Vince death gripped the sides of his seat as the fighter lurched, another explosion reverberating through the hull.
"Damn it! well there is definitely a base here! God damn this is a lot of triple A!" he heard Mira speaking through her radio, not really seeing what was going on around him, namely because his eyes were sealed shut, muttering to himself that things were going to be alright. "Vince, are we close enough to get a scan!?" he managed to wretch his eyes open as he was slammed into the side of his seat, the view out the canopy spinning. He quickly tapped a few commands into the computer, missing a few keys.
"Ye-ah, just hold her steady, I cant get good images!" he heard her growl over the radio, gulping as she began to shout at him.
"Damnit vince! We are being shot at! I cant hold her steady! Man the fuck up and figure it out!" he was shocked, having never heard her angry. Oddly enough, it seemed that the sweetest kindest people always seemed to be the scariest when angry. He shook off his thoughts, trying to focus on gathering intel. There were no wireless networks for him to intrude on, their battle net had corporate grade encryption, best off the market in fact, and the best images he could get, even with the stabilizers built into the camera system, were blurred and messed up.
"I cant get anything Mira! This system isn't on par with Cornerian, it cant handle the maneuvers you are pulling!" he heard her groan.
"Alright, hang on things are gonna get…." There was another jerk from the fighter beneath him, causing him to snap another blurry photo of the sky.
"Bumpy?" he heard her half hearted laugh, causing him to gulp.
"No… no more like crashy. Hang on!" he death gripped the sides of his seat again as it seemed to drop out from beneath him. he screamed as his brain finally realized that they were diving straight down, the ground ripping toward them at an incredible rate. But even at the shear speed they were moving, Mira managed to pull them out of the dive, mere feet above the ground. His fingers flew into action, adjusting the camera and snapping as many photos as he could as they raced past. Most of the pictures had a slight blur to them, but could still be made out. His gut attempted to leave his body as the ship ripped upwards, ducking and weaving through the thick anti-air fire. The ship rocked as one of the rounds connected, a small scream ripping out of Vince. "Shesh, cut that crap out Vince! This fighter is already loud enough without you screeching in my ear every five seconds!" her voice dropped off for a second, now being broadcast over the squadron net.
"Charlie one to Dragon six. Mission accomplished." The unit commander's voice rang out over the comm net, vince breathing a sigh of relief as they left the range of the Anti-air fire, heading up toward space.
"Dragon Six to all planes. Pilot recovery operations complete. Dragon three-four is K-I-A. I'm sorry folks. Come on home. Dragon Six out." Vince watched as the eight remaining fighters of Dragon flight formed back around them, the thin atmosphere of Mars slowly fading into the almost comforting black starfield of space. It didn't take them long to link back up with the Lincoln, slipping back into the hanger they had launched from. All they way, he noticed the way the craft seemed to dip and drift for no reason. It was much more pronounced as Mira piloted them into the hanger, setting the fighter down on the deck with ear splitting crunch, leaving the fighter canted to one side.
"Damn it, I was hoping the damage wasn't that bad. Definitely not as tough as an Arwing." He barely payed attention to her voice as he unclipped the harness for his seat, the canopy opening as she began powering the fighter down. One of the techs had pushed a ladder up to the craft, vince nearly fall off of it as he shakily made his way down. Mira was making her own way down, wincing as she dropped the last foot or so. She was massaging her forearm as she stumbled slightly, clearly having some trouble walking.
"You okay Mira?" she shook her head, making her way to the underside of the fighter to inspect the damage. He followed her only to discover a large blackened hole in one of the engines. The burn around the hole seared and warped the metal hull several feet behind it, marking the angle the shot had hit at.
"Damn, they nailed us good. I guess for not having the armor of an Arwing, these things are pretty sturdy." A third voice joined them after Mira spoke, drawing both of their attention.
"Yeah. Tomcats are well renowned for their sturdy hull design. They'll keep together under some nasty fire, even with their low armor. unlike your Arwing. Too small, systems aren't as redundant. So thicker armor, but easier to kill if you can punch through that armor." Kyle was clanking his way over to them, smirking.
"Goo…good to know. God I have a killer head ache now!" Kyle gave her a worried look as she swayed on her feet, eyes closed with a hand pressed against her head.
"something wrong? are you sick?!" he danced a few steps away, looking even more worried.
"No, she's just suffering from Apoptosis poisoning. It's a mineral. Sort of." Kyle glanced at him, smirking as he relaxed.
"Alright Whitey. Why are you still wearing your dome piece?" Vince suddenly panicked, realizing he hadn't taken his helmet off. His hands flew to the sides of the helmet, trying to tug it off, only to remember the latches. "Here, dufas." He was struggling with the latches when his hands were brushed aside, Kyle quickly opening the helmet for him, which he quickly tugged off.
"I just forgot I was wearing it okay!?" Mira burst out laughing, Kyle chuckling slightly with her as she spoke, smiling.
"I was wondering when you would finally take that stupid thing off! Vince, you have a beautiful brain. Just keep it behind a desk." She was still chuckling, Vince glaring at her.
"With pleasure!" his voice, much to his ire and his compatriots delight, rose several octaves as he spoke.
"I mean, you should have heard him! he was freaking out over every single maneuver! Got quite distracting out there! All that intellect, and he's just a big baby!" she winked at him, gently punching his shoulder, to which he simply glared at her.
"Well, I'm going to get this data to gramps. He is probably already got some plan or another cooked up. In the mean time, Mira, find yourself a Tomcat. I'm down a pilot. Mind covering the hole?" she nodded and he glanced over at the rest of his pilots, a small sigh slipping out of him. "May he rest in peace." His small mutter was the last either of them heard, as he instantly turned and moved under the tomcat, yanking the data box from the fighter before striding off. Mira shortly followed him, Vince deciding to follow her, ending up at their room. She was already in her bunk, fast asleep. Vince sighed, pulling some clothes from his bag before stepping into the bathroom to change and follow suite.
Admiral Hawkins looked up as there was a knock on his door. He tapped the button on his holo computer to unlock the door, watching as Kyle stepped in, dropping into one of the seats without saying a word. They both remained silent for a while, just staring at each other, before Kyle finally spoke.
"you really believe this war wasn't started by Corneria?" the admiral nodded, still remaining silent. "Getting harder to say you are just being senile old man. A full blown base on Mars filled with Andross remnant tech….. it's….. well, it doesn't sound like their usual MO. Got a guess as to why they are here?" the admiral shook his head, a small sigh slipping out of Kyle.
"I was hoping we could find that out. As you saw for yourself, this isn't CDF. Besides, I doubt they could have gated troops in without us noticing, or snuck past our blockade. How much did we get on that fly by?" Kyle shrugged, playing with a loose thread on his flight suit.
"Not much. Mostly pictures. Got about twenty some odd air defense cannons, at least a battalion of troops, maybe more. Plenty of armor support and they are dug in like ticks. I'm shocked the furry managed to get down there and back without losing a ship."
"She's a member of Star Fox Kyle. You fought them. That should tell you how." Kyle smirked at his words, leaning forward as his face assumed a more curious expression.
"About that, what happened to Star Fox? I heard they took part in the initial invasion of Katina, and saw, but after that, they disappeared from the radar?" Admiral Hawkins quickly typed a few commands into his computer, pulling up several month old reports.
"Politics. Government shut down the use of Mercs, made it illegal to be a merc. So Star Fox disbanded, officially speaking. I'm forwarding you all of the Lylat reports from Captain Ramirez now. your eyes only, got it?" he nodded as the Admiral hit the send button on the documents, silence falling between them again. "So what do you think of her?" Kyle glanced at him, a knowing smirk on his face.
"She's got a good heart, and is stubborn as a mule, just like him. Not shocked those two get along. More I talk to her, more I realize she's perfect for him. better than Amanda was actually. she has the same habit of picking on people, but being there for them when shit hits the fan. Plus, honestly, I feel sorry for whatever bastard gets between her and finding him. she'd wipe my ass tomcat on tomcat. Plus, she learned his fucking language for crying out loud! Talk about dedication!" the admiral chuckled, leaning back in his chair and clasping his hands together.
"Glad you like her. I'm going to need Dragon squadron again. They going to be ready?" he nodded, holding up a data chip.
"As soon as you approve this, yes. I need four new ships. Mira is going to fly as Dragon three-four for now."
"I'm sorry about your pilot too. I heard the body couldn't be recovered." Kyle looked away and sighed, his voice quiet when he responded.
"Yeah. I'm going to tell the family that we buried him at sea. Why we still call it that, I don't know, but it will be easier for them that way. God I hate writing death reports." The Admiral nodded yet again, both of them falling into a knowing silence that only fellow soldiers could really understand. He finally stood after several minutes, snapping into a crisp and near perfect salute. The admiral instantly stood and returned the salute, Kyle leaving without a word.
Fox felt something warm and heavy on his arm, his eyes cracking open to see Krystal fast asleep, her head resting on his arm. He smiled at the sight of her, the door opening beyond her catching his attention. Townsend slipped in, the automatic door closing behind him. he quietly made his way over to the bed, his baggy face unreadable.
"Fox, one of my co-workers knows about a procedure they are testing. A sort of splice if you will, much like the connection they make for cybernetic limbs, but between your spine and nerves. It so far has had low success rates, maybe twenty five percent. He's already called the company asking about it. we can do the operation, but we cant guarantee anything." Fox instantly nodded, glancing at Krystal.
"Hell yeah. if I ever listened to the odds, I would not be where I am today." Townsend sighed, closing his eyes for several seconds before he spoke.
"Fox, there have been cases where paralyzed people have regained their ability to walk. It might take years but it's a chance…." Fox cut him off, instantly speaking.
"Yeah, so? This operation, it takes only days after right?" Townsend nodded, prompting him to continue. "I don't have years Doc. There is a war going on. So yes, I'm taking this chance. Got it?" he nodded, Fox hearing Krystal groan. Her eyes cracked open, looking between the two of them, still groggy from sleep.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep. What are you two talking about?" Fox smiled at her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
"A chance of me walking again. Don't worry about it, just go get yourself some food or something." She nodded and smiled, giving his cheek a quick kiss before leaving. Townsend watched her go, his baggy face still totally unreadable.
"It will take a few days for us to get the tech and the details of the procedure. You can stay here until then, okay?" Fox nodded, townsend leaving the room, leaving him with his thoughts. He couldn't help but hope the next time he left the hospital, it would be under his own legs.
Mira glared at the door to their room, having been sound asleep until someone started pounding on the door. Her muscles all screamed in protest as she rolled off the bed, still in her flight suit. Pain shot through her legs as she landed on the floor, wincing. Vince was still asleep in his bunk, snoring away. she ignored him, slapping the panel to open the door, finding a familiar set of green eyes on the otherside.
"Hey Bale. What's up?" the fully armored soldier smirked, his helmet under the crook of his arm to show off his military short black hair.
"Not much, just an Op order you and whitey gotta attend. Platoon level." She nodded, stepping into the room and gently shaking vince. He groggily cracked his eyes open, licking his chops several times.
"Come on vince, gotta get up." He groaned and sat up, feeling around the bed for his glasses, which were on the floor. Mira grabbed them and handed them to him before dragging him out of the bed, waiting just long enough for him to put boots on before dragging him from the room. Bale was watching him with an amused expression as Vince was totally content with being dragged along, not even seeming awake.
"He always like this?" Mira chuckled, glancing at her practical cargo.
"Until he gets some form of coffee, yeah, pretty much." Bale laughed shaking his head. Mira gave him a quick glance, just to be sure he didn't notice the small devious smile that was growing on her muzzle. "So, Haden, what's the deal with Carrion?" she had noticed on her forays into the platoon area that the two of them were damn near joined at the hip, although she had yet to see a direct show of affection between the two of them. He turned bright red, looking away from her as he responded.
"Uh, I… we're friends. I guess." Mira rolled her eyes, unable to stop the smirk she had.
"Seems like more than that to me. Call it a gal's intuition." He gulped several times, seeming like he would squirm right out of his armor if he could right now.
"Uh….. well…. Yeah I like her. I mean, we are both from Ganymede. Same city even, so we just click! And she's, well, gorgeous so…. Um." Mira cut him off, giving his shoulder a gentle pat.
"And I'd say it's a mutual feeling. Ask her out dufas. Before someone else does." Bale groaned his face falling.
"I would but it's against military regs. Or, I think it is." Mira laughed, unable to stop her eyes from rolling as she muttered to herself about men having no backbone.
"So? My boyfriend didn't let that stop him. he was a lieutenant dating his platoon's medic. So if he could keep that relationship under the radar, you can keep you two's." he nodded, smiling broadly as they stepped into a room near the bunk room, which happened to be a small amphitheater. Vince instantly dropped into a seat, nearly falling asleep on the spot, to which Mira dragged him back up, forcible marching him to the front of the room, where the platoon sergeant, Kyle, and a female captain she didn't recognize were all standing, near a large screen. The sergeant nodded to them, which Mira returned as she watched Bale drop into a seat, beside Carrion.
"Alright, now that everyone is here, lets get this over with!" the sergeant was speaking, the lights dimming as he did so. Mira guessed someone was controlling the screen, letting her focus shift to it. "Most of you are aware of the situation by now. a military force of Lylatian origin is currently camping on Mars. The area is very rugged, with a canyon at the northeast edge of the base. Canyon is large enough to make it a natural barrier, so we can not approach from that side. Most of the terrain is rocky with shifting sand dunes. We wont be able to know the exact terrain until we are on the ground. Gravity is mars standard of point three eight gee's. We believe the base has artificial gravity but only inside. The air is extremely thin, about the same as the top of mount Everest, at a rough of six P-S-I" Kyle seemed to know that herself and Vince likely didn't know what that meant.
"Earth norm is close to fifteen P-S-I. I hear Corneria is about the same." She nodded, barely catching what the platoon sergeant was saying.
"So breath masks are going to be vital, but not impossible to survive without. Our mission is simple. Assault the compound, and acquire any intelligence we can. Vince Stazac here is in charge of gathering that intel, so all we gotta do is keep him alive." The image changed from a topographical map to a wire frame version of the known base structures and terrain. "Our first objective is to destroy this anti-aircraft battery. There are three guns in the battery." The image highlighted the guns, near the edge of the base. "After that, we push forward to the main complex, securing the area and checking for any intelligence along the way. We will be working alongside second platoon, as well as the rest of the battalion, and two other battalions, the twenty seventh armored, and the four forty second infantry battalions. We will be assigned a platoon from the armor to support our assault. Meanwhile, the sixty third air defense wing will be providing top cover for the operation. Captain Robles and her Dragon squadron will be providing airstrikes on tap for us." the female captain nodded to the sergeant as he gestured to her. "That means watch your fire on the right and left flanks, you could be putting rounds at friendlies. Deployment will be via O-D-P. We got this gentlemen." The three or four women around the room all glared at him, a small smirk spreading across the sergeants face.
"And ladies. Make sure to have NODs prepped and resupply bags ready, we will not know how long this mission will take. Dismissed!" the platoon all started standing, several conversations breaking out as they did so.
"So where am I during this?" the platoon sergeant glanced at her, just before jerking his thumb at the captain.
"Talk to Samantha. You'll be in her squadron for this mission. Vince, I'll scrounge up a vest for you. You have a weapon right?" he shakily nodded, no longer seeming asleep now that he knew he was going to likely be shot at. Mira started to step by them, waving her hand at the captain to gain her attention, just barely catching what he said next to vince. "Don't worry, we'll keep you out of the line of fire. Second Platoon and the armor are going to be doing the heavy lifting here." The captain nodded to her, holding her hand out to Mira as she got closer.
"Pleased to meet you Marshall. Ready to fly?" she nodded, accepting the handshake as she spoke.
"How hard would it be to be able to land once the double A is down? I'd like to join the ground force." She sighed, glancing back at the screen.
"There aren't many area's large enough for a tomcat to land until they reach the main complex. Once they get there, I'll clear you to land. See you in a few hours." Mira nodded to the woman, catching up with Vince to start preparing their gear.