Lylat: Star Fox Chronicles
The power of these wings made all others seem as though they couldn't thrust with any more strength than a hand propelling a paper airplane across a classroom. Average fighter jets were equipped to handle the most inexperienced barrel-rollers but lacked highly maneuverable nose to flank aerodynamics. This one rose to the skies like a very sleek bird--one he knew all to well. "A bird?" someone asked. No, not just another bird, but one who had gracefully soared across the vast skies with his feathered breast rising to greet the wind. "He knows his stuff," said another.
The cadets watched Falco Lombardi break in the newest addition of the Arwing fleet, molding it into an extension of himself, hitting every sharp turn on point, rolling right and left with eye-dazzling precision. "....Wow....I haven't seen flying like that since... Well...I've never seen flying like that. He'll be a demon in the skies...a real demon."
A demon.
No doubt in the general's mind that it was true, but had to take a chance. As of yet there was no one else with such outstanding skills--none more ready. Sure, Falco was a rough sort of character but without question he'd get the job done.
The morning after flight trials, General Pepper gave his orders to the commanding officer. At long last, the Great Fox would take to the skies once again with its crew complete.
Lylat: Level Five
Soon as the search lights came on, he shot full power out to the thrusters and hung a u-turn back toward the city. There was no time to worry about risky maneuvers and most certainly could not have waited for anymore signals since for all he knew, no one else was out there in the dead of night for many miles. He wasn't used to the navigational instruments on this sophisticated piece of aircraft but didn't have to be—he knew his way around those skyscrapers like the feathers in his wings. By instinct alone he cut a trail of smoke into the night sky and darted in between the maze of angled steel then rolled a sharp left and leveled out again at less than 300 kilometers, until bringing the powerhouse starship to a hovering stance between the monolithic Galaxy Building and Horizon Towers.
Her watch read 12:29 and the elevator hadn't yet reached the top floor.
She had struggled getting in. The wheels of the stretcher got caught up in the space between the floor and the tram, and she panicked but somehow jumped the wheels over the crack before the doors closed. Her heart raced underneath the fake nurse's uniform and she practically fell against the back wall then looked up at the floor numbers lighting up, knowing the hospital attendants were about to discover what she'd done and were coming after her. Suddenly a red light inside the elevator flashed. Bells and whistles rang on each floor she passed. A loud voice came over the intercom. "ALERT! ALERT! ESCAPE IN PROGRESS FROM THIRD FLOOR! ESCAPE IN PROGRESS FROM THIRD FLOOR!"
Yes. They were on to her.
Ten. Eleven. She stared at the panel, hoping to pressure it into surging faster the twentieth floor. And then she broke that concentration for a quick moment to check the gurney, knowing she had prepared for a rough ride, fitting the restraints snugly around her significant other after carefully removing the needles from his arms then quickly removed the mask from his face and took extra care when pulling the taped leads for the heart monitor from his svelte coat of short fur, then she had attached a portable breathing device that would hopefully keep him stable until they made it safely to the first destination.
12:31.
The doors opened. This time, help had arrived.
"Move! Come on! Go! Go!" shouted the young pilot who ran up to grab hold of the rails while she quickly took out the short tube then pressed her lips onto her patient's mouth and blew gently, two short breaths--her first and foremost concern, keeping him alive—then replaced the tube and tucked the portable machine at his side. Consequently, the next few moments were crucial and she realized it soon as the near frigid air blasted her in the face. Now worried that his body temperature would drop below normal before making it to the platform, she held on tight to the hand grips and ran alongside as her friend was on the other, and in less than thirty seconds the two of them miraculously made it across rooftop and to the platform where her father's first fleet Star Glider awaited liftoff.
"Fara!..." yelled Falco and drew his blaster to cover along with the air defense's other strategically positioned marksmen on the roof. "Grab those! Lock 'em then you hang on!"
She'd never used them but figured out quickly that she was to attach the hooks onto the side of the stretcher which would then be hoisted up a shaft like a rollercoaster starting its ascent to the first big hill. The sudden blasts of gunfire and glass flying around on the windy rooftop gave an instant reminder that this was no amusement park ride.
"....Get Down!..."
At the sound of Falco's voice, she stretched out over her boyfriend's body, knowing they were almost inside the capsule, and then could only close her eyes after seeing sparks of bullets on the metal and shattering glass coming down around her, and at some point she noticed the cold air was gone, the rounds of ammunition popping seemed far away, then finally, Fara opened her eyes when she heard a familiar voice.
"It's all right now. We made it."
Nothing more was spoken before she slumped into her friend Rita's arms with teary eyes and trembled after realizing she could have been killed out there and not only that—the worst was yet to come.
The doors on the capsule's underside shut quickly and the two friends pulled away from each other. Within the next few moments, the ship lifted off and away but just before it cleared the roof she saw a man in a white coat who appeared to call off the remaining hospital guards. It was Doctor Benzington.
"We're safe." Rita snuggled her then pulled back. "Know what? You were right. And well....I suppose Falco was right, too. Slippy ran tests on the samples you took from the lab. The doc was feeding him the stuff intravenously, increasing the dose steadily until it would finally kill him. You can bet one thing for sure. Fox will have a lot to thank you for when he comes out of this, Fara. You've saved his life."
In less than an hour, they would arrived in Kelm, the location of Slippy's laboratory, where Fox would be taken care of by his friends who wouldn't settle for anything than his survival.
***
Daggers From The Sky
It really didn't matter to Slippy one way or the other who came aboard the Great Fox, of course, contingent on their ability to maintain general clearance by the Cornerian Security Council. On the other hand, Peppy would just about have Fox's wings torn off when he found out about Fara. Her father being the lead designer of the Starship fleet would have nothing to do with Peppy's decision to more than likely toss her onto the next shuttle back to home base. Just a few more minutes and Slippy started getting nervous about whatever was going on behind the control room's closed door, and he leaned against it, tapping lightly as not to make any echoes that would tip anyone off. Moments later the door unlocked and retracted slightly.
"Yeah, Slippy. What's it this time?"
"Oh.....Hi...Fox! You...y....you've been in there a....a long time..."
Slippy could see the beginning of a frown on his best friend's face at the two-inch opening.
"It's been exactly fifteen minutes," said Fox with a quite gritty tone. "Slippy, you really don't need to stand there guarding the door."
"But Fox! If.... If Peppy catches you—"
"Catches me, what?"
"Well,"
"Look, my good friend, this is nothing more than a friendly visit, and if Peppy comes along I'll explain it to him, okay? Now you go ahead and take yourself a little break. And relax, will ya?"
In a matter of seconds the door closed again, leaving Slippy to turn away and head back to his compartment for the evening, but then all of sudden he turned around and went back to the door, thinking of what he was about to do and having some hesitance about it. He gazed up at the octagonal cover on the door, knowing that if he flipped it up, he would be able to look into the control room and see just what was going on in there, but knew he was too short to see, so he grabbed a spare supply bundle from a nearby locker and quietly shoved it up next to the door, then carefully stepped onto it, bringing him just high enough to see through the window after opening the hatch....
...Fara pulled away after being stunned by what Fox had done. For so many years they had been friends, nothing more, as she assumed it was the way he wanted it after ignoring her continuous advances towards him. He didn't even seem to mind it when she told him about dates she was going on or how late she arrived back home or what she did...and didn't do. At long last, she had come to the conclusion that he wasn't interested, and so just moments earlier she had told him about Hawk Raymo, her current boyfriend, and how they were talking more lately a lot about marriage and raising a family, then she noticed the sudden expression on his face with a strange look in his eyes—somewhat concerned and at the same time momentarily blank when suddenly he took her his arms and sealed his unspoken words in a kiss. She couldn't even speak for being held so tightly in his clutches, but it had all felt natural.
Cool air blew in from the vent overhead. She smiled to herself and wondered if it was just good timing or if they had raised the temperature in the room a few degrees. Whatever it was, she said nothing for being so stunned.
But then he appeared a bit nervous, seemed to be missing something, fumbling around in his pockets and grumbling to himself.
"Is there...something wrong?" she asked, a bit out of breath, of course.
"No, nothing's wrong. Just hold it a sec," and then he stuck his index finger in the air. "Oh yeah...I know..."
Fara looked on as he sat down in the nearest chair, unsnapped a small pouch on the outside of his left boot and took something out.
"Here," he said and stood again with a smile.
He first cupped his hands around hers, then gently he brought hers apart, revealing what he had placed in them.
"It belonged to my mother. I want you to have it."
Glimmering in her palms was a gorgeously decorated pin—not really just any pin, but an exquisitely crafted broach cast in gold and diamonds and the whole piece was in the shape of the wings that only the elite Cornerian Defense fighter pilots wore.
"My dad gave it to her before he took command of the Great Fox, and so...well...I'm giving it to you."
"Oh..." Fara cradled it in her hands, adoring it. "To me? But this is a family heirloom, you can't—"
He quickly pressed two fingers to her lips. "Shhh..."
No later than half a second after that, the control room doors opened and he quickly pushed her hands together to conceal the gift.
"Fox! We've got a new mission!" Peppy zoomed in like lightning finding its path to the ground but then fizzled to a halt when he saw Fara. "What on Corneria is she doing here?"
Then Slippy owned up to his name and slid in behind the old guy. "I....I ..I tried..."
"Quiet!" Peppy shot out and stepped in between the two of them. "Where's your travel passport, young lady?"
"Come on, Peppy..." Fox bemoaned. "..She's one of ours—"
"Without clearance from The General!"
Fara turned flush. "But, I..."
"I thought she had clearance!" Slippy broke in.
"What happened to you watching the door, anyway, Sneaky!" Fox snarled.
"Knock it off, Fox!" Peppy snapped.
Sizzling silence. Then Fara nodded.
"I think I'd better go..."
"Yes, I think it would be best." Peppy nodded with a very disturbed eye on Fox. "You can use the com over there to call a shuttle."
In the wee hours of the next morning, Fara finally boarded a transport heading for Macbeth and she would be there for a few hours then would catch the next one back to Corneria.
"Boy, that was dumb," said Falco about the incident as he logged the supply list and Fox was once again at the controls. "Have you no morals, sly guy? I don't know why Slippy was so hyped about whatever he saw you and Fara doin' in there but I can just guess—"
"Cut it, Falco."
"Well I think you'd better watch your step, fooling around with moneybags Phoenix's daughter and risk losing that big promotion you just got from the high command. But hey, what am I saying? If you don't work out then just maybe they'll see who should really be the team's leader, huh pal? See, I'm different than you Fox. My instincts are sharper. Yours, ol' pal, are a little muddled at times...."
Falco's voice trailed off into the background as Fox watched the radar, seeing the blip that was Fara's transport heading straight for.....
"Falco!"
"What? I meant every word I said and if anybody else was paying attention they'd see who's the real leader on board this ship—"
Fox shot up from his chair totally ignoring everything else except the radar. "...It's turned off course... ....Passing Aquas and seemingly on a path toward the outer limits of....oh no....Area Six....."
"Exactly what I was saying," Falco continued on his spiel as he went over to check the radar himself. "Move aside, you're probably readin' it wrong—" He stepped up to the panel, nudging Fox aside. "Probably just your fleas jumping on the screen....scat!" he flicked something off the glass.
"Excuse me?" Fox refuted. "I've never had a flea in my life."
After their useless exchange of words, Falco saw the blip drift into Area 6, lights on the control panel started flashing and a very brief mayday signal came in through the com then vanished along with the blip.
"Holy asteroids!" Falco squalled. "Either they've gone into some kind of warp zone or they've been... ...shot down..." He couldn't say anything else before Fox leaned over the controls like he'd been kicked full force in the gut,
"Falco! Fox!"
It was Slippy.
"We just got word of a transport being blown right out of the sky! Peppy's talking to The General now and I'm pretty sure we're going to be sent out on a search and recovery mission!.... .....Fox?.... Hey, Falco.... he doesn't look very good...."
He just kept looking at the radar. Couldn't look away because he knew there had to be some kind of mistake. His whole body had gone numb until at last he could feel someone shaking him. Their voices seemed to echo in his ears and as of yet he had not pulled away from the screen which now emitted nothing more than a field of blackness. He didn't even realize it when Peppy came, but heard the voice nearby.
"You know I never would have sent her if I thought there was the slightest chance of..... ....Fox...listen to me.. We have to focus on our mission...."
When he turned away from the screen for the first time in past ten minutes, he saw Falco, then Slippy, then was eye to eye with Peppy.
"The mission," he said to his elder with an unwavering glare in his eyes. "That was your main concern after the death of my mother, then my father, and now Fara—"
Falco then surged forward. "Hey! That was uncalled for!"
"No." Peppy reached out for the younger pilot's shoulder as the other turned away then walked out. "Let him cool down. No sense in making matters worse than they already are. There's nothing any of us could've done and we know it. Plus, he's got a right to his feelings. Can't say he's had much good news in so many years....but this...this will probably change him forever."