Act I: Prelude to Counterattack
Intermission: Unwelcome News
Of the areas remaining under Orange Star control in the Cosmo territory, the most vulnerable was the remote Alara region in the northeast. It was a week since the battles on the border. Blue Moon's forces had taken most of Alara, leaving only one base under Orange Star's control: the remote Golden Fortress in the region's mountains. It was there that a group of Orange Star soldiers waited and watched, wondering when the hammer would fall on them as well, yet unaware that their destiny and that of the continent would become intertwined...
Golden Fortress: Cliffside Training Course
November 30th, 8:15 AM
"Hup, men! One, two, three, four!" yelled Sergeant Frank Levins, scowling down at the line of forty recruits under his command. The morning's training session had gotten off to a rough, stumbling start; it was like Training Platoon Four was getting slower every day. Sergeant Levins suspected that they were losing hope, a thought which made the thick mountain fog seem even thicker.
Levins turned around and, right on cue, the line of soldiers stopped running up the slope. "Are you soldiers or are you maggots?" he roared. "Get your asses in gear! Run like the hounds of hell themselves are breathing right down your sorry, soggy buttholes! Do you think those Moonie bastards are gonna let you take a nature stroll right down the battlefield? WELL, DO YOU?"
That last statement was directed at a small, thin youth near the end of the line; Private David Carroll, the sorriest and soggiest of the bunch in Sergeant Levins' eyes. Carroll's thin green eyes flicked up at the Sergeant. "Sir, no, sir!"
"Exactly!" The Sergeant gave a hard stare to each recruit in the line. "The Blue Moon army has taken every Orange Star base from here to the Coral Fortress. We are the last line of defense in Alara! The final defenders of the Alara provincial capital, Green Springs! And need I remind you that if we fall, Blue Moon will have a DIRECT path to Jefferson City! Now, are we going to let the Moonies get their grubby hands on our people?"
"Sir, no, sir!"
"Are we going to let those bastards take ONE STEP beyond the pass?"
"Sir, never, sir!"
"And are what are we going to do when Blue Moon's goons show up at our doorstep?"
"We stomp 'em and kick 'em all the way back to their sorry turf, sir!"
Levins smiled bitterly. "I don't know about that. You all aren't being very convincing right now. How y'all plan to crush the Moonies if you can't even get your gear up a gentle slope like this? Don't tell me you're getting tired already!"
"Sir, no, sir!"
After the platoon returned from the mountain, Levins sent the recruits out to run laps around the base, then returned to his office in the main complex. When he was sure that none of the recruits could see his face, the fiery look in his eyes disappeared and his face contorted into a grimace. "Yeah, we'll torch the bastards alright... if they don't send an OF or CO up here. Then we're SOL for sure..."
9:30 AM
Following the physical portion, the recruits were hauled down to the base's outdoor firing range for target practice. Levins walked down the line, inspecting each of their weapons and calling out any flaws in their procedure.
"Dunsley! What time is it?"
The recruit jumped a little. "Um, 09... 1231 hours, mainland time, sir!"
"And here, that would be...?"
"Uh, 0931 hours, sir!"
"That's right. It's morning, isn't it?"
"Yes, sir!"
Levins leaned in close. "So why are ya all hunched over like a drowsy civvie? Straighten up like you've been nailed to a wall, assmaggot!"
As the recruit assumed the shape of a board, the Sergeant gnashed his teeth: it was freakin' week seven of ten, and these little boys and girls hadn't even learned to...
"Mind telling me where you've been stickin' that?" Levins yanked the rifle out of another recruit's hands. The young man reached out, but stopped himself, awarding him another mental eye-roll from the Sergeant.
"Look here, everyone! This is what happens when you give a rifle to a human turd!" Okay, that one sucked, Levins. You're getting tired; back off a bit before they notice. "Or else, would you mind explaining just how this here M16A3 assault rifle morphed into a filth magnet?"
The soldier looked from side to side. "Aliens, sir?"
The Sergeant put on his best green glare as he handed the gun back to the recruit. "Them aliens fix up your arms and eyes so you can shoot worth a damn?" Levins gave a signal, and the lanes of the firing range lit up with holographic targets (shaped like Blue Moon soldiers) and obstructions.
"And... fire!"
The inaccurate spray of weapons fire that followed this announcement did nothing to calm the Sergeant's nerves.
9:50 AM
Levins' next stop was the office of the base's commander, one Captain Flora Steele. It disturbed him that her face held hints of sleep loss; she was usually successful at hiding such things even from him. Based on that, he could tell that things were very bad indeed.
"Sergeant Levins reporting, sir!"
"At ease, Sergeant." The Captain's face barely moved as she opened her coffee mug. "I read your report about the newcomers."
"Yes..." Levins frowned. "They've got a ways to go. Blue Moon could attack within the next few days, and if that happens... there's no way in hell these little kiddoes will be ready by then. We need to transfer them back to the capital. They'll only get in the way as things are."
"While that may be true..." Captain Steele's grey eyes moved imperceptibly to the left. "We've received a communication from HQ. A Blue Moon CO has set up shop somewhere in the Dark Spots to the south and west. The region is crawling with artillery, rockets, and missiles. We have no safe way of transporting soldiers between here and... well, anywhere else in the country."
"In short, it's only a matter of time before they come for us, possibly from both sides."
"Not necessarily. They could decide that this place isn't worth hitting. Bottom line, the recruits are probably safer here than anywhere. Face it; there isn't a fort in our Cosmo territory Blue Moon couldn't attack if they wanted to right now." Steele leaned back in her chair. "I heard that CO-General Nell even called CO-Colonel Max back from the mainland. That means we've only got one real CO over there right now, and she's greener than the grass in San Monica. If Blue Moon's forces on the mainland decide to attack..."
Levins sighed. "Massacre. Even worse than the one we're about to get down here."
"Well." Steele downed the entire mug in one slurp, placed it on the growing pile of mugs on her desk, then pulled out another one from the desk drawer. "Such a move is unlikely anyways. Blue Moon's sent both their COs to Cosmo. I think that's as good an indication as any that they're going all-in here."
"Just who is their other CO, anyways? Only one I know of is Olaf, ever since old man Billy decided he'd had enough."
"Who knows. It's a state secret or something." Steele stared at Levins' forehead. "Any other questions? If not, let's relax a bit. Won't do us any good to worry."
Levins opened his mouth, then decided against speaking. The situation was truly beyond anything that either of them could do to fix it. All he could do was keep training the kids and hope Blue Moon would do something really, really stupid when they attack.
5:25 PM
Even with news of the war darkening the training platoon's spirits, Recruit David Carroll and the rest of the recruits were having a blast over dinner. The Sergeant was usually present to enforce discipline; when he wasn't, the recruits felt like prisoners who had been let on parole.
"Hah, did you see Sarge today? Looked like he was going to pop a vein, he did." That one was Recruit Gordon Tebowski, a fellow member of Training Squad 4; well, since that morning he was now "Turd," in honor of Sarge going easy on someone for once. Always talked big, that one, but send him out on the trail and he was the second one gasping for air. Bragging as usual, David saw. "I tell you, he don't have the look of a fighter in him. I tell you, when the Moonies come knockin' he'll be the first to bail."
David looked over in the corner. There were two more squadmates, Lois Cameron and Trent Brackett, playing poker with a bunch of others whose faces he couldn't remember. And next to him...
"Hey, Pits. Are you listening?" That naïve boy, John "Sticks" Marvin. He didn't even sound like his balls had dropped, 17 or not. David couldn't even see the kid in a support or repair role; out on the front lines, he was fresh meat.
Also, the idiot had coined that lame nickname everyone was now using for him. Pits. Of all the...
"Sorry. Turd's swagger kinda drowns out everything else in the room. What was that again?" David turned back to Sticks.
The boy's expression turned comically cross. "As I was saying, I have it on good authority that we're to be deployed to the front soon. And it makes sense; I mean, those Moonie bastards have most of this province already."
David sighed. "Come on, Sticks. We've still got three more weeks in basic training. They're not going to send us out onto the battlefield like this. I saw you on the physicals, man; you'd be a walking target out there."
"Oh, yeah, like you know any more than I do about it." Sticks looked at the ceiling. "Look, man. The Moonies are coming. You can tell Sarge ain't kidding about the whole 'last line' thing."
"Even if that's true, it doesn't matter. I know you're feeling like an ace with your high scores at the rifle range, but-"
"Come off it, Pits. That's not what I mean."
"Then can it. If you're really going to suggest they'd send us out like this, then-"
David stopped, realizing that his last few words had been the only ones audible in the hall at the time. He looked to the door and saw a lieutenant he didn't know.
"At ease, recruits." The lieutenant looked around the room. "Is there a David Carroll in here? There's an urgent message for you."
What? "Recruit Carroll reporting." David stood up.
"Come with me, Recruit." The lieutenant's face gave no hints.
Amidst the whispers that began to echo around the hall (which were promptly silenced following a glare from the lieutenant), David left the room with the officer. Only then did the man's stone face soften into an expression somewhere between pity and despair, sending a cold spike of dread through David's heart.
"It's... a personal communication." With only those words, the officer led David deep into the fort, through security doors and hallways he had never even seen before. Finally, they reached the secure transceiver room at the fort's center, where the lieutenant left David in the middle of a room full of electronics, facing a massive video screen. The screen lit up with a face that confirmed David's fears: CO-General Nell, face neutral but eyes sad. There was only one reason why such an important official would contact a soldier like him.
"...General." David managed to croak out.
" Recruit David Carroll." Nell paused, then delivered the fateful words. "It is my sad duty to inform you that your brother, OF-Major Ralph Carroll, is missing in action. Due to the nature of his final message, it is highly likely that he is no longer with us."
3 Hours Earlier
The Jefferson Tower
The central conference room below the Jefferson Tower doubled as a bunker capable of withstanding even the strongest explosives Blue Moon could bring to bear. The complex had combat and living supplies capable of sustaining a siege of 250 individuals for several months, although Nell had always considered that to be an unnecessary expense; in this day and age, the need to utilize that capacity would mean Orange Star had already lost.
The massive conference table currently only held five individuals. The first three exuded gravity from both their solemn appearances and the masses of medals weighing down their chests.
The fourth and fifth each had a much lighter demeanor, yet were no less tense. One of these two was, of course, CO-General Nell. The other was a young woman wearing a decidedly unmilitary outfit: a short white top and green pants. Even in the crowded conference room, she held a large machine gun at her side, something that seemed to annoy the first three.
One of the them, a heavyset blond woman with sharp eyes, spoke evenly: "I see that CO-Colonel Max is running late... as usual."
Nell turned to the woman and gave a small smile. "Don't worry, General Carpenter. You have my assurances that he will be here within the next few minutes."
Another man, the youngest of the Generals, tapped his fingers once on the table. "Let's... I mean, I propose we begin the briefing without him, CO-General. The two of us know he won't be listening anyways."
The girl next to Nell frowned. She opened her mouth to speak, but Nell cut her off with a warning look, causing her to lean back in her seat with a scowl. "General Vance, I understand your impatience with the CO-Colonel. Rest assured, he will be reprimanded for his behavior, as I do agree that his disregard of protocol has crossed the line many times."
The third general, a thin-haired old man, now spoke up in his usual halting tones. "Then perhaps we can begin with the matter of our current command situation, CO-General? I am sure we can all agree that he would not care to give his input on that matter."
For once, Nell and her companion had to agree; Max had never cared for those kinds of details unless they were about him. "Very well, General Bernstein." Nell pressed a few buttons on the side of the desk. In response, the lights dimmed and a large holographic projector emerged from the center of the conference table. A list of dossiers appeared... and began to be crossed out one by one as the generals' mouths hung slightly open. Even the youth with Nell grimaced.
"Since the start of Blue Moon aggression a week ago, we have lost 5 OF-class officers to the enemy. On the bright side, all of our COs are safe and sound. We may even be able to add one more to that number, as there is one OF who has demonstrated CO capabilities. While he is currently only a Lieutenant in rank, he has been with us for over a year now and has already made significant progress in exploring his powers. In fact, he has reached the level he has faster any OF in Orange Star history."
"You would, of course, be referring to OF-Lieutenant... Andy." General Vance again.
"I am well aware of your past experiences with the lieutenant, General. And I do not mean to imply that he is necessarily deserving of a military promotion. However, he has without a doubt attained the capability to consistently activate his Command Network without entering a trance... which is the one of the two requirements for becoming a CO. All that remains is for him to pass the Advanced Tactical Aptitude Examination."
"Hmm..." General Bernstein looked up at Nell. "The promotion of a new CO in these troubled times would be reassuring to the people of Orange Star. Of course, that only applies if this CO is particularly successful."
"Which leads me to my second order of business." Nell glanced at her companion, who scowled back; she knew where this was going, and she didn't like it one bit.
Suddenly, a furious knocking sound emerged from the other side of the door, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Next came an indistinct yelling, then more pounding, and finally, the groan of metal against metal as the door was wrenched right open by a pair of large knuckles. This action drew glares from everyone in the room except for Nell, who merely giggled.
"Hey! Nell, Sami... General guys. Sorry I'm late. That stupid plastic-reader ate my card again." In strode a walking mountain of muscle, topped with blue hair at the peak. The man, who was unmistakably CO-Colonel Max, strolled into the room and dropped with a thud into the chair between Nell and the Generals.
"Let's skip all the crap and get to the important stuff, okay? I wanna know how bad it is."
"Ah, Max, good timing." Nell smiled. "There was one other matter I wished to discuss before getting to that, but I think I'll tell it to the Generals afterwards."
The three Generals across the table looked surprised. If Nell was sidestepping the issue right now, that meant it would be something they'd like and the other COs wouldn't; something rare from her.
Nell pressed a few more buttons on the console, rearranging the lights in the center of the table into a map of Cosmo Land with various arrows, unit symbols, and annotations all over it. With the press of another button, an overlay with the colors orange and blue – mostly blue – appeared over the image, prompting a gasp from Max. "Are you kidding me?" he yelled. "Nell, tell me this is a joke!"
Nell's companion, Sami, kicked Max's leg, prompting a yelp of pain from the large man. "Like it or not, that's the situation. Nell, permission to give the full report?"
After the older CO nodded, Sami stepped in front of the console and called up some notes. "Blue Moon forces have penetrated deep into Orange Star territory. They have access to the capital area, but have only launched minor attacks so far, probing the city. However, it is likely that Blue Moon plans to launch their final attack within a week."
"Hm... it seems Blue Moon has missed their chance." General Carpenter displayed a narrow smile, her mouth thinner than a pencil line. "Their hesitation gave us time to prepare."
Nell shook her head. "Actually, in the simulations we ran, we expected Olaf's forces to head straight for the capital. It would be his style, you must admit. Unfortunately, he refrained from doing so, and as a result many units ended up doing nothing while Blue Moon took the outlying regions with little resistance."
Sami continued, "At the moment, there are only three strategic points still under the control of our forces. The Falcon Island headquarters has dealt heavy damage to Blue Moon's navy; as a result, most of the enemy navy has returned to Blue Moon for repairs. Additionally, Fort Halberd near the capital has repelled all enemy attacks thanks to CO-General Nell's leadership. Finally, the Golden Fortress in the Alara region is still under our control; although cut off from the capital, they actually haven't come under attack by Blue Moon at all."
"Hm..." General Bernstein looked thoughtful. "There really isn't anything of worth in the Alara region. I'm surprised Olaf even sent any units up there to begin with."
"Blue Moon's expedition up there is just a token force, under the command of an inexperienced OF," scoffed General Vance in that arrogant voice that Sami found so irritating. He then looked around the room as the others stared at him. "What, am I wrong?"
"No... you're quite correct. However..." Nell paused. "The Golden Fortress is one of our two training centers. There are very few combat-capable units in the area, and our most senior officer there is... special, but she's not an OF. A small force is all Blue Moon needs."
"Then what the hell are we waiting for?" Max stood up, propelling his chair back into the wall. "We've got to go break open a path and rescue them!"
Sami sighed, then glared at the human mountain. "Don't you get it, Max? That's exactly what they want us to try and do! It's obviously a trap."
Max glared back. "Don't act like I don't know that! But trap or no trap, we gotta do what we gotta do! Nell, permission to move out?"
Nell sighed. "Permission denied, Max. Rest assured, I have a plan to rescue the recruits, and possibly even retake the whole Alara region with a little bit of trickery. However, I need you and Sami elsewhere."
"Oh... fine. But this better work." Max slumped down into the nearest open seat.
"Here are your orders. Sami, I want you to take the Rangers behind enemy lines. I'll brief you personally on the circumstances. Max, take your division and launch a counterattack in the south. General Carpenter, you're in charge of Fort Halberd. General Bernstein, Falcon Island. General Vance, you will remain and assist me at the capital. I will brief each of you personally in six hours; until then, get some rest. Any questions?"
A nerve twitched in Sami's forehead: there she goes, sidestepping the elephant in the room as usual. "Ma'am." Nell shot her a piercing glance, but there was no stopping Sami now. "Wait. What about the Advisor program?"
"Whoa. What's that about the Advisor program?" Max joined Sami in staring.
Realizing that she couldn't put off the news until Max was out of earshot, Nell sighed, then dropped the bomb: "I've drafted plans to expand Orange Star's advisor program. One or more Special Advisors will be commissioned as assistants to active COs in the field, in addition to the advisors currently serving alongside our OF-class commanders."
"Wh... uh..." Max scratched his head. "Uh... Nell... c'mon, Nell! We... for me... for... WHAT?"
"I... also have to question the wisdom of this, Nell." Despite her measured words, Sami looked like a wildcat ready to tear someone's throat out.
Nell did not yield. "I understand that this is an issue of pride for you two, and I apologize if it comes across like I don't trust you. However, even a CO can only focus on a limited number of things at once. With an advisor to handle the strategic matters, you won't have to divide your attention between strategy and tactics."
"Nell... that's really not-" Sami began.
"AND- ...I want you to save your energy." Nell shot them a warning look, causing both to wither in their seats. "Blue Moon's OFs and COs have been drilled not only in command, but in personal combat as well. If it comes down to a one-on-one engagement between you and one of the Blue Moon COs, you'll need all the advantages you can get. I do not want to see one of you die that way."
"Nell..." Max's mouth was agape.
"Three of our OFs were already killed by the same man: the Blue Moon OF Vladi. I want you to be extra cautious when you encounter him as well; he's already killed one of Green Earth's COs a few years back. That's right, a full CO. And... I know this from experience, and you should too, Max. Blue Moon's CO-General Olaf... is not an opponent to be taken lightly. He's a failure when it comes to military tactics... but in terms of power, he has the most destructive capacity of perhaps any CO in Cosmo Land, and I can say from experience that he's far more savvy in a showdown than as a commander. So please... be careful."
"Ah..." Sami looked down and found her hands were shaking. "I... I promise, Commander Nell. I'll be careful."
"I guess you're right... thanks for caring. I won't do anything stupid." Max grinned sheepishly. "I'll... go get some rest."
"Thank you... Max. Sami. If one of you died..." Nell paused. "Well, let's not think about that."
Sami smiled slightly. "Besides, I have to stay alive long enough at least to greet the new CO."
"Whoa, we're getting a new CO? Who?" Max's energy returned in an instant.
"You'll meet him soon enough. It'll be a surprise." Nell beamed at Max. "So bear this whole advisor thing for a little while, okay? Besides, you'll still have the final say on things; they'll just be there to back you up."
"Well, when you put it that way... sure. I'll try it out." Max sighed, then turned to leave. "Well, see you in a few, Nell. And get some sleep."
"Sure." Nell smiled, then turned away, hiding her exhaustion from both the COs and the Generals.
Alara Region – Lost Fortress
7:45 PM
The Lost Fortress was never a large Orange Star post to begin with, so it had been easy prey for Blue Moon. Now, Blue Moon was massing at that location for the final attack against the Golden Fortress. The commander of that unit, a messy guy in winter gear called OF-Lieutenant Droma, stood on the command floor of the fortress' HQ tower, directing the combat engineers in cleaning out all of Orange Star's wrecked equipment and replacing it with fresh electronics capable of hooking up to Blue Moon's network. Droma was not a happy man; he hated dealing with the logistics before and after the battle. He usually left that to his advisor, but after the death of his last assistant, he had been unfortunate enough to have been assigned one who was as lazy as he was. Lieutenant Baich was working downstairs, but Droma could swear that the floors the Lieutenant supposedly finished work on looked no better than before he started.
Now, many fruitless attempts at micromanaging the cleanup had taken Droma's patience to its limit. The fools always got something wrong; couldn't they listen even for long enough to get it right the first time? Every time, he had to repeat himself or clean up after their stupid mistakes, and... well, can't they... can't they... "Can't you people work any faster?" he finally yelled, kicking a broken monitor across the room.
"OF-Lieutenant Droma... we're... we'll have everything hooked up in 3 hours. It's... the Orange Star dogs booby-trapped the wiring..." the unlucky leader of the team tried to explain.
"EXCUSES! I want no more excuses, I want action!" Droma's long, thick hair waved around, repeatedly covering and exposing a pair of narrow ice-blue eyes. "We're already behind schedule enough as it is, and we don't want any trouble with the boss, you hear me?"
A few moments later, a buzzing noise issued from the OF's datapad, causing him to yelp. "I told you! Now look what you've done!" After a bit of fumbling, Droma activated the screen, revealing a young girl in full uniform, a pale face framed by long brown hair. Thankfully, her face looked indifferent, not displeased. Droma's expression instantly changed to a blatantly fake smile.
"Ah... OF-Colonel Sasha! What a pleasant surprise!"
The girl seemed unaffected by his rotting-molasses tone. "OF-Lieutenant Droma. How goes the cleanup?"
"I, er, well..." The officer gave an unconvincing chuckle. "We've run into a couple small difficulties, but rest assured, we're still on schedule. We'll be ready by the time the rest of the company arrives!"
"Very well. ...Lieutenant." Sasha's eyes narrowed.
"Yes, Colonel?"
"Do not launch the attack against the Golden Fortress until I give the order. CO-General Olaf has drafted a plan that must be followed to the letter. Is that clear?"
"Yes, yes... crystal clear, Colonel." Another involuntary chuckle issued from Droma's lips. Why was he so uncomfortable? Droma really couldn't tell.
A look of pain flashed briefly across the girl's face. "Droma, listen to me. Since your OF abilities appeared, you've... let yourself go. Don't forget, you aren't invulnerable, and you don't even have a firm grasp of the Command Network yet."
"Relax, babe. I'll be fine." His discomfort gone, Droma smirked inside at the frustration that rose to Sasha's face.
"...very well. But if something happens, don't say I didn't warn you."
And then she was gone, and Droma was alone again with his toy soldiers.