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Star Fox: First Contact
Chapter 11: The Fire
It took sixty seconds for the team to accept Efi's plan - thirty seconds of her explaining it, followed by thirty seconds of bickering. One minute that might as well have been one hour. Because drones were still coming their way, and others were still swarming the Epona.
"Let a missile come to the Great Fox," she'd said. "I'll hack its guidance systems and send it back to the Warden ship."
Simple, right? Most of the team hadn't thought so. But with the realization that they were out of options, necessity had once again proven itself the mother of insane, risky plans, having given invention up to foster care.
Miyu yelled as she kept firing. As the entire team sans Slippy (busy defending the Epona, and launching every nova bomb he had to do so) danced with the drones, holding the line. The remaining Defenders had buggered off to take out targets M1 and M2. M3 however, was still on course for the Great Fox. And despite their instincts, the team was letting it approach.
"How's it coming Efi?" Peppy yelled.
"Almost...there..."
They'd asked Miyu for her thoughts. The notion that Efi could use the superior technology of the Great Fox, read binary code through her translator's visor, work with ROB, and hack a nuclear warhead in the span of a few minutes. Miyu had vouched for her - Efi had stated that she'd been able to hack drones on Atlas, and as advanced as the Wardens were in some cases, they were solely lacking in others. Transmission and security tech for one thing.
"Efi!" Peppy yelled.
But if Efi was wrong, if Miyu was wrong, then...well, then Efi wouldn't have to worry about anything very soon. And nor would Star Fox.
"Almost there," came the girl's voice over the radio. "Almost there..."
"Yeah, the missile's almost there as well," Falco yelled. "We...dang it!"
"Falco!" Fay yelled.
"Still got it, still got it!"
He had, even if his Arwing was sparking. Which was a state of affairs that most of their fighters had. As many drones as they destroyed, they just kept coming. Even if ROB fired shield rings for them, there was no way they could get to them while also evading enemy fire.
"Efi, can you do this or not?" Fox asked.
"Nearly got it, nearly got it..."
Miyu checked her fighter's rear camera. The missile was perilously close to the Great Fox, which was now careening away. It had to be close enough to establish a connection, but not so close that it could be hit. Unfortunately, the missile was moving faster than the mothership.
"Damn it, another firewall!"
Miyu grit her teeth.
"Dang it!" Fox yelled. "Alright, Miyu, Fay, take out that missile. Falco, Peppy, with me!"
Neither Miyu nor Fay objected. Not at first as they did 180s and sent their Arwings on an intercept course to the missile, while Fox, Falco, and Peppy continued to fight against the drones. With their superior speed, she and Fay could easily catch up to the projectile. But if they destroyed it...
"Miyu?" Fay asked.
If Efi was right, they'd lose their chance to take control of the missile and send it on a collision course to the Warden ship. If she was wrong, they'd lose the Great Fox.
"Miyu?" Fay asked. "Do we open fire?"
Efi's visage was on her HUD. She was typing frantically. She was sweating like a pig. The bridge was bathed in red light. She yelled, and slammed her hand against the console.
"Can't do it," she whispered. "Can't do it."
Miyu closed her eyes. "Dang it," she whispered.
She'd trusted Efi. She had no doubt the girl had given it her all. But the missile was coming, she had to fire, and-
"Efi," Fay said. "You can do it."
Miyu kept her finger on the trigger, but didn't fire.
"You can do it," Fay repeated. "I trust you."
Efi shook her head. "I can't."
"You can. Because Miyu trusts you. She's my best friend. So I trust you. And if we don't stop this ship here and now, billions are going to die. And everything you've done, everything you've lost, will have been for nothing."
Efi gave a small nod, before returning to work.
Sure hope you're right Fay, Miyu reflected.
It was nice to know that Fay had such faith in her. But faith was a poor shield against a hydrogen bomb. Though, granted, very little could shield against that. Including actual shields.
"Miyu, Fay, why aren't you firing on the missile?!" Fox yelled.
Miyu grit her teeth.
"Miyu!"
Her finger ran across the fire button.
"Nearly there...nearly there..." Efi whispered.
"Miyu, Fay, the missile is nearly there! What the heck are you doing?!"
Miyu didn't answer. As the missile neared Great Fox, she knew it didn't matter.
"Miyu, I'm ordering you to-"
"Got it!" Efi yelled.
Close as she was to the missile, Miyu could see it adjust course instantly. But it was still dangerously close to Great Fox, which was still trying to get out of the way. It might not detonate, but the impact alone from moving at these speeds could be catastrophic.
Come on, come on... Miyu grit her teeth as she and Fay followed the missile. Come on...
It was still close. Over the feed, she could hear ROB ordering to brace for impact. And see Efi obeying.
Come on...come on...!
The missile passed by the Great Fox.
She did it.
"Great Fox to Star Fox Team. M3 has missed, and is under the ship's control."
Miyu let out a whoop. So did Fay. On the feed, Efi looked too stunned to say anything.
"Confirm, ROB?" Fox asked.
"Missile under our command. Missile is now targeting Warden ship."
"Status of other missiles?"
"Targets M1 and M2 have been destroyed. However, fighter complement of Epona reduced to seventeen percent. Epona actual has suffered critical damage."
Miyu watched Efi get to her feet and return to the holo-table. The missile would have to be guided in.
"Alert. Drones peeling off from Epona. Inference - they will try to destroy the missile."
"Dang it," said Fox. "Alright, all wings, form up on target M3."
Miyu and Fay shot through the gloom. Through the corner of her eye, Miyu saw her co-pilots launch their last bombs into the swarm of drones they'd been engaging before bugging out. Most of the drones were destroyed. But through her LIDAR, she could detect another swarm approaching them. She had no doubt that the Warden ship was aware that its missile had been hacked, and was taking responsive measures. A good thing, in one sense, because it suggested that the missile could harm it. A bad thing in another, because that was a hell of a lot of drones, and Slippy was barely keeping ahead of them.
"Hang in there Slippy," Peppy whispered.
Slippy let out a nervous ribbit as the other Arwing pilots clustered around the missile. Miyu briefly listened to the chatter of the Defender pilots - the ones still defending the Epona, and the ones who'd peeled off after destroying M1 and M2.
"They're everywhere!"
"Where the heck is the frog going?!"
"Dang it, I'm hit!"
"Ship's on fire I ahhh!"
She stopped listening. Even if this worked, more pilots would die in the next minute or so.
"So, Fox, hate to be a debbie downer, but that's an awful lot of drones," Falco said. "And my shields are low. And I'm out of bombs. Also bubble gum."
"You always were a charmer, Falco," Fay murmured.
Miyu didn't smile. Low shields, no bombs...that was her status as well. Heck, the status of the entire team at this point. So while the missile was on a course for the ship, how the heck were they going to get through all those drones? By her estimate, Slippy would arrive with the team in nine seconds, and the drones would engage in seventeen.
"Alright team, this is it," Fox said. "We're going to use our Arwings as shields for the missile."
"The heck?" Peppy exclaimed.
"Peppy, take front. Me and Falco will take the warhead's top and bottom, Miyu and Fay the sides, Slippy the rear."
"Fox, this is crazy!" Falco yelled.
"Efi, can you boost the missile's velocity?" Fox asked.
"I…maybe?"
"No maybe, do it. Make it go hard, go fast, and into the Warden ship."
No-one said anything as the Arwings formed up around the missile. Ships with low shields being used as shields, Miyu reflected. This was either the most brilliant maneuver in the history of space warfare, or the worst.
"On my command, you will start firing," Fox said. "Keep your Arwings in place, but move the snout. You will start firing, and keep firing."
Miyu licked her lips, putting her finger on the button. Watching as Slippy's Arwing came towards the missile. Her LIDAR told her that he'd arrive in about four seconds."
"Um, Miyu?" Fay asked. "Just so you know, I-"
"Not now Fay," Miyu hissed.
"Oh. Okay." Fay chuckled nervously. "See you on the other side."
Which side, Miyu wondered? Some mythical hereafter? Or that swarm of drones?
"Here Fox!" Slippy exclaimed.
She supposed she'd soon find out.
"Fire!"
Green lasers tore through the empty vacuum. Through the drones. The drones that were crossing the distance of that vacuum insanely quickly.
"Fox, we can't take this," Peppy whispered.
Fox sighed. "Not as we are. But if we can deflect as many of their laser bolts as possible..."
The drones were closing in.
"Star Fox Team..."
They had begun to fire.
"Do a barrel roll!"
Miyu obliged, as did the rest of the team. Spinning their Arwings in an aileron roll, the lasers of the drones were deflected as they tore through space towards the Warden ship.
Not every laser. Her shield gauge got lower, and lower, and lower. But the roll was working. The missile was being protected. The drones were trying to down it, but couldn't hit it with the Arwings protecting it.
"TTI - twenty seconds," ROB said.
The shield gauge dropped.
"Fox, I can't take much more!" Fay yelled.
It kept dropping.
"Don't stop spinning, don't stop firing!"
And dropped even further.
"TTI - fifteen seconds."
Miyu watched as space rotated around her. How the drones kept coming. Kept firing. Single-mindedly trying to destroy the weapon of mass destruction their mothership had launched.
Falco let out a whoop, and yelled something about dying young.
"TTI - ten seconds."
How many, Miyu wondered? How many had died to this ship? Not just today. Not just on Atlas. How many species had the Wardens wiped out in their insanity?
"Always wanted to go out in style!" Peppy yelled.
Her shield gauge was depleted. Only the barrel roll was keeping her ship intact.
"TTI - five seconds."
"Team, break off on my mark!" Fox yelled.
"Four seconds."
An alarm sounded in her ship. She smelt something burning.
"Three seconds."
She looked at Fay. Her ship was sparking.
"Two seconds."
"Fox, my shields are down!" Slippy yelled.
"One second."
"Break break break break break!"
The six Arwings peeled off as the missile slammed into the hull of the Warden ship.
"Detonation."
Miyu didn't check to see where her teammates were. She didn't check anything. All she did was fly as fast as her ship could carry her. Until her boosters gave out. Until an alarm sounded. Until a dull red light descended over her Arwing and an automated voice mentioned something about an automatic shutdown.
"Guys, I'm drifting," Miyu said.
No-one answered.
"Team?"
There was no answer. Not from ROB, or Efi, or Fay, or Fox, or anyone.
"Guys?" Miyu leant back in her seat. She covered her right hand with her left, to try and stop it from trembling. "Guys?"
"…ing."
"Fay?" She fiddled with her console. "Fay, is that you?"
"Miyu?"
Miyu let out the breath. "You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice." She looked around, and smiled as she saw Fay's Arwing pull up beside her. "And see you."
"Yeah. You too."
Neither of them said anything for a moment. After flying together for years, even after defeating Andross...Miyu didn't think there'd ever ben a moment like this. So close to death, but never so alive...
"What about the others?" Miyu asked. "Are they...?"
Fay didn't say anything.
"Fay?" Miyu asked.
"The others..." Fay began. "The others are..."
"Here."
Miyu nearly cried as she saw the other Arwings arrive around her. Fox's was missing a wing. Slippy's a cannon. Peppy's was sparking, and Falco's looked like one nudge would cause it to detonate.
"We're all here kid," Falco said. "Don't get so melodramatic on us."
Miyu laughed, and wiped her eye. "I'll try and keep that in mind."
Ship control restored.
Her Arwing's emergency systems kicked in. Nothing fancy, but enough to use her maneuvering thrusters. To get back into something approaching formation. To see what was left of the Warden ship.
It wasn't much. Just debris. None of them larger than the Great Fox.
"ROB, analysis," Fox said.
"Analysing...Warden ship has been destroyed. All drones have shut down."
"Say that again Robbie?" Falco asked.
"Analysis is the same. Warden ship is destroyed. All drones have shut down."
Slippy gave a nervous laugh. "Music to your ears, eh bird boy?"
"Laugh it up toadie, it's the same music to yours."
Slippy laughed again. This time, without the fear. So did most of the team. All but Miyu. On her HUD, she saw the bridge of the Great Fox. She saw Efi staring at the holo-table. Looking at the holographic representation of the Warden ship. Hunched over. Weeping.
"Efi?" Miyu asked.
"After all this time..." the girl whispered. "After all it's done..." She looked at Miyu through the camera. "You did it."
Miyu shook her head. "No. We did it."
Efi didn't say anything. She just made a sound that was half sob, half laugh, half sigh. Granted, that was more a case of thirds. But Miyu was too tired to care.
"ROB, what about the Epona?" Fox asked. "What about Whinnyham?"
"The admiral is-"
Whinnyham's face appeared on screen. Her uniform was frayed. Her cap had fallen off. Blood trickled down the side of her forehead...which was much better than the state of her bridge. And of some aboard it.
"Whinnyham," Fox murmured.
"Fox McCloud." Whinnyham looked to be at a loss for words. "That was an…interesting maneuver."
"Well, that's our thing. How's your ship?"
"Functional. For now. Which is more than I can say for our enemy...and for my fighter wing."
Miyu bit her lip. "Admiral, I-"
"Save the pleasantries," Whinnyham said. "I'll let my remaining Defenders tidy up the drones. You six should get back to the Great Fox. To await my arrival."
Miyu frowned. Your arrival?
"And start pouring the drinks. Because goodness knows you've earnt them." Whinnyham gave a small smile. "Epona out."
And just like that, the line was cut. Leaving only the silence of space. The humming of engines. And the pain in her bones as exhaustion finally set in. As Miyu allowed it to take her.
"Well..." Fox began. "You heard the admiral. ROB, prepare the welcome mat for us. We're coming in."
"Affirmative. Preparing mat."
"Mats..." Falco murmured. "Think he knows that ain't literal?"
No-one laughed. No-one said anything. Not in that moment, and not in the entire time it took them to return to the Great Fox. No cheers, no exclamations, nothing.
Too many lives had been lost for that.