).
Special Conditions: None.
Location: Near Mesa 2, Red Mesa Territory.
Time: 1100 Hours OS Time, 2 days later.
Andy's forces, consisting of everything he could pull together, had taken control of and fortified an area in the desert, in clear view of Mesa 2. Andy drank from a bottle of chilled water as he saw his divisions get into position, his eyes flitting back and forth between them and the looming mass of rock that was Mesa 2. "It's too hot here!" He whined to no one in particular. "Maybe I should go sit in the staff canteen freezer..." A tech interrupted his train of thought. "Commander Andy, Sir. Incoming transmission from Red Mesa." Andy set down his bottle on the nearby table and said "Put it up on the main screen." A short, blonde-haired woman appeared on the screen, sitting back in her chair, hands steepled together. In an instant, her expression changed from one of calm to mild surprise. "Andy? I'm fighting you?" She looked to her right. "Shade! Not fair!" She called off to the side. Shade rolled into view on a wheeled chair. "Well, would you have fought him if I had told you?" He asked. She shook her head. "Well, there's your answer Diesel," Shade said, and he rolled back off screen. Diesel glared at him and muttered, "Jerk." She turned back to Andy. "Wouldn't you agree?" Andy looked confused. "Why do you want my opinion?"
"To annoy Shade and get revenge." From off screen an irate Shade said, "Stop trying to get everybody to gang up on me!" Diesel looked in his direction, then back at Andy. "Excuse me Andy, someone needs to be taught how to shut up. I'll see you on the battlefield." She grabbed a wrench and walked off to the side, with the surprised, fearful cry of Shade cut short as the transmission ended. Andy looked thoughtful. A change from the norm. "She's a mechanic too? Wonder what her units are like..."
The Orange Star and Red Mesa forces clashed just half a kilometre away from Mesa 2. Diesel's fuel-powered units were considerably more powerful than Andy's, and were crushing all opposition. Then, Andy threw his production into top gear, swamping Diesel's forces with masses of Tanks. Both armies were deadlocked, with Diesel ripping through Andy's forces just as quickly as he could make them. Diesel tried to break the stalemate by using her Super Power, High Octane, and started to crawl forward, but Andy countered with a Hyper Upgrade. Finally, Diesel decided to bring her winning card into play. Andy was surveying the battlefield with binoculars when he spotted something emerging from a Red Mesa base. He quickly ordered his techs to get magnified pictures of it, which appeared on the large main screen. Everybody, including Andy, gasped. "What is that thing?" He said.
It was a Tank. More than just a Tank though. Four timed the size of a Md. Tank, it had two sets of tracks on each side, what looked like four engines to power each track, and a massive turret, armed with two wide-bore long cannons. After he had recovered from the sheer shock of it, he sent a transmission to Diesel. Diesel had a cocky grin on her face. "So you've spotted the Heavy Tank, then?" She asked. Andy nodded. "Just how the heck can that thing even be built?" Diesel paused for a second. "No idea. Ask our Deck 16 R&D facility, they designed the behemoth. But the best thing about the Heavy Tank is this," She said. "Watch!" Andy looked on as the unit of Heavy Tanks engaged two of his Tank units. "It's outnumbered," He said. Diesel had a knowing smile on her face as the Heavy Tanks let rip with one of their twin cannons. Where there was a Tank division now lay a smoking crater, and the ground shook from the sheer power of the barrage. Andy ordered the remaining Tank unit to attack, but it was under the belief that the Heavy Tanks had used up their shots. His Tanks charged right into a salvo of Heavy Tank cannon shot from their remaining cannons. Diesel laughed and clapped her hands together. "They have two cannons, so they can fire twice!" She said between laughs. "Genius!"
However effective the Heavy Tanks were, there wasn't enough of them to stop the tide of advancing enemy Tanks. Over the next few days, Diesel was pushed back, right up to the brink of defeat. As Andy was going to go for the final push, Nell contacted him, with Olaf standing next to her. "Lash just crushed Max and Sami!" She cried. "Retreat! We need your help!" Andy was wide-eyed, and was so surprised that he didn't notice Olaf's face twist into a cold smile. "Black Hole won? Sure, I'll retreat." Nell nodded and cut the transmission. Andy then contacted Diesel. "You win, I have to go and help the others fight Black Hole," He said. Before Diesel could say anything, Shade walked onscreen. "How much have they advanced?" He asked quietly. Andy looked at a sheet of paper on a table next to him. "They have the entire northern area if Orange Star, according to today's report." Shade looked grim. "Damn," He said. "Well, Andy...good luck." Diesel nodded, looking very concerned. "Yeah," She said softly. "Good luck." Andy sighed, smiled sadly, cut the transmission and ordered his forces to retreat.
At the Orange Star HQ, Olaf was talking to Grit and Colin. "Orange Star have retreated from Red Mesa," He said, barely able to contain his glee. "Get ready for a massive attack on them soon." Grit scratched his head, his hat lying on a table next to him. "Why, Boss?" He said. "That Heavy Tank sure looks dangerous. It could'a torn through my units like tissue paper." Olaf frowned. "I said a massive attack. If we can overwhelm them like that Andy did today, we can win!" Olaf gave his classic maniacal laugh and left for the Blue Moon Field HQ. Grit looked at Colin. "He's out of his mind," He said. "Now that I've gone an' seen that Heavy Tank, I'm startin' to think Shade was telling the truth." Colin looked up at him. "What did he say, Commander Grit?" Grit sighed. "He said they were on the verge of weapons so advanced, that...I forget the rest. We'll just have to mosey out there and see what happens." He picked up his hat from the table and left the room, Colin running after him.
Meanwhile, Shade was running back to Red Mesa HQ at an astounding pace, Diesel just managing to tag along behind him. "When will the Red Zephyr be finished?" He asked. "A few weeks from now at the soonest," She replied. Shade's eyes narrowed as he did some calculations in his head. "Postpone all superweapon projects, save the Event Horizon, and divert their resources towards the Red Zephyr. We need it ready before your estimate, or Black Hole will be knocking our door before we can launch."
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End of Chapter 5
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Author Note: Well, that's Chapter 5 done with.
Shade: And what made you think I would help Orange Star?
I'm the AUTHOR. I don't have to make sense.
Shade: But this is a serious story! You can't do stuff like-
*Shade spontaneously turns into a purple spotted weasel*
You were saying? In Chapter 6, the Black Hole war machine marches on towards the Orange Star capital, while Olaf launches a massive surprise attack on Shade and Swift!