Conspiracy 6
PART TWO: THE ABANDONED
Chapter 5: Request for Assistance
Only a Week Before…
The mammoth silver craft orbited Corneria and it was not alone as other ships shot by it; fighters, transports, shuttles, etc. A lone figure in an equally silver Environ-Suit prowled the Great Fox's skin as he looked around for some meteorite damage. In his gloved paws he held a repair kit that would fix the plating until they could get back to space dock.
He traversed the skin and found the rupture; the figure got on his knees and began repairing it when his Comm rang.
"Fox here."
"Fox, its Peppy, you've got a call coming in from General Pepper." A voice said in his ear.
"Put it on my Comm." The earpiece crackled and a familiar sounding voice echoed into his head.
"Fox, its General Pepper." Fox dodged a small meteorite and he continued his work. "I have an offer for you."
"What does it involve?" Fox asked as he turned on the Arc Welder. The blue and yellow flame scored the metal and it fused two pieces of armor together and Fox cut out with the flame. The armor looked as good as new, even if it was two salvaged parts.
"Well, I have a proposition for you. One of our research stations just sent out a request for assistance and I want you and your team to get over there. It may take a bit of your time since the station is now orbiting Titania, but I am ordering you to go there."
"What is their request?"
"They have been attacked and sustained damages. You are also one of the only frigates I have in the air that has enough repair parts to assist."
"What's in it for me?"
"Well, I will pay you for the parts and add 60,000 credits to your account." Fox stopped and he didn't have to think.
"Will do."
"Thank you, General Pepper out." The Comm clicked off and Fox walked back to the airlock, he stepped in and it depressurized with a hiss. Fox slipped out of his Environ-Suit and he walked into a compartment as he slipped into his regular clothes. Grey flight jacket, black pants, red bandanna around his neck, heavy boots and a blaster around his waist. He passed through a door and arrived on the bridge a few moments later. Falco, Peppy and Slippy were at the controls and they turned when Fox arrived.
"I have some news team. General Pepper wants us to assist in helping a station off of Titania and I agreed to help him."
"Wait, without our consent?" Peppy asked and Fox let a small smile betray him.
"He'll pay us 60,000 credits and re-supply the parts we use." He replied and Peppy nodded.
"So no actual action this time?" Falco asked and Fox laughed.
"Well, I wouldn't say that. Repairing stations is always fun." Fox replied sarcastically and Falco turned back to the console. "Peppy, put us in a course for Titania." The old hare nodded and his weathered paws input them; space turned into a bright white and the main vid screen turned black with the Star Fox logo spinning on it.
"He's really paying us that much?" Peppy asked and Fox nodded. "Wow." That was a lot of money since the Great Fox had been around that much.
"I'm going to hit the shower and then my room, so if you need me that is where I'll be." Fox said and he walked down the metallic hallways. His boots made a soft patting sound and he hit the button by the elevator as the doors opened a few moments later. He stepped in and pressed into the faded button for the crew's quarters.
The hot water ran over him as he smoothed his head fur and sighed; a massive headache was leaving him as the water cascaded down his orange, white, and brown form. He slowly slid to the floor and the scalding liquid pelted his head as his mind drifted to other things.
His father dying, Andross being wiped off the face of the Lylat System, Falco being an assclown, Peppy retiring from the Arwing…
He sighed and stood up. The water shut off and he dried his fur thoroughly as she slipped his pants on. Fox walked into his room and he flopped down on the moderately comfortable bed, it was a few years old and since the account was a bit low he could not afford any new amenities. He turned on his back and his tail flicked gently as he could not go to sleep because of his racing mind.
Fox's paw touched something on a bedside table and his paw closed around a small locket; he flicked on the small light and opened the heart shaped necklace. Inside was a picture of him and vixen sitting together on a park bench in Corneria.
"Fara Phoenix…" She had her muzzle nuzzling his cheek and his arm was around her. "Fara, why did you leave me?" He whispered and he set the locket into a drawer as a sigh escaped him. They really had something and he had given her three years of his life and she left him. Probably for another, richer, male.
Fox flicked the light off and he closed his eyes as he tried to force his mind to rest. He eventually drifted off and he slipped into a dream.
The sun shined down on the pair as they walked through the park; the vixen kissed the side of the merc's face and he smiled as they sat down on a bench.
"Fox, I love you." Fara said as he looked into her blue eyes.
"As do I, Fara Phoenix." He kissed her on the muzzle and she took something out her pocket. Fara handed him a locket and he opened it, he saw the picture of an earlier trip and he smiled.
"You can have it." He kissed her again and the scene faded.
Fox awoke sometime later to a knocking on his door, Fox groggily got off and he opened it revealing Peppy.
"Peppy, what do you want?"
"There's something you should see." Fox nodded and he managed to get his shirt on. They walked to the bridge and Peppy updated him on the situation. "There was a contact off our right a few seconds ago. It was a cloaked craft and we almost collided with it." Fox nodded and the stars hazed for just a moment.
"Contact off our bow, requesting firing solution." ROB asked and Fox shook his head.
"No, I'll take the Arwing out." Fox said and Falco turned around in his chair.
"I am not missing this."
"ROB, the craft makes one wrong move, dust it."
"Affirmative." The robot intoned and the two pilot and close friends walked down to the docking bay. They climbed into their Arwings and both of them shot out of the docking bay as Fox turned on his radar. A green dot appeared indicating Falco and his vid shot came up ad the avian tweaked his HUD.
"You see anything Fox?" The avian asked and a white flash appeared on the radar. It almost escaped Fox's keen eyes.
"There was a flash, get on the Comm and send out a message to all available bands. Say we are not hostile but will deal with a threat if encountered." Falco nodded and Fox kept a wary eye as a presence flashed in front of him. Whatever was out there, it was fast and the cloaking device on it was quite sophisticated as his Arwing could usually pick it up.
"There's no response on the Comm Fox." Falco replied and he contacted the Great Fox.
"You see anything Peppy?"
"No Fox, the radar is blank. ROB can't find anything either." Peppy replied. "Wait, there seems to be something…" He trailed off and a craft appeared in front of them. It was quite dark with a night paintjob, light weapons, down swept wings, light thrusters, and a shaded cockpit. The Comm was silent and Fox paused, even if the craft did fire his shields would protect him.
"Hello?" Fox asked into his Communicator and there was silence for a moment. The craft did not move and Fox began to get a bit edgy.
"Hey buddy, I don't think they want to talk or they would."
"Stop being an ass Falco." Fox replied and his Comm beeped, on the screen on the dashboard silvery, winding script appeared. Fox stared at it and he could not make out the symbols. "Falco, I got something."
"What cha got?" Falco asked and the same script appeared on his HUD as well. "What is this?"
"Forward this to the Great Fox, maybe ROB can translate this." Fox replied and Falco sent the script to the craft. The unknown ship kept in front of them and it powered down as ROB came on the vid screen.
"Fox, I have analyzed the message and I believe I have translated it. It is in a language that is almost extinct from a planet on the outer edge of the Lylat System, Cerinia. The message, roughly translated of course, is this: My species has been destroyed, I request assistance from this and I implore you to lend me help." ROB translated and Fox frowned, little was known about Cerinia since it was so far from any habitable planet but it was rumored that their technology was far superior. It was also rumored that the planet was entirely populated by cerulean colored foxes.
"So what do we do now Fox?" Falco asked.
"I really don't know, you think it might understand Cornerian?" Fox asked and Falco shook his head.
"Maybe."
"Can you understand me?" Fox asked into the Comm and more text appeared, this time in Cornerian.
I ask for assistance, my vid screen is disabled so I can only reply in text. I ask you do not try to harm me as my weapons can easily take care of your craft.
The message cut out and Fox frowned.
"I will not try to harm you, just go into the hangar and we will give you what you need." Fox replied and the craft followed him into the hangar as Falco landed beside him. Fox popped the hatch and he jumped out as he walked over to the craft; Falco walked beside him and he had his blaster out. "Dude, put that away."
"Fox, you don't know if the occupant is hostile or not." Falco said and Fox nodded.
"I feel I can trust the occupant." The hatch opened and they saw the occupant.