Chapter 07: A Study in Black

"Andy, can I ask you something?"

Andy's attention had been fixed on a file sitting on the table before him, but it immediately shifted at the sound of Sami's voice. His dark hair was splayed in all directions as usual, and as his head whipped around the tufts shook like a tumbleweed in the breeze. He looked across the office to where Sami was standing by the window with her arms crossed, glaring at the building opposite as if it had done something to offend her.

The two of them had been working together at headquarters since the meeting with Eagle three days ago. Their hours had been spent analysing every scrap of information they knew about Black Hole in the hopes of finding something they had missed, something that might help them to understand the strange events that were unfolding. Thus far they had met with little success. It would have been an unremarkable assignment, but for the fact that Sami had spent the entire time in a particularly nasty mood.

"Are you upset?" Andy asked, tilting his head to one side. "You look a little upset."

Sami turned to fix him with her fierce glare. "I wanted to ask you a question, not the other way around. Is that okay or not?"

Andy winced. Sami's temper was not something he enjoyed running afoul of. Half the time Andy didn't even know what he'd done to make her start snarling at him, and he'd never entirely grown used to it.

Even though he'd known Sami for years and counted her as one of his closest friends, she was a mystery to him more often than not. One moment she could be the very picture of etiquette, but in the next her calm could give way to a fury that scorched all in its path. It wasn't just because she was a girl, because other girls like Nell and Sonja never acted that way, but Andy could think of no other explanation for Sami's behaviour. He had even tried asking Max about it a few times, but his advice on the subject was simple: keep your head down and your mouth shut.

Max didn't like to think too deeply about things, but Andy was just the opposite. Mysteries and unknowns set his imagination racing with possibilities. The fact that his explanations usually turned out to be completely and utterly wrong did not discourage him at all.

"Andy!" Sami clicked her fingers together right before his eyes, and he realised she had walked over to face him. "Anyone home?"

"What?" Andy shook his head like a dog shaking off water. "Oh, sorry, I must have zoned out."

"Great," Sami muttered sarcastically. "Now I'm not even worthy of your attention."

She gave a snort and strode back over to the window, where she crossed her arms and made a point of turning her back to him.

Andy's lips parted in a silent okay. "See, this is why I was asking if something was up, because there's gotta be a reason you're this mad."

"You don't have a clue what you're talking about, Andy," Sami growled, but she sounded more tired than angry.

"Only because you won't tell me."

"It's personal."

Andy shrugged. "If you can't talk to your friends about what's bothering you, then what's the point in having friends?"

"Maybe a friend should know when to back off!" Sami retorted, her voice growing to a shout. She slammed her hands against the glass and bowed her head, her olive green headband dangling limp and still down her neck.

Andy wasn't about to argue. He wasn't always the best at taking a hint, but that had been about as subtle as a falling boulder. He looked back to the file. Andy had only made it through half a page of the report, but in that moment he decided that wading through the tedious analysis was far more appealing than trying to get a straight answer out of Sami.

He blew upwards so his breath ruffled his hair and focused on the first line. The regeneration of plant life in Omega Land was proceeding at rates of more than forty percent. Andy wasn't sure if that was fast or not. These reports never seemed to say what was good and what was bad, they just stated a series of facts in the most confusing way possible. Like here, where the report said that desertification of Omega Land had reached even to Brown Nebula territory in the north. Andy frowned. Geography wasn't his strong suit, but even he knew that most of Brown Nebula was a desert, separated from Cosmo Land by the southern sea and situated just north of tropical Omega Land. How could anyone even tell if a desert was turning into another desert?

"Why do we need to know about Omega Land and desert fiction anyway?" Andy wondered aloud. "Black Hole's here in Orange Star now, and the Omega War's over. The land's healing."

"Desertification," Sami corrected absently, her hands still pressed hard against the window. She let out her breath in a short puff and turned away from the view. "We need to figure out where Black Hole's based and where they're getting their resources from, and Omega Land is the only lead we've got. It's where they were active during the last war and it's where they're most likely to have some existing infrastructure to work with."

"Right… but Omega Land's really big. Where would we even start?"

"I don't know," Sami admitted, coming and sitting down at the table at last. All emotion seemed to have faded from her face, drained away with nothing to replace it. "Probably in the northwest. Rachel's group combed everywhere else pretty thoroughly, and we were headed that way when it all ended. It would make sense if the Bolt Guard escaped in that direction."

"That way…" Andy pulled a map out from inside the file and checked which direction Sami meant. "Wait, that would take them towards Brown Nebula, and Cosmo Land!"

"We don't know that they're based in that area," Sami said, shaking her head as she stared at the map. "The Bolt Guard don't seem to be behind this, and Flak could have been anywhere for the past year. We just don't have enough information."

"Both attacks were on the south coast," Andy pointed out. "And if you go south from Orange Star, that's where you end up."

"Okay, but even if Black Hole is active in the region, there's still the question of how they got troops from Brown Nebula to Orange Star."

Andy raised his hand as if he were in school. "Um, maybe they used boats?"

"It's true that Flak's air force was escorting a landing fleet, so we can assume that Black Hole possesses significant naval capability…" Sami paused, thinking. "I wonder if they could make it across the sea without resupplying. Black Hole vehicles usually have a greater operational range than ours, but even so, it's a long way to travel."

"There are a bunch of islands between Cosmo Land and Brown Nebula," Andy observed, still looking at the map. "Couldn't Black Hole have a base on one of them?"

"I suppose it's possible." Sami slid the map over to her side of the table and studied it for a moment. "Most of these islands are independent, but a few are Yellow Comet territories. I'd be surprised if they hadn't noticed a full invasion force. I just don't see how a fleet could make it through the archipelago –" Sami's finger began to trace a path from the northern edge of the continent - "all the way over the southern sea, through Green Earth's waters, and on to Orange Star without being detected. Do you?"

"Um, no." Andy stared at the map for a moment before his whole face lit up. "Maybe they have some sort of invisibility device!"

"Andy…"

"Okay, maybe not actual invisibility, but something like our stealth fighters use?"

Sami shook her head. "Hiding a plane at high altitude is one thing, and hiding an entire fleet is something else entirely. It wouldn't work."

"Black Hole has laser cannons and death rays and giant slime things. Why not invisible boats?"

"Because they weren't invisible!" Sami exclaimed. "We could see them coming when they attacked. There was nothing out of the ordinary about those landers."

"Maybe they weren't using it then?"

"Why not? If you have a tactical advantage over the enemy then it's stupid not to make the most of it!" Sami stopped and thought about what she had just said. "On the other hand, this is Flak we're talking about, so stupid isn't out of the question…"

She fell silent, her eyes tracing patterns and movements over the map.

"Do you think we should talk to Eagle?" Andy asked. "He had to follow those ships to come and rescue you. He could have seen where they came from."

"He did not rescue me," Sami snapped. "I could have pulled things together."

Andy pursed his lips and looked away, wondering again what on earth was wrong with Sami. Maybe something had happened with Eagle during the battle and she was upset about it. But what could it possibly have been? Andy had no idea what Eagle could say to make her this angry; Eagle was the only person Andy knew who could make Sami blush like a schoolgirl. Still, annoyed as she was, Sami hadn't said anything about his actual idea to consult their Green Earth counterpart. Maybe she didn't think it was stupid after all. But then why was she ignoring it? There was more to this, Andy was certain; he was missing something, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what.

Sami shoved her chair back from the table and shot to her feet, crossing her arms once more. Why was she being so defensive? Andy hadn't even said anything to provoke her that time.

"If you want to talk to Eagle, be my guest," she said, marching back to the window and resuming her vigil.

"Don't you want to talk to him? I thought you liked Eagle."

"Don't you remember what I just said about you asking me questions?" She snarled back. "Just go and ask him what Green Earth knows about Black Hole's troop movements. It's a good idea. We're not going to pick up much with our intelligence assets all watching Blue Moon, but the other nations might. In fact, I might try to get in touch with Sonja. Yellow Comet's got the best spy network around, and I'm sure she's been keeping an eye on this mess."

It was all wrong. Sonja was the other person with a talent for triggering Sami's temper, although in her case, Andy got the sense it was usually deliberate.

"So you want me to talk to Eagle while you talk to Sonja," he said, observing how tense Sami's posture and expression were.

"Isn't that what I just said?"

"Yes, but…" It occurred to Andy that every time he tried to point out how odd her behaviour was, Sami grew even more irritable. "That's what you just said."

"Good," Sami growled. "Then go."

Andy was fully prepared to obey the order, but before he could so much as stand up there came a quiet knock on the office door. He sighed in relief as Nell's tall figure appeared in the doorway, purple suit immaculate as always.

"How are things going in here?" Nell asked as she stepped into the room. "Have you made any progress?"

Andy shrugged. "Not really. We're trying to figure out where those ships came from and where Black Hole's based, but there's not much to go on."

"I see." Nell came over to the table and glanced over the patchwork spread of maps and files. "What are you thinking?"

Andy glanced at Sami, wondering if she was going to jump in anytime soon, but she said nothing. She just stood rigid as though she were carved from stone. He frowned. Sami was much better at explaining these sorts of things than he was, and she knew it. Usually Nell's presence was enough to make her act politely, if not quite nicely, but today their superior's presence seemed to make no difference at all. A note of concern flickered in Andy's dark eyes. Perhaps things were worse than he had thought.

"Andy?" Nell pressed. "Sami?"

"Uh…" Andy blinked. "We thought maybe Black Hole's fleet came from Brown Nebula. Both attacks came from the south, and it's close to Omega Land, where they were last time. But I don't get how any country could just let Black Hole through."

"I imagine most wouldn't, but Brown Nebula…" Nell sighed. "The country's been in a state of chaos for over thirty years. There's no government and little law, only squabbling warlords fighting over every scrap of land. I doubt any of them would have the power to stand up to Black Hole, if they even cared to try."

"But why is the country that way?" Andy asked, puzzled.

"Succinctly put? The Cataclysm." Nell glanced away. "Brown Nebula used to be one of the world's great powers, but by the time the war was over, the country was almost completely devastated. It never really recovered."

"The Cataclysm?" Andy was still lost. "What's that?"

A sudden snort from the window made both Andy and Nell start. Sami had turned around and was shaking her head in complete disbelief.

"Andy, how can you not know about the greatest war in history? It's required study during officer training, for crying out loud!"

Andy's cheeks turned bright red. "I think maybe I slept through that class."

"Oh, Andy." Nell shook her head. "Why I am not surprised? Well, suffice it to say that the Cataclysm was a war on a scale unlike any other. Not even the Second Great War comes close. It raged for seven years and involved most of the countries on the planet."

Andy swallowed. He could barely imagine a conflict larger than the second war, larger than the colossal battles involving the armies of five nations. He'd known there had been other wars before Black Hole, of course. Everyone knew about the long conflict between Orange Star and Blue Moon, waxing and waning over the years. There had always been smaller conflicts, border disputes, and so on, all around the world. That was nothing new, but the idea of something much bigger was unsettling.

Unbidden Andy remembered how Sensei had regaled them all with tales about the battles of old, recounting the challenges he had overcome to give the allied forces courage before finally facing Sturm. At the time it hadn't even occurred to him that those battles had a context all their own, but now it seemed so obvious Andy couldn't believe he had never wondered what it was. Looking back at the memories felt strange, as though in an instant the whole world had changed.

He let out his breath in a short puff, putting the past out of his mind. Nell's thoughts looked to have moved on as well; the Commander-in-Chief was studying the world map that was folded out atop the desk, her eyes fixed on the large spread of brown south of Cosmo Land.

"So," she murmured, "Brown Nebula."

"It's only a guess, ma'am," Sami said, her voice tense and quiet.

At that Nell met Sami's eyes and offered her a reassuring smile. "It's a sensible guess, which is as good a lead as any. There's another point of evidence in its favour, too."

"What do you mean?" Andy asked.

"Brown Nebula would have made an ideal staging point for Sturm's forces to enter Cosmo Land and attack Green Earth in the first war. It's possible there's some deeper involvement there that we're unaware of."

Sami gave a strange movement, somewhere between a shrug and a shudder. It seemed to be the most enthusiasm she could muster. If nothing else, the twist of her lips made it clear she did not think much of mere guesswork.

"Is there anything else?" Nell asked.

Andy looked once more to Sami for guidance, but she had turned back to the window. "Well, we were going to talk to Eagle and Sonja and see if they know anything about Black Hole's movements."

Nell nodded. "That's a good plan. I'll leave you to it, then."

As she left, Andy looked towards the window where Sami was only a dark silhouette against the glow from outside. Coming to a decision, he stretched his arms and got to his feet.

"Well, I'm going now," he said aloud.

Sami did not answer. She gave no sign that she had even heard. There was no point trying to talk to her about anything, Andy was forced to admit, not right now. He was worried about his friend, but he also knew full well that there was probably nothing he could do to help her. Sami could be so distant sometimes. Right now there was only one problem he could actually do something about. It was a sensible conclusion, but it didn't make Andy feel any better as he headed out of the office, shutting the door behind him without a sound.

Andy found he was still preoccupied by Sami's black mood as he walked down the hall, wide eyes roaming about. He passed several other offices, checking each one through its glass walls to see who was inside. Someone had told him which office number Eagle had been assigned, but Andy hadn't been paying much attention and couldn't remember which one it was. He hoped it wasn't on another floor.

After five minutes of wandering around without success, Andy eventually found the right office on the far corner of the building. He entered without bothering to knock.

"Hey, got a minute?"

Eagle's gaze flicked upwards from his computer for only a second. "This is not a good time, Andy."

Andy had barely seen Eagle since the disastrous conference three days ago. Even after they had come to a loose accord, the Green Earth CO had shown no inclination whatsoever to socialise, preferring to focus on his duties. That wasn't unusual in and of itself; Andy had fought alongside Eagle often enough to grow used to the man's haughty nature. While the ace pilot could be charming when he wished, most of the time he seemed to think it wasn't worth the bother.

No, what was unusual was how miserable Eagle had been. Usually he went out of his way to put on a show of strength and superiority, but ever since he arrived in the capital he had been dark and brooding. On the few occasions Andy had seen him taking a break from his work, the man stalked the halls of headquarters like he was haunting the place. Even now, when he was working alone, Eagle's brow was pinched and his shoulders were hunched as if he did not want to be seen.

"Huh?" Andy took no notice of the attempted dismissal. "Why, are you talking to your girlfriend?"

A violent grimace consumed Eagle, and he looked away with a sharp intake of breath. Andy couldn't help but smirk. Eagle's casual barbs had stung him often enough, and he felt no small satisfaction at provoking such a response.

"Don't worry," Andy continued, adopting a friendlier smile. "I won't be long. I just want to know what you know about where those Black Hole ships came from." He gave a conspiratorial wink. "Or were they invisible?"

The glare Eagle gave him in return could have frozen water. "Andy, have you recently suffered some sort of aneurysm, or were you simply dropped on your head too many times as a child?"

"I'm serious! Sami and I wanted to figure out where Black Hole's boats were coming from and we thought maybe you'd know. You followed them, didn't you?"

Eagle stood up and jabbed a finger at the computer. "Ask Drake. I have work to do."

Andy could only stare in amazement as as Eagle strode into an adjacent office without giving him so much as another glance. Eagle could be rude sometimes, but this was on another level entirely. Andy was so surprised by his behaviour that it took a moment for his words to sink in, and he still had not moved when Eagle slammed the door shut with a bang.

Something had to have happened to make Eagle and Sami both so upset, he decided, something big. But what?

It was only then Andy remembered what Eagle had said before leaving. The question of what was wrong with his friends flew from his mind as he raced around to the other side of the desk and assumed a position in front of the monitor., Sure enough, Eagle had been in a video conference with a portly man in a naval captain's uniform, a man Andy knew well.

"Captain Drake!"

The round faced man on the screen beamed back at him. "Well, if it isn't Orange Star's young swabbie! Keeping busy, lad?"

"You bet!"

"Aye, that's grand."

Andy grinned. He liked Drake. Green Earth's famed naval commander was one of the few people who never teased him. In fact, Drake never said a mean word about anyone; he was the warmest, kindest person imaginable. They were traits that Andy had come to appreciate more than most.

"Well then," Drake's expression grew marginally more serious, "what can I do for you this fine morning?"

"Do you know anything about where the troops that attacked Sami came from?"

"Now there's a question for you!" Drake's smile, already fading, now disappeared entirely. "Unfortunately, I'm not sure how much help I can be. First we knew about them was when one of our patrol boats picked up their signal as they left our waters, heading north towards Orange Star. We didn't even know who they were. That mystery made a few waves around here, so I dropped Eagle a line and suggested he take a closer look at things. The rest of the story you know."

"Oh…"

"Don't lose hope, lad." Drake made sure to smile again. "There's always another way. Even if we don't know where those ships came from, we might be able to piece together where they weren't."

"Okay." Andy had no idea what Drake was getting at. "And how will that help?"

"Well, we've got a point of reference from when we first detected those ships, and we know their top speed from the previous wars. So, if we look through all our patrols and imaging data that found nothing amiss, I expect we can rule out a few possibilities regarding the route they sailed. See?"

"I get it now. Kind of like playing hide and seek."

Drake laughed. "I suppose you could think of it like that. I'll tell you what, I'll get right on it and send Orange Star a report as soon as I'm able. That sound good?"

"Sounds great! Thanks, Drake."

"Don't mention it." Something strange flickered in Drake's brown eyes, something Andy had never seen in him before. "We've got to stick together through these rough seas, or else we'll all drown."

That made Andy pause. "So… you think there's going to be another war?"

"Ah, it's hard to say. It certainly feels like there's something brewing, though. Can't you sense it?" Drake frowned, but did not otherwise wait for a response. "There's strife and division between the great powers like there hasn't been in years. We're all scrambling about just trying to stay afloat and understand what's happening, but every answer we find yields two more questions. It feels like – well, it feels to me like we're all dancing to someone else's tune."

"What do you mean?"

"I wish I knew, Andy. I wish I knew." Drake took a breath and exhaled in a great puff. "Listen to me rambling on when there's work to be done! I'd best get started on tracking those ships."

"And then what?" Andy asked.

The question had been almost involuntary, spilling out of him before he even realised what he was saying. It took Drake by surprise as well; his eyes widened a little and he put a hand to his round chin, taking a moment to consider his reply.

Part of Andy was almost afraid of the answer. They'd been trying and trying to search for clues, and found none. What if they couldn't find any? What if trying to track down Black Hole's ships turned out to be another dead end? It was so frustrating trying to fight back when they were completely in the dark. They had no idea what was going on, not really. Andy was determined to stop Black Hole no matter what, but that did not mean he was completely ignorant of the fact he might not succeed.

As Andy watched, the pensive shadow that had come over Drake fell away, replaced by a weary acceptance. "The way I see it," he said at last, "whatever we learn, or don't learn, we'll prepare for the storms ahead as best we're able. Until something changes, there's not much else to be done."

Andy sighed. "I guess you're right."

"I know doing nothing isn't always easy, Andy, but sometimes the only thing you can do is wait and see what tomorrow brings." He paused. "I've got to go. Bye now, lad."

With one last smile, Drake pressed a button and ended the call.

Even though the video channel had cut to black, Andy was lost in thought and did not move. Drake was right, he decided. Sometimes there was nothing you could do except wait for things to change. Whether that was discovering new information about Black Hole, or Sami reaching a point where she was willing to talk, it didn't matter. For the time being, his problems were out of his hands.

Andy got to his feet and yawned. Wait and see, he told himself. Perhaps tomorrow would bring something new after all.