Chapter 9: Tragedy of a Friend
"I see it!" Slippy squeaked as a large blip appeared on his sensors, "Vector 270. Fox, it's huge!" the amphibian stated.

"Ok, thanks Slip. All aircraft move to new co-ordinates." Fox ordered, the tension now building in him as the hour approached.

The Aircraft all banked in turn towards the new co-ordinates, the Arwings' silver skin shining like crystals against the deserted, red ground of the planet. All the pilots kept their eyes open and continuously scanned the heavens for any sign of Starwolf. All except Slippy, who was too busy fixing a position on his scanners, suddenly, to his absolute horror, he noticed 4 smaller blips appear on his screen, they had come from the bigger object on his sensor screen.

"Fox! Four new, smaller blips have just come from the bigger one, and are heading this way!" Slippy screamed down the comm.

"Looks like Starwolf have decided to show themselves." Peppy stated in his old, yet reassuring voice.

"Ok Slip, calm down. Everyone keep your eyes open for the bastards!" Fox cursed, his hatred showing towards their enemies, not that the rest of the team minded, he had good reason to.

A few minutes passed of quietness, finally this peace was shattered by Katt, "Bandits, three o'clock high, coming in now!" she shouted down the comm to the others.

"Evasive manoeuvres. Break! Break!" Fox shouted automatically.

The fighters broke off around the sky as the four Wolfen fighters broke through their previous area of sky, their blood coloured lasers shooting continuously.

"Ah. Fox McCloud, how nice of you to drop by!?" Wolf's cold voice echoed in Fox's headset.

"Where is she Wolf?!!" Fox shouted in response, knowing full well however Wolf would never tell him.

"Oh.. aren't we the hero!? The young McCloud, it wont matter where she is where your going. You'll be seeing your dad soon Fox!" Wolf said, trying to psyche up his adversary.

Wolf's fighter banked in behind Fox's Arwing and began erupting a storm of lasers onto the Arwing. Fox grit his teeth as the tracers flew past him,

"Never!" He screamed to himself as he pulled as many g's as he could in the Arwing and looped in the sky to fall behind the Wolfen jet.

"Lets see how you like it!" Fox whispered over the comm as he himself launched a few quick lasers bursts into the Wolfen however, they just bounced off the fighter.

"Their ships are shielded too!" Slippy announced over the comm, discovering the same conclusion as Fox.

"I know!" Fox answered back.

A evil laugh was heard in the background from Wolf, feeling his invulnerability assured, "Is that all you've got McCloud?"

The firefight continued in the sky over the base, an amass of laser filled the sky,

"Now lets see who's gonna fry!" Pigma announced to his old friend. While he had Peppy's ship in his sights, he launches a charged laser.

"Peppy, incoming, break old pal!" Bill warned him.

Peppy banked hard left and barrel rolled as the laser reflected off his Arwing.

"Dang!" Pigma cursed.

At the same time, Andrew fills his sight with the pink Invader ship of the Cats' Paw. Andrew barrel rolls and gets a few lasers hits on her wing.

"Dang! There's someone on my tail!" Katt screamed over the comm.

"Hang on babe!" Falco, getting unusually tense, quickly made his way over to where Katt was, launching a hail of lasers, Andrew quickly broke off his attack and dropped down to the deck.

"Babe, are you ok?" Falco asked, openly showing his concerned for her.

"I'm fine hon, thanks." Katt said, happy to know that her blue Avian really did love and care about her.

Fox interupted over the comm, "Guys. We need to take down their shields or we aint got a hope of winning" he stated looping again to evade Wolf, "Slippy, is there anyway we can send a virus to their ships?" Fox asked.

"There is, but it would take time." Slippy answered.

"How long?"

"Fifteen minutes at least, and in case you didn't notice, I'm fighting as well!" Slippy remarked, in a cocky gesture.

"Ok, Slippy, send a virus to their ships. Bill, Falco, cover Slippy, got it?" Fox ordered forcefully.

"Sure Fox." Bill replied, happy to help his old friend.

"..but what are you gonna do Fox?" Falco smirked, cocky as ever.

"Keep Wolf busy, now go!" Fox ordered harshly. Falco decided to keep quiet after that, not wanting to stress his friend out anymore than he is now.

The opposing ships twisted, twirled against each other in the ensuring dogfight. All apart from Slippy's craft, which stayed in a near enough circular orbit around the base as he played and tried to find a computer virus.

"Geez Slip-Shot, how long have we gotta wait for you?!!" Falco asked, firing upon Leon's craft as it attempted to attack Slippy's ship.

"Damm you ignorant bird! I am the great Leon." The lizard spoke with fury as his attack was thawed.

A few more minutes passed, before a jubilant Slippy spoke, "I've got it..!"

Suddenly a blood red fighter appeared from under Slippy's ship, it flew up and fired it's deadly weaponry. Laser shot it Slippy's wing and the entire wing fell off, Slippy's fighter banked violently and began to spin it's way down to the ground.

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Slippy's terrified scream sounded over the comm.

"SLIPPY!!" Fox shouted as he watched his best friends' ship plummet towards the ground before hitting the ground in a mighty explosion.

"NOOOO..!!" Fox cried, tears swelling up in his eyes, made worse by the sound of Wolf's evil laughter heard in the background. Fox's eyes slited with hate and as he spot the Red Wolfen, he dived down, taking the Arwing to its limits to reach the other ship.

"You're going straight to hell you son of a bitch!" Fox screamed over the comm, tears still in his eyes, as he pressed down the trigger on his flight stick to unleash multiple bursts of lasers towards the red Wolfen. The first burst bounced off the shield of the fighter, but the second burst penetrated and hit the stern of the ship.

"Yes!!" Fox shouted. "Guys, fire at will, their shields have gone!" he annouched jubilantly over the comm, before remembering who achieved it.

"Thanks Slippy." He whispered to himself, thanking his late friend.

"Huh? What the heck!" Wolf babbled as he felt his ship shudder from the laser hits of his Wolfen jet, he switched on his monitor in his computer to discover to his horror, a laughing skull and crossbones looking back at him.

"That green amphibian bastard!" he shouted in frustration.

Falco and Bill, still shocked over the death of their friend, vowed vengeance and both attacked Leon's ship.

"Argh, God damm it!" Leon cursed as laser shots hit his plane, he felt his wing collapse, his fighter shook violently and began to spin towards the ground, smoking furiously.

"This cant be happening!" Leon screamed as he approached the ground in a fireball.

Both Falco and Peppy watched as Leon plummeted to wards the ground "That's one down!" Peppy stated happily, feeling a duty done to his late friend.

The two Arwings turned towards their next target, the Wolfen of Pigma's.

Peppy announced over the com, "Falco, Katt, disengage and go catch Andrew, this little piggy is mine!" Peppy spoke, what must have been for the first time, evilly. The feline and Avian couple were quiet shocked by Peppy's tone of voice. But decided to leave him to it,

"Call me if you need a hand at all old timer!" Falco offered.

"Ok, I will, now go find that ape!" Peppy replied bluntly.

"Good hunting." Falco answered back before him and Katt banked left in search of Andrew.

Peppy raced towards the Wolfen jet, the smirks on his face growing with ever meter close he got, finally he got into range of firing.

"Ready Piggy?" Peppy whispered to himself. Since Pigma's betrayal of Fox's father, James and himself to Andross all those years ago, Peppy had a crusade to make sure he shot Pigma out of the sky for personal redemption to Fox's father. Now that time was near.

Peppy closed closer and closer to his prize, Pigma, in his cockpit looked up to see a Arwing filling his view.

"Peppy!" Pigma squealed in horror.

"This is for James!" Peppy shouted and he banked slightly and fired a hail of laser into Pigma's cockpit.

"ARGHHH.!" Pigma screamed as the lasers cut through his cockpit canopy, killing him instantly. The fighter smoked furiously and exploded, Peppy closed his eyes as he flew through the debris. As he came out of the debris, Peppy suddenly felt a pang of remorse for what he had just done, he whispered to himself, "Goodbye Pigma."

Falco came over the comm to disturb Peppy's thoughts, "Andrew has disappeared, I wonder if Sli." Falco cut short he speech, suddenly remembering that Slippy isn't with them anymore. He felt dreadful for forgetting his friend so soon.

Meanwhile, Fox and Wolf, now without his shield protection continued to dogfight in the skies. Wolf positioned himself behind Fox's Arwing and fired, Fox's plane shook violently and seemed like it was almost screaming from pain. The Arwing was flaming greatly and the warning siren was playing inside Fox's cockpit.

"You'll die, just like your amphibious friend." Wolf laughed evilly as his lasers shot into Fox's Arwing.

The thoughts of failing his friend was too much, he was determined to win over Wolf, once and for all. Fox whispered into his headset, "Never." He burned his engines and corkscrewed through the air as Wolf shot past him.

"What the heck!!" Wolf shouted in amazement.

As Fox exited the manoeuvre, the sight of Wolf's jet greeted him on his screen. The orange vulpine's eyes fixed, "Goodbye Starwolf!" Fox said as he released a nova bomb from under his wings and it shot towards Wolf's fighter.

"NOOOO..!!!!!" Screamed Wolf as the explosion tore his ship apart. A might explosion followed, that Fox had to bank hard so not to be hit.

As he flew past, he sighed a relief, and looked back at the debris from Wolf's fighter, "That's was for you, Slip!", It suddenly hit him that Slip was gone. During the fight he hadn't had time to contemplate, now he had. A series of tears fell down his fury cheeks, he had shed so many tears on this day, he couldn't believe he was still capable of crying, but he could and did. One of his best friends he had ever had was gone. Fox showed a sad smile as he thought how the little frog had given his last dying breath to help the team by send the virus that ultimately won them the battle.

"Fox, are you ok??" Peppy asked in a high voice, he had obviously been sorrowful too, not trusting his voice for fear of crying.

Katt however, could not hide her grief, "Slippy, he's the bravest little guy I've ever know" She wept down the comm. Fox, unable to listen to Katt's wailing without crying himself, decided to switch off his comm and take off his father's headset. He had heard enough. He looked at it, thinking of how many battles he had fought wearing the old, tatty piece of equipment. He decided to put it back on for one last time. He opened the comm up.

"You guys stay here, I'm off to go get my baby." Fox said quietly.

"Fox? You'll need help!"

"NO!" He shouted back, before calming down and talking softly, "No.. old timer, I want to go and get my girl on my own."

"Ok. be careful Fox!"