Chapter 01: Raid in Meteo

There's neither day nor night which can rhythm time in an asteroids field. Only Life, far and thrusting does imposes its march across the stars. So it's now 9:47 AM, cornerian time arbitrary transposed to this part of Meteo and a hyperspace breach tears space in two. From this lightning sprang tree stars, under a layer of dust in fire. After their passage, the immaterial breach collapsed, leaving nothing more than a weak trace of ionic energy. As soon as they got rid of their coat of impurity, their shapes turned into the ones of space fighters. The painting on their hull was already collapsing, but the sign of the 5th Cornerian Star Fleet was still recognizable. At its side laid a sword piercing a wing at its base with a sliced planet. Around this symbol were the name and ID of the team it belonged, respectively "Psyonic Strikers" and "44th Wind Sword". Reaching their formation positions, the three ships stopped.

"Here it is, Meteo." The voice of the feline who took the floor was the one of the chief of the squadron, Cpt. 1st Dockuri Nosey. "Calibrate your TFN on the flight plan provided by the HQ just before we jumped here." Two holographic screens showing the heads of his teammates, Kaolla Novelty and Adam Sight appeared in front of him in the cockpit.
"- It's the first time that we've got a mission here, isn't it? Shift, Leader. Copy. I'm heading to NaviPoint-1, Dockuri.

- Recon here, idem. Kaolla, I cover you.

- Roger that Adam.

- Leader, Recon. Adam, I'd rather have you focused on the zone scanning. Perform an LRS as often as possible and keep your eye wide open, I'll protect Kaolla.

- Understood, Leader.

- Dockuri, could you still not bear that you're not the one in charge of my protection?" Here birdy tone was as merry as always but Dockuri didn't take it this way!

"- Keep that kind of comments for later… We're going now.

- Keep cool, don't take it for yourself!

- Just go and set up the traps on those rocks and everything's alright. I just have a bad feeling about today… Adam, is there nothing to signal on your screens?" The dragon waited before answering. His Long Range Scan didn't reveal anything suspicious for the moment and his Arch-metrist skills didn't provide any additional elements to these of the embedded CPU.
"- All clear, only radar echoes classified in civilian and commercial class. However, my IFF beeps green on the whole quadrant.
- Right, good thing… Kaolla?

- Yes Dockuri?

- We've reached NaviPoint-3. Deploy the mines on the designated asteroids.

- Copy, Leader. This shouldn't take much time…

- Take the one needed; as long as Adam doesn't detect threats, we're not in a hurry.

- I know, I know… And now, why not spraying dust around Adam instead of getting on my nerves like that?

- Uh, sorry. I just really don't feel it right. It's surely because of that awful coffee I drank this morning. I shouldn't drink it while perfectly knowing it though…

- Dockuri?

- Okay, I'm on my way.

So Dockuri's ship moved out from Kaolla's trajectory and headed to Adam's fighter, stopped. This last, whereas the others, was piloting the standard fighter designed for a Wind Sword team, a long vessel, sharp-shaped and featuring a weaponry which was fast and accurate but as light as the ship itself. This ELSpaF-12 was a great resume for the purpose of the Wind Sword's, little and efficient elements… and also swift enough to be untouchable! And it was especially true for this team, the only one composed by Shadamars, the only one using the ES3 cloaking modules, the only one alive in fact…

In comparison with the one of Adam, the custom A3F-75 of Dockuri, the "Docku" looked more brutal and unstoppable, thanks to its compact structure. Its two twined "Inferno" plasma turrets were as efficient as the proton canons of Adam's ship, but with a far higher firepower. Less fast, but more maneuverable, the Docku allows a wide range of advanced move to its pilot. Three partial fusion engines feed a robust deflective shield capable of absorbing what the dexterity of the pilot couldn't dodge. But this potential isn't granted for all. The number of commands and parameters to permanently setup for getting a dynamic and smooth response is enormous, especially for a single-seat fighter! So was developed the APTaNavI, standing for Advanced Psychoneurale Tactical Navigation Interface, a system which uses a Psyosis stream detection device to interpret additional flight or combat commands. It is of course accessible to Psykeists only and is an absolute necessity in order to master the Docku. As Dockuri, this fighter sacrifices some of its own security for the deployment of an outstanding offensive panel.

"- So, still nothing to signal?

- Hum… I've got a strange echo approaching. Its psyonic disturbance is weak, but it seems concentrated somehow.

- Somehow? Like a heavy object, but… inert?

- It changed! The echo just divided, multiple contacts in tight formation. Hyperspace coming up in 23 seconds at 4.6 of distance.

- Drones?

- Nope, still too light.

- What else then…?" Suddenly, the memory of a previous mission around Sector Y came back in his head. He headed his fighter backward and rushed on Kaolla who was still deploying her mines. "Kaolla, get out of here!

- What's happening, Dockuri?

- ISITs, lots of them and in our direction!

- That's not possible Dock'. These torpedoes use hyperspace jump-frames to travel, ok, but they still need a guidance node in the zone to lock on their targets. If a telemetry vessel was around, Adam would already have detected it…" The designated dragon cut their speech:

"- Recon, Leader. Whatever it is, it's appearing, now!

- Got it Adam! Enable your ES3. Torpedoes or not, it won't lock on us if we're…"

Dockuri didn't finish that space tore in two, spitting a line composed by a dozen of shining points. So that was ISITs. By a couple of seconds, they scattered and instead of keeping their original trajectories adjusted it, pointing on 44th Wind Sword's position. Kaolla leaped up on her seat! "No way! How would they spot us?" Distance separating Dockuri and his flight mates from the ISITs was critically decreasing when he decided to perform a tactical move:

"- Kaolla, Adam, make a TEM-07, now!" Kaolla replied on the go.

"- You mean with our auxiliary rockets? How insane!

- Those things just can't have locked us up, do what I say for a while!"

No time left to think; the three ships executed a well done Tactical Emergency Maneuver number 7 and managed to dodge the torpedoes. Apparently without their targets, they crashed on the first asteroids on their way behind the little group of fighters still cloaked. Suddenly, a giant explosion blew, sweeping away the 44th Wind Sword in various directions. Stuck to his sticks, Dockuri was desperately trying not to collide with the sprays of rocks surrounding him.

"- What's the…?

- My mines Dock'! ISITs hit the asteroids on which I deployed them.

- Is everybody alright? Kaolla!

- I'm ok. There're only scratches on my brand new hull, but my ES3 overheated to absorb the deflagration.

- What about you Adam?

- A little surprised, but I slowed the shockwave on my ship. All my systems are still green.

- Ok, let's get out of that hell first…"

The ships of the 44th Wind Sword stabilized their trajectories and moved out from the cloud of pulverized rocks into which this area of Meteo had become. In formation, they kept their distance not to let collisions occur. "- Kaolla, how many mines remain?

- A half-dozen… It seems that all the ones put have exploded!

- How many?

- Six, job was half-finished." Dockuri was now still. He tried to assemble a puzzle which scale and number of pieces were both unknown… Adam took the floor: "- Dockuri, I've noticed that none of the torpedoes tried to adjust their way, during or after our TEM.

- Hum, now that you say it, that's true Adam." Kaolla carried on.

"- And they were twelve ISITs and there was twelve mines, as if… their target hadn't been us! Or at least not the main one.

- You mean the asteroids?

- Do you remember? I said you that ISITs need a lock-on relay to reach their targets.

- Yep, what then?

- You don't understand? Asteroids of the scale of the ones I was trapping don't move themselves enough so its position is approximately the same during the time between the launching of an ISIT and its arrival. Add a real-time calculator and a decent error threshold and it would be a worth bet if you have precise coordinates.

- I see. Check this. Compare the positions of our beacons.

- As it was already done.

- Adam, go back to the surveillance of the quadrant, the best is maybe yet to come…

- I'm on my way."

The few seconds which silently passed were heavy for all. As Kaolla and Adam were busy on their screens and devices, Dockuri deeply inspired and closed his eyes to focus. He had to organize an increasing sum of data with each one connecting with several others in order to find a good explanation. Kaolla took him away from his thoughts after a little minute.

"- Dockuri? I compared the coordinates of our broadband frequencies beacons with these of the impacts of the ISITs. And it leads to only two alternatives: One, it's the most incredible coincidence of the year, or either, those asteroids definitely were their targets.

- Ok, thanks.

- So what's next?

- Open a scripted channel with the HQ. Try to get General Pepper on the line if possible.

- Ok, I'll try."

Kaolla enabled her long range communication device and began chatting with the cornerian communication officer while Adam and Dockuri were discussing about probable issues. "-Dockuri, it appears that our enemy wanted to kill two birds with one stone. By destroying the mines during their deployment, they could also have got us crushed in the same time. Imagine that a rock hit Kaolla's cargo. An explosion of six mines at once would have blown us apart, us all. And no need to add that we wouldn't be here anymore to discuss of it now!

- This makes me ask about how they did know.

- A spy, for sure…

- Yep, this is the most probable. I'll ask Kaolla, but I don't think that they just randomly detected some BFB in an asteroid field and spoil that much ISIT for vague signals, wouldn't they?

- I'm not that edged. Remind that an important venomian military traffic should pass here. They may just be more prudent than expected when scanning the zone.

- I don't think so. And what about the day and hour of the launching, huh? This makes too many coincidences…"

Kaolla took the floor to notice that a secure communication channel with General Pepper was ready. His dog head rode out by his big crimson commander cap of the cornerian armies appeared on the holographic projectors of the three ships of the 44th Wind Sword.

"- So, Captain Nosey, what's happening?

- My General, I'm afraid that we may have to abort the mission in Meteo!

- This one is critical, you know that! Explain me everything.

- Kaolla, please proceed.

- Several minutes ago, during my mines deploying task on the designated asteroids, we've been targeted by twelve ISITs.

- You all seem quite alive, that's the essential.

- Indeed, my General, and with good reasons. ISIT's targets weren't anything but these same asteroids.

- Can you confirm that?

- Yes, my General. We compared coordinates and everything matches.

- Do you have an explanation to this, Captain Nosey?

- Several options are to be considered, but we agree to think that our flight plan and objectives coordinates were deliberately transmitted to the enemy!

- A spy then, within our own ranks?

- According to Lieutenant Sight and me, this is the only explanation possible. Our departure hour had been setup only a few hours before the effective beginning of the mission, as for each mission of this type. But their timing for the ISITs launching was perfect.

- We shall have to take care of this problem, the sooner the better!

- Begin with the analysis of the personnel related to the Logistics, Communications Departments and the Strategic Division. Our flight plan did have transited through these services. Please consider this as a personal request, my General. A chance that I didn't lose one of my teammates, that was really tight!

- I understand your disquiet, Captain… I'll transmit this case to the appropriate division immediately. Be sure we'll do the necessary do catch up the traitors! Head back to Corneria; I want a complete brief of the mission on my des…" He got cut by Adam:

- Please excuse me, my General. Leader, I've detected a hyperspace inbound. No ISITs this time, it's far more massive. According to its psyonic disturbance, it should be something of the size of a cruiser, second or third class. She's probably accompanied by several corvettes and Frigate Class Mothership.

- Got it Recon. My General, the enemy surely moves in order to see whether its stratagem worked or not. They may be prepared to encounter an ambush or at least to combat. Shall we intercept them?

- Whatever may its goals be, this fleet represents a threat at this distance of Corneria. Do your possible to contain them or destroy it. The Cruiser third class Mothership "Great Fox" actually crosses through your area. Wait for their support. Captain Nosey, you shall keep the lead during this operation. Pepper, out!"

Connection cut and the hologram of Pepper disappeared. There was not much time left before the arrival of the enemy contingent, so it shouldn't be spoiled.

"- Adam, can you determine exactly where those reinforcements will deploy?

- Their arrival is imminent and their gravitational disturbance gets more precise. But it's still too early; I'll transmit their inbound coordinates as soon as I shall be precise enough.

- Ok. To all ships, get in S/S combat mode. If we are bound to encounter a cruiser, we'll have to use rays weaponry, so switch your offensive systems to "Beam" configuration. Kaolla, your mines load may be a danger for you. But I'm sure they'll fit the hull of their ships if you see what I mean…

- Roger that, Dock'!"

Dockuri seemed out of his previous anxiety, which was not surprising since a combat was about to happen. Since the war against Andross on Taklys, he battled many times against his mechanical hordes coming from Venom. Without losing himself by looking down on those combat drones, he learned to appreciate the execution of these several maneuvers which definitely short circuit very well their AI. So he didn't have any fear to fight them, but still, a little tension always remained within, this wave of adrenaline which roars inside a pilot as his radars are still empty and his hands press the commands of the ships. This excitement was valueless to Dockuri. Enough to make his awfully boring day vanish like the memory of that awfully bad coffee! Adam finally transmitted the inbound coordinates and the team just had the time to spread around in order to act as good hosts for their guests…

How many would they be? Would be harassing? Would there be reinforcements? Will the Great Fox be late enough not to grab too many targets away from the canons of the 44th Wind Sword? Everything was spinning so fast! Definitely, that'd always in a cockpit that Dockuri would feel at ease. The countdown was reaching its end, and it was the one moment to give some final instructions. "Keep your ES3 enabled as long as possible. I want to see the few people alive in their incoming ship kick themselves as they see their whole fleet of drones self-exploding!" And it came, this lightning caused by the hyperspace breach. Dockuri's irises suddenly retracted as time slowed around him. He could feel the pulsations of each system in his ship. A small grin drew on a side of his mouth and he enabled the synchronization of his weapons with the APTaNavI. His finger stressed on the main trigger to liberate the power of the Docku. A long trail of plasma illuminated space and violently hit the hull of the corvette which had just arrived. This last exploded after a series of deflagrations while the other ships were still emerging from hyperspace. Two other "Mareekt" Class ILC, a complete squadron of "Vulture" Type SCD and finally the imposing "Grave" Class SAC-III which had been previewed by Adam. Following Dockuri, Kaolla and Adam engaged combat, still cloaked under the protection of their ES3. In the Command Deck of the cruiser, the "Dagger", a massive silhouette was observing the explosions which periodically illuminating space through the lookout bay. "Be cursed, you Shadamars! You're still hidden behind your wall of electronic cowardice as far as I can see…" Bent and wispier, another one with the shape of a small reptile approached him.

"- Commander?

- What is happening, Captain Drenz?

- Our sensors have confirmed the presence of the ships of the 44th Wind Sword of Corneria.

- Of course that they are them! Now hurry up, the time spent here is heavy in terms of information and materials.

- Yes, Sir. But this will require some more time than previewed. One of our auxiliary sensor arrays have been destroyed on the ILC "Venom-XII" at her arrival.

- That is why we must not spoil our time here! Call a DBF in reinforcement if necessary. We have to keep them here in order to calibrate these sensors.

-Yes, Commander." He turned his heels and moved away while garbling some orders to other officers on the deck. The Commander followed him with a disregarding glance and sighed. Why was he always the one chosen for working with such inefficient subordinates? Then, he turned back to go on observing the battle. He thought that it could be considered as a shooting range for the shadamar pilots. "And where will you hide when your coward's strategy will not be of any use… Dockuri?" Outside, the venomian losses were still increasing. But still, the issue wasn't given for the 44th Wind Sword. The Dagger was still spitting her drones and the two remaining ILC were keeping up shooting everywhere, not to say randomly. Suddenly, a lucky artillery operator managed to pierce the ES3 shield of Dockuri's ship, so that its cloaking effects stopped. "My ES3 is down, it's gonna become more interesting!" But Kaolla didn't appreciate the situation the same way. "- Dockuri, you brute! What have you done to my ship?

- Your ship?

- Don't change the topic!

- It's alright, no big deal. Don't worry; your embedded diagnostic module should handle that…

- You'd rather be right since it's not in that crap that I'd take care of it myself.

- It's ok, trust me. This bastard just had luck! I'm gonna teach this ILC the good manners…"

Dockuri strafed on his left in a series of barrel rolls and aligned the trajectory of his damaged ship on the one of the "lucky" ILC. While his targeting interface locked on the corvette, he selected fragmentation missiles by moving his right thumb on the stick. He couldn't launch any during his first passage because of the flak's firing but his Inferno turrets, adjusted on the shield projector of the ILC hit it and the external protection of the ship collapsed. Dockuri rose and kept his distances before charging it back by its side. Meanwhile, he fired three of his projectiles. The deflagrations of the sub munitions turned into pieces the flak guns of the ILC on the side. Then, he remained there to stay under cover and put the Docku just in front of the command deck. He couldn't see through the lookout bay but he clearly imagined the faces of the officers, stricken by panic and running everywhere. He smiled and switched on his broadband radio. "To the ILC which had the wayward to damage some cornerian military material, I'd like to draw you a penalty but your ID number isn't clear." He laughed and enabled with the APTaNavI the initialization sequence of the most powerful weapon of the Docku, the pair of psyonic canons on the end of his right wing. The concept of psyonic canon is a bit strange, since it's obviously impossible for a machine to directly manipulate Psyosis. But of course, the energy provided by a psykeist pilot is usable if it's well placed. So Dockuri focused to charge to Metalith core in the induction chamber of the canon. The psyonic reflection of this rare ore is the highest possible in the universe and the energetic induction cycle created only after several seconds. Dockuri didn't need the gauge which holographicly appeared in his cockpit since he could feel the load increase. A moment later, the shooting energy border was reached; he stabilized the cycle and configured the crystalline output lens to get a powerful beam. At this distance of an unprotected ILC, a great firework was yet to come. With his finger on the trigger, he switched on his radio again. "Well then… Even if I can't send you a contravention, just transmit my greetings to your boss when he'll join you!" Dockuri cut the line and pressed the metal piece until he can't make it go further. From the outside, the spectacle was even more fascinating than from his cockpit. The bright lightning which linked the Docku with the ILC was glittering and generating some blue interference phenomena. The beauty of the assault itself could had made its performance just like pale, even if the ship had been pierced from a side to the other one! Before this last exploded, Dockuri barely had the time to leave its vicinity and come back into the heat of the battle.

The last ILC was about to join the other ones. Kaolla and Adam, which had left the dogfight a moment to take care of the interception batteries of the corvette, were harassing it, overloading her shields with well placed shots. During an acrobatic slide flight, Kaolla anchored two of her remaining mines near the hull of the ILC. She went away and warned Adam through the HoloCom and she turned back to align her mines. But the bolt which hit it wasn't from her Railguns but from the Docku rushing straight on the ILC. The deflagration blew away the rest of the ship's protection and active the second charge. As the ship sank into a dense bubble of fire, the Docku went through the cloud of smoke, dissipating it around his ship by enchaining the barrel rolls. From her cockpit, the bird couldn't stop yelling at his teammate!

"- Have you gone completely mad or what?

- You're a bad looser Kaolla…

- What? Me, a bad "looser"? At least, I'm not a reckless cheater!

- You just had not to leave your stuff trail along.

- Do you realize that you could have made me grill?

- If you turned there, that would mean that you felt safe, right?

- It's… It's not a reason. She was my ILC!

-Well, ok… We'll count your corvette on your stats, right?

- Yep, you'd better do that, Captain!"

On the Dagger's deck, everyone was hurrying, motivated by the accomplishment of their tasks because of the fear of being shot by the enemy fighters outside, or the wrath of the Commander inside… The "You useless stack of metal scraps!" were punctuating the "Bunch of incapables!" which resonated in the command bay. Three ILC had already been destroyed and at least the equivalent of two complete battalions of Vultures! But he knew that all those floating wrecks would mean nothing to Andross. If his mission turned into a success, a great sharp would be pulled away from the foot of his Emperor. This cursed Wind Sword project just had to be forgotten again, like this forsaken planet should have stayed. Those few Shadamars alone represented a force able to influence the outcomes of a battle or an operation and especially those damn cloaking systems ES3. If Andross decided to force the Shadamars to cooperate, that was mainly because of their obstinate refusal to share their technologies. The fact that they accepted so fast to adapt this kind of devices on cornerian ships had turned him into an intense state of wrath. Yes, Taklys definitely should have stayed the legendary Hydryldan of the antic times of the Corneruses, the jail planet of a banned people. As he thought this, the Commander had a light grin. This enemy was well known of him and he of course knew that underestimating them was a dangerous mistake!

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the roughly synthesized voice of a navigation operator droid: "Hyperspace inbound. Signature confirmed as Class III Cruiser. FFI Transponder: Corneria. Arrival at engaging distance 9.2 in 15 seconds! » What? A support cruiser? Decidedly, when it rains, it pours! As he demanded to a linking officer to call on a torpedoer in reinforcement, the Commander felt a disliking impression, the one of the failure, the bad luck… the one of curse.

« Provided that it's not… »

But the cruiser arriving was well and good this cornerian cruiser, the one feared by the several officers made of flesh and bones in the Andross's army. The one that anyone of them would even dream to cross her way during a mission in their worst nightmares, the Great Fox.

In the intercom of the ship on the main deck, her commander took the floor to introduce him in the battle:

"Here comes Starfox, ready for combat!"

End of Chapter 01 : Raid in Meteo

Meet the 44th Wind Sword soon in :

Chapter 02 : In the Heart of the Dagger