I've decided to completely rewrite this entire story and with the exception of the first chapter, everything else will be changed although occasional events and dialogue will be the same. There's some mild cursing in this version of the story so watch out.
Mantia burst free of Corneria and flew off into outer space. Many things had changed since it had last invaded the Lylat System and it wondered where to start. Mantia decided to first 'obtain' some helpers. Mantia then leapt into warp headed for a once known warp junction stop for large bulk freighters.
Corneria: Jason awoke to see the smoking remains of Alpha City. Jason just stared in shock at the destruction. He also noticed that the rest of the scavengers had fled but he still had his hands on the powercells. Jason stood up, brushed himself off and headed for his fighter. Jason trudged through several tons of rubble before seeing an odd mountain of steel shutters. Jake pushed the shutters off and it revealed his fighter underneath. Jason attached the used powercells and entered into the cockpit. He closed the cockpit of his modified Arwing and activated the systems. Next to the front targeting display was a picture of him and his parents before a roving gang of pirates killed them, Jason just ignored the photo and turned on the main engine. The engine ignited and burned the trash behind him. Jason then pulled back on the stick and the fighter took to the sky. The Arwing had three pairs of wings, one on top of the other. While the top and bottom pair thrust backwards, either in all-range mode or cruising mode, the middle pair was adjusted so that the wings jutted forward. The middle wings could also enter cruising mode or all-range mode it was merely the opposite of the other wings. The fighter also contained an advanced scanning system, four hyper laser cannons, and two smart bomb launchers as well as a state-of-the art engine and G-Diffuser. Jake then slammed on the engines and adjusted the wings to cruising mode so the ship leapt into mach speed. Jake exited the planet and entered warp headed towards his faction on Katina.
Freighter Tyrago: The massive bulk freighter was exiting warp headed towards a brief transit point between Solar and the second sun of Zoness before heading on to Corneria with a shipment for the Alphas. The ship exited warp and was altering its trajectory when suddenly Mantia leapt from warp.
"Get us out of here!" exclaimed Capt. Cook. Mantia zoomed past the ship and fired its electric tail cannon at the ship causing its systems to short out.
"Apparently we're at it's mercy," observed Greg. Mantia appeared on the main viewscreen.
"I haven't shorted out all of your systems. Open your bay and prepare to receive your new boss," said Mantia.
"Sir?" Porpoise asked.
"Open it," said Cook. The bay opened and Mantia flew in and landed. Cook, Porpoise, and Greg entered into the bay and stared at the gigantic Manta Ray.
"What do you want with this ship?" demanded Cook.
"Want? I don't want anything. You and your ship are now under my control. If you resist I'll destroy this ship and find a less resistant crew. If you obey me, you might survive this fiasco," said Mantia. Greg, Porpoise, and Cook conferred for a few moments.
"What will the Alphas do when they don't receive this cargo?" asked Cook. Mantia balked at him.
"I don't think you'll have to worry about the Alphas anymore because I just eradicated their entire population. Believe me, your supplies will be the least of their worries," said Mantia.
"What do you want us to do?" asked Porpoise.
"First we'll fly to the surface of Zoness. I'm certain your ship will survive the temperatures. I'll tell you what we're to do next once we get there," said Mantia. Cook nodded knowing that he had his crew to worry about.
"I'll make the arrangements," he said finally.
"Excellent," responded Mantia. Cook left the bay wondering how he was going to tell the rest of the crew the news before they found out through rumors.
Katina: Jason's fighter emerged from warp and zoomed down to the planet's surface.
"Access code," said a mechanized voice over the comm.
"Jason, J210354," said Jason.
"Authorizing. Voice, code, and fighter identification confirmed. Welcome home Jason," said the computer.
"Yeah, yeah," said Jason. Jason watched as one of the orbiting umbras blasted a nearby ship into dust.
"Mess with the best, die like the rest," said Jason. His fighter zoomed into the atmosphere and burst through some clouds over the planets surface. Below him, he saw a small attachment of Landmaster's performing target practice.
"They're not scheduled for practice today. That's odd," said Jason. Jason then saw the old Katina base where the current remains of the CDF were located. The mothership that had crashed behind the base had long since been taken apart for supplies during the great war a couple hundred years ago. Jason then flew into a fighter bay and landed amid an assortment of various other fighters. Everywhere mechanics were bustling about repairing and performing maintenance to the fighters. Jason exited his fighter and hopped down to the ground. He watched curiously at the increase in activity when the main engineer Cookie, an otter approached him with a checklist.
"Howdy Jason. Did you find those cells?" he asked.
"Yeah I did and I got you something too," said Jake holding up a large piece of metal which Cookie readily accepted "What's with all the activity?"
"We don't know. Word from above is that we're to prep all fighters and make sure they're combat-ready and able to launch at a moments notice. Tobias and his generals want to see you up in the main viewing chamber immediately," he said. Jason shrugged and took off to an elevator. Jason took the elevator to the top level and emerged into a large room filled with windows and sunlight came in from the rising dawn. In the center of the room was a large table where Tobias and his generals sat watching a viewscreen of a massive space battle.
"What's up?" Jason asked. He looked to see a massive battlecruiser explode and dozens of fighters sweep in and take its place.
"The dam burst," responded Tobias. Jason suddenly realized what the screen was showing.
"Oh shit," he said. For the past several weeks, the Crimson Elite had been placing its forces on the border with the Nuclear Knights above Titania in a show of dominance. The Knights responded by placing their own forces above Titania. The two factions were unwilling to break down and call it off and so they'd stayed that way for the past several weeks.
"What set them off?" asked Jason. He grabbed a cup of water and started sipping it.
"Believe it or not, but reports indicate that the Razor's Pride did. One of their robotic sentries entered the zone with each side painted to show the opposites enemy. The ship angled it self so the opposing sides would see what they wanted to see and exploded. The two factions declared war a half hour ago," said General Powell.
"So the great pacifist Jake Whitacre showed his true colors. I also knew that 'we should be at peace' was only a charade," said Jason.
"Yeah well you know as well as we do that these are the two most powerful factions in the Lylat System. Although we all agreed to stay out of each others business, this could still have repercussions for the winner might feel they're invincible and try and conquer the rest of the system," said Tobias.
"True. So that's why the ship are being prepped and the Landmasters are honing their skills," said Jason.
"Right. We've been preparing for the worst and we can't hope for anything," said Powell.
"What about the Skull Riderz? This battle is practically on their front doorstep," said Tobias.
"Unknown. We've only detected a slight increase in the amount of fighters they've put into the air. I guess they could merely just attack with copperheads but who knows? I don't understand their lack of response," said Powell.
"And the Razor's Pride?" asked Tobias. Powell was about to answer when Jason cut him off.
"I hate to make matters worse, but the Alphas have been eliminated," he said. Everyone stopped talking and turned to face him while on the screen behind them, another battlecruiser exploded.
"How? The Alphas are the only faction who can't be wiped out," said Tobias.
"Check your satellite images, they have," responded Jason. Tobias punched a few buttons on the keyboard in front of him and the space battle was minimized to show the smoking remain of Corneria City. Dozens of gasps emerged from the generals.
"How?" Tobias asked weakly.
"Pull back the image," said Jason. The image zoomed backwards to reveal a message etched in the ground by laser fire. The message read: HERE LIES THE FIRST STEPPING STONE TO MANTIA'S DOMINANCE OF THE LYLAT SYSTEM! The smoking remains of Corneria City formed the dot on the exclamation point. (To give an approximate idea of the size, Corneria City's dome's diameter was sixty miles wide although most of it was the remains of buildings that even the Alphas didn't use).
"Mantia," said Tobias.
"I hope that you, who claim to be a descendant of General Pepper knows what that is," said Jason. Tobias looked up at him.
"Of course I know who that is! It's the scourge of the skies that attempted to annihilate the Lylat System no less than two times! Mantia was a destructive force that had never been seen before in the annals of history! If Sector Z hadn't been destroyed, we'd all have suffered his wrath. If he's returned then we're all in trouble!" exclaimed Tobias.
"Right but somehow it has returned and we'd better come up with a plan to defend ourselves or else we're in deep shit," said Jason.
"What to do what to do what to do," said Tobias.
"I think we'll have to confer on this," said Powell.
"Right well I'll try and lend a hand down in the bay," said Jason leaving.
Zoness: The freighter emerged from warp with large explosions in the far background. Suddenly four Razor's Pride fighters appeared and opened fire on the helpless cruiser.
"We can't defend ourselves against this, we're only a merchant ship," said Cook. Mantia appeared over the screen.
"I'll deal with this threat. You just head for the surface of Zoness. If you attempt to enter warp, I'll destroy you," said Mantia flying off and out of the bay. The four fighters were unsure what to do, but they opened fire on Mantia anyway.
"You fools, even the destruction of an entire nebula couldn't defeat me. What advantage do you have?" asked Mantia. Mantia's two wing laser cannons emerged and opened fire on the fighters. One of them blew up and the other fighters resumed attacking with fiercer intensity. A fighter launch a smart bomb at Mantia's underside, but it exploded harmlessly against its tough skin. Mantia then slammed through another fighter and the remaining two were victims of its electric tail weapon. The two fighters lazily began their descent towards their inevitable doom on Zoness. Mantia then rendezvoused with the freighter and the two plunged towards Zoness surface. They flew over several pieces of wreckage strewn about and finally landed on a lone island not entirely claimed by the fires. Mantia hovered above the freighter looking around at the burning waters of Zoness.
"What now?" Greg asked.
"We wait I guess," responded Cook. Mantia waited a few more minutes before letting out a bone-curdling roar that shook the ship. Everyone on board the freighter covered their ears as Mantia roared for about five minutes and then stopped. Mantia and the crew waited for another half-hour before the water in front of the island started bubbling. A massive claw burst from the sea and a gigantic crab reared itself out of the water and stepped onto the island. The crab had been steaming and had several welt marks but for the most part was okay. The crab took a look at Mantia who merely thrust its wing at the open bay. The crab scurried aboard and sat down as the bay closed shut. Mantia then projected itself onto the viewscreen.
"We're leaving," it said.
"Where?" asked Cook. Mantia looked out at the skies above and the small explosions dotting the background. Mantia scanned its memories for someplace safe that would provide them with the resources necessary. Mantia finally decided where to go.
"We're going to Macbeth's sixth moon," it said. Cook cleared his throat.
"Not to sound disrespectful, but that area is under Skull Riderz jurisdiction and we're not allowed to go there," responded Cook. Mantia growled.
"I'll destroy every ship in the entire Lylat System if it stops me from reaching that moon. I'll find a way to sneak your ship in through their radars and defense systems," said Mantia.
"Fine, but if this blows up in your face, I'm not risking my crew. Don't forget that if this ship blows up, so does your crab," said Cook.
"I am aware of that foolish creature. Besides, you've followed my order this far I don't want to loose such valuable assets," said Mantia taking to the sky.
"Take us out of here," said Cook sighing. (Cook's a gorilla, Porpoise is a porpoise, and Greg's a donkey with shades. You can decide yourself if you want them to be related to Greg and Porpoise of my previous fic, The Second Plague Cometh). Mantia and the freighter escaped Zoness and leapt into light speed.
The battle: Hundreds of fighters and dozens of cruiser opened fire on each other above Titania as each side tried to press forward. Captain Snow led his wave of fighters on a bombing run over several Crimson Elite battlecruisers.
"Ha, ha, ha. Run and tremble for you can't win this war," said Snow. A large explosion occurred nearby and blew up a third of his fighter wave.
"Give it up Snow," said Stronghold.
"Ah my old nemesis it's good to see that you've finally tapped into our comm. system," said Snow.
"I've known about this system for a long time and I know every one of your plans," said Stronghold.
"I don't think so," said Snow signing off. Snow led his fighters against a wave of Crimson Elite ships. His fighters resumed their attack and blew up some of them. Behind Snow, one of his own warships exploded.
"Intel, stats," said Snow. A fighter flew into flanking position with him.
"Current projections indicate 25 cruisers each, 120 fighters ours, 115 theirs," said Intel.
"We're evenly matched and ready for action," said Snow diving into the thick of battle.
Zeram-Class lead warship CE: Lord Stronghold stood on the bridge of his fearsome black battleship as it opened fire on the enemy. A lone enemy fighter streaked across its bow firing but was promptly blown up by one of the warships cannons.
"We're not making any progress are we?" asked Stronghold sighing.
"No sir," responded a glum technician. Stronghold looked out at the war raging around him.
"Transmit something encouraging to our soldiers because I don't feel very festive right now," said Stronghold twiddling his fingers. Another pair of fighters opened fire on the cruiser and managed to escape the cannon fire.
"Shields at 68%," said a technician.
"Tell the men to prepare for a long haul," said Stronghold. Everyone either groaned or sighed because a long haul meant that the war would continue for a lot longer than just a few hours. More ship opened fire on each other.
"Move ships 17 and 18 forward and assign fighter groups 13 through 15 to provide them some cover. If we can punch through their defenses and then they attempt to make a run for Titania then Snow will have to divert some of his forces to intercept them. On second thought, move the whole fleet forward! If we're going out, it's going to be with a bang!" exclaimed Stronghold rubbing his hands together. The crew looked at each other nervously as they issued the command.
Snow's squad: "Sensors indicate that the Crimson Elite is moving their entire fleet forward," said Intel. Snow watched as the distance between the fleets grew smaller and smaller.
"Stronghold has made his last mistake. Close up the fleet and forward ho!" exclaimed Snow pushing down on his ships accelerator. A dozen other fighter squads joined his and together they spearheaded the Nuclear Knights fleet.
Katina: Jason looked up from a fighter he was working on to see the gigantic screen in the bay show the two fleets flying towards each other.
"This is it," said Cookie. Jason dove back to work on the fighter desperately trying to get it ready as quickly as he could.
Battle: The fleets finally merged and the large warships opened fire on each other. Dozens of ships blew up on each side yet neither was willing to give up.
"Launch all reserve fighters," said Stronghold.
"Sir we have no reserve fighters," said a technician. Stronghold watched in horror as the tally of ships started dropping with no end in sight.
"Sir, if we don't evacuate now we'll all be dead," said a general for the Knights.
"I don't care. The Elite are doomed keep firing," said Snow. More cruisers exploded and dozens of fighters slammed into each other. Since the battle was directly ahead of each fleet, none of them bothered to check their rears. Six copperhead missiles emerged from warp behind the fleets and headed towards their pre-assigned targets. The missiles found their marks and began to bore in.
"Sir, the nuclear missile carrier reports that it's under attack," said a general.
"How? That ship was supposed to heavily armored and camouflaged, it wasn't supposed to be a viable target. What's going on?" demanded Snow. On the other side of the battle it was the same way.
"Sir, our main munitions ship is being attacked," said a general.
"It's gonna blow!" exclaimed technicians from both factions.
"Scatter!" yelled Stronghold and Snow. The ships and fighters all scattered in different directions as the opposing munitions ships blew up causing a massive explosion. The nuclear ship exploded causing a huge thermonuclear explosion to envelop most of the fleets and blow them up. Stronghold was left with five ships and sixteen fighters while Snow was left with twelve ships and twelve fighters.
"Sir shall we press our advantage?" asked a technician.
"No, we'll come back later and wipe them out once and for all," said Stronghold.
"Run you cowards!" exclaimed Snow over the comm. system. However Snow knew he couldn't hold up against his boast and both fleets abandoned their fight for now.
Macbeth: Banquo watched from the balcony of his castle as the large explosion filled the nights sky after the nights last firework had gone off.
"Aaah. How spectacular. This made staying up the whole night worth it," he said. Banquo reached for his mobile phone and flipped it on. He punched in a number and the phone rang.
"Sir?" asked the person on the other line.
"I appreciated tonight's light show. I don't know what it was, but it just screamed excitement. Thanks and make tomorrow an official holiday over our latest military blow to our surrounding factions. Business's will be closed and school will be canceled," said Banquo.
"Yes sir. You're welcome sir. It will be done sir," said his leading general on the other line hanging up. Banquo watched the fading light of the explosion before turning in for the night.
Katina: "There goes the neighborhood!" someone exclaimed. Jason popped out of another fighter and saw the massive explosion claim the opposing ships on the screen.
"Yikes," he said. Everyone watched in horror as most of the opposing ships blew up. The remaining ships each turned away to their opposing territory. Tobias appeared on the main screen.
"As you've just seen, a massive nuclear explosion occurred near Titania. While the radiation won't affect us, it will affect Titania and Macbeth. This clearly means that Banquo does not care for his own people's safety and only for his personal claim in this system because he was the cause of that explosion. Both sides of the conflict have retreated deep into their territories and they have vowed to continue this battle until the other side has admitted defeat. I also have the bad news of confirming that Mantia has indeed returned to the Lylat System. We received surveillance photos from Zoness that show the creature battling it out with four Skull Riderz fighter craft and protecting a bulk freighter. The freighter and Mantia left Zoness for parts unknown. We'll continue to update you on the current situation in the Lylat System. For now continue practicing and reviewing your wartime guidelines. Make sure you know where to go in the event that Katina does fall under attack by enemy forces. I wish you all the best of luck during the following weeks. Tobias out," said Tobias. The image then shut off to show the CDF logo. Jason hopped out of the fighter he was working on and walked over to Cookie who was holding a ships roster.
"Ship 35 is prepped and ready for battle," said Jason. Cookie looked up and nodded.
"Jason, some fighters are prepping for takeoff and I think it would be in your best interest to go and maneuver with them. I know you have your own squadron and you're the best of the best, but a little refresher course can't hurt," said Cookie. Jason just smiled at him.
"All right Cookie for your sake," said Jason. Jason walked off to his fighter and flicked on several switches. His engine turned on and he looked down at the photo of him with his parents. Jason remembered the brief pep talk his dad had given him about Mantia.
"Son, there's something I need to show you," said his father. Jason, who was seven at the time walked with his father to a secluded area of his fueling station. Jason's father, Jack, flipped on a switch in a room that he'd never been in and a large room devoted to the bio-weapon was seen. Jason walked over to a figurine and picked it up and zoomed it through the air.
"You're very perceptive. Jason, I need you to stop your games and listen to me seriously for a moment," said Jack. Jason sat down in front of a large television screen.
"What I'm about to show you is very troubling for someone your age, but you've got to see it for all our sakes," said Jack. Jack turned on the television and pressed play. Dozens of images and footage came up about Mantia. Scenes were shown of it demolishing various buildings and fighting with the Star Fox team. A brief segment showed the bio-weapon war on Corneria during Mantia's second attack on Corneria. Jason watched stunned at these images before his dad shut the television off.
"Jason, its name is Mantia and it's the scourge of the skies. It was created by a bad monkey scientist named Andross less than half a millennia ago and was designed to conquer the Lylat System and eradicate all life if it came to it. Jason, if this creature ever shows up again, you've got to destroy it and make sure it never conquers the Lylat System. This matters above all else, even your own life. Do you understand that," said his father. Jason nodded out of fear.
"Good, now how about some playing some ball," said his father. Jason nodded and eagerly ran for the doorway when he tripped over a podium. An empty canister landed next to him. Jason picked it up and stared at it.
"X-7," said Jason reading it as best as he could. Jack picked it up.
"I'll tell you about that one later," said his father. However Jack never got around to it and he and his mother died a little less than eight years ago. Jason wiped away his tears and slammed on the engines. His ship took off out of the bay. Jason looked around for a few moments when suddenly the entire squad was surrounding him in moments.
"Greeting Commander McCloud. This is John Grey of the CDF Husky and Bulldog units. I welcome you to our training session," said Johnny. His squads leapt forward and coasted for an area known to all pilots as Devils Corner. Devils Corner was a place where only the most experienced pilots flew because it was a canyon littered with obstructions. The squads were on it in moments.
"We'll go through it at a leisurely full speed. Single file, I'll go first, Jason second, and the rest of you know your order," said John. John slammed on his engines and his fighter leapt into the canyon. Jason waited for a few seconds before slamming on his engines as well. Jason took the first few corners with ease, but twisted hard to avoid all the remaining obstructions. Jason slammed the wings into cruising mode for the extra burst of speed and slammed on the engines. Within moments he'd caught up to John who was twisting through several more obstructions and zipped into a canyon followed by a large tunnel. The two fighters zoomed through neck and neck and emerged dead even.
"You did good Jason, but let's see how well she can open up," said John. John slammed on the afterburners and blasted off followed by Jason. The two fighters finally made it to Katina base with John barely in the lead. The two fighters landed in the bay well ahead of the other ships and the two pilots got out and shook hands.
"How about a drink?" Jason asked.
"Sure," responded John. Together the two pilots left for the lounge.
Macbeth: Dozens of celebrations erupted as the citizens celebrated their offensive against the enemy. Although the armed forces were still at work, many of them were drunk. None of them noticed a blip exit warp and immediately disappear near Macbeth. Above Macbeth, the Tyrago emerged from light speed along with Mantia. Mantia quickly covered the ship as best as it could with its body. The freighter zoomed onward towards Macbeth's sixth moon.
"Just keep moving and don't slow down," said Mantia. The freighter moved past the umbras above the moon's atmosphere and plunged towards its surface. As soon as the reached a safe position, Mantia let go and flew alongside the freighter. The soon flew above Macduff.
"I could've sworn that mountain was higher," said Mantia.
"Maybe it was, but records were lost during the war and no one today knows," said Cook over the comm. having gotten used to Mantia's command.
"Our destination is the mountain Siward. It's just beyond that small range over there called Little Siward," said Mantia blazing forward. The freighter and Mantia reached the mountain and Mantia scanned it. He then flew to a spot halfway up the mountain located beneath an abandoned monastery and spoke to the mountain.
"Mantia01 execute," said Mantia. A portion of the mountain pulled away to reveal a secret tunnel. Mantia flew forward accompanied by the freighter. The mountain closed behind them and they flew for a few miles before emerging in a gigantic bay area. Everywhere were tunnels leading to various places and some stair led to a control room high above overlooking the bay. The freighter landed and the crew emerged.
"Where'd you learn of this place?" asked Cook. Mantia landed as well.
"Andross had the base constructed a long time ago in case something were to happen to his original base on Venom. He constructed another one on Macduff but from the looks of things it exploded. I learned of these bases from files I assimilated during my second coming," said Mantia.
"Why the monastery?" Greg asked. Mantia shrugged.
"I guess Andross always had a place in his heart for monks," said Mantia.
"So what now?" asked Cook.
"Spread out and try and locate a sort of floor plan for this base. I'll expect you back in an hour," said Mantia. The crew spread out as Mantia glanced at the various battlecruisers. However before they could get anywhere, a main viewscreen activated above them. A.I.ndrew appeared.
"Greetings fellow Venomians. My name is A.I.ndrew and I'm your guide to this place. The bottom levels contain cryo pods that have members of the Venomian army in them. The middle levels contain living quarters, restaurants, and other of life's necessities. The upper levels include the bay, and the control room located above you. The top level reaches into the underside of the monastery. I know that you got in here legally or else this place would blow up so here's a treat for remaining loyal. Now ahead of you, there is a hidden panel and a pad next to it. Press 781435A on it and wait. The panel should move back and inside is your ticket to conquering the Lylat System," said the hologram. Cook pressed in the corresponding buttons and the panel moved back to reveal several canisters of a white powdery substance.
"I brought that here after I moved into the Red Hammer's base on Macduff. Farewell and good luck," said A.I.ndrew. The screen shut off. Cook slid a canister out of its holding spot and another moved forward to take its place like a vending machine. Cook read the canister's contents.
"Well?" asked Mantia. Cook looked at him.
"It reads Viral Weapon X-7," said Cook confused. Mantia blinked a few times and laughed out loud.
"Finally I have the tools to conquer the Lylat System once and for all. With Viral Weapon X-7 I will truly be invincible!" laughed the bio-weapon. Then it roared defiance at the heavens to try and stop what it was planning to do.
"Nothing can stop us now. Welcome Mantia," exclaimed the bio-weapon as it continued to laugh.