While the first victory had been obtained, two more would need to follow. The blue planet liberated by Blue team, and so comes the planet frozen under ice. Leave a review if you'd like, and as always; enjoy the chapter!

Fichina: Day 26

~It did not take long for the news of the victory of Aquas to spread to the rest of the Cornerian forces. Morale rose amongst the soldiers, and the hearts of Gold and Red team were lifted knowing their comrades were successful. As for Gold team however, their fight was fast approaching.

Within the blue hue of a hyperspace jump, Gold team accompanied the entirety of the Husky and Badger fleets. The massive force would arrive at Fortuna in a matter of minutes, and so Gold team had some down time to discuss Aquas. "I knew those C.O.R. scum bags couldn't handle Blue team and their help." Falco assertively said from within the cockpit of the Skyclaw. "Not even with the Purifier, the C.O.R. had no chance."

"I read up on the report that the Purifier decimated over half the C.O.R. forces in orbit." Isaac said as he looked at a battle report on Nightshade HUD. "Says here it killed over sixty capital ships, destroyers, and frigates in total with just one use."

"A weapon like that in the wrong hands would be devastating." Katt said as she tightly gripped her flight controls. "I'm glad that thing is on our side."

"Me too." Joey hastily said. "I wouldn't want to be on the wrong end of that big gun."

"No kidding." Isaac said. "Thing has got to be the most iconic weapon Lylat has ever seen."

"Hell Iconic would be an understatement." Falco softly said. "I also read up that Axios is back."

"Yea I read that too! Thank god Marcus patched him up, we're going to really need his help."

"The report said he activated a hidden feature in the Archangel." Joey said as he looked at an old scan of the Archangel. "A quad canon barrage package. I never knew that his fighter packed that much of a punch."

"The guys is full of surprises, what can you say?" Katt said as she stretched her arms. "Either way, he's back now so that's even better for us."

Falco looked at his console and an alarm sounded off signaling the end of the hyperspace jump. "We're green guys." He said to his team. "Coming out of the jump in five."

After a brief moment, the four fighters of Gold team exited their hyperspace jump and entered the Fichina space zone. "There she is." Falco said as he looked at his scanners. "And a crap load of C.O.R. to boot. We've got a lot of work to do here."

"Good thing we brought friends!" Katt called out.

Falco looked over his shoulder and noticed the nine fleets of Husky and Badger fleets enter the space zone. "Commander Grey of the 1st Husky fleet to all Cornerian forces." Bill said over the fleet wide communications channel. "Deploy all fighter squadrons and prepare for combat. Our mission is simple: We are to engage the C.O.R. at the Cornerian capital colony of Horizon. Reports say that Horizon is one of the few remaining colonies under siege from the C.O.R., and we're going to bail them out."

"Hey Bill, got a read out on this colony we're heading to?" Falco asked.

"Sending the scans to you and Gold team now Falco."

Gold team looked at their HUDs and they looked upon a large, arctic mountain range. The colony of Horizon is built entirely into the mountains. Several dozen structures hang from the sides of the mountains, and the majority of the structures contain defensive AA turrets to protect from invaders. "Nice to see these guys have lasted this long." Katt said as she read the scans. "I heard they went under siege in day one."

"Yea but the intense cold and ice slowed the C.O.R. down immensely." Isaac interjected. "The colony itself has many structures completely coated in ice, and the only way to get inside the majority of these structures are through some heavily defended check points at the entrances of some mountain cave networks."

"Widen your scans too Katt." Joey said. "While half of the colony is built on the sides of the mountains, the other half is actually built inside them. It's similar to Axios's hidden mountain base in MacBeth. No matter how hard they try, the C.O.R. can't exactly force their way in."

"We're lucky the C.O.R. didn't just flatten the whole mountain." Falco said as he closed the scans. "Either way, that's where the majority of the C.O.R. are at so let's give them hell."

"One thing at a time there squad lead!" Isaac hastily said. "I've got a massive C.O.R. force coming in from the far side of the planet!"

Gold team and the ships of the Husky and Badger fleets noticed several C.O.R. fleets quickly approaching them from the far side of Fichina. As the C.O.R. appeared, Bill scanned the C.O.R. numbers and readied himself for his tactical command. "We've got the numbers on our side this time." Bill said as he looked at his scanners. "We out number them three to one."

"Three to one in space Commander Grey." Command Lora interjected. "But not in the planet." Gold team and Bill noticed a new monitor open up on their HUDs. They looked upon a tall, thin, female hare dressed in a blue commander's uniform. The hare had white fur with grey tints around her cheeks and eyes, and she stood tall with her hands behind her back. "Commander Grey." Commander Lora continued. "I suggest dividing our efforts on two fronts. Take your four fleets and assist gold team in the planetary invasion. I will assume tactical command here in space."

"The C.O.R. are in between us and the planet commander." Bill responded. "I can't exactly just walk my fleets through their line without sustaining heavy casualties."

"Commanders Grey and Lora, this is Isaac Doran of Star Fox's Gold team." Isaac interjected as he looked at a scan of the Cornerian fleets. "I may have an alternative that'll satisfy both of your needs."

"Let's hear it Isaac."

"All Cornerian vessels are equipped with ABJDs that can be used to quickly enter the planet from a close orbit jump point. If we punch a hole in the C.O.R. defensive line, Husky fleets can activate their ABJDs and enter the planet without C.O.R. interference."

"In English Isaac!" Falco interrupted. "What the hell is an ABJD?"

"It's known as Atmospheric Breach Jump Drives." Joey said. "It's like a hyperspace jump, but only its meant for short range jumps to quickly go through a planet's atmosphere in a matter of seconds. The reason we need to punch a hole in the C.O.R. defenses is because the jump calculations need to be precise, and there can be no massively sized objects to interfere with the jump."

"So you're saying that we could be crashing into a C.O.R. ship at the speed of light?" Katt hastily asked.

"Only if they're in the way."

"Commander Grey here." Bill interrupted. "The C.O.R. forces are going to be on us in two minutes. I concur with Gold team's suggestion. Commander Lora, if you can punch a hole for my ships to pass, then we can jump into the planet and proceed with the next phase of the invasion."

"So be it." Commander Lora responded. "This is Commander Lora of the 1st Badger fleet to all Badger fleet personnel, we're going to make a hole in the C.O.R. line for the Husky fleet ships to activate their ABJDs. Prepare assault formation delta, and deploy all fighter squadrons."

"Commander Grey to all Husky fleet personnel, recall all fighter squadrons and bring spare power to frontal Radex shielding. We're not going to be staying in space for long. All destroyers, prep for a preemptive bombardment package for the first line of C.O.R. ships and await my mark to jump."

As the Cornerian ships reorganized themselves for their new strategy, Gold team turned their fighters around and flew towards the Sheppard. "Shame our fighters don't have ABJDs." Falco said. "We could have used them in the past."

"Let's just take what we can get." Joey said. "We've got the Husky fleets to carry us into the planet. Let's put a little faith in them shall we?"

After a few moments, the four fighters of Gold team approached one of the Sheppard's hangers on the port side and they flew inside to dock their fighters. As the last of the Husky fleet fighters docked in their appropriate capital ships, the first line of C.O.R. forces entered the Cornerian attack range. "Sir!" a crewman called out to Bill. "They're in range!"

"Then what are you waiting for." Bill responded. "Light them up!"

The Cornerian capital ships and destroyers of the Husky and Badger fleets opened fire on the approaching C.O.R. forces. The C.O.R. capital ships and destroyer immediately retaliated with their own mini-Shroud canon fire, and the two factions entered their fleet battle. While the battle ensued, Falco and Gold team dismounted their fighters and quickly ran out of the hanger. They ran through the halls of the Sheppard and arrived at the bridge to find Bill giving out his commands to his bridge crew. "I want more fire onto the C.O.R. destroyers at our one o'clock sector two." Bill said as he pointed to one of his crewman. "And have destroyer group three focus fire on the capital ship at our twelve. We need them out of our way."

"Bill!" Falco called out.

Bill turned around and noticed Gold team in the bridge. "Come to see a show?" Bill asked to hide his surprise.

"Figured we could do some more good up here and sitting on our butts in-"

An explosion near the bridge exterior shook the entirety of the bridge causing its crew to stumble to the side. As the crew regained their composure, Bill rushed to his command terminal. "Report!" he called out.

"We have enemy fighters in near proximity of the bridge defensive turrets!" a crewman called out. "The C.O.R. have destroyed the automated turret controls on the exterior!"

Bill turned around and gave Gold team a serious look. "I've got four turret platforms on the roof of this brick and they're not firing." Bill said to Gold team. "We can't control them from here, so I need you four to get up there and put them back to work."

"How do we get there then?" Isaac hastily asked.

"Sergeant!"

Gold team looked to the side and noticed an officer quickly approach Bill. "Get these four to the sector one bridge turrets and get them strapped in ASAP!" he said.

"Yes sir!" the sergeant responded. "Gold team, on me!"

"By us some time Gold team!"

Gold team quickly followed the officer out of the bridge and the five of them ran through the halls of the Sheppard towards the nearest elevator. The elevator climbed to the top floor of the Sheppard and Gold team and the sergeant quickly dismounted. They ran through the halls once more until they arrived at the turret control room located above the bridge of the Sheppard.

The control room housed four large operating terminals with each terminal having a large dome like HUD. Each terminal also has a pair of joystick controls with triggers and several other buttons mounted onto the sides. "Strap in Gold team." The sergeant said.

The four members of Gold team quickly took their seats and they gripped their joystick controls. Immediately upon gripping their controls, they noticed limb restraints close around their shoulders, and legs. A mechanical sphere sealed each member inside, and Falco became slightly nervous. "What's next?" Falco asked.

"Give them hell!" The sergeant replied. "Activating the turrets now!"

To their surprise, Gold team felt their chairs slowly rise along a mechanical track that carried them through a small tunnel. The lights around them quickly shut off and their HUDs activated. As their chairs reached the end of their track, Gold team looked through their dome shaped windows to see that their tracks carried them to the very exterior of the Sheppard. As they arrived, they also saw that each of them had control over four individual turrets on their platform. "Oh I am definitely all over this…" Falco said in his excitement.

After a brief moment, their dome HUD activated showing them four crosshairs in a trapezoidal layout. Their turret controls all activated and their communicators activated as well. "Gold team!" Falco called out in the communicator. "Press it!"

The four members of Gold team squeezed their controls and opened fire upon the C.O.R. fighters above. Each of their fully automatic turrets fired Turan laser rounds, and Gold team quickly began shooting down C.O.R. fighters with ease. Within the bridge, Bill noticed that Gold team had reached the turrets. "Sir!" a crewman called out. "Gold team is-"

"I know." Bill interrupted. "They'll keep us covered. In the mean time, I want destroyer groups three through six to set up a barrage fire to our twelve. It's time we punched the hole for the ABJDs."

Bill reached for his communications terminal and changed the frequency to contact Commander Lora. "Commander Lora, this is commander Grey." Bill said into the terminal. "I have marked two C.O.R. destroyer groups that are impeding my fleet's jump path. Prepare for a synchronized bombardment on the target craft."

Commander Lora looked through her bridge HUD and noticed seven C.O.R. destroyers become highlighted in red. "Destroyer groups one through four." She said. "Target the marked destroyers and await my mark for bombardment. Commander Grey, my ships will be in position momentarily. Continue your assault."

"All Husky personnel, we are prepping for the jump into the planet. All ships, begin jump calculations and prepare for a preemptive assault planet side."

While the Badger and Husky fleets moved their ships into position, Gold team continued to fire upon the C.O.R. fighters circulating around the bridge of the Sheppard. Though the C.O.R. fighters moved quickly, Gold team shot down the surrounding fighters with relative ease. "Yea! Ha ha!" Isaac cheerfully yelled as he tightly squeezed his triggers. "What do you got bitches! What do you got!"

"I haven't had fun like this in ages!" Joey called out as he targeted a squad of C.O.R. fighters. "Hey Falco! How many kills you got there psycho?"

"More than you wise guy!" Falco responded upon destroying a pair of C.O.R. fighters. "Oh man! I could do this all day!"

"You boys are going to drive me up the damn wall." Katt said as she targeted more C.O.R. fighters ."All you guys care about are kill counts!"

"Hey we're just having a friendly competition pussy cat. Lighten up a bit." Falco's attention turned to a flashing yellow light on his turret control console. He pressed the button and opened his communications line. "Gold team!" he said.

"Falco, this is Bill." Bill said from within the bridge. "We're in the final stages of the jump. We're about to release a canon barrage upon the C.O.R. line and then we're going into the planet.."

"So what do you want us to do then Commander?!" Isaac asked. "Are you going to pull us back inside or no?"

"Keep up your supporting fire. Once we're in the planet, I'll need you guys in the air."

"I hear ya Bill!" Falco responded. "Gold team, let's finish racking up some more kills and get ready to spread those wings."

As Gold team continued to shoot down their targets, the ships of the Cornerian fleets prepared the synchronized canon barrage. A few dozen C.O.R. ships were targeted by several dozen destroyers from both the Husky fleets and Badger fleets. As Bill's bridge crew finalized the jump calculations, a countdown appeared on the bridge HUD of the Sheppard. "Countdown to the barrage is t-minus thirty seconds!" a bridge crewman called out.

"Commander Lora, this is Commander Grey." Bill said in his communications terminal. "Thirty seconds form firing. Good luck up here."

"And to you as well Commander Grey." Commander Lora responded.

As the countdown neared zero, the many destroyers of the Husky and Badger fleets charged their canons and targeted the C.O.R. first line. "All ships…" Bill said in the fleet wide communicator. "Fire at will!"

Following his command, the many destroyers of the Husky and Badger fleets focused their fire upon several tightly grouped C.O.R. destroyers. Within a matter of moments, the massive canon barrage eliminated enough C.O.R. destroyers to leave a large hole in the C.O.R. defensive line. As the last destroyer exploded from the canon barrage, the Husky fleet had their window. "The barrage has punched a hole in their line!" Bill called out to the rest of his Husky fleet commanders. "All Husky fleet personnel, activate your jump drives!"

Within the bridge of the Sheppard, Bill grabbed hold onto a nearby rail as he felt his capital ship accelerate towards the C.O.R. line. After a few moments, a new countdown appeared on his bridge HUD and he tightened his grip on his rail. "Jumping in three!" a crewman called out. "Two! One!"

As his timer struck zero, a white hue of light surrounded the bridge windshield a bright flash quickly followed. Before he realized it, Bill looked through the bridge windshield and gazed upon the frozen tundra of Fichina. "Sir!" a crewman called out. "We have breached the atmosphere, and are currently planet side!"

"And the rest of the fleets?" Bill asked.

In response to Bill's question, he noticed another group of fleet contacts appear in his radar on his terminal. All four Husky fleets successfully made the jump into the planet, and quickly joined their ships with Bill's fleet. "Looks like we've got a full party." Bill said as he looked at his radar. "Gold team, Bill here. You've done your job, time for you to get airborne."

"Copy that Commander." Isaac responded.

"Let's get out of these turrets." Falco said.

The four turret control spheres quickly descended back into the hull of the Sheppard. As the four spheres reached the bottom of their tracks, the seat restraints retracted back into their slots. Gold team quickly exited their seats and ran out of the turret control room. They took the nearest elevator to descend to the main deck of the ship, and they ran towards the hanger. As they entered the hanger, they quickly made their way towards their fighters and mounted them. "We're going into the heat now?" Joey asked as he powered up his Havok.

"Yes we are." Falco responded as he powered up his Skyclaw. "Joey, Isaac, make sure you two use your ship mods to their fullest. We've got a hell of a fight coming our way and we need every edge we can get."

"Understood." Joey and Isaac responded.

"Katt, you'll stick with me."

"You protecting me from danger bird boy?" Katt cheerfully asked. "I'm touched."

"Don't let it get to your head pussy cat."

Gold team lifted their fighters into a hover and watched as the main hanger doors opened before them. As the doors opened entirely, the Skyclaw, Cat's Paw II, Nightshade, and Havok lead an entire Cornerian fighter squadron out of the capital ship. Bill watched from the bridge as all of the Cornerian fighters deployed into the air. "All fighters deployed sir!" a crewman called out. "ETA to Horizon is two minutes!"

"All fighters, your objective is to liberate the colony from the C.O.R. threat." Bill said over the fleet wide communicator. "I want half the available forces to assist with the upcoming fleet battle above the cloud layer. The rest will support the colonial defenses that remain."

"Commander Grey, this is Commander Red of the 2nd Husky fleet." Commander Red said. "I have a projection of three additional C.O.R. fleets already over the colony."

Bill and Gold team watched as a new monitor opened in the lower corner of their windshield HUDs. They looked upon a tall, built, red furred tiger dressed in a red commander's uniform. The tiger wore an eye patch over his left eye and stood with his hands behind his back. "My scanners indicate that the C.O.R. haven't been able to finish the job with the colony." Commander Red continued. "Some of the colonial defenses may still be functional."

"Then we'll make sure to give them some relief." Bill responded. "Gold team, I'm placing you in charge of the fighter squadrons over Horizon. Commander Red and I will direct our efforts at the C.O.R. fleet above."

Upon hearing Bill's words, Falco became nervous. He never assumed a command larger than his own group, and Bill had just entrusted half of the Husky fighter pilots to him. "All right then, I can handle that." Falco said while hiding his nervousness.

Falco looked at his radar and noticed nearly a hundred new friendly contacts appear behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw firsthand the many Cornerian fighters flying behind him in a large grouped formation. "Oh jeez…" he softly said to himself.

"Star Fox Gold team." A pilot said over Falco's radio. "Our ETA to the colony is one minute. What are your orders?"

Falco did not respond as he could not think of a proper order to give to his pilots. "Damn, Fox and Marcus are surely a lot better at this than I am." He thought. "Got to give them something."

Falco pressed a button on his console and took a deep breath. "This is Falco of Gold team." Falco said to all the Cornerian pilots. "Stick with your squads and spread out over the colony. Provide some cover for the colonial defenses and shoot down any in all C.O.R. scum bags you come across. I don't want to see a single C.O.R. ship in the air when we're done with this place, you get me?"

"Sir yes sir!" All the Cornerian pilots responded simultaneously."

Falco looked to his sides and noticed all of the Cornerian fighters speeding up towards the colony. As he watched his pilots fly before him, he fell into a minor daze. "Did I just do that?" he asked himself.

"Hey!" Katt called out as she brought the Cat's Paw II next to the Skyclaw. "You're in command now! I know it feels all well and good, but a good commander leads by example. So how about you shows these guys how it's done?"

"I like the sound of that." Falco slammed his foot on his booster pedals and Katt, Joey, and Isaac quickly did the same. The four fighters of Gold team quickly sped out in front of the Cornerian pilots and the Cornerian pilots quickened their pace as well. Within a matter of moments, Gold team and the Cornerian pilots arrived at the mountain range housing the colony of Horizon. At the same time, a massive number of C.O.R. contacts appeared in close range of their radars. Soon C.O.R. fighters came upon Gold team and their Cornerian pilots, and the two factions engaged in their battle in the skies.

As the fighters with Gold team fought below, the fighters assisting the fleets climbed in altitude to find and target the remaining C.O.R. fleets within the area. After climbing several thousand feet, Bill gazed upon the three remaining C.O.R. fleets. "Enemy sighted Commander!" a crewman said to Bill. "They are charging weapons!"

"Then let's take them down." Bill said. "All ships, fire at will!"

Following his command, the many ships of the Husky fleet opened fire upon the C.O.R. forces within the distance. As the C.O.R. returned fire, the small fighters of the Husky fleet sped towards the C.O.R. fleets to engage their first line of destroyers. "All fighters deployed." Commander Red said to Bill. "Time to get tactical."

"Mark some of their destroyers and we'll take them out together." Bill responded as he crossed his arms. "Maybe this time you won't lose an eye."

"I suppose I do owe you for Fortuna those years ago. You saved my ship."

"Win this battle and we'll call it even." Bill reached for his command terminal and opened up a communications line with Gold team. "Falco, its Bill. The battle up here is now under way, how are things on your end?"

Down below at the frozen mountain range, Gold team, along with the Cornerian pilots, fought valiantly against the C.O.R. forces. "Things are chaotic!" Falco said as he shot down a pair of C.O.R. fighters. "We've got as many C.O.R. down here than Cornerians, but we're holding. Horizon's defensive towers are almost all wasted, and the colony doesn't have much to defend with."

"Defend the colony. Whatever it takes, we're here to eliminate the C.O.R. threat."

"Copy." Falco silenced his communicator and focused on a C.O.R. fighter flying before him. "Guess we really have quite the work load ahead of us." Falco squeezed his triggers and shot down his target. "Too easy." He said.

On the other side of the fight, Joey locked onto a pair of C.O.R. fighters flying closely to the ground. "And where do you think you're going?" He asked as he charged his laser round. Joey released his triggers and watched as his charged round impacted one of the fighters and destroyed them both. "Got you."

Joey pulled his fighter up towards the upper level of the colony and noticed two squads of Cornerian fighters being attacked by the C.O.R., and reached for a switch in his console. "Time to even the odds a bit." He said. "This is Joey, I'm releasing my combat drones!"

Joey pulled a lever on his console and his four small drones dropped out from the back of his fighter. The four drones quickly extended their wings and immediately spread out from the Havok. "Give them hell ladies…" Joey said as he saw his four drones engage the C.O.R.

While the combat drones shot down more C.O.R. fighters, Katt struggled to break from a trio of C.O.R. fighters from her tail. "I could use a hand here boys!" Katt called out as she struggled to lose her pursuers. "I'm not exactly in the best of places right now!"

"I'm on your six Katt!" Isaac called out from a distance.

Katt looked over her shoulder to see the Nightshade quickly approaching her pursuers. As Isaac closed the distance between him and Katt's pursuers, he noticed a pair of C.O.R. fighters suddenly appear behind him. "Oh give me a break." Isaac said in his frustration.

The C.O.R. fighters behind Isaac opened fire upon the Nightshade and forced Isaac to break off from Katt's pursuers. "Katt just give me thirty seconds!" Isaac said as he pulled away from Katt's pursuers. "Need to take out some trash really quick!"

Isaac flew his fighter into an area of with more open space and he waited for the C.O.R. fighters to fly right behind him. "Now! He thought to himself. Isaac activated the Nightshade's drift modification and rotated the fighter to face behind him. He quickly shot down his pursuers as he drifted in his current trajectory. Isaac eliminated his pursuers and brought his fighter to face forward once more to quickly turned back to help Katt. "I'm coming Katt!" Isaac called out.

Though Katt struggled to lose her pursuers, she succeeded in eliminating a pair of C.O.R. fighters that flew in front of her. After eliminating the fighters, her cockpit violently shook as the side of the Cat's Paw II was struck with laser fire. "Any time now Isaac!" Katt cried out.

Kat looked over her shoulder and noticed the Nightshade flying towards her head on. Isaac carefully aimed his fighter around the Cat's Paw II and squeezed his triggers. Katt quickly piloted her fighter straight downward giving Isaac a clear shot at her pursuers. After a brief moment, Isaac eliminated Katt's pursuers and Katt joined Isaac's wing. "Beautiful!" She said in her relief. "I could ki-"

"Let's not go there." Isaac interrupted. "I rather not piss off Falco."

"Whatever you say hun."

"I heard that…" Falco lowly said over the communicator. "You making moves on my girl Isaac?"

"Not what you think boss man." Isaac hastily interjected. "I've-"

Isaac silenced himself as C.O.R. laser fire struck the side of the Nightshade. Isaac's cockpit shook violently and Isaac broke off form Katt's wing. Seeing his comrade being shot, Joey grew irritated. "Less talk about love!" Joey called out to his team. "Focus on the fight at hand! These C.O.R. punks made short work of my drones and I've got two on my tail. Isaac, how about a hand here!"

"Right!" Isaac hastily responded. "Getting my ass shot up over a damn flirt…"

Isaac banked hard to the side to get the Nightshade behind the pair of C.O.R. fighters pursuing Joey. He locked onto his targets and he charged a laser round. "I've got two locked on." He said. "Firing!"

Isaac released his charged laser round and destroyed both of his fighters mid flight. As he banked back to join the rejoin his teammates, he, and the rest of Gold team noticed their radios suddenly activate. "Gold team here!" Falco said into his communicator.

"Falco, this is Bill." Bill said form the bridge of the Sheppard. "The battle up here in the upper atmosphere is nearly won. Commander Lora has also informed me that the battle in orbit has nearly been taken as well. Our numbers are making short work of the C.O.R., but we've taken a hit on casualties on both fronts. We're moving through the planet, and we'll be done up here soon to get you guys some help below."

"Well that's great! But the C.O.R. down here are still being a pain. We've downed a crap load of their fighters already, but they're still hitting the colony hard."

"We'll be down there really soon. Hang tight."

Falco silenced his communicator and focused once more on the battle at hand. He found another pair of C.O.R. fighters flying before him and he quickly pursued them. "To think that these jokers ever thought they could rule Lylat…" Falco said as he locked onto his targets. "Give me a break. I've faced Venomians with more bite than these guys."

Falco shot down his two targets and banked to the side. As he flew high above the mountains, he took a moment to admire the view as he could see the entirety of the colony in the mountain range. He watched as a wave of Cornerian fighters shot down a wave of C.O.R. fighters, and watched as a trio of C.O.R. fighters hot down a Cornerian fighter. As he flew by, his thoughts began to take him. "I don't believe this…" he thought to himself. "Why now? Why did I ever have to get dragged into another cross system wide war? Cornerians and C.O.R. at each other's throats, when did this come to be?"

Falco quickly pulled his mind away from his thoughts as he noticed another pair of C.O.R. fighters before him. "This is all because of Harbinger…" he continued to think as he pursued his targets. "We were just fine dealing with Andross, the Apparoids, and the Anglars. Those were our wars, our struggle. But this, this isn't our war. This isn't meant for us."

Falco locked onto his targets and quickly shot down his targets. He banked to the side and sped towards the colony to find more C.O.R. fighters. "Axios…" Falco thought. "Ever since we've met you, you've surely turned our lives upside down. The Black Suns, the Crimson Organization, and now the C.O.R. too. All of these guys had ties to you, and then they started gunning after us. A lot of good people died ever since we've met you."

Falco found a trio of C.O.R. fighters flying in a tight formation. He locked onto the lead fighter and charged his laser round. "I know you've saved my butt a good amount of times, and you've helped us turn the tides." Falco continued to think. "But I everywhere you go, problems always seem to follow. Axios, I love you like a brother, but you're cursed. I wonder if you'll ever have a chance to settle down and live a normal life like Fox and Slippy."

Falco released his laser round and destroyed the trio of fighters midflight. As he flew to find more targets, he looked on his radar and noticed a large number of friendly contacts approaching the colony. "This is Commander Lora to All Husky personnel." Commander Lora said as the Badger fleets approached the colony. "We've taken care of the orbital blockade and are proceeding to assist."

"Commander Grey here to all Badger and Husky personnel." Bill said from the Sheppard. "The last few C.O.R. fleet ships are falling now, we're diverting ships to assist with the relief effort over the colony."

Falco looked to his sides and noticed the two Cornerian fleet groups approaching the colony. Seeing that the battle was quickly won, Falco took a deep breath and regrouped with his team. "Gold team, we've got this battle in the bag." Falco said into his communicator. "Let's let the cavalry take care of this."

"Something wrong boss man?" Joey asked as he became confused. "I thought you always enjoyed a good fight from start to finish."

"We've got more Cornerians down here than C.O.R., so let's fall back to the Sheppard."

"Commander Lombardi!" A Cornerian pilot called out over the communicator. "Come in, Commander Lombardi!"

Falco became surprised at the Cornerian pilot calling out to him and became nervous. "Falco here." He said. "Go ahead."

"It was a damn fine pleasure flying beside you sir!" The Cornerian pilot called out. "I say that on the behalf of all of squadron two!"

"Squadron one lead here!" Another pilot called out. "I'll second that! You guys fight like no tomorrow! It was an honor!"

Falco became shocked to hear the pilots cheerful words, and he heard similar chants from three other squadron leaders. As they continued to praise him, Falco took a deep breath and smiled. The feelings of praise brought relief to Falco, and he felt proud of all of the pilots that flew under his command. He slightly turned his head back towards the fight as he and Gold team flew back towards the Sheppard. "Heh…" Falco softly said as he turned his head away. "The honor was mine."

"Falco, I've got a crew waiting for your team in hanger three." Bill said as the Sheppard descended into the colony. "We've got it from here."

"Right, but something is bugging me about this fight."

"What do you mean?"

"This fight… it was too easy."