The Star Fox universe, Emperor Andross, Bill Grey, Fay Dawn, General Pepper, and many of the technologies used/described here are © Nintendo
Kazen Dornel, Gerard Hartford, Secillia Merrix, Alen Geale, Jelira Fovoham, General Redric and other custom made characters are property of Eric Luck I would be flattered if one were to use them in an art/writing piece, but I would appreciate notification beforehand. Thank you.
Due to combat, death throes, and various other war related content, this chapter is rated R
Author's Note: In the game Starfox 64, one was capable of single-handedly obliterating entire fleets. For creative purposes, the weapons such as the Arwing and Landmaster have been severely reduced to a far more realistic level.
Because being able to rack up in excess of 200 kills in one mission makes for a good video game, but not a good novel.
A big thanks goes to various music soundtracks for providing ideas and inspiration for this piece, especially Skies of Arcadia. I may compile a list of tunes that go with different scenes someday. Thanks also goes to my friends who supported and provided feedback while this was in the works, and to the numerous Starfox fanfic writers already out there for also providing inspiration.
This story is only to be distributed under my permission only. Questions/comments/complaints? Hurl them to me at
The Threshold of Strife
Chapter Three - Friends and Foes
By Eric Luck
"The Emperor is Life, the Emperor is death, he gives and takes both as he chooses, for Heis almighty. Long live the Emperor!" - Unnamed Venomian Elite 'Black Hand' Squad Trooper
It was fairly cramped inside the venomian APC, but considering they were designed to carry a full squad of 20 soldiers, they were spacious enough. The main interior compartment was lined with seating along the walls, storage cabinets containing all manners of supplies from munitions to medical equipment were situated just above head level. on the far side of the chamber closest to the front, was a large heavy door leading to the driver's compartment, and the large, wide main entry/exit door. Light from the Mothership's interior lights filtered in through small slits in the sides just wide enough to permit a firearm. Inside, the vehicle was occupied by all manner of men of varying species, but they all had their armored battle gear in common, and were it not for the fact they kept their helmets off until arriving in the field, they would all look identical. But one, out of all the others, stood out.
"Psst. Hey, you see what I see?" one of them whispered to his comrade seated next to him. At the same time, he motioned toward the anomaly.
"Yeah...the poor thing. She must have been one of those 'lucky ones' that got their birth month drawn out of the hat in the draft." he replied, holding a gloved hand beside his muzzle.
"I'm amazed she qualified even then...I'd almost think she was in junior high, but that's not possible, at least I hope it isn't. The Emperor can't be that desperate." the first added.
The one directing their attentions was a small, diminutive female fitted in a suit a size or two too large for her. Fortunately the institution of women into the armed forces was not so immediate as to prevent especial suits being made for them, but not many were of this one's stature. Without a helmet, her short black hair was allowed to fall naturally. It fell straight just below the level of her nose, and the edges billowed out a little bit, giving it a volumous appearance. Her facial fur was primarily a dark amber, offset on the bottom of her jaw by a lighter shade of orange, giving a vaguely vulpine like appearance to the distant bystander. But unlike a fox, her muzzle was blunt and shorter than most canines, but still would classified as such. Below her small, triangular ears, her cheek ruffs extended all along the side of her skull, but had been trimmed considerably from it's original state. The young Pomeranian sat totally quiet, hunched over as though a burdensome weight sat upon her shoulders. She stared listlessly at the steel plated floor without a single twitch, save the slow rise and fall of her breathing. It appeared as though her mind was not in the same place that her body was, perhaps absorbed in some faraway fantasy land away from pain, grief and suffering. On her hip was holstered the standard issue pistol, and her assault rifle lay across her lap.
"Hah, I bet wherever she is, it's definitely not Katina." the second commented with a chuckle.
His comrade was just about to reply when suddenly, the front door opened, revealing the intimidating form of their condor commanding sergeant, probably bringing their latest briefing. Everyone sat up in attention upon his arrival, everyone that is, except one.
"Alright ladies, now pay attention. That includes you, private." he stated sternly, focusing his attention and raising his voice toward the young woman on the far side of the compartment.
Suddenly, as though jarred from hypnotic sleep, she snapped straight up and quickly looked around, startled. When she suddenly realized she was being spoken to, she immediately shrunk back in shame, and a bit of fear.
Breathing a sigh, but content that he'd gotten her to pay attention, the sergeant resumed his debriefing.
"Marshall Visner has ordered us to take part in spearheading the assault on our first objective, a Cornerian base codenamed Aldebaran. When we land, there will most likely be defending forces on the ground. Now, our armor will do their best to ensure a swift victory, and we will deploy on the base's outskirts and our job is to get inside and capture the base. On the way, we most likely will meet resistance. That's what these are for." the condor explained, tapping one of the slits with a gloved knuckle.
As the sergeant lectured, the young Pomeranian could do little other than simply do as she was told, which was to watch, and listen. She loathed being here; just the thought of what she was about to get into frightened her beyond anything she'd ever felt before. It seemed like just yesterday she was studying for her last social studies exam of high school, then suddenly a draft is issued, and she just so happens to be one of the lucky women whose birth dates were drawn for the draft, in order to further bolster Venom's ranks. Emperor Andross was itching for soldiers to fight his war, and if that meant pressing young women into service, so be it.
I'm no soldier...I'm an artist, I write poems, I draw. And yet...here I am...with a gun in my hands, and armor on my back. I don't want to die...But, there's nothing I can do. I'll just have to hope for the best that this ends soon so I can get back where I belong..
In silent contemplation, the commanders words seemed to fade into the distant obscurity, out of mind.
Heh...I guess in an odd way, all those times beating my brother in the arcade will pay off, just long enough that I can survive...What have you gotten yourself into, Ashlea?
---------
Kazen could feel the rough steppe of Katina beneath the Lupus' heavy wheels, making the vehicle jostle a little as it went. Aside from that, everything seemed oddly, almost forebodingly silent. Looking once more through the field display before him, still finding little more than the rocky hills and occasional tree.
Breathing an anxious sigh, Kazen impatiently tapped his knuckles against the arm of his chair.
Suddenly, just as he was about to ask Secillia to patch him through the command, her communication equipment began crackling noisily, and shortly Pendegrass' distinctive voice could be heard, with something else in the background that sent a chill down Kazen's spine: air raid alarms.
"...ornel unit, come in please. I repeat, come in Dornel unit."
Immediately grabbing his microphone, Kazen stepped in for Secillia.
"Dornel unit, here. What in hell is going on over there?" Kazen asked, his tone reflecting the built up tension.
"Orbital defenses were inadequate, Lieutenant. Get your men ready for close contact, their Motherships will be swooping down any minute now. Our core units are deploying immediately to back you up, but we don't know how much you'll be encountering. Be prepared for anything." the captain explained, doing his best to speak over the alarms.
"Yes, sir..." Kazen replied apprehensively. With that, he closed that channel, getting ready to relay the message to his comrades.
That helps a lot...
Alen looked up questioningly at Kazen, as did Gerard and Secillia.
"Well, looks like we're going to get some excitement today after all. The question is, how much..." Kazen explained with a hint of optimism, looking from one to the other. Alen immediately visibly trembled at the thought of facing a Venomian invasion force, but Gerard kept a stern, steady face. Secillia, as usual, was unreadable, remaining silent.
"Well, it's time to earn our pay, I say." Gerard added, sitting up in his chair, and taking the firing controls in hand.
With a smirk, Kazen turned to Secillia.
"Hey Secille, patch me through to McGregor and Roland, need to spread the word."
With a stern, dutiful nod, the shark did as she was told. Hearing the crackle of noise in his headphones, Kazen sat back in place.
"Wot is it, sir?" came Mcgregor's distinctive voice.
"The time's finally come. We're going to have Venomians on our doorstep any minute now." Kazen replied calmly.
"Blimey! All right, you sods! You heard the man, we've got blighters incoming! Batten down the hatches!" Mcgregor announced boisterously.
"But, sir, our hatches are already closed..." a voice in the background protested.
Kazen chuckled to himself before shutting off his end of the channel. After thinking a moment, he suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, tell Fay, as well. She'll probably be able to tell us where they'll be ahead of time." Kazen added to Secillia, who quickly followed through.
Meanwhile, rotating the turret to the left and right, taking in a wider view of the surrounding area, Kazen noted his accompaniment beside him, and continued to scan the horizon, noticing Fay's fighter cruise by overhead. Every time he spotted a dark shape in the sky, he almost swore it was the impending invasion, but it always would turn up empty, adding to the anxiety.
Come on...
----------
Fay had just finished another circle around Kazen's tank, just grazing 30 feet above treetops, when a voice crackled through her headset.
"Fay, come in. I repeat, come in Dawn." came Kazen's voice, a hint of concern in his words.
"Yes sir? What's the problem, over?"
"We're going to have company real soon. Venomian Motherships will be inbound any minute, now." Kazen warned her.
"..Seriously?" she replied, her voice betraying her disbelief. "Well, alright then. I'll let you know when I spot any, and I'll be sure to give em hell for you guys!" she continued returning to her jovial tone.
"Good to hear that. Dornel out."
Drawing a breath and releasing her grip from the controls for a second to stretch her wrists in preparation, Fay prepared herself for the impending battle.
"My first real fight! This'll be good, I hope they save some Invaders for me..." she thought to herself assuredly.
Almost on queue, yet another voice came over her headset, but was different.
"Attention, all fighter units. Imminent Venomian invasion underway, prepare for melee combat. Reinforcements are inbound from bases Aldebaran, Vega, and Menagerie. Also, Commander Grey will be arriving shortly, and will assume command. Godspeed, HQ out." came an unidentified female voice.
Commander Grey...as in, Bill Grey? Wow...this is serious...! I've always wanted to meet him, I hear all kinds of wonderful things about him...er, wake up Fay. Now's not the time to swoon.
Before long, a series of green blips appeared on Fay's radar, many in a triangular formation. Out of the corner of her eye, Fay could spot 5 groups of other Green fighters emerge from the horizon, some swerving around behind her, coming up to her right side. With 5 members apiece, there were now over 25 of the airborne defenders cruising about Katina's airspace. At the head of them all, was Bill's characteristic modified fighter. Just in time, too...
Everyone on the scene, including Fay, Kazen, and the newly arrived Husky Squadron witnessed something seemingly cataclysmic. An array of objects came streaking down from the sky like so many fiery meteors, towards Aldebaran base, leaving a long, black trail of smoke behind. Probably missiles shot from orbit. They shortly slammed into the ground around the base, resulting in a series of fiery glows in the horizon. Just then, another voice came over her headset.
"I hope everyone's rested! This is Commander Grey, and I'm taking control of this operation. Husky unit, give our friends out here a paw, we've got an incoming UFO re-entering our atmosphere as we speak!" came the charismatic, but stern voice of the renowned pilot. On que, a large, looming cloud of fire emerged off to Fay's left. It resembled a violent raincloud that roiled with flames, which seemed to envelop a dark object beneath. It spanned what had to at least be several miles across. Fay watched in horror as it was joined by a second shortly behind it, and what seemed to be at least one other off in the distance.
"Holy...god..." a nameless voice mumbled with an obvious tint of terror over the channels. Fay couldn't help but silently share his sentiment.
---------
Alen felt a large lump form in his throat upon seeing the sheer impending doom cast a large, menacing shadow over the landscape in the distance. It was like the scene from many of his nightmares...
Uh oh...here it comes...
Doing his best to keep his hands still on the controls, Alen continued a direct course on a faint trail on a rolling valley which, not coincidentally, had begun to take them directly in the path of the Motherships.
I mustn't fail them...I mustn't fail them...
---------
Jelira could feel the tiles beneath her boots begin to shake as the Mothership began re-entry. Even though she'd been through this process a number of times, the opossum grabbed onto a railing to keep herself secure, as the display screen depicted layers of clouds parting before the disc-shaped vessel. But she could not help but smirk fiendishly with the thought of their impending attack. Shortly thereafter, the last of the clouds faded from view, revealing the massive expanse of Katina's surface before her. It was mid summer in this part of the world, so much of the bare soil was a rusty brown, Katina's characteristic color. Many grassy groves and expanses of trees lined the rolling hills of the unoccupied land. But, off in the distance, she could see the much more heavily urbanized areas, that marked their eventual destination.
It'd be nice if we could just head straight to the throat, but this is the closest we could land any manner of sizable force that could storm that headquarters of theirs, and we have this establishment in our way. Bah, no matter.
Just then, Jelira could feel the Mothership's descent begin to slow, and the ground begin to grow closer and closer. They were about to land.
Good day, Katina. I hope you like the colors of the Imperial Venomian flag.
---------
Just as the rumbling began, Ashlea knew they'd entered the atmosphere. The scene inside of the APC had been silent after the sergeant had left, leaving each inhabitant to their thoughts, whatever those may be. The tension was suddenly broken when the Condor re-emerged from the small door, causing a unanimous lifting of helmeted heads.
"All right, scrubs. The time's come." the sergeant announced over the noise, seeing he had everyone's full attention. "Now, we'll hit soil in minutes. Our good driver will do his best to keep us safe, but Benson, Fredrick, we'll need you and your good buddies should we encounter any armored resistance. Remember, our purpose is to aid in the storming of the Katinan base, and to clear out all resistance. Keep your wits about you, and you'll survive. I'll see you on Katina!" he continued, yelling at the top of his voice over the rumbling. "Are we ready?!"
"Yes, sir!" came the chorus of voices, including a psuedo-enthusiastic Ashlea.
"I can't hear you!" The sergeant egged on. "Are we ready to kick some Cornerian butt?!"
"Hell yes!" the entire platoon proclaimed, even louder this time. Then, as though on cue, the all consuming hum of the ships levitation units quieted as the large vessel came to a stop.
--------
Both Kazen and Gerard were momentarily awestruck, as they witnessed at least 2-3 disc shaped motherships emerge from their fiery shrouds and descend down before them, and the massive deploying ramps on their undersides open. After zooming in via his periscope, Kazen could make out the shapes of all sorts of armored vehicles and troop transports drop down to the recieving pad via what appeared to be a gravity lift. Aside from that, other motherships hadn't landed, but remained airborne, and began deploying airborne fighters, primarily the oval shaped Invader III's, although a number of II's accompanied them as well.
"It looks like the entire Venomian army stopped by for tea!" Gerard remarked, partially in awe.
"Would that be one lump, or two?" Secillia added behind him.
"Well, let's make sure our guests receive a warm welcome. Tell Roland and McGregor to ready their weapons, things are about to get loud down here." Kazen ordered, shifting his tone to keep spirits up. "That goes for you too, Gerard. Lock and load, and keep your eyes peeled. Secille, patch me through to the captain. He's going to want to know about this..." Kazen instructed.
With a confident smirk, Gerard sat back in the seat, and secured his helmet. With a memorized pattern of pulling a small set of levers and switches, a low clunk noise was heard from within the barrel. Using a pair of pedals, he rotated the turret left and right, getting reacquainted with the on, show me what you've got, you maniacal primate!
-------
Fay was also awestruck by the sheer enormity of the invasion, and was beginning to worried about their chances against such odds.
"Holy crap! They're everywhere!" a pilot proclaimed as what seemed like a veritable cloud of fighters poured from one of the massive Motherships like wasps from a hive.
"There must be hundreds of them!" Another added, both with a hint of well placed fear in their voices.
"Listen up!" Came Bill's voice over the chatter. "Huskie squadron! Attack pattern claw, the rest of you hold our sides and try to bring down as many as you can in the initial run!"
Steeling herself for the oncoming onslaught, Fay kept both her thumbs just above the triggers, lurching forth at full speed. In seconds, she and the others were faced with a sheer wall of bright green laser fire. Doing her best to keep from panicking, Fay swerved right, barely dodging the shots and squeezed off several bursts at the group in front of her as she passed through the swarm. Firing in near unison, the defenders shots found many of their targets, causing some of the dark green fighters to explode outright, others receiving minor damage. Deftly dodging oncoming fighters, each coming within mere feet of her canopy, yet unsure wether or not any of the various explosions were her kills. Firing in near unison, the defenders shots found many of their targets, causing some of the dark green fighters to explode outright, others receiving minor damage.
Suddenly, Fay's ears were pierced from the panicked scream of a fellow pilot, and just witnessed a comrade, having made an unwise turn slam into an unwitting Invader II, consuming both in a fiery embrace of death. Nearly avoiding a similar fate, she pulled back on her control stick, pulling her fighter up skyward, then diving back down onto the frenzy of fighters locked in a crazed dance. Pulling off shots as she descended onto any Invader unlucky enough to fall under her sights, although almost none found their mark.
As she pulled up to avoid a collision, she suddenly found lances of energy spearing out towards her, passing a hair away from her cockpit, and, upon looking behind her realized three Invader III's had begun tailing her. Deciding to give them a bit of a chase, she hit the full throttle and leveled out, banking slightly right. Naturally the Venomians pursued, also accelerating to catch up with her. She was momentarily surprised with the Invader's speed, but that gave her an even better idea, and suddenly remembered her appointed task with Kazen. As she circled around a high rise, with the Invaders gaining on her and unwittingly being lead from the safety of their numbers, Fay abruptly punched the retro engines, slowing her down to 1/4 speed, and dove down slightly, allowing her pursuers to pass overhead. With a stare of pure determination, she aimed upward with her two cannon and opened fire on the two that were still in front of her, the third having been quick enough to catch the surprise maneuver and had seemingly disappeared. As the two's engines erupted in flames under her relentless barrage, she soon found the third coming in fast on her side, just coming out from a loop. She quickly turned towards her attacker just as she felt her fighter shudder from repeated hits. The two quickly passed each other, thus beginning a series of crisscrossing in midair, and many failed attempts at delivering the fatal blow on both parties.
This must be one of the squadron leaders...sit still already, darn you!
------
Jelira stood confidently at the helm, the delighted smirk still plastered on her face. Her units had begun pouring down the ramps in rows of three in a parading fashion. Leading the two groups were squads of heavy Korchaa tanks, followed by Vorrens and the APC's, as well as a couple anti air vehicles. Once all had assembled before the Mothership, it began lifting off, and out of potential harms way. Taking up the command console, Jelira was presented with a bird's eye view of the scenery below.
My, this is nice...
Deciding to get to the task at hand, Jelira opened up a comm line to the Vorren leaders.
"Morrison, LaFayette, spread out a line abreast and advance across the steppe. Present them with a wall of steel." She commanded calmly. Then, she shifted to the MBT commanders.
"Norwell, I want you and your men to follow behind and be ready to flank anything the main force encounters."
"Right. Good thinking, miss Fovoham." came Nancy's characteristic voice.
Smiling in response, Jelira moved onto the APC's and BT-40's.
"Now, Rodney, just keep behind the armor at all times. But should you be engaged, your men have permission to return fire."
"Yes'm." Came the quick reply. "All right, move out!"
Complying with her coordination, the armor columns fell into formation, and began trundling forward. Currently, they were crossing a field of short grasses and shrubs, although a grove with a fair amount of trees was coming up ahead. On another section of the field, she could see Visner's similarly composed brigade, although he was granted a group of mobile artillery pieces, due to his outranking her.
Hm...that forest could be a good ambush zone. Heh, if only Visner didn't have that feline head of his up his ass, I could get him to flush out anyone hiding in there. He'd never listen to me. Let's see here...
As the impending columns of Venomian armor approached, the air battle continued to rage. Lances of laser fire streaked out ahead towards the shape of the hapless Invader III, attempting to outmaneuver Fay in a long, drawn out skyward loop that she'd followed her quarry up. The bright green beams of energy pierced through the fuselage, drawing out a dotted line across it's breadth. For a timeless moment, the two combatants hung in the air, until leaking fuel lines ruptured, and ignited. The resulting explosion scattered metal debris in a black and grey cloud Fay inadventently flew through, feeling herself wince behind her visor as she heard the noises of chunks of steel smack against her hull. Upon clearing it, she was provided with a view of the air battle that her previous adrenaline induced focus had blinded her to. Contrails from fighters of both sides had created a white misty tapestry interwoven with itself. She could only admire the scene for a second, before an alarm screamed in her ears, a small indicator light on the left side of her console blinked bright red.
A missle lock...!
Immediately glancing at her HUD, a bright red dot appeared left and behind her projected point, and watched as it gained up on her. Swiftly, she banked hard left, slowly flipping herself upside down in the process. Swallowing hard, and praying she timed the maneuver properly, she immediately pulled back on the stick, watching the ground come right up to her at an alarming rate. Fay simply closed her eyes and kept pulling until she was afraid she'd break the control sticks, feeling vibrations rock her small fighter craft. When the anticipated crash never came, the poodle slowly opened one eye to find the horizon coming back into view. Levelling off mere meters from the ground, Fay could almost hear the whisper of grass blades brushing against the fuselage. Immediately afterward, she heard the distant explosion of the missle that'd been trailing her slam into the ground.
I hope I never have to do that again...I definately won't be so lucky, next time...
----
Just as it seemed that the attacking Invaders had the upper hand, more Green fighters would appear on the scene to tip the scale to a somewhat even standing.
"Wow...Bill's sure giving them hell, up there." Kazen remarked, watching the skyward scene.
"Really? Hah, that's good to hear." Gerard added.
"It's not easy going though...we're losing a lot of good me- oh, crap! Alen, hit the brakes!" Kazen suddenly exclaimed in surprise. Instantly doing so, the tank came to a stop, lurching everyone inside forward, Gerard nearly smacking his muzzle onto the fire control panel, grumbling muffled protests. Shortly afterward, the flaming hulk of a Green fighter slammed into the ground beside them, and still having momentum left over, tumbled nose over tail landing nearly directly in their path, scattering charred debris all over the ground in front of them.
Alen was frozen still, mortified by the sudden, frightful sight and horrific noise.
"You sure tell it like it is, Kazen." Secillia commented with a hint of unease.
Kazen took a moment to ensure no other derelict craft were coming their way, then spoke to Alen again, more coolly this time.
"Okay, Alen. Get us in that grove. From there, you can scan the area and figure out where they're coming from, Secille.
"R..Right." came the ground squirrel's shaky compliance. After going mobile again, Gerard couldn't help but turn his viewer to look over the wreckage. It was a complete fiery mess, but something caught his eye; there were no remnants of a canopy, so the pilot must have ejected.
"Hm...that reminds me." Kazen mused aloud, changing his mic channel."Fay, are you out there? Come in."
Eventually the static dissipated, and her strained voice cut through the silence. In the background, Kazen could hear the distinct sounds of battle, the noises of bypassing engines, guns firing, and explosions.
"..Yes, Kazen, sir?" She asked simply, remembering her salutation in time.
"What's going on, where's our air cover?" He asked, doing his best to remain calm after spotting the large column moving in his direction.
"Oh! I'm..sorry, sir, I got so wrapped up over here, I forgot. I'll...see if I can't get over there without too many of them tailing me, I've gotten urk quite popular over here, sir." she replied, interrupted by a sudden rumbling noise, probably from a hit.
Grimacing, Kazen silently hoped for her safety.
Meanwhile, back at Aldebaran base...
The entire scene was one of chaos, every able bodied soldier scrambling to their defensive posts, tank crews moving to man their vehicles.
Captain Pendegrass stood in the control tower, overlooking the scene of the base, remaining operational tank was taking up defensive formations just as a heavy defensive bulkhead surrounding the base began rising up from it's subterranean housing.
He shook his head slowly, breathing a worried sigh.
Suddenly, one of his aides ran up behind him, shouting.
"Sir! Sir!" the chinchilla exclaimed.
"What is it, seargant?" he asked, slightly agitated from the interruption.
"We've confirmed reports of massive Venomian ground landings from our scout teams, they'll be at our doorstep within minutes!"
Snarling quietly to himself, the hyena clenched his gloved fist tightly, then drew a relaxing breath.
"Alright, I want everyone in this sector to establish defensive positions, every able bodied fur is to take up arms. Set up ambush points within the facility's infrastructure, make use of every bipod machine gun we have. Use sandbags and office tables if you have to, as well. Almost all our armour is out in the field, and combined with their infantry, we wont have a chance against them in the open. They can't get inside with their armour, so we'll have to hold out inside until reinforcements arrive."
"Roger, captain.." the chinchilla replied with a shakey salute, and quickly took his leave.
----------
Nancy Norwell sat perched in her commanding seat of her heavy Korchaa tank, peering through the display visor, scanning the forest up ahead.
"Miss Norwell, be aware of a potential ambush, I'm picking up heat signatures approaching your position from the south, on the other side." Came Jelira's voice over her headset.
"Roger that, commander. But wouldn't it be easier to call in the artillery?"
"I would, if they were under my command. Visner outranks me and wouldn't listen to me anyway."
Just as Jelira finished her statement, a series of blasts rocked the ground around them.
"What in the..?!" Nancy wondered aloud, turning her scanners left and right, just in time to see the distant shapes of gun barrels pointed skyward discharge bright red flashes that quickly dissipated.
Well, speak of the devil.
But, the artillery barrage didn't land where she had expected. In the distance, toward the projected location of the base, a series of explosions rose up from the ground, taking up dust, and various other debris.
"Alright, Visner's started the fighting, I'd suggest you guys head towards the hillside and try to avoid any ambushes they may have for you. Good luck...Nancy." Jelira's voice encouraged.
With a smirk, the vixen replied her compliance and relayed the order to the 4 units following her.
The 5 tanks, accompanied by a pair of APC's and escorting Vorrens, roared onward at full speed into the fringes of the forest, smashing down smaller trees in their path and a couple rolling up inclines sideways with ease. Following the flow, another squad came up behind Norwell's and covered her flank as they pushed into the wilds. The Macbethan 'Korchaa' Main Battle Tank was a magnificent sight to behold, it had been renamed for a large reptilian predatory animal native to Venom, it fit it's namesake very well. Generally painted in temperate camoflauge color schemes, these had been painted in reds, tans and browns to fit the Katinan soil.
Picking up the chaos of the armor column's entry on their scanners, Kazen's squad took up an arrowhead formation, his Lupus tank forming the lead. Finding a hill that might provide a good lookout point, the trio made their way maneuvering between the biggest trees whenever possible, across a ravine and began scaling the hill. Once atop it, the size of the forest became clear, as it covered the mountainside to their right up to the higher elevations, and came to an abrupt end not far to the left. In the fringes of the forest, near Fay's last reported coordinates, Kazen could make out dust clouds rising up from fallen trees, but it seemed they'd stopped pushing them down, and vanished in the foliage. Thick with heat signatures and life signs, it would be difficult for either side to locate the other...Until a thought crossed Kazen's mind.
"Fay, do you read? Over." Kazen inquired over the radio.
Before long, the static cleared with her voice breaking through the noise.
"Yeah, I'm still up here, sir, amazingly...we're getting smacked around up here!" she replied, some desperation prevalent in her voice.
"I see...it wouldn't be too much trouble to try and break from that fray and give us a paw, down here?" Kazen asked patiently.
"...yes sir, I'll thump try.. " came the response over the interference, most likely from the vast array of other transmissions flying around all at once.
"Alright, don't go dying on us..."
Shifting his scans to the distance, he could see tracer fire from aircraft and anti aircraft platforms, the latter sending up streaks of bolts skyward , many missing their targets, but every now and then finding their mark, prompting scattered explosions.
Urg...they're doing a fine job, but they won't last long...get over here, before you go with your comrades, Fay!
Realizing they'd be easy to spot on the hilltop, Kazen's Lupus promptly took the lead down the hill, towards the spot he'd seen the trees crash.
-------------
In the parade grounds of Aldebaran base, the air was pierced was the droning wail of an air raid siren. The walls of the building had been penetrated from orbital bombardment, collapsing in some areas, and scattering all manner of debris all over the parade ground, including a couple dug in tanks. The artillery barrage has knocked down sections of wall and damaged many other vehicles.
"Get those MSA's topside, we've got inco- " came an officer's voice, cut off from a near miss plasma bomb explosion, blowing out a wall and throwing up debris. Light bombers that'd taken advantage of the Greenie's distraction roared overhead, dropping their screaming payloads onto the facility whilst being fired upon from what remained of the defensive structures.
Captain Pendegrass felt a dire sense of futility overwhelm him watching the base begin crumbling all around him, and the ground forces hadn't even arrived yet... Communications were a mess, men were scattered everywhere, setting up defensive positions wherever they could find shelter from the overwhelming barrage.
But we must hold out as long as possible...! The better we do now, the less difficult it'll be for Corneria...whenever Pepper has his way and gets an expeditionary force over here..
Just then, he felt the control tower shudder from a nearby bomb impact, the bright greenish haze taking up the side of the viewports for a moment, nearly blinding the hyena.
"Rrgh.." he grunted, shielding his eyes from the glare, wishing the best for the men and women he'd sent out earlier, despite what he was certain would become of them...
Shortly therafter, his aide returned again, a little more flustered than before.
"Captain, the command staff is falling back to the subterranean bunkers, this tower isn't going to last long!" he announced, anunciating the desperation of the situation.
"You're right...alright, get my escort, we're moving out." Pendergrass complied with a sigh, wishing he wasn't forced to do this...
-----------------
The forest was fairly broad, with only sections of concentrated areas of trees, with single plants scattered herabouts around the old path. Kazen's Lupus rolled forward between two close ridges, followed closely by the two lighter Monroes. Eventually coming to a halt, the vehicles sat at a lower point than much of the area.
"Alright, all systems off. They'll most likely be tracking us by our heat, so we'll wait here..." Kazen quietly instructed, nodding to Secillia, who forwarded the message to their accompanyment.
Gerard stared fixated in the manual periscope situated atop the turret, scanning the upward horizon for any movement. After their vehicles fell silent, time seemed to stand still, the growing anxiety gnawing at everyone's nerves, especially Alen's.
"I hope your idea works, Kazen..." Secillia mused with an obvious hint of uncertainty.
-------------------
"Major Fovoham, our quarry seems to have..vanished from our heat scanners. What do you make of it?" Norwell's voice came over Jelira's command comm.
Thinking about the new development a moment, Jelira had a sudden realization.
"I suspect...they've cut their engines to mask their presence. Do you know where you last spotted their signature?" Jelira inquired.
"Approximately...we'll pass by them, out of range, and attempt to lure them into exposing their location. Norwell out."
With that, her battalion pushed over the rolling landscape of the grove in single file, pushing down the occaisonal tree. The forest seemed completely devoid of life, the inhabitants having no doubt been scared away from the noise of the engines. The only sound to be heard were the roar of engines and the occaisonal, distant explosion from the faraway air battle. Eventually coming up to the last reported location, Nancy shifted her view to the right side, believing them to be there. The landscape sloped downward into a heavily wooded ravine.
"An ideal hiding place..." she mumured to herself, her brow furrowing the longer she gazed at it.
"Gunner, rotate 110 degrees starboard! Aim for that path there, they're probably hiding down in that ravine. Have the others lay suppressing fire there as well." she ordered, with prompt compliance.
"And...fire!"
--------------
Kazen and company were suddenly jarred with an explosion behind them, on the end of the right fork of the road they hid on. Kazen devilishly smirked to himself, everything was falling in place.
"They took the bait! Alen, get us back up and running, quickly! Before they lead their shots up to us! Same for Roland and McGregor!" He barked quickly, getting just slightly agitated with anicipation.
All three vehicles' engines immediately whirred to life, and propelled the three waiting vehicles forward. Just down the road to their right, obscured by trees, they could see that exit being pummeled by repeated blasts of heavy plasma shells that tore dirt skyward, and blew trees aside like sticks in mud, those trees still standing blackening from the severe heat of the blasts alone.
-------------
"Hm..." Nancy contemplated to herself, watching the ensuring carnage with a growing suspicion...
Just as her tank jolted back from the recoil of a shot, she made a 'ceasefire' gesture to her gunner.
"Ron, did you pick up anything suspicious, like moving heat signatures?" she asked her driver.
"No ma'am, all I'm seeing is the blaze we just made..." came the faceless reply.
This all was starting to get on her nerves, something didn't feel right...
Just then, she heard a shocked gasp.
"What? What is it?"
"Right flank! I count, two, no three contacts coming from around the back of the ravine! We've been had!"
Wincing, and snarling to herself, Nancy attempted to regain composure.
"Re-establish our flank to engage them! 5 and 6! Pull back closer to us!" She barked over her headpeice mic.
Just emerging from behind the trees, a Cornerian Lupus emerged upon the hill, it's turret faced toward the unprepared right flank of Venomian tanks, followed by two Monroe IFV's.
"Eat this, you chimp-chump!" Gerard whooped gleefully as he stared down his crosshairs, right at the back corner of a Korchaa tank, who's shape was just starting to move, attempting to readjust itself to the unexpected turn of events.
The end of the Lupus' turret glowed a bright iridescant green, then seemed to explode with the plasma energy. The blast shot forward and slammed into the backside of the venomian tank. The shot burned into it's lighter rear armor, and pierced a hole that burned into it's engine. Jostling from the blow, the tank continued to turn for a moment, until it fell silent. Immediately reloading another shot, Gerard was satisfied with his target, and moved on to another target. A second later, the first Monroe to emerge faced the first tank that Kazen's tank had disabled, and fired an HSS rocket at it, the warhead streaking at blinding speed. Slamming into the side of the turret, while it did not actually penetrate it, the ensuing explosion was enough to ensure the tank would never see action again. A second rocket, from the second Monroe found it's way to the next tank over, hitting it's topmost visual equipment just as it was moving to back away from it's attackers.
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"Oh my God, it's ho-!"
"My eyes! Somebody hel-"
Shocked and appalled, Jelira could only stare at the display as the clever Katinan defender 'crossed her t' and effectively killed one of her units, leaving her to listen to their death screams. She could only snarl in frustration as the survivors attempted to reposition themselves and fight back.
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"Did somebody order air mail?" came a humored voice over Kazen's headphones.
"Fay!" he exclaimed with jubilant relief.
The poodle's green fighter came swooping down from the horizon, it's guns levelled at the line of tanks before it, and began loosing lances of bright green energy at them. The strafing run initially struck the ground in front of the derelict tank, and began running up, burning holes in the now flaming Korchaa and systematically striking it's cohorts one after the other. While not destroying any, the peppering shots struck in all manner of places, causing miscellaneous damage. As the fighter passed by, it pulled up and away from the dangerous treetops, setting up for another pass.
Continuing to cruise forward, Kazen found his opposition turning to face him, a curiously marked tank near the middle that had taken a beating from Fay's strike, a dark red stripe ran directly down the middle of it's front.
"I'll bet...that's their team leader. Gerard! Aim for that one. Alen! Try and keep us a moving target!"
With only a gulp in reply, Alen complied.
--------------
"Arg...Damn it! Somebody get that stupid Greenie off us! Get those Hurri's on it on the double!" Nancy ordered, having shielded her eyes with an arm, having expected a Nova bomb blast. Then, turning her attention to the attackers, one of the enemy vehicles identified as a 'Monroe' fell under her gun's sights.
"And..fire!"
---------------
Kazen then found his squad under fire, as the heavy tanks and their escort re-aligned to face them, and retaliated.
"Watch it, Roland! They're gunning f-" He was abruptly cut off when, to his horror, the lead tank fired a round with deadly accuracy that slammed into his compatriot's vehicle.
"Oh my G-" came the brief, coldly interrupted transmission. The unfortunate vehicle rocked violently from the force of the blast, large pieces of armor plating peeling off like paint in a fire. Once the bright glow of the initial blast dissipated, the decripit, black flaming hulk of Roland's IFV lie silent.
----------------------
"One down, two to go..." Nancy sternly mused to herself, taking her targeting from the now dismissable wreck. To the side, the Hurricane Mobile AA missle batteries hid themselves in trees, and began reacquiring their target, which was circling around the forest to make another pass.
----------------------
Kazen failed to retain a loud snarl of hate, having witnessed one of his comrades burn to death, and enfuriated at how it started to sink in he'd be lucky he'd get out of this one alive... But, he had one last thing left to do. Priming his mic, he opened a one way channel to his airborne companion.
"Fay, can you read me? If you can...get out, now! Leave us, save yourself! Those Hurricanes will bring you down for sure if you stick around! Sorry your first mission had to be a bust...Don't blame yourself. It's time for us to go. Goodbye..."
Alen hadn't even noticed, and was continuing to attempt to maneuver around the forest, until to everyone's dismay, they came under fire as well. Gerard was nearly knocked from his seat when a plasma shell impacted on their thick side armor. This, however, only strengthened the gunner's resolve.
"If I go down, I'm taking you simian bastards with me!" He growled aloud, focusing on the lead Korchaa with a seething, focused fury. As the targeting computers beeped positive, he punched and held the charge button, building up the plasma shot to maximum levels, until the warning lights starting to blare, threatening an overload. Again, another shot slammed into their hull, but the tank's well formed armor held for the moment, anyway...
My throat is dry, my hands are trembling so much, I'd probably wind up mashing the keyboard if they were any closer...heh...so this is what it feels like when you know you're going to die...
Kazen could audibly hear Alen mumbling a prayer.
"Kazen...I...I..." Secillia began, barely choking out her words. He had never seen Gerard flip out like that, but he figured, if he had a heavy plasma cannon and nothing to lose...
"Suck plasma!" with that, Gerard punched the 'Fire' key.
----------------------
Nancy watched as one of the accompanying Vorrens, having seperated the other IFV from the lead Lupus, and was exchanging 30mm rounds with it, leaving the stalwart leader to stand alone.
"Heh, I definately must admire his spirit..." the vixen mused to herself, watching as even despite it's treads having been blown out, it's suspension torn to shreds, and it's armor plating beginning to crack under the pressure, it still refused to capitulate. Then, in a further show of defiance that shocked even her, it's turret turned and aimed directly at her, an ominous bright green glow beginning to glow from the depths of it's barrel.
"Um...Ron...get our front facing that tank, he's going for broke! And keep firing!" she ordered in desperation, remembering her briefing on the Cornerian Lupus tank.
"I'm...trying.." came the strained reply, trying his best to get the machine to comply faster.
The end of the tanks barrel was shortly consumed in a huge aura of bright, swirling energy to the point to where she half expected the thing to self destruct itself, when abruptly, it loosed the shot. The shockwave blew aside the dirt and foliage, the force jostling the incapacitated tank like a giant kick to the side.
"Oh, NOO-" Nancy cried out, shielding herself from the brightness that, for a second, consumed her vision, then, blackness.
------------------------
Jelira stood silently, her mouth agape in shock hearing her friend's panicked cry, be abruptly silenced. Where her tank once stood, a bright green blast that subsequently was consumed in a sheet of flame stood in it's place.
"Nancy! Nancy!! Come in Norwell! Come in, dammit!" she screamed, pounding her hand on the 'Hail' button over and over again, only to receive the same, lifeless crackling static.
Jelira felt herself slump against the console, feeling her forehead bump on the cold plasteel, enraged tears starting to well in her eyes.
"Rgck...Agck..." was all she could manage, feeling her stomach twist into knots that would confound a sailor. She hadn't felt so...so...vexed for years. Then, with more determined fury than she had felt before, she made a call to all units in her command.
"All units! I want that bastard DEAD! NOW." she yelled, unable to restrain yet another fist pounding on the console.
"He'll pay dearly...!" she swore under her breath, clicking off the comm. She could not peel her eyes off of the now smoking crater... There had gone her only friend. Up in a cloud of fire and smoke. Even though they had just met...finding such a sympathetic heart in the Venomian army was, in no modest terms, next to impossible. And here this Katinan had gone and snuffed her out.
Why....Why?! Why couldn't it have been that stupid ape?! Why did it have to be her? Sure, they're fighting for their lives as well, but...but...damn them all!
Slumping against her chair, the Major could only hold her head up as her mind whirled with the events that had just transpired, attempting to get a grasp of things.
--------------------
Fay was just lining up another strafing run, when suddenly, her ears overheard Kazen's last message.
"Goodbye..."
A cold chill ran down her spine, especially when soon therafter, she spotted a bright explosive flash in her target zone.
"K...Kazen..? What...no, you can't! I'm coming! Hold on! Don't quit! Don't give up! Please!" she pleaded, already feeling tears well up in her eyes and she punched the throttle.
"Damn you, Andross...!" She snarled, pouring as much laser fire as she could onto the Venomian column, again unsure of wether or not she hit anything, but she could swear she saw more series of flashes behind her. Just then, her alarm blared again, sure enough, a Hurricane or two had gotten a lock on her, and had launched at least 2 missles at her, which had gotten a bead on her, and were in hot pursuit.
"It looks like...I'm alone...again..." she sobbed, faced with only one other choice. Fingering the 'Eject' button, she leaned her head down, not only to brace for the shock, but out of mourning. With that, she punched the button.
The canopy abruptly blew open, and small jets on the underside of her seat fired, launching her up out of the cockpit and into the sky. She could hardly hear the missle's impact over the seat's boosters, but the fiery explosion beneath her told her all she needed to know. Shortly therafter, she felt the seat's engines fall away, and a paraglider chute deploy, breaking her descent, and sending the now safe pilot on a slow, gradual course. She had been at least a thousand feet in the air after pulling up from her strafing run, giving her plenty of airtime to coast to a safe distance where she would hopefully be picked up by friendly forces.
But...why must I survive, and Kazen and his friends fry in a metal coffin? If only...If only...
Regardless, she drifted on, only the distant rumblings of explosions and gunfire far behind her to offer return.
---------------------
Gerard let out a loud whoop of victory, as he watched the leader tank take the huge charged shot head on. The larger-than-normal shot seemed to drill through the tank's armor plating, and rip it apart from the inside out. Kazen couldn't help but feel just a taste of satisfaction, as well..
"Kazen, it's been...very nice knowing you..." Secillia said just barely loud enough for him to hear, and although he couldn't see her, she smiled warmly to him, with but one regret. Watching the surrounding tanks, awaiting the inevitable, Kazen saw a plasma round fly straight to him, the visor becoming consumed in the all consuming aura. He could only smirk in reply, then everything went black.
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