Cowboy Star Fox

By Wolf O'Donnell

Author's Note: Star Fox and all related characters (including me) are copyrighted by Nintendo. Scales, Dinosaur Planet and all related characters are copyrighted by Rare. The Gospel Army, Dr. Jerome Kano, the Sekai Foundation and all related characters and places are copyrighted by me. Upon reading any word in this file, you hereby agree to forfeit all your rights to sue me and that I cannot be held liable for any psychological or physical damage caused by the fact that this fanfic contains swearing, violence and the use of British-English Spelling and Grammar.

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Episode 2: Gotta Knock a Little Harder

Large, billowing dark clouds covered the sky. The rain fell down from the heavens like guided bombs, soaking everything, attacking the large stone palace that stood at the highest point on the Planet. Raindrops fell on the stone roof, it fell on the bastions, the stone balustrades and the gigantic statues of vaguely humanoid, yet alien creatures, slowly dribbling down their cheeks as if the statues themselves were shedding tears. A flash of lightning arced through the sky like a jagged arm of electricity reaching down to the ground below, as the wind howled in chorus with the clap of thunder.
At one end of the roof was a large statue. It was larger than the other statues but was of the same strange alien creature. On its forehead was a gem that glowed in an eerie green light that matched the glow of its eyes, eyes that looked towards a dais in the centre of the stone roof. Glowing blue and purple figures circled a translucent, purple crystal that was suspended over a spinning crown of in-turned spikes. Around this crystal were two large electrodes that were shaped like the needles of an old record player, each one spinning round the crystal as they were scanning it.
One lone fox approached the dais. He did not care about the rain that drenched his fur and his clothes. He cared only for what was inside the crystal. The vulpine looked up at the crystal and saw the blue-furred vixen within it. All his work so far had come to this, come to this final act, of delivering the final Krazoa Spirit to the dais and presenting them before the large Krazoa statue.
It felt like a sacrifice to him, some ritual sacrifice before an ancient gigantic stone god. He looked at either end of the circular dais and at the ramps that led up to it. No one was there. The vulpine, Fox McCloud, walked slowly to the side of the dais where a pewter Krazoa head faced him, sticking out of a veritcally placed pool of a strange, clear liquid. He walked up to the circular platform in front of the Krazoa head and stood in front of it.
His breath became ragged, as a searing pain wracked his entire body. The fox's eyes were screwed shut with intense pain, as he collapsed to his knees. Never before had he experienced such pain, not even when he had been tortured on the Planet Venom. He spread his arms and let the Krazoa Spirit out of his body. It was blue and purple, like the others that orbited the crystal above him like electrons around an atom's nucleus.
Fox McCloud collapsed to his hands and knees, as the Krazoa Spirit entered the head and was suddenly ejected out from the hole in the circular dais over which the crystal was suspended. It joined the others. Slowly, Fox got back up to his feet and looked up. Something was amiss.
This wasn't right. He could still see the blue-furred fox within the crystal. Why was she not free? The Krazoa Spirits had made a promise. They promised that she would be free.
"No!" he cried, as he ran towards the ramp that led up to the dais. "What's going on? You said this would save her!" Fox ran as fast as he could.
The spirits were whispering something, as they circled the blue-furred fox more quickly. Within the crystal, she stirred. Her eyes opened. One of the spirits turned and crashed into the crystal, piercing it and entering her body. The others followed suit, as the blue-furred vixen began to stir. There was a burst of light and then the six Krazoa Spirits shot out from the vixen's body, curving towards the statue of the Krazoa God and closing in on it like the fingers of a hand closing around a falling ball in order to catch it.
Fox couldn't care less about the Krazoa Spirits and Dinosaur Planet. His thoughts were to the blue-furred vixen. He could see the machinery around the crystal began to shudder. There was an explosion and the crystal shattered. The vixen fell. The vixen screamed. Fox reached for the metallic staff and took it from his backpack. He held out it quickly and the vixen caught it. With all his strength, he pulled back and helped the vixen back onto solid ground.
The head of the Krazoa God began to shudder. There was a loud cracking noise as the neck of the statue broke off and the head floated off the stone shoulders.
"I am reborn!" cackled a loud voice that seemed to echo all around them. The voice seemed familiar to Fox. It was the same voice that had spoken to General Scales within the last Krazoa Shrine. "The mighty Krazoa God!" The voice laughed. The stone head floated over towards the dias and the glowing eyes of the statue glared at the two foxes. "Kneel all those that stand before me!"
"We will never kneel to the likes of you!" shouted the blue-furred vixen. She noticed something in the rucksack that the fox in front of her wore. It was her staff! "Give me that!" she barked at Fox, before grabbing the thing off of him.
"Hey!" protested Fox at her insistence. "Huh. Well this is the thanks I get for saving you. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even be here now."
The vixen didn't hear, as she held her staff
"My staff," she murmured under her breath. A smile spread across her muzzle, as she extended it. "You're back." She aimed it up at the large stone head of the Krazoa God and fired, one magical blast after another. It didn't seem to have much affect, but she continued to fire at it.
Fox could clearly see that the poxy little staff was no match against this Krazoa God. He ran down the ramp and straight towards his ship, pressing a few buttons on his watch. The hatch opened and he leapt straight into it, fastening the seat belt securely around him as the hatch closed again. He fired the Arwing's boosters underneath and the jet slowly took off into the air.
He pulled up on the control stick, as he fired the jet boosters and flew straight towards the strange whirlpool of energy that the Krazoa God had made. He flew the Arwing through it and suddenly found the force of the vortex was having some affect on his ship.
"Shit!" he cursed, as his Arwing suddenly pulled into a barrel-roll without warning. He wrestled with the control stick, trying to right his Arwing. "What the fuck is going on here?"
The Arwing was shuddering violently and he felt as if it was being sucked through the vortex. He heard the metal of the Arwing strain and groan under the pressure. It was as if the ship was being pulled apart.
"No, I just had this thing serviced!" cried Fox angrily, as he fired the retro boosters. Suddenly, the white energy that formed the vortex disappeared. He emerged out into empty, black space. Ahead of him, he saw the gigantic head of the Krazoa God. It spun round and two, furry and black clawed hands slid off of the back of the head to reveal another face. It had grey fur arranged into a long beard and a messy head of hair. "Andross?" exclaimed Fox in surprise.
An evil grin spread across Andross's smug face.
"I have been waiting for this day, Fox McCloud," he chuckled, "the day when I can finally end the bloodline of the McCloud family! And now, to destroy the Lylat System!" He covered his face with his hands and then spun round again to expose the Krazoa face.
"No, I've got to stop him!" exclaimed Fox, before he started firing at the Krazoa Head. If he let Andross get his way, he would never see his friends again. No, he would not give up. That was not the McCloud's way. He would finish the job, for his father. "Dad, I'll destroy Andross once and for all," he promised his father. "For you and for all you've done for me." He thought of his father and mysteriously, his thoughts turned to when he was flying out of Andross's bunker. Fox was sure that he had seen and heard his father down there.
"That was not your father," laughed Andross through telepathy, such that his words became Fox's thoughts. "That was my spirit, disguised as your father, James McCloud!" His laughter echoed in Fox's mind, making it harder for him to target the Krazoa face's eyes. "I was the one that guided you out of the bunker, because I knew you would help me be reborn as the Krazoa God!"
Fox began to growl angrily.
"I've had enough of you, Andross!" he screamed, as he pulled the trigger and let rip with a barrage of lasers that seared through the Krazoa face's eyes and the gem on its forehead. He heard a scream of pain and that brought a smile to his vulpine muzzle.
The Krazoa face turned round and Andross's hands slid away from his true face.
"I'll crush you like the misersable worm you are," cried Andross, before he swung a hand straight at Fox.
"You're too predictable, Andross," Fox told the mad monkey, as he opened fire on the palms of Andross's hands. He done this before back on Venom and it seemed that Andross hadn't changed much. He was still as mad as ever. One hand suddenly disappeared in a fiery ball of flames. He pushed forward on the control stick and dived underneath Andross's other hand.
He pulled back on the control stick, as the hand pulled back. Fox let rip with a barrage of lasers, each one searing into Andross's hand with a vengeance. Fox would not let Andross get away this time. He would destroy the mad monkey once and for all.
Andross cried out in pain, as his second hand was destroyed. He whirled round, much to Fox's surprise and the vulpine suddenly saw that the eyes and gem on the Krazoa face had regenerated. Andross laughed, as he opened the mouth of his Krazoa face and pulled back, before emitting a beam of ringed energy straight at Fox's Arwing.
Fox was getting pretty sick and tired of Andross's predictable routines. He flew his Arwing around the beam of energy and opened fire on the Krazoa face, tearing it apart with laserfire in a matter of seconds. When Andross spun round, he was surprised to see that the mad monkey had regenerated his hands.
"This can't be happening!" exclaimed Fox in surprise, as he saw Andross hold out the palm of his right hand. Rings of energy shot out of the palm of his hand and hurtled straight towards Fox's Arwing. "You won't get rid of me that easily, Andross!"
The Arwing banked sideways and then rolled around the rings of energy, trying not to get caught in their path. Fox tried his best to destroy the hands with laserfire, but the beams that Andross were firing made it difficult. He saw Andross lower his right hand and then aim his left hand straight at him.
It swept through the vacuum towards him. Fox pulled up on the control stick and flew over the gigantic hand.
"You're still no threat, Andross," he taunted the mad monkey. He saw the left hand fire more energy beams at him. He flew around these with ease.
"Insolent fool, I shall crush your miserable body!" roared Andross, as he swung his hands together. He missed. Andross roared in a bestial manner, before opening his mouth and drawing Fox closer towards him.
Fox banked the Arwing to the left and fired the retro boosters in order to keep as far away from the mad monkey as possible.
"You're doing no such thing, Andross!" he shouted at his opponent. The suction stopped and Fox found himself drifting away from Andross, as the mad monkey raised his right hand. "That tired old trick again, huh?" he exclaimed. "Well, I don't mind!" He pulled the trigger and opened fire, letting the lasers smash into the palm of Andross's disembodied hand.
Andross roared out in pain, as his right hand was totalled. He raised his left hand and fired a steady stream of energy rings at Fox's Arwing.
"Fry, McCloud!" he screamed.
A smirk spread across Fox's face, as he spiralled around the energy rings. His Arwing suddenly shuddered, as one hit the tip of the left wing. The force of it sent him careering out of control. As the Arwing spun round, he could see Andross taking advantage of the opportunity. The gigantic hand swept across and hit the Arwing forcefully. Fox grappled with the control stick and righted his Arwing.
"Oh, you're going to pay for that, Andross!" he vowed, before he turned his Arwing and dived down. He pulled up and aimed the Arwing straight at the palm of Andross's hand. "Eat this!" He opened fire and blew the remaining hand to smithereens.
"Miserable fox! If I cannot crush you, I'll devour you!" screamed Andross, as he opened his mouth. What happened next defied the laws of physics. He began to suck on Fox, even though there was no air.
Fox pulled back on the control stick but to no avail. He was being pulled in ever closer towards Andross's stinky mouth. Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye and before he knew it, a bomb had smashed into Andross's mouth and exploded, making the mad monkey roar out in pain.
"Hey, McCloud!" greeted Falco with a smirk on his beak. "Different time, different place and still you need my help."
"Hey, Falco!" greeted Fox, a smile rapidly appearing on his muzzle. "Where've you been?"
Andross slinked backwards. He couldn't believe it. Where had the other Arwing come from? Well, it didn't matter. He would rend them both to pieces.
"I'll crush the both of you!" roared Andross angrily. If he still had his hands, he would have shook them in rage. He opened his mouth and spewed out a whole shower of asteroids.
Fox pulled on the trigger and let rip with a barrage of lasers, each one tearing through the rocks that hurtled straight at him. He would not let Andross survive this time. He would finish the job.
"I don't think so, Andross!" cried Fox.
Falco watched the fight carefully. He saw Andross open his mouth and he fired another smart bomb. This went straight into the monkey's mouth and exploded. Much to his surprise, Andross's head disappeared to reveal his large and ugly brain.
"Whoa, didn't expect that!" he exclaimed in surprise.
"I always thought you were big-headed," taunted Fox with a grin on his face. He opened fire on the brain, each laser slicing into the lobed flesh. The vulpine suddenly cried out in pain. He could feel something hacking away at his mind like a chainsaw. "Get out of my head!" he screamed at Andross. His hand slipped and his shots missed the large brain.
"Fox, watch out!"
The pain Fox was feeling blotted out all sound. He didn't even hear Falco's warning, and when Andross's brain rammed the Arwing, it was too late. The impact shaked Fox out of his painful stupor. He could now see and concetrate on the task at hand.
"This must be the hardest job I've ever done," he muttered under his breath, as he saw Andross's head regenerated. "Still, I'm going to finish this!" He opened fire at Andross's face, but his lasers didn't even penetrate the thick hide. Fox saw the mouth open again and kept his finger on the trigger, letting the lasers blow the oncoming asteroids apart. "You think that can stop me, Andross? Think again!"
Falco saw the asteroids fly back towards Andross's open maw. He couldn't figure out how the mad monkey was doing it, after all, there was no air in space. How could Andross suck anything in if there wasn't any air? Then again, where were all those asteroids coming from? He shook his head and cleared those useless thoughts out of his mind, as he fired another smart bomb straight at Andross.
Fox kept the Arwing as far back as was possible, but it was being drawn slowly in. He saw something streak past him and Andross swallowed it. There was an explosion and Andross's head disappeared, to expose the brain again.
"This time, monkey-boy, it's the end for you," smirked Fox, as he opened fire. His lasers seared into the exposed flesh of the brain and burnt their way through.
Andross screamed out in pain, as his face reappeared. The look of agony on his face was horrific. It was the same one that had appeared on his face back at Venom when Fox had last defeated him. There was a sudden explosion and the six Krazoa Spirits were ejected from his head within a shockwave of magical energy that didn't seem to do any harm to the two Arwings. Another explosion then tore Andross apart and the flames rushed outwards in an ever expanding ball of fire.
Fox turned his Arwing around and then fired the jet boosters. The first thing on his mind was to escape the expanding ball of flames, which he was sure would do more damage than the magical shockwave. That was no problem with his Arwing. He dodged the asteroid remnants, as he flew away from the expanding sphere of fire. He looked behind him. He was well clear of the explosion.
"Falco, it was good to see you again," he said to his feathered friend. "We all missed you, buddy."
"Yeah, I missed being with you guys," agreed Falco with a nod of his head, as he piloted his Arwing closer towards the Great Fox. "You mind if I stop by and see the guys?"
"No, of course not," replied Fox with a shake of his head. "You go ahead, though. I've got to go back and check something out. I won't be long!"
Falco laughed at that comment.
"Yeah, I'm sure," he chuckled. "Is the passcode the same as the last time I visited?"
"It sure is buddy," replied Fox. "I'll give the others a heads-up." He reached out and pressed a few buttons. "Hey, guys, you don't mind if Falco comes over do you?"
"No, we don't mind," replied Slippy's voice.
A smile spread across Fox's face. He could remember the well underneath the WarpStone and the prediction it had made. Was it finally going to come true? Was Falco going to rejoin the Star Fox Team? He didn't know, but he hoped that it would come true. He missed his friend.
"Open up the docking bay for him," ordered Fox. "I'm going down to the Krazoa Palace to find that blue fox. I'll be back later, okay?"
"Sure, thing, Fox," replied Peppy. "You just be careful, all right?"
"I will, old timer," laughed Fox, before he turned his attention towards the Planet. He couldn't wait to find that fox again. He couldn't wait to be with her again.

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"All lab equipment has been packed and is ready for transfer from Dinosaur Planet, sir."
"Excellent," chuckled the second voice.
"Erm... sir, we also have General Scales here. He says that he wishes to join us."
"Does he really, now? Tell him that he must no drop the title, General, and that he must obey my commands, if he is to join our prestigious organisation."
"Yes, sir. Is that all?"
"Yes, now get going. We'll set up a new laboratory on Corneria and recreate the bio-weapon McCloud destroyed. Then he will pay dearly for crossing our path."

To be continued...