Chapter 9: A Helping Hand
- | |\| + r 00 |) [- r $.... -
Mewtwo closely examined the ship's sensors and compared them to the energy signals he could detect with his mind. -- It's only a matter of time, now, -- he said.
"Until what?" Shadow questioned. "You haven't even told us your plan of attack!"
-- The forces of the Zeg'ra work as a hierarchy. At the bottom are their common warriors, who we continue to face. They get their orders from nearby hive-minds, like the one Shadow destroyed back on Earth. In turn, these are controlled by special generals who answer only to the Lord of the Zeg'ra. --
"So we have to take out one general at a time?" Sonic assumed. "Gaining experience along the way, facing progressively harder foes and increasing our prowess as a team?"
There was a short moment of silence, then everyone else burst out laughing.
"Oh, man, someone's been playing too many video games!" Falcon choked out between guffaws.
Mewtwo chuckled. -- Actually, we're just going straight to the source, though it's quite possible there will be one or more of the generals to stand in our way. Most of them should be out conquering planets, though. --
"Right..." sighed the blue hedgehog.
Shadow smiled to himself. "One at a time... I can't tell if it's funny or just plain pathetic."
::BUZZ::
"Code Red!" called Fox over the comm. "Enemy fighters dead ahead! Battle stations!"
"Relax," Link replied. "We're already IN battle stations, because you wouldn't let us ride anywhere else. Do you have any idea how uncomfortable the seats in these turrets are?"
"Well, it's about to become worth it. All cannons: Laser sweep!"
Responding to one of the maneuvers they'd been taught by Fox in their free time, Sonic, Shadow, Falcon, and Link fired so that all the beams were parallel, then swept them across the ranks of the Zeg'ra, cutting their numbers by at least three-fourths.
"Fire at will!" ordered Fox.
Each of the Silver Arrow's plasma beams streaked though the swarm's remaining units, reducing the few stragglers to mere ions.
"Wait, that's it?" asked Sonic.
Link frowned. "Maybe it was just a scouting party."
-- No, look! --
Thousands of flying Zeg'ra descended from above the Arrow's position, forming an attack formation.
"Missile salvo 1!" Fox announced, launching the first set of the Arrow's currently prepared missiles. Almost as if it were planned, the entire force scattered, leaving the heavy barrage to do little damage.
"Missile salvos 2, 3, and 4! Engage the enemy!" As the last of the Arrow's prepared missiles flew off, Link, Falcon, Shadow, & Sonic opened fire with the four laser turrets, though the way the Zeg'ra maneuvered around their attacks was almost taunting. Fox cursed under his breath. "These evolved bastards caught us off guard!"
--It appears they've grown more intelligent.--
"Mewtwo, secondary shields up!"
--Activating repulsor field.-- Suddenly, it was as if enemies that got too close to the ship were flying in slow motion, since the field was pushing them away.
"Easy pickings!" boasted Falcon.
Though the lasers were now severely diminishing the swarm's numbers, it was too little too late. The Zeg'ra kept advancing toward the ship's hull.
"There's too many!" Fox cried. "Activate primary shields!"
--Activating Chaos Forcefield.-- Arcs of pure energy surged over the ship, frying any Zeg'ra that got close. Eventually, the creatures caught a clue and waited outside the field. --We're low on power, we need to let the Emerald recharge.--
"If we turn off the forcefield, those things will breach the hull, and we'll be toast!"
"Then what do we do!?" Sonic said, panic in his voice. "If we can't fire through the field, what can we do besides wait to die!?"
"Need a hand?" crackled the comm device.
Fox raised an eyebrow. "Who is this?"
"This is Samus Aran, bounty hunter." Our heroes watched the viewscreen as a roundish orange spacecraft came into view, expertly firing lasers to dust off the last of the Zeg'ra like the pests they were.
--Thank you, Miss Aran, we are in your debt.--
"Well, I could use some supplies... mind if I come aboard?"
Fox set to work on the console. "Docking sequence initiated."
-------------------------
"So," said Falcon to their mysterious armored ally joining them in the lounge of the Silver Arrow, "what's a bounty hunter like you doing all the way out here? Hunting isn't a full-time thing for me, but I've heard the prospects are pretty dry in these parts. All the planets around here are peaceful, so nobody's paying to kill people off."
Samus smiled behind her visor and chuckled. "Did you miss those things tearing apart your ship? All these peaceful planets don't have the means to defend themselves, so they're paying big money to any mercenaries they can get their hands on."
Fox's eyes widened. "Wait, you mean we could be getting paid for this?"
"All right!" cheered Falcon.
--We're heading to stop this problem at the source. Care to join us?--
"Thanks, but I work alone."
--I see.--
Shadow reclined in his chair, putting his feet up on a table. "Well, don't let us keep you, then," he said.
Samus nodded. "Well, thanks for the fuel. Perhaps we'll meet up again, someday."
Falcon waved as she turned to leave. "Be careful out there."
----------------
From the bridge, Link watched as the round ship departed. "Looks like Mewtwo was right, it *is* just the six of us." The Hero of Time looked quietly out into space, and again his thoughts drifted to Hyrule.
"You okay, Link?"
"Yeah, just thinking."
"About what?"
"Home."
Sonic joined the Hylian by the window. "It must be rough, being called to fight in a world you nothing about."
Link thought back to his days in Termina, where he'd lost count of all the people who eerily resembled someone he'd seen before. "Oh, I'm used to being in strange places by now." Both of them stared into space (literally) for a while. "What are you thinking about right now, Sonic?"
The hedgehog glanced over at Link, who kept his gaze on the stars, an emotionless expression on his face. "Not much I guess, just looking."
"Don't you have someone. waiting for you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Someone you're fighting for."
"Well, there's my friends, Tails and Knuckles--"
"What about Amy?"
"What *about* Amy?"
Link said nothing.
Sonic chuckled. "I see. There's someone back home you miss more than you thought you would."
"Yeah. Just wondering if it was the same with you."
Sonic didn't smirk as he walked out. "I fight for myself."
- | |\| + r 00 |) [- r $.... -
Mewtwo closely examined the ship's sensors and compared them to the energy signals he could detect with his mind. -- It's only a matter of time, now, -- he said.
"Until what?" Shadow questioned. "You haven't even told us your plan of attack!"
-- The forces of the Zeg'ra work as a hierarchy. At the bottom are their common warriors, who we continue to face. They get their orders from nearby hive-minds, like the one Shadow destroyed back on Earth. In turn, these are controlled by special generals who answer only to the Lord of the Zeg'ra. --
"So we have to take out one general at a time?" Sonic assumed. "Gaining experience along the way, facing progressively harder foes and increasing our prowess as a team?"
There was a short moment of silence, then everyone else burst out laughing.
"Oh, man, someone's been playing too many video games!" Falcon choked out between guffaws.
Mewtwo chuckled. -- Actually, we're just going straight to the source, though it's quite possible there will be one or more of the generals to stand in our way. Most of them should be out conquering planets, though. --
"Right..." sighed the blue hedgehog.
Shadow smiled to himself. "One at a time... I can't tell if it's funny or just plain pathetic."
::BUZZ::
"Code Red!" called Fox over the comm. "Enemy fighters dead ahead! Battle stations!"
"Relax," Link replied. "We're already IN battle stations, because you wouldn't let us ride anywhere else. Do you have any idea how uncomfortable the seats in these turrets are?"
"Well, it's about to become worth it. All cannons: Laser sweep!"
Responding to one of the maneuvers they'd been taught by Fox in their free time, Sonic, Shadow, Falcon, and Link fired so that all the beams were parallel, then swept them across the ranks of the Zeg'ra, cutting their numbers by at least three-fourths.
"Fire at will!" ordered Fox.
Each of the Silver Arrow's plasma beams streaked though the swarm's remaining units, reducing the few stragglers to mere ions.
"Wait, that's it?" asked Sonic.
Link frowned. "Maybe it was just a scouting party."
-- No, look! --
Thousands of flying Zeg'ra descended from above the Arrow's position, forming an attack formation.
"Missile salvo 1!" Fox announced, launching the first set of the Arrow's currently prepared missiles. Almost as if it were planned, the entire force scattered, leaving the heavy barrage to do little damage.
"Missile salvos 2, 3, and 4! Engage the enemy!" As the last of the Arrow's prepared missiles flew off, Link, Falcon, Shadow, & Sonic opened fire with the four laser turrets, though the way the Zeg'ra maneuvered around their attacks was almost taunting. Fox cursed under his breath. "These evolved bastards caught us off guard!"
--It appears they've grown more intelligent.--
"Mewtwo, secondary shields up!"
--Activating repulsor field.-- Suddenly, it was as if enemies that got too close to the ship were flying in slow motion, since the field was pushing them away.
"Easy pickings!" boasted Falcon.
Though the lasers were now severely diminishing the swarm's numbers, it was too little too late. The Zeg'ra kept advancing toward the ship's hull.
"There's too many!" Fox cried. "Activate primary shields!"
--Activating Chaos Forcefield.-- Arcs of pure energy surged over the ship, frying any Zeg'ra that got close. Eventually, the creatures caught a clue and waited outside the field. --We're low on power, we need to let the Emerald recharge.--
"If we turn off the forcefield, those things will breach the hull, and we'll be toast!"
"Then what do we do!?" Sonic said, panic in his voice. "If we can't fire through the field, what can we do besides wait to die!?"
"Need a hand?" crackled the comm device.
Fox raised an eyebrow. "Who is this?"
"This is Samus Aran, bounty hunter." Our heroes watched the viewscreen as a roundish orange spacecraft came into view, expertly firing lasers to dust off the last of the Zeg'ra like the pests they were.
--Thank you, Miss Aran, we are in your debt.--
"Well, I could use some supplies... mind if I come aboard?"
Fox set to work on the console. "Docking sequence initiated."
-------------------------
"So," said Falcon to their mysterious armored ally joining them in the lounge of the Silver Arrow, "what's a bounty hunter like you doing all the way out here? Hunting isn't a full-time thing for me, but I've heard the prospects are pretty dry in these parts. All the planets around here are peaceful, so nobody's paying to kill people off."
Samus smiled behind her visor and chuckled. "Did you miss those things tearing apart your ship? All these peaceful planets don't have the means to defend themselves, so they're paying big money to any mercenaries they can get their hands on."
Fox's eyes widened. "Wait, you mean we could be getting paid for this?"
"All right!" cheered Falcon.
--We're heading to stop this problem at the source. Care to join us?--
"Thanks, but I work alone."
--I see.--
Shadow reclined in his chair, putting his feet up on a table. "Well, don't let us keep you, then," he said.
Samus nodded. "Well, thanks for the fuel. Perhaps we'll meet up again, someday."
Falcon waved as she turned to leave. "Be careful out there."
----------------
From the bridge, Link watched as the round ship departed. "Looks like Mewtwo was right, it *is* just the six of us." The Hero of Time looked quietly out into space, and again his thoughts drifted to Hyrule.
"You okay, Link?"
"Yeah, just thinking."
"About what?"
"Home."
Sonic joined the Hylian by the window. "It must be rough, being called to fight in a world you nothing about."
Link thought back to his days in Termina, where he'd lost count of all the people who eerily resembled someone he'd seen before. "Oh, I'm used to being in strange places by now." Both of them stared into space (literally) for a while. "What are you thinking about right now, Sonic?"
The hedgehog glanced over at Link, who kept his gaze on the stars, an emotionless expression on his face. "Not much I guess, just looking."
"Don't you have someone. waiting for you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Someone you're fighting for."
"Well, there's my friends, Tails and Knuckles--"
"What about Amy?"
"What *about* Amy?"
Link said nothing.
Sonic chuckled. "I see. There's someone back home you miss more than you thought you would."
"Yeah. Just wondering if it was the same with you."
Sonic didn't smirk as he walked out. "I fight for myself."