Author's Note: I'm trying my hand at "showing" this time around, so my writing might seem a little bit shaky. Just bear with me here, alright?

As with everything I write, the second chapter gives the story a uniqueness that sets it apart from the rest. Even though the first chapter of Six Degrees was pretty unique to begin with...

Enjoy.

Episode 2: A General's Warm Welcome

Aztoph opened a single eye, mumbling. His incoherent babble ceased with a sudden, sharp gasp -- metal crates of numerous sizes tipped over, crashing to the ground. He offered a loud yawn and made an attempt to slip back into the depths of unconsciousness. Seconds later, his eyes shot open again, hearing a thunderous booming sound.

Outside, and rather unbeknownst to him, the hijacked yacht dropped out of hyperspace, appearing in orbit above the blue, hazy-clouded planet of Corneria. The yacht, captured by both Aztoph and Falco in a prior engagement, set a standard orbit course, above a satellite, pointing at the planet's surface.

The cyborg returned to his feet, stretching and shaking the fatigue out of his limbs. As he did so, he recalled the privilage of being bound to a wall in a prison cell, bare of clocks and windows; he processed the memories of having to watch his Lylatian companion gorge down rotten, maggot-infested food. He assumed Falco would've preferred starving to death -- however, the routine check ups and force-feeding procedures of their Asagian captors stopped him from doing so. For once, Aztoph didn't regret the lack of functioning papillae on his tongue.

After he finished, Aztoph exited the darkened storage room and lumbered down the bridge, his heavy boots creating loud thumps as they fell against the steel flooring. He scanned the yacht's drab white walls through his glowing visor, failing to comprehend how anyone could consider such blandness as luxery. Even the ghastly, timeworn walls of the asylum provided more exciting visage than this.

In the yacht's control deck, Falco sat slumped in his chair, baring a nonchalent look on his face. Then, his internal ears picked up the echos of footsteps and the feint sounds of clanking metal. The automated door seperating the bridge from the flight deck opened, and out of the corner of his eye Falco noticed an approaching figure. He spun his chair around and looked up at the intimidating cyborg, and in a soft, surprising voice he spoke to him; "Did you sleep well?"

"I suppose." Aztoph replied, now standing motionless in front of the reflective cockpit window, gazing out and admiring the fourth planet's distant beauty. "Twenty minutes of sleep is hardly refreshing though, considering that I spent my time in the nuthouse recharging drained energy, and not slumbering away like you..." He crossed his arms and sat himself down on the co-pilot's seat, expecting the usual, overblown response from the avian.

"Well shit, go back to sleep if you're gonna be a bitch." Falco growled, spinning once again to face the digital instrument panel that emitted a plethora of neon colors. "I never said you had to get up when we arrived."

"Yes, but I didn't want to keep you waiting." Aztoph retorted. With a slight grin beginning to form, he added, "You are an impatient one, you know."

Flustered, the bird-of-prey threw his arms up into the air. "So I'm the reason why you didn't get your beauty sleep, huh? Geez!"

"Not to mention loud..."

"Don't start with me!" Falco buried a hand into his feathery azure forehead and sighed. "Alright, so I take it we're going to the capital city, then? That's where ole' Pepper usually resides. Unless he's out shooting his buds while hunting under the influence..." A weak chuckle escaped Falco's beak before he cleared his throat.

"Um, correct." replied Aztoph, not quite understanding what he meant by 'hunting under the influence'. "Who in the right mind would drink alcohol and then hunt?" he thought, tapping his blunt chin with a finger.

"...You aren't gonna kick his ass, are you?"

"No, no." The cybernetic man shook his head. He pulled his katana from out of its burnt umber sheath, gave it a single whirl and then pointed it at the protective glass shield that divided them from the stars and the black sea. "We're just going to make a surprise entrance that'll dent both the image of him and his inescapable asylum. I mean, sure, throwing me away in such a retched place wasn't very kind, but it doesn't make me want to maul him."

"Right. Speaking of which, we should really get to the bottom of your imprisonment." Falco said. "The General never said why you earned a place in his looney bin. I think it's a bit suspicious."

"And I don't recall doing anything wrong..."

"Yeah. Anyways, we'd better get our asses moving. Pepper ain't gonna come to us."

Falco placed his large hands on the duel control yoke that extended out from the instrument panel, and gave it a light push forward. A stream of emerald flames burst from the yacht's titanium alloy thrusters, and the space vehicle propelled forth. The planet of Corneria grew less and less distant as they approached it at full speed. A violent jolt signaled their atomspheric entry, and the shuddering of the internal structure caused Aztoph's armor to rattle. He cursed when his katana went flying out of his hand after the ship jolted again, and they heard a feint clank in the background of obstreperous noise as it hit the bridge door.

"I never did like this part..." He complained as he fumbled with the straps on his seat. Out of the corner of his visor, Aztoph noticed a familiar embodiment. It zoomed past them at remarkable speeds, and seemed to be unharmed by the harshness of the atomsphere. Aztoph watched it glide ungracefully through the savage envelope until it disappeared from sight. Perplexed, he shook his head and murmured to himself; "Syn-Gyr...?"

"Probably just seeing things, Az." Falco flashed his companion a loop-sided grin. "Plus, there's no way he'd be able to catch up with us that quickly. He walks like a slow shit, so he must fly like a slow shit."

The rumbling ceased forthwith when they exited the atomsphere, and the chaotic scape that surrounded them dissolved into an ocean of clouds, some with a bright orange haze piercing through, which illuminated the luxerious aircraft. The yacht continued to descend -- its speed decreasing when it burst through the final layer of clouds. At last, the bustling captial city came into sight. Falco manuevered the ship around smaller vessels and the towering Cornerian skyscrapers; his azure eyes peering out the glass window in search of a vacant landing pad. The falcon said something under his breath when he spotted one, and after pressing a few buttons, the concealed landing gear extended, and with reckless precision he brought the space craft down -- hard.

Aztoph shook his head and growled. "Nice going."

"Don't mention it." Falco replied, still looking out of the window. "Fuck... I forgot to ask for clearance." He looked at his metal-clad acquaintance and shrugged. "Ah well."

The cyborg unbuckled himself from the co-pilot's seat and lumbered over to where his sword laid. He snatched it from the floor and then heard some distant commotion coming from outside. He peered out from the cockpit window, and caught sight of numerous, heavily-armed shock troops gathering around the yacht. "It seems we have company." Aztoph said as he put his katana away.

The canine soldiers pointed their weapons at the yacht, while an older hound covered in red and gold strode past the assemblage. His arms were placed behind his back, and he wore an obvious look of disdain on his wrinkled face.

"I'll be damned." Falco declared. "Pepper did come to us." The avian pushed another button, and the ramp lowered onto the pad's surface. He walked on down, and as he did so, the soldiers lowered their weaponary. He approached the Cornerian commander-in-chief and greeted him as he would anyone else; "Yo."

"Lombardi, you fool!" General Pepper boomed, "What in the world were you thinking? Not only did the space virus escape from planet Asagia, but you brought that homicidal robot back as well! I put him in there for a reason!"

"Hey man, we finally got sick and tired of the place." Falco explained. "And how the hell were we supposed to know about Syn-whatever? It's your fuckin' asylum..."

"That's beyond the point!" Pepper countered, pushing a stubby index finger into the taller man's chest. "Both of those monsters are utterly murderous!"

"Aztoph? Murderous? Oh c'mon..."

"He is!" Pepper stared up at Aztoph, who stood within the ship's aphotic opening, and shot him an objectionable look. "He slaughtered fifteen of my troops because he saw something he didn't need to see..."

"You got any proof, General?"

The blood hound crossed his arms, scoffing at the mercenary's question. "Proof? You want proof? Come down to the morgue and I'll show you your proof -- piece-by-piece, if it'll so please you."

A savage roar deafened Falco's response, and the soldiers fell to the ground, writhing about while holding their sensative ears. Unfazed yet frantic, General Pepper looked to the skies for the source of the ear-splitting noise. He saw a gigantic creature pass over him like an angel of death, and its shadow seemed to consume everything below.

The creature stopped in mid-air and descended; its hooved-feet shattering the concrete below like a glass window. The impact of its landfall knocked terrified civilians off of their feet, and the alarms of vehicles sounded throughout the city. Ophiuchus, the name of the mammoth beast, bellowed and swung a muscular arm into one of the man-made marvels. It tore straight through the skyscraper's belly, and those inside were either ripped to pieces, or smashed by falling debris when it collapsed onto itself. The denizens of the city watched as the building became nothing more than a huge, smoking pile of rubble.

Ophiuchus raged forth; its long tail ripping able foundations out from underneath elevated highways, causing them to fall on other structures. Cornerian hover cars were kicked out of its path like toys, and unfortunate people were trampled into bloody messes when they came swarming out of their workplaces and their homes. Its rampage came to an abrupt halt as it began to study the imposing building that stood higher than all the rest. Ophiuchus squinted its evil violet eyes and gurgled, and it then became enveloped with a brilliant crimson glow. Those who were still alive ceased their hysterical stampede, and looked on with curious expressions, but their curiousity morphed into horror once the beast opened its maw and launched a tremendous beam of energy. An implosion raced down the building's many stories, and huge chunks of metal rained down and pummeled the surrounding area. The onlookers broke asunder, covering their heads as sharp bits of glass fell like a deadly hail.

Pepper stood wide-eyed and frozen. "No... it can't be..." He let loose a crazed howl. "Andross! He has invaded once again! Colonel! Colonel Desalte!"

A young greyhound wearing an olive green uniform ran up to the General, and gave him a brisk salute. "Yes sir?"

"Call the Star Fox team and tell them to get down here! Immediately!"

"Roger that..." Desalte lifted an eyebrow. "But wait, what about the armada? Can't we just..."

"No! You will keep part of the armada in orbit, to prevent any more of Andross' creatures from making landfall!"

"...What about the rest?"

Pepper's frenzied expression twisted into a grim one. "They're going to Venom with me. Now listen, once the Star Fox team is finished with the monster, their next objective will be to assist me in my battle with Andross. Do not worry about negociating pay -- just tell them that I'll give them anything they want! Understand?"

Desalte blinked. "Yes sir..."

"Get moving!" Pepper then turned to a confused Falco and barked; "Make yourself useful, Lombardi." With that, Pepper and his troops fleeted out of sight with much haste, while Ophiuchus laid waste to other distracts of the capital city. Thick black smoke rose from the crumbled structures, and blanketed the majestic skies, and a swift gust of wind came and scattered the ashes of dead Lylatians and their creations.

Aztoph ran down the yacht ramp. But before he could speak, the blue falcon raced past him. "Falco!" he shouted, "I do hope we are not leaving..."

"No way, man." the avian called back, "Just getting in touch with some old friends." Falco propagated the transmission and tapped his slender fingers, waiting for some kind of reply. A high-pitched answered from the other side, and asked for the sender's identity. "Slippy, it's me, Falco." He shook his head, his ears still ringing from the previous explosions.

"Falco!" Slippy wailed, "Wow, it's been a while. How have you been?"

"Super." He held onto the pilot's chair when the fall of a skyscraper rocked the city with a vicious tremor. After cursing to himself, he continued. "Is Fox still there?"

"Yeah. Lemme go fetch him..."

Seconds passed, and the familiar voice of Fox McCloud soon came through. "Falco? What in the hell's going on down there? We just got a call from Pepper's second-in-command, and he sounded pretty spooked. Something about Andross and a giant monster...?"

"Damned right." The bird-of-prey said. "We got a giant fuckin' monster annihilating the capital city, though I don't think it was sent by our old pal. But hey, Pepper's been obsessed with the possible survival of Andross, as of late..."

"Tell me about it. We gotta go on some wild goose chase afterwards." Fox rubbed his temples, vexed by the mere notion of such a pointless mission objective. He sighed, remembering the urgency of the current situation. "Anyways, keep the monster busy until then, would you? It shouldn't take long for us to arrive. I hope..."

"Roger that. Falco out."

Falco took off again, passing Aztoph and descending the landing ramp's stairway. Once on the broken asphalt below, he ran to his left and to his right, searching for anything of good use against a two-hundred foot leviathan. As he searched, Cornerian fighter aircraft propelled into the air, leading the huge, lumbering cruisers on their path to the suspected culprit of this chaos. He scoffed, wondering why the General couldn't eliminate the problem with his armada, and then go on that wild-goose chase for Andross. Military officials could be a perplexing bunch...

A somewhat bright look came over Falco's face when he spotted a possible solution. He strode over to it and jumped on, noticing the keys were still inserted. He gave them a twist, and the hover bike's engine roared as it came to life. He guided the bike over to the landing pad, and signaled for his cyborg companion to join him. "C'mon!" called Falco. "Get on the bitch seat."

Aztoph crossed his arms and stuck his nose up. "I'm not riding on that thing..."

"Oh yes, you are." Falco smirked. "Now get down here. Or do I have to come up there and trash you?"

Aztoph sighed and took his sweet time down the stairs, approaching the slender vehicle with a hint of circumspection. Grumbling softly, he seated himself behind the avian, causing the bike's rear end to sink to the ground.

"You need to lose some weight." The bird snickered, revving the engine. "Hang on tight, man. If you fall backwards on your ass, I ain't coming back for you."

"Yes... mother." Came the blunt reply from his companion. "Well, it's better than 'riding bitch.' Oh wait..."