Chapter 4: Slippy's Project


"Fox, have you seen Slippy anywhere?" Amanda asked.

"No, I haven't seen him all day. Or even yesterday, come to think of it..."

"No body else has seen him either. And the last time I saw him was last night, when he was leaving the showers. He must have showered with his clothes on, because when he came out, he was soaking wet! He also had a far away look on his face; he didn't even answer when I called his name."

"If you're looking for Frog-face, he's in the laboratory." Falco said as he walked in. "It's no use trying to get to him; he's locked himself in."

"Ooh! I wish Krystal was here so she could read his mind and tell us what he was doing." Krystal was, uh, well, she...had made a trip to the closest colony to get some supplies, so... she wouldn't be back for a few more days... yah... conveniently.

"For once it's actually bugging me to have him gone so long." Falco added.

Winston walked into the room, polishing a glass. "Hey Winston, have you ever seen any glimpses of what Slippy's been doing?"

"Why yes, just five minutes ago."

"What was he working on?"

"Blueprints."

"Of what?" They all said at once.

"I don't know. I'm not a technician." And with that, he strolled away.

"Well that was helpful."

"I guess all we can do is wait for him to finish."

But Falco had other ideas.


Later that day, Slippy came out of the lab to use the bathroom and get a bite to eat. Falco saw his chance, and snuck into the laboratory, hiding behind some crates. A few minutes later, Slippy returned with a plate of left-overs he had quickly heated up, then he shut and locked the door behind him. He set the plate on a desk, and then re-started the computer, typing in his password. Falco watched intently, itching with anticipation. A large hologram opened on the desk, revealing a rotating model of an Arwing that seemed to be much more advanced than the current models they had.

"Ah-haa!" Falco shouted, causing Slippy to hop so high he bumped his head against the ceiling of the Great Fox. "So that's what you've been up to! You're designing new Arwings!"

Slippy rubbed his head. "The Arwing 3.0, to be exact."

Falco stepped out from behind the crates, examining the data on the four side monitors. "So what have you changed?"

"I guess the cat's out of the bag. But you have to promise not to tell the others!"

"Ok." Falco said.

"First off," Slippy began, pointing to the hologram. "Each ship has six wings; three on each side. When they split for combat, they allow for more maneuverability and accuracy, and each has its own engine and hyper laser cannon. They are able to lock on to six different enemies at the same time! They also start out with two nova bombs, and have general improvements everywhere with the latest technology my dad sent me before the trial."

Falco crossed his arms as he viewed the hologram. "So how do you like it, Falco?.. Falco... FALCO!"

"Waah!" Falco exclaimed as he spun away, swinging his wings like a karate master. "Don't scare me like that, Frog-face!"

"Wait a minute," Slippy said. "Do that again."

"What?"

"Do those moves again; just the wings."

Falco swung his wings again, imitating the motion. "Why?"

Slippy turned back to the computer, typing furiously on the touch-screen and moving windows around in the hologram.

"Well what are you doing!?"

"Falco, wouldn't it be a lot more easier if your ship matched how you fought normally?"

"You mean, if like, the wings could swing around?.. Could you do it?"

"They would have to be equipped with laser edges so they could cut through metal, and they would have to be able to move 360 degrees around the ship, as well as being able to bend up and down..." Within ten minutes, Slippy had a working model of the Arwing, as well as a layout of the controls on the touch-screen. The cockpit would have similar touch-screen controls, as well as real throttles and other controls. "I'll need you to demonstrate some more moves for me. It will take a long time to program the details and exact mechanics."

"I have all the time you need."


"Amanda, have you seen Falco? He's eaten all the chicken wings again."

Amanda looked up from studying her maps. Ironic...

"I think we've lost another member to the laboratory." Winston remarked.

"It is strange seeing Falco spending so much time with Slippy. They've never gotten along like this since... well, never."

"I CANT STAND IT ANYMORE!" Amanda shouted, flinging her maps off the table. "Let's go see what they're up to!" And with that she marched off in the direction of the lab, followed by Fox and Winston. "Out of the way!" She gestured wildly for ROB to move away from the laboratory door.

"Miss Amanda, the door is locked; it is impossible for you to enter-"

Amanda pointed her blaster at the door.

"Oh." ROB said. He moved out of the way.

Falco and Slippy jumped when they heard the lock zapped and Amanda barge through the door. "SLIPPY ALONZO TOAD!"

Falco looked at Slippy. "Your middle name is Alonzo?"

"Heh heh, yah..." Slippy gulped.

Amanda began chasing Slippy around the room, knocking over boxes and scattering papers as she raved on at him, steam emitting from her pores.

"YOU HAVE BEEN NEGLECTING ME WAAAY TOO LONG! YOU COULD AT LEAST SPEND A FEW MOMENTS OF YOUR DAY WITH YOUR GIRLFRIEND!" Fox watched Amanda punch the crud out of Slippy until he noticed the giant hologram of the new prototype. "Falco, what's this?" he said as his jaw dropped.

"Uh..." Falco jumped in front of the projection. "Nothin'."

"Slippy? What have you two been working on?"

By now, Amanda had vented all the energy she had, and was lying face down on the floor, panting. Slippy was rooting through the first aid kit for bandages. He stopped, suddenly brightening up. "Well, we had intended it to be a surprise, but that's the Arwing 3.0!" He then proceeded to tell Fox all the changes. "Do you have any suggestions? We still have a lot more we can add."

"Are you also upgrading the Landmaster and Blue Marine?"

"Hmmm, I hadn't thought of that..."

Fox watched as the animated model go through attack patterns with his wings. An idea hit him; "What if the ship could convert into both?"

Slippy studied the model. "But how would that work?"

"Well, for the Landmaster, the six wings could flatten out against the nose of the ship, making it stronger."

"But where would the main gun be located?."

Fox studied the hologram some more. "Could the main propulsion engine on the back do anything?"

"Yaaaaah! My dad just sent me a model of an engine that doubles as a heavy cannon. It could flip over the cockpit and face forward!"

"And the bottom two blue fins could bend forward and hold the wheels!"

"It would be easy to convert it into the Blue Marine, too."

"Amanda, do you have any ideas?"

By now she had stopped panting and was standing up. "Well... during long trips, it's hard to hold it in when you need to go to the bathroom."

"One waste utility coming right up!"

"How about you, Sniffy?"

"Me? I don't even know anything about piloting an aircraft."

"Flying... for... dummies." Slippy typed into the notes.


A few days later, Slippy had finished the plans and sent them to Space Dynamics Ltd., where his father, Beltino Toad, used his influence to get the four Arwing 3.0s built, even though the order had been placed by outlaws. They were extremely costly, but they had a lot of money left over from when they bought a new Great Fox, to replace the derpy one Fox had to purchase in place of the one Peppy sacrificed during the Aparoid invasion. The ships were sent via a secret carrier that dropped them off in a clearing, not far off from The Great Fox.

The four pilots had trekked through the jungle, anxious and excited to see their new vehicles. When they reached the edge of the clearing, Fox parted the leaves. They were immediately dazzled at their new, sparkling ships. Each one had its pilot's enigma painted onto either side; a yellow fox, a blue falcon, a purple vixen, and a green frog.

"Anyone for a test run?" Fox asked.

But the rest had already dashed for their Arwings.