"Star Fox!" Exclaimed General Pepper over the holographic projector. All of the team members jumped to attention to watch as Fox conversed with him. "Yes, General?" replied Fox, prompting the hound to continue his briefing. "We have a situation on Zoness. Insurgents of unknown allegiance have started causing trouble. Our intelligence points to an attempt to sabotage our clean-up efforts. We can't spare any forces right now, so we need you to investigate." Fox looked confused. "Why would they try to re-pollute Zoness?" He asked. The simple reply came from Krystal: "Terrorists." Fox didn't look too happy at that. A long silence followed.
The silence broke when Pepper chimed in. "Fox, can you handle it?" The team leader looked around at the other members, then finally answered with determination. "We'll do it." After Pepper thanked them and signed off, Fox turned to the ship's resident robot, ROB. "ROB, set a course for Zoness, and get the Arwings ready." He ordered. Immediately obeying, ROB began punching coordinates into the computer. Falco decided he was thirsty. "I'm going to get a drink, I'll be right back." He said, walking off. But before he got to the exit, Fox interrogated him. "Falco, doesn't it bother you, about these people?" He asked. Falco turned and looked Fox in the eyes. "Relax," He said, "It's just a bunch of clowns trying to stir up trouble. Nothing important ever happens on Zoness, remember?" Fox was silent as he thought about that. He was about to mention their meeting with Katt almost nine years ago on Zoness, but Falco was already gone.
---------Later---------
"Fox, I don't think there's anyone here. Everything is working fine. Maybe we should move on." Said Slippy over the intercom. It was hard to tell anything because of the stormy weather, but it was better than the mortifying pollution Andross had spread here years ago. Zoness was essentially a more turbulent version of Aquas, Slippy's home planet, and the place where he met his fiancée, Amanda.
But more to the point, all the platforms looked normal now. No terrorists in sight. But Fox still wasn't sure. "It just doesn't seem right. General Pepper said there were troublemakers. Let's check out that platform." He ordered. But no sooner had he given that order than another face came onto the intercom. This one was that of a spider, his mandibles moving back and forth as he spoke. "Look, boys, it's Star Fox! Let's give Lylat a warm welcome! Charge!" He said, as about thirty to forty ships came flying off the platform. "Whoa!" Exclaimed Krystal, who happened to be right in the middle of the onslaught. Her ship took a hit on the left side, but she quickly corkscrewed around and let loose a barrage of laser fire, tearing through several of the ships.
Fox radioed in to Falco. "Falco, try to get around behind them, we'll take them from the front. Divide and conquer!" Falco nodded and confirmed the order, then flew over the platform and fired a bomb at the insurgent ranks. The well-placed bomb wiped out their rear flank, and apparently, they knew it, because half of their forces turned on him. Another face appeared on the intercom. "One guy! Let's take him out!" As the small swarm of ships came fast at him, he flew back at them, dodging and rolling to the best of his ability while firing. He took out a few of them, but he was taking more damage himself. There were just too many. He spun around and got ready for another pass when he noticed it.
The flashing red lights down on the platform. That anti-air guns were getting ready to fire. Falco was helplessly screwed and he knew it. As they aimed at the skies, he shut his eyes tight and waited for his death to come. It wasn't until the surprised chatter of his teammates came over the intercom that he opened his eyes to see that the anti-air guns had fired at the enemy ships instead. But how? Before he could radio the platform to get the situation, something bigger came. The spider's face appeared over the intercom again, and this time he was pretty angry.
"No way! Oh well, let's see how you like my new invention!" Falco took that as a bad omen and flew back to the team. Not a moment too soon as it happened, because the machine that came over the platform was huge! What could only be described as a giant, mutant, mechanical mosquito now flew toward team Star Fox. After the initial silence, three laser beams emitted from it's front side, forcing the team to split up. Falco and Krystal darted right, while Fox and Slippy went left. "Krystal, you and I'll distract it while Slippy figures out how to beat it! Aim for the wing!" He said to Krystal. She confirmed, and then flew around behind it. "Krystal, the wing!" Exclaimed Falco, but no use. He fired all the lasers he had into it, but nothing. He tried shooting it elsewhere, but that only served to make it mad. It turned to him and prepared to fire it's lasers again.
Falco flew over it's head and came out behind it, ready to flip and come out fighting. But Slippy's voice and face became perceptible, an answer to Falco's pleas to God. "Guys, aim for the hatch above it's tail end, then fire a bomb in once the opening's exposed!" He explained. Various 'roger's were heard, but Falco was already too busy. The others joined him in shooting the weak point. The machine turned around, but they just got behind it and continued barraging it, until a small opening opened where the tail was.
"Alright, let's hit it home!" Exclaimed Falco excitedly. This was met with dead silence. "Someone fire a bomb." He repeated. He was all out. The familiar female voice of Krystal was the first to respond to him. "Falco we don't have any more bombs." His beak dropped wide open. "WHAT? How do we destroy it?!" There was a long silence, so long that when a whooping call broke it, Falco almost jumped out of his cockpit. "That all you got?" Fox quickly ordered them all to retreat as another ship flew in, and fired a bomb directly through the opening. A final message of "No fair." Was heard from the pilot of the huge, insectoid ship before it exploded brilliantly, in bursts of green and orange.
Falco immediately set up a link with the ship that had saved them. "Who the hell do you think you are?" He demanded. The face that replied to him made his breath stop. He never thought he would see it again. The voice was deep and a little bit gravelly. Only a little bit. "I think I'm someone you know." The pilot replied. "I'll meet you at your ship, Falco." The face disappeared, leaving questions to be asked. "Falco, who was that?" Requested Fox. Falco replied with three simple words, then was silent.
"That was Ringo."