Well, here we are, Chapter 26 of Star Fox Annihilation. This has already become my longest story and there is still a LONG ways to go. I'm honestly just glad to have made it this far and hope I can keep going. I also hope I'm able to write this chapter better than the last one.

This is another combat centered chapter, with some ground combat, so I should have been able to write it out better than the last one. Though this chapter introduces us to the Cerinians I don't think there will be much dialogue or explanation.

Given we are never shown Cerinia in the Star Fox series I do have quite a bit range to write out details on the planet and it's people. Though I'm keeping it similar to Sauria I at least hope I can do it justice. I am not sure how deep I'll go into the planet's culture, environments, people, etc. so we'll see how that goes. I may just leave it open to people's interpretation as that's easier but I may avoid that as it's lazy.

I should start off by that lately I've been in kind of a inspiration funk when it comes to working on this story. Since I'm working on original novels as well, with the intent to get them eventually published, my inspiration has nearly left this story. It is still there as is the desire to write it but it's nowhere near as strong as it used to be. I feel like this chapter will suffer as a result of that but that is not going to deter me from working on it with the hope of some day in the future possibly finishing it.

I do need to apologize for the lack of polish in this chapter. Lately I've had trouble focusing on this story and that has led to difficulty writing it out. I hope I can correct that so I can give this story the attention it deserves.

Hope you enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 26: Welcome Back Krystal . . . Maybe?

Cerinian Battlefield Command Center

Daniel sprinted as fast as he could through the battered line of Cerinian soldiers, giving them nods as he ran past. Most waved back but others were either too injured or too busy to notice him. Entering the primary Cerinian battlefield command camp opened his eyes to just how drastic and deadly the invasion had gotten. Though the camp was designed for the battlefield Daniel wouldn't know it from how many wounded were lying around while the greatly understaffed nurses and doctors did their best to manage it. There wasn't a single in his view that didn't appear to be either injured or covered in dirt or blood. Those that weren't injured or working on the injured were busy resupplying or making adjustments before they headed back to the battlefield. The makeshift tents were everywhere in the field they occupied with weapons and supplies lying everywhere. The amount of despair and pain Daniel's telepathy picked up on made it difficult for him to push onward as it was nearly impossible to ignore. If it wasn't for this determination he would've turned around and headed back to the front line.

Off in the distance Daniel could hear the distinct and deafening sound of Zordon artillery fire and had to resist the urge to shudder at the thought of where the rounds would land. Knowing how vast the frontline was he was certain that somewhere a Cerinian position or civilian would get hit. That was the unfortunate reality of the invasion he had witnessed more times than he could count in the short invasion. The Zordons were very indiscriminate in their fire, killing every Cerinian they could, regardless if they fought back or not. For that reason every step felt almost like a blur as he tried to make his way through the camp seeing the results of the Zordon brutality.

"Commander, where are you going?" A soldier asked as he stepped in front of Daniel, breaking him from his trance.

Daniel stopped in his tracks and turned towards the young soldier who looked battered just like nearly everyone else except for the bandage wrapped around his head. Given the urgency of the meeting he was conflicted to ignore the soldier and keep heading to the meeting but decided against it due to the joy on his face upon seeing him. He remembered the young soldier as the guy who took a round to the head while holding back the Zordon forces, and still kept firing despite losing his ear. Due to his actions, and several others who didn't survive, they managed to not only hold the position but force the Zordons back and save a village of civilians. Daniel saw him and the others at the medical area as heroes and he wasn't about to ignore them.

Daniel turned and smiled at the young soldier replying with a major sarcastic tone. "Oh you know, just heading to discuss the so-called battle plans with the "geniuses" who came up with them. I am hoping to talk some sense into them."

"Oh, we both know that is going to go nowhere. At least you are fighting with us."

"Someone has to so it might as well be me." Daniel responded with a smirk than pointed at the soldier's bandaged head. "So are you doing alright without an ear?"

The young chuckled as he patted the stub of his ear. "I am now after the nurses treated me."

"Ah, the nurses are pretty good at alieving pain. They definitely know how to combine medical treatment with . . . uh, adult fun."

"Oh yeah, especially my nurse." The young soldier replied with a joyous expression. "I think I am in love."

Daniel let out a smirk. "Than that gives you a reason to not only survive but to win the invasion."

"Amen to that sir. With you leading us that is a certainty."

Daniel sighed. "Unfortunately that is not up to me with the officials we got leading us. I am doing what I can to make sure we win though it has not been easy."

The young soldier glared at Daniel with confidence. "I am sure you can do it commander. If there is anyone who can make them see sense it is you sir. You have everyone here backing you."

Daniel quickly looked around telepathically and his mind saw that what the young soldier said was indeed true and it made it smile. "It is good to have others backing me with them. Unfortunately I cannot keep them waiting anymore so I need to be on my way."

The young soldier saluted Daniel. "Good luck Commander, hopefully you can bring some common sense to the leaders."

"I would not count on that but I will try." Daniel replied, getting a good laugh from the soldier.

Daniel nodded to the young soldier before heading towards the command tent. Though the talk was short it was enough to lighten his mood for the inevitable awful conversation. Fortunately, it wasn't much of a walk to his destination allowing him to keep his good mood. Though that left the moment he came to the front flap of the tent and his telepathy picked up on the hostility inside, making him want to turn around and walk away.

Daniel took a moment to catch his breath and quiet his mind before stepping into the tent. Once he did Daniel reluctantly entered the command tent to see the large area occupied by five other high ranking Cerinian officials gathered around a large table with a battlefield map of the area lying on it. Almost immediately all eyes turned to Daniel as he entered covered in dirt and mud while they were all wearing clean military uniforms, informing him that he was the only commander actually participating in the field.

"What is so important that you had to call me from the front line?" Daniel growled as he stepped towards the table.

General Xavier, one of the largest Cerinians, and the most arrogant, glared down at Daniel. "You are a clan leader now boy since Andross killed your parents so that means a lot more responsibilities." Xavier shrugged. "I am sure you're clansmen and local villagers can hold the line while you are here."

"Than clearly you have not been on the frontline or even seen the battlefield." Daniel looked around the tent at the other officials. "If you had than you would know at calling me back here is a grievous mistake."

"Says the boy who only just recently became clan leader." Xavier softly growled back.

"Be quiet Xavier, we called him here for reason and we should get straight to it." General Shalun, the smallest and oldest official in the room, and regarded as the wisest, exclaimed than turned to Daniel. "So, what is the news from the front line? Please tell me things are at least getting better."

"Well, I can do that . . . to an extent. We have at least managed to create a solid front, defensive line to halt the Zordon assault. When I left it to report to you the line was effectively holding though only after taking heavy casualties. The Zordons did pull back after a failed assault attempt. But if we are going to hold than we will need reinforcements there." Daniel answered as best he could. "Unfortunately, the Zordons are becoming much more aggressive with every assault. The way they throw themselves at us is almost suicidal and positions all across the battlefield are faltering. We need to come up with a better strategy than just defending or we will eventually break."

"Do not worry, reinforcements are coming. We gathered a large force from nearby villages and will be at the front lines shortly." Shalun immediately replied.

"That is not good enough!" Daniel frustratedly shouted. "We need to change our strategy if we are going to change the pace of this invasion."

Xavier crossed his arms and stared arrogantly at Daniel. "And what would you suggest we do young man?"

"Easy, when we repel their assault we launch a counterattack and break their line."

Xavier didn't hold back his laughter. "Please tell me you are not serious."

"We are telepaths so you should know I am being completely serious. I will personally lead the counterattack so we can break them." Daniel looked around at the other officials who starred blankly back at him. "We have to do this quickly otherwise we will lose the opportunity to change the tide in our favor."

The officials remained silent for a moment, eyeing Daniel in shock before Xavier finally spoke. "Uh no, we are not doing that. You are a fool if you think we are risking our hard fought positions for an opportunity that may not present itself."

Daniel softly growled. "And you are a fool and coward for not having the will to do what is necessary to not just win but to save our people."

Shalun stepped between them. "Okay guys, let's just calm down. We cannot be fighting each other when a war is going on."

Daniel nodded go Shalun while Xavier grunted. "That is fine with me. The sooner this over with and I can get back to the battlefield the better."

"Finally something we are in agreement over."

"Good, for there is a matter need to address." General Trusha, the only female official in the tent, as well as a rare red Cerinian, spoke up getting everyone's attention.

Daniel turned toward Trusha greatly intrigued. "And what is that? Did something bad happen like another Zordon fleet arriving?"

"Uh, we did get a report on something of interest taking place in the atmosphere." A shy voice spoke up.

All eyes turned to the young man standing near the tent entrance who seemed to shrivel under their gazes. Daniel was surprised the young man didn't wet his pants and managed to remain on his feet. He easily understood how overwhelming being put on the spot in front of such powerful individuals could be having been in that spot himself more than once but he got used to it.

The young man managed to speak after a few moments of silence glares. "Well, uh, sirs, we over at atmosphere monitoring saw something that defies explanation at the Zordon fleet's location."

"And what was that?" Xavier growled.

"That is what we are trying to figure out exactly."

"Just tell us already!"

"Calm down Xavier and let the young man do his job." Daniel shouted at Xavier then turned to the young man. "Please just tell us what happened as best you can."

"Yes sir. It started when we detected a warp gate opening near the Zordon fleet. At first we thought they were more Zordons but that quickly proved to not be the case."

Everyone looked at the man confused till Daniel spoke up. "If they were capable of warp gates than whoever it was clearly is not Zordon as they are not capable of it. Even we still have problems with such technology, so that leaves the possibility they are not Cerinian."

"We at atmosphere monitoring believe that is the case, particularly since whoever it was immediately attacked the Zordon fleet and decimated it."

"Are you telling me someone actually managed to break through the Zordon line?" Daniel blurted out while everyone else's jaw dropped.

The young man nodded. "From what we observed that seems to be the case. It was a small force that attacked from what we monitored but whoever they were the Zordons stood no chance. The Zordons were disseminated immediately to the extent that their fleet fled."

"Their fleet is gone?" Xavier loudly exclaimed.

"He just said that." Daniel loudly growled at Xavier before turning back to the young man. "Did anything happen after that?"

"Yes commander, and this is the kind of strange part, there are two parts to these strangers' forces. One is the group that fought the Zordon fleet and the second is heading towards our surface."

The room fell deathly silent at the young man's words, including Daniel. No one could bring themselves to comprehend what they had just heard. The flee that had been giving them trouble for days being dispatched so easily was something that was nearly impossible for anyone in the room to believe and each person was aware of how the others felt. Not one person said a word, instead relying on their telepathy to analyze the situation and the each other to make the best response. The silent went on for quite a while to the point where Daniel began getting annoyed and had to end the silence.

"I'm going to get straight to the point and ask how big the second group is as that is the problem we have to deal with right now." Daniel spoke up.

"Only two ships." The young man quickly answered, stunning everyone again. "One appears to be a small starfighter while the other is a small transport ship only big enough to carry a small team."

"Uh, are you sure about that?" Daniel couldn't help but ask.

The young man glared at Daniel before replying. "Yes, I am certain. We made sure that was the case several times. As we speak there are unknown ships heading towards our planet's surface, more specifically right towards us."

As soon as the young man finished speaking the room erupted into a shouting match between the five Cerinian officials. The only one who remained silent was Daniel who hardly paid any attention to what was being said. Though he was the Kluzo clan leader after both his parents were murdered at the hands of the fiend Andross he had never been one for politics, especially when it came to dealing with the arrogant leaders of other clans. It didn't help that most of the officials in the tent were completely clueless on the needed tactics. If Daniel was being honest he would've been surprised if any of them other than him had actually been on the battlefield during the invasion. It didn't take long for him to get fed and turn around to head towards the exit.

"Hey, where are you going Daniel?" Xavier shouted at Daniel as he neared the exit.

"To see this for myself." Daniel instantly replied then glanced over his shoulder at Xavier. "But mainly to get away from your bull crap."

Daniel exited the tent as quickly as possible hearing Xavier scream profanity at him. Hearing the insults come flying out of the old numbskull's loud mouth brought a smile to his face. He knew that later he'd get an earful from other officials and high ranking members for his words but at the moment he didn't care, he was just happy to be out of there. At that point he would prefer to be on the frontline with his friends and that was exactly where he was headed.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long before another distraction approached Daniel that he did not want to deal with. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a familiar, green furred vixen running towards him. He looked in her direction and smiled while holding back his hesitance to be near her, despite knowing her telepathy would pick up on it. Nearly all male eyes, and quite a few females, in camp focused on her as she ran towards him carrying her bow-like staff. Though she was quite beautiful, having quite an impressive rack even by Cerinian standards and pleasant rear, Daniel could never bring himself to be attracted to her due to her aggressive personality. It didn't help that she wore a rather tight strapless dress that barely covered her cleavage and hardly went down past her ass. To make matters worse the vixen had all intentions of speaking to him which was the last thing Daniel wanted after the tense meeting. Knowing he would never get out of it Daniel just accepted the inevitable band halted his progress to get the moment over with.

"Where have you been Sapphire?" Daniel exclaimed once the vixen was near him.

The vixen Sapphire rested her hand on her hips and sarcastically smirked at him. "Same place I have been since the invasion started, chopping off Zordon manhoods."

Daniel, being so used to Sapphire's brand of humor, just nodded and replied. "And have you been successful?"

Sapphire held up a bloody bag that appeared to be full. "Yeah, I would say pretty successful. Even managed to take out a commander just a little while ago."

"Hm, is that true?"

"Yes, I spotted a small group trying to use the river bank to outflank our front line. Since I was the only badass around it was up to me to handle it."

"Really, all by yourself?"

"Did I not just say I was the only one around?"

Daniel couldn't help but chuckle. "You said you were the only badass around so there could have been others."

"Smartass." Sapphire growled as she tossed the bag at Daniel's feet. "But yes, they will not be a problem anymore."

Daniel gave Sapphire a quick nod. "Good, in that case keep doing . . . whatever it is you are doing."

"Of course, I have not had this much fun since that beefallo stampede a few cycles back."

"That is because you are still as twisted now as you were then."

"Hey, at least I am not boring like your sister." Sapphire quickly remarked.

"Till you remember she left our world to pursue the ape who murdered our parents."

Sapphire shrugged. "True, I forgot fuzzy butt did that. Guess she did have some backbone after all."

"And you can still have an a-hole bone that has NEVER gone away." Daniel replied with a loud sigh. "So Sapphire, have you heard anything about Krystal? I have not heard from her in a while, since she left to pursue that Andross guy."

Daniel shook his head. "No, I have not gotten so much as a hint from her beyond a confirmation that she received the distress call."

Sapphire tilted her head in confusion. "Really, she is the only one who hasn't returned back?"

"According to the reports I have gotten that seems to be the case. All of the off-world Cerinians but her have returned and have jumped into the fight." Daniel replied with a shrug. "I wish I knew why but as I said there has been no contact with her."

"Well what do you expect; she has a history of being unreliable."

Daniel let out a soft growl and was about to angrily answer when his ears picked up on something fast approaching from the sky. He quickly turned towards the direction it seemed to come from and looked up saw what appeared to be a small dot fast approaching their position. He and Sapphire stared at it confusedly trying to figure out what it was. It only took a couple moments before Daniel could tell it was some kind of starship he had never seen before. He knew immediately it wasn't a Cerinian ship by the triangular design and it was far too small to be a Zordon, leaving him with the assumption it belonged to a group from outside their system. The sped it approached at was quite high, faster than any starship he'd seen before and it'd be at their position in a matter of moments. A quick glance at Sapphire showed that she was just as confused as he was, perhaps even more so.

Neither Daniel nor Sapphire said a word as the unknown starship veered off towards the Zordon primary battle line. It quickly became clear that they were not the only one who saw it as the battlefield fell silent on both sides with Daniel's telepathy picking up on the confusion everyone was experiencing. It wasn't till the unknown Starship flew aggressive towards its intended target with guns a blazing. Daniel nearly did malefactors cheering as the Zordon battle lines were heavily blasted to pieces. The Zordons tried to return fire but the starship easily dodged and turned up, but not before releasing what appeared to be a large, red bomb in their direction. The bomb flew straight into its target, detonating in a massive explosion that nearly destroyed the Zordon primary battle line and, even though they were a significant distance away, caused Daniel and Sapphire to take a couple steps back.

"What in the hell?" Daniel shouted as he recovered as turned around to watch the unknown starship fly past the explosion.

X

"I think that got their attention." Fox muttered to himself as he flew past the explosion.

Fox turned his head to get a glance at the explosion. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of flames and bits of metal flying high into the air. The speed he was moving at made it difficult for him to get a good view of the explosion but he had enough to see his first strike had done significant damage to the Zordon front line. It wasn't till he banked, making a quick turn another pass, that he got a good view of the battle field.

His turn gave him a great aerial view of the unfolding battlefield. The battle was primarily taking place over a valley with two plateaus on each side and a steep slope leading up to both. On the right side he assumed were the Cerinia forces defending what appeared to be the outskirts of a large city. On the other was the Zordon main force in a mostly offensive position with artillery canons and very few anti-aircraft guns. The valley was mostly occupied by Zordon forces charging the Cerinian position and being semi-effectively held off. However, the Zordon assault had practically halted at his presence as both sides seemed to be uncertain whose side he was on.

Off in the distance Fox could make the transport ship carrying Todd, Daria, Krystal, Diana, and Torygg hanging back a good distance from the battlefield. He was a bit surprised to see them hanging back instead of charging in till he remembered Todd was in the pilot seat. His older brother has always been cautious when it came to battle. Given the battlefield was definitely not clear, the Zordons still appeared to control the battlefield, and the Cerinians haven't shown whether they'll be friendly or not, it didn't surprise Fox that Todd was hanging back. Fox could only imagine the shouts Todd was getting from the others on board, especially from Krystal, to land as soon as possible.

"Todd, stay where you are for a bit, I got to clear their defensive and artillery line." Fox ordered as he accelerated towards the primary Zordon artillery line. "It should only take a few passes."

"If you say so little brother." Todd's voice echoed in his earpiece. "From here it appears more than a few passes will be necessary."

"Doubtful, their AA guns and canons are packed closely together to the point a single Nova bomb can take them out per pass. A follow up along their lines should be enough to weaken them for easy counterattack."

"Again if you say so brother, you're the team leader. Just don't go in expecting an easy few passes."

"I won't big brother; I remember that is how you got shot down over Fichina." Fox sarcastically replied as he positioned his Arwing to begin his first pass.

"You just had to bring that up foxie boy." Todd's angry but somehow calm voice echoed making Fox shut his mouth. "Now get going then before these idiots get smart and try to light our asses up."

Fox shrugged as he accelerated his Arwing towards the Zordon defensive position, knowing it was the time to keep his mouth shut since he has a job to do and Todd was correct. Being the only ship in the sky besides the Star Fox transport ship, Fox had a lot of room to operate. From what he could see the Zordons were still in shock and that was an opportunity he needed to do a significant hit to their front line. He didn't wait for the initial shock to change and opened fire in an barrage that pelted their artillery line with expert precision. Each shot he fired scored a hit on a different gun, killing dozens of nearby soldiers. To finish off his pass Fox fired a nova bomb aimed at the middle of the artillery line, detonating a massive explosion that sent flames, shrapnel, and soldiers flying in all directions. Though his pass only lasted a few moments it was quick enough to deal massive damage, causing the Zordon line to lose their entire artillery line.

As Fox pulled up from his run the Zordon AA guns opened fire, seeming to try and take advantage of the moment he appeared to be a close and easy target. However, Fox was too fast and the Arwing too small of a target for them to get anywhere close to scoring a hit on him, especially once he pulled away and managed to put some distance between him and them. It wasn't till he was turning to make a second pass that the AA guns began firing accurately. At first he didn't think anything of it till a couple shots nearly scraped his wing. Fox quickly found himself having to dodge incinerated fire for the first time since he began his attack. Fortunately, the Arwing's maneuverability allowed him to easily dodge each shot.

"Dang, they can't aim worth a crap." Fox exclaimed as the incoming shots missed him. "I should have taken out the AA guns first."

Fox shook his head as he dodged incoming fire while trying to get into a good assault position but the intensity of fire made it near impossible. He had to give credit to the Zordons for positioning their AA guns close together put their shots into tight groups making it difficult to dodge. It made Fox wish he had at least one of his teammates to work with so one could draw the fire and other could take out the target. Instead, Fox had to rely on his own skill and resist the urge to call Todd for help as that would put the rest of the team in danger since the transport ship was almost a sitting duck. Using his Arwing's maneuverability and agility he slowly approached while expertly dodging every shot fired at him. The personnel operating the guns probably had no idea he was getting closer given how slowly he got closer using his dodging movements to mask his approach. As soon as he was close enough Fox took an opportunity during a break in the fire to line up a quick shot and fire a Nova Bomb towards the AA guns position. The Nova Bomb hit directly in the middle of the enemy position, exploding in a ball of fire, metal, and Zordon soldiers, effectively destroying all of their AA guns.

"Alright, one more pass should do it." Fox softly muttered as he pulled away to ready himself for another pass.

Fox expertly maneuvered himself into position aiming his run towards the valley where the primary Zordon troops were positioned. Once he was certain he was in the best position to do the most damage Fox accelerated towards his target. As soon as he could make out individual soldiers he held down the canon trigger, unleashing a devastating barrage on the enemy. The intensity of fire Fox unleashed on the Zordons could've been called demonic, destroying everything in his path. Using the shape of the valley to maximize the damage he caused appeared to cause extreme casualties on the Zordons. Just like in the previous runs he finished off his run with a Nova Bomb just before pulling up. The valley erupted in flames with the final explosion in a clear line showing his flight path carved into the valley. As he pulled up Fox noticed the Zordon soldiers that were left appeared to be either frozen on the spot of falling back.

"Huh, three passes and their assault are ruined. Man, the Zordons are just terrible at ground combat." Fox was about to radio Todd when he noticed something large moving in the valley. "What the heck is that?"

Fox banked his Arwing and slowed down enough to avoid taking small arms fire and get a good view of what caught his attention. Due to the distance between them, most of the Zordon soldiers appearing to be little more than dots, at first he couldn't make out much. By squinting he began to make out what appeared to be a tank. There were a couple of tanks still moving on the battlefield but that one stood out for him due to its red and gold color marking while the overhears were strictly red. He remembered what Krystal told him about Zordon commanders, how they liked to make themselves stand out on the battlefield to signify their importance. Most added gold stripes to their vehicles, especially military vehicles, to show their importance.

"Ah, that looks like a good target." Fox said with a dark grin and immediately banked his Arwing to make a final pass. "Freaking idiots making themselves stand out deserve to put out their stupidity."

Fox grinned as he dove and throttled towards the Zordon tank. Nearly as soon as he dove the enemy opened intense fire in his direction but none of it accurate. Every Zordon soldier and tank seemed to be firing at him but none of them got even close to landing a shot on Fox. If any of them did manage to score a hit Fox probably wouldn't have noticed with all of his attention on the Zordon commander tank and those surrounding it. As soon as his targeting sensors registered the tank he locked on and fired a charged shot, scoring a direct hit. He was rewarded with the Zordon commander tank erupting in a surprisingly large ball of fire for a tank, sending soldiers and shrapnel flying in all directions. The explosion from the tank appeared to halt the Zordon advance as immediately all their soldiers froze and the majority started to pull back towards what remained of their defensive line.

"Wow that was easy." Fox exclaimed as he turned away from the main battle and towards the Star Fox transport ship to radio Todd. "Alright Todd, you are clear enough to land."

Todd didn't immediately reply, by Fox's guess he was probably looking out the window to check Fox's work. "I think you need to change your definition of clear. I still see lots of enemy soldiers down there."

Fox smirked as he banked his fighter towards the Star Fox transport ship. "I had to leave some alive for Diana and Torygg to slaughter. We can't have them feeling unsatisfied."

"I am not going to argue with that." Fox heard Todd chuckle over his headset. "We'll head down immediately; the two Sharpscales are going crazy as is Krystal."

Fox smirked as he pulled up beside the transport ship. "Alright, be safe brother."

X

"So Todd, are we cleared to kick ass?" Daria shouted as she felt the transport ship land.

Daria stood back as Tod shut off the engine and spun the chair around to face her. "Oh yeah, Fox leveled their forces and artillery. Though this is Fox we're talking about it so he could be exaggerating."

Daria shrugged. "I doubt it; he can be pretty thorough when he wants to be. Most likely we'll just have to deal with the idiot soldiers that remain."

"Too bad there is probably more than a few left." Todd replied with a shrug as he stood up and he and Daria made their way to the back of the transport ship where Diana, Torygg, and Krystal were gathered and getting ready for a fight. "At least we are ready for that."

Torygg looked up as he finished loading his rocket launcher and slung it over his shoulder. "Oh yeah, we're ready to slaughter some assholes."

Daria smiled as she walked past Torygg. "Well then, it's a good thing there is an army of them. Let their stupidity walk them into our fire and get cut down like grass under a mower."

"Then let us take point so we can dominate the morons." Diana shouted as she stood up and made her way to the front of the group with Torygg following close behind her.

Daria smirked at the giant reptile as she walked past her cradling her heavy machine gun. "Of course, walking tanks should always go in the front."

Diana let out a sarcastic growl. "You're lucky you're cute little fuzz ball."

"And happily admit it." Daria playfully replied as Diana let out a laugh before she turned around and readied herself for the bay doors to open so she and Torygg could rush out.

Daria got the rest of the laughs out of her system before turning around to check on Krystal who was nervously standing behind her. Though the blue vixen appeared to be in control her concern for her people was still quite evident by the way she gripped her rifle and the nervous twitch of her eyes. Daria was about to say something to comfort Krystal when Todd walked up from cockpit making a direct line to Krystal with a sympathetic expression but he still appeared to be deadly focused.

"Uh, Krystal, I think you should stay near the back, just to be safe." Todd calmly said as he softly patted Krystal on the shoulder.

Daria glanced behind her half expecting Krystal to give Todd a tongue bashing. Instead she saw Krystal just nod and move to the back of the group. Daria could only stare blankly as it was the last thing she expected knowing Krystal's personality. If Daria had to guess why she held her tongue it probably had something to do with the invasion; she was probably too worried about her people to do much beyond listen to Todd. Plus, Daria did have a point in putting Krystal in back; she was needed to interact with the Cerinians. Without Krystal the Cerinians would probably attack them on sight. Krystal seemed to understand that and didn't appear to have any issue with it as she took position behind Daria.

I better not have to babysit Krystal the entire time. Daria thought as she readied herself for the rush of battle. At least I trained her so she shouldn't be a burden.

As Daria turned back around the back door slid open revealing the battered Cerinian field to the occupants. She had seen her share of battlefields but what laid before her was one of the worst besides what she had witnessed during the Lylat Wars. What was once a gorgeous landscape covered in grass, trees, ponds, and animals was currently nothing more than barren wasteland where not a single piece of green was visible or tree standing. Everywhere she looked were either signs of artillery shells or other kinds of rounds having left impact craters or bodies of either Zordons or Cerinians lying to the point the ground was covered in blood. Daria could only imagine what Krystal was experiencing and didn't want to knowing that would only slow them down. Thankfully, Daria's experience in Tier1 allowed her to run on autopilot and instincts, and push horrors of war to the side in her mind to the point she didn't notice it, and run forward behind Diana and Torygg who had rushed out almost immediately.

"Stay close to me Krystal!" Daria shouted as she ran to the nearest cover behind a destroyed wall.

With Diana and Torygg taking most of the incoming fire Daria had no issue sprinting over open ground. Krystal managed to keep up with her somewhat, the blue vixen didn't have the stamina or the speed she had as she was more of a gymnast. It kind of impressed Daria that Krystal didn't hesitate in the heat of battle as it was her first time in a major battle. Daria chunked it up to the battle taking place on her home world she was still proud to have Krystal by her side. Their sprint to cover was only a second and they slid to safety to quickly recover to rejoin the battle. Krystal took position on one side of the wall and Daria on the other where they had the perfect position to observe the immediate battlefield.

From her cover Daria could see Diana and Torygg moving forward, taking most of the incoming fire. Charging up the middle path they were essentially making themselves giant targets for the Zordon soldiers, which was the idea. Krystal told them earlier, before the transport ship left the Great Fox, that the Zordon firearms lacked firepower and designed more for impact damage, which Sharpscale armor was perfectly created to defend against. Diana and Torygg's armor, being more heavy designed that typical Sharpscale armor, meaning the Zordon rounds were very ineffective against them, barely leaving the smallest dents as they hit. That allowed Diana and Torygg to progress up the middle and draw the attention of the Zordon soldiers while Daria, Krystal, and Todd flanked and outmaneuver forces them; though the two reptiles still inflected heavy damage with their massive weapons, taking out everything and everyone in sight.

As Daria leaned back behind cover Todd looked down at her and spoke. "Daria, I'm going to flank around the right and try to catch them off guard." Todd calmly said as he stood up. "Maybe I can get them to fall back once Diana and Torygg take the middle."

Daria nodded barely glancing at Todd. "Do what you do best brother."

Before Daria could turn back around Todd had vanished to who knew where. Instead of questioning it to how he vanished so quickly she just shrugged and continued on with the battle. She knew that Todd would find a position and opportunity to change the tide of the battle, just not how or when, meaning she'd had to do press on till he made his move. With the Zordons still holding major ground there was quite of a pushing the Star Fox assault team had to do. While Diana and Torygg had cleared a good portion of the middle there was a heavy Zordon defensive position up on the right that would give them trouble with its heavy machine gun. It was in too good of a position for the two of them to take out without heavy risk to themselves, even in their heavy armor, leaving Daria to be the one to deal with it.

Daria leaned over her shoulder and shouted at Krystal who was taking cover from a rock grouping nearby. "Stay here, I'm going to get a better position. Try to provide cover for me as I move up."

Krystal gave Daria a thumbs up and opened fire at any Zordon in sight as Daria jumped out of cover. The young Cerinian was so accurate in her cover fire that with the Zordons pinned down Daria didn't have to worry about getting shot as no one shot at her. She ran so fast that almost instantaneously she made it to the next cover without having a single shot fired at her. Daria slid to cover behind a destroyed wall and quickly recovered to fight again, peering out behind cover and firing at nearby Zordons that had the misfortune of looking from cover at the wrong moment.

Huh, this is almost too easy. Daria thought as she fired at Zordon soldiers who jumped from cover to try to move forward and fail miserably against her aim.

As Daria ducked back behind cover she spotted a group of Zordon soldiers coming at her from the left. She gripped her rifle tightly knowing they were coming too quickly and she had other Zordon soldiers from a well defended position concentrating on her position. They fired a heavy volley of shots to keep her pinned so she couldn't fire and with each passing second she got more agitated knowing they were getting closer and she couldn't attempt to take them out without the high risk of getting shot. However, just as they were almost on top of her someone from a position behind her opened fire at the Zordon soldiers, taking them out quickly. Those that weren't taken out immediately took off running only for Daria to lean out and open fire as well, eliminating the group. Once they were gone Daria looked behind her to see Krystal smiling at her from a nearby position behind a nearly destroyed tree.

"Your aim has improved Krystal." Daria shouted to the blue vixen.

"All thanks to you." Krystal replied with a confident smile as she shouldered her rifle and aimed at the nearby Zordon position.

"That's because you're my best student." Daria sarcastically replied before shouting into her earpiece to her teammates. "Diana, Torygg, you're clear to move up!"

Diana nodded from his position nearby in the middle of the path and patted Torygg on the shoulder, signaling for him to move up. Daria saw Torygg nod as he raised his machine and took point with Diana closely following. They double teamed a charge up the middle unleashing heavy fire on any Zordon in sight, cutting down several almost instantly. As they charged Daria and Krystal provided cover support, providing accurate firepower to take out any Zordon soldier that seemed to pose a threat to the two reptiles from a distance. For a moment it seemed to be working in their favor with the Zordon soldiers quickly falling back, till Daria saw they were all falling back to the same position she was trying to take out, an almost bunk-like position with a machine mounted on sandbags. By the time she realized what the position was over a dozen Zordon soldiers gathered in the position and they unleashed heavy fire in her direction causing her to quickly duck behind cover.

"Damn it, just when things were going smoothly." Daria growled as she tried to shoot the Zordon soldiers but their cover made it difficult to get an accurate shot.

Suddenly, heavy fire rained down on the Zordon primary line from an elevated position. Almost instantaneously, the Zordon soldiers were cut down to the point they were nearly wiped out before they could do anything. The intense fire cut down any Zordon in sight, effectively destroying their position. Before she could fire a round herself the Zordons, what remained of them, had ducked behind cover to avoid being cut down. Once the entire position was behind cover Daria looked up to spot Todd on top of a nearby cover behind rocks firing his submachine gun with accurate fire at the Zordons keeping them pinned down.

"Damn, Todd is giving them hell." Daria muttered to herself.

As Todd continued to fire at the Zordon position, keeping them pinned down, Daria pulled a grenade from her vest knowing it was the best opportunity for them to advance and end the assault. It was one of the last defensive positions left in the area for the Zordons to fall back to other than their primary camp nearby. Daria pulled the pin and leaned out from cover, throwing the grenade in a perfect arch towards the Zordon position. The grenade flew over their cover and directly into their hole causing Daria to silent cheer. A moment later the grenade exploded, taking out the nest and all of the Zordon soldiers with it, throwing one high into the air making her laugh.

Todd gave Daria a thumbs up. "Nice throw sis."

Daria saluted back getting another from Todd who quickly disappeared to probably find another position. She leaned back behind cover and recharged her rifle, listening to the battle and Diana and Torygg pushing forward almost unchallenged. As the battle unfolded, Daria took the opportunity to glance at the Cerinian position nearby. Though the Cerinian line was a significant distance away, around five hundred yards, she could still clearly see their trench line; what was left of it anyway. From what she could see it was barely a dug trench, just barely deep enough for a small person to take cover in, with other defensive positions, though most were destroyed or close to it. Impact craters caused artillery shells were all around the line and forest surrounding it. There were hardly any trees still standing along with multiple fires blazing that had charred nearly the entire area to a crisp, making the soil pitch black. Bodies of both Cerinian and Zordon soldiers laid everywhere in various states of decomposition and togetherness, with body parts everywhere. Despite all the destruction Daria could clearly see a large number of Cerinian soldiers still standing strong and effectively fighting back against the Zordons.

Dang, they have been battered to the point of near extinction.

Daria thought as she turned back to her part of the battle. The fact they are still standing strong is nothing short of impressive.

As Daria turned back to the battlefield her peripheral picked up on something in the distance on top of a nearby hill. It looked like a small temple by first glance, or maybe a shrine, though one that had been heavily damaged. From what she could see it must've been gorgeous before the invasion and seeing it in a destroyed state added additional fuel to her rage. At first she paid no attention to it till she swore it was moving. She squinted in its direction and gasped when she saw what appeared to be a large artillery cannon aiming in their direction. It only took a moment for Daria to see that the cannon was aiming specifically in Diana and Torygg's location who were charging up a narrow valley towards a Zordon machine gun nest.

"Diana, Torygg, TAKE COVER!" Daria shouted as she saw the cannon charging a shot.

Diana and Torygg paused in their track and looked at Daria confused. She pointed in the direction of the cannon causing them to look up and immediately upon seeing the threat took off running in opposite directions for the nearest cover. Just as they neared cover the cannon fired and the round struck the ground where the two reptiles had been standing, sending them flying. Daria could only watch in shock as they flew and landed hard and she could only guess if they were hurt or not. However, her concern was quickly alleviated when she saw them standing up almost immediately, appearing to only have suffered bruises.

"Damn those sons of bitches." Diana roared as she stood up.

Daria chuckled hearing Diana's groan over her headset only for it to quickly disappear when she saw the artillery crew quickly reloading the cannon. Not giving them the opportunity, she stood up from cover and fired a barrage at the artillery cannon as they readied for another shot. Since her target was over a couple hundred yards away, and they were positioned behind a rocky cliff, it was difficult for Daria to get an accurate shot on individual soldiers, but she wasn't trying to actually hit them, just fire close enough so they ducked for cover. With her extensive combat experience, she knew that just getting rounds close to them would cause the soldiers to duck for cover and stop their process of reloading the cannon. But Daria was still certain she managed to hit at least one of them when she first opened fire in their direction before they ran for the nearest cover. She kept on the trigger, laying down ridiculous amounts of fire to keep them pinned down so Diana and Torygg could move for cover.

From the corner of her eye she could see Diana take cover behind a destroyed wall while Torygg dove behind a rock. The few Zordon soldiers that remained were positioned in trenches not far ahead of Torygg and they fired at his location to try and keep him pinned down. But their rounds were ineffective against his Sharpscale armor and barely left a dent. Torygg, once he recovered, leaned out of cover with his machine gun and unleashed a volley of fire at their position, almost instantly killing two while the others ducked for cover. He kept firing at their position keeping hotel pinned down. Meanwhile, Daria saw Diana loading a rocket launcher and immediately knew what her goal was.

"Sorry that we destroyed such a beautiful place, Krystal." Diana shouted as she finished loading the rocket launcher and shouldered the rocket launcher.

Daria watched closely as Diana fired the rocket launcher and it flew towards its target, flying straight past the walls of the shrine and directly hit the artillery cannon. The rocket detonated, blowing the cannon to pieces and killing every Zordon nearby, sending those that weren't killed flying through the air and probably to their deaths. The explosion unfortunately took the Cerinian with it, blowing the structure apart and sending debris flying. If it wasn't for the fact they had destroyed a structure that was probably important to the Cerinians and would most likely get them in trouble.

Nice shot Diana, but the Cerinians are probably not going to be happy about their shrine or temple being destroyed. Daria thought as she recharged her rifle.

Looking over the battlefield she saw the Zordons moving back towards the city on the nearby hill. She remembered glancing out of the transport ship's window to get a good view of the battlefield before they landed and took note that the destroyed city was the Zordon primary command center; or at least appeared to be. That was where all of their tents, vehicles, etc. were positioned telling her it was an important location. From her position she could clearly see the Zordon soldiers that remained running, more like scrambling over each other, in that direction. To Daria, if that wasn't a sign of retreat, even if it was just temporarily to regroup, she didn't know what was. Whatever the reason, they were clearly pulling out of combat and that gave her, the team, and the Cerinians, a chance at rest.

"I think we got them on the run!" Daria shouted for everyone nearby to hear, which wasn't many besides Diana and Torygg, who both sat down in the trenches appearing to be tired, and whatever Cerinian happened to be nearby.

As Daria cheered she felt Todd's hand firmly grip her shoulder, causing her to turn around and face him. She smiled up at him and he grinned back kind of giving her approval for how well she handled the assault. It felt good to be fighting alongside Todd again and he hadn't lost a step, if anything he seemed to have gotten better. But as she looked up at him instead of joy she saw a worried expression on his face. It puzzled her till she remembered what he had to do with Krystal now that the tide of battle had turned in their favor and she quickly became worried herself.

"You guys appear to have things under control here so I'm taking Krystal to reunite with the Cerinian forces." Todd blurted out with no build up.

Daria let out a soft giggle. "I see you're still straight to the point." Daria looked up at her older brother with a serious expression. "They are pulling back so for the time being I think we will be fine. We shouldn't have any trouble holding them back once the others get here."

"I know, still be careful. These Zordons appear to be willing to do anything to win so do not let your guard down."

"I never do but you definitely shouldn't either given where you're going."

Todd gave Daria a comforting smile. "I will, that's why I got Krystal with me. Hopefully it goes smoothly when we meet them and doesn't turn violent."

"If it does than remember that we are here and will back you up."

"And I will make sure you stay safe." Krystal spoke up getting a smile from Daria and Todd.

"I know you will fuzzy butt." Daria replied with a slight chuckle before looking nervously at Todd. "Be safe bro."

Todd nodded as he motioned for Krystal to follow him. Daria watched for a moment as Krystal ran after Todd before turning back to the battle. Though she could see the battle clearly going their way, with Torygg and Diana effectively holding the line as the Zordons retreat, she didn't feel any comfort at the thought of Todd and Krystal going straight to the Cerinian camp. She somehow felt more at ease on the current battlefield than she did for Todd and Krystal. Daria just had to trust her instinct that they would be alright.

To be continued.

Star Fox has arrived on Cerinia and made their presence known in a climatic way. In just a short time they have pushed the Zordons back and stabilized the Cerinian line. However, the Cerinians are don't seem to be grateful or excited to have help . . . in the form of Cornerians. Can Krystal ease the tensions before the tide of battle turns?

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.