Chapter 02: Hard Council

Orange Star's Commander Nell waited alone in the conference room, staring out the window with distant eyes and her button nose almost touching the glass. She was perfectly calm, even though the meeting had been set for four thirty and it was now a quarter to five. It was understandable. Considering the troubles their country faced – the mess they somehow had to deal with – it was a minor miracle she had been able to arrange a meeting at all.

Her face was still like the surface of a pond as she watched the traffic passing through the canyon of steel and concrete below. It was a world of gold dappled shadows. Some few beams of light still penetrated the skyline as the hour grew late, but the view from the twelfth floor of the military headquarters was largely blocked by the multitude of towers and skyscrapers in the heart of the capital, and so the only way to look was down. Cars rushed back and forth through the shadowed maze, ferrying people home after a long day's work. Nell only wished she could allow herself the same luxury.

As she waited by the window, Nell brushed a speck of dust from one of the buttons of her suit, barely aware of what her hand was doing. With the daylight beginning to falter, the world had taken on a softer aspect, and Nell's thoughts grew more distant to match. Her mind wandered, almost to the point of daydreaming. It was a strange feeling. She was not accustomed to lulls in activity such as these; she always tried to avoid any downtime, not that her workload had ever left much space for it. This was the first moment she had taken to actually stop, and allow the implications of what had happened that morning to sink in. Now, alone with the silence, Nell found she was not analysing the current situation, or asking more questions of herself, but merely waiting for her commanders to arrive.

In truth there was little more to ask. Since speaking to Max earlier in the day, Nell had done all she could to unravel the mystery of the Black Cannon. She had gone over every recent intelligence briefing and status update, searching for anything that might explain where these Black Hole troops had come from. She had found nothing. If there had been any prior warning of this incursion, they had completely missed it.

Nell was about to adjust her small garrison cap when the door eased open with only the faintest sound, followed by steady footsteps. She cast a glance over her shoulder to see who it was, and the faraway feeling soon slipped from her mind.

She was just in time to watch as a young woman with shoulder length red hair marched into the room. Her posture was ramrod straight, and her brown eyes moved to Nell without betraying any emotion. She was dressed in dark green military fatigues, although instead of wearing the top half, she opted for a short white tank top that bared her midriff a little. Around her neck hung a pair of dog tags, the glinting metal a perfect match for the fierce determination in her eyes.

"Ma'am," the woman said with a curt nod.

It was all the greeting that was needed. Nell had known Sami for a long time now, and she felt they had come to understand each other well. Sami was professional by nature, and while she had grown much more comfortable in Nell's presence over the years, she was always careful to show the respect due to a superior officer.

Nell turned away from the window with a smooth toss of her long blonde hair, making sure to offer Sami a warm smile. She walked to the head of the table but did not sit down, electing to gather and rearrange her notes instead. Sami glanced at what Nell was doing, but said nothing further.

"I'm glad you got here safely, Sami," Nell said. "You didn't have any trouble?"

"None, ma'am." Sami took a seat and put her arms at her sides, still holding herself rigid. "Everything's quiet over east. At least for the moment."

Nell nodded, the movement barely noticeable in the darkening room. She wondered if she needed to switch the lights on. It hadn't been late enough to do so when she arrived in the conference room, but the daylight was steadily dwindling, and the shadows grew more stark against what light made its way through the windows. Nell was still considering that when a flatscreen covering half of the wall behind her came to life, an image of Max's broad face spread across its surface.

"How you two doing?" He shouted at them.

He had good cause to be loud. Max was surrounded by a veritable flurry of commotion. Nell and Sami could see all manner of activity in the background behind him, from vehicles driving past to tents and defences being erected. Even through the video link, the rumble of engines and the muffled shouts of soldiers working filled the conference room.

"We're doing okay," Sami replied with a small smile. "How about you? It sounds like you had a bit of excitement down at the beach."

Max's expression grew sour. "Yeah, you could say that. Anyway, we ready to start the meeting?"

"Almost," Nell said. "We're just waiting on –"

She broke off as a boy dressed all in red raced into the room and slammed into a seat. He was visibly out of breath and his dark brown hair was splayed in all directions, but that did not seem to slow him in the slightest as he pulled his chair up to the table and broke out a grin.

"Sorry I'm late!" He burst out between gasps.

Max shook his head and chuckled. "Andy, are you ever gonna learn to read a clock?"

"It wasn't my fault!" Andy shot back. "All the lifts were broken and I had to take the stairs up twelve floors. It took ages!"

Sami stared at him in bewilderment. "The lifts aren't broken. I just took one."

"Huh?"

Andy's head darted around, first to the door, then back to Sami, and finally further in the direction he had come from. For several seconds he peered at the wall as if trying to stare straight through it and study the lifts in question. At last Andy shook his head in defeat.

"If they're not broken, then why did they look so weird?"

Max chuckled again. Andy might have proven himself a hero in the two great wars, but he could be remarkably clueless at times.

"In any case," Nell said, doing her best to hide an amused smile, "I think we can make a start now." She turned to Andy and Sami. "As you both know, Max and Rachel headed south to wipe out a small band of Black Hole troops, one we thought was just another remnant from the Omega War."

"Where is Rachel?" Andy asked, frowning. "Shouldn't she be here?"

"I'll get to that in a minute," Nell advised him. "As I was saying, what they found was something very different. Max?"

"The forces weren't Bolt Guard scraps," Max said, his tone dead serious. The screen flickered, for a moment making it appear as though he had three eyes. "They were brand new troops, and they looked like the ones we fought in the Second Great War, back when Sturm was in power."

Andy and Sami exchanged a glance. Sami's expression gave little away, but Nell could see traces of apprehension in her eyes. Andy was much easier to read, and by the look of him, mostly perplexed by the news. Nell could hardly blame him for that. No one knew what this meant, or how it was even possible. Andy was hardly the most analytical commander, but even he could tell that everything about this was wrong.

"Did you find out who's commanding them?" Sami asked.

Max gave a noncommittal shrug. "They weren't exactly in a talking mood. Rachel and I got fired on when they saw us watching 'em, and we barely made it out of there. Rachel's been airlifted back to the city with a broken ankle and concussion."

"The bottom line," Nell interrupted him, "is that it looks like we were wrong. We thought we'd finished off Black Hole in Omega Land, but apparently that isn't the case."

There was silence for a short time after that.

"Couldn't these guys just be from the second war?" Andy suggested. "Maybe they've been hiding out somewhere and didn't know it was all over."

Max looked at his friend and shook his head. "Andy, they had a Black Cannon."

Sami blinked in surprise before turning and pinning Nell with an accusing stare. "Someone built a Black Cannon inside Orange Star's borders and we didn't even know about it?"

"Most of our surveillance satellites are pointed at Blue Moon," Nell explained, helplessness and worry spilling from her eyes. "There was no reason to be watching an isolated stretch of our own coast. And to be honest, it's beside the point. What we need to focus on is the fact that Black Hole has somehow recovered significant military capabilities, and it looks like they've got their sights set on Orange Star. Again. We don't know the extent of their strength, but I think we have to assume the worst."

"So we need to be ready to repel an invasion," Sami surmised.

"We need to be ready to repel two," Nell corrected her.

"I still don't get it," Andy said, his brow furrowing. "If it's not the Bolt Guard behind this, then who's left? Hawke and Sturm are dead, and it can't be…"

Andy trailed off, his confusion giving way to something more melancholy. As Nell watched he swallowed, struggling to continue. She knew the reason why, and it filled her heart with sympathy. There was another Black Hole commander whose fate they knew, and it was not the fate any of them had hoped for.

"We never did find out what happened to Flak or Adder," Nell said, saving Andy from having to say the name.

Sami snorted and rolled her eyes. "I think we all know that brute Flak doesn't have the brains to plan anything more complicated than breakfast."

"Adder, then," Nell suggested, undeterred by Sami's scorn. "He's a competent commander and an able strategist. Plotting an invasion wouldn't be beyond him."

"Yeah…" Max squinted a little as he considered the idea. "But why? I mean, Adder's the type to hold a grudge, but he was barely in Orange Star. Seems like he'd rather be messin' with Yellow Comet or going after Grit. What's he got against us?"

"Max is right," Sami said in a firm voice. "Adder wouldn't attack us. He's a coward, and he wouldn't pick a fight he thinks he'll lose. If Adder was calling the shots, I think he'd try to bully the weakest, most vulnerable country he could find. That's not Orange Star."

Nell forced a faint smile. "I'm open to other suggestions."

"Could Black Hole have a new leader?" Andy jumped in. "Another new leader, I mean."

"Sure," Max said. "If one old psycho can show up out outta nowhere and take charge, why not two? But if there's a new boss, how'd they know there was still anything left to take over?"

Sami let out her breath in a frustrated little puff. "Maybe we're overthinking this," she said. "Max, you said that these troops didn't come from Omega Land, right?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "Yeah, that's certainly what it looked like."

"So that doesn't mean the Bolt Guard aren't behind this," Sami said. "It just means that these particular troops either predate the last war, or came from another location."

"What are you thinkin', Sami?" Max asked.

Sami looked to each of them in turn. "I think we should consider the possibility that Kindle is the new Commander-in-Chief of Black Hole."

"It's certainly a possibility we can't rule out," Nell admitted.

She put a hand to her brow and massaged it briefly. The current whereabouts of the Bolt Guard was another mystery that had taken on renewed importance since the events of that morning. Much time had been spent tracking the movements of any planes or vehicles they might have used in the aftermath of the final battle, and with no success. Every trail had gone cold, and in the months that followed there had been no sign at all of Kindle, Koal, or Jugger. Nell wondered if Sami had been right. Perhaps Orange Star had been stretched too thin, so focused on Blue Moon that they had missed something they should have seen, something that would explain this sudden resurgence. It was an uncomfortable possibility, but not an entirely implausible one. Their resources were finite, after all, and they had managed to miss the signs of Black Hole's machinations once before.

Nell considered the idea for a little longer before setting it aside. Orange Star was not the only country keeping watch for any sign of Black Hole or its commanders; even if they had missed an important clue, surely Green Earth and Yellow Comet would not have been so negligent. Presuming their allies were still willing to share that kind of intelligence with Orange Star, Nell thought cynically. The Allied Nations were not as close as they once had been.

"Would Kindle even want to attack Orange Star like this?" Andy asked, looking from Max to Sami.

"I don't know," Nell admitted. "It's possible. But the truth is that we don't know who's behind this. We don't know where these troops came from, and we don't know their objective." She sighed. "We simply don't have enough information."

A medium tank drove past behind Max, and they all fell silent. Andy was staring at the polished wooden table with wide eyes, and next to him Sami's lips were set together more tightly than normal. None of them could argue with Nell's conclusion. The lack of answers was troubling. There were too many pieces missing from the puzzle, too much they didn't understand. Was this merely the end of something, a fitful epilogue to a time of great upheaval? Or did the cannon signify the beginning of something new? There was no way to know, and no remedy for the unspoken fear that something greater had already begun. They would have to make their choices without any comprehension of the magnitude of what they were facing, and they all knew how dangerous that could be.

"I think we should wipe out these Black Hole troops," Max said. "Get rid of 'em before they can do any harm."

"Is that a good idea?" Sami asked. "We've got no idea what we're dealing with here. It could be a trap."

"Sami has a point," Nell agreed. "We can't afford to act rashly."

"Maybe we don't know where these Black Hole goons came from. So what?" Max shrugged. "We know where they are now. Whatever they're up to, they can't cause any more trouble if we wipe 'em out."

Nell put a hand to her chin as she considered that. "You'll need reinforcements."

Max shot her a confident smile. "Pull a few units from the border and I'll have these guys off our land in no time."

"Alright, Max," Nell said. "We'll do it your way. Start putting together an attack plan. Andy, Sami, I want you two to head back out to the Blue Moon border. Just… keep waiting, and give Max the troops he needs."

"Yes ma'am," Sami said.

"What will you do, Nell?" Andy asked.

"First I'm going to contact Green Earth and Yellow Comet," Nell replied. "Hopefully this incident will convince them to uphold our alliance, and they'll be willing to lend their assistance. Then, I think I'll pay a visit to Thornfield."

Max stirred at the name of Orange Star's highest security prison. "You sure that's necessary?"

Nell looked straight into Max's eyes. "We have no idea who's behind Black Hole's resurgence, or what their goal is. Let's face it, we need more information."

"And no one knows more about Black Hole than -"

Sami cut herself off before she could say the name. There were still a lot of painful memories from the last conflict. The Omega War had been about more than conquest or domination; it had been a battle for life itself, and the horrors it had unleashed were not easily forgotten.

Max stared back at Nell, his strong jaw set in an apprehensive line. "Just take care of yourself. Who knows what that twisted nut job might say."

"Don't worry about me," Nell said with forced cheer. "You're the one with a real challenge ahead of you. Keep me updated on the situation, and send me your plan once it's complete."

The only reply she received was a broad grin before Max terminated the connection and the screen went black.

"Do either of you have any questions?" Nell asked, turning back to Andy and Sami.

"No ma'am," Sami said.

Andy shook his head. "Nope! This'll be easy!"

"Well, I hope you'll at least remember to take this seriously," Nell commented, before shaking her head and allowing herself a small smile. "I'll contact you again as soon as I learn anything new. Dismissed."

They left with only the sounds of muffled footsteps and creaking chairs, and Nell was once again alone with the sunset.

For a time she stood there like a statue, letting idle thoughts and fears run rampant through her mind. It was easier, she reflected, to keep busy, always moving from one problem to another and working hard to solve them. With only the silence for company, all she could do was marvel at how much the world had changed, and not for the better. Nell glanced down at the gleaming wood of the table and at the thick file resting on top of it. She could not prevent the twist of disbelief that crossed her pretty lips. How had it come to this? She asked herself, and not for the first time. It was a storm that had been brewing for months now, and still the whole mess seemed absurd.

Nell had never been under any illusions about what their alliance had meant to Blue Moon. It was a pact born of necessity, nothing more. Simple survival had demanded that they work together, and so they had. Nell had hoped that the seismic changes of the past few years would provide a real opportunity to reset their relationship, of course, but she had always maintained a healthy cynicism regarding their old rival. And yet, somehow it had still shocked her when Blue Moon had accused Orange Star of violating the terms of the Allied Nations Charter. Orange Star had denied the charges and thrown back a few choice accusations of their own, but Green Earth and Yellow Comet were still refusing to comment either way. All the bonds between them dissolved in a heartbeat as every nation tried to justify where they stood. The lines between them had been drawn, turned into cracks, and deepened.

The worst part of it was seeing what it had done to Rachel. After Omega Land, Rachel had been elated. She had been so proud of the way she had led the Allied Nations and of everything the four countries had accomplished by working together. Seeing everything fall apart not six months later – all the battle-forged friendships cast aside and forgotten – had cut her to the bone. Even now Rachel remained a voice of hope, counting on Sasha and Colin to resolve things peacefully. Nell sighed. If the worst came to pass and they found themselves at war with Blue Moon, she did not like to think about what it might do to her little sister.

A sharp knock came from the door, twice in quick succession. Nell had no chance to even ask who was there before the door was opened, and two men in suits and dark sunglasses walked purposefully inside. Nell raised an eyebrow, watching as the two men took up positions on either side of the door. She was well aware that they were members of the presidential security detail; what surprised her was the fact that they were there at all.

"Afternoon, Commander Nell," one of the men greeted her.

"Did we have an appointment?" She asked in a dry voice.

The agents exchanged a glance and smiled. "No ma'am. Standby for the President of Orange Star."

Nell blinked as the man in the midnight blue suit strode into the room, looking every bit as tired as she felt. This was not a visit she had been expecting. As head of the armed forces Nell was often called to attend policy meetings with President Hale of Orange Star, either to advise him on military matters or to be informed of government policy. It was unusual, however, for the President to come to her for a briefing, rather than the other way around. As leader of the country, Hale's schedule was even more hectic than her own, and he was first amongst a select few people in Orange Star whose orders Nell was sworn to obey.

"Mr. President, sir," Nell said, standing at attention.

He threw her an unimpressed glance. "Please, Commander, there's no need to stand on ceremony."

"Of course not, sir."

Nell looked over the President with a wary eye as he walked past her, wondering why he had declined to advise her of this visit. It was highly unusual, just as it was unusual for Hale to display such open annoyance. He was rarely anything but diplomatic and courteous, his persona that of the perfect statesman.

Then again, Nell thought, these were unusual circumstances, and the President's appearance reflected it. There were dark bags under President Hale's eyes and a sadness, a sort of solemn dignity in his bearing. She was not surprised. Hale had been elected three years ago, and in that time Nell had watched as he led their country through three wars and emerged a better man for it. The very idea of the Allied Nations had been his, and seeing it all go up in smoke… Nell knew exactly what kind of toll it would be taking. She had done as just as much to build the alliance behind the scenes even as Hale made the official overtures. The concerns of recent months were heavy burdens for anyone to bear, and no doubt the news about the Black Cannon had only made matters worse.

"What was it you wanted to see me about, sir?" She asked at last.

The President had put his hands in his pockets and turned to face the window. He was standing almost where Nell herself had waited for the meeting to start, and she could not glean any hint of his intent. That could only be deliberate, Nell decided.

"I read your report," Hale said, his voice neutral. "I want to know what you're thinking."

"We've already started putting plans in place for a counterattack. The Black Hole outpost should be destroyed within the next few days."

"The outpost." A rueful laugh escaped from Hale. "A Black Cannon on our shores suggests a significant threat to national security. If this is the herald of something greater…" he paused. "Have you made any progress in discerning whether or not this force came from Omega Land?"

"A little." Nell glanced away. "It's all speculation at this point, but we're confident that they weren't part of the Omega War. It's possible they're under the command of someone from the Second Great War, or at least someone connected to it."

Hale's steel grey hair bobbed a little, signifying his acknowledgement. "How robust is this speculation?"

"Honestly, sir?" For a second Nell hesitated. "We don't have much to go on. I'm following up all the leads I can on my end, but as you're aware, there's a great deal about Black Hole we still don't understand."

"Of course," the President said, his voice softening slightly. "If there's anything you need..."

"I'll be sure to ask," Nell reassured him.

Hale nodded again. "And you realise your mobilisation's already been noticed? We've been questioned about it by the media, wondering what the military's doing down by the beach. If any enterprising journalists decide to look into this, there's a good chance they'll catch wind of what's going on."

There was something in the President's tone that gave Nell pause. Experience had taught her to recognise the terse undercurrent that crept into Hale's voice when he was worried, but this was something else entirely, something she could not quite place.

"I can have Commander Max keep a tight lid on things if you like," she offered.

"No. I want this story to break."

And there it was. Nell could see that the President had an agenda in mind, and now she had a good idea what it was.

"There'll be a panic, sir."

At last Hale turned to face her, his lined face inscrutable. "I know. But we have to look at the bigger picture."

He gave a sigh that was like a dam bursting and ran a hand through his hair, all at once looking human again. As he walked away from the window and joined Nell by the conference table, the President bowed his head a little and straightened his scarlet tie.

"I've requested a summit meeting with the Chancellor of Green Earth and Emperor Kanbei of Yellow Comet," he explained. "Olaf too. I want to try and smooth things over, and perhaps even keep our alliance intact. To that end, I want to present a full briefing on this development. Black Hole has given our countries common cause before. Maybe it can do so again."

"It's a long shot," Nell said. "If we had proof of a bigger threat, that might make a difference, but this... I don't think it's enough to change anyone's mind."

"You may be right," Hale conceded, "but we have to try."

Nell said nothing. She doubted that anything would come of the President's efforts, but it was not her place to dissuade him.

"I won't give up on everything we've built without a fight," he said firmly. "The way I see it, this is the best chance we've got to preserve the Allied Nations. And if news of a resurgence breaks independently of the administration, hopefully it won't look like we've manufactured the threat."

"I'm sure Olaf will accuse you of that regardless," Nell murmured.

"Maybe so. But we've nothing to lose by trying."

"I'll make sure to keep you in the loop, then."

Hale nodded a few times, then made to leave. As he came to the doorway he stopped, and turned back to look at her one last time.

"Nell…" He frowned, as if having difficulty finding the right words. "I want you to know, you have my full confidence."

She smiled a little, though such a small thing was not nearly enough to mask her fears. "Thank you, sir."

And with that, the President and his men were gone.

At first Nell closed her eyes and merely let the silence and the emptiness wash over her. There was something peaceful about it, something elusive she could not quite keep hold of. Perhaps it was foolish to even try. There would be time enough to rest later. For now, there was still far too much that needed to be done. She had a trip to prepare for, and it could not wait.

Not even for a moment.