Chapter 01: An End to Peace

The soft sea breeze swept over the coastline of Orange Star in a pulse of fresh air, carefree beneath the gaze of the morning sun. The breeze blew inland to the hills set far back from the beach, ruffling the vibrant blue hair of a tall, muscular man looking down to the sea. He was dressed in a plain white singlet that was stretched taut over his bulky frame, and below a reinforced belt he wore dark blue pants tucked into his heavy boots. His skin was tanned, and while he was serious and unsmiling as a matter of course, today he wore a much deeper frown than usual.

The man pulled a small com device out of his pocket and put it to his ear, his hard eyes never leaving the coast.

"HQ, this is Task Force Bravo. Do you copy?"

"I read you, Commander Max," the musical voice of Nell, Commander-in-Chief of the Orange Star Armed Forces, replied. "What's the situation there?"

There was a grim set to Max's square jaw as he looked out from the hilltop and down to the area in question. Under ordinary circumstances it would have been a lovely view. Verdant green plains tumbled down along a gentle slope to meet the white, sandy beach, beyond which the sparkling southern ocean stretched without end.

Today, however, the coast was swarming with hundreds of soldiers and vehicles, all of them a dull grey in colour. There were tanks, artillery, anti-air batteries, even a lone fighter jet circling high above. Worse still, several kilometres down the coast Max could see a tall, dark structure with a smooth, rounded top sitting on a small peninsula.

"Max? Are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Listen, you said that some Black Hole troops had been spotted down here, right?"

For a few moments there was only static.

"Yes, we've received reports that a fragment of their army wound up there. Why, what's the matter? You know the mission."

Though the war in Omega Land had ended almost half a year ago, 'Operation Clean-Up' was still ongoing, diverting much of Orange Star's military resources from their usual duties. With their leadership dead or missing, the fragments of the Black Hole Army had fled in all directions after their defeat at the hands of the Allied Nations. While most of the enemy troops had been confined to Omega Land and the surrounding regions, some had even managed to reach other continents. For months now there had been small, leaderless bands sporadically appearing all over the world, none of them large or strong enough to present any real threat. Naturally, Orange Star was making a point of swiftly stamping out any trace of their old foe.

"Nell, there are a lot of Black Hole troops here, and they look pretty fresh. This isn't just a bunch of beat up leftovers. We're, uh, outnumbered almost two to one."

"Do you think you'll be able to handle them?"

"They're pretty well entrenched. I wouldn't want to risk it. Oh, and Nell…" Max's eyes settled on the domed building. "They've got a Black Cannon."

"Oh. Well…" She paused. "Hold your position and wait for instructions. I'll see what I can find out about this. Nell out."

Max shoved the com back in his pocket and crossed his arms, shivering in the breeze. Turning away from the coast, he saw a young woman in a baggy red jacket and pants moving towards him. The wind tried to toy with her fiery blonde hair, but in vain; it was tightly secured under a cap which was the same faded red colour as the rest of her clothes. Usually, Rachel would have sported a cheerful smile on her face, but today her cute, almost doll-like features bore a frown almost as deep as Max's.

"What did my Sis have to say about all this?"

"She doesn't know anything. I think she was just as surprised as us."

"I just don't get what's going on," Rachel burst out. "Everything we know says Black Hole shouldn't have this kind of firepower concentrated in one place, let alone the resources to build a Black Cannon."

"Yeah, that was what we thought last time," Max said. "And we still haven't found the Bolt Guard. For all we know they're behind this."

"I don't know." Rachel frowned. "Their strength was shattered after Omega Land. Our latest intel shows no Black Crystal or Obelisk activity anywhere in the world, and I can't think of any other way Black Hole could have rebuilt their army so fast."

Rachel fell quiet as her eyes followed the speck in the sky around for a few moments, before she passed Max a pair of binoculars.

"Get a look at that fighter up there and tell me what you think."

Max examined the plane for only a brief second. "It's a Black Hole fighter. So what?"

"Take a look at the engine and missiles. What do you notice?"

"Uh…" A confused light flickered in Max's eyes. "They're sort of a bluish grey?"

Rachel smiled a little. "Right. Thing is, all the fighters we came across in Omega Land had dark red engines and missiles. Weird, huh?"

Max looked through the binoculars again, longer this time. When he handed them back to her Rachel saw a strange look in his eyes, one that she could only place as deep concern.

That was a bad sign.

It took a lot to shake Max. During the Omega War he had been the most fearless commander the Allied Nations had. Nothing fazed him, and he'd never hesitated to rush headlong at whatever Black Hole threw at them. Even though he had sometimes been headstrong to the point of foolishness, Rachel felt no shame in admitting that without his strength and experience the war would have gone very differently. If he was worried… she didn't want to think about what it might mean.

"What?" She asked, trying to make light of how troubled she felt. "It's just a colour change, which probably means that the Bolt Guard aren't-"

"Rachel." Max cut her off with just that one word, his eyes still locked on the fighter. "How much do you know about the Second Great War?"

"I read some of the reports," she said, faltering as she realised she had no idea what he was implying. "Not much."

Max nodded and began to flex his fingers. "Well, during the Second War, Black Hole used fighters with that colour scheme. Blue instead of red."

"You think these troops weren't involved in the Omega War?"

"Yup."

"But-" Rachel stopped herself and took a deep breath. "Okay, so that means these guys are either left over from before then, or…"

"Or they're part of a new Black Hole army, under the command of someone who fought in the Second War."

They both fell quiet, listening to the gentle lapping of the waves and erratic breeze, the peaceful sounds marred by the droning of engines and rumble of treads. Max watched as Rachel put her hand to her brow and pushed a tuft of her messy hair back under her cap, her gaze never moving from the spectacle below. She turned partway towards him at the sound of a faint crack somewhere nearby.

"Did you hear something?"

Max blanched. Over Rachel's shoulder, he could see the barrel of the Black Cannon pointing straight at them. He leapt forward and tackled her, the two of them spilling downwards in an awkward roll. They were halfway down the hill when the cannon shell impacted. A split second later, the summit erupted in a geyser of dirt and flame, and the sun and clear sky were blotted out by darkness.

Max and Rachel were showered in flecks of soil as they came to a rough stop at the base of the hill. Max staggered to his feet, putting one hand on his spinning head to try and steady himself. At some point on the way down he had lost hold of Rachel, and it took him a moment to spot her nearby, prone on her back.

"You okay?" He called out.

A coughing fit was his only reply. Max jogged over to her and pulled Rachel to her feet.

"Come on, Rachel. We gotta get outta here."

"I think I hurt my ankle," she gasped, lurching sideways.

Max's frown deepened. Rachel was barely moving, and through his ringing ears he could hear the droning noises coming closer.

"You don't sound too good."

"I'm just a little winded, I'll make it."

"Just relax. I'll get us out of this." Max stopped, lifted her up, and ran towards a waiting recon car.

The two COs had journeyed closer to the beach in the recon; the rest of their task force was holding position several kilometres inland. As Max was in command, it was composed mostly of tanks and medium tanks, but it was still outmatched by the sizeable Black Hole battalion. Already Max was thinking what the best plan of action would be. They could rely on their superior unit strength and attack, but there was a good chance they'd be routed. It would probably be smarter to retreat and wait for reinforcements to arrive.

"Get us back to the main army at the double, soldier," Max barked as he leapt into the recon's passenger seat. "We've got company, and I don't mean the kind you have round for dinner."

"Right away, Commander Max."

Another shot from the Black Cannon obliterated what was left of the hill. Max glanced over his shoulder and saw a veil of thick, dirty smoke where the rise had been. Then the smoke parted to reveal two Black Hole tanks, rushing forward at full speed.

"Can't this thing go any faster?" He grunted.

"I'm afraid not, sir."

The recon hit a rock and went airborne. There was a brief feeling of weightlessness before the armoured car crashed back down again, sending a vicious shudder through its occupants. Army vehicles weren't exactly designed with comfort as a top priority.

Rachel moaned as the recon hit the ground and kept speeding along. Looking down at her, Max noted that her lips were twisted together in pain, and her face was a little pale. He was beginning to wonder if she hadn't been hurt worse than he thought, but at least she wasn't in pieces.

An explosion filled the view outside Max's window with fire and smoke. Over the roar of the explosion, he could just make out the sound of machine gun fire. He grimaced and activated the recon's communications system.

"All units, this is Commander Max. We've got Black Hole troops inbound from the south. We're gonna have to make a fighting retreat. I want everyone ready to move in five minutes, tops."

There was only static in reply.

"Is this thing working?"

Another tank round hit just in front of them. The driver swerved to avoid the blast, but it was already too late. The world outside became a hellish mirage of black and red, and there was no way to see where they were going. A sheet of flame appeared on the bonnet, and Max could have sworn he heard the tyres burning.

Then they were out and into clear skies once again, the dying recon trailing fire and smoke.

"Get out!" Max yelled as the recon's engine began to splutter and catch.

He threw the door open, made sure he had a tight hold of Rachel, and leapt. Max dived into the dirt and hit it hard. That was his second tumble in almost as many minutes, and his muscles were already beginning to scream in protest. He swore under his breath as bullets raced just overhead.

"We're screwed, aren't we?" Rachel said, her soft voice barely reaching Max's ear.

"Hey, Black Hole couldn't beat me in three wars," he retorted. "I'm not going down so easy."

He looked up and saw the two tanks closing in on them, while in the distance, more enemy troops were moving out over the hills. The tanks were sweeping around, one on each side, machine guns ready to strafe. Their guns were pointed right at the ruined recon. Maybe if Max covered Rachel she'd stand a chance of surviving, or maybe the bullets would rip right through him and render the whole thing pointless.

"I'm sorry," he said to Rachel, staring at the ground next to her eyes. "I shoulda done better..."

A moment later the tanks started to fire. There was a brief burst of machine gun fire, then the deeper blast of cannons. Max shuddered at the thought of getting hit by a tank cannon even as he heard the rounds detonate with a colossal explosion, almost too loud for mere tanks. He screwed his eyes up tight and waited for the fireball to reach them.

As suddenly as it began, the explosion subsided, and Max found himself completely unscathed. He looked up in confusion only to find the Black Hole tanks were smouldering derelicts, and holding position near the recon were two medium tanks in the proud livery of Orange Star. Max had never seen anything so beautiful in his life.

"Commander Max!" One of the pilots called out as he got to his feet. "Everyone's ready to move out, just like you ordered."

Max grinned, lifted Rachel in one arm, and sprinted over to the closest tank. "Come on. Let's get back to the rest of the army. We've got a whole bunch of Black Hole troops incoming."

They climbed into the tank, a wave of relief passing through Max. He was surprised to be safe and alive, but that just made the feeling all the sweeter. His com device beeped once, breaking the moment. He plunged his hand into his pocket and yanked it out, shaking his head in an attempt to overcome the shock.

"What's the situation?" Nell's voice asked.

"Black Hole's getting aggressive, and Rachel's been hurt. I'm not sure how bad, but we should get her somewhere safe."

"What? So how bad is- I mean, okay. Let's see... there's a small resort town about fifteen kilometres northwest of your position. Pull back and maintain a perimeter around it, and I'll have a copter rendezvous with you there to pick up Rachel."

"Sounds good."

He could almost see the concern in Nell's bright blue eyes in the silence that followed.

"Max, this sounds bad. I'll try and send some reinforcements your way, but you might be on your own for a while. Things just keep getting worse with Blue Moon, and most of our troops are needed along the border."

"I don't think they'll go too far from the coast. Didn't look like they had a whole lot of long range support. I get the feeling they more were trying to defend their outpost."

"I can't believe the Bolt Guard recovered enough to build a Black Cannon already. It doesn't seem possible. Not without Lash."

"We, uh, thought about that. It looks like the troops belong to someone from the Second Great War, not the Bolt Guard."

Nell went quiet again. "So it's not the Bolt Guard, but Black Hole is back."

"Yeah, something like that."

The tanks had caught up to the rest of Max's force. Every vehicle had turned around and was moving inland at a steady pace. There was no idle chatter, only the incessant drone of engines and clanking of treads.

"I want to brief the other COs on this and try to figure out a course of action." Nell paused. "Let's do it this afternoon. Can you have a command post set up by then?"

Max threw a glance back towards the beach. The grey tanks and soldiers were retreating over the hills, apparently unwilling to leave the Black Cannon's protection.

"Doesn't look like they're giving chase. I think we'll be fine out here for a little while."

"Okay then. And Max? Try not to do anything too rash."

He smiled and shook his head. "Got it. Max out."

Max replaced the radio in his pocket and looked back up. All around them were grassy plains, dotted with small trees and bushes. Just ahead he could see a thin strip of tarmac, a lonely road that would lead them straight to the sleepy coastal town.

Looking over his shoulder again, he saw that the Black Hole troops had vanished behind the hills. He could no longer see the wreckage from the brief battle, and the smoke had dissipated, leaving the blue sky perfectly pure. If it weren't for the dark dome of the cannon peeking above the hills, it could have been mistaken for a perfectly ordinary morning.