Disclaimer: See the Prologue
Chapter 4 – Interior
Fox, Falco and Slippy flew deep into the asteroid field, which was previously the planet Cerinia. All the while Fox was in deep thought. It was obvious that Andrew was after whatever was drifting amongst the thirteen years of rock, debris and garbage, but…
'What is it that he wants?' he thought questioningly to himself, 'What would he have done if he had it? What's it doing here anyway?'
He then thought of something else.
'And where did Andrew get that damn weapon anyway? It wasn't anything we've seen before.'
He then shuddered, thinking about how it vaporised that capital ship.
'It felt…evil.'
You guys, Peppy's voice cut in over the coms, I've just picked up something interesting about that possible derelict spacecraft.
"What have you got?" Falco asked, rashly.
Peppy explained just as Krystal stepped onto the bridge, standing behind Peppy.
"I've scanned over the shape of the ship, it appears to be human," he explained.
Krystal's eyes widened, hearing that word.
"Human?" Krystal asked.
Human! Fox exclaimed, Imperium?
What the hell's a human hunk of metal doing in Lylat? Falco demanded, gripping his controls and almost fit to tear them apart.
For some unknown reason, Falco hated humans. Whenever a subject about humanity, which was rare, was brought up anywhere, he would always change the subject. Falco glared as Peppy continued.
"I know," Peppy said, rubbing his forehead, "I can't believe it myself. Andrew's men have tried to crack into it, but with little success."
I don't think they want to expose whomever's inside that thing, Fox said, They'll want to go in through a door or something. Still…a human?
Fox had heard about the oppressive human race, all united into the massive 'Imperium of Man.' They populate the systems and galaxies all around Lylat and control about one million worlds. Totalling in the billions, it was a wonder why they haven't decided to move in on Lylat and add it to their empire; they could wipe out Corneria's army without battering an eyelid.
And they've existed longer than Lylat itself, raking up thousands upon thousands of years of life.
Still, back to the situation at hand…
"Alright," Fox said, behind the controls of his Arwing, "We'll go see what those apes are up to. Where's the site?"
2 clicks away from you, Peppy informed, typing away at his terminal, It's just floating among the asteroids.
"On it," Fox replied.
On the bridge of the Great Fox, Peppy turned to Krystal, a sympathetic look on his face.
"Krystal?" he begun.
"Yes, Peppy?" she acknowledged him.
"Do you know why a human spaceship is drifting around your homeworld?" he asked.
Krystal simply shook her head and replied, "No idea."
Peppy looked at her, surprised.
"Oh, alright."
He turned back to his terminal, leaving Krystal to step out of the bridge. She knew why there was an Imperium craft here, but she couldn't tell anyone about it.
They, of course, made her and her people swore never to tell another Lylat-born of the alliance between them and Cerinia.
'I'm going to have to tell them sometime,' she thought.
Deep among the fragments, the largest asteroid appeared on each of the Arwing's radars.
"There it is!" Slippy cried, "Man, is it big or what?"
On top of the largest asteroid was one of those mobile mining stations that was embedded right next to something that was half the size of the Great Fox itself.
"I think that's the target," Fox said, "The human ship."
The Imperial craft beside the mining station was coloured blue, ultramarine blue to be precise. It had a large cannon fixated on the top and smaller chain-gun like cannons to the sides. It had large Omega sign on the top.
"Guess they're about to crack into it," Falco said, noting the makeshift airlock built into the side of the craft that connected to the miner, "Do we stop em'?"
Suddenly, the station's guns opened fire with green laser.
"Obviously," Fox cried.
They swooped in and begun to shoot out the guns, Falco sustained a blast to his left wing.
"Damn," he cursed, "Just reconditioned this baby!"
"Put a cap in it, Falco!" Fox exclaimed, "Disable the station guns. It's no good to us destroyed."
"Roger that," Slippy acknowledged.
Falco could only grumble as they soon finished destroying all the weapons emplacements, receiving little resistance in return.
"Receiving transmission from the mining station," Slippy informed.
"Patch it through, Slip," Fox said.
Star Fox, the Venomian station replied, This is the crew of Miner V-#23. We surrender in the name of Emperor Oikonny.
Fox was about to open his mouth to accept the apes' surrender when…
We accept your surrender, Bill's voice ran over the coms as another capital ship flew overhead and above the Arwings, Prepare to be boarded, with your weapons down.
Understood, the miner replied.
The station's hanger opened up slowly, allowing a transport ship to enter.
Thanks for the assist, Fox, Bill said, smiling.
Fox smirked, "Anytime."
You guys wanna hang around? Bill offered, See what these bastards were after?
Fox thought on the offer.
"What do you guys think?" Fox asked, addressing Falco, Slippy, Peppy and Krystal.
"That'd be a really good idea," Slippy said, smiling, "It'll give me a chance to study the human's technology."
It'd like to see what that ship has to offer as well, Peppy said.
"Whatever," Falco grumbled, uninterested in a (his opinion) hunk of human metal.
"How about you, Krys?" Fox asked.
The com was silent for a moment, before Krystal replied, Sure, Fox
"Then it's settled," Fox replied, "Hold on Bill, we're coming in."
The Arwing flew towards the hangar as well, while Krystal and Peppy watched from the bridge of the Great Fox.
Peppy turned to Krystal.
"Don't you want to join Fox and check this out?" he asked.
Krystal with her head down, shook her head, "It's been too long. I don't think I can bear knowing ofmy world's demise."
"I understand," Peppy replied.
The Arwings flew into the mining station's hangar, were already they saw ape and reptilian personnel being rounded up by Cornerian marines.
Falco noted how there were still lizards among the Venomian ranks.
"Scalies are still Oikonny's bootlegs?" he queried out aloud, "Don't they have anything better to do?"
"Obviously not," Fox said as they landed within the hangar.
The moment Fox, Falco and Slippy jumped out of their Arwings they were approached by a blaster-rifle-carrying marine, who upon standing before them, saluted.
"Fox McCloud," he begun, "Commander Grey is waiting for you near Airlock #4."
"Right," Fox said, "Lead the way, soldier."
The marine nodded and they followed him as he led them through the facility. They took in their surroundings, passing by equipment storage, weapons storage, operations and communications; where they noticed a tech at the holograph projector.
"Have you got that communicator working yet?" a marine asked the tech.
"Almost," the tech replied, "Something is sure jamming this thing. Possibly that ship this thing is stuck near."
They passed by several marines that were escorting prisoners to the hangar, to await transportation back to the capital ship, which hung overhead the station.
"Never thought a movable mining facility was this big," Slippy commented.
"Yeah," Falco agreed, "It's amazing how huge the insides of a tiny driller are."
Soon they were at the control room of Airlock #4, where Bill and a squad of marines waited for them.
'So that's Bill without his damn helmet,' Fox thought snidely, noting this fact.
"Hey guys," Bill greeted, "Ready to go in?"
"In?" Fox asked Fox asked, eyebrows queered.
Bill indicated the human ship through the glass of the airlock, which led through a translucent chamber to the ship's side entrance.
"You can't be serious," Falco said.
"Oikonny, was looking for what's in this hulk of metal," Bill argued, "It think it's logical that we get to before he does."
That is logical, Krystal's voice and image chirped in over Fox's communicator.
"Krystal?" Fox said questioningly, "What…?"
Bill smiled, "You heard the lady. Lets move!"
Before Fox could respond, Krystal's face disappeared and the airlock opened. Bill and his entourage stepped through the chamber to the door, where the engineer was at work.
"Hows the door, Jefferson?" Bill asked the bulldog of an engineer.
"5th lock is cut," Jefferson replied, cutter in hand, "Y'know, human technology is in ways almost similar to ours. Not counting this ship however, it's slightly primitive in design and structure."
"Tell me about it," Bill agreed.
"You guys know about human technology?" Slippy asked.
Bill nodded, "A little."
"All locks now CUT!" Jefferson exclaimed and stepped back from the door, which opened, revealing darkness and a cool mist.
The marines activated the lights on their rifles, which they flashed in and revealed a hallway.
"Let's go explore," Bill said, stepping through along with his troop.
Fox, Falco and Slippy looked at one another questioningly. They nodded and stepped through.
A corridor greeted them, with several doors to the sides leading to different rooms. The interior of the ship was cold and metal, looking like iron studded with bolts. It had a rather technologically medieval feel to it.
"Up ahead," Bill said.
Flashing their torches everywhere, they took in their surroundings as they headed for the door at the other end. They stopped before it.
The door had a banner on it. It was an Omega sign crossed with a human skull, which was resting above a laurel of leaves which was fixed above a red ribbon with this word inscribed on it…
ULTRA.
"Ultra?" Falco chided, "Ultra-what?"
Fox rolled his eyes. Obviously Falco couldn't stand being around anything human, and being within one of their ships must be devastating and gut wrenching to him.
That's what Fox sarcastically thought.
"We go in here?" Slippy asked.
"Go for it," Fox said.
Slippy noticed a panel next to the door. He cautiously pushed it, and the door opened, startling the frog.
"Easy, Slip," Fox chuckled.
"Sorry," he said sheepishly.
They flashed their torches in to reveal a large room, with several computer and terminal lining the walls and near the windows.
"No prizes for guessing what this room is for?" Falco remarked.
They stepped onto the bridge, taking in their surroundings.
"This is something, ain't it?" Bill said, smiling lightly, "Bet the ship's computer, if they have a computer, must have co-ordinates to over a million worlds."
"And you plan on exploring any of them?" Falco asked light-heartedly, "I don't think the Imperium would like that, seeing as we are…"
He stepped back from the others.
"…foul xenos!" he finished.
"Where did you get that?" Fox asked, eyebrows crossed in question.
Suddenly, Fox's communicator beeped, which he quickly answered.
"Yeah?"
You guys, Peppy begun, ROB says he's detected two extra heartbeats in your area.
"Ten?" Fox queried, noting their were eight of them in the room, "Where's that extra two?"
It has to be close, Peppy said, You should be careful, God knows what's on board that ship.
Slippy then noticed the seat at the front of the bridge.
"Hey," he begun, "What's that?"
All eyes and torches turned towards the seat, which Slippy was pointing at. They noticed a blue armoured hand on the armrest, covered slightly in mist.
Fox drew his blaster, where the four marines had their rifles ready. He walked up to the back of the seat.
He spun the seat around, seeing the entity.
And almost jumping out his skin…