Mission 10 – As cunning as a fox...
Ema frowned at the fox as he started to act. "Trainee Fox, you are not in charge of this team, Master Ti is!"
Fox started to bridle at this, then paused and nodded. "Sorry, you're right. Force of habit, I'm used to leading missions. Master Ti, how do you want to handle this?"
"Thank you, Ema, Fox. As I was saying, this will require stealth, rather than force." The red panda thought for a few seconds. "For now, I would be interested in understanding how you would do this, Fox. While I have the final responsibility, it's true, you showed us you have previous experience of this kind task."
Fox nodded again. "Yep, this kind of infiltration and rescue mission is something I've done plenty of times. First we've gotta get under-way though. I'd like to know exactly how long we have before these guys are missed, but for now, the sooner we get to the right area, the better. Which way, Windam?"
The Cloudrunner pointed off towards the heart of the mountains. "The temple complex is about 12 ri in that direction. It's very old, overgrown, and was not built by my people. It may even be from before the Sundering!"
Krystal, rather than taking part in the conversation, had moved to the helm, turning to the new heading and looking up at the dimly illuminated wind streamers.
"Hmm... From the wind strength, almost at right angles to our current course... Three hours?"
Like the Cloudrunner, she was referring to the local hour, thirty six to the local day, Fox reminded himself. Less than two Cornerian standard by his own reckoning. He looked up at the streamers and made his own calculations from his recent experience piloting the New Dawn. "Sounds about right. Will that be soon enough?"
The wing leader ducked his beak to one side in some sort of gesture, possibly indicating thought. "Yes, we were settling for the night. We were to return to the temple at first light. If you can get our hostages away tonight..."
Fox smirked. "Works for me. Sleep is over-rated anyway. Master Ti?"
The red panda moved over by the cockpit. "By all means, set sail. Though we shall have to take care closer to the mountains. Indeed, we may have to ground well short of this place to be sure of a safe landing spot."
Fox understood the problem, while both vulpines and felines had exceptional night vision, starlight alone wasn't enough to see clearly. Fox pulled the zoom goggles from his backpack, putting them up to his face, he flicked through settings to night vision mode.
"These might help." He checked over the side, away from the deck still dimly illuminated by the fireflies. Where there had been the almost invisible shapes of the rolling forested foothills, starlight was enough to show them clearly, if only in shades of grey. He passed them to Krystal, who'd already set the course, and she started with surprise at the images.
"I can see the hills! You have some wonderful tools."
"Yeah, While they last." Fox moved around so everyone would be able to see him, and the hovering projector unit. The Cloudrunners started at it, and he wondered why. "No need to worry, it's just a way to show images."
"It doesn't shoot bolts of lightning?" asked one of the Cloudrunners.
"No, why..." Suddenly Fox had a flashback. He pulled up a battle recording, and zoomed in. "You've seen one of these?"
The way they moved back showed they had. The lens shaped device didn't look much like his holo-projector, it was a standard metre across, had knobs ringing it, and projected a scanning beam downwards. It was also something he'd seen far too often in the months where Team Star Fox and the Cornerian Defence Force had slowly liberated the captive worlds of Zoness and Macbeth after Andross's defeat, but this image was from Sauria, and the Cloudrunner Fortress.
Surprise made him revert to Lylatian. "Okay, my weirdness scanner has officially gone way over into the red zone. Where the heck did _this_ bunch of Sharpclaws get Venomian Interdictor drones?"
He switched back to Ancient with an effort. "These guard the area your families are held in?
"Yes, but how could you know?" asked the wing leader, in a puzzled tone.
"Met them before." Seeing the Protectors interested, he added. "They're machines that guard an area, and give a painful, but not lethal shock to unauthorised creatures passing through. They can be evaded, and while they're energy shielded, so staff blasts won't do much, hitting them hard enough from a distance can wreck them."
Ema grinned. "Now that's what I like to hear. A good clean fight!"
Fox shook his head. "Not right away. Our first priority is the hostages. As long as the Sharpclaws can get to them and we can't, they're holding a … a dagger to our throats. My suggestion is that we sneak in, secure an exit route for the hostages, and get them out, if possible without alerting the garrison."
"But won't destroying those machines do that anyway?" asked Ema, frowning.
"They're not patrol units. They're for keeping slave workers from leaving a place, not intruders from getting in. Of course, once the Cloudrunners are safe, then we can tear the place apart! Not only is it an enemy base, the only one we know of, but we may be able to gather valuable intelligence..."
Ema folded her arms, looking annoyed. "We're not stupid!"
Fox realised he'd translated the phrase literally, and sighed. "In this case the term means military information. Where do they come from, what are their goals, why are they capturing ships, how many are there, how many other groups... Somehow I can't believe that attacking isolated caravans and sky-ships for fun and profit is all there is to this."
He thought of something. "Wing leader... sorry, I'm Fox, and you are..."
"Vexor." Fox got introductions from the others, and went on. "Will all your people be able to fly?"
The large Cloudrunner shook his head. "No, some of our fledglings and elderly are weak. The Sharpclaws have fed them barely enough to keep them alive."
"Then we'd need to get the New Dawn as close in as possible, to carry them away. We'll need a canyon or something preferably just over a hill from the valley the temple is in, so we can dock deck level with the ground. If you guys can tow us in the last few hiro..."
He pulled up the mapping program, and started to plan, glancing at Master Ti who just gave a nod of approval.
"There!" Fox pointed out a figure silhouetted by a fire.
The temple complex lay spread out before them, nestled in a blind valley which faced roughly south. It was heavily forested on both walls, and much of the ground between. The main building was a stepped pyramid, built of massive stone blocks with repeating geometric patterns and open arched doorways on the higher levels. It reminded him of the architecture of the Walled City on Sauria.
It rose out of the forest growth, with a wide, flat top that was just high enough above their position that they couldn't see over it. Lesser buildings, square topped trapezoidal towers, were partly built into the steep sides of the valley. They were joined to it by walls that doubled as covered corridors, if the arched windows along their sides were any indication.
Much of the place was partially overgrown, but the main building was clear enough of growth that Fox wondered that Cloudrunner kingdom patrols hadn't found it themselves. Then he realised that the forest immediately around it was littered with debris, clearly the Sharpclaws had cleared away much of it. Besides, it was at the very borders of Cloudrunner territory, and even if they had found it before the Sharpclaws took up residence, it was not well designed for flyers, and had little to recommend it except isolation.
As they had approached the valley, the Cloudrunners had made short runs ahead to confirm their memory of the terrain. The four protectors lay arrayed along the ridge line of the valley wall to the east, while the New Dawn was moored against an out-cropping from the steep mountainside behind them, and the Cloudrunners were there too. They had helped tow the sky-ship to a safe mooring that put it's deck level with the top of the ridge.
Fox handed across the zoom goggles, still set to night vision, to the person next to him, Ema. "On the second level of the main pyramid, they have lookouts, one to the front and one on this side, each with a fire."
Ema smirked. "Fools! If they're staring into it like that, their night vision will be shot. We could fly the New Dawn right past them and they still wouldn't notice."
"If only." Fox sighed. "That top tier roof looks big enough to land the ship, but that fire would illuminate us, even if we came over the back. According to the Cloudrunners, their people are being held in a large chamber in the lowest tier, over on the right."
Privately he wished for some explosives. A properly placed shaped plasma charge, or a bomb seed if he could find one, would blow a hole even in those blocks of solid stone, and create an easy escape route. Of course, it would also bring the entire base running.
Master Ti took the goggles and used them. "It seems similar to a ruined temple I visited in my youth. The main building was fallen in on itself, but there were entrance ways in the centre of each side, on the lowest level. There should also be... yes, follow the line of the wall to the main temple. The top is a walkway, and there is a door at the end, and a Protector seal above it."
Fox couldn't see it without aid, but when he took back his zoom goggles, he saw it. The doorway was not easy to see against the patterning of embossed stone that covered the vertical surfaces, but now he knew what to look for, he could make it out. The seal was identical to the ones he'd come across on Sauria, activated by a fire blast from the Protector's staff. And the door was intact, suggesting the Sharpclaws had never used it.
"Hmm... we can improve on the basic plan then." The fox mused. "That wall is a couple of stories high where the ground drops away towards the centre of the valley. If you manoeuvred the New Dawn over the ridge and alongside it, anyone on the walkway could be transferred across quickly. In fact, looking at how steep the side of this valley is, I doubt those hostages would be able to make it up even with the able bodied Cloudrunners' help, given the state they're supposed to be in."
Ema responded, not sounding pleased. "That means one of us must stay behind to fly the New Dawn, and the Cloudrunners to help with the docking. They might be able to get it there without the sentry seeing, but staying there will invite trouble."
Fox shrugged. "If three can't do this, four won't. And we can co-ordinate." He reached over his shoulder and pulled something out of his pack, the duplicate PDA. He fiddled with it, and the one currently on his wrist. "Without a relay, the range is limited, but I've set up a basic voice link. When we've secured the hostages and are on our way out, I'll send a message to get into position. Once there, they can open the door with their staff."
He pressed an icon on the holo-interface that floated above his wrist, and his final words were heard in stereo both from him and the other PDA.
Krystal hadn't spoken until now, feeling awfully inexperienced by comparison to the other three. Now she voiced a concern. "I'd prefer to be in the rescue party, if possible." While she didn't say why, the two Protectors could sense she wanted an active role, to prove herself.
Fox wasn't concentrating on empathic impressions, but his knowledge of her made him think the same thing. He focussed on his still un-practised empathic ability and felt confirmation, and that Protector Raued was feeling the same way.
"I will stay." stated Master Ti, "I have the most experience of ship handling, and I sense all three of you wish to go down there. While I would like to take part, I feel all three of you will benefit from doing this together. Besides, I feel these old bones may not be able to keep up with you younglings."
That got a snort of derision from Ema, a smirk from Fox, and a hastily suppressed giggle from Krystal. The previous night, the New Dawn had landed well before sunset, to replenish it's supplies, both water and food. While hunting, Krystal had come across a valuable find, a grove of mature Dumbledang trees, heavy with fruit.
They collected all the ripe pods, and possibly because they had an ample supply of the local equivalent of fast heal drugs, Master Ti had decided to evaluate his students progress, followed by a four way Battle Royale. He hadn't quite demolished all three of them, but he'd demonstrated, without making a big deal of it, that he could take any one of them on and win, even Ema.
It wasn't that he was faster, or stronger, so much that he was never there when they struck, instead being tin the perfect position to thrust through your one weak spot. It wasn't like Fox's prescient sixth sense either. Fox later postulated that his long experience, coupled with his skill at empathy, meant he could feel what his opponents were going to do even as they did, and could therefore take countermeasures.
All in all, even if Fox had been inclined to underestimate this short red panda, he wouldn't any more. Which brought them back to the present, and Master Ti's orders.
"Ema, you will lead, but be mindful of Fox and Krystal's abilities, and use them to their fullest. You have trained them well, and both have their own talents. You are ready for this, and I believe you shall do well."
"I will, Master!" exclaimed the green tiger Protector.
The panda nodded. "Fox, you have the experience fighting these things. Please show me the operation of your device, and stand ready to give Ema the information she needs."
Fox simply nodded.
"And me, Master Ti?" Krystal asked, somewhat self consciously, wondering what she could bring to the mission other than another warm body.
Master Ti noticed this and smiled warmly. "Dear girl, your hunting skill, stealthiness and impressive empathic sensitivity for one so newly trained will make you the ideal scout, if scouting is needed. Relay your impressions back to Ema."
He widened his attention to cover the three of them. "Now go get them! May the Ancients guide you and protect you, all of you."
Showing the Master Protector how to operate the PDA took only a moment, then the trio started circling along the ridge line, towards the back of the valley and the tower, trusting to the tree line to conceal their outlines. Ema insisted on taking point, with Krystal and Fox behind her. Both as nominal leader of the group, and the biggest and strongest, she felt she should lead.
From a purely practical point of view it was wise too, as she carried a long knife that would have been a sabre to the shorter foxes, that made short work of any greenery blocking their path. Her staff was across her back, ready for instant release. The light from the distant fires gave just enough light for their natural night vision to allow them to pick their way, though Fox still had his zoom goggles up on his forehead.
Fox also carried his holstered blaster, and his training staff across his backpack. While not as versatile or powerful as the genuine article, it could still strike with greater force and precision than a regular quarterstaff, or as lightly as plastic tubing, in the hands of a someone with the mental powers to activate it.
The real staff was still with Krystal, who wore it across her back, and carried a sheathed long knife at her waist. Fox was surprised that neither of the Protectors had complained; as a trainee, she was no more officially supposed to wield a Protector staff than he was. But Krystal had more than proved she could handle it, adding to their fire-power, and giving her better defences.
He was still practising his empathic sense as they moved, and sensed her pleasure at that last public thought, as well as a slight nervousness. While he still couldn't read her public thoughts, or Protector Raued's, the sweet cinnamon sensation was clear enough that he didn't need to see her form, limned in fire-light from the Sharpclaw blazes, to know her location, The same went for the emerald tiger, who's presence was more a lime-citrus-acid gestalt, shot with emotions of excitement and confidence.
He could even sense their awareness of him, and was willing to bet their sensing range made their empathic ability at least as effective as the motion tracker capabilities of the wrist mounted component of his PDA. Thinking of that, he activated it, assigning the two spots on it a friendly status with quick swipes on the holo-interface. Unlike the one in a laughably written holo-adventure about Space Marines, it didn't make a giveaway clicking sound.
He just wished he'd managed to progress to telepathy, then they'd have a secure silent comm net, at least at short ranges. He'd asked about longer range telepathy during training, and been somewhat sarcastically asked by Ema if he'd ever tried to read a scroll from a dozen hiro away. Empathy had much greater range under the right circumstances, but unless an entire city was feeling a single emotion, a few hiro was about the limit.
As he'd mused, they'd worked their way around to the tower. It was built up against the cliff face, and peaked two stories above the ridge line, a set of windows around it's top story. Around the side facing the cliff, there were a few sparkles the wrong colour for stars, and investigating, they found a small grove of power plants, gems glowing brightly.
As they recharged their staffs, Krystal said, quietly, "This place has to have been used by the Protectors, even after the Sundering. I wonder why they left?"
Ema shrugged. "Nothing worth guarding I suppose. I don't remember any records of a Protector temple down here, but then I wasn't that in to studying history. My best skills are in the more practical stuff."
Fox decided there were greater depths to Protector Raued than he'd first thought. Being able to admit weaknesses as well as strengths was a good trait in a leader.
Too late he caught a sense of amusement from her, tinged with sarcasm. "Heh, glad you approve!"
Oh dang, had he thought that publicly? Embarrassed, he examined the tower wall and noticed something. "Hey look! We have a door here too, and it has a staff seal."
"Good!" Ema grinned, ivory teeth under luminous eyes, in the light of the remaining power plant gems. "I don't sense anything on the other side, do you, Krystal?"
Fox could feel her reaching out, and tried to follow. He was fairly sure there wasn't anybody in the room beyond, but he got the impression Krystal was reaching further.
Krystal shook her head. "I think the entire tower is empty."
Ema raised her staff and launched a low power fire blast at it, something Fox had never learned to do. The sound was muted, and though it might carry, it was unlikely to cause any reaction from the guards on the main pyramid. The blast was sufficient for the seal, and the door opened, quietly for something made of stone.
"Let's go! Stay silent until I say otherwise."
They entered and moved across the empty chamber within, which became dimly illuminated from flaring sconces engraved into the walls as they stepped inside, more than adequate for feline or vulpine low light vision. Beyond the chamber was the start of a set of ramps, leading both up and down. Ema motioned them forward, and the trio started downwards, the sconces lighting in turn as they moved.
There was a thin layer of undisturbed dust, which showed this part of the complex had lain undisturbed for a very long time. That was all to the good, the Sharpclaws clearly weren't using the place anything. The chambers on each level were unfurnished, only a few pieces of wood and scraps of cloth to indicate they were once occupied.
As they reached the level of the top of the wall, they found another staff sealed door, but bypassed it, as travelling along the top might expose them to discovery by the sentry. The level below was an open doorway into the windowed corridor connecting the tower to the main building, and Fox thought worried that if the sconces continued to light up as they passed, that might attract attention.
From the nod Krystal made over her shoulder, and her emotional tone, Krystal agreed with him, but Ema seemed confident... there was an impression overlaid on her emotions, like an after-image of text or an echo of speech, but not really either. Telepathy? If so, he couldn't quite get it, though Krystal seemed to as her emotions grew calmer.
Ema stopped by a familiar indentation to Fox, a staff interface, and plugged hers into it. A moments concentration, and the sconces dimmed to nothing, leaving only the reflected firelight through the windows ahead to show the way, and an illuminated doorway at the far end, some way into the pyramid from the range. They started to move, then Krystal started, holding up her hand, even as her mind echoed a sense of halting.
This time, Fox's impression of communication was even clearer, he got the general message that she'd sensed something up ahead, though it wasn't clear words. He could feel her dislike as she sensed a Sharpclaw, and relayed the feeling, a sensation he tasted as metal-iron-blood tinged. The dinosaur came into sight, silhouetted in the doorway, but didn't start down the corridor or look down it. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to be interested in moving on, either.
Ema's emotions took on a more martial tone, and he responded with negation. They might be able to sneak up on this guy and scrag him, but a single wrong move and he'd alert the whole base. He formed his thoughts as clearly as possible. 'There's a better way, something I've used before.'
The others looked at him in surprise, and he punched out a combination on his PDA. The holo-projector flew up over his head, and his form blurred. In a few seconds he'd been replaced by the figure of a Sharpclaw warrior, his training staff now a war axe. He thought, 'A disguise Slippy programmed for me. I can go up to the lizard openly, and remove him. Do you sense any others ,Krystal?'
She shook her head, and he could almost hear her voice saying 'No.' He looked to Ema for permission, and she nodded, emotions signalling assent. He walked forward, doing his best to remember the descriptions of how the Sharpclaws had acted around the Cloudrunners, the name they used.
He was only a few paces away from the Sharpclaw when it turned.
"Where you come from?" it asked in guttural Ancient.
'Well here goes...' Fox thought. He did his best to match the other's tone. "Got lost. Look for flap-things."
The other shook his head back and forth."Boss not let eat yet. Want little one, look tasty."
Fighting down the gorge that rose in his throat, Fox answered. "Maybe little one escape. Then we catch."
"Metal clouds guard. No escape. Get zap!"
Fox took a couple of steps back, looking over the Sharpclaw's shoulder and pointed. "But there one now!"
Even as the luckless guard turned, Fox was reaching over his shoulder, and his disguised staff was swept off his back into a two handed diagonal strike that crunched into the neck of the Sharpclaw. It's head bent at an odd angle and it's body slumped like a puppet with it's strings cut. Almost immediately, it flared out.
As he dropped out of his killing focus, he sensed the others coming up after him. Krystal's emotions were shock at the sudden violence, but thankfully not repulsion, though she seemed slightly ambivalent about his attacking from behind. Ema's reaction was more amusement.
"But there one now!" the tiger whispered, stifling a snort of laughter. "I can't believe that worked!"
"Wouldn't for long, but I didn't need long." Fox whispered back. "I had no choice but to take that guy down hard and fast. You understand Krystal?"
"Yes... sorry, I was ready for a straight fight."
Fox was relieved to feel as well as hear she understood. "I'm not proud of taking the cheap shot, but I'm not going to weep for him either. Those innocent Cloudrunners are far more important."
Krystal nodded, exhaling, and he felt her calming, becoming focussed. "You're right, neither am I."
Authors Notes: This and the next chapter were supposed to be a single one, but I decided to split it for easier reading. Don't worry, the boom I promised is coming soon enough. And in case you're wondering, the chapter title is from Blackadder, the full quote being 'as cunning as a fox who's just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University' and refers to cunning plans.