Chapter 17: Under Siege

"How did this happen?" Nell asked, her voice quiet and calm.

There was no answer. The War Room was silent, save for its soft array of humming machinery and working computers. The main chamber was almost empty. Nell had convened the emergency meeting on short notice, and only Eagle had been able to accompany her in person. Andy, Sami and Drake had joined the conference via video link, along with one of Green Earth's new commanders, but Max and Rachel were occupied elsewhere. Theirs was the unenviable task of commanding the main front with Blue Moon, where the war smouldered with fighting that was low in intensity, but near constant. There was only one item on the meeting's agenda: the attack on Green Earth. The sudden offensive had ended almost as quickly as it had begun, but in the fallout they were left with no shortage of hard questions.

"They came out of nowhere," Eagle said, his voice low and seething. "They were inside our defences before we knew what was happening."

Nell sighed. It might not have been the most detailed assessment of the situation, but it was accurate enough. Black Hole had struck with remarkable speed. By the time word reached Orange Star, it was too late. The enemy had already been withdrawing, leaving a trail of ruin in their wake, and with every new piece of information that came to light, the picture only grew worse.

One thing was already clear. The strikes had been meticulously planned. As soon as one target had been crippled or destroyed, the Black Hole troops had vanished, never lingering longer than necessary. The movements of the three attack forces had been carefully staged to sweep through as many valuable targets as possible, in as short a time as possible. They had inflicted heavy damage on military bases, airports, and even a portion of the Green Earth fleet at anchor. It would take time to determine the full extent of the destruction, but the outlook was grim. Even before this, it had been apparent that Green Earth's ability to fight was limited. Now? It was an open question whether or not Green Earth could even protect their borders, let alone contribute to any wider campaign. And with the war against Blue Moon raging on, there was little chance that Orange Star could shoulder the burden alone.

It was nothing less than a complete disaster. The world was burning, and they were helpless to stop it. Not so long ago, their four countries had come together to defeat a terrible foe. Now? They were divided, standing separate and bleeding each other dry, and the worst part was that this time, they knew the danger in doing so. They knew the danger and it had made no difference at all.

Nell sighed again. No matter how bad things were, there was little choice but to keep fighting. Negotiating a peace with Black Hole was simply not an option. All they could do was focus on solving the small problems, and hope that in doing so they might find a path towards tackling the big ones. There would be time enough to analyse how this changed the strategic calculus later. Right now, the challenge was simply to assess what had happened and decide how to respond. Nell breathed deeply in as she reminded herself of that. One step at a time.

"Walk me through this from the beginning," she said, looking from Eagle, leaning heavily on the table with his head bowed, to Drake, whose image was displayed on the main screen of the War Room. "How did this happen?"

"It started with widespread communication problems in the south," Drake answered, his round face heavy with sorrow. "Worse than anything I've ever seen. No one believed it could be a cyber attack or jamming signal, so we were slow to realise what was really going on, I'm afraid. And once we did, we were caught off guard by just how wide Black Hole cast their net."

"You think the blackout was caused by some kind of new Black Hole weapon?" Sami asked.

"Well, it's not at all clear how they managed it, but…" Drake shook his head helplessly. "I don't see what other explanation there could be."

Nell allowed herself a few seconds to consider that. Throughout the course of the previous wars, Black Hole had grown increasingly dependent on outlandish superweapons and shows of overt power. This was different. More subtle. A weapon like this was not designed to cause large scale destruction, but to sow confusion and disarray. It marked a substantial shift in the enemy's strategy, and Nell was unsure what to make of it.

"I think we have to assume that Black Hole can disrupt communications on a scale beyond anything we've ever seen before," Nell agreed. "We'll need to study what happened, and try to develop countermeasures."

"Already on it, ma'am," the man standing next to Drake said.

The man wore a blue uniform with short sleeves, and a cap bearing the emblem of the Green Earth coast guard. He could not have been more different to Drake. Where the naval captain was short and round, this man was tall, broad shouldered, and fit.

"Thank you, Commander…" Nell realised she did not remember the name of this new CO.

"Matt, ma'am."

"Thank you, Commander Matt," she finished, making sure to give the man a small smile by way of apology.

"Javier is an expert in military communications, isn't he?" Sami said. "Could we get his input?"

"He's currently in charge of the Omega Land garrison," Drake replied, "but we're sending him all the data we have."

Nell acknowledged that with a bob of her head. "What happened next?"

"We started getting reports that Black Hole had attacked a port in the south east," Drake said, "so our standing reserve shipped out to fight them off."

"Which meant they were moving in the opposite direction to Black Hole's strike forces," Eagle added, his voice tinged with furious venom.

Drake winced. "Aye. It cost us too much time, and it meant we had fewer troops at the ready when it became clear what the foe was really up to."

"That sounds like Flare," Andy blurted out. "That's how she thinks."

Eagle raised an eyebrow. "One battle with the woman does not make you an expert on her psychology, Andy."

His tone was sceptical, and the anger lurking in his voice had not dissipated, but he showed enough restraint not to inflict it on Andy. Nell was grateful for that much, if nothing else.

"Well…" Andy frowned. "No. But she did do something like that to me. Maybe it's her style? She knows what you're thinking, and what you'll do. That's how she tricks you."

Andy fell silent, visibly struggling to articulate what he meant.

"Do you think this fits with Black Hole's pattern of subterfuge, Andy?" Sami asked.

"Yeah, I guess," he said.

It was hardly a confident answer, Nell noted. She couldn't help but wonder if Andy actually knew what the word subterfuge meant.

"Well, whatever the buccaneers intended, things moved fast after that," Drake continued. "Jess and I managed to locate the attacking forces. We scraped together all the units we could, formed them into armies, and sent them to engage the enemy on all fronts."

"Three battles were fought," Nell said. "And two of them ended in total defeat."

That much she already knew from the early reports. In the space of forty eight hours, three pitched battles had been fought along the coast of Green Earth, and two of them had ended in catastrophe. It was the news that had most shocked Nell, and she had not yet managed to digest the full implications of it.

"That's right," Drake confirmed for everyone present. "Jess, Angel, and Matt here each took command of one army. We all knew we were in for rough sailing, but none of us expected things to go this badly."

Drake stopped and reached for a glass of water, taking a long swig before he resumed speaking.

"I received reports from Jess's troops first, about three hours after she launched her attack. Jess had pushed deep into a threatened city when the tide turned against her. It's still not clear exactly what happened, but we know the battle was almost a total rout."

"And Jess herself was taken as a prisoner, along with many of her troops," Eagle interjected. There was a sudden crash as he slammed his hands down on the table. "I should have been there," he burst out. "I should have been there to protect Green Earth, rather than wasting time patrolling your coast!"

"We couldn't have anticipated this," Nell replied, refusing to react to such outrage. "None of us believed Green Earth's defences could be…" she hesitated, searching for words that would not offend Eagle. "Could be compromised like this."

Eagle gave a small snort of contempt. It was hardly a professional response, but under the circumstances, Nell was willing to tolerate it. Up until a point.

She looked back to Drake's screen. "And the other battles?"

"It was Matt who reported in next," Drake replied. "He had better news, thankfully."

"You defeated a Black Hole army?" Andy asked Matt. "Cool."

Matt gave a slight shrug. "I only managed to stalemate one. We secured an old coastal fort and held our ground. Gave better than we took until Black Hole was forced to withdraw. Their CO wasn't too happy about that."

"And who was the enemy CO?" Nell queried.

"Said his name was Toad. Older man, pasty skin. Bald on top with green hair."

"Based on Matt's description, I'd say this Toad is our mystery man from Brown Nebula," Drake said. "Which seems to confirm this new Black Hole Army is building influence there."

Nell glanced at the world map on the side wall. It was another way in which this new threat was unlike those that had preceded it. Black Hole had never concerned itself with allies before, at least, not overtly. Their stated goal had been indiscriminate conquest. There had to be some connection here, some logic to these changes in the enemy's strategy. Were they merely a reflection of Flare's preferences and methods, or something more? Nell could not even begin to guess.

"A few hours after I heard from Matt, I received word that the last counterattack had ended in disaster," Drake finished. "Angel was defeated by Flak in the west. Footage from the scene suggests her forces were cut off and surrounded. It appears many of them were captured alive, including Angel."

Two defeats, and two COs captured. Nell could scarcely believe it was possible. Angel was one of Green Earth's new generation of commanders, and might have been untested in battle, but Jess was an experienced and highly capable leader. For her to have been defeated like this was a frightening reminder of just how dangerous Black Hole could be.

A strange, choked noise rang through the room. It took Nell a second to realise that it was laughter, and it was coming from Sami.

Sami was laughing, but the sound was twisted and bitter, as if she could barely manage to force each tortured burst from her throat. Nell could do nothing but stare at Sami's monitor with mounting apprehension. Something was terribly wrong. Of all her commanders, she had thought Sami most likely to keep a cool head and stay calm under pressure, but watching her now was like looking at a stranger. Sami's lips were twisted into a vindictive smirk, and there was only smoking rage in her eyes. It made no sense to Nell at all, and she found herself at a complete loss for words.

"Angel was defeated by Flak," Sami repeated, her voice dripping with scorn. "Unbelievable. I'm sorry, Eagle, but did you actually train her at all? Or were you too distracted to bother?"

Eagle's head whipped sharply around, sending a quiver through his spiked hair. "Sami, this is not the time," he said in a terse voice.

"Of course it's not," Sami snapped. "How stupid of me. That's for you to decide, just like everything else. You decide when we talk, and when we don't. You decide what happens. Everything's on your terms, isn't?"

"Stop acting like a child," Eagle retorted, anger flashing in his eyes. "This helps no one. We have more important things to deal with right now."

Nell was still too stunned to speak. She could only watch as Eagle and Sami flung accusations at each other, and by the look of it, everyone else felt much the same. Andy's eyes were wide as saucers, as if he couldn't quite believe either of his friends was speaking this way, and Drake appeared trapped in a sort of helpless despair. Even Matt, who thus far had seemed mostly curt and unflappable, was watching in mute disbelief. All eyes were on Eagle and Sami, though of them neither seemed to realise it. They were both so consumed by whatever fight this was that they had forgotten anyone else was there.

"Don't worry, Eagle," Sami spat. "I know exactly how important I was to you. You've made that perfectly clear."

"You know nothing!" Eagle hissed back.

That had wounded him, deeply wounded him. All the pain and fury that had been simmering since the news from Green Earth reached them came suddenly to the boil, destroying any control or restraint Eagle had left. He was almost shaking with anger, and the sight sent a bolt of pure panic through Nell. This had to be stopped. If they fought amongst themselves like this, they were doomed.

"Enough!" Nell shouted, coming to her senses at last.

The interruption seemed to startle both of them. All at once Eagle and Sami realised that their vicious fight was on display for their colleagues to see. It was only a small reminder of where they were, but it had interrupted the cycle of recrimination and barbed insults, and now, there was only silence. Nell studied them both closely, trying to find any sign that this fight would resume, but she found none. Eagle and Sami were still glaring at each other, but neither of them broke the uneasy truce.

"Let's take a short break," Nell suggested. "We'll reconvene in five minutes."

"I think that's a grand idea," Drake agreed. "Eagle?"

Eagle's eyes flicked away from Sami. He said nothing, but gave a dismissive wave that must have been meant to indicate his assent, for he turned and strode out of the War Room without another another word.

Nell allowed herself to exhale and relax, ever so slightly. The two of them were separated now, and in distance and solitude, their bitter feelings might have a chance to cool. In their wake, a stunned sort of malaise had settled over the room. No one knew what to make of such acrimony, and it was paralysing.

In the end it was Andy who spoke first, shaking his head in genuine bewilderment.

"I'm definitely missing something," he said, more to himself than anyone else.

Nell sighed in sympathy. She didn't know the details of what had happened between Sami and Eagle, but what she could deduce was alarming enough. That they had not parted on good terms was obvious. Nor had it escaped Nell's notice that Angel's name had provoked Sami. It seemed the new Green Earth commander was involved in this mess somehow, and that was an uncomfortable notion indeed. Clearly it was a problem that was not going to resolve itself. Nell sighed again. This could not go unaddressed.

"Sami, I'd like a word with you," Nell said, making an effort to keep her tone polite.

"Can't it wait?" Sami muttered.

"It wasn't a request," Nell replied, her voice hardening. She turned to the technicians operating the room's equipment. "Mute all channels except for Commander Sami, and give us the room, please."

With a nod the two operators did so. The heavy doors swung shut behind them, and then Nell and Sami were alone. There was a hint of wariness in Sami's eyes, but no more than that; the fury still smouldering in their depths pushed it to the very edges of her being. Nell knew she would have to tread carefully. Sami's hackles were well and truly raised, and any attempt to point out how poorly she had conducted herself would only make her angrier. Not that it mattered. Nell was the superior officer, and Sami had no choice but to listen, or risk throwing away the career she'd spent her life building. Even in her current state, Nell doubted Sami's judgement was impaired enough to go down that path.

"What's this about?" Sami asked, her voice tense and clipped.

"I think you're well aware what this is about," Nell said. "What just happened was completely unacceptable."

"Tell it to Eagle!" Sami snapped. "He's the one who started it, he's the one who did this!"

"Commander Eagle is not my concern right now. You are."

Sami rolled her eyes as she muttered something under her breath. Nell could not be certain, but it sounded distinctly like the word 'unbelievable'.

"What was that, Sami?"

"Nothing, ma'am."

Sami was glaring back at her from the screen, her eyes smoking with defiance. It was an unsettling reaction. This was not like Sami at all. The Special Forces Captain was one of the most dependable and professional people Nell had ever worked with, and she should not have been displaying her frustration so openly. In the back of her mind Nell wondered again just how badly she was hurt, but she knew this was not the time to discuss it. She could not be a friend to Sami, not right now. Duty had to come first.

Nell did not hold back as she matched Sami's furious glare with every bit of force she could muster.

"Sami, your conduct just now was unproductive, unprofessional, and unbecoming of an Orange Star Commander!" Nell drew a sharp breath and assumed a more composed bearing. "I expect better from you in the future. Do I make myself clear?"

"Ma'am, that's not fai–"

"Do I make myself clear?" Nell repeated, her voice rising almost to a shout again.

Sami's lips kept moving, struggling to form words, but no sound would come. The rage in her brown eyes began to crack and crumble, and shame crept into the spaces it left behind.

"Yes, ma'am," Sami managed to say. She sounded shaken and weak, but her voice held. "It won't happen again, ma'am. You have my word."

Some of the tension Nell had been holding suddenly went slack. If nothing else, she trusted Sami to keep her word.

"I certainly hope not," she said, more quietly this time, but no less firmly. "Take a few minutes to yourself, and then we'll resume."

Sami managed to nod, but did not speak as she turned away and rushed out of frame. For a moment Nell could only stand motionless, alone in the War Room. She had no appetite for discussing this matter further, but she knew her work was not yet done. Sami was only one half of this mess. Nell took a deep breath, summoned her resolve, and walked out of the room to finish what she had begun.

It was one thing for Nell to reprimand Sami. There she had the unspoken leverage of her rank at her disposal, but the nature of her relationship with Eagle was very different. He had been placed under her command by the Green Earth government, but first and foremost they remained representatives of their two countries, working together as allies. They were equals more than anything, and she could hardly scold him like some green cadet. Saying nothing was not an option – not after what had been said – but the reality of international politics demanded she take a more tactful approach with Eagle. It would be a delicate matter, and Nell was not entirely sure how best to manage it.

She found him just outside the War Room, leaning back with his head against the wall and his eyes closed as if trying to find some peace. If so, he seemed to have enjoyed no more success than the wider world. Serenity eluded Eagle; the strain of all that had passed in recent minutes and recent days was plain to see in the tight set of his jaw and the pained pinch of his brow.

Nell took a short breath. There was no putting this off, whatever might come of it.

"Commander Eagle," she said. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need to know if you and Sami are capable of working together."

He stirred but did not look her in the eye. "Ask Sami," he muttered. "She's the one with the problem."

Any patience Nell had left for the hero of Green Earth dropped sharply. "Sami has given me her word that what just happened won't happen again. I presume you know what that means?"

"I –" Eagle at least had the grace to look ashamed upon hearing that. "Yes, I do. Sami would never break her word."

Something changed as Eagle spoke. There was a small shift in his expression, a subtle furrowing of his brow. A faraway light came into his grey eyes, almost as if he had been overcome by a slowly blooming realisation. Nell had no idea what it might mean, but Eagle seemed slightly more receptive, and she was willing to take what she could get.

"Then I'll ask you again: are you and Sami capable of working together?"

A pause. "If Sami can be civil, then so can I."

"Good."

Nell was completely unprepared for what happened next. Whatever reverie had taken hold of Eagle suddenly broke, and all the visceral emotion of the day showed itself with renewed vigour. There was a by now familiar anger, but also a deep sorrow he could no longer bury, woven together into a storm that swept away all his strength, leaving him hollow and spent. He looked at Nell, and she saw something pleading, desperate even, in his eyes.

"I didn't mean…" Eagle scowled as he trailed off. "I never meant for – for this."

For a moment longer Nell held Eagle's gaze, unable to entirely hide her trepidation at what she saw there.

"We'll resume when you're ready," she said, and walked away.

Had it been wrong of her to ignore Eagle's obvious distress? Nell asked herself as she headed back inside the War Room. No. She could not be a counsellor to him any more than she could be a friend to Sami. It was neither Nell's place nor her responsibility to try and console him. Whatever burden was weighing upon Eagle's heart, she could not absolve him of it.

Back in the War Room the technicians had returned to their stations, and the channels were open once more. There were faint squeaking sounds echoing through the room, and at first Nell thought something might have broken. The noise was coming from the speakers by Andy's monitor, she realised; he was spinning from side to side with a bored look on his face, rotating on his swivel chair. Slightly amused at herself for thinking so much of something so mundane, Nell moved around the table and glanced over the notes she had brought to the meeting. There was nothing she truly needed to check, but it passed the time while she waited for the others to return. Sami was next to rejoin the gathering. Her eyes were redder than they had been a few minutes ago, but her expression was blank, bereft of either anger or hurt. Hopefully that was a sign she could continue without any further outbursts.

"Are we ready to begin again, Nell?" Drake asked.

"We will be once Eagle joins us."

Drake accepted that with a grunt. There was a broad frown on his face and a hardness in his eyes that made Nell think he was likewise unimpressed with Eagle and Sami's conduct. Considering how close Drake and Eagle were, it was possible he knew more about the breakdown of their relationship than she did. It occurred to Nell that it might be worth discussing the subject with him, when other matters were not quite so pressing.

She had only just processed that thought when the doors swung open and Eagle strode through, assuming a position by the head of the table. He too said nothing, but Nell could still see that strange, distant light in his eyes. She shivered and looked away. There was nothing she could do except keep everyone working on the problems that mattered most.

"I understand this is a stressful time," Nell began, "and clearly, emotions are running high. So, let's focus on the most important question. What do we do now?"

"We rescue Angel and Jess," Eagle answered without hesitation.

Nell felt another flicker of unease. What did Angel mean to him? And did that have any bearing on this suggestion?

"Obviously we'd like to rescue every prisoner Black Hole captured," she said carefully, "but I think we have to be realistic about our options here."

"I know what you're saying, Nell," Drake said, "but Eagle's right. Jess and Angel know almost everything about Green Earth's defences. If Black Hole manages to extract that information, we'll be finished."

"Can they do that?" Andy asked.

"We'd be fools to think they won't manage it one way or another," Eagle said in an acidic tone. "Which means it's imperative we attempt a rescue as soon as possible."

"All right, then," Nell conceded. "How do we make it happen?"

That question was not so easy to answer. Eagle blinked several times before his sharp gaze flicked away, apparently at a loss. It was one thing merely to state what needed to be done, and quite another to make it a reality.

"First we need to find out where they've been taken," Sami murmured.

It was the first she had spoken since the meeting resumed. There was a hesitancy in Sami's voice that was most unlike her, and she kept her gaze downcast, as if she did not wish to be seen.

"We actually have a good idea about that," Drake said. "Matt?"

"On it."

Matt leant down to type something, and one of the monitors was overlaid with a map of Cosmo Land. As Nell and the others watched, flashing dots began to appear on the map, tracing various paths to and from the coast of Green Earth. Some appeared to draw routes to Brown Nebula, but the largest cluster of dots was around an island in the continent's southwest. Nell frowned. It was the same island that Sturm's forces had operated from during the first war, a territory of considerable size that was not administered by any of the former Allied Nations.

"Commander Drake, what are we looking at here?" Nell asked.

"Our communications came back online after Black Hole withdrew from our shores," he explained, "and we did everything we could to track their fleet. This is what we were able to piece together. As you can see, the majority of their ships sailed for this island, and dropped anchor at this point here."

"At that point we sent our long range reconnaissance to take a look," Matt said. "This is what we found."

He sent another set of images to the display, taken from high above. Rugged cliffs cut across a dark and foreboding sea, and the vague grey shapes of Black Hole ships lined the coast. Nell peered closer at the landmass, where several vessels were moored right up against the rocks. She soon realised that there were structures and docks present. They were well camouflaged, but there was no mistaking the artificial shapes reaching out to meet those ships.

Drake let out a melancholy little laugh. "It's hard to believe, but it looks like the freebooters have an entire base there."

"Didn't we search that island after the first war?" Andy queried.

"We certainly did," Nell said. "There was no sign of anything like this."

Drake shrugged. "We know how quickly Black Hole can build facilities, and keep them hidden, too. It's possible we just missed it." He sighed. "In any case, Nell, I'd say this is how Black Hole's been able to operate freely along your southern coast."

Nell continued to study the images, still taking in the implications of this latest discovery. Drake was right. The base was in the perfect location to threaten both Orange Star and Green Earth. She could not help but wonder how long it had been operating, but there was little chance of determining that now. One problem at a time, she reminded herself.

"Do we have any evidence that Jess and Angel were taken to this base?" Nell asked.

"We can't say for certain," Drake admitted. "However, all of Green Earth's commanders are equipped with a state of the art homing device. Once the communications blackout let up, I got a signal from Jess and Angel's trackers. They were between Green Earth and that island."

"That's circumstantial," Nell observed. "Black Hole could have discovered the trackers and removed them."

"What do you suggest, then?" Eagle said sharply, glaring at her from across the room.

"I'm suggesting we look before we leap," Nell said in a calm voice. She refused to react to Eagle's accusing tone. "Attacking that base would be a huge undertaking. We need to confirm that your commanders are being held there, and we need a plan to get them safely out." She turned around. "Sami, would it even be possible for a strike team to infiltrate that base?"

"Based on what we know about Black Hole installations…" Sami considered the question. "It'd be tough. They'll have complex security measures in place, and a small army to defend it. We wouldn't stand a chance unless we could draw their forces away from the actual facility."

"We'd need to launch a full attack on this base, then," Nell surmised. "I don't imagine anything less would suffice."

Sami nodded, some of her old confidence returning to her. "Right. That would trip most of the alarms and force their troops to engage. If we could get a team close to the base, and locate a viable entry point, then it might be possible." She paused. "Yes, ma'am. I'm confident I could get a special forces team inside that base under battle conditions."

Sami had only just finished speaking when her expression fell. A flicker of horrified realisation passed over her face, perhaps as she realised where this was leading. The look lasted only a few seconds, but that was enough for Nell to take notice. Nor was she the only one who did, judging by the concern in Drake's big brown eyes.

"That won't do us much good unless you can get out again, Sami," he said. "Is a rescue attempt feasible, or foolish?"

"I can get inside," Sami said, "but we'd be going in blind. I could cause some havoc, maybe even do some real damage, but locating your COs would be like finding a needle in a haystack. We'd be cut off and surrounded long before we found them, and that's assuming they're even there."

Nell shook her head. It was hardly a promising assessment of the situation.

"What would it take for a mission like this to succeed?" She asked.

Sami thought about that briefly. "We'd need the plans to the base. We'd need to know where our targets are located. And we'd need a working knowledge of the enemy's security systems, not to mention ways to neutralise them."

Drake sighed. "It doesn't sound like there's much hope, then."

Nell went quiet. An idea had just occurred to her, an idea that she was not entirely sure was wise. She put a hand to her chin, struck by a conflicted look as she considered the possibility. It was a substantial risk, but one she soon decided was worth exploring.

"What if we had everything you needed?"

"We don't," Eagle muttered.

Nell ignored that. "Sami, what if we had access to the Black Hole mainframe, and all available information on that base? Layout, security, personnel, everything."

"This is ridiculous," Eagle exclaimed. "If we are indulging fantasies, we might as well pretend that Angel and Jess are safe and sound in Green Earth, and there is no need for a rescue at all!"

"Enough, Eagle!" Drake cut in. "I'm sure Nell wouldn't be saying this if she didn't have something up her sleeve."

Nell continued to ignore Eagle, looking directly at Sami. "Could it be done?"

"It'd be risky, ma'am," Sami said, "but I think so. We'd still have to launch a full assault on the base, otherwise we wouldn't stand a chance of getting inside. We'd be spotted as soon as we made our approach."

Drake thought about that. "Do we have the ability to launch an attack of that scale, Nell?"

"Green Earth would have to take the lead," Nell admitted. "Most of Orange Star's fleet is positioned to answer any aggressive moves by the Blue Moon navy. However, under the circumstances, we might be able to recall some ships to contribute."

"Might?" Eagle repeated, his voice cold as ice.

Nell met his gaze, perfectly composed. "I'm not the final arbiter of Orange Star policy, Commander Eagle, something I'm sure you can appreciate."

"He does." Drake sighed again. "We both do. But it doesn't change the fact that Green Earth can't do this alone, not after what's just happened."

Nell pivoted about and began to study a fleet deployment chart displayed along one wall of the War Room. It was going to be close, she realised. Practically all of Orange Star's ships were already assigned to key duties. There was no way to assemble the force they needed without making significant compromises elsewhere. Some of their ships on the south coast could move off, and they could hope to deal with any potential advance by Blue Moon in the area later. Apart from that, one carrier battle group protecting shipping routes off the coast of Brown Nebula could be recalled, and perhaps another currently assigned to defend Orange Star's territories in the great western ocean. Nell began to nod to herself. It would be close indeed, and there might be unforeseen consequences, but it could be done.

"If we sent Eagle's battalion south with one, perhaps two of our carrier battle groups, would it be enough?" She asked.

Drake took a deep breath as he mulled that over. "We'd have to commit most of the Green Earth navy, but if I head west while Eagle strikes from the north… I think we could manage it. What do you say, Eagle?"

The silver haired commander held his head high, the fire in his eyes vowing wrath and ruin. "Give me two of Orange Star's carrier battle groups and I will turn that base to ash. Black Hole will suffer for what they've done. I promise you that."

It was as much as Nell could have hoped for. In theory, the plan could work. Whether or not it was practical to put into action remained to be seen. First of all, they needed to confirm the location of Jess and Angel. Aside from that, there were half a dozen other points of failure that could bring the whole idea screeching to a halt, not to mention two governments who would need to be convinced to approve it. Most distressing of all was the method Nell had thought of to get inside Black Hole's systems. That part of the plan was truly mad in more ways than one, but Nell could think of no better options.

"I'll put together a preliminary brief and present it to the President," she advised the gathering. "Hopefully we'll receive clearance to proceed further with the operation. Commander Eagle, Commander Drake, the two of you should do the same with your government, and begin putting together an attack plan. Andy, I want you to meet me in the capital immediately."

"Huh? Me?" Andy appeared puzzled. "Are you sure, Nell?"

"I'm sure," Nell confirmed. "Unless we have accurate intel on that Black Hole base and the means to deal with its security systems, we can't move forward with a rescue mission. As it happens, I think you can help me with that particular problem."

Andy shrugged. "If you say so. I don't know what you're talking about or how I can help, but I'm on my way!"

Nell could not help but smile a little. Andy's particular sort of clueless optimism could be oddly comforting sometimes, even when things seemed darkest.

"You'll see," she murmured. "In the meantime, Sami, I want you to assemble your team and begin preparing for an extraction mission. If all goes well, there won't be any time to lose."

"I'm on it, ma'am." Sami hesitated before continuing. "Do you really think we can make this work?"

"It's a long shot," Nell said, "but I think it's the best we have." She glanced away. "Well, we'll find out soon enough. If no one has any further questions, I think we can end the meeting here."

No questions came. There was only silence as everyone present digested that, and so Nell gave the order to begin disconnecting the signals.

A fragile kind of hope had taken hold as they discussed the plan, but Nell could not let herself give into it. Not yet. Far too much remained uncertain, and privately, she had her doubts that what she had in mind would even work. With a toss of her long blonde hair Nell brushed that thought aside. It was unlikely, perhaps, but hardly outside the realm of possibility. She had seen stranger things come to pass many times over the past few years, and there was just enough reason to believe her plan might succeed. There was a chance, and for now, that would have to suffice.