Early Morning: Fox sat up on his bike and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Looking around he saw Andrew who rolled off of his bike onto the ground, promptly forcing him out of sleep.
"Ow! That was fun!" shouted Andrew with a groan. Fox chuckled. Looking over he saw a smoking fire pit and Leon looking over a jetbike.
"They all ready to go?" asked Fox yawning and stretching. Leon nodded.
"Yep," he said making a couple more adjustments to one of them. Fox and Andrew began brushing their teeth with their official UVCAF toothpaste and toothbrushes. Finally they broke open some MRE's and drank their coffee.
"Alright let's go," said Fox after they were done. They all leapt onto their bikes when Leon nodded towards Tricky who was still snoozing.
"What about him?" he asked. Fox scowled.
"Leave him. A: He snoozes he looses and B: He said he wasn't coming with us to CloudRunner Fortress. Let's go," said Fox. He gunned his accelerator and the bikes kicked forward and zoomed off away from the cape back towards ThornTail Hollow.
Walled City: The King walked towards the central chamber of the temple and talked to his secretary, an elderly BoneClaw.
"Call the Council to session," he said. The BoneClaw nodded and activated a switch. The switch then activated the Sun and Moon Temples and shot out pulses of light to the homes of the various council members.
Passageway to ThornTail Hollow: The dinosaurs were beginning to wake up from their sleep when Fox and Co. came roaring in with their jetbikes. But to their dismay, their Arwings were nowhere to be seen.
"Oh great, what now fearless leader?" asked Andrew looking around in a slight panic. Then they heard a loud whistle. They jerked their heads to see Shabunga motioning for them to quickly come into his store. They quickly gunned their bikes and zoomed into the store. They instantly powered down their bikes and leapt off. Fox was about to say something when Shabunga instantly shushed him and motioned for them to follow him. They walked to a giant rock on a second level walkway and Shabunga smacked his hand into the wall next to it and the rock moved to the side revealing a secret passageway. They traveled through it and emerged in the bottom of a massive well that was converted into a UVCAF repair bay where various creatures were bustling about fixing and fine tuning the three Arwings located in the center of the bay with various tubes and wires hooked up to them while above them sunlight filtered in. Shabunga smacked another wall and the passage closed.
"Sorry about the scare, but The King had some his so called 'scientists' snooping around the Arwings when they were in the meadow and I didn't want our cover blown so I had them moved here," said Shabunga. Fox and company looked around in awe.
"When was this put in?" asked Fox. Shabunga looked around as well.
"Last night. The Falcon's Nest swung by last night and dropped off one of the prefabricated repair bays specially designed for this well. The Falcon's Blood zipped by as well and dropped off the maintenance staff," said Shabunga. Fox nodded.
"And no one noticed?" he asked mystified. Shabunga shrugged.
"It'd take nothing less than a nuclear blast to wake these creatures up and even then they'd just shrug as they were roasted alive. So what's today's agenda? Where's the tyke?" asked Shabunga.
"We ditched him back at Cape Claw, we're planning to go to CloudRunner Fortress and he wasn't willing to come," said Fox leaning back against a wall of the facility. Shabunga nodded.
"Yeah and according to Intel they're burying that CloudRunner Leon annihilated a couple days ago. I'd be careful, they might kick you out or imprison you," said Shabunga. Fox nodded his acknowledgment and stood there silently contemplating their situation. Angrily he yanked a toothpick out his mouth and flung it away and stormed off and began pounding his Arwing with his fist.
"Why are the hell we here? It doesn't make sense!" shouted Fox to the heavens, but no response came. Andrew sighed.
"Have you come any closer to determining why my uncle sent us here?" he asked. Shabunga shook his head.
"No. This planet has absolutely no strategic value and very little mineral resources to exploit. Sure there's some gold but not enough to warrant invasion like Cephalus-7. The only other reason would be that something more is going on here then meets the eye but as to what I don't know. I just don't know what to tell you," said Shabunga helplessly. Fox sighed and straightened his outfit.
"Well we can't dwell on that now, it's against the law. Let's go," said Fox. He boarded his Arwing and powered it up.
Outside The Queen was walking around sniffing out grubtubs as she also tried to sort out her thoughts about the recent days events.
"These strange visitors, my husband's discontent, and now the vanishment of their vehicles. What does it all mean?" she thought. Then her thoughts were shattered by a loud whine. She looked about in panic and watched in awe and slight horror as one Arwing lifted out of the well and blazed off toward the horizon. Then a second and a third emerged and flew off as well pursuing the third. The Queen quickly ran over to the well and stuck her head in the side to look down on it, but when she looked inside she saw nothing but water in it. She shrugged and was about to walk away when she realized that there hadn't been any water in that well for years. She quickly looked in again, but the image now was a massive dried up well full of tunnels and bridges. She just shook her head in dismay and figured she was going crazy so she just wandered off in a daze.
Down below Shabunga breathed a sigh of relief.
"That was close, if she'd come down here we'd be in trouble. That hologram generator can only produce an image, not a physical setting. This week had better end soon or we're all in trouble," he thought as he turned and left to go back to his store and more time to contemplate their situation.
In the sky above a massive forest, the birds were happily chirping to themselves and a pair of picnickers were happily enjoying their meal. As they were depositing their trash in a nearby trashcan, three Arwings zoomed by overhead leaving a massive wake behind them flinging trash everywhere. As the couple was about to clean up the even bigger mess, they were instantly hit with three sonic booms and they were flung back and knocked unconscious as the trash flung up in the air and began pursuing the Arwings' wake.
"Haven't done that in awhile," said Leon with a smile. Fox nodded.
"How I used to miss the old days when we did this all the time," said Fox sighing. "How I miss the old days."
The three Arwings comm. systems crackled to life.
"Uh, Fox?" asked Shabunga. Fox clicked on his comm. system.
"What's up Shabunga? You any closer to solving our mystery?" Fox asked as he tilted his Arwing to the left and blazed off to port.
"Heh, heh. No. Actually I'm calling because the dinosaur council is having a meeting regarding your and your cohorts at the Walled City. I've bugged it and the dinosaurs are about to enter a heated debate about what to do about you. Anyway, it takes a little bit for the comm. system warms up and I need to hear the entire conversation for our safety so could you buzz the temple, it's on your way so I don't see it being a problem," said Shabunga. Fox nodded even though Shabunga couldn't see him.
"Alright, we'll do it," said Fox. He hit the afterburners and the ship boosted forward towards the Walled City.
In the Walled City, the dinosaurs were just beginning to discuss the outsiders in a central chamber. Everyone was present except for The Queen CloudRunner because she was currently attending the funeral services for Kyte and refused to be bothered.
"King Earthwalker, why have you called us into session? It's summer and is a beautiful day, why are you bothering us?" asked Garunda Te. The King huffed.
"Simple, I don't trust our recent 'guests'. They're simply too violent for what I've heard of the VRF. Just recently they killed a unit of LightFoot's!" shouted The King. LightShow, the leader of the LightFoot leaned forward.
"They were rogue units I assure you. I do not mourn their loss," said LightShow. Some sighed not knowing whether or not to believe the dinosaur or not.
"Look regardless, they were harassing dinosaur citizens and that group were perfectly in their rights to take them out. You know it and I know it," said Garunda Te. The King was about to respond when an aide rushed in.
"Sir, incoming!" shouted the aide. The King looked panicked.
"RedEyes?" asked The King. The aide shook his head.
"No sir, our guests are about to blaze by overhead in their fighters!" shouted the aide. The group rushed outside and onto the steps as they heard a whining noise. They each took a step on the pyramid and watched as the three Arwings blazed by overhead leaving a jetstream behind them in their wake before flying off towards CloudRunner Fortress.
"Impressive," said LightShow. The King growled as they walked back into the chamber..
"Look at them showing off! Arghhh! I don't know what it is, but they're not who they seem to be and I want them incarcerated as soon as possible until we ascertain their true reasons for being here, and the same goes for Shabunga I think he's in on it too," said The King. The others shrugged.
"It's your call, but we'll have no part in this. If they are the VRF then we don't want them angry with us. If they aren't VRF and are someone else who may or may not be worse than them, all the more power to you," said Garunda Te shrugging. Then the council members began filing out. The King nodded with satisfaction.
"Excellent," he said with a smile and walked off with to open a gate back to ThornTail Hollow.
"Shit!" shouted Shabunga. He tore off his earpiece and turned to the fifteen other creatures in the repair bay.
"Boys I hate to have your work be finished so soon, but we have to evacuate the bay. Set charges for remote and then pack up your things and head to fallback position one," said Shabunga. The other creatures nodded glumly and moved out. Shabunga meanwhile activated the comm. relay.
"Fox! Hey Fox come in!" said Shabunga into the comm., but all he got was static. "Damn they must be out of range."
"Sir?" asked a soldier, one of three assigned to the bay. Shabunga looked at him.
"Yes? I'm a little busy here," said Shabunga as he returned to his console and began pressing buttons. The soldier looked a little nervous.
"Sir, what if we encounter any dinosaurs and they ask to know who we are? Do we go out shooting or just shrug and move on?" asked the guard. Shabunga shrugged.
"I can bluff our way out of Thorntail Hollow but if we encounter any stragglers, waste 'em. But first I'm going to see if Andross can't pull us out sometime before the week is up," said Shabunga. The guard nodded and walked off. Shabunga meanwhile set up a separate comm. link towards The Lylat System. The system wasn't set up for direct communication so Shabunga typed in his inquiry.
"MISSION FAILED. IDENTITY SUSPECTED, FORCES CLOSING IN. ARE FALLING BACK TO DEFENSE POSITION ONE. PLEASE SEND TRANSPORT FOR PICKUP," Shabunga typed in and transmitted it. He waited for a few moments and then a message popped up.
"REQUEST FOR EVAC. DENIED. FALLBACK TO DEFENSE POSITION ONE APPROVED. EXPECT FLEET ARRIVAL IN THREE HOURS. INVASION IMMINENT. INVASION IMMINENT. INVASION IMMINENT," the message began repeating. Shabunga dropped his comm. piece.
"Oh my God," said Shabunga as he jerked his head upwards to stare at the sunny sky. Somewhere out there was a massive battlefleet in transit to Dinosaur Planet. Shabunga spun his chair around and stared impassively at the group as he contemplated his situation. They were just doing some final cleanup so they all stopped to look at him.
"What's wrong?" someone asked. Shabunga leaned back laughing in his chair.
"Nothing's wrong. It's just that in three hours the shit is going to hit the fan when an UVCAF Fleet is going to appear right above our heads and invade this planet. It's never going to be the same again and we'll be the last to see it in it's unchanged state. Let's go," said Shabunga. He got up and the group prepared to leave. Shabunga went over to the troop commander.
"We going to blast this thing just prior to the fleet landing to throw off any troops that might arrive. If nothing comes of it we're going to come back and de-wire the place," said Shabunga.
"What of the Starfox team?" asked the commander. Shabunga looked back up at the sky.
"Their threat detectors will immediately locate the charges and not land inside. They'll land outside and if the walk inside the store, the well will tell them that we've evacuated. If they're captured then there's no problem. The fleet invades and we get them back," said Shabunga heading for the exit to the store along with his troops. The commander nodded and the group packed up their belongings and left.
CloudRunner Fortress: In the back of the fortress where the three docks bridged (the three pieces of stone that jut out with the boxes and one is where you found the first baby CloudRunner) out into the sky, a funeral procession slowly moved out in a long line as the CloudRunners mournfully carried the body of Kyte to the edge of the Fortress overlooking a large chasm. As the group was walking along the side of the temple towards the center dock, a whine was heard and the group looking up to see the three Arwings fly by over the fortress and land on the three docks. Fox, Leon, and Andrew exited their Arwings and walked to the procession.
"Greetings, I am Fox McCloud, this is Andrew Oikonny, and finally Leon Powalski. I trust you've been informed of our presence here and that we're simply surveying the surrounding area in the hopes of putting up a VRF base," said Fox. The CloudRunners looked at them darkly as a storm quickly brewed and lightning struck everywhere.
"In case you weren't aware, we're busy here!" shouted The Queen CloudRunner, SkyQueen. Fox nodded humbly.
"Yes our apologies. But we couldn't find any other time to come. I offer my condolences to the loss Kyte," said Fox. SkyQueen huffed.
"Then stay out of our way!" she shouted as the procession continued moving on. They approached the edge of the dock overlooking the abyss down below. A BoneClaw opened a book and began speaking.
"We are here today to honor our blessed comrade in arms Kyte. He didn't know the thought of being selfish. Instead he died serving others. We don't know the fate of the Cerinian whom he was transporting, but we can be assured that he died defending her to the bitter end. We'll find the cause of his death and then we'll strike back at his attackers with full force. Salute!" shouted the BoneClaw. The CloudRunner's lifted their heads and blasted charged particles into the sky from their mouths. They fired three shots and then Kyte's enshrouded body was tossed over the ledge and it fell until it was out of sight. The CloudRunner's all shed a tear and then flew off in their own directions. SkyQueen sighed and looked at the three travelers. She then had a hushed conversation with the BoneClaw and then she flew off accompanied by her children. The BoneClaw walked over to them.
"Greetings, I will be your guide around the fortress," said the dinosaur. He then led them on a path describing the fortress itself.
"Originally built to defend the CloudRunners from their mortal enemies the Skybaxes, a group of flying dinosaurs similar to the CloudRunners themselves, the fortress ceased to possess weaponry when the final Skybax died in captivity three hundred years ago. Since then CloudRunner Fortress has become a bustling area of commerce for the various tribes of Dinosaur Planet. Various Sky Galleons often dock at the ports you just landed on and all ground-based transport is met at the front gate. The inner square is a plaza where various goods and services are sold at the daily market," said the BoneClaw leading them through the hallways of the fortress.
"What kind of weaponry did this place used to possess?" asked Fox studying their surroundings. The BoneClaw looked at him confused.
"Is it important?" it asked. Fox shrugged.
"The VRF is constantly in the market for cheap weaponry to fight off the UVCAF forces. If we knew what you had and what it was capable off, we might be willing to purchase some of your heavy weaponry," said Fox. The BoneClaw shrugged helplessly.
"I don't know what you hope to accomplish with antiquated weaponry, but if you insist…" said BoneClaw. Fox nodded.
"I do," said Fox. The BoneClaw sighed.
"We possess several cannons, missile launchers, and sonic wave devices. I don't know much more than that because the weapons were put into storage before anyone here was born and I don't think anyone knows how to operate any of them anyway," said the BoneClaw. Fox looked at him confused.
"Then how do you protect yourselves in case of attack?" he asked. The BoneClaw led them into the courtyard.
"At Dragon Rock there is an automated defense system maintained by one member of each tribe. It's designed to ward off attacks from anyone with its missiles and other forms of artillery. It can even defend us from a space attack because it possesses a heavy laser capable of going into space. With that in place we are safe from any attack whether it be internal or external in nature," said the BoneClaw. Fox looked at the dinosaur quizzically.
"That's strange. Based on the technology we've seen so far it would seem impossible for the dinosaurs to build something like that," said Fox confused. The BoneClaw looked at Fox as it walked down a hallway.
"That's because it was presented to us as a gift from beings from the stars," said the dinosaur.
"Being from the stars?" Fox repeated. The BoneClaw nodded.
"They came many years ago with a small fleet of five ships. They did not stay long, but presented us with all forms of technology that we had never seen before. They told us about what was happening in the stars and their home system and to always be on our guard against those who might come to conquer us. They set up Dragon Rock to defend us from any who might take our planet from us and has continued to operate all this time on principles we don't understand. But come, enough on that matter. Let us move on," said the BoneClaw as it led them past the bustling market place and down another hallway towards the Generator Room.
Dragon Rock: The massive automated defense silo hummed with energy with power and menace as if daring anyone to come and attack it. On a rocky cliff overlooking the area, K. Rool, Scales, and several SharpClaw and Kremlings stood looking down at the facility while behind them stood their two Sky Galleons resting on the ground. K. Rool glanced one last time at the weapon silo before putting down his binoculars and groaning.
"If I'd realized you intended you were serious about attacking this place I wouldn't have come. Do you realize how many people have died attacking this place? It's impenetrable!" said K. Rool a little giddy with the thought of his impending doom being close at hand. Scales growled.
"For the last time, it's impenetrable with our current weaponry, but not with the advanced weaponry provided to me by the UVCAF," said Scales one more time. K. Rool scowled.
"Yeah, this wonderful UVCAF has all the answers!" said K. Rool sarcastically. "I don't believe they're as great as you say they are."
"You've heard about them haven't you? Those stories about their weaponry and battles aren't made up they're all true. I worked with them for several years during my forced exile into the abyss of space and believe me, they can conquer this planet even without our help," said Scales.
"So why are they even bothering making us help them?" asked K. Rool.
"Because like all good invaders they know that the quicker the invasion process, the easier it'll be. The last thing they want is for the citizens of Dinosaur Planet to hole themselves up somewhere and become a problem. The UVCAF moves in, conquers the planet, and then begins to rule it," said Scales repeating something that had become quite familiar with him during his years with the UVCAF forces. He'd done this on countless other planets so this was nothing new, it's just that conquering his home planet was.
"Do you know why they're invading this planet?" asked K. Rool trying a different angle.
"No, but I would assume it has something to do with resources. Either that or strategic importance," said Scales shrugging.
"Are you sure?" asked K. Rool. Scales glared at him.
"Why? It's not important," said Scales waving his hand as if to toss the matter aside. K. Rool seemed to shift into a more relaxed poise as if entering a territory he was familiar with.
"I'm just trying to figure out the truth. Being someone who is skilled in the art of deception, I can tell you right now that the reasons you just mentioned are not the reasons why this 'Andross' is coming here," said K. Rool.
"What do you mean?" demanded Scales. K. Rool shrugged.
"Typically if your boss doesn't tell you why you're doing something, in all likelihood it isn't what you think it is. If it were that simple then why wouldn't Andross tell you outright? No, no my friend it's much more complicated then that. I just hope whatever it is that Andross wants is worth it to authorize an invasion," said K. Rool. Scales shook his head to clear his thoughts.
"Enough, there will be no more talk of this. According to my last communiqué with Andross, the invasion fleet is expected to arrive in less than two hours. We have to deal with Dragon Rock now," said Scales. He pulled a small device out and put it on the ground. A second later the device whirred to life and displayed a 3-D rotating image of Dragon Rock.
"Impressive," said K. Rool trying to figure out how the device worked.
"The first thing we have to do is take out the communications array. If we prevent outside communication we also stop the dinosaurs from knowing something's up and sending someone to investigate. At the same time we also need to capture the tribe members stationed here so they don't escape and warn the outside population of our attack. All of this while evading the defensive platforms," said Scales.
"Oh is that all? And how do you plan to do that?" asked K. Rool with a snort.
"Simple, we use your Galleon as both a decoy and cannon fodder as we sneak into the compound," said Scales. K. Rool looked at him in shock.
"You're not using my boat for anything!" he shouted. Scales growled at him.
"It's either that or live the rest of your life in torture when Andross finds out you didn't help him with the invasion," said Scales. K. Rool shuddered.
"I don't like this, the possibility for death or bodily harm is too great" he said finally.
"Look at it this way, life it too short but death is eternal. Your life is too short as it is, so put it to good use," said Scales. K. Rool growled.
"Fine! Go on," said K. Rool not liking this plan in the least but willing to go along with it.
"Everything about this plan lies on your boat and the creatures crewing it. The boat must do this or the whole plan fails. It must first take out the communications array, draw the fire of the defensive platforms allowing us into the crater, and smash into the central tower temporarily disabling it. From that point the team that rushes the compound while split up with one group taking out the power arrays and the second capturing the creatures who reside here. Once the anti-personnel devices are out of power, we quickly take out the anti-aircraft devices with my galleon and when that's done we plant charges on the main tower and pull out before it explodes," said Scales. K. Rool looked at him incredulously.
"There are so many ways this plan can fail," he said shaking his head.
"Well there's no time to think about it because it's starting now!" shouted Scales and immediately K. Rool's galleon took to the sky and all hell broke loose on Dragon Rock.
CloudRunner Castle: "So how does it work?" asked Fox wandering around the generator room along with the rest of his team.
"It's powered by three light gems that provide energy to maintain the wind lifts and electricity in the facility. We run a simple laser into the gems that refracts into a much larger laser that operates our turbines," said the BoneClaw. Fox nodded clearly impressed.
"It's very impressive," he said voicing his admiration.
"Coming from someone whose civilization is as advanced as yours that isn't small praise. But come, we still have a little more exploring to do," said the BoneClaw leading them out of the room. As they were leaving, Fox shook his leg as if it had fallen asleep on him and a device dropped out of his pant leg and rolled into the generator room as the team left. This device was an EMP and would go off when signaled to. The BoneClaw failed to notice it and headed the team towards the treasury.
Dragon Rock: The whole area erupted into chaos as K. Rool's Sky Galleon came zooming over the edge of the crater and opened fire on the Dragon Rock installation while being promptly hammered by a missile barrage from all sides. Surprisingly the shields held after the first barrage and continued the assault on the complex. Heavy laser cannons had replaced the regular projectile cannons located in the hull while even more were placed on the deck. Also, the Kremlings and Sharpclaws on board had laser rifles and were firing at everything they laid their eyes on. While that was going on, several Sharpclaw and Kremlings poured into the crater on foot while firing their laser rifles. The Sky Galleon soared overhead while drawing even more fire, but the shield were beginning to fail and the ship was being knocked around. Several creatures fell off the sides and dropped to their deaths. Finally one of the Kremlings pulled out an RPG and fired it off towards the center tower. It flew off in a wide spiral before crashing into the top of the tower and exploding, taking out all of the antennas.
"Excellent! Now the base is ours!" shouted Scales watching the ensuing explosion. The antennas dropped to the surface and skewered several Kremlings on the ground. Scales hoisted his heavy pulse cannon and began firing at various incoming missiles. An explosion went off nearby blasting the base out of a tall stalagmite. Nearby a hovering anti-personnel cannons shields suddenly died.
"Generator 1 is down," said a voice over the radio. Scales ran through the crater blasting at the now defenseless anti-personnel cannon. Several other creatures opened fire as well and the cannon exploded. As more creatures moved on to take out the other two generators, the Sky Galleon's shields failed and large chunks of the ship came flying off as missiles smashed into it.
"Sir this is Sky Galleon 1, we've had it. This ship isn't going to stay up much longer. We're arming the explosive now and are preparing to-" said a voice before the radio burst into static as another explosion rocked the ship. Smoke began pouring out of various areas as the ship slowly began an arcing decent towards the center tower as more missiles hammered into it. A second and third explosion went off taking two more stalagmites.
"Generator 2 and three are d-," said a voice.
"Take cover!" shouted Scales, cutting the voice off and diving to the ground as the Sky Galleon, trailing fire, plowed into the second unshielded anti-personnel cannon before smashing into the central tower. The ship hung there for a moment with the fires still blazing behind it and it slowly began to drop when it exploded flinging debris everywhere. Over a third of the tower melted or toppled to the ground. As a result, instead of a steady barrage of missiles, only three emerged at random intervals.
"My ship!" shouted K. Rool safely hiding at the top of the crater peering down at the team through binoculars. Then a third explosion went off flinging debris everywhere.
"Generator 3 is down. All generators are down! Commencing attack on the remaining anti-personnel cannon," said a voice. Laser blasts erupted as more missiles rained down blasting parts of the ground up and flinging debris and bodies everywhere. Then the final anti-personnel cannon came crashing down and an eerie silence filled the air. The silence was then shattered as the second Sky Galleon came zooming by over the lip of the crater and missiles streaked up to greet it as it opened fire on the three power cells on each tower controlling the missiles.
"C'mon we need to find the local residents before they try and bolt. They haven't gone anywhere yet and I don't intend on them going anywhere soon!" shouted Scales. A guard ran up to him with several cuts that were pouring trickles of blood. The guard quickly saluted, which Scales quickly returned.
"Sir we think we've found them. They're holed up in High Top Tower. We've got units on top and there's no tracks so they haven't left," said the soldier. Scales nodded. Above explosions went off as the Sky Galleon continued trading blasts with the missile towers.
"Let's move. You five with me the rest of you take out those power cells," said Scales running off followed by five Sharpclaw. The rest aimed their lasers upwards and fired at the power cells. Scales meanwhile smashed his way through a door and began prowling the hallways with his Sharpclaw. They carefully darted from wall to wall searching their prey. As they rounded another corner, a robot appeared out of nowhere and sliced a Sharpclaw in half before Scales ripped its circuits out. The droid fell to the ground in a heap of melted circuitry.
"Let's go," said Scales taking off down the hallway.
Room inside High Top Tower: A ThornTail, LightFoot, CloudRunner, SnowHorn, EarthWalker, and HighTop all stood crowded in a single room massive enough to hold all of them. They were clustered around a small console that was showing images of the ensuing battle outside dispersed with static.
"We're going to die unless we get a signal out of here!" shouted the ThornTail.
"Even if we do, Scales will still have us killed!" shouted the LightFoot balling out tears.
"For the last time that's not Scales out there! It's just another creature that looks like him! We're going to be fine I just have a few connections to make and then we can send a message through the groundwire. We're perfectly safe in here, no one can find us because no one knows the layout of this base," said the EarthWalker operating the controls of the console.
"I wouldn't bet on that," said a voice. The group twisted their heads to see a figure standing in the shadows, its eyes glaring red. The figure stepped into the light to reveal General Scales with a laser cannon in one arm and his artificial prongs flashing in the light.
"Hello boys, I'm back. Did you miss me?" laughed Scales evilly. The creatures were taken aback.
"No, you're dead. This isn't happening!" said the CloudRunner. Scales chuckled.
"But it is. I have returned with friends and now dinosaur planet is ours!" shouted Scales. The EarthWalker growled in anger.
"Over my dead body! I'll die before I bow down to you!" shouted the beast. It charged Scales who merely leapt out of the way and fired his blaster point blank, severing the EarthWalker's spin so it dropped to the ground dead.
"And so you did," said Scales simply, twirling his blaster around on his fingers before putting it away.
"What do you intend to do with us? Are you going to make us your slaves?" asked the CloudRunner. Scales barked out a laugh.
"No," he said shaking his head. "No, I don't. I don't. The UVCAF mandate doesn't require the taking of prisoners unless they're deemed 'important' and you, you foul sacks of garbage are decidedly not. No, you must die."
And with that, Scales pulled out his blaster and shot the ThornTail, LightFoot, CloudRunner, and SnowHorn. Scales then looked up at the HighTop.
"As for you, I have something special planned. Since you spend so much time in the clouds, I think I'll show you the ground up close and personal as you're buried alive! So long!" shouted Scales as chunks of the ceiling came crashing down.
"No! Have mercy!" shouted the HighTop as Scales prepared to leave.
"You should've thought of that before you condemned me to the abyss of space! Any mercy I had left died out there! Goodbye!" shouted Scales as the ceiling collapsed burying the High Top alive. Scales exited the building as his Sky Galleon appeared from above the roof after having collapsed it. It landed on the ground and picked up Scales before taking off.
"A job well done," said K. Rool resting on a deck chair. Scales shrugged.
"Coming from you that means a lot," said Scales mockingly. K. Rool shrugged.
"I survived, that's all that matters," he responded.
"Are the charges placed?" asked Scales. A sharpclaw nodded.
"They are," it said. Scales half-turned with a wicked smile.
"Then blow it now!" Scales shouted. The sharpclaw nodded and pressed a button. K. Rool immediately leapt upward.
"No you fool! We're too close!" shouted K. Rool right before Dragon Rock exploded behind them. The ensuing explosion vaporized Dragon Rock in an ensuing mushroom cloud and the shockwave spread outward slamming into the Sky Galleon and shaking it violently. And then everything went to white.
CloudRunner Fortress: Fox and Co. were standing in the Treasury with their jaws hanging open at the large amount of gold inside the room. The BoneClaw chuckled.
"I see even your civilization has developed an affinity for this element. That's good, at least we have something in common!" said the BoneClaw laughing even harder. The team nervously chuckled as well. Then their nervousness quickly faded to concern as the whole fortress shook violently and an explosion was heard in the distance. The team ran out of the armory across the walkway hugging the building and ran onto the dock where their Arwings were resting. In the far distance, a small mushroom cloud could be seen.
"What the hell?" Fox asked. But as he said this, Fox had an idea forming as to what had happened.
"I don't know, I just don't know," said the BoneClaw frightened. Alarms began blaring all over the fortress as several CloudRunners raced by overhead towards the large cloud. Instantly the Queen CloudRunner was by their side.
"Perhaps it would be best if you left for now. There are things going on here that do not concern you," said the Queen.
"I think we need to know. If a VRF base is going to be built here we need to know about any strange occurrences. This is one of them," said Fox. The Queen whirled and glared at him.
"You'll either leave or sit this out in our dungeon, it's your choice," said the Queen before flying off as well. Fox watched the CloudRunner swarm fly off and he stood there debating his choices. Finally he twisted around to look at his comrades.
"Come on, we're leaving. Things aren't exactly going to plan here," Fox said. He ran off to his Arwing as the team followed. They ran out onto the dock, which were beginning to fall apart as a result of the shockwave. They each leapt into their fighters and were in the process of powering them up when the docks snapped and the three Arwings tumbled down the cliff with the docks tumbling down with them.
"Oh no!" shouted the BoneClaw it ran to the edge of what remained of the docks only to hear a loud whine fill the air. As the BoneClaw watched, the three Arwings lifted up and into the sky as the cut from repulsorlifts to their main drives and blasted off, trailing into the distance with only their engine lights indicating their position as they flew out of sight.
ThornTail Hollow: "Quickly, quickly. We don't have much time! We've got less than an hour before that fleet shows up and pound this area to a pulp," said Shabunga as the UVCAF creatures abandoned his store and were running off through the tunnel that would take them to SnowHorn Wastes. Suddenly the whole tunnel rocked and parts of it fell down to the ground.
"What was that?" asked the lead soldier. Shabunga looked at his PDA.
"That was the bay. Looks like the dinos stumbled on it and it blew," said Shabunga. Down the tunnel they could faintly hear alarms from ThornTail Hollow.
"We don't have much time before they come looking for me," said Shabunga. "We've got to get to Ice Mountain. UVCAF engineers built a small bunker up there about seven years ago. It's got weapons and supplies that we can hold out for quite awhile. The key is in getting there. I just hope that transport is still next to those hot springs. If not we're going to have a hell of a time eluding the dinos before the fleet arrives."
The group continued hurriedly walking down the tunnel before reaching the end of it and the BribeClaw awaiting them.
"Pay up," it said simply. Shabunga sighed.
"You know me BribeClaw, let us go this one time without paying you. You know I'm good for it," said Shabunga. The BribeClaw shook his head.
"No pay, no pass," it said. Shabunga sighed, holding his head.
"What do we do?" asked the leader.
"Pay," the BribeClaw offered simply. Shabunga snapped his head up.
"We don't have time for this. Waste him," said Shabunga. The BribeClaw watched in horror as the team opened fire on him. The BribeClaw fell to the ground dead in a pool of its own blood. The team stepped over it and glanced at it. The team each held their hands over their hearts.
"He may have been the enemy, but he died doing his job. Now bury his money, we aren't going to allow anyone to plunder his possessions," said Shabunga. A guard took the BribeClaw's money and pulled out a small UVCAF issued shovel and quickly buried the money.
"Let's move, we've wasted enough time already," said Shabunga. The team filed out of the cave and was walking towards the hot springs when they quickly leapt out of the way as they practically stumbled into a SnowHorn meeting.
"Eliminate?" asked the lead soldier. Shabunga immediately shook his head.
"No, they'd be on us in a minute. We'll have to find some way around them," he said. The soldier took out a pair of binoculars and observed the meeting. A group of SnowHorns stood surrounding an EarthWalker.
"They're coming this way. The King believes that Shabunga is nothing more than a traitor and our new visitors are not who they say they are. They need to be captured and incarcerated immediately!" said the EarthWalker. The SnowHorns nodded in assent, but Shabunga was more worried about how they would get past.
"There's no way we can get through. We need a distraction!" he said. Unfortunately the distraction he got was not the one he would've preferred. A couple minutes later a whine was heard and three Arwings rocketed by overhead towards ThornTail Hollow.
"Quick, after them!" shouted the EarthWalker and the creatures quickly departed. The team emerged into the snow covered clearing that the dinos had vacated. The each looked at the jetstream left behind by the Arwings and followed the path towards the Hollow.
"Sir, we have to help them!" said the team leader as the whining subsided. Shabunga shook his head.
"No, we can't. I'd like to help them too, but we have explicit orders to be at Fallback Position One. The UVCAF is expecting us to be there and if we're not we could be caught in the initial invasion and die. We've to go. The Starfox team has been in more binds then we can imagine, they'll get out of this," said Shabunga. As he finished talking, the EarthWalker reappeared with two SnowHorns.
"I knew they came this way! The dead BribeClaw proved it and there they are! Get them!" shouted the EarthWalker charging the team.
"Run!" shouted Shabunga as he took off.
ThornTail Hollow Airspace: "This is so bizarre, we can't contact Scales or Shabunga. And what was the deal behind that mushroom cloud? Scales wasn't supposed to attack Dragon Rock for another five days. This is just nuts!" said Andrew.
"Clearly we're either outside of the loop or Scales got a little overzealous," said Leon.
"It wouldn't be the first time, remember Altair-7?" asked Fox. The other murmured their agreement when they saw the smoke rising from the Hollow.
"Oh no," said Andrew. The three Arwings burst over a ridge and made circled around the Hollow as several LightFoot troops stood in ranks and watched them near the smoking well where the repair bay had been. Also, Shabunga's store was being ripped in half as various creatures were tossing out items that had been in his store after being ripped in half. The King EarthWalker was watching them with an indistinguishable snarl on his face due to the distance between them.
"Options?" asked Fox.
"Hit the afterburners and make our way back to UVCAF space," said Leon.
"Yeah, but that's a three week trip and I don't know if our rations or our ships will hold out that long. But I'll hold it in reserve. Andrew?" asked Fox.
"Find a place to hole up before the invasion fleet arrives," he said.
"Yeah, but then they'd know something was up and prep for an invasion. Even with Dragon Rock gone, we don't know what other weapons or allies they might possess. Against my better judgment, we're landing and will try to reason things out," said Fox.
"Sir I must lodge my protest against this course of action," said Leon.
"I do too. UVCAF regulations state…" began Andrew.
"UVCAF regulations state that our lives are expendable no matter what our rank is. The only person who isn't expendable is the Emperor and our lives are to be given to him in service. If he comes here and the invasion is still happening because we didn't convince the dinos that one wasn't coming, we'd have failed the UVCAF and I for one will not allow that," said Fox. Leon and Andrew gave their acknowledgment that this was the only course of action available to them and they cut into their repulsors and landed in the Hollow.
Hot Springs: Shabunga and the team raced amongst the hot springs and geysers as they went off all around them sending scalding hot water into the air. Behind them the EarthWalker and SnowHorns were still pursuing them.
"Where's that transport?" asked the soldier firing his gun behind them. The EarthWalker and SnowHorns easily absorbed the blaster fire.
"It should be right up ahead. How much time?" asked Shabunga.
"Less than fifteen minutes. Any second now that fleet is going emerge from warp above this planet and begin launching ships," said the team leader. The team ran between two geysers but was suddenly cut off from escape by the EarthWalker at the front and the SnowHorns at the back.
"By order of the King EarthWalker, Shabunga you are under arrest for treason!" said the EarthWalker. Shabunga didn't dignify that accusation with a response he merely lifted his blaster and aimed it at the dinosaur along with the others who aimed it at either the EarthWalker or the SnowHorns.
"Heh, your blaster fire doesn't frighten me!" laughed the dinosaur.
"No, but this might!" said Shabunga. He yanked out a small rod and depressed a button. A flash was seen and the EarthWalker vanished. Shabunga spun around to face the two SnowHorns who were unsure as to what had happened.
"Leave us or face a similar fate!" shouted Shabunga over the geysers. The two SnowHorns looked at each other nervously and then bolted without a word.
"What just happened here?" asked a soldier. Shabunga pointed to the far wall that was covered in moss. A small red light was seen nestled between some vines. Shabunga pressed another button the rod and the mass of vines and moss began blurring until they vanished revealing an UVCAF military hovertransport.
"Equipped with a state of the art holoprojector system, that dino failed to notice the laser cannon aimed right at him. Now come on! We've got to go now! The invasion is about to begin!" shouted Shabunga. The team quickly entered into the transport and it blasted off up Ice Mountain towards the peak.
Space above Dinosaur Planet: Fifteen UVCAF battlecruisers of various makes and models emerged from warp above the planet and began launching dropships and fighters as they surrounded the planet. The lead ship the Saruzin class Mantia 01 began slowly descending towards the planet's surface.
ThornTail Hollow: Unaware of the fleet above them, the Starfox team landed in the Hollow facing the smoking remains of the well. The team exited their fighters and walked towards the approaching King EarthWalker and his troops.
"Hey King, what's up with the well?" asked Fox. The King said nothing and the LightFoot's moved in and restrained the team.
"King, this is uncalled for? What have we done?" asked Fox not resisting his captors.
"You've lied to us from the start. You're not who you appear to be and with the destruction of the well and the loss of Dragon Rock I'm going to have you incarcerated for a very long time," said the King. Now Fox began slightly struggling.
"I came to this planet with the hopes of establishing a VRF base and this is how you repay me? We want to protect you from the UVCAF forces!" shouted Fox.
"Save your lies for someone who'll believe them. Guards, let's go!" said the King. As Fox and Co. were being lead to a prison cart nearby, the ground started rumbling.
"A quake?" asked a soldier.
"Impossible! There haven't been any for millennia!" said the King as the ground continued rumbling and nearby trees and poles fell over. Then a large shadow fell on the group and they looked up to see the massive Saruzin Class Cruiser descending towards the ground. The guards immediately let go of the guards and surrounded the King with their staffs.
"What is the meaning of this?" demanded the King. The massive vessel landed in the Hollow and slowly powered down. The guards and the King shifted uneasily at the massive amounts of laser cannons and other armaments that the vessel possessed. A large ramp opened between the two wedges on the front of the ship and touched the ground in front of them.
"Mantia 01, what's that? What does that have to do with us?" demanded the King.
"It means," said a voice. "That the balance of power has shifted. The UVCAF has arrived and your world is now mine!"
The UVCAF Emperor Andross emerged from the shadows with his bodyguards as various ground and mobile units emerged from the ship and trundled down the ramp and began opening fire at everything in sight.
"Who are you?" asked the King. Andross smiled.
"My name is Andross, I'm Emperor of the Lylat System. And I'll be the last face you'll ever see!" said Andross with a smile. Andross signaled and one of his bodyguards fired his blaster cannon at the King and he was instantly vaporized along with his guards.
"Come Fox, we have much to discuss. This world is in our grasp and I don't intend to loose it," said Andross as he re-entered the craft with the team following behind him.