Chapter 04: Orange Sunset

Sami stood beneath an orange sky whose fringes were permeated with violet, watching as the setting sun disappeared beneath the sea in a blaze of fire. She kept her arms crossed, clasped so tight against her compact frame that her muscles were defined like chiselled rock. For almost half an hour now she had been watching the coastline, letting the constant rhythm of the waves wash away her unwanted thoughts. The darkening light glinted off her brown eyes as Sami looked towards the horizon, studying the distant waves and clouds as if she could see some possible future beyond.

Behind her a vast array of tents, soldiers and vehicles were clustered around a military base further inland, its grounds ringed by a barbed wire fence. It was nothing more than a small border outpost, and under normal circumstances, it would have been home to little more than a hundred soldiers. Of course, the current circumstances were anything but normal. Over the past month, the dispute between Orange Star and Blue Moon had escalated from heated diplomatic exchanges and sabre rattling. Blue Moon had started moving additional units to their shared border in Cosmo Land, most likely in an attempt to intimidate them. As far as Orange Star was concerned, it was a deeply hostile act, and one that could not go unanswered. They had diverted additional troops of their own, and Sami had been at the forefront of the efforts to reinforce the defences and secure their territory.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the border, Blue Moon's increased troop deployments had been followed by large scale military exercises. Officially, they claimed the exercises were in response to Orange Star's own buildup of troops, and that they were only practising to defend themselves. It was an explanation that fooled no one. Olaf was the one making the aggressive moves. He had been first to deploy additional troops to the region, and even now, Blue Moon's armies along the border were significantly larger in size. As if that wasn't enough, it was blatantly obvious that these military exercises provided a perfect cover story for preparations to invade. It was difficult to imagine that armed conflict could break out between Orange Star and Blue Moon after they had fought against Black Hole together, but Sami knew they could not ignore the possibility. They had a duty to protect their country, and that meant preparing for the worst.

Sami shivered as the sea breeze whistled past, sending a prickle of goosebumps across her bare arms. The temperature was dropping rapidly as the daylight waned, and she was beginning to regret not bringing a jacket. Even so, Sami refused to retreat indoors. It was rare she had any quiet time to herself these days, and she did not want to relinquish the moment just yet. Besides, there were no pressing matters that demanded her attention; Sami had already dealt with all that was urgent, and most that was not. It was unlikely any new orders would come through while she watched the sunset, and if they did, her subordinates knew where to find her.

If she had expected any urgent communication, Sami would never have left the base, but there was little chance of anything like that. Ever since the stand-off along the border had begun, she had only been given one overarching order: hold your position. Apart from the flight back to the capital for the conference with the other COs, all she'd done for weeks was hold position. Nothing had happened, nothing had changed. That was not to say she had been idle. In fact, Sami's days had been downright hectic. She had been busy coordinating deployments, fortifying the border, and drawing up strategies to defend the region. Sami could focus on her duties and keep her mind occupied, but she could not shake the feeling that she was stuck. It was a sensation that had been growing ever since the Omega War ended, and she did not like it one bit.

It was not the waiting that bothered her. At least, not in and of itself. Sami could have spent weeks enduring all manner of hardship without breaking a sweat. What made her skin crawl and stomach churn was the uncertainty. Not knowing what was coming did not sit well with her, and the nagging doubt that she might not be ready to face it lurked at the edge of her consciousness like a malevolent ghost.

Sami could feel any peace and calm slipping away as her thoughts turned to the future. The moment was past. She gritted her teeth and let out a short breath, her resolve laced with frustration. No matter what happened or what sprang at her from the darkness, failure was simply not an option.

"Commander Sami!"

The greeting came from behind. A lone soldier had ventured out from the base to find her, Sami saw. Her stomach gave a slight lurch. What could this be about?

"Is there a problem, soldier?" She asked.

"There's a communique coming through from Commander Andy, ma'am."

Sami gave a small frown. "Did he say what it was about?"

"No ma'am. The signal's only just come through."

"Understood. Thank you, sergeant."

Sami pivoted about and set off up the gentle slope, sand and scrub grass crunching beneath her heavy boots. Her pace was swift but measured, and by the time she reached the command post at the southern edge of the camp, there was only the faintest tinge of red to her cheeks.

The main computer at the command post was set to standby. With a flick of her finger Sami accepted the incoming transmission and leant over the screen as it flashed to life.

"What's the situation, Andy?"

The boy in question was staring straight ahead with a vacant light in his big eyes.

"Huh? The situation?"

Sami briefly closed her eyes. Andy could be trying at times. "What's this communication about, Andy? Why do you need to talk to me? Has something happened?"

His eyebrows rose. "Oh. Oh! Sure, I get what you mean. Well, I lost my toothbrush. That happened."

"You lost your…"

Sami found herself at a complete loss for words. Complete bewilderment and considerable irritation fought to make themselves shown before she gave up and buried her face in her hands. She took a deep breath to calm herself, making no attempt to hide the nascent scowl on her lips.

"This isn't a joke, Andy! We're facing war with Blue Moon at a time when we can't afford –"

She stopped as she realised that Andy was watching her with a smirk plastered across his face. He was enjoying this.

"Relax, Sami," he said with a roll of his eyes. "I know. I'm not that dumb."

She sighed and bowed her head, feeling suddenly very tired. "What is it you actually wanted, then?"

He shrugged. "I just wanted to talk. It's boring waiting out here."

"Oh."

"So have you heard anything from Max?" He asked.

Sami shook her head. "No. Why, have you?"

"Nope, just thought I'd ask. It's not fair that he gets to blow up a Black Cannon while we sit here doing nothing."

Sami did not answer. Max's attack on the Black Hole outpost had been scheduled for that afternoon. The operation would have commenced hours ago, and by now, it was most likely already over. There was no reason to think the attack hadn't gone according to plan, and certainly no reason Max should have contacted them so soon. He knew how to handle himself. Sami was fully aware of that, but nothing could ameliorate the twinge in her gut when she thought of the Black Cannon. Everything about the current situation felt wrong; the past week had been a blur of the unexpected and the unforeseen. The past week, the last eight months – hell, make that the last five years, Sami corrected herself. Ever since Olaf had first ordered the invasion of Orange Star five years ago, it seemed like the whole world had been turned upside down, and it had never truly settled. So much remained uncertain, but there was one thing Sami was sure of, and it was that the old rules no longer applied. Anything was possible. Anything could happen next.

Something uneasy flickered in Sami's eyes, and her brow creased. "Andy, don't you think this all seems a bit odd? That Black Hole's come back right now, when we're staring down Blue Moon?"

"I don't know." Andy's head tilted to one side. "I guess. What do you mean?"

Sami was not entirely sure how to answer that question. It was only a vague feeling, difficult to describe. "I'm not sure. The timing seems awfully convenient to me."

"What, you think they're working together?" He frowned. "That can't be. The whole reason we're in this mess is because Olaf hates Black Hole so much."

"I know it doesn't make sense," Sami admitted. "It's just so frustrating that Black Hole's shown up again right when we can't spare the resources to chase them down. They wouldn't stand a chance if the Allied Nations were still working together."

"But they're not."

"Thanks for reminding me," Sami said sarcastically. She paused, and when she spoke again, her tone was serious once more. "Maybe Black Hole is just taking advantage of the situation."

"Maybe."

"It just feels wrong that all of this is happening at once." She hesitated for a second. "Doesn't this whole debacle feel wrong to you, Andy? After everything we've been through, doesn't it bother you that we might go to war with Blue Moon?"

Another shrug. "Not really. It might be kind of fun."

"Fun?" Sami glared at him. "Andy, if this situation blows up, a lot of people are going to die. Our friends – on both sides – are going to be in danger! Don't you get that?"

"Well… yeah," he said, his voice turning quiet. "But it's not like I can fix things between Orange Star and Blue Moon. All we can do is try to save as many people as we can."

"I thought you could fix anything," Sami retorted, the sudden burst of anger still gnawing at her.

Andy grinned. "Yeah, things like cars and tanks and a washing machine that one time, not people getting angry. I'm not one of those guys who makes countries get along."

"You mean a diplomat?"

"A what?" Andy's lack of comprehension was written on his face plain as day.

Sami shook her head. It was the same story time and time again. Just when she started to think that her friend might actually be wise beyond his years, he'd blurt out something incredibly stupid and ruin the moment. Andy had never shown much inclination to think before he spoke.

"Never mind," she sighed. "I should go."

"Okay." A sudden concern showed itself in Andy's eyes. "I didn't upset you, did I?"

Sami forced herself to smile. "No. If I'm upset, it's not because of you."

"Oh, cool. Bye then!"

And with that he was gone, completely at ease once again.

Sami stared into the black screen a moment longer, marvelling at how alien Andy's attitude seemed. She envied him sometimes. Not often, but sometimes. Andy could be airheaded, absent, ignorant, and about a hundred other similar things, but he could also stumble out of bed at noon, blunder into a battle he knew nothing about, and immediately craft a strategy that would have made officers three times his age jealous. It wasn't training, knowledge, or practice that made Andy a great commander. It was pure instinct. Sami had asked him many times how he came up with his tactics, but he always gave the same answer: a sheepish grin, a scratch of his head, and the explanation that 'he just did'. Sami wondered if Andy had ever really doubted himself, if he had ever worried that he might not win a battle yet to come.

She was still standing lost in thought when one of the nearby officers turned towards her, his face shot through by a look of horror.

"Commander… we're picking up signals to the south."

Sami's eyes snapped to him, all other thoughts forgotten. "What kind of signals, lieutenant?"

He swallowed. "Airborne, ma'am."

"What?"

A tremor of unease went though Sami as she digested the news. She refused to let it show; her discipline was strong, and her expression did not so much as waver. Was this an attempt by Blue Moon to probe their defences, or just another provocation?

"What direction are they heading in?" She asked.

"They're coming straight for us, ma'am."

Sami's brow creased as she crossed her arms again. "And how many signals do you read?"

"Almost fifty, all airborne. It looks like a full aerial assault, Commander."

Her surprise turned to total shock. "How is that possible?"

"I… I don't know, Commander Sami – ma'am!"

The lieutenant's eyes bulged as he said her name and just as quickly realised his gaffe. He was nervous, Sami realised, and no wonder. This was another unexpected turn of events. No, worse than that, it was something that shouldn't have even been possible. At the southern end of their shared border, Blue Moon's territory was mountainous and rough. Rural towns were few and far between throughout the region, let alone cities or airfields. They did not have the facilities in range to support a major aerial offensive across the border. Aircraft carriers were a possibility, but recent reports had confirmed that all of Blue Moon's carriers were stationed along their northern coast, where most of their naval facilities were located, or abroad. This couldn't be an intelligence mishap like with the Black Cannon, either. Every carrier Blue Moon had was accounted for, and their southwest coast was a tiny strip of land between Orange Star and Green Earth, home to only a single major port. There was simply nowhere for them to hide a full assault fleet.

So how could there be a large scale air assault coming her way?

"How long do we have until these contacts are in range?" Sami asked. She wasn't going to solve the riddle, and there was certainly no point dwelling on it.

"Five minutes. Maybe ten if we're lucky." He bowed his head. "We weren't prepared to scan for anything like this."

"I understand. Good work, lieutenant," she said, forcing a smile in an attempt to reassure him.

Working quickly Sami opened a channel to all units in range. There was no time to draw up a detailed battle plan, and even if there had been, Sami's options were limited. Her forces were not equipped to deal with an offensive of this nature. She had been assigned a modest number of anti-air assets based on the assumption Blue Moon could not launch a major air assault in the area, and they were dispersed along her section of the border. She could not hope to destroy or deter a force this large with the units she had available, and that left her with only one option.

"Listen up, everyone!" Sami shouted across the command post. "We've got a force of bogeys inbound. They'll hit us in five to ten minutes. Given our position, I'm going to assume their intent is hostile and we're about to come under attack. Now, we're not well equipped to handle an assault of this type and scale, so I'm ordering most of our troops to fall back. Our anti-air vehicles and missile units will stay behind along with some foot soldiers. Oh, and put out a call for help. We're going to need support ASAP."

"What's your plan, Commander?" Another officer asked.

"Our anti-air units will stay behind to engage the foe. We're not going to win this battle, but we need to buy time for the rest of our forces to retreat and hopefully get out of the enemy's operational range. We need to keep these planes occupied as long as we can for that to happen, so we'll need infantry too. Their job is to run interference, provide cover, and draw enemy fire away from our anti-air. Eight squads should be enough. Understood?"

"Understood, ma'am!"

The replies came as a chorus. Her orders given, Sami could only watch as the army was galvanised into action. She felt a surge of pride even as the cold anticipation of the battle to come grew stronger. Even now, caught completely unprepared, her troops reacted calmly and quickly, the emergency retreat carried out as if it had been planned. Sami might not have been able to spend as much time working with Special Forces as she would have liked, but even in an army this size, her soldiers were drilled to be the best in Orange Star. She had every confidence that the men and women under her command were up to the challenge before them, no matter how outmatched they were.

Over the ocean a cluster of vague shapes was coming into view, a jagged tear of darkness against the fiery sunset. At their current distance the planes appeared so tiny they could have passed for a far off flock of birds, completely indistinguishable as individual shapes. Sami's expression hardened further. That would change all too soon.

"ETA on the enemy air force?" She asked.

"Three minutes, ma'am."

"Get those missiles into the woods. They could use the cover." She frowned. "Do we have any details on the enemy force's composition?"

"One moment, Commander… looks like a combination of bombers and fighters."

Interesting, Sami thought. Their enemy had deployed a mixed force for ground and air attack despite the fact that she didn't have any airborne assets under her command beyond the odd light copter. They didn't know what they were up against. They might have known exactly where to find her forces and been able to launch an attack without being detected, but there were gaps in their intel. Sami's frown let up a little as she decided that the enemy seemed a little less threatening now.

Leaning forward, she activated the com. "All units, this is Commander Sami. The enemy force is comprised of fighters and bombers. Everyone, focus your fire on the enemy bombers. I repeat, focus on the bombers."

Sami looked back to the sky, where the enemy air force was drawing closer. From a shadowy cloud it split like some malignant virus into individual cells, every one a weapon of war bent on raining destruction upon Orange Star. They were close enough now for Sami to see that they were not Blue Moon aircraft like she had assumed. It wasn't the colour that gave them away. In the orange glow of the sunset blue and grey looked much alike. No, it was the strangely rounded noses and jutting, squared wings on the smaller fighters, features visibly distinct from the sharp, sleek lines of Blue Moon jets. She knew who the enemy was.

"Black Hole," someone breathed nearby.

"Black Hole," Sami agreed in a solemn voice.

Then, with a single flick of her finger she activated the com again and leant forward to speak.

"Everyone, this is Sami. Our enemy is Black Hole." She paused and felt a single heartbeat run through her like a shiver. "No mercy."

Sami's eyes roved over the beach as her troops rushed to prepare for the imminent attack, drinking in every detail. It was like she had never seen the terrain before. Just a few short minutes prior it had been nothing but a quiet seaside sunset, an idyllic scene that belonged on a postcard, or perhaps in a work of art. Now it was the staging ground for a desperate battle, and every rise and fall in the landscape, every last scrap of cover could make the difference between life and death. Sami was under no illusion that she could win the one-sided struggle that was about to take place. There would be no glorious triumph, only a frantic delaying action that just might buy the rest of her army time to safely retreat. Sami steeled herself with that knowledge. She had her objective, and she was determined to see it done.

Finally her gaze returned to the approaching air force. Sami's eyes were hard as flint as she stared down the jets as if she could turn them back with nothing but sheer force of will.

"Those missiles," she said, her voice low and terse. "Are they in position?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Right." Sami's eyes remained fixed on the enemy planes, waiting until they were well and truly in range. "Fire!"

The order was sent. A flurry of missiles shot out of the woods and lanced into the front of the aerial formation. Fireballs wracked the line of fighters and bombers as several of the planes were blasted apart or began to fall out of the sky. Sami found herself holding her breath as she waited to see how the enemy would react. She didn't dare hope that they would break off the assault after receiving no more than a bloody nose, but she fully expected them to begin evasive manoeuvres, or even pull back to regroup. Instead they did neither. Some of the jets veered slightly, but they stayed together, hurtling towards the mainland in a screaming mass. Sami noted that and adjusted her response accordingly.

"Infantry, this is Sami. Prepare to run interference. Delta and Echo squads, move west. Charlie, Bravo, get their attention and draw them into the kill zone. Vulcans, standby to engage."

Sami had barely finished giving the orders when the planes crossed the divide between land and sea, and the whole world erupted into a storm of fire and fury. All was consumed by overwhelming force and sound. The ground shook with the impact of explosive ordnance, and the air thrummed with the roar of jet engines.

"Anti-airs, go! Go!"

The anti-air units advanced from their concealed positions, cannons raised. The beach became a battlefield as Sami's troops began trading blows with the Black Hole air force. Their initial salvos brought down or badly damaged several of the enemy bombers, but it was not enough. Her anti-airs had exposed themselves to enemy fire in the process, and they lacked the cover to last long in this kind of slugfest. Sami's eyes darted back and forth from the beach to her tactical display. The bombers were surging forward, dropping their payloads indiscriminately. There was no rhyme or reason to their attacks, no pattern or strategy. Not that it mattered. The enemy force was large enough to overwhelm her rearguard with nothing but brute force.

"Commander Sami, we're picking up new contacts on an approach vector!"

Sami's stomach lurched. "Let me guess. More planes?"

"No ma'am. Ships."

"What?"

Sami marched over to see the readout for herself. There was a growing cluster of contacts at the very limit of their scanning range to the south. Sami looked to the horizon. Sure enough, she could make out a faint smear sitting atop the sea. She checked the configuration of the vessels. Landers. Suddenly the aimless aerial assault made sense. The fighters and bombers had not been sent simply to destroy anything in their path, but to provide cover for a full blown invasion force. The realisation gripped Sami like a metal vice, but it changed nothing. Even with the knowledge that a landing fleet was bearing down on her position, the air force remained the most immediate threat.

The world shook again, and the acrid stench of burning grass filled Sami's nostrils. The bombers were moving further inland, closer to her command post. Sami's heartbeat grew faster as she scanned the skies. One of the bombers was heading straight for them, and there was no time to intercept it.

"Take cover!" She yelled.

Sami sprinted towards the trees with her assault rifle in hand, desperately trying to stay aware of where the bombs were falling next. There was little she could do except keep moving and hope luck was with her as she raced for shelter. Sami heard the thunderous roar of explosions, accompanied by a wave of heat at her back. Then she was into the woods, and safe.

She came to a stop, taking a moment to catch her breath and let her eyes adjust to the shade. There was no immediate danger beneath the trees, although it was only a thin patch of woodland that stretched along the seaside. Under bright daylight, it would not even fully obscure line of sight to the other side, but in the twilight gloom, the trees and their shadows offered a sanctuary that would be difficult for enemy eyes to penetrate. Sami blinked several times until she could discern a wall of tree trunks and thick brambles looming before her, beyond which lurked several vague red shapes. Her missile trucks. She threaded her way through the woods, pushing stray branches aside with her rifle.

"Status, soldier?" Sami asked, coming up to an infantryman by the missiles.

"We've taken out several bombers, ma'am. Doesn't look like they've spotted us yet."

"Good work."

Sami opened the hatch to one of the trucks and climbed halfway inside its rear compartment. The surface to air missile units were all equipped with their own tracking systems. They would not provide the most detailed picture of the battle, but it would be more than enough to assess how the fight was unfolding. Sami leant in and noted what the display had to tell her. The coast was overrun by enemy planes. The Black Hole bombers were fewer in number now, but enough remained to finish what they had started. They appeared to be circling the coast, eliminating any resistance that remained.

With a grim expression Sami jumped out of the truck, shutting the hatch behind her. She activated her com as she walked towards the front of the missile formation.

"This is Sami. Anti-airs, report in."

There was nothing but silence in reply. Her concern growing, Sami tried again as the missile trucks loosed another deadly volley.

"Anyone with eyes on the beach, report in."

Still there was no answer. Sami scowled to herself. It was not a promising sign.

"Keep firing for as long as you can," she ordered the soldier standing by the lead truck. "I'm going to get a closer look at the beach."

He saluted and Sami kept moving, heading for the pinpricks of amber light beyond the trees. Driven from her command post she was practically blind. She needed to get a better sense of the tactical situation and issue new orders. Already she suspected that there was nothing left of her force outside the woods, but she needed confirmation. Sami was almost to the treeline when she heard the whine of a jet engine, followed a few seconds later by another great explosion and the overpowering stench of smoke. She whirled about, but could see nothing clear.

She swore as another blast rocked the woods, setting branches cracking and bathing the shadowed world in a fiery glow. The sounds of glass shattering and metal groaning rang out. Sami risked darting out beyond the trees, glancing upwards to scan the sky. What she saw filled her with dread. The offending bomber was already coming around for a second pass. If her missiles weren't already lost, they soon would be.

"Everyone out of the woods," she screamed. "Now!"

Sprinting hard she raced down the slope to the beach and threw herself into a small ditch. The wind was knocked out of her by the hard landing, but at least she was safe and out of sight. Peeking out from the ditch Sami took in a quick snapshot of the ocean. The enemy boats were drawing closer. Another fifteen minutes and they'd start landing troops. She lifted her com.

"Radar, how many bombers are left?"

There was a spark of garbled static. "Commander Sami –" the connection was interrupted by more static – "half of enemy bomber targets remaining."

Sami closed her eyes, shutting out the battle for one precious second. There was only one option left. They couldn't take out the bombers in time. Her troops had taken too many casualties already, her means of fighting the enemy planes all but gone. And without destroying the bombers, there was no way she could recall the rest of her army to try and repulse the landing fleet. She was caught in an impossible bind, and Sami knew there was no choice but to fall back. All she could do was hope they would still be able to fight off the Black Hole army after it had entrenched itself on the beach.

Sami pulled herself out of the ditch and quickly surveyed the battlefield. Black Hole's control of the area was uncontested. The scene before her was a hellish vision of smoke, spot fires and blackened craters, and there were barely any Orange Star troops left. It was over. Sami's eyes were heavy with bitterness as she raised her com. She was about to give the order when another blast high above made her duck for cover. Bewilderment flashed in her eyes at the sound. Her army no longer had any capacity to inflict that kind of damage, so what could have caused it? Sami's head snapped upwards to find out what had happened even as more and more explosions thundered out.

She couldn't help but gasp. The sky was filled with fighter jets in emerald livery, wreaking havoc amongst the unprepared Black Hole air force. For a moment Sami could only watch, stunned. Never, not in a million years, could she have anticipated the unlikely rescue, and yet somehow it seemed like the most natural thing in the world. She already knew who was behind the counterattack. Only one person could command air units like that: Eagle, the daring pilot hero of Green Earth. Sami shook her head in disbelief. She hadn't heard a word from him in almost eight months and yet here he was, soaring to her side in her hour of need. A strange feeling stirred inside of Sami as she watched the green fighters weaving through the sky, their missiles wreaking havoc amongst the enemy. Every shot landed with unerring precision, and there was no chance that Black Hole could regroup and fight back. The devastation was complete.

With the threat from the air force neutralised, Sami found her thoughts turning to a different matter entirely. Eagle was here. How, she wondered, would he explain the silence that had come between them since the end of the Omega War? They had grown so close during their time fighting alongside each other, only for circumstances outside their control to force them apart. It was a distance that had proven harder to bear than Sami cared to admit.

She scowled and dismissed the thought. Her relationship with Eagle was something to worry about later. Right now, her priority was to make sure the situation here was under control. With that in mind Sami turned and jogged back over to the command post she had abandoned earlier. Some of the equipment had been scattered by the falling bombs, but the station had avoided a direct hit, and the main consoles were still intact. Sami could only hope the one she needed was still working, but a quick check revealed that she was in luck. The scanning station was fully operational. Typing rapidly she brought up the data on the ships off the coast. A smile of pure relief broke across her face as the readout came through. The landers had stopped moving. Some of them had even begun to reverse course. Without the air force to cover its approach, the Black Hole fleet was turning back.

There was an electronic noise somewhere nearby. Instinct kicked in and Sami whirled about, rifle raised. There was no danger. She was alone. One of the computers was alerting her to an incoming transmission, that was all. Sami sighed and lowered her gun, suddenly very thankful that no one had been present to witness her threaten the communications console. It seemed she was going to hear from Eagle at last. An uneasy flutter passing through her heart, she answered the transmission.

It was not Eagle that greeted her. Sami found herself looking at a hulking giant who wore a pair of red goggles and a dark metal helmet. Her blood grew hotter at the sight. She knew the man, and he was someone she'd hoped never to meet again.

"Flak!"

A brutish leer crossed his broad jaw. "Miss me?"

The anger surging through Sami turned to white hot fury, and she felt her fists clench. "Not a bit, you – you thug!"

"Hah! You missed me."

Sami could not suppress a growl. Bile rose in her throat as she fought back the urge to terminate the connection. She didn't want to look at Flak's ugly face for another second, didn't want to give him the satisfaction of taunting her. However, she knew his involvement was the first concrete lead they'd turned up about who was behind Black Hole's resurgence, and Sami had a duty to learn everything she could. At least it was an opportunity to needle Flak, and perhaps even goad him into letting some secret slip.

Setting her distaste to one side, Sami fixed the brutish man with her most deadly glare.

"So you were behind this?" She snorted. "I should have known. Only you would forget to check for enemy fighters before sending in your air force."

Flak's leer vanished, replaced by a frustrated scowl. "That shouldn't have happened," he burst out. "We're in Orange Star! What's Green Earth even doin' here?"

Sami rolled her eyes. Flak made Andy look like a genius; his list of talents began and ended with smashing whatever lay in front of him. Perhaps it was a waste of time trying to get any information out of him, she thought. Surely no halfway competent commander would trust him to keep any sensitive secrets.

"You think this matters, stopping us here today?" He spat, his gravelly voice barely intelligible. "It doesn't. You ain't won nothing."

"Oh, you want to talk about winning?" Sami shot back. "Fine. Let's talk about your track record. Black Hole's lost three wars and counting, and I'd say you're off to another great start."

"Doesn't matter," Flak repeated, shaking his head as if to reaffirm that mantra to himself. "You got no idea what's coming. Your dumb country's gonna be history."

"That's what you said last time," she snapped. "Didn't quite work out, did it?"

"You got no idea." Flak began to laugh, a slow, drawn out chuckle that soon overstayed its welcome. "No idea at all." He smirked. "Be seein' you again, girlie. So long."

The screen went dark. Sami let out her breath and slapped the top of the console. Flak hadn't told her anything useful. She hadn't expected him to divulge anything truly important, but she had hoped for something more than empty boasting. If anything, his taunts were more irritating for their lack of wit. She stepped back and tried to relax. Anger was of no use now, but it was difficult to put it aside. Flak had made Sami furious in a way she had not been since the Second Great War, when Orange Star was ravaged by his clumsy invasion. He was a brute, incapable of executing any strategy that did not involve wanton destruction, and he was yet to face any kind of justice for the harm he had caused their country.

Sami exhaled and began to reconsider what had just happened. That Flak had been reinstated as a Black Hole commander was a clue in its own right. Someone – perhaps Adder, perhaps someone else – had chosen to bring him back into the fold. Sami could only speculate why that might be the case, but they had a face to put to Black Hole now, and that was something. Anyone remotely intelligent would have kept their mouth shut and left her to wonder who had been behind the aborted landing.

Sami nodded to herself. It was a victory. A small one perhaps, but a victory nonetheless. She looked up at the skies, filled with green planes.

And now, at least they knew they weren't alone.