Many thanks for all the kind reviews so far. I hope that this fic has continued to keep everyone's interest as the page count steadily climbs. As always, additional reviews are always accepted.
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Chapter 10: The Day of Battle
I'm quite impressed – Fox knows how to handle the Arwing like he's been in it all his life. I just hope he doesn't blanch when he sees real combat. Or myself for that matter. Who am I kidding; Andross doesn't stand a chance against us. – Fara

The Starfox team worked long into the evening hours in the simulators, attempting to perfect their skills in the Arwings. While they didn't seem to improve too much overall, the time spent was useful, allowing everyone time to get used to each other's strengths and weaknesses.
They finished the night with another run through the Gauntlet mode on the simulator, the team going two levels farther than they did last time before coming to an end against overwhelming odds. Both Pepper and Gary watched the team practice, pleased to see them work so well together.
Everyone slept well that night, all except one person - Fox McCloud. He found himself unable to get any sleep, constantly tossing and turning all night, his dreams haunted with horrible images of Andross simply staring and laughing at him.
Lying there on his back, unable to stay asleep for more than a few minutes at most, Fox rolled over and looked at the clock. The simple electronics told him what he guessed - it was only 4am. Groaning, he abandoned any other attempts to sleep and rolled out of bed.
Stumbling over to the washroom, he splashed ice-cold water over his face in an attempt to shock himself awake. It worked, but only for a few seconds before his exhausted body tried to drop back to sleep, this time with him standing up.
His mind slowly drifted to the only solution that he could think of - a giant cup of coffee. Making himself as presentable as he could within a few moments, he threw on another military outfit and plodded towards the mess hall, hoping that it really was open all day like it was advertised.
Fox walked through the doorway, half surprised to see a lone person sitting at one of the tables within. Sniffing the air, smiling as he caught a whiff of the freshly brewed coffee at the opposite end, he got as far as the table at which the person sat at before his energy gave out, the vulpine dropping into a chair with a groan.
The female lynx sitting next to him looked up from her drink, taking a look at the exhausted pilot. "Tired?" she asked in a friendly voice.
"Very," mumbled Fox, his head buried in his arms.
"I can see that." She smiled as she watched him reach over with one free paw, trying to grab her drink. "I think you need something a bit stronger than what I'm having." Looking behind her at where the morning breakfast was being prepared, she called out, "Isabelle, you back there?"
A few seconds passed before a white furred hare poked her head into sight. "Somethin' I can help with, Celine?"
"I have someone here who needs one of your specials."
"Sure thing, ma'am. Be right there."
Half a minute passed before the chef returned, carrying a steaming mug that she placed in front of Fox. "Now, good sir, if you drink that all right up, I guarantee that you'll feel as right as rain in no time."
The vulpine raised his head as he smelled the drink nearby. Too tired to think about what might be in the container, he only gave it a quick glance as he took a swig.
His eyes shot open as the liquid practically burned as it slid down his throat. He had never tasted anything like it before, and he wondered if it was even safe to drink. "What is this stuff?" he sputtered.
"It's an old family recipe, one that'll do ya wonders. Now, if ya'll excuse me, I need to get back to work."
Taking another sip of the unknown liquid, Fox felt a warm, energetic feeling flowing through his body. Whatever the stuff was, it was definitely waking him up. Feeling like he owed the person sitting next to him some thanks in gratitude, he asked, "What brings you here if I may ask?"
Celine looked at him with tired eyes. It had been a long, boring night in the command center where she worked, and on top of that she had lots on her mind with the upcoming battle. "Just got a replacement in for my shift up in command, so I'm down here getting a drink before I head back."
Now feeling wide-awake, Fox took a good look at the tan furred lynx as he continued to drink. He could tell that there was something else on her mind, and he had a good guess as to what it was. "Are you ready for the battle today?"
She sighed, looking down into her now empty cup. "No. I...I'm scared."
"Why?"
"I've seen what Andross' forces can do. It isn't pretty. And on top of that we're trusting our existence to this untested Starfox team and their Arwings."
Fox tried his best to hide his shock at this statement, surprised to find somebody who didn't know who he was, especially after the little announcement to the rest of the base the night before. "Why does this worry you so much?"
"It's just so out of my control. I'm only a simple communications officer, so I won't be able to do anything short of listening in on the chatter they produce in combat. I'm worried about them, and the defense of this base, mainly because I don't have any idea who they are."
"Nobody?"
Celine shook her head. "I've seen Fara Phoenix a few times during her test flights and I've heard of Fox McCloud. I mean, who hasn't heard of him thanks to his father? At least around here anyway. But I don't know any of them, much less seen them."
The vulpine doing everything he could to keep from laughing due to her last statement, he finished the last dregs in his cup, trying to figure out what to say. He was interested in what others had to say about him, even though this wasn't the best way of doing just that. "I see your point."
"And on top of it all…" She quieted, tilting her head to one side as she gave Fox an inquisitive look. "If you don't mind me asking, what do you do here? You're dressed like a patrol pilot, but I thought I knew all of them."
While he enjoyed hiding his identity like this, he knew that the gig was up. "Actually…I'm Fox McCloud, leader of the Starfox team."
Celine's eyes grew wide in shock, stunned that she had been badmouthing the lead pilot and the team that was here to defend the base. "I…I'm sorry, sir," she stammered. "I…I had—"
Fox raised his paws, trying to calm her panicking self down. "Please, it was my fault for not saying anything earlier."
"But…but, sir, I was insulting your team and—"
"No you weren't. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I'm just surprised that you didn't know who I was."
Faced with a person who seemingly didn't take any offense to what she had said, she slowly composed herself, still unable to believe her luck. "I've been working, sir, since before the General's announcement, so while I heard it, I didn't see anything he was talking about."
"That explains that then. And please drop the sir remarks. Call me Fox."
"Okay, sir…Fox." She looked across the room, standing up as she noticed the time. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to work."
Fox stood up as well. "As do I. Thanks for this most interesting conversation, and for the drink. Good luck today."
Celine shook her head. "You're the one who needs the good luck, not I. I'll just be doing my job while you save everyone on this planet. Thank you for everything you're doing for us." She turned and left, not giving him a chance to counter her statement.
He sighed, tired of being reminded that the fate of the entire planet, as well as the system, rested upon his team's shoulders. "Why must I always be the hero?" he quietly asked himself. His energy fully restored, he walked out of the mess hall, ready for anything that Andross threw his way.

At that same instant above the planet, the Venomian Battleship Vengeance slowed to a halt, its shiny, silver tinted metal hull glinting in the sun. Inside the ship, the lizard commander stood up and surveyed the planet below. With a smile he said to the staff around him, "Contact Andross. Let him know that we have arrived at Corneria."
Shortly thereafter, Andross sat in his control room, very pleased for once. "Battleship Vengeance, you know your orders," he said over his headset. "With the destruction of this base, the entire Lylat system will be mine. Demolish it and take no prisoners."
"Yes, sir," said the commander he was talking to. "We'll get back to you once we've destroyed the base for further orders, sir. Over and out."
Andross sat back in his chair, knowing that victory would finally be his in only a short time. Nothing was going to stop him now. Nothing.

Fox McCloud sat down on his bed, left with nothing much to do other than wait. His wait wasn't long however, as within a minute of him sitting down, Pepper's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Attention all personnel, this is General Pepper speaking. The time for war is upon us. All hands to battle stations, I repeat, all hands to battle stations. This is not a drill. A Venomian battleship has just entered planetary sensor range, and is on an approach vector towards our base, with an ETA of roughly 50 minutes. Once again, all hands to battle stations. More information will be provided as soon as we get it. General Pepper out."
Sighing, knowing it was do or die time for his team, Fox prepared himself as best he could for the battle ahead. A short chime from his computer interrupted his thoughts however a few moments after. Looking over, it indicated that the General was trying to contact him. With a single key press he accepted the call.
An exhausted looking Pepper appeared on screen, eyes drooping. "Morning, Junior," he said. "Sleep well?"
He could tell that he canine was in no mood for conversation, so he decided to give him the respect earned from his rank. "About as well as you did, sir."
"Ah, the joys of youth. You don't look tired at all." Pepper turned his gaze away from the monitor for a moment, reminiscing on his earlier years. "Anyway, something tells me you just heard my little speech. I need you and your team in my office on the 11th floor in 10 minutes."
Fox nodded. "Understood. Anything else?"
"No. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to make a few more calls." Pepper ended his communication without another word.
He sat there staring at the blank screen for only a moment before bringing up the list of his teammates. The first name on his list was Fara, so with a simple key press he gave her a call.
The screen stayed dark until it responded with a simple 'No Answer' notice. Fox shook his head, thinking that Fara being out at a time like this seemed unusual. Touching the keys again, he contacted Peppy.
"I'm up, I'm up," was all he heard as the hare sat down in front of the terminal. "What do you want?"
"You're in a delightful mood today, aren't you?" asked Fox with a smile.
Shaking his head, Peppy tried to bring himself into some sort of wakefulness. His fur was fluffed up in disarray, looking nothing like his normal self. "Well, I was trying to sleep when I was so rudely woken up. What do you want, Fox? I need a coffee badly."
"Sorry, old friend, I forgot about your drinking needs." He grinned. "Anyway, Pepper just called. He wants us up in his office on the 11th floor in about 9 minutes." Fox paused a moment before asking his next question. "Do you know where Fara might be? I tried to get her first, and she isn't in her room."
Peppy looked concerned, but only for a moment. "I wouldn't worry about it, Fox. She had to have heard the announcement no matter where she is. Something tells me that having been here so long she should know about visiting Pepper's office as well."
"Good point. Well, I need to call everyone else. See you shortly."
He was about to end the call when the hare interrupted, seeing the worry on his friend's face. "Hold on, Fox. I'll give the other two a call, you go find Fara."
Fox beamed a smile, appreciating the simple gesture. "Thanks. I'll see you in a bit then."
Leaning back in his chair, he debated on where Fara might be. Knowing he had a few minutes before he had to be in the General's office, he gathered up his flight gear and decided to wander, having a guess where his teammate might be. Passing by numerous people who actually had somewhere else to be, he found himself in front of the same place he'd wandered into two days ago - the botanical gardens.
The double set of doors opened and closed behind him as he walked in, once again smiling as the smells of the garden wafted over him. His way lit only by small lights installed on either side of the path, Fox walked over to the windows at the far side of the garden, looking outside as he approached. It was still too early for the sun to be up, and the overcast skies blocked any attempt for the sun to light anything as it approached daybreak.
Hearing a rustling sound coming from a tree nearby, he spun around and drew his blaster, his eyes gazing into the near darkness searching for the source of the noise. A very familiar laugh drifted down from the trees above, startling him once again.
"You know, Fox, you scare way too easily." He recognized the voice immediately - it was Fara. She laughed again as he replaced his weapon in its holster. "What brings you here this early in the morning you silly?"
Fox stared into the trees, attempting to follow the voice to its source. "I could ask the same of you, Fara."
She giggled. "You know, I did ask first. Luckily for you however, I'm in a generous mood today. I was up here hoping the clouds would go away so I could enjoy the sunrise. It's so nice to watch as it clears the treetops and shines in here."
"Ah. Do you mind if you came down?" He'd had no luck so far finding where the vixen was hiding, and preferred talking to somebody he could see. On top of that there was the upcoming battle that needed their immediate attention. "I find it slightly odd talking to a tree. Besides, you're needed upstairs."
Fox watched as Fara slowly stood up, coming into view as she pushed a few branches out of her way, making sure of her balance. She sounded excited as she continued talking, coming to the only possible conclusion to his statement. "Really? That jerk Andross is finally attacking, isn't he?"
He nodded. "Yes. Pepper wants to see us all before we go into battle as well, and I'm guessing we have another five minutes at most until the meeting."
Fara completely appeared as she looked for the easiest way down. She was dressed in the same purple outfit she wore before, with her flight jacket draped over one arm. "Be down in a sec," she said with a grin. With what could be looked at as years of practice, she jumped nimbly from branch to branch, stopping only long enough to steady herself before continuing downward.
With a final leap the vixen dropped to the ground next to Fox, holding her arms out for balance as she straightened up. She smiled from her performance while he just shook his head. "What?" she asked with a grin.
He laughed, amazed at her agility. "I can't believe they let you do that. I'm quite impressed though, Fara, you're rather the nimble one."
She bowed at the compliment. "Thanks. For all the work I do here in my off time, I deserve a little bit of freedom." She looked over towards the exit, eager for battle. "Shall we go?"
"Yeah. Let's go see what pep talk Pepper is going to give us." The two sprinted off to the nearest elevator, anxious to get in the Arwings and into combat, even though it could just as easily be their early graves.

As expected all five pilots were assembled in the General's rather sparse meeting room shortly thereafter. There was only one problem. "Lovely," complained Falco, unable to believe what he was seeing. "Pepper is late to his own meeting."
Fara giggled. "Old fuddy-duddy on time? That would be a first."
Peppy and Slippy sat back in their chairs sipping some coffee from a conveniently placed machine as the rest of the team quietly listened to Falco rant. "And what's with these flight jackets? These things are too small and white is such a generic boring color."
Slippy quickly became tired of the avian's constant complaining, and the lack of sleep wasn't helping. "Falco, would you mind shutting up for once?"
Fox worked, as usual, to diffuse the situation. "Guys, cut it out."
Peppy just shook his head as he took another sip of his drink. He was too tired to get involved right now. Fara decided to try another tactic to keep the avian happy. "You know, Falco, we all have to wear these things. I kinda like them." She paused and then smiled. "Besides, you look cute in it. Gives you the look of someone important."
The coffee that Peppy was drinking almost ended up on the far wall as he tried to contain his laughter. "Fara, my dear, Falco has been called quite a few names in his lifetime, but cute was never one of them. Trust me on this."
The whole room broke out into laughs, Falco refusing to join in. It was at that moment the door behind them opened, allowing the General to walk in. The pilots quieted as he said, "Glad to see you're all in a good mood today. However, it's time to get down to business." He sat down behind his desk, ruffling through the top drawer until he found a small remote. Pulling it out, he pointed it at the wall monitor on his right side and pressed a button.
The monitor quickly powered up, displaying a rotating image of some kind of large cruiser. "What you're all looking at is the Venomian Battleship Vengeance. We know the exact name of the craft due to the scorch marks on its hull as the fighters on both Katina and Macbeth valiantly tried to shoot it down."
Pepper stood up and flicked the remote he was holding, producing a long stick that he used to point out the important areas of the ship. "Much to our dismay, this is a very powerful craft. It is armed with multiple point defense lasers and a very powerful plasma cannon on the front. This craft is much more maneuverable than one would think, so keep that in mind when you face it. Thankfully it was the craft we trained you to combat in the simulators, so it's not a complete unknown to you all."
Pushing a button on the remote caused the image to change to a recording of the cruiser in action. "This footage is when it attacked Katina. That plasma cannon is a very powerful weapon, capable of taking down buildings in a single shot. It also cuts through shielding on something as powerful as a base with little effort. So, needless to say, your priority is to make sure this craft does not get within firing range of this base, or you might not find anywhere to return your Arwings to once you've finished your mission."
Pepper pushed another button the remote, powering down the monitor. "One last thing. The techs think they have the Nova Bomb problems solved. They have not had the time to test it obviously, so if you decide to use them, do so with extreme caution."
Sensing that this discussion was over, Fox stood up and looked over his team. "Okay everyone, it's time to get down to business. See you soon, General."
The rest of the team stood up and turned to leave when Pepper stopped them. "Good luck," was all he said. Without another word, everyone left, leaving him alone. Looking up at the ceiling, he said, "James, your son is such a splitting image of you. It's too bad you can't see him now. I just hope he fights as well as you did." That said, he turned around and left, his mind quickly focusing on the battle ahead.

The elevator opened up for the Starfox team, revealing the engineering crew making final preparations on the Arwings. Fox said quietly to his team, "We know what we're here for, now let's get out there and do it." The five sprinted off to their craft, everyone climbing aboard and getting settled quickly.
Adjusting his headset, the vulpine heard a male voice say, "Starfox team, this is command. It is now roughly twenty minutes until sunrise, under mostly cloudy skies and little wind, unless you travel into the upper atmosphere. Hostiles closing from the east-northeast, range of just over 125 miles. Scanners show that they have launched roughly fifteen fighters, currently flying with the battleship."
The first voice cut off, and another male voice came on. "Starfox team, engineering here. You are clear to takeoff at anytime. Safe flying out there."
"Roger," replied Fox. Switching over to his team's frequency he said, "We've been cleared for launch. Time to get out there and do some damage."
With a rumble his Arwing came to life, his ship as eager to get into the skies as he was. Throwing the throttle forward, his craft quickly sped down the launch bay and out into the dark, cloudy skies surrounding the base. Establishing a holding pattern nearby, he waited for his teammates to arrive. Like the day before, the other pilots quickly launched and came into line with his craft.
With all five Arwings in the air, Fox said, "All craft report in."
"This is Peppy, I'm good to go."
"Falco here, ready to kick some ass."
"Slippy reporting, I'm ready."
"Fara responding, let's take it to them."
Fox came back on. "Okay, team, we know our target and we're ready for action. Go to formation Alpha, full throttle. Take down the fighters first and keep away from that cruiser unless it makes a break for the base. Watch each other's back and yell if you need a hand." He smiled as he thought of the battle ahead. "Let's rock."
Boosters glowing brightly, the Starfox team shot off into action.