Here we go, the next chapter of Star Fox Annilahation. So far the story's going good and I'm glad you guys are still keeping up. Hopefully I can keep it going and y'all will continue to enjoy it.
I can't really think of anything to say other than I'm surprised the story is still going. Usually my stories don't last this long or I've given up on them. The only thing I can think to say is that this is mostly a dialogue chapter with a unique meeting. So we'll see how that goes.
Hope you enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 13: Red Tape
Macbeth, Cornerian Military Base
"So, this is Macbeth." Krystal asked as she stood with Fox and Vixy at the edge ramp looking over the Cornerian military base.
Any high expectations Krystal had about their stop been dashed the moment she saw what Macbeth was actually like. The planet itself appeared to be just a barren desert landscape with nothing but, as Fox called them, industrial businesses, ruining the area with small impoverished homes around them. The Cornerian military base she found herself standing before wasn't much better with the personnel using rundown buildings and tents for nearly everything. The only things that seemed to be of good quality were the weapons and vehicle the Cornerian military was using. All in all, Krystal finally understood why Miyu called Macbeth a crap hole. If it wasn't for Fox and Vixy by her side she would head back into the Great Fox without a second thought.
If my fellow Cerinians saw this place they would be disgusted by it. Krystal thought.
"Yeah, not exactly pleasing to the eye." Fox said as he shouldered his bag. "You'll be here for a while so best to get used to it."
"That is not making me feel better Fox."
"I know, but that's the reality you face. Since Daria is stationed here this is where she'll be training you."
"This sucks, though if I want to be in your team I don't see what other choice I have." Krystal replied with a huff then looked around the base, freeing her mind to the others in her view. "So, where's Daria, wasn't she supposed to meet us here?"
"I don't know, in her message she said there was a lot of business she needed to attend to, so finding her may be a little difficult."
"In a base this big I can easily see that. There is nothing like this on Cerinia."
"Too bad this is a normal sized Cornerian military base. That makes finding her even harder. I've tried reaching Daria on her communicator but no answer." Fox replied with a sigh. "Can't you use your telepathy to find her?"
"No, I have been trying that ever since we stepped off the Great Fox. Unfortunately, there are too many minds around. I cannot pick her out."
"Huh, that's too bad. I guess that leaves us at the option of wondering around till we find her. Eventually we'll find her."
Great, not how I wanted to spend this afternoon. Krystal thought as she walked beside Fox.
"So, why aren't the other's coming with us, daddy?" Vixy asked, getting both Fox and Krystal's attention.
"Because Falco and Miyu are still asleep while Peppy, Slippy, and Fay are busy. Besides, they're not needed for what we're doing, it's mostly family stuff." Fox explained.
"Makes sense I guess. But why is Krystal here?"
"Because I thought she should meet your aunt Daria . . . and because she'll be training Krystal."
"Oh, now I understand." Vixy said then looked at Krystal with a playful smile. "Aunt Daria is going to make you wish you'd never been born."
Oh great, even a four year old kit knows I'm in serious trouble.
Krystal thought as she followed Fox. This Daria must be fearsome to have such a reputation.
Krystal stayed close to Fox, following close behind him with Vixy tagging along beside them. She couldn't help but feel odd walking through the base, even with Fox and Vixy beside her, Being on a military base, surrounded by armed personnel of an army she didn't have allegiance to made her feel a little nervous. All the men starting at her didn't help either. To Krystal it seemed that all eyes were on her as she walked beside Fox. She knew if she had been wearing her Cerinian outfit she'd probably have to fight off the men with her staff. Thankfully, Miyu had given her clothing that wasn't revealing, though it didn't seem to help much with all the stares. Walking beside Fox and Vixy seemed to help ease the uneasiness in her, to an extent.
After a while, Fox suddenly stopped as if he had ran into a wall, causing Krystal and Vixy to almost trip over themselves. A quick probing of his mind told Krystal that he had seen something of interest, but before she could tell what it was he took off at a quick pace in a different direction. Krystal and Vixy almost ran to keep up with him.
"Ah, Colonel, Colonel Patrenksi." Fox called out to a large German Shephard in the distance who turned towards them.
The German shepherd smiled and walked towards them. "Ah, Fox, and little Vixy, nice to see you."
Krystal stayed back and watched as Fox and the German shepherd exchanged hugs. The German shepherd was larger than she expected, standing nearly a full head taller than her and quite muscular. He seemed to be around the same age as Peppy but in much better shape. Fox and Vixy clearly knew him quite well as they chatted with him as if they were familiar. It wasn't till a few moments later that Fox looked back at her and seemed to realize he had forgotten some manners.
Fox waved at Krystal for her to come to him. "Krystal, allow me to introduce you to Colonel Patrenksi, he served with my bad back in the old days."
Krystal bowed her head to Colonel Patrenksi. "It is an honor to meet you."
Colonel Patrenksi looked at her seemingly confused but eventually bowed his head back to her. "It's nice to meet you too, Krystal. So, you're the one Fox rescued on Sauria?"
"Indeed I am."
"Hm, I can see why." Colonel Patrenksi said then turned to Fox. "You'd better not let her go; a woman like this is almost nonexistent."
"Uh, I guess don't really plan to." Fox replied, blushing like a tomato. "So Colonel, have you seen my sister?"
Colonel Patrenksi suddenly sighed and rubbed the back of his head as if he was embarrassed about something. "Yes, I know exactly where young Daria is, though I don't think now is the best time to see her. Last time I saw her she wasn't in a good mood and right now she's probably shouting at the base commanders."
Krystal turned her head to see Fox's stunned expression and it almost caused her to laugh. "Oh great, what did my sister do this time?"
"Well, the short version that I can disclose is that she was on a mission when she came across two rogue Sharpscales attacking a secret Venom facility. She assisted them, against the orders of her CO, and somehow got some information from them about the Venomians here that has been . . . well, controversial to say the least."
Fox's jaw dropped causing Krystal and Vixy to laugh. "Seriously, Daria did all that?"
"Yeah, command has kept things as confidential as possible but word gets out. Your sister has caused quite a stir on the base."
"Huh, I guess I shouldn't be surprised, she's always had a talent for causing issues."
"Amen to that." Colonel Patrenksi replied with a smirk. "Disobeying her commanding officer got her into some trouble, till she revealed the information the Sharpscale warriors gave her. That's caused more of a stir amongst command than anything."
"I bet, depending on what the evidence is, which I'm assuming you can't tell me what it is."
"You're right, I can't at the moment. Daria getting it from Sharpscale warriors has made it worse."
"Huh, I can see that, Sharpscales have a way of causing issues when they get involved." Fox said.
"What's a Sharpscale?" Krystal asked, getting both Fox and Colonel Patrenski's attention.
"It's a long story . . . to an extent." Fox replied.
"I figured though I'm just curious."
"If you say so. Basically, the Sharpscale are a tribe of powerful warriors from the planet Venom. From the stories I've heard they were the largest and strongest lizards on the planet, and the tribe used their power to keep peace and order on Venom for hundreds of years."
"Under their control Venom had some state of stability and peace as no one dared to cross them." Colonel Patrenksi added. "For decades Corneria was able to do some peaceful business on Venom thanks to the Sharpscales. According to some records the Sharpscale went as far as to protect Corniernans on their planet from other Venomians, putting them at odds with the other tribes. It didn't matter to them, the Sharpscale were honorable warriors looking to keep the peace even with our presence on their home world. At the time they were heavily respected by pretty much everyone."
"So what happened?" Krystal asked.
"Andross happened." Fox said with a deep sigh. "When he was exiled from Corneria sixteen years ago to Venom the lizards flocked to him. They loved his anti-Corneria goals and it didn't take long for him to get a substantial following. Naturally, the Sharpscale didn't like it so they fought against him. However, by that point Andross had the support of almost all of Venom and had a huge technological advantage. Though the Sharpscale fought bravely they were simply overwhelmed and according to our reports around two thirds of their tribe was killed in the fighting. They had little choice but to flee their home world and since then have settled on Venom."
"Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of their troubles." Colonel Patrenksi added. "On Macbeth they had to rebuild from scratch since no one would help them, not even our government assisted them. On top of that, thanks to the Lylat Wars, the Sharpscale are hated and shunned. You see, the majority of Andross' army was made out of Venomians reptiles who decimated anything in their path, a lot of people suffered thanks to them. That has led to a general hatred against lizards that still exists even eight years after the war. Unfortunately, even though the Sharpscale fought against Andross, against their own kind, and its common knowledge that they did, they still receive the same hatred that the lizards get who sided with Andross."
"That's, horrible, all that loss and they are hated no matter where they go." Krystal angrily exclaimed.
"Pretty much, a lot of people don't see the distance and have given them nothing but hatred ever since the Lylat Wars ended. It's made them isolated and slightly aggressive towards . . . well, pretty much anyone."
"Can't say I blame them. I would be the same way after everything they have suffered through."
"I agree, I got nothing but respect for the Sharpscale." Fox said. "Despite all that they've worked hard to come back, though the odds have been stacked against him. But if anyone can come back from near annihilation, it's the Sharpscale."
"For their sake I hope so. Such a shame a once proud tribe has been reduced to that. They're here on Macbeth right?"
"Yes, but they live in an isolated and secure location, so visiting them is out of the question. Unless they ask you too, and that just doesn't happen."
"He's right, so it's rare that two of them are out of their home." Colonel Patrenksi added. "But it's not surprising they're causing problems for the Venomians. Though there's not really much we can do about it other than look for them, which to my knowledge we've been unsuccessful at."
"Why do you want to find them?" Fox asked.
"I don't, my superiors do. I'm out of the loop on that one. Between us, I hope we don't find them and they cause all kinds of hell for the Venomians."
"That makes two of us. Maybe Daria will help them."
"Knowing her I wouldn't doubt it. But, I'd be careful talking to Daria right now, she's not in a good mood. The meeting she's in will no doubt make it worse."
"I will, I'm always careful with my sister, she can be quite dangerous when she's in a bad mood. So, I'll ya later Colonel."
"Take care Fox, and be sure to keep Vixy out of trouble."
"I can't guarantee that."
Colonel Patrenksi smirked then turned around and walked away from Krystal, Fox, and Vixy. After a nod from Fox they preceded towards the briefing room, at least Krystal assumed it was, she was just following Fox. As they got close to the briefing building, Krystal's telepathy picked up on tension coming from it. The anger she sensed building up caused her to freeze in her place, sending shivers down her spine.
Krystal held out her arm, stopping Fox in his tracks. "Whoa there big guy, you do NOT want to go in there."
"Really, it's that bad in there?"
"Oh yeah, from what I'm sensing things are not going smoothly. Best we wait it out."
Fox nodded. "Alright, if you say so, Krystal."
A moment later, the front door flew open and a white furred vixen dressed in near full dress combat uniform, minus the combat gear and weapons, stopped out looking absolutely furious. She slammed the door shut, mumbling something under her breath that they couldn't hear but Krystal's telepathy could pick up, making her smirk. The rage she detected in the white vixen as almost enough to cause her to step back. If it wasn't for Fox and Vixy she would've.
"AUNT DARIA!" Vixy screamed then took off running towards the white vixen.
The vixen stopped in her tracks and turned around just as Vixy was nearly to her. Immediately the vixen's expression changed from angry to excited and happy just at the sight of Vixy. She dropped down to her knees as Vixy jumped towards her and she easily caught her in her arms.
"Lil Vixy, it's great to see you." The white furred vixen exclaimed as she hugged Vixy whose tail was wagging so fast it was almost a blur.
Krystal and Fox almost ran towards Vixy and the white furred vixen. Watching Vixy warmed Krystal's heart as it was one of the most adorable sights she's ever seen. It reminded Krystal of how Vixy was with Fox, just more energetic with the vixen.
The white furred vixen stood up holding Vixy in her arms as Krystal and Fox approached. "Fox, you seemed to enjoy taking your sweet time getting here."
"We had some . . . Venom complications in the way over that delayed us."
"You were attacked?"
"Yes, but we dealt with it and were unscathed." Fox replied, then turned to Krystal. "Krystal, I'd like to introduce you to my sister, Daria McCloud."
Krystal had to fight the urge to drool over the gorgeous white furred vixen standing before her. She had the general idea that Daria was gorgeous but what she saw standing before her was much more, such a shame it was restricted to uncomplimentary combat clothing. Though the combat clothing Daria wore made it slightly hard for her to tell Krystal guessed that her breasts were just as big, if not slightly bigger, as hers. Her rear complimented her figure, giving Daria the perfect hourglass figure. The thick, white fur covering her body seemed to add to her beauty, Krystal was certain cuddling with her would be one of the best feelings there is, just behind mating with her. Daria's muscular/athletic body didn't turn her off either, giving her a fearsome but gorgeous warrior beauty appearance.
My word, this vixen is just drop dead gorgeous. I'm sure men, and women, pursue her like crazy. Krystal thought as she smiled at Daria and shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you Miss McCloud."
"Same here, though I'd prefer just Daria."
"Okay, Daria, nice to see you."
"Nice to see you too. So, you're the famous Krystal I've heard so much about." Daria said, eyeing Krystal over. "I see why my brother let you on the team so easily. We share the same weakness: beautiful women."
Krystal blushed a bright red under her fur as she saw Fox choke in embarrassment. Even with her telepathy Krystal didn't see that coming and it took everything she had not to laugh. What made it worse was that Krystal could tell that Daria was serious. A quick read of Daria's mind told her that she had a thing for both men and women, though preferred men.
"It is nice to meet you too Daria." Krystal said, still blushing. "So I hear that you're the one who will be training me?"
"According to my bumbling, older brother that's true. Unfortunately, at the moment, it looks like I won't be able to train you for a while. Which sucks since training would be . . . fun."
Out of the corner of her eye Krystal say Fox roll his eyes. "Fun did you, more like torture for Krystal. You're training isn't exactly easy."
"The harder the training the easier the battle. That's what dad used to say."
"You got a point there, Daria." Krystal said.
"You may come to regret that later, Krystal." Fox responded then turned back to Daria. "Colonel Patrenksi told us a little bit of what happened with the Sharpscale though I'm curious how much of it is true."
"If you heard it from him then it's probably all true. You know he doesn't lie or exaggerate." Daria replied with some sarcasm in her voice.
"So, you're telling me that you got credible evidence on illegal activities going on at the Venom embassy?"
"Yes, the information has been confirmed by our intelligence. However, the method I've obtained it is what's slowing everything down and getting everyone all crazy."
"I know, Colonel Patrenksi told me." Fox said. "He filled me in on some of the details, like your interaction with two Sharpscales."
"Diana and Torygg, yeah they were pretty cool, and absolute beasts in battle. I saw them charge a Venom rebel faculty, by themselves, and wipe out a considerable portion of their forces before my team joined them." Daria said with some excitement in her voice.
"Really, just two Sharpscale charged a Venom facility?" Krystal asked quite shocked.
"Oh yeah, I knew the Sharpscale were amazing warriors but damn that was something else. I've never seen anything like that in my life. I'd like to at least speak with them again, hopefully with Diana, that girl was a beast."
"You say that as if you think you'll get the opportunity to see them again." Fox said.
"That's because she does." Krystal replied, giving Fox an assurance nod.
"Huh, why do you think that?"
"Because of the information they gave me. You can't just give information like that and it not shake things up." Daria answered. "Diana and Torygg probably know that and are waiting on us to act. Too bad even with that information there's too much red tape for us to act quickly. It'll take forever before we have the proper authority to do anything." Daria answered.
"What is red tape?" Krystal asked.
"Basically, it's a bunch of legal stuff that we have to clear up before we can legally do anything, let alone attack. It's a restriction that prevents us from doing what needs to be done."
"That's why I became a mercenary, I don't have to worry about that. Though acting against an embassy, even a corrupt one, . . . well, even Star Fox can't do that."
"That sounds like a lot of bull crap to me." Krystal said with a soft growl. "Cerinians act when we need to, we don't wait around discussing or negotiating when things need to be done."
"Huh, I got a feeling I would love Cerinia." Daria said with a smirk.
"No, Cerinia would loooooove you."
"If what you told me is true about Cerinia I don't doubt that." Fox added with a smirk, then turned to Daria. "Huh, would it make you feel better if I contacted General Pepper? Maybe he can get things rolling."
"I hope so, I'm getting tired of all this waiting around and negotiating with moronic Generals and politicians."
"Ha, you haven't changed a bit."
"And I don't ever plan to." Daria responded with s short laugh. "Let's get going before I die of boredom."
"Couldn't have said it better myself."
Daria nodded then began following Fox as he motioned for them to head to the Great Fox. Without saying much, Vixy stuck to Daria's side with Krystal following them. Krystal stood back, mentally analyzing Fox and Daria's minds as they talked. There wasn't much she picked up that she didn't already know. All she really detected without diving deep into their minds was the usual brother and sister relationship. Seeing it brought a smile to Krystal's face, reminding her of life back of Cerinia with her siblings.
After a few moments, Daria turned and looked at Krystal with a dark smile. "So, cute blue vixen, if General Pepper comes through it looks like I'll be getting a firsthand look at what you can do."
"Uh, really, you sure about that?"
"Yes, once General Pepper clears things up we'll go in, most likely with Star Fox and my team leading the way. It'll be a good opportunity to see how you handle yourself in combat cute blue."
Krystal gulped softly. "If you say so, though do you have to call me that?"
"That's going to be your name while I'm training you, Cutie Blue. Once we're done training I'll call ya Krystal. . . maybe."
Krystal reluctantly nodded and blushed. "If you say so, I kind of like that name."
"Good, then its sticking." Daria said then looked at Fox. "You got a connection to General Pepper?"
"Uh yeah, on the Great Fox. You referring to getting his clearance on the Venom embassy?" Fox asked.
"Of course, that's something I'd like to take care of as soon as possible."
"Alright, come with us to the Great Fox and we'll get squared away."
"Good, let's get going bro and cutie blue." Daria responded as she picked up Vixy and carried her in her arms.
Daria turned around and headed towards the Great Fox carrying Vixy, which was visible in the landing strip from their position. Fox and Krystal followed her, walking together not far behind her. Daria walked at a fast pace quickly putting some distance between her and Fox and Krystal.
Once Daria and Vixy was far enough ahead Krystal turned to Fox and whispered. "Has she always been so . . . .brash and outgoing?"
"Her entire life, just wait till you get to know her, she gets so much worse."
"For some reason I am not surprised. Training under her is going to be . . . interesting."
A smirk escaped Fox's lips. "You have no idea."
Krystal restrained herself from looking frightened as she walked beside Fox. She couldn't help but be fearful but for some reason turned on by the thought of trained under Daria. Maybe it was because Daria was such an attractive vixen. She found herself conflicted between both Fox and Daria for the moment, being physically, emotionally, and sexually attracted to both. Walking with them didn't help and it took everything Krystal had to keep her composure.
As much as I like Fox, I wouldn't mind spending a night under the sheets with that vixen. Being in her strong embrace and thick, soft fur would be magical. Krystal thought, then looked at Fox as he walked beside her. At this point, spending a night "under" either McCloud would be a dream come true.
X
"You catch that little sis?" Torygg whispered to Diana from his crotched position as he observed the Cornerian base through his binoculars.
Torygg lowered his binoculars and turned his head quickly to glance at Diana behind him to see her look up from their position in the cave at his response. Their position was one of their most secure lookouts, being a cave high up in the mountains where they stored gear. It gave them a perfect view of the Cornerian military base, allowing them to observe everything with a pair of binoculars and the entrance of the cave was created well enough to hide their presence. Having been up there for a few days it was starting to get boring, though the current look on Diana's face after his previous comment seemed to be a promise of something interesting happening.
"Yes, and how many times do I have to tell you, don't call me that." Diana growled, throwing a water bottle at Torygg that hit him in the back of the head, causing him to drop the binoculars.
"Duly noted, I'll take a water bottle over a rock any day."
"Brother, if I was going to use a rock it'd be to shove it up your ass."
"For some reason I believe you." Torygg replied with a smirk, knowing full well she was serious. "Back to the matter at hand, did you see what happened?"
"How could I when I'm the only one maintaining our equipment? So the answer is no, I didn't, but I can kind of guess. It had something to do with Daria and the information I gave her right?"
"To an extent, the base commanders are still discussing the issue but that's not what I was talking about. Turns out Star Fox has arrived and their leader is talking friendly with Daria."
Diana practically jumped up at Torygg's statement. "Star Fox, you mean the guys who destroyed Andross, they're here?"
"Yes, I have the leader, Fox McCloud I think, in my sights, talking with Daria as we speak. The way they're talking I think they might be related."
"That's . . . incredible, with them here that changes everything. Maybe they can finally get things moving against the embassy."
"We'll see, I can't tell what they're saying though it looks like they're catching up and possibly discussing the embassy. I really hope that's the case." Torygg said as he sat the binoculars down and turned to face Diana. "I must say, I'm surprised your gamble worked. Giving that little vixen the data we've gathered was a risk, but from the looks of things it appears to have done the trick."
"I'm not, I had a feeling that little fox would what needed to be done. The moment I met her I knew she was, as dad would say, a go-getter. I just wish she had more authority to get the information and approval needed."
"I you say so, seems like a stretch of faith if you ask me." Torygg replied, shaking his head. "I must ask, why did you give it to Daria?"
"Well, besides for the reason I just stated, even you are aware that we need help in our war. It's not like we can just walk right into the Cornerian base with information and tell them what we know. They'd probably arrest us on the spot."
"Or shoot us as soon as they got the opportunity. You know how Cornerians have treated our kind, even though we fought against Andross."
"I know, that's why I gave what information we had to Daria, she truly seemed willing to help us." Diana explained as she finished polishing her armor. "I believe that Daria will and has done everything she can to help us. We've been watching her ever since then she has given her leaders the information and, from what we've seen, fought quite hard to get them to take action."
"Too bad even that's taken awhile. With Daria being in their SpecOps unit you'd figure they'd listen to her more but they don't seem to be interested in doing that."
"I know, looks like even with her input they still have quite a ways to go before they can do anything. It is a foreign embassy after all, must getting a person in there takes a lot of politics."
"That's why our kind hates politics, nothing but a waste of valuable time." Torygg said, focused on the blue and red fox as they walked behind Daria and the kit. "At least now we have the legendary Star Fox team here, they'll certainly speed things along. Attacking the embassy will be a lot easier with their assistance."
"IF they can get the clearance. That's a big reason why we haven't asked for help from the Cornerian military in the past, WAY too much red tape and clearance they have to go through to get something done. Though with Star Fox is here that may change since the rules and regulations surrounding mercenaries is far less, so they'll probably get it done a lot sooner."
"Either way, it's only a matter of time before they launch an assault on the Venom Embassy. When they do we'll be there."
"Agreed, brother, for now the best we can do is wait." Diana stepped up beside Torygg and looked down at the base. "Hey Torygg, you mind if I take a look?"
Torygg shrugged as he handed Diana the binoculars and slid back so she could take his position at the window. He stepped back to the other side of the cave and began examining his rifle as she peered through the binoculars at what was going on below. With time on their side for the moment he used the opportunity to make sure their equipment and weapons were in top condition, knowing they probably wouldn't get the opportunity to do so for quite a long time.
"Hm, Fox McCloud is cuter than the media portrays him . . . for a mammal." Diana said after a few minutes.
Torygg looked at his sister as if she had lost her mind. Diana remained still, starring through the binoculars as if she was ignoring him. It took him a moment to realize that she probably didn't know she had just said that out loud. Only a few people were aware of Diana's habit of speaking what she thought out loud. She often did it without realize she had said it out loud and in the past that's led to some very awkward situations. Though in that case it was more of what she said than her habit that puzzled Torygg. Trying to wrap his mind around Diana's thoughts of Fox, a completely different species, being cute, caught him off guard and thinking about it nearly made Torygg drop his rifle. As much as he wanted to ask his sister he kept his mouth shut.
I'll worry about what she said later, right now we got more important things to worry about.
Torygg thought as he examined his rifle.
South Pole, Fichina
Todd breathed slowly, munching on the snow in his mouth to cool his breath to keep it from being seeing in the cold, and pressed his body as tight as he could against the building, making himself practically invisible in the shadows. The cold air didn't faze him as he sniffed the area around him, finding the stench of lizards and apes all around him, though none of them knew he was even there. What surprised him was that after Cara and Felicity escaped in the shuttle the security at the Venom base hardly increased; he contributed that mostly to Zathora killing multiple guards to save his life earlier. No reinforcements have arrived since then and all the Venomians have really done was increase patrols around base. Todd had no problem sneaking past the patrols into the base and looking around. Once he got past the fence he was pretty much free to go where he wanted as long as he remained in the shadows. His curiosity kept him going, sneaking deeper into the base, hoping to find something he could use against the Venomians.
Surely there must be something going on here. Andross wouldn't come here without a reason. Todd though as he moved slowly through the snow.
Todd suddenly froze in his place when his ears picked up the sounds of duo footprints approaching from behind him. He ducked silently k to the shadows of a corner building and squat down, letting the darkness cover him. No sooner does he stop moving his eyes spot two Venom soldiers carrying laser SMGs walking together casually talking. Holding his breath and remaining as still as a statue, Todd watched as the two Venomians made their way through the buildings, barely looking around and laughing a joke one of them told.
For a supposed secret base the security here is horrible. Todd thought as he held his position, barely breathing to hide his presence as the guards walked past him, talking to each other as if they were out for a stroll.
Once the guards were out of view Todd continued to moved again once he was sure no one was around. He moved so slowly through the shadows and snow that his movements were almost imperceptible. If anyone looked in his direction all they would see is shadows and snow. Though moving at that speed, barely a foot in a few minutes, was tedious and tiring it was essential to avoid detection. It took Todd over an hour to proceed through the shadows to the building he was looking for, Andross' quarters. Staying in the shadows he crawled under the window and slowly rose up and looked inside to see Andross seated at his desk, appearing to work on the blueprints of some plans. From his position he couldn't see the blueprints but he did have a clear view of the ape. Using his sensitive ears, Todd listened as closely as he could hoping to pick up on something.
What the hell is Andross working on in there? Todd mumbled to himself.
Todd was about to move to get a better viewing position with Andross' door suddenly flew open revealing Colonel Felix who entered the room. His sudden interest caused Andross to jump and Todd to halt his movements. Without saying a word, Colonel Felix entered the room and quietly shut the door behind him. He remained at the door for a moment, appearing to check to make sure no one was around before turning to Andross.
"Andross, the men are getting restless and many are worried after the shuttle escape. They are worried that at any moment the Cornerian military will show up." Colonel Felix said in a hushed voice, letting out a sigh. "I've had to work hard to keep the men from freaking out and doing something stupid."
"And you've done a good job at that. The people here are professionals, to an extent, but after recent events I do not blame them for being jumpy."
"Jumpy is an understatement sir. This morning I caught three trying to work on plans to build a shuttle to escape. They claimed that they were trying to build something to escape before the Cornerians arrived."
Andross let out a soft laugh. "Idiots, it seems like they're getting desperate and bored."
"Certainly seems that say, makes my job so much harder."
"I bet, and I appreciate your work Colonel, you've done a good job keeping things from falling apart."
"Thank you sir." Colonel Felix said with a smile. "I have to ask, for my sake and the Venomians that are still loyal to you. What are your plans after the Saurian Crisis? The men want to know and I have to give them something to keep them calm."
Todd pressed his ear against the wall to hear as much of the conversation that he could. Hearing Andross' plans directly from the ape himself was a golden dream for any soldier.
Andross sighed loudly and shook his head. "Honestly, I have no idea. Cerinia resulted in disaster, we won't be able to go anywhere near there without an army. Meanwhile, Sauria is certainly not a choice. After the clone was destroyed the Cornerians will no doubt be watching it closely."
"Well, staying here and waiting it out might not be a good idea either, especially since that shuttle lifted off."
"I know, do we have any idea who was it in or why it took off?"
Colonel Felix shook his head. "Unfortunately we do not. Any sensors or connections we had to the shuttle is long gone. For all we know it could've been a spy escaping to inform the Cornerians of our location."
Todd's heart skipped a beat hearing Colonel Felix's statement. Though it eased his concerns that Cara and Felicity would be caught, given he served all the Venomians' connections to it before they took off, it worried him that Andross and the others would escape before any reinforcements arrived. If that happened Andross would still be free roaming across the Lylat System and there wouldn't be much he could do about it.
"That's my biggest fear as well." Andros said with a loud sigh. "Unfortunately, that was our only ship, hence our only escape and way off this forsaken wasteland."
"That's why I sent out a coded signal to any Venomians in the area to come to us. However, the nearest assistance would take at least a week to reach us. So till then we're on our own."
"Damn it, I guess all we can do is hope that they here before the Cornerians do."
"Unfortunately, sir, that pretty much sums up our situation." Colonel Felix replied. "Unfortunately, we have other issues that need our attention, like the men starting to lose faith in you."
Todd's ears perked up to the last comment. Venomians losing faith in Andross seemed like impossibility, even after the Lylat Wars. From reports he heard there was even a cult that worshiped Andross as a god. If what Colonel Felix said was true then that changed things, assuming he could get it the Cornerian intelligence in time.
"I have noticed that." Andross said as he looked down at his desk for a moment before looking back up. "After all the recent failures I don't blame them for starting to doubt me. They have to be thinking that I can't succeed after Star Fox destroyed the Saurian clone."
"I wouldn't say that, sir. They just have a few doubts waiting for you to tell them some new plan. You do have a plan or some experiment . . . right?"
Andross sighed and looked down at the ground, appearing to be deep in thought. To Todd, the old ape looked to be on the verge of a panic attack and truly depressed, making him smile for the first time since Cara and Felicity escaped.
Andross looked up from the floor and turned to Colonel Felix. "Just . . . tell the men to be patient that I'm working on something."
"Sir, you want me to lie to them?"
"If you have to, they'll believe anything I say. After all, to them, I'm the great and powerful Andross. At the very least that will buy me some time to come up with a plan."
Colonel Felix sighed then nodded. "At once sir."
From his position a large grin formed on Todd's face. Having heard all he needed he began slowly backing away through the shadows, the same route he took to get in. Not one guard saw him or suspected his presence the entire time he was there, not even footprints in the snow remained to give him away. Once Todd was outside of the Venom base's fences he began the long track back to his cave.
Hm, if this gets out it'll demoralize the Venomian rebels significantly. Todd thought as he walked through the deep snow. Hurry Cara, find someone and get back here soon.
To be continued.
So, Star Fox has arrived on Macbeth and Fox and Vixy have reunited with Daria, and Krystal had a slightly awkward first meeting with her, only for them to thrown into the middle of a potential conflict. Diana and Torygg are nearby waiting for things to happen, hoping Star Fox's presence can kick things into action. Meanwhile on Fichina, Todd is getting closer to figuring out what Andross is up too.
Please leave a review. I honestly want to know what you think of the story and how I can improve it.
Hope that you are enjoying the story so far. The next chapter will be uploaded as soon as possible.
This is John Storm signing off. Star Frosty ya'll.