Mission 22 – Ascend
"Fox, you are really brave." Krystal said, snuggling close to her husband. They were sitting on the back of Mercury. Trailing after them was an army of WaveGliders, each carrying a few dinosaurs that volunteered to fight. At the end, over a hundred dinosaurs of all different origins joined forces with the WaveGlider King.
"No kidding my lady!" Mercury turned his great head around and smiled at the couple, "Your husband almost got me killed!"
"I am sorry." Fox smiled back, "You didn't tell me he would ask so many questions."
"You did pretty well with the questions, actually." The dinosaur turned to face forward again, his eyes trained on the setting sun. "I thought we were dead meat when you asked about the alliance."
"Alliance?" Krystal asked curiously, gazing into Fox's emerald eyes, "Alliance between what?"
Fox kissed Krystal lightly on the cheek, "An alliance between the ruling tribes of Dinosaur Planet. The WaveGlider King approved my request. All we need to do is ask Tricky's Mom and Dad and the CloudRunner Queen after we rescue them, and this planet should be safe for a while."
"Fox, that's excellent!" Krystal hugged Fox tightly, tickling him lightly. The two chuckled, lying down on Mercury's metal armor, watching the sunset off in a distance. Rays of light seemed to dance upon the gentle waves, "If we aren't going to war, this would be the best honey moon ever."
"Fox!" a voice yelled in a distance, "Look at this!"
"My goodness, the children are here." Mercury turned his head, and saw Tricky riding on Quicksilver, speeding towards the loving couple.
"If this was a sandy beach, I would love to face plant right now." Fox said with a chuckle, looking at the juvenile dinosaurs coming towards them. It was quite amazing that Tricky already broke the barrier that lasted through the centuries through a simple friendship. "You are right Krystal. Kids are really adorable."
"So how much longer till we get to the Krazoa Palace, Daddy?" Quicksilver asked, swimming closer to his father's side.
"You should be staying home with your mother." Mercury replied, eyeing the young dinosaurs sternly as they advanced, "We are not going to a child's playground."
"Aw come on Dad!" Quicksilver nudged his father on the side. Fox and Krystal giggled at the sight, causing the large dinosaur to blush. Mercury rolled his eyes, "Alright, but promise me you are not going anywhere near the palace."
"Okay . . . I promise." The young WaveGlider said with a downcast voice. Within a minute, the two young dinosaurs were off to play again, laughing and giggling as they harassed the other WaveGlider soldiers.
Fox glanced around and spied Damon, who had a WaveGlider all to himself. Damon had wrapped his arms around his legs, his head resting on his knees. Fox called to Mercury, "Mercury, could we go over and talk to our friend Damon, he's the little guy who's curled up and alone on that WaveGlider's back." Fox pointed over to Damon.
"Sure, the WaveGlider he's riding is named Blade," Mercury began to speed up to catch up to them, although he kept some distance away, "Ahoy Blade, we wish to speak to your passenger."
Blade nodded, "No problem, I hope you have more luck than I have, he hasn't said a word to me at all. All he's done is cried, I haven't been able to help him cheer up. Whatever it is has him really depressed."
Fox frowned as he stared at the little hybrid. He tapped the intercom on his wristband, "Damon," he said softly, "Are you alright?" Fox watched as laid on his side, his back facing Fox and Krystal. "Damon..." he tried again. There was an audible beep as Damon shut his communicator off. Fox sighed; whatever had happened to the little hybrid had obviously deeply affected him. "Let's leave him alone Mercury. He obviously needs some time to himself."
Blade watched as Mercury left with his two passengers. He twisted his head back to look at Damon, "Your friends are worried about you, are you sure you wouldn't like to talk about it little one?"
"Hey Freak!" another voice called, Blade looked over to see a fellow WaveGlider pass by carrying a large number of LightFoot. The chief was calling over, "I take care of you when we get back! You filthy stinking murderer!"
Blade turned his head back to Damon, who was now trembling and covering his ears. Blade spoke, "It's alright now, they've gone." Damon looked up to see the WaveGlider carrying the Chief LightFoot away. Blade frowned, "Is that what is bothering you?"
Damon nodded as he began sobbing, "I'm not a murderer," Damon cried, "I'm not a murderer..."
"Why don't you tell me what happened?" Blade asked.
"Well," Damon said, taking in a gulp of air, "Fox told me to get the conch to call all of you. I went into the cave to get it. When I got to the final chamber there was a crazy little LightFoot who attacked me." Damon bit his lip, and then continued, "I tried to make him stop, but he attacked me...and I didn't know what to do, it happened so fast...I-I shot him. I killed the Chief's brother..."
Blade nodded, "I see, it sounds like a large misunderstanding. But you were merely defending yourself. You didn't intentionally kill him." Blade watched as Damon shivered on his back, "Don't fret little one, you have friends who love and care for you. I'm sure they will defend you if the time comes."
Damon looked up at the large dinosaur and nodded. He reached down to his communicator and turned it back on. "Fox..." Damon said softly.
"Damon, are you okay?" Fox said with concern.
Damon smiled, "Yeah, I just wanted to say I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it, are you feeling better?" Fox asked.
"Kind of," Damon replied, "I'm just scared of the Chief LightFoot."
"Don't worry about him Damon, why don't you get some rest. You're going to need it for your climb." Fox said.
Damon smiled, "Okay, talk to you later..." he curled up on Blade's back. "Thank you Blade."
"Don't worry little one," Blade said smiling, "Just sleep, I'll wake you when we get there."
Damon nodded, and then yawned widely. He laid his head on his arms and slowly drifted off to sleep.
"I've always wondered why the weather here is miserable all the time." Fox said, snuggling close to Krystal, who was using her energy shield as an umbrella. The rain and the rough seas marked their approach to the Krazoa palace. Not far ahead was a large mountainous rock that pierced the clouds, and atop of that rock sat their destination.
"Beats me," Mercury commented, "We don't visit the Krazoa Palace enough to know all its secrets. All we know is that the base rock is hollow, and there is a slope spiraling upwards into the palace itself. None of us have walked it before, for obvious reasons."
"It's going to be a long walk." Fox gazed up at the gigantic mountain, which was nothing more than a large pillar of rock, high enough to reach the heavens. The palace itself was invisible due to the cloud and rain. Fortunately, Leon's forces would be unable to detect them either.
The fleet of WaveGliders aligned themselves into a single file, their king leading his soldiers towards the gigantic base rock of the palace. In front of the king was a large crevice, a cave that bore straight into the heart of the base rock. Just as Mercury described, the base rock was hollow, but also pitch black. The only noise within the cavern was the dripping of water, and waves gently splashing against the aging rocks.
A large pillar of flames suddenly shot out from the middle of the cave, straight towards the ceiling. The heat radiating from the flames was hot enough to make Krystal turn on her shield again. Watching the brilliant flames through his half closed eyes, Fox thought he saw a dragon unleashing his wrath. Before he thought the WaveGlider King was simply egotistic, but now he could not deny the dinosaur's magnificence. Everyone watched in awe as the flames reached its target, a large crystal that hung down from the ceiling. The gemstone seemed to capture the king's fire, and began to glow, releasing a soft light that illuminated the entire cave. A spiraling slope ran along the cave walls, slowly climbing towards the top. The dinosaurs began to dismount on the base of the large slope, with some of them already beginning their long climb towards the peak.
"The WaveGliders have completed their part in this battle." The king stated, his voice echoing loudly. "I have shown you the secret passage to the Krazoa Palace. We will now withdraw from your affairs, until your Kings and Queens come to an agreement of an alliance between the three ruling tribes. Farewell, creatures of the land."
"I thank you on behalf of the entire planet, your majesty." Fox said with a bow, dismounting off Mercury's back along with Krystal. The WaveGliders began to leave, one by one, towards the exit. Soon enough, the only ones left inside were less then a hundred dinosaurs, along with StarFox. Everything was going well according to Fox's battle plan. Damon was already on his way towards the palace, climbing on the outer walls. At the rate they were going, they should reach the Krazoa Palace in a few hours, by midnight. Fox grinned. Darkness will serve them well tonight.
"Damon, how are you doing with your climb?" Fox's voice rang through the young hybrid's intercom. Damon paused, after taking a firm hold on a brick. The hybrid's special abilities proved to be quite an asset during the climb.
"It's pretty easy." Damon said cheerfully, "Almost as easy as taking a lift."
"Don't get too cocky kid, and turn your disguise on soon." Fox's voice replied, "Avoid drawing too much attention, and don't reach the top without my signal."
"Okay," Damon replied, "Damon out." Damon continued to climb. It had been nearly an hour since he had separated from Blade. He had climbed the rocky surface of the mountain and had recently reached the Krazoa Palace's outer walls. The aged rocks that composed the walls were slowly corroding away by the weather. Many crevices and cracks were formed, allowing Damon to climb it with ease. The only nuisance the young hybrid faced was the constant rain and occasional lighting, followed by deafening thunder.
Damon continued to climb until he reached a large fissure on the wall, big enough for him to easily fit inside. Carefully studying the round opening, the young hybrid realized that it was made by a stray lightning bolt, powerful enough to drive a hole in the Krazoa Palace's outer walls. Damon carefully crawled inside his temporary shelter and took a short rest. Just as he took out his rations for a little snack, he found that he was not alone. A little furry creature climbed out from a deeper part of the crevice. It was a BafomDad. Damon studied the odd little creature. It looked like a rabbit, except it was red with a creamy underbelly, and it had four large ears.
Damon held out a piece of the granola bar he had in his hand. The BafomDad hopped over and sniffed it. Damon put the little piece of food down in front of it, and the creature bent down and ate it. Damon laughed as it started hopping around in circles, showing it enjoyed the piece of food. Suddenly there was a flash of lightning, and moments later a roaring thunder. The little BafomDad stopped hopping and shuddered. Damon frowned and scratched behind its ears, trying to comfort it. He offered it some more of his rations. It settled down and began nuzzling him. He smiled, finishing the last of the little bar. "Hey," he said to the little BafomDad, "I have to go now. Goodbye little guy..." Damon began to crawl away, and then he felt something scrambling up his leg. He looked back and saw the little BafomDad wriggle into his backpack. "Hey!" Damon protested, "Come on out of there, I need to go." It simply remained in the bag, staring at him cutely with its eyes. Damon sighed, "Okay, you can come with me, but you have to stay still in there." Damon pulled his boots and moved them to a different pouch so the little BafomDad had more room. Then Damon zipped up the pack, leaving a small hole so a plenteous supply of oxygen came in.
Damon exited the hole, and continued his ascent up the wall. He climbed quickly, the wall being fairly easy to climb. Damon thought he could hear voices, and wondered where it could be coming from. As he climbed it grew louder, Damon began to slow his climb, wondering if he was closer to the top then he thought. He crossed a large gash in the wall, and realized the sound was coming from within the palace. He looked into the hole and gasped. The interior of the Krozoa palace was packed with SharpClaw troopers. Inside Damon saw an expansive circular floor, and organized across the entire space were SharpClaw, all snoring away. There was barely any walking space between the slumbering dinosaurs. Damon looked up and saw even more SharpClaw walking amongst the circular floors, some carrying items, others riding the large fans higher and higher. Damon tore his eyes away and immediately turned on his communicator.
"Fox," he said as loudly as he could without the chance of being caught. "Fox come in."
"What is it Damon?" Fox said through the communicator.
Damon bit his lip, "SharpClaw are all over the palace, I can't even see any space they don't have packed with them."
"How many are there?" Fox asked.
"I am not sure. . ." Damon tried to count a small portion of the SharpClaws, and estimate how many would fit in the entire palace, "There's at least three hundred on this floor."
"This is not exactly what I expected." Fox's sounded shocked, "Let me handle them. Just continue with your climb, and give me any additional information that you think is important."
"Okay, just be careful Fox...Damon out." Damon heaved a large sigh. He took one more glance at all the SharpClaw, shuddering as he did so. Then continued to climb, suddenly feeling as if he were burdened. He looked up into the mass of clouds, wishing the top was closer.
"There are three hundred SharpClaws on one floor?" Krystal said with her eyes wide, "That's like . . . a couple thousand of them!"
"Yes, I know." Fox said gravely, "Our holographic disguise won't work if we come into physical contact with them."
"Maybe we can draw some of them out?" Sirus suggested, keeping his pace with Fox, "We can't sneak pass a couple thousand guard unnoticed, disguised or not. It's impossible."
"There is a way to draw them out. . ." Fox's expression looked grave, "We knock on the front door."
"And whoever does that is going to die," Sirus concluded, "They outnumber us twenty to one."
"That's the only way in. Either that, or we abort the mission." Fox replied, looking at the trail of dinosaurs following them. Some of them were clearly tired from the climb, and they were in no condition to fight. He was left to make a decision that may take everyone's lives. He rubbed in temples in distress. "This may be the only chance to capture Leon. . . Should we let it go?"
"Ask the Admiral." Sirus suggested, placing a paw on Fox's shoulder, "I don't think anyone here can answer that question, except him."
Fox pushed a few buttons on the intercom, and waited for Pepper to answer. A few moments passed before the admiral's holographic face appeared on Fox's portable holographic displayer. "So Fox, how is your mission going?"
"Not well." Fox looked at Pepper's holographic face, "I want to abort the mission, or ask for assistance from the Cornerian Army."
"Oh?" Pepper lifted a brow, "I am sure you know that it takes more than five days for anyone from Corneria to reach Dinosaur Planet . . . There is nothing we can do from here."
"Right now, we have less than a hundred dinosaurs on our side. Right above us is the Krazoa Palace, where Leon is hiding with a couple thousand SharpClaws. The palace is guarded by AA cannons, and the SharpClaws have blasters. If we go in like this, we don't stand a chance." Fox continued, "It's up to you, Admiral."
"You can always set up a trap Fox." The Admiral replied after pondering, "A diversion, lure Leon's troops out of the Palace, and sneak in another way."
"The diversion force will die." Fox replied, "And what if Leon does not take the bait?"
"Fox, sometimes people die for a greater good. You are a soldier, you should know that." Admiral Pepper said with a grave voice, "Don't give up unless it is necessary."
"But. . . Is it worth it for a hundred to die just to save three dinosaurs? Is it worth it for a hundred to die just to capture one criminal?" Fox fell to his knees, "I can't do this."
"Where is the Fox that I knew in the war?" Pepper's face grew cold, "Where is the Fox that saved this very planet? Where is the Fox that does not give up, no matter what?"
"A hundred dinosaurs are going to die! Don't you care?" Fox's eyes were blazing with anger, as he glared at Pepper's cold face, "Don't you care at all?"
"Leon is going to kill a lot more than one hundred dinosaurs, if we don't stop him now." Pepper said sternly "If you think that reason is not good enough, then go ahead and abort the mission. Remember the ten thousand civilians that died in Corneria City? Remember Bill and his family? Remember all those that died defending this planet?"
"You win, Admiral." Fox stood up again, tears welling up in his eyes, "You always do."
"Abort the mission if you think it is necessary, I will say no more." Pepper nodded at Fox, "Pepper out."
Fox switched off his holographic display and replaced it in his pocket. He glared at the dinosaurs that were trailing behind him. They all heard his conversation with the Admiral. Fox took a deep breath and shouted, "WILL YOU DIE FOR YOUR PLANET?"
"YES!" The dinosaurs roared back, and their voices echoed in the caves in a cacophony.
"Fox, I will lead them to battle." Jade snatched Obsidian's blaster and easily heaved it with one hand. "StarFox can go ahead and infiltrate the palace while I hold them back."
"Jade, have you lost your mind?" Obsidian grabbed the black cat by the wrist, "You are not invincible! This is suicide!"
"With twelve grenade rounds, a pair flame throwers, and about three hundred shots, I should be able to hold them back." Jade smiled at Obsidian, "Fox, let me lead them."
"You are Pepper's star soldier. I have no control over what you do." Fox placed a hand on the black cat's shoulder and smiled broadly, "Just try to stay alive."
"Fox, you are really brave." Krystal said, snuggling close to her husband. They were sitting on the back of Mercury. Trailing after them was an army of WaveGliders, each carrying a few dinosaurs that volunteered to fight. At the end, over a hundred dinosaurs of all different origins joined forces with the WaveGlider King.
"No kidding my lady!" Mercury turned his great head around and smiled at the couple, "Your husband almost got me killed!"
"I am sorry." Fox smiled back, "You didn't tell me he would ask so many questions."
"You did pretty well with the questions, actually." The dinosaur turned to face forward again, his eyes trained on the setting sun. "I thought we were dead meat when you asked about the alliance."
"Alliance?" Krystal asked curiously, gazing into Fox's emerald eyes, "Alliance between what?"
Fox kissed Krystal lightly on the cheek, "An alliance between the ruling tribes of Dinosaur Planet. The WaveGlider King approved my request. All we need to do is ask Tricky's Mom and Dad and the CloudRunner Queen after we rescue them, and this planet should be safe for a while."
"Fox, that's excellent!" Krystal hugged Fox tightly, tickling him lightly. The two chuckled, lying down on Mercury's metal armor, watching the sunset off in a distance. Rays of light seemed to dance upon the gentle waves, "If we aren't going to war, this would be the best honey moon ever."
"Fox!" a voice yelled in a distance, "Look at this!"
"My goodness, the children are here." Mercury turned his head, and saw Tricky riding on Quicksilver, speeding towards the loving couple.
"If this was a sandy beach, I would love to face plant right now." Fox said with a chuckle, looking at the juvenile dinosaurs coming towards them. It was quite amazing that Tricky already broke the barrier that lasted through the centuries through a simple friendship. "You are right Krystal. Kids are really adorable."
"So how much longer till we get to the Krazoa Palace, Daddy?" Quicksilver asked, swimming closer to his father's side.
"You should be staying home with your mother." Mercury replied, eyeing the young dinosaurs sternly as they advanced, "We are not going to a child's playground."
"Aw come on Dad!" Quicksilver nudged his father on the side. Fox and Krystal giggled at the sight, causing the large dinosaur to blush. Mercury rolled his eyes, "Alright, but promise me you are not going anywhere near the palace."
"Okay . . . I promise." The young WaveGlider said with a downcast voice. Within a minute, the two young dinosaurs were off to play again, laughing and giggling as they harassed the other WaveGlider soldiers.
Fox glanced around and spied Damon, who had a WaveGlider all to himself. Damon had wrapped his arms around his legs, his head resting on his knees. Fox called to Mercury, "Mercury, could we go over and talk to our friend Damon, he's the little guy who's curled up and alone on that WaveGlider's back." Fox pointed over to Damon.
"Sure, the WaveGlider he's riding is named Blade," Mercury began to speed up to catch up to them, although he kept some distance away, "Ahoy Blade, we wish to speak to your passenger."
Blade nodded, "No problem, I hope you have more luck than I have, he hasn't said a word to me at all. All he's done is cried, I haven't been able to help him cheer up. Whatever it is has him really depressed."
Fox frowned as he stared at the little hybrid. He tapped the intercom on his wristband, "Damon," he said softly, "Are you alright?" Fox watched as laid on his side, his back facing Fox and Krystal. "Damon..." he tried again. There was an audible beep as Damon shut his communicator off. Fox sighed; whatever had happened to the little hybrid had obviously deeply affected him. "Let's leave him alone Mercury. He obviously needs some time to himself."
Blade watched as Mercury left with his two passengers. He twisted his head back to look at Damon, "Your friends are worried about you, are you sure you wouldn't like to talk about it little one?"
"Hey Freak!" another voice called, Blade looked over to see a fellow WaveGlider pass by carrying a large number of LightFoot. The chief was calling over, "I take care of you when we get back! You filthy stinking murderer!"
Blade turned his head back to Damon, who was now trembling and covering his ears. Blade spoke, "It's alright now, they've gone." Damon looked up to see the WaveGlider carrying the Chief LightFoot away. Blade frowned, "Is that what is bothering you?"
Damon nodded as he began sobbing, "I'm not a murderer," Damon cried, "I'm not a murderer..."
"Why don't you tell me what happened?" Blade asked.
"Well," Damon said, taking in a gulp of air, "Fox told me to get the conch to call all of you. I went into the cave to get it. When I got to the final chamber there was a crazy little LightFoot who attacked me." Damon bit his lip, and then continued, "I tried to make him stop, but he attacked me...and I didn't know what to do, it happened so fast...I-I shot him. I killed the Chief's brother..."
Blade nodded, "I see, it sounds like a large misunderstanding. But you were merely defending yourself. You didn't intentionally kill him." Blade watched as Damon shivered on his back, "Don't fret little one, you have friends who love and care for you. I'm sure they will defend you if the time comes."
Damon looked up at the large dinosaur and nodded. He reached down to his communicator and turned it back on. "Fox..." Damon said softly.
"Damon, are you okay?" Fox said with concern.
Damon smiled, "Yeah, I just wanted to say I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it, are you feeling better?" Fox asked.
"Kind of," Damon replied, "I'm just scared of the Chief LightFoot."
"Don't worry about him Damon, why don't you get some rest. You're going to need it for your climb." Fox said.
Damon smiled, "Okay, talk to you later..." he curled up on Blade's back. "Thank you Blade."
"Don't worry little one," Blade said smiling, "Just sleep, I'll wake you when we get there."
Damon nodded, and then yawned widely. He laid his head on his arms and slowly drifted off to sleep.
"I've always wondered why the weather here is miserable all the time." Fox said, snuggling close to Krystal, who was using her energy shield as an umbrella. The rain and the rough seas marked their approach to the Krazoa palace. Not far ahead was a large mountainous rock that pierced the clouds, and atop of that rock sat their destination.
"Beats me," Mercury commented, "We don't visit the Krazoa Palace enough to know all its secrets. All we know is that the base rock is hollow, and there is a slope spiraling upwards into the palace itself. None of us have walked it before, for obvious reasons."
"It's going to be a long walk." Fox gazed up at the gigantic mountain, which was nothing more than a large pillar of rock, high enough to reach the heavens. The palace itself was invisible due to the cloud and rain. Fortunately, Leon's forces would be unable to detect them either.
The fleet of WaveGliders aligned themselves into a single file, their king leading his soldiers towards the gigantic base rock of the palace. In front of the king was a large crevice, a cave that bore straight into the heart of the base rock. Just as Mercury described, the base rock was hollow, but also pitch black. The only noise within the cavern was the dripping of water, and waves gently splashing against the aging rocks.
A large pillar of flames suddenly shot out from the middle of the cave, straight towards the ceiling. The heat radiating from the flames was hot enough to make Krystal turn on her shield again. Watching the brilliant flames through his half closed eyes, Fox thought he saw a dragon unleashing his wrath. Before he thought the WaveGlider King was simply egotistic, but now he could not deny the dinosaur's magnificence. Everyone watched in awe as the flames reached its target, a large crystal that hung down from the ceiling. The gemstone seemed to capture the king's fire, and began to glow, releasing a soft light that illuminated the entire cave. A spiraling slope ran along the cave walls, slowly climbing towards the top. The dinosaurs began to dismount on the base of the large slope, with some of them already beginning their long climb towards the peak.
"The WaveGliders have completed their part in this battle." The king stated, his voice echoing loudly. "I have shown you the secret passage to the Krazoa Palace. We will now withdraw from your affairs, until your Kings and Queens come to an agreement of an alliance between the three ruling tribes. Farewell, creatures of the land."
"I thank you on behalf of the entire planet, your majesty." Fox said with a bow, dismounting off Mercury's back along with Krystal. The WaveGliders began to leave, one by one, towards the exit. Soon enough, the only ones left inside were less then a hundred dinosaurs, along with StarFox. Everything was going well according to Fox's battle plan. Damon was already on his way towards the palace, climbing on the outer walls. At the rate they were going, they should reach the Krazoa Palace in a few hours, by midnight. Fox grinned. Darkness will serve them well tonight.
"Damon, how are you doing with your climb?" Fox's voice rang through the young hybrid's intercom. Damon paused, after taking a firm hold on a brick. The hybrid's special abilities proved to be quite an asset during the climb.
"It's pretty easy." Damon said cheerfully, "Almost as easy as taking a lift."
"Don't get too cocky kid, and turn your disguise on soon." Fox's voice replied, "Avoid drawing too much attention, and don't reach the top without my signal."
"Okay," Damon replied, "Damon out." Damon continued to climb. It had been nearly an hour since he had separated from Blade. He had climbed the rocky surface of the mountain and had recently reached the Krazoa Palace's outer walls. The aged rocks that composed the walls were slowly corroding away by the weather. Many crevices and cracks were formed, allowing Damon to climb it with ease. The only nuisance the young hybrid faced was the constant rain and occasional lighting, followed by deafening thunder.
Damon continued to climb until he reached a large fissure on the wall, big enough for him to easily fit inside. Carefully studying the round opening, the young hybrid realized that it was made by a stray lightning bolt, powerful enough to drive a hole in the Krazoa Palace's outer walls. Damon carefully crawled inside his temporary shelter and took a short rest. Just as he took out his rations for a little snack, he found that he was not alone. A little furry creature climbed out from a deeper part of the crevice. It was a BafomDad. Damon studied the odd little creature. It looked like a rabbit, except it was red with a creamy underbelly, and it had four large ears.
Damon held out a piece of the granola bar he had in his hand. The BafomDad hopped over and sniffed it. Damon put the little piece of food down in front of it, and the creature bent down and ate it. Damon laughed as it started hopping around in circles, showing it enjoyed the piece of food. Suddenly there was a flash of lightning, and moments later a roaring thunder. The little BafomDad stopped hopping and shuddered. Damon frowned and scratched behind its ears, trying to comfort it. He offered it some more of his rations. It settled down and began nuzzling him. He smiled, finishing the last of the little bar. "Hey," he said to the little BafomDad, "I have to go now. Goodbye little guy..." Damon began to crawl away, and then he felt something scrambling up his leg. He looked back and saw the little BafomDad wriggle into his backpack. "Hey!" Damon protested, "Come on out of there, I need to go." It simply remained in the bag, staring at him cutely with its eyes. Damon sighed, "Okay, you can come with me, but you have to stay still in there." Damon pulled his boots and moved them to a different pouch so the little BafomDad had more room. Then Damon zipped up the pack, leaving a small hole so a plenteous supply of oxygen came in.
Damon exited the hole, and continued his ascent up the wall. He climbed quickly, the wall being fairly easy to climb. Damon thought he could hear voices, and wondered where it could be coming from. As he climbed it grew louder, Damon began to slow his climb, wondering if he was closer to the top then he thought. He crossed a large gash in the wall, and realized the sound was coming from within the palace. He looked into the hole and gasped. The interior of the Krozoa palace was packed with SharpClaw troopers. Inside Damon saw an expansive circular floor, and organized across the entire space were SharpClaw, all snoring away. There was barely any walking space between the slumbering dinosaurs. Damon looked up and saw even more SharpClaw walking amongst the circular floors, some carrying items, others riding the large fans higher and higher. Damon tore his eyes away and immediately turned on his communicator.
"Fox," he said as loudly as he could without the chance of being caught. "Fox come in."
"What is it Damon?" Fox said through the communicator.
Damon bit his lip, "SharpClaw are all over the palace, I can't even see any space they don't have packed with them."
"How many are there?" Fox asked.
"I am not sure. . ." Damon tried to count a small portion of the SharpClaws, and estimate how many would fit in the entire palace, "There's at least three hundred on this floor."
"This is not exactly what I expected." Fox's sounded shocked, "Let me handle them. Just continue with your climb, and give me any additional information that you think is important."
"Okay, just be careful Fox...Damon out." Damon heaved a large sigh. He took one more glance at all the SharpClaw, shuddering as he did so. Then continued to climb, suddenly feeling as if he were burdened. He looked up into the mass of clouds, wishing the top was closer.
"There are three hundred SharpClaws on one floor?" Krystal said with her eyes wide, "That's like . . . a couple thousand of them!"
"Yes, I know." Fox said gravely, "Our holographic disguise won't work if we come into physical contact with them."
"Maybe we can draw some of them out?" Sirus suggested, keeping his pace with Fox, "We can't sneak pass a couple thousand guard unnoticed, disguised or not. It's impossible."
"There is a way to draw them out. . ." Fox's expression looked grave, "We knock on the front door."
"And whoever does that is going to die," Sirus concluded, "They outnumber us twenty to one."
"That's the only way in. Either that, or we abort the mission." Fox replied, looking at the trail of dinosaurs following them. Some of them were clearly tired from the climb, and they were in no condition to fight. He was left to make a decision that may take everyone's lives. He rubbed in temples in distress. "This may be the only chance to capture Leon. . . Should we let it go?"
"Ask the Admiral." Sirus suggested, placing a paw on Fox's shoulder, "I don't think anyone here can answer that question, except him."
Fox pushed a few buttons on the intercom, and waited for Pepper to answer. A few moments passed before the admiral's holographic face appeared on Fox's portable holographic displayer. "So Fox, how is your mission going?"
"Not well." Fox looked at Pepper's holographic face, "I want to abort the mission, or ask for assistance from the Cornerian Army."
"Oh?" Pepper lifted a brow, "I am sure you know that it takes more than five days for anyone from Corneria to reach Dinosaur Planet . . . There is nothing we can do from here."
"Right now, we have less than a hundred dinosaurs on our side. Right above us is the Krazoa Palace, where Leon is hiding with a couple thousand SharpClaws. The palace is guarded by AA cannons, and the SharpClaws have blasters. If we go in like this, we don't stand a chance." Fox continued, "It's up to you, Admiral."
"You can always set up a trap Fox." The Admiral replied after pondering, "A diversion, lure Leon's troops out of the Palace, and sneak in another way."
"The diversion force will die." Fox replied, "And what if Leon does not take the bait?"
"Fox, sometimes people die for a greater good. You are a soldier, you should know that." Admiral Pepper said with a grave voice, "Don't give up unless it is necessary."
"But. . . Is it worth it for a hundred to die just to save three dinosaurs? Is it worth it for a hundred to die just to capture one criminal?" Fox fell to his knees, "I can't do this."
"Where is the Fox that I knew in the war?" Pepper's face grew cold, "Where is the Fox that saved this very planet? Where is the Fox that does not give up, no matter what?"
"A hundred dinosaurs are going to die! Don't you care?" Fox's eyes were blazing with anger, as he glared at Pepper's cold face, "Don't you care at all?"
"Leon is going to kill a lot more than one hundred dinosaurs, if we don't stop him now." Pepper said sternly "If you think that reason is not good enough, then go ahead and abort the mission. Remember the ten thousand civilians that died in Corneria City? Remember Bill and his family? Remember all those that died defending this planet?"
"You win, Admiral." Fox stood up again, tears welling up in his eyes, "You always do."
"Abort the mission if you think it is necessary, I will say no more." Pepper nodded at Fox, "Pepper out."
Fox switched off his holographic display and replaced it in his pocket. He glared at the dinosaurs that were trailing behind him. They all heard his conversation with the Admiral. Fox took a deep breath and shouted, "WILL YOU DIE FOR YOUR PLANET?"
"YES!" The dinosaurs roared back, and their voices echoed in the caves in a cacophony.
"Fox, I will lead them to battle." Jade snatched Obsidian's blaster and easily heaved it with one hand. "StarFox can go ahead and infiltrate the palace while I hold them back."
"Jade, have you lost your mind?" Obsidian grabbed the black cat by the wrist, "You are not invincible! This is suicide!"
"With twelve grenade rounds, a pair flame throwers, and about three hundred shots, I should be able to hold them back." Jade smiled at Obsidian, "Fox, let me lead them."
"You are Pepper's star soldier. I have no control over what you do." Fox placed a hand on the black cat's shoulder and smiled broadly, "Just try to stay alive."
