Lylat in Chaos (Star Fox/Warhammer 40K)
Chapter 10: Temptations of Love and Battle
Explosions continued to occur throughout the entire ship as the scene on the dance floor descended into pure pandemonium. The guests panicked wildly as many of them struggled to find out what was going on. The resulting shockwaves from the explosions have knocked quite a few people off their feet and threw off the sense of balance for many others.
However, the chaotic situation was a blessing in disguise for Fox, for he was able to slip through the crowd away from Leandra unnoticed. Perhaps Leandra would have allowed Fox to leave her to join the battle outside, but he wasn't too sure about that, especially in light of what happened during the dance.
It took Fox a few minutes to reach the mostly empty doorway that leads to the hangers where the Arwings are held. Upon reaching the passage, he took out his communicator and called for Falco.
"Falco!" Fox called into the communicator. "Can you hear me?! Where are you?!"
Silence was all the reply that he has gotten. Fox was filled with dread. He had not seen Falco, Krystal, nor Katt during his efforts to reach the doorway. That means they're either already in their Arwings or dead, thought Fox.
Shivering at the latter reason, he started to run towards the hangers, hoping that his team was fighting the space battle and not on the floor dead in some corridor somewhere...
Fortunately for Fox, the three team members he was worrying about have safely arrived at the hangers with Slippy running around with an utility cart full of Nova Bombs. The mechanic was really busy within the past few minutes. Ever since an explosion rang throughout the cruise ship, he was running around and hastily preparing the Arwings for combat. This included final speed checks on all of the weapons systems and loading the heavier ordinance into the Arwings themselves.
"Slippy!" Katt called out. "Are the Arwings ready to go?"
"They're almost ready, Katt!" Slippy replied. "I just need to up these Nova Bombs into Falco's Arwing!"
"Don't bother!" Falco yelled as he climbed into his Arwing. "I'll take on those fighters with just the lasers! Just get yourself into your Arwing and take off now! We have a ship to save!"
Slippy immediately took his hands of the bomb-loading cart and ran towards his Arwing. Explosions and warning sirens sounded across the ship as the battle continues on the outside. A rather violent shockwave caused the members of Star Fox who were not in the Arwings to stumble, but their determination forced them back on their feet in seconds. Within a minute, four of the Arwings catapulted out of the cruise ship and into deep space where the battle rages.
After what felt like was an eternity, Fox finally reached the hanger. All of the Arwings were gone except his own. Fox sighed in relief. This meant that the others took off already. All that was left was for him to climb into his Arwing and join his team. With a great sense of urgency, he ran towards his Arwing.
"Going somewhere, Fox?"
Fox stopped so suddenly he almost tripped over his own feet. He quickly turned around and saw the source of the voice.
"Leandra!" Fox said in surprise. "What are you doing here? Don't you know it's dangerous in here?!"
"I know that, my dear," Leandra said while walking over towards Fox. "But I have something to say to you before you fly off to certain doom and despair."
Fox glared at her. "If you are expecting a 'yes' to that selfish proposal, than forget it. I'm not marrying some strange woman that I did not even have a single date with just because she's rich and powerful. And besides, I will not abandon my friends for anybody, especially you."
Leandra remained calm even in the face of an angry Fox. "I knew you'll say something to that effect." She stopped walking when she's close enough to touch Fox. "Listen, I know that you're probably angry at me for proposing to you like that. But think about this: with me as your wife, I can ascend your team, and especially you, to heights you can never dream of. You're already the star of the system, but with my resources, I'll make sure your name reaches out across the entire galaxy and you're never have to go hungry or deprived again. And to make the deal even sweeter for you, I'll have my company upgrade all of your Arwings completely for free."
"All I ask in return if that you would marry me."
Fox shook his head. "Sorry Leandra, but the answer will always be no, no matter how much you offer to me and my friends. Now, if you excuse me, I need to help them out with the fighting outside."
"Oh, one more thing, Fox," Leandra said a sudden, cold tone. "You're not going anywhere."
Fox turned around quickly in anticipation to an attack. But before he even know what was happening, sharp pain erupted from his heart as Fox quickly found a dart planted on his chest. Pain turned to numbness as Fox struggled to remain standing.
"I am sorry it has to be this way. But you will be my husband, Fox. And you will marry me. I will not be denied my wishes, even if you are unwilling."
Fox tried to shake off the effects of the tranquilizer, but it was too strong. He collapsed within seconds and blacked out almost immediately.
"Good night, my sweet prince. We're going to have a fun time together..."
Fortunately for the guests aboard the Lylat's Fruit Bowl, the cruise ship have successfully withdrawn behind the CDF fleet at a rapid pace soon after the battle's beginning. But not without damage, as several fires raged on the ship's hull. And the guests have a good view on how strong are their attackers.
The battle between the unknown hostile fleet and the garrisoning Cornerian Defense Fleet was well underway at this point, but it was a relative stalemate. The unknown fleet was bigger and contained several battleships. But the CDF have better quality ships and superior leadership. Both advantages had canceled each other out and has prolonged the battle longer than it should have. At the pace they were going, both sides would take great losses before one completely destroys the other.
That all changes with Star Fox's entrance…
"Man, there's no end to these creeps!" Falco yelled into his communications link.
Falco, Krystal, Katt and Slippy zipped around in their Arwings, dodging debris and laser fire. The scene was utter chaos, with fighters and other starships flying around and blasting each other to smithereens.
A massive Nova bomb explosion from Katt's Arwing has vaporized a mass of enemy fighters.
"Nice aim, Katt," said Krystal as her Arwing downed another enemy fighter.
"You too, Krystal," replied Katt. "Although I wish I had not used up all of the Novas so quickly. These thugs are getting more numerous by the second."
"We all wish we had more of them," said Falco. "I really starting to think we have underestimated the size of the enemy at this point."
"I agree," Slippy contributed to the conversation. "But had anyone seen Fox?"
Falco scanned the area, but he did not see Fox's Arwing at all. In fact, he has been strangely silent ever since the dance and the attack. What would keep him out of the fight?
"No sign of him," reported Falco.
"Didn't see him either," replied Katt. "Where did he go?"
Krystal let loose another Nova bomb to destroy another squad of fighters and an anti-fighter corvette. "I bet it has to do with the fat cat, Leandra," she said.
"Leandra, our current employer?" Slippy asked. "What does she have to do with Fox's disappearance?"
With an impressive display of technique, Falco used a single charged laser shot to destroy five fighters all at once. "It's a long story Slippy. But we can't talk now. We have to get rid of these losers first."
And with that, a Fox-less Star Fox continued to cleave through the enemy at an efficient pace. With their involvement, the battle would slowly turn to the CDF's favor. But without Fox's leadership, the team would be in worse shape coming out of the battle and the pace that the battle turned would be much slower.
And a single question would persist in their minds as the battle continued.
"Where is Fox?"
In a hanger area far away from Fox's Arwing, Leandra stopped to catch her breath.
"Who knew that those Nova Bombs were so heavy," she gasped to herself. "And who knew that Fox was heavier than he looks."
Leandra was at the shuttle that brought her to the, now canceled, celebration. She was lucky that no one was around to witness her actions. She also have the foresight to have the party organizers park her shuttle in the same, unmonitored, docking area with Star Fox's Arwings. That way, if her original plan were to fail like it did ten minutes ago, her backup plan would still be intact.
"I'm so sorry Fox," she whispered to his unconscious form. "But for you to stay with me forever, I would just have to clip your wings."
As she and her "passenger" climbed into the shuttle, she pressed a detonator, and watch the Nova Bombs explode and consume the docked Arwing…