Fox entered the lab, followed by Krystal and Falco, Slippy. It was a medium sized room filled with computers and machinery, with various odds and ends laying strewn about the place.

"I think you guys you be impressed with some of the new gear I've developed."


Slippy said in his annoyingly squeaky voice. He grabbed a handful a box full of God only knows what, turned and headed back toward the door. The two Fox, Krystal, and Falco followed Slippy to the gym, where they found various pieces of equipment waiting for them.

This oughta be good. Fox thought as they followed Slippy to a group of crates laying in the corner.

Colonel Bromley walked down the rows of fighters, Wraiths. They were wedge shaped with a pair of sleek wings thrusting out from their sides, they had a cockpit mounted in about mid-ship, a single fin thrusting up directly behind the cockpit, and powerful engines mounted at the rear. They sported a pair of wing mounted laser cannons, a powerful nose mounted plasma cannon, and a pair of side mounted missile launchers. They were as fast and agile as they looked.

"They all have been inspected and are ready for combat sir."

"Very good corporal."

Bromley left the mechanic to his work and headed for they ready room, where he would receive further details on the mission. As he strode past the lounge Miles joined him, and fell in wordlessly with his lupine superior. He didn't know very many people as well as he did Miles, they'd been friends since high school. There had been only one other person he'd known so well, if not a little deeper, his wife. He remembered her so clearly, a kit fox with sandy fur, large ears, a soft bushy tail, green eyes, and a nice figure. She had been a flight officer too, her command had been the 102nd elite fighter squadron, until that day. Admiral Lovell had sent an armada to take the Dertrillion System, and she had been leading the fighter groups. The Admiral had received intelligence warning him that the Dertrillion navy was expecting them and had set up a few surprises for them. But he had ignored them, saying that even in the unlikely event that those incompetents knew they were coming their fighters and warships would be no match and would be easily defeated.

He'd been wrong. When the fleet arrived at the edge of the system they'd found a minefield waiting for them. The surviving fighters and few capitol ships that hadn't been damaged, were met with no less than twenty frigate and light cruiser analogs, as well as hundreds of fighters. They never had a chance. Ever since than he'd questioned officers like Lovell, and sometimes he wondered what it was the politicians and the scientists were up to. Ties with the military, the scientists, and the politicians had never been the best, especially lately.

He reached the briefing room and the doors slid open, and slid closed behind him. Various squad leaders sat in the circular rows of seats arranged around a holo projector in the center of the room. He noticed several flight officers he knew, as well as Captain Sydney. She was a nicely built cheetah, Mile's "friend". The lights dimmed and the holo projector pulsed to life. Bromley and Miles hurried into a pair of seats as Lieutenant Sanders stepped up to the center of the room. Sanders was one of those Intelligence geeks, who while lightly built Bromley had to admit knew his stuff.

"Ladies and gentleman, we will revert to realspace at Dinosaur Planet in one hour, so hopefully you have all finished studying your individual mission orders. Our fleet will take up a blockade position around the planet and your fighters are to deploy as soon as he hit realspace. Once any orbital opposition is cleared we will we send ground forces and air support into the planets atmosphere, and that is were you come in. While are ground forces engage the planets ground army you will attack these targets."

A series of satellite images appeared on the screen, they looked like military camps.

"You will neutralize all fixed enemy positions but you are NOT to harm these targets. "

A new series of pictures appeared. They looked like large stone like structures, one surrounded by beaches, another by lava, a third floated in the sky, and the last one appeared to be some sort of desert.

"That is all, good hunting."

The lights came back on and the pilots filed out of the room.

Sergeant Nixon had always hated his job. Sitting in a command center all day, watching screens displaying information from dozens of probes and the listening outposts sensor dishes. Nothing had ever happened, nothing probably ever would happen. A sudden alarm klaxon nearly sent him flying out of his seat. He sat up in his seat and directed his attention to the screens showing data from probe 049. It showed multiple gravity distortions pacing through that sector. He leaned forward in his seat and adjusted a few controls, bringing up a series of rough outlines, radiation imaging. It showed a large group of blurs surrounded by the dazzling light show that was hyperspace, he adjusted the controls again. The silhouettes blurred and resolved into sleek warships of designs that didn't match anything in his database.

"Oh my God."

Nixon furiously punched a series of buttons, bringing up a comm. feed to Corneria.