Disclaimer: See the Prologue
Chapter 21 – Burden of Leadership
Shifting through what was left of the Great Fox's bridge, Slippy had a very grim look on his face. Standing near the doorway were two Cornerian Marines, who gripped their blaster rifles nervously, at seeing the state of the room.
The Ork's bullets sure had torn a lot out the bridge, which they immediately noticed the second they stepped onto it. Slippy felt the gentle breeze in the room as it came from the shattered main window of the room as the ship moved slowly, just above the ground.
He saw ROB's still form standing there near Peppy's terminal, which was also destroyed with a bullet to it's monitor. The robot itself was no better, having bullet holes in it's head and torso. Slippy stepped up to the fallen machine.
He sighed, "Sorry, old buddy. I've got to try..."
He took out his screwdriver and fixated on the around ROB's head. He slowly begun turning each of the bolts delicately, each one slipping out and falling to the floor, in full view of the guards.
"What's he doin'…?" one of, which asked the other, who in, returned shrugged.
Meanwhile in the armoury, Jacques was browsing through his Imperial implements of destruction, many thoughts running through his head.
'I have been given advisory command of a alien force,' he thought, picking up a medium-sized boltgun, 'I just hope they take my directive seriously.'
He then picked up a chainsword, which he looked over for a moment, then put it back on it's rack. He then eyed the Power Fist sitting on top of a few boxes. He smiled and stepped forward towards it, picking it up and attaching it to his left hand.
'The armoured fist of the Emperor,' he thought.
When he stepped out, he almost bumped into Slippy, who was surprised to see the frog carrying ROB's head, who in return was surprised to see the human with a very large left hand.
They looked at each for a moment, studying what the other was carrying. They then stepped out of the hallway together, and towards the airlock, leading back into the Cornerian battlecrusier.
'Don't ask,' the both of them thought of the other, 'It will be complicated.'
Meanwhile, Fox stepped onto the bridge, which was almost dark except for the light projecting off the main screen and the pilots' and technicians' terminals.
"Sir," the main pilot begun, "We're approaching the coordinates Pepper sent us."
Fox nodded, "Set us down a few miles from that location."
"Yes sir."
The cruiser, with the Great Fox, which in turn had the Imperial Thunderhawk transport still attached to it, extended it's landing gears and slowly made contact with the grey surface of the planet. Surprisingly, everyone felt the landing.
"Whew, that was rough," Falco said, stepping onto the bridge, joining Fox on the bridge.
Krystal sat in the ship's armoury, once again cleaning her staff, the gift from the Space Marine known as Jacques, and thinking of what's to come…and of what they are all about to face.
She could not believe the Orks have returned to Lylat, after so many years, after Cerinia's demise, after the deaths of almost a billion of her people; counting 500 Imperial Space Marines, who had fought and died along with them.
The vixen was just as questioned, as Jacques was about the Imperium's involvement in the final defence of Cerinia. Why would they risk a whole company of Ultramarines to defend a planet of, in a human's opinion, Xenos? It made no sense.
As she grabbed a blaster in a holster and wrapped it around her blue bodysuit, she contemplated those things, and of the Marine himself…Jacques.
She smiled when she thought about him and how he went out of his way in protecting her. The human was like a brother to her, and she could only hope that Jacques thought of her somewhat as family.
Krystal then suddenly thought of Fox, and how he was going to be involved in this as well.
It was true of what most people thought of the both of them. She did love him as more than a friend, but with what's going on at the moment, it felt only right to hold off telling him so until this conflict was past them.
'Soon Fox,' she thought, 'I promise. Soon.'
She sensed they had landed; so grabbing her staff and the blaster dangling from her holster hanging suggestively from the belt around her waist, she stepped out.
Meanwhile, watching some far off, crouched behind some rocks was a couple of small greenskins, more appropriately known as Gretchen; with their long noses and small ears attached to their small bodies.
"Oh dear," one of them said nervously, "Those furries are coming for us."
"We should tell the others," the other said.
"Why should we?"
"Huh?"
"Let's let them smash Gorgutz. He's been pushing us around since we landed on this miserable rock."
"If we don't tell him and he survives, he'll grind us into the ground.
The gretchen then went pale, at the thought of the Warboss killing them slowly and painfully.
"Eek! Good idea."
So they ran for it, just as the large ramp leading into the cruiser's vehicle bay lowered, revealing a dozen Cornerian-produced Tanks, Armoured Personnel Carriers and one Mobile Command Unit.
Jacques was with them, and with an attached headset communicator, as he sat on top of one of the tanks.
All right, Fox's voice begun over the com, The Venomian base is a mile off, so move as indiscriminately as you can.
I can only trust you'll be ready with that air support? the ground commander replied, who was sitting in the Mobile Command Unit.
Trust us, Falco replied, smartly.
And make sure you listen to Mortensen, Fox replied, He knows what we're up against and how to bring them down.
We will, the commander replied, then addressed all the units under his command as he sat in his seat, Move out.
The vehicles moved off the ramp and begun to drive away from the cruiser into the distance. Fox, Falco and Krystal watched them drive off from the bridge. They then headed towards the hangar, where waiting for them was about a hundred Cornerian fighters, a pilot standing beside each one.
"Commander on the deck," a flight leader announced.
They all stood to attention, which really impressed Fox.
"At ease," he replied.
Thirty minutes into the mission, the vehicular convoy rumbled over the grey surface, the troops in the APC not sitting well, unfamiliar with what they are up against.
And also who was fighting with them.
"Damn," one of them complained, "I can't believe we have a human 'advising' us."
"Get used to it, Reynolds," the sergeant ordered, "Be lucky it's only one human."
More nervous was the crew of the tank that Jacques was sitting on, prompting them to stay silent, both verbally and mentally, believing that he could hear through metal and read their thoughts.
'Don't think…don't think,' the tank's commander thought, 'They have eerie powers.'
The main commander, an Alsatian canine, was reading over reports of what they were up against, his eyes wide with saucers.
'They're from the other side of the universe?' he thought, 'What are the hell are they doing here?'
Commander?
He almost jumped upon hearing the human's voice grace his communications.
"Yes Mortensen?" the commander responded.
We are near the Ork's position, Jacques said, We should slow down and call in air support.
"I copy, Mortensen," the commander replied, then said, "All units. Prepare to halt."
Yes sir, the other voices said over the coms.
Right away, sir.
Affirmative.
The convoy stopped, where between them was a massive clearing, and in the distance a large fortification with a towering structure in the centre. Outside the walls were several large calibre gun emplacements, and winding trenches with Orks dug in and armed with rocket launchers.
One Nob looked over the convoy with his zoom-goggles, and cursed.
"Bloody ell'!" he cried, "We'ze guns nat gonna' reach em'!"
A technician turned to the commander in the Command Unit.
"We're just out their defences' range," the tech reported.
The commander nodded and reached for his communicator.
"McCloud," he begun, "Time for you to do your stuff. Don't disappoint us."
The vulpine smirked as he sat in his cockpit, as he, Falco and Krystal, and about a hundred Cornerian fighters sailed above the flat land.
"We're already there," Fox replied.
"So sit back, relax and I hope you enjoy the massive lightshow," Falco added, smiling and cracking his fingers, letting go of the controls for a second.
The fortress was soon in sight, as was the armoured convoy, which was positioning itself for it's inevitable run.
"All ships," Fox begun, "Target the main ground defence system. We pull out the second the AA starts up. Then the tanks can mop up what's left of the outside."
"I copy, Fox," Krystal replied.
Suddenly, Fox's alarms blurred.
Sir! a pilot cried over com, Enemy aircraft approaching.
A few dozen Venomian-produced fighters flew from the fortress and beared down on Star Fox. Each one carrying a singular Ork pilot; one of which adjusted his goggles.
"Awright flyboyz!" he growled, before chanting, "Ere' we go, ere' we go, ere' we go!"
Falco smirked, checking his computer, "There's only 45 of them and their piloted by greenies, they should be easy."
Jacques looked up at the sky, about to witness the inevitable battle between Star Fox and the Cornerian fighters against the Orks and their looted fighters.
Mortensen! the commander's voice exclaimed, Radar's picking up another hundred aircraft coming down from the atmosphere!
Jacques eyes widened, before touching his headset, "What?"
Suddenly, artillery began to fall on top of the armoured units, sending Jacques falling off the tank and landing on the soil.
"Argh!" he cried.
What the hell…? the commander cried, We're suppose to be out of their range.
Enemy tanks approaching! a panic stricken voice blurted, They're…they're Imperial tanks!
Jacques picked himself and looked ahead, his eyes still wide. Rumbling towards them were Looted Leman Russ Tanks, followed by a dozen Wartrucks, each one carrying a few squads of Orks.
"Command," Jacques cried, "Order your tanks to open fire and your soldiers to disembark and ready their weapons."
Right, the commander replied, But the troops…?
"Prepare to repel invaders," Jacques responded.
Meanwhile…
"I don't believe this!" Krystal cried, "Venomian fighters coming up from behind us."
What? Fox cried, looking behind him.
Sure enough, another hundred Venomian fighters were bearing down on them from behind.
"All squadrons!" Fox cried, "Break formation! Engage enemy on all sides!"
Roger that!
Yes sir!
Fox gripped his controls, before saying, "Krystal?"
Yes? she said, seriously.
"Be careful, will you?" he asked, his voice soft with reason.
Krystal smiled and replied, "As always…Ahh!"
A laser blast hit her ship, luckily being absorbed by her shield.
Can we focus on romantics later? Falco exclaimed, "Dogfightin' time!"
What followed was a massive aerial battle, with Star Fox and the Cornerians fighting the one-hundred and forty Venomian fighters. The battle rose up to the clouds, which soon begun to light up with the laser fire sailing through the sky and hitting the nearest enemy craft.
Fox had two fighters on his tail, where he did his best at dodging their rapid-fire laser cannons. He performed a somersault and managed to blast the both of them, their Orkish pilots screaming as they exploded.
Falco pursued one fighter, where he could see the growling Ork flyboy sitting in it. He chased the Ork through the clouds, before charging his laser and locking on to the fighter.
"Loot this!" he exclaimed, before firing off the blast.
It zeroed in on the Ork, blowing it completely out of the sky in a miniature explosion.
By this time, the Cornerian tanks firing their heavy lasers at the Looted Tanks, who was still opening up with artillery, while the Wartrucks were getting closer to them.
"Aim only for the tanks!" Jacques ordered, "They're the biggest threat here."
If those damn enemy trucks get closer, their troops will tear us apart! the commander responded.
Jacques was about to open his mouth when suddenly the screams of a tank crew going up in flames filled his ears, and him feeling the resulting explosion's heat upon his face and sting his eyes. He then closed his eyes and ran behind an APC, where he banged his hand on the back of it.
"Do it! Time for these soldiers to fight for their system, and whatever else they stand for!"
The Cornerian tanks continued to fire on the tanks, with the tanks that were concentrating on the Wartrucks shifting their guns towards the tanks.
"Bloodi' ell'!" the gunner of one of the Looted Tanks cried, "Argh!"
The Leman Russ tanks soon exploded, scattering scrapnel and body parts everywhere. The other tanks soon followed, their hulls rupturing and their ammunition exploding form the inside.
The Cornerian troops piled out of the APCs, guns loaded and taking cover behind the tanks.
"What are we doing out?" one of the sergeant's asked Jacques, who was crouched behind a firing tank.
The Marine turned to the sarge, and motioning him to stay down, which he did.
"Prepare to repel Orks," Jacques replied, before turning to his communicator, "All vehicles, move backwards to clear some kill zone."
Roger that!
AffirmativeThe line of vehicles moved back some, just as the Wartrucks each performed perfect 160-degree spins, their entry/exit ramps facing the Cornerians.
Oiright boyz, an Ork over the radio cried, Tim' ta' chop em' up ta ittle' bitti' pieces!
Thirty metres away from the Cornerian positions, the Ork piled out of a dozen Wartrucks, brandishing swords, axes, flame-throwers, machine-guns and rocket launchers. Their blades were the first to be seen by the fear-stricken Cornerian soldiers.
"They've got freakin' swords!" one soldier exclaimed loudly.
"There's too many of them!" another one cried.
Suddenly, the Orks pulled out their rocket launchers and fired, the projectiles sailing 30 metres towards the tanks. The Cornerians quickly dove away from the tanks as their turrets were all blown off. One tank exploded, sending Cornerians flying.
"Heh heh heh!" a Nob cried, "Dat's right boyz. Blow dem' turrets off!"
Fear and low-morale begun to take over the hearts of the Cornerian soldiers. They had never faced an enemy such as this, and not in close-quarters either.
The sergeant turned angrily to the human.
"We can't take all of those damn things on!" he cried, "They're cut us in half."
Jacques nodded, "Yes they will. But not if…"
He pulled out his boltgun.
"…the men are in line."
He then fired into the air and got up on his feet, startling the sergeant and getting all eyes to focus on him. All fright-filled eyes.
"Soldiers of Lylat, hear me!" he begun, his voice with high-authority, "You will stand your ground here and will see to it that no Ork breaks our line."
Meanwhile, the Orks…
"Charge, boyz!"
…begun to charge towards the Cornerians, no fear or doubt clouding their minds. They did not fear the tanks' turrets or the guns of their soldiers, which this bravery was fuelled by their desire to harvest more skulls.
Lylatian skulls.
"Here they f#$#ing come!" one soldier cried, "Run!"
He turned and was about to run, when he felt a bolt graze the side of his head, luckily not wounding him badly.
"Ah!" he cried, his hand covering the graze.
Holding his smoking boltgun, Jacques continued, "You will either continue to hold your positions and fire upon these rabbles of greenskin or…"
He raised his power-gloved fist in the air, in a crushing motion.
"…you will face my wrath here and now! And believe me, I can wipe you all out in a few heartbeats."
The Cornerian eyes widened. The last thing anybody wants in Lylat is to face a Space Marine, especially one who happens to be leading you.
"You will do what he says!" the commander cried, stepping out his Command Unit which was parked behind the column of tanks and APC, and drawing his blaster, "Or else you will be punished for desertion."
The Cornerians all nodded nervously, before frowning determinedly and gripping their weapons. They took position behind the tanks, which begun firing on the incoming Ork. The commander himself crouched next to Jacques.
"I must say," the commander begun, smirking, "That was sure a handy way to 'motivate' your troops."
"I am learning as I go," Jacques replied.
They then aimed at the incoming Orks, whose battlecries they could all hear as they moved closer.
"Ready," the commander cried, "Fire!"
The Cornerians fired their laser weaponry, including blaster rifles and mini-guns, at the Orks, instantly cutting down the first row, which were soon crushed under the feet of their fellow Ork as they fell. One soldier opened up with a grenade launcher, sending Ork flying.
"They're getting closer!" a soldier called out.
Fifteen metres away, the Orks fired their submachine guns, the bullets cutting through several soldiers, the rest taking deep cover.
"Now what?" the commander cried, "They're firing back!"
Jacques frowned, "We engage them at close quarters."
The commander suddenly turned to him, startled at the thought of fighting axe-wielding aliens hand-to-hand with rifle-butts.
"What?"