Ultraman, the Aparoid Invasion

Chapter 7

Diversion

On the Great Fox, the team was assembled in the command bridge when General Pepper received the news about Pigma's destruction, and the retrieval of the Aparoid Memory Core. "Good work, Star Fox. No one could have done it better than you."

"The Core Memory should reveal the location of the Aparoid homeworld, right?" Fox asked.

"Indeed, Fox. The time to face the Aparoid Queen has come." General Pepper said.

"Ah ha," Fox mused. Steven was standing next to Fox, and decided to throw his bit in.

"Once we find out the location of the home world, I will send a signal to M78. Hopefully, we can send a contingent of Space Patrol men there to help wipe out the Aparoids."

"I thought that you guys were stretched thin." Fox replied.

"We were. However, since the Aparoids appear to be abandoning their posts to head back to the home world, or making their way here, most of the warriors that were stationed in various parts of the galaxy have returned to M78 for further instruction. Right now, we got more than a hundred warriors just aching to repay the Aparoids in kind for what they've been doing to us."

"The more the merrier, Steven." Pepper replied. "The source of all Aparoid will, the Queen herself, makes her vile nest on their home planet. As long as the Queen exists, the Aparoids will continue to multiply."

"Understood, we're on our way!" Fox said.

"Fox…" Krystal said.

"What's wrong Krystal?"

"I'm getting a distress call from Sauria."

"Sauria…from Tricky?" Fox asked, concern rising up.

"I'm not sure, but…I sense cries of agony…" Krystal said. Fox moved towards Krystal, who seemed to be on the verge of collapse. She held herself up on the railing, but barely when she stumbled forward. Fox caught her just in time. The cerulean vixen recovered, holding her head and shaking it to chase the dizziness away. "I'll be alright, Fox." Krystal said. Fox turned to Peppy, who sat at the console closest to the view screen.

"Peppy, can you pick up a signal from Sauria?"

"Way ahead of ya, Fox." Peppy replied. He typed in several commands, and the screen shifted to the planet Sauria. Steven and the rest turned their gaze to the screen, and when it shifted, the team were met with a terrible sight; the screen shifted to several different pictures, all of them having images of the planet's native dinosaurs showing signs of Aparoid infection. Dead or dying, the dinosaurs had glowing blue growths on their bodies, much like the ones that Pigma had, just shortly before he was completely assimilated.

"Fox, look at that…it's horrible." Slippy said.

"What have they done to Sauria's dinosaurs?! This is unforgivable!" Fox almost shouted in rage. The screen shifted again as Peppy typed in several commands, and showed the same circular Aparoid Hatchers that the team dealt with on Katina.

"Aparoid Hatchers. This must be how they multiply. If we destroy the Hatchers, we just might stand a chance." Peppy commented.

"Okay, let's move. I'll-"

"Hold it!" Steven said, cutting Fox off.

"Wha-?" Steven moved towards Peppy.

"Where is Sauria located in the Lylat system?" Steven asked.

"Steven, what are you doing?" Slippy asked.

"We have no time for this. We need to head down there and-"

"I know what I'm doing!" Steven replied, cutting Krystal off. Peppy typed up the coordinates, and a map of Lylat appeared on the screen. It showed Corneria, with the Meteo Asteroid belt in front of it, then Solar and Lylat, Katina, Fichina, Sargasso, and then Sauria picking the rear, the next to last one in the system.

"Steven, what in heaven are you doing?" Krystal asked.

"Why would the Aparoids attack a planet that is the furthest away from Corneria, when they were practically at your planet's doorstep?" he asked, turning to face them.

"What do you mean?" Fox asked.

"Think about it for a moment. They were first sighted at Katina, then moved to Fichina, putting them closer to Corneria, then Meteo, which is the final barrier between them and the planet. Now, they are on the other side of the system. It just doesn't add up." The room was silent for a moment, until Peppy spoke up.

"Steven does have a point. They were so close to Corneria, then they just backed off. But, why would they do that?"

"Is there something significant about Sauria? Something on the planet that would interest them?" he asked Fox.

"No. Sauria has little to no technology at all. And the inhabitants there are no longer warlike."

"They wouldn't just head there on a whim, not unless it gave them a tactical advantage." Steven said, whirling back at the map.

"There is…one thing." Slippy said. All eyes were on him now. He looked at them, then shrugged. "Well, don't you guys remember? It's where we first met and picked up Krystal, shortly before making her a member." the amphibian stated matter-of-factly. Realization set in, especially in Steven.

"That's it! That's the connection!"

"How so?" Falco asked.

"Out of all of the forces that they have come across in this system, aside from myself, you guys have been putting up a stiff resistance. They must find you to be a rather nasty thorn in their side. They probably attacked Sauria because they knew that you, of all the people living here, you would rise up to defend it." That was when Peppy hit on it.

"It's a diversion, or a trap."

"Exactly." Steven replied.

"But, how? How could they possibly know about Sauria?" Krystal asked.

"The Aparoids are cybernetic in nature. They probably were able to access your media records, and pretty much any other data storage for that matter, and learn all they needed to know about you. Like hooking up a computer to the internet, they were able to download the necessary information on you."

"Those lousy bugs!" Falco exclaimed.

"These things are smarter than we thought." Slippy said out loud.

"Looks like it. We underestimated the Aparoids again. And this time, it may cost us a planet." Peppy mused.

"So, that's the reason why they attacked Sauria? Just to lure us out?" Fox asked aloud. At that time, he felt even more rage build up. The thought of ravaging an innocent world was one thing, but to do so just to get to them was quite another.

"But, what do we do?" Krystal asked. "Even is it is a trap, we cannot leave Sauria to its fate!"

"That's not what I'm saying at all." Steven replied.

"Then what are you saying?" Fox asked.

"We split up."

"What?" the vulpine asked.

"I'll stay here with Sebun and bolster Corneria's defenses. You guys head to Sauria and take care of what you have to." Steven said. He turned to leave, when Krystal spoke up.

"Steven?" The vulpine stopped, and looked at Krystal. She smiled slightly before replying. "Be careful…Steven." The vulpine nodded, then headed for the hangar. The vulpine transformed into his Ultra self, and flew off towards Corneria. Krystal watched him leave, and felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Fox asked. Krystal looked at him, then back out.

"I got this feeling, that something bad will happen to him…" the vixen said.

"Don't worry about Steven. He's been fighting these things for awhile now. If anyone can defend Corneria, besides us, it's him." Fox replied, trying to sound encouraging. Krystal nodded, but still had reserves. "Peppy, set a course for Sauria." The hare nodded, and the Great Fox opened its portal and headed for the beleaguered planet. Steven saw them leave, and secretly wished them luck, before entering Corneria's atmosphere.

In orbit around Sauria: Great Fox warped in at Sauria's orbit, the blue and green planet shining in Lylat's light. However, it was not as captivating as it normally would be, especially for Krystal. This close to the planet, the cries of the suffering hit her mind like a sledgehammer. She had to physically hold herself up on the railing, and consciously block out the voices to keep herself upright. It took her a moment, but she was able to stand up on her feet again. Fox saw the effort it took her, and lent his hand to her as she righted herself up. "I'll be alright," the vixen said, standing up. "It's just that, I've never felt so much pain before. Those people down there, they're in such suffering…"

"Don't worry, Krystal. We'll stop the Aparoids, before they can hurt anyone else." Slippy chimed in. Fox nodded in agreement.

"Alright people, this is how it's going to happen; Krystal and I will head down to the surface and wipe out the Aparoids on land. Falco and Slippy, the skies are yours."

"A mission together at last." Krystal said, a grin on her features.

"Oh. Uh, yeah." Fox said, awkwardly.

"What are you two doing? let's get going already!" Falco said as he headed for the hangar. He was followed by Slippy, then Fox and Krystal. Peppy shook his head while wearing an amused smile on his wizened face as he turned back to his console.

In orbit around Corneria: After telling General Pepper that the Aparoids will be, most likely, heading for Corneria, Shodai and Sebun acted as the first line of defense against the oncoming swarm, while a fleet of Cornerian cruisers came in from behind. The space in front of them seemed peaceful enough, with the Meteo Asteroid Belt in the background acting as a barrier. However, from the belt, they came. First in dozens, then in hundreds, the Aparoid swarm bore down on the planet before them that was guarded by a large fleet of warships, and two of the only race that has actually withstood the invasion. Sebun and Shodai looked at eachother and gave a quick nod, then got into their combat stances, facing off against the oncoming horde.

Sauria: While the planet, when viewed from space, looked like a jewel, it was hell on the surface. Fox was running through the open field with Krystal, heading for the ruins that laid atop a small hill that overlooked a vast waterfall. They were running from a swarm of Aparoids, who were taking potshots at the two foxes. All around them, the Aparoids came out of the woodwork while the native dinosaurs lied around the ground, dead, dying, or being assimilated into the Aparoids' collective. "We need to reach the ruins. We can hold off the Aparoids from there!" Fox said as he ran as fast as he could. Krystal couldn't reply, but still ran as fast as she could, he breath coming out in gasps. Laser fire still danced around them, and when they started up the hill, their legs burned in protest from the strain. Still, they made it to the ruins, the laser fire being unable to penetrate toe age-old stone of the structure. The larger Aparoids were unable to fit inside the openings, and shrieked at the two foxes. Krystal, still panting, looked up and saw a stairwell leading up to the top of the building. She tapped Fox on the shoulder, and gestured for him to look up. He did so, and nodded at Krystal, getting the idea. When both made their way up, they could see just how bad the infection had spread; Bodies littered the field that the duo had just ran across for their lives, while the Aparoids appeared to have lost interest and moved off. All around them, signs of the Aparoid infection was apparent. The pulsing blue growths that showed signs of Aparoid cells infecting other organisms, had spread along the field, jungle, and bodies of the dinosaurs. The scene looked like something from a nightmare, turned from a beautiful place, to something terrible and alien. Krystal saw this, and felt anger and disgust well up.

"Poor beautiful Sauria…they won't get away with this!" she said. Fox placed a hand on her shoulder, and shook it in a friendly way. Then, he brought up his communicator, and keyed the Great Fox.

"Peppy, can you locate the Aparoid Hatchers?"

"Way ahead of ya, Fox. I've sent the data to your NAVI. You should receive it in seconds."

"Good. Send a tank down here, while your at it." Fox replied.

"I was just waiting for you to send the word." Peppy replied. A second later, a Landmaster arrives, jut in front of the ruins. Fox looked back behind him, seeing Krystal looking at the destruction to the planet that she held dear.

"Krystal, we have to move." Fox said. The vixen looked at him, and nodded. As Fox moved towards the Landmaster, Krystal brought her own communicator to her muzzle.

"Peppy, this is Krystal."

"I read you."

"I need some heavy weaponry down here. Think you can whip something up for me?" she asked.

"Little lady, have I got just the thing for you." Peppy said. He turned to face ROB, a smirk underneath his mustache. "ROB, go over to the storage unit, and teleport the container marked 'HL-210'."

"Affirmative." ROB replied in his monotone voice. The automaton walked out of the room, and into the Great Fox's hold. There, he found a container that was roughly five and half feet in length, and three feet in width, with the characters 'HL-210' printed in military fashion. Taking the container to the transporter, ROB activated the machine, and in seconds, the container and several crates arrived at Krystal's position. The vixen looked behind her, and saw the container and crates materialize on the stone floor of the ruins. She walked over to the container, and undid the locks on the lid and opened it. She saw the contents, and a smile played itself on her muzzle. She put the communicator to her face again.

"Thank you, Peppy." she said, as sweetly as possible.

"No problem, Krystal. Have fun with your new toy." Peppy replied, a smile under his mustache. On the surface, Fox was in the tank, blasting away at the Aparoids from afar, as well as running them over when they got close enough. Up in the air, Slippy and Falco were at odds with the airborne Aparoids. Even though outnumbered dozens to two, the pilots were able to down any of the drones that were unlucky enough to get caught in their line of sight. Slippy looked behind him, and saw a couple of the drones starting to tail him. However, it was when they started to fire at him that he began to panic.

"Someone help!" Slippy yelled. Then, the two drones exploded in a mix of fire and debris. Slippy looked behind him, and saw a trail of smoke leading away from him, and towards the ruins. He looked down at the structure, and saw Krystal holding the Homing Launcher on her shoulder, looking through the eye-piece, a satisfied smile on her features. She looked up, and waved at Slippy. The amphibian gave her a thumbs up, and flew back into the mass of flying drones. Krystal turned her attention back to the ground, as more Aparoids took notice of her, and started to move towards her. She took aim at the nearest one, and fired. The projectile took the Aparoid, and a few other drones, in a consuming ball of fire. Krystal still kept her smile as she took aim at another and fired again. Fox saw this through his HUD, and couldn't help but laugh at the sight. He saw an Aparoid Hatcher, and took aim with his cannon. The resulting blast destroyed the Hatcher, and the surrounding drones. Only a handful of the Hatchers were on the planet, but that was enough for the Aparoids to gain a foothold on Sauria. As Fox turned the war machine around, He caught sight of a couple of the Hatchers attached to the outer surface of the ruins. He was afraid that if he shot at the structure, he could endanger Krystal due to falling debris kicked loose by the blast. However, he didn't need to be concerned with her, or the Hatchers; Krystal already saw them, and fired two homing missiles. The projectiles streaked towards them, and both were engulfed in a fiery blaze. Krystal looked at the Landmaster, and winked. Three down, only four more to go. Fox caught sight of another pair near the outskirts of the jungle. Running over drones as he made his way towards them, the tank fired at the two circular objects with deadly precision, eliminating both of them at once. The remaining two, however, were not on the surface, but below it. Fox saw the entrance leading into the lower levels of the ruins, to the underground shelters where the Dinosaurs hid. Hopping out of the tank, the vulpine made a mad dash into the tunnel. Armed with his blaster and several grenades, Fox trotted further into the cavers, which was lit by overhanging lanterns. A twist and a turn later, had him staring right into a nest of drones, and the two Hatchers therein. He was too far away to accurately throw a grenade into the nest, and the drones would most certainly not allow him to get closer. And what's worse, is that they saw him. Shrieking, the drones converged upon Fox, who started to blast away at the horde, but the sheer numbers of the drones and the Hatchers that replaced the fallen, were making it difficult for Fox. Soon, he was backed into a corner, with almost no way out. Almost. He pulled out a grenade, and looked at the oncoming horde. At this close range, using a grenade could be deadly. However, he didn't see any other choice. Fortunately, he didn't have to make that choice; a streaking red projectile flew right into the middle of the horde, and detonated, taking the horde with it while Fox shielded himself from the blast. Once the ringing in his ears subsided and the dust and smoke settled, he saw the burning, charred remains of the Aparoids, and a female form walking towards him with a Homing Launcher. Krystal walked past the dead bodies of the drones, wearing a smirk on her muzzle.

"Where would you be without me?" she asked. Fox returned the smirk, and threw the grenade at the Hatchers, which were now reproducing new drones, not that they would do much good anyway. In seconds, the two Hatchers were destroyed, and Fox and Krystal ran out of the tunnel, just in time to avoid the earth-shaking explosion that followed. Realizing that the Hatchers have been destroyed, the drones on the ground and in the air retreated. Slippy and Falco picked off the stragglers, while Krystal and Fox mopped up the area. Several hours later, the sun was setting on a rather peaceful landscape. Fox and Krystal were overlooking the landscape.

"Looks like almost all of the Aparoids have been wiped out." Fox commented.

"Sauria should be safe for a long time to come." Krystal replied. Just then, they hear the sound of something large coming right at them from behind. They turn suddenly, and smile at the sight. After all, the person coming at them hasn't seen either of them since he was a child.

"FOOOOXXXX!" Tricky screamed, jumping up in the air in joy.

"Tri-!" Fox couldn't finish, as Tricky's massive frame smashed into him. When Fox left, Tricky had barely reached his knee. Now, however, he was the size of most young Ceratopsians. And this particular one was as jovial as ever.

"Fox, Krystal! I knew you'd come! Thank you so much!" the young ruler of the Earth Walker tribe exclaimed.

"Tricky… So heavy… Ouch…" Fox gasped as he had the couple-ton dinosaur on him, while Krystal laughed. After prying him off of Fox, Tricky was giving them a lift back to one of the arwings on his back.

"So, Fox… You're here to fight 'em, right? Well, I'm going with ya!" the young ruler said, full of confidence.

"Uhm, I appreciate it, but you're needed here, old pal. I'm leaving Sauria in your care. Don't forget, you're the leader now, Tricky." The young dinosaur seemed downtrodden, but only for an instant. Then, he perked up.

"Ok… Mm, I'll do it! Yeah, yeah! I'll take care of things here, so you two can come back on your honeymoon!" Fox was nodding in agreement, until Tricky mentioned the part about the honeymoon. Then, that's when he started to lose his temperament.

"What are you, nuts?! We're aren't… We're not yet… Uh… Uhm…" Fox stammered. He looked back, but Krystal only gave him a mischievous grin.

"'Not yet'?" Tricky asked, puzzled.

"Uh, uh… I mean, this isn't a conversation for children!" Fox said, trying to salvage the situation.

"You said that you weren't gonna treat me like a kid anymore!" Tricky protested.

"So stop acting like one!" Fox retorted.

"You're just mad 'cause you don't wanna talk about it." Tricky said. Krystal was having a laugh at this.

"Alright, that's enough, boys." Krystal said, getting over her laughing fit.

Just outside Corneria: The Aparoid swarm made its way to the planet, the fleet that had been dispatched to deal with it, now floated in shambles across the star-studded space. Hundreds of Aparoids flew in towards the planet, confident that almost nothing can stand in their way. Elsewhere, Shodai floated amongst the debris, his eyes dull, and his warning light flashing rapidly, one thought going through his head; "Fox, Krystal, Sebun, everyone, I'm so sorry…" then, his vision swam and he blacked out.