M O M E N T O

Star Fox, its characters, names, etc. all belong to Nintendo. Galaxy Wulf, its characters, trademarks, names, etc. all belong to me.

Notice: This is a PROLOGUE of THC, meaning it happened before the events of Two Heroes Collide. I've taken the first few parts of my story from the official Star Fox manga entitled "Farewell, Beloved Falco" in the Japanese site of Nintendo. Luckily, there's an English version that you can get at [www.arwinglanding.tk]. Oh, I will temporarily stop Two Heroes Collide: Juniors if I am making this. Don't worry! I think this will only take 15 chapters!

Anyway, let's begin...



Chapter 4, Trust, Hope, and Love

The four fighters entered Arctican City. Many of Volgar's robot aircrafts have just started moving along, attacking and terrorizing the whole city. The four engaged into battle.

For Falco, this is somewhat a dejavu. He remembered back eight years ago, when he was fighting alongside with Fox, Peppy, and Slippy. This was the same like what happened on Corneria. He was eighteen back then. His thoughts flew over to the time of Lylat Wars.

"Hey Falco! Are you all right?" Glacier startled Falco. The two were communicating via the monitor at the console. "Are you thinking of something?"

"Nah! I'm just focusing!" Falco replied back. "Come on! Let's go!"

Falco's fighter immediately rushed to the battle scene. Since Frigi's aircraft is designed to be agile and swift, he immediately reached the centermost part of the city.

"Falco!" Garou shouted at his screen, trying to call back Falco. However, Falco already got busy blasting all of the enemies he sees.

Ellie just switched to turbo mode and suggested something. "Better keep moving, guys! We need to catch up on him!"

Garou and Glacier immediately switched to turbo mode and quickly tagged along. They immediately joined Falco who was blasting the enemy robots.

Inside The Glacier, Anna piloted the flagship while the twins Frigi and Cold controlled the arms of the ship. They helped the four fighters by covering them or by assisting them with anything they needed. They blasted the enemies up and down.

Falco was busy shooting the heavy-plated robots. He can't use bombs in this place, since many innocent civilians will perish if he does that. Luckily, Frigi's ship have four beam blasters attached to it, not only adding four times damage, but also a more powerful charged beam.

"Hehehe! Come to Falco!" he taunted. "You'll be toasted, pal!"

However, he didn't notice that an enemy aircraft is behind him. The computer of the enemy's ship tracked Falco's accurate temperature and anatomic structure, charging for a very precise tracing beam.

When he finally destroyed the ship, it was too late for him to notice. He felt something bad is going to happen.

"Darn it! Don't you dare fire that shit!"

But then, somebody fired lasers towards it. The machine was destroyed, dissipating the charged tracer. With a wink, the voice seemed to be grinning at him.

"Hey, you should be careful on your tail!"

Falco smiled. The pilot is actually Ellie, giving a wide-open "You're Welcome" kind of message. He didn't hesitate to thank her.

"Thanks for saving my hide! I really need that drift!"

Strangely, he looked at himself. Usually, when somebody helps him out, he shows his gratitude by being rude or sarcastic. However, he replied back to Ellie as if he did it with full of heart.

"Why?" he asked himself. "Is it because..."

"Falco?" Ellie asked him with wonder. "Is something bothering you?"

He then popped up from his strange maudlin behavior. He grinned as he scratches his head. "Oh nothing! Come on, let's find the enemy's main ship!"

"You don't have to, Falco!" Cold transmitted at the monitor. "We've detected the spawning ship where all of those machines are coming from! Here's the coordinate!"

"I don't think we'll be needing those coordinates, Cold!" Garou replied as he looks at the clouds. "The prey has come out of its hole!"

"Watch out!" Glacier added as he looks at his monitor. "Scanner shows that that guy has some shields protecting it! The shield pylons are inside, so we can't disable it!"

"What the heck?!" Falco angrily grumbled. "There must be a weak spot to that junk!"

The machine then started to charge a large beam. To prevent it from being disturbed, smaller aircraft started rushing towards the four. Even if Garou, Glacier, Ellie, and Falco destroy these small craft, they will not be able to destroy the laser.

"Damn! There must be something that will crush that bitch's shield!" Falco madly yelled.

"Let's evade the beam!" Glacier suggested. "I'm sure it has no homing capability."

"Yeah, but it'll change its target to the city!" Garou concluded. "Many will die! I will not allow that!"

"Man, we're in a dreadlock!" Ellie grumbled in horror as she looks at the center of the beam.

"There is, but it's impossible!" Anna explained at the monitor. "We need to find a large debris with in fast velocity to collide with the beam when it is fired. It will make the beam scatter, piercing inside the ship and not only destroying the pylons, but the craft itself!"

Falco thought hard. He remembered Frigi's ship as a fast ship, and since Ice Fangs, the name of the fighters, has the same size of an Arwing, this will make a debris large enough to stop the charge beam. He then looked around the cockpit. He thought to himself, "Yep! I'll have to do it!"

Falco suddenly charged towards the beam. He is in Turbo mode, allowing him to be fast like a bullet. He cranked the control stick (The shaft used in controlling an aircraft) to the direction of the charging beam and immediately rushed towards it.

"FALCO!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!!" Ellie shouted furiously. She immediately followed him, but was halted by Garou.

"Don't Ellie! Listen to me..." Garou hesitantly ordered. "Falco knows what he's doing, so we better get out before the whole thing creates a shockwave!"

"Onii-chan, what are you saying?!" Anna wondered with a strange feeling. "Are you saying you'll all leave Falco?!"

"No, it's all right! It's for the better..." Falco slowly spoke at the monitor. "A sacrifice must be made..."

"Wha?! NOOO!!!" Ellie shouted with a tear falling down to her cheek. Her ship was forced to move by Glacier's tractor beam, getting her out of the way.

She saw in her both eyes how Falco charged towards the beam; exploding and creating powerful wave blasts inside the large ship and completely crushing it and blasting it out of the sky. Suddenly, her eyes started to moist. She started to cry. "Why Falco?" she moaned out of her voice.

Down at the city streets, every one of Northern Wolves gathered to an alley, trying to comfort Ellie.

"There, there, there..." Anna patted Ellie's back, trying to make her stop.

"Ellie, snap out of it! Don't be so emotional!" Garou grumbled as he looked at her weeping face.

Ellie stopped crying. Then, she looked at Garou furiously. "You..." she angrily and emotionally spoke, "How could you?! I thought you're a good leader, but you left him up there!"

"Oh come on! Don't be too poignant! Do you really think he died up there?!"

Suddenly, Ellie stopped. What did he mean about Falco not dying up there?

That questioned was answered when she heard a voice from above. It came from behind her, making her face to her back.

"What makes you think Falco Lombardi will die in such stupidity?!"

Those words made Ellie smile back. When she faced behind, she saw a blue falcon, covered with soot with ash and slightly wounded.

"Fa-" Ellie whispered, suddenly shouting. "FALCO!!!" She immediately hurried to the bird, standing beside the fence.

"Yep! This falcon is still breathing!" he reassured her.

Suddenly, Ellie slapped Falco, making his left cheek red. She remarked, "That's for leaving without telling me..." Then, she kissed Falco's right cheek and hugged him, adding, "And that's for coming back!"

Falco suddenly became red, but then he hugged Ellie. The two are in a sentimental feeling that they cannot explain. Is this love?

Frigi then startled the two. "I hate to interrupt," he interrupted (I thought so!), "but Falco, how did you got out there? And what do you mean when you said a sacrifice has to be made?"

"Oh that!" he laughed as he scratch his head. "Well, I remembered that a fighter should have an Eject Cockpit, so I used it!"

"What about the sacrifice part?" Cold wondered.

"Uhmm... well... Frigi, will you still live if you just lost your Ice Fang up there?" Falco replied with a sweatdrop.

"WHAATTT???!!!" Frigi shouted with his jaws dropping down the ground.

Everyone laughed. It seems that Falco is getting the hang of the team after all. Ellie is becoming closer to Falco... but why? Is it really love?