Chapter 5:
Having gathered his thoughts, Fox felt better suited to handle the trials and tribulations that were evidently before him. Apparently, he had been unconscious for at least twelve hours – most likely longer. Venom was no longer glowing ominously outside of the window. Heck, the Lylat System wasn't even on his radar. Instead, an unfamiliar system lay on the computerized map on the screen. He looked out. The view of Andross' former stronghold was replaced by the view of an unfamiliar planet, a planet that looked much like Corneria – the continents inky green, the oceans sapphire blue, and the high mountains snowy white. But something was different. This planet seemed unscathed by the marks of development and technology. It looked almost primeval. A few volcanoes poked through the soft beds of clouds here and there, and no evidence of large modern cities was to be found. A belt of meteors and large satellites surrounded the planet in a slow orbit. No, it definitely was touched by civilization. Perhaps this had been an outpost under Andross.
"Rob, give me an analysis of the planetary data of this planet, the planet directly in front of us – directly in front of the Great Fox," Fox demanded calmly. He has noticeably resumed to his normal attitudes.
"Collecting data. Analysis loading on to panel screen."
He stood in front of the panel, arms folded, waiting for the data to be retrieved from scanning. Finally, the information loaded in the form of a list of general facts:
Planetary Data:
Radius 6,849 km
Albedo .38
Gravity 1.167
Esc Velocity 13.10 km/s
Equilibrium K 286
Atmosphere N277 + O221
Hydrographics 75%
Biomass 3,170 Quads
Class H
The description fitted Corneria almost exactly, only a bit larger in mass. He looked up from the panel screen and out of the window, gazing at the shimmering orb of blue and green. What is this planet? Fox was at a lost as to what to do next. His adventurous spirit resurfaced; for some reason, he felt an urge to explore this planet, but he needed a reason. What if he was suddenly attacked? Fox didn't even know what kind of life forms inhabited the star.
"Rob, deliver a report of the condition of the Great Fox," he ordered, suddenly remembering something.
"Roger,"
The panel screen blinked, and then the list of planetary information was replaced by a new list of statistics. Fox scanned the list, brows furrowed and face serious. The fuel was running low. It was only a matter of a few hours before the Great Fox would come to a complete halt, just as he thought. His fears were confirmed. He hasn't refueled since he left Corneria, and even back then, the fuel tanks weren't completely full. He was in too much of a hurry to leave to notice. Cursing silently to himself, he strode to the docking bay. Now he had to go search for fuel, whether he wanted to or not.
Fox climbed back into the familiar cockpit of his Arwing without second thought. Surely, he had to find a new source of fuel before he was stranded in the vast expanse of this unfamiliar constellation. Searching the planet was worth a try, even if it meant danger. Before sealing the cockpit, he ordered Rob to minimize fuel consumption. Fox took off before Rob could respond in his usual monotone.
As he slowly drifted towards the planet, he leaned back. It seemed safe, at least for that time… His eyes were drawn to the two photographs again. This time, he did not look at the picture of his father; he had made up his mind to leave the bundle of sadness for now - at least for now… Instead, he looked to the picture of Fara and himself. It was taken before he graduated from the Cornerian Academy, at his dorm room. Fox was sitting, and Fara was behind him, her slender arms wrapped around his neck lovingly. The vixen's grinning face was lowered next to Fox's, one hand pointing towards the camera to direct his attention to the photographer, whoever it was… It was probably Wolf, before he left… before all that happened.
Fox felt guilty, suddenly reminded of Fara. They shared a great relationship back on Corneria. Yet, he had forgotten her all this time. He didn't even look for her extensively after the Lylat Wars were over; he was too entangled in the war, and later, his own thoughts. Slowly, all the memories of their time together flowed through his mind like a movie – the scenes of Valentine's Day with Fara, their sharing of birthdays with each other, and the other things they did, of course…He suddenly longed for his life on Corneria, before the war ever disrupted the peace.
Fox shook his head. He was drifting off with his thoughts again. He cursed himself; it was his excessive thinking that brought him into all this turmoil – into this journey that he was currently on. He wished there were a switch on his head, so he could turn off all his thoughts and focus on the tasks before him. Nearing the belt of meteors and metal satellites, Fox sat in his Arwing with eyes moving constantly, looking alertly for possible threats. His ears twitched, straining to hear possible noises. Judging from the elaborate constructions on the satellites, there surely were occupants. Turrets gleamed coldly and imposingly at every corner. Yet, all his ears received was an eerie silence.
Out of nowhere, a single cannon screeched across the space and landed heavily upon his Arwing's left flank. Fox groaned and jumped in his seat. He looked to the left; the left wing was half melted – the works of a plasma cannon. It was shot where the wing was damaged earlier, in the bogey encounter. No doubt this was a calculated, intelligent blow. What intelligent life form was stalking him? He whipped his ship around. Six black spacecrafts floated behind him, emerging from the shadows of the satellites.
"Under whose command have you fired at me? Is it Starwolf?" Fox hissed in annoyance, engaging the transmitter on his helmet.
"General Scales have ordered us to terminate all intruders. No exceptions. You may not pass without a battle," the enemy pilots transmitted back, their reptilian faces appearing on the panel screen of his Arwing. They looked somewhat like raptors.
Dinosaurs? he thought to himself in ridicule. This is insane.
"And you shall not pass without taking responsibility for damaging my spacecraft," Fox taunted. "Tell your 'General Scales' to prepare for an incoming bill – along with a few funerals to prepare."
"The funeral will be yours,"
"We shall see…" he replied coldly, pulling back the boosters. His Arwing sped towards them.
The enemies reeled in surprise. At the speed Fox was going, their ships would collide, but before they came into impact, he turned sharply. The surroundings were lit with a faint blue, and a buzz filled the air. A shining blue globe flied across the space with a trail of smoke stretching behind. The reptilian pilots gaped dumbly.
"Take cover! Nova bomb!" one finally gathered the wits to shout.
Receiving the transmission, they scurried in all directions, but it was in vain. The nova bomb exploded like a nebula, rings of destruction radiating from the center of impact. One unlucky ship was hit dead on. Three others were caught in the shockwaves and spewing debris that shot by.
"Is this all that your 'General Scales' have to offer? A fleet of overconfident weaklings?"
Fox looked around for signs of the other two remaining fighters. They were nowhere to be seen. He started to panic inside, but managed to remain calm as he always did. The silence returned, and the debris settled. There were no signs of the enemy, as if the battle never took place. Guerilla tactics, he groaned to himself softly, so as not to be overheard. The way of war for the dishonorable and the weak.
"Well guess you're not alive to deliver the messages to him, huh?" Fox said mockingly.
"I think not," the eerie voice of the pilots rang and reverberated in his headphones. He spun his head frantically in search of signs of their location.
Again, a faint yellow flash stained the surroundings before Fox's Arwing jolted from an explosion behind.
"Shit," he muttered to himself, eyes widening. The wings were taken out, along with his engine. The realization struck him – he was doomed.
"Give my regard to whatever general you work for, and tell all of your people to watch out before they are forced to submit to General Scales," the voice echoed, emotions unwavering. Fox still couldn't determine their positions, but it didn't matter. His Arwing couldn't move. It was over.
"To hell with your 'General Scales'," Fox spat back in futile defiance. They chuckled cruelly.
"Well goodbye, my friend,"
There was another screech, and the ever-sickening yellow glow. Then the cockpit was suddenly lit up brightly and the whole Arwing was engulfed in blinding flames. Fox bit his jaws together tightly. He looked up to the two photographs for one last time. Deep within his soul, he apologized to Fara for not being able to return to her. A crack sprawled across the glass canopy that covered the cockpit. He was afraid. He was afraid of whatever awaited him. Another violent shudder was sent through the Arwing. His sensitive ears were deafened from the din of the explosion. Squeezing his eyes shut, he silently bade Fara, Falco, Peppy, Slippy, Pepper, Bill, and all of his friends farewell.
"Looks like I will be joining you sooner than I thought, Father…"
There was a loud crack, and through his closed eyelids, Fox saw the flames flash in a blinding white. He lapsed into dark unconsciousness.
Having gathered his thoughts, Fox felt better suited to handle the trials and tribulations that were evidently before him. Apparently, he had been unconscious for at least twelve hours – most likely longer. Venom was no longer glowing ominously outside of the window. Heck, the Lylat System wasn't even on his radar. Instead, an unfamiliar system lay on the computerized map on the screen. He looked out. The view of Andross' former stronghold was replaced by the view of an unfamiliar planet, a planet that looked much like Corneria – the continents inky green, the oceans sapphire blue, and the high mountains snowy white. But something was different. This planet seemed unscathed by the marks of development and technology. It looked almost primeval. A few volcanoes poked through the soft beds of clouds here and there, and no evidence of large modern cities was to be found. A belt of meteors and large satellites surrounded the planet in a slow orbit. No, it definitely was touched by civilization. Perhaps this had been an outpost under Andross.
"Rob, give me an analysis of the planetary data of this planet, the planet directly in front of us – directly in front of the Great Fox," Fox demanded calmly. He has noticeably resumed to his normal attitudes.
"Collecting data. Analysis loading on to panel screen."
He stood in front of the panel, arms folded, waiting for the data to be retrieved from scanning. Finally, the information loaded in the form of a list of general facts:
Planetary Data:
Radius 6,849 km
Albedo .38
Gravity 1.167
Esc Velocity 13.10 km/s
Equilibrium K 286
Atmosphere N277 + O221
Hydrographics 75%
Biomass 3,170 Quads
Class H
The description fitted Corneria almost exactly, only a bit larger in mass. He looked up from the panel screen and out of the window, gazing at the shimmering orb of blue and green. What is this planet? Fox was at a lost as to what to do next. His adventurous spirit resurfaced; for some reason, he felt an urge to explore this planet, but he needed a reason. What if he was suddenly attacked? Fox didn't even know what kind of life forms inhabited the star.
"Rob, deliver a report of the condition of the Great Fox," he ordered, suddenly remembering something.
"Roger,"
The panel screen blinked, and then the list of planetary information was replaced by a new list of statistics. Fox scanned the list, brows furrowed and face serious. The fuel was running low. It was only a matter of a few hours before the Great Fox would come to a complete halt, just as he thought. His fears were confirmed. He hasn't refueled since he left Corneria, and even back then, the fuel tanks weren't completely full. He was in too much of a hurry to leave to notice. Cursing silently to himself, he strode to the docking bay. Now he had to go search for fuel, whether he wanted to or not.
Fox climbed back into the familiar cockpit of his Arwing without second thought. Surely, he had to find a new source of fuel before he was stranded in the vast expanse of this unfamiliar constellation. Searching the planet was worth a try, even if it meant danger. Before sealing the cockpit, he ordered Rob to minimize fuel consumption. Fox took off before Rob could respond in his usual monotone.
As he slowly drifted towards the planet, he leaned back. It seemed safe, at least for that time… His eyes were drawn to the two photographs again. This time, he did not look at the picture of his father; he had made up his mind to leave the bundle of sadness for now - at least for now… Instead, he looked to the picture of Fara and himself. It was taken before he graduated from the Cornerian Academy, at his dorm room. Fox was sitting, and Fara was behind him, her slender arms wrapped around his neck lovingly. The vixen's grinning face was lowered next to Fox's, one hand pointing towards the camera to direct his attention to the photographer, whoever it was… It was probably Wolf, before he left… before all that happened.
Fox felt guilty, suddenly reminded of Fara. They shared a great relationship back on Corneria. Yet, he had forgotten her all this time. He didn't even look for her extensively after the Lylat Wars were over; he was too entangled in the war, and later, his own thoughts. Slowly, all the memories of their time together flowed through his mind like a movie – the scenes of Valentine's Day with Fara, their sharing of birthdays with each other, and the other things they did, of course…He suddenly longed for his life on Corneria, before the war ever disrupted the peace.
Fox shook his head. He was drifting off with his thoughts again. He cursed himself; it was his excessive thinking that brought him into all this turmoil – into this journey that he was currently on. He wished there were a switch on his head, so he could turn off all his thoughts and focus on the tasks before him. Nearing the belt of meteors and metal satellites, Fox sat in his Arwing with eyes moving constantly, looking alertly for possible threats. His ears twitched, straining to hear possible noises. Judging from the elaborate constructions on the satellites, there surely were occupants. Turrets gleamed coldly and imposingly at every corner. Yet, all his ears received was an eerie silence.
Out of nowhere, a single cannon screeched across the space and landed heavily upon his Arwing's left flank. Fox groaned and jumped in his seat. He looked to the left; the left wing was half melted – the works of a plasma cannon. It was shot where the wing was damaged earlier, in the bogey encounter. No doubt this was a calculated, intelligent blow. What intelligent life form was stalking him? He whipped his ship around. Six black spacecrafts floated behind him, emerging from the shadows of the satellites.
"Under whose command have you fired at me? Is it Starwolf?" Fox hissed in annoyance, engaging the transmitter on his helmet.
"General Scales have ordered us to terminate all intruders. No exceptions. You may not pass without a battle," the enemy pilots transmitted back, their reptilian faces appearing on the panel screen of his Arwing. They looked somewhat like raptors.
Dinosaurs? he thought to himself in ridicule. This is insane.
"And you shall not pass without taking responsibility for damaging my spacecraft," Fox taunted. "Tell your 'General Scales' to prepare for an incoming bill – along with a few funerals to prepare."
"The funeral will be yours,"
"We shall see…" he replied coldly, pulling back the boosters. His Arwing sped towards them.
The enemies reeled in surprise. At the speed Fox was going, their ships would collide, but before they came into impact, he turned sharply. The surroundings were lit with a faint blue, and a buzz filled the air. A shining blue globe flied across the space with a trail of smoke stretching behind. The reptilian pilots gaped dumbly.
"Take cover! Nova bomb!" one finally gathered the wits to shout.
Receiving the transmission, they scurried in all directions, but it was in vain. The nova bomb exploded like a nebula, rings of destruction radiating from the center of impact. One unlucky ship was hit dead on. Three others were caught in the shockwaves and spewing debris that shot by.
"Is this all that your 'General Scales' have to offer? A fleet of overconfident weaklings?"
Fox looked around for signs of the other two remaining fighters. They were nowhere to be seen. He started to panic inside, but managed to remain calm as he always did. The silence returned, and the debris settled. There were no signs of the enemy, as if the battle never took place. Guerilla tactics, he groaned to himself softly, so as not to be overheard. The way of war for the dishonorable and the weak.
"Well guess you're not alive to deliver the messages to him, huh?" Fox said mockingly.
"I think not," the eerie voice of the pilots rang and reverberated in his headphones. He spun his head frantically in search of signs of their location.
Again, a faint yellow flash stained the surroundings before Fox's Arwing jolted from an explosion behind.
"Shit," he muttered to himself, eyes widening. The wings were taken out, along with his engine. The realization struck him – he was doomed.
"Give my regard to whatever general you work for, and tell all of your people to watch out before they are forced to submit to General Scales," the voice echoed, emotions unwavering. Fox still couldn't determine their positions, but it didn't matter. His Arwing couldn't move. It was over.
"To hell with your 'General Scales'," Fox spat back in futile defiance. They chuckled cruelly.
"Well goodbye, my friend,"
There was another screech, and the ever-sickening yellow glow. Then the cockpit was suddenly lit up brightly and the whole Arwing was engulfed in blinding flames. Fox bit his jaws together tightly. He looked up to the two photographs for one last time. Deep within his soul, he apologized to Fara for not being able to return to her. A crack sprawled across the glass canopy that covered the cockpit. He was afraid. He was afraid of whatever awaited him. Another violent shudder was sent through the Arwing. His sensitive ears were deafened from the din of the explosion. Squeezing his eyes shut, he silently bade Fara, Falco, Peppy, Slippy, Pepper, Bill, and all of his friends farewell.
"Looks like I will be joining you sooner than I thought, Father…"
There was a loud crack, and through his closed eyelids, Fox saw the flames flash in a blinding white. He lapsed into dark unconsciousness.