Zoness
Aboard the Great Fox, currently in orbit
The team stood on the bridge and looked out at the approaching planet. Zoness' green hue had been replaced with a cool, dark blue shade interspersed with patches of brown.
"Looks like they've done a lot in the past ten years," Fox observed. "In fact, looks like they're nearly done."
"Wasn't like this two years ago." Falco commented, arms folded as he observed the planet. Fox glanced sideways at the bird. Falco noticed and shrugged. "I passed by at one point while flying solo. It was still glowing then."
"So how did they make so much progress so quickly?" Slippy asked.
"A good question. I'm sure we'll get a chance to ask them." Peppy responded.
"Incoming message." ROB spoke up. "Sender is located on Zoness. Designation: Base Echo."
"Bring it on screen, ROB." Fox directed. The communications display flickered to life and a nervous, haggard-looking bulldog appeared. His face lit up as he saw the team.
"It is an honor to be meeting all of you, Star Fox. My name is Colin Davis. I am the leader of the relief efforts here on Zoness." He said with some pride. "I am so glad that you were able to come to our aid."
"Well, we're glad to be of assistance." Fox replied. "So what exactly is it you need our help with?"
At this, Colin's face lost all traces of cheerfulness and fell back into the tired state the team had seen when he first appeared on the monitor. "One of our bases, base Delta, was lost."
"What? Who took it, and what would they want with a cleanup crew's base?" Falco asked.
"No, it wasn't captured, it was quite literally lost. Vanished off the planet. Just... gone." Colin replied. "One of our supply ships was coming in for a delivery there, but when they arrived at the location of the base, the island it was situated on was barren. They were low on fuel and had to land there, and we had to send another ship to pick them up. I was on that second ship, and I couldn't believe what I saw. There was simply no trace."
"Surely you were in contact with them?" Peppy asked, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"That's what's even crazier. We had been in communication with the base less than an hour before the ship arrived. They were there... and then they weren't." Colin shook his head wearily. "It's just baffling. I do have some more details, and a few more people you should talk to, but it may be best we do that face to face. I've transmitted the coordinates of base Echo to you. There is a large clear area nearby that the Great Fox can land in. I'll see you then. And once again, I must say it is an honor." Colin nodded to the team and the transmission ended.
Peppy turned to face everyone. "Well, what do you all think about this?"
"I'm not sure." Fox said. "This is... well, we're usually fighters, not investigators. But..." He shrugged.
"I think we should do it!" Slippy exclaimed. "It's fascinating. An entire base of operations, vanished within an hour? I can't imagine passing this up!"
"I'd prefer flying and blasting bad guys." Falco put forth. "But it does seem like they need our help."
"From what I could read, Colin is genuinely confused and worried. I don't sense any malice." Krystal closed her eyes. "However, I do feel that he's holding something back."
"We can address it later." Fox said. "It seems like we all agree. We're taking on this mission."
Base Echo
Moments after the end of the transmission
Colin sighed heavily and rubbed his temples. It was all too much. On one hand, the Star Fox team was here! The heroes who had saved the Lylat System time and time again! But on the other hand, the catastrophic events that had led up to their arrival were weighing heavily on him. All the other teams that he had called in; the lone mutt, the two felines, even a desperate call off the record to the infamous Star Wolf team had all ended poorly. All six pilots had simply vanished while investigating, similarly to the base. He had neglected to tell Star Fox of these failed attempts, but should he? It may scare them away, but... was it the right thing to do? Was there blood on his hands? Would there be more?
He simply didn't know.
