Disclaimer: See the Prologue

Chapter 27 – Cold Space

On the complete edge of the system, where all roads out of Lylat led to possible imminent death at the hands of a certain xenophobic galactic empire of bipedal mammals, personnel of Defence Station #34 went about their daily lives…or what can be considered their lives.

The personnel of the Lylatian Defences Stations each had seen better lives then being made to keep on 24-hour watches in case outsiders wanted to move in on Lylat. They especially feared the Imperium and what they could do and how many they were; they would only hope that if the humans would ever attempt to invade Lylat, the stations' ultra-cannons could keep them all at bay.

And those weapons would. That was why the Imperium had never thought of attacking Lylat and wasting even one of their warships in trying to take over a relatively small patch of space.

Right now, their morale was at an all-time low, seeing how that Orks had somehow managed to sneak their way through the tight perimeter that was Lylat and not be picked up on their senses. And their productivity was also suffering…

"Hey, wake up!" an officer called out to the lone dozing technician at his terminal in the control room.

The tech quickly got his feet of the terminal and quickly composed himself, rubbing his eyes.

"Sorry," he replied, "Resting my eyes."

"God, man," the officer, a dark-coloured weasel said, "Where do they recruit guys like you?"

"Where they do with everybody else," the tech, a ferret, answered, "The Academy at Corneria."

"You don't say," the officer replied vehemently, "Just try to keep your eyes open for at least five minutes. You don't want the Imperium sneaking in."

The ferret chuckled, "What the hell would they want with Lylat anyway? They control half the universe."

Suddenly…

OUTSIDE SPACE CRAFT APPROACHING LYLATIAN BORDER

"Huh?" the ferret begun, his attention returning to him, where he focussed on the screen.

"What?" the officer cried, running up to the terminal, where his eyes then widened, "Oh…dear…"

The technician typed away at his terminal.

"There's eight of them," he said, seeing the incoming ships' specification on his screen, "And they're heading straight for us."

Approaching the Lylat System where eight large blue-coloured starships, ultramarine blue to be precise. They sailed past the nebulas as if they didn't have a care in the world.

And on board the lead starship…

"We are near the Lylatian Border Defence Zone. Their weapons are on-line and are aimed at us."

"Continue the approach, pilot. They will power down their guns and let us through soon enough."

"Are you sure, my lord?"

"Trust me, pilot. I know how these xenos think. And I am to believe that some of them will be grateful that we are here."

"Understood, Lord Macragge."

Back in the station control room, everyone was now at their terminals, most of which were understandably in a panic.

"What'll we do, sir?" someone asked the officer.

"Contact Central Command," the officer ordered, rubbing his chin nervously as he watched the main screen, and what was approaching them slowly.

Sitting at his desk in his office, General Pepper waited quietly for the phone to ring, having a hunch that his next call would be to inform him that they have arrived. To his side was a bottle of Cornerian whisky, and a shot glass.

'Macragge,' he thought, 'If you dare cause more damage than what Oikonny and those godless bastard does, I swear I will make you suffer. I still haven't forgiven you for Falconia and Evergreen.'

And with that, he downed a shot, just as the phone rang.

"General Pepper speaking," he said.

Sir, the other line begun distressfully, A fleet of eight Imperial starships is approaching the northern defensive perimeter. What do we do?

'Eight?' Pepper thought, 'Not much of a fleet. How unlike you, Macragge.'

Sir? the other line said, What do we do about the humans?

Pepper sighed, and downed another shot.

"Let them pass," Pepper simply said.

SIR?

"Follow my orders," Pepper said

Yes…yes, sir, the other line replied, hesitantly.

Pepper put the phone down…and gulped down another shot of whisky. This was out of his control now.

'Fox McCloud,' he thought, 'Hope your friendship with Mortensen keeps you from getting skinned by those bastards.'

Meanwhile, the Great Fox was en-route towards Sector X, double-timed. Slippy was understandably on edge, and everyone could see that.

"Hey Slip," Falco begun, patting him gently on the back, "Don't worry pal, we'll save your old man."

Slippy nodded, "I know you guys will."

He then looked back at Jacques, who was encased once again in his power armour. Just looking at that interesting piece of human technology took some of the stress away. He'd been meaning to try and study that suit of intergalactic armour, but he never gotten around to doing it.

Jacques noticed he was staring at him, so he looked back with those fiery green eyes of his, sending a chill down the frog's spine.

'Those eyes always give me the freaks,' he thought, 'They look almost like Fox's."

Jacques then noticed him looking away. His eyebrows queered in confusion.

'He startles very easy,' he thought, 'Curious.'

Jacques then looked over at Fox, who was sitting in his chair, looking slightly tense. He stepped up to him and looked down at the seated vulpine, where he instantly looked up at him.

"Are you alright, Fox?" Jacques asked.

Fox exhaled, "Yeah. I'll be fine."

"You and Grey," he continued, "You were close friends?"

Fox, surprised he was still pushing on the subject, replied, "Yeah. We go about a few years."

Jacques nodded, before saying, "I unfortunately can not make any assurances, but there is still a chance that we can save him from the daemon inside of him."

Fox smiled glumly, "Appreciate that little fact, Jacques. I really do."

Jacques could sense Fox wasn't very enthusiastic about what he had just said. Particularly the words 'unfortunately' and 'can not.' He turned away, unhooking his boltgun and cocking it, the sound almost making everyone jump.

Meanwhile not so far off, a lone fighter sailed through the void, it's pilot not exactly knowing where he was going, whilst at the same time feeling an immense amount of pain.

"Where…are you taking me?" he gasped out loud.

He then spoke again, this time in a different, more sinister voice.

"I am taking you to where you're miserable existence, as well as everybody elses', will end, William."

The husky had a rather angry look on his face.

"Bullshit!" Bill exclaimed, "You can't do this. Someone will stop you."

He then smiled as the daemon took hold of him again, "Don't be so sure. I own you now, and I must thank you for accommodating me these past three months."

"Bite me!" Bill growled.

He then found his body extend his hand before him, before violently twisting it, effectively dislocating it. Bill screamed in pain.

"You were saying?" the daemon asked, smartly, "No one speaks to me like that. No mortal has ever spoken to me like that."

He then twisted again, relocating the arm and causing Bill to scream again.

"FUCK YOU!" Bill cursed in pain.

The daemon then made him smile, "Get used to it, William. This is but a taste of the pain you will feel in but a few hours."

The daemon then laughed cruelly, as the fighter-of-the-damned continued to sail through space, it's destination almost in full view.

But with Star Fox, their destination was already in full view…

"God, what a mess," Krystal said softly.

She held a photograph of Beltino Research Facilty. It was a space station, which had a rather large telescope in the centre, much like a futuristic version of the hobble-telescope. The vixen then looked out the window over the station, which she immediately spotted several differences.

The telescope was missing; several parts of the station were demolished, where air was flowing freely out of, and several parts of the station were on fire.

All faces on board the bridge were glum as they watched the station burn, even Jacques. Fox turned to Peppy…

"Anyone still alive?" Fox asked.

"Already scanning," Peppy replied from behind his terminal, "Only one life form."

"Where?" Slippy asked quickly, "Is it my dad?"

Peppy smiled, "It is. He's holed up in of the labs in the centre of the station, where the telescope used to be, which I presume he's wearing a spacesuit because that area is bathed in vacuum."

Fox smirked and said, "We'll go get him, then. Fly us to one of the airlocks."

The Great Fox slowly moved itself to the side of the station, where it connected itself to a barely working airlock system. Fox, Falco, Krystal, Slippy and Jacques stood outside the spare airlock of the ship, seeing as Jacque's Thunderhawk was still connected to the main one; where they were all dressed in their environ-suits, while Jacques secured his helmet and armour and held his boltgun in his hands.

"What's with the gun?" Falco asked, looking over his shoulder, "I doubt whomever hit this placed decided to stick around."

"A Space Marine never goes anywhere without his weapon," Jacques replied firmly.

"Fair enough," Falco replied, not wanting to argue with the person who was holding the gun.

Alright, you guys, Peppy said over their coms, Try to be as quick as you can. I don't know how long the station can hold itself together.

"Just don't go and leave us here if the station is about to blow," Falco said.

Never, Peppy replied, Good luck.

The airlock opened, which they all stepped through, where the door closed and bolted behind them. Everyone was quiet for a few seconds, before the second door opened, revealing a corpse-filled airlock, with their faces looking like they were gasping for air.

"Looks like they got asphyxiated," Slippy said, noting that the airlock was riddled with hole, with what sounded like wind blowing past them.

"I will take point," Jacques announced, stepping forward over the bodies to the door, labelled Lobby.

It surprisingly opened for them, leading towards another door; they then stepped through, where they heard the first door close behind them, before the bolts in the second opened, giving them access to…

"Damn!" Fox cursed.

…the lobby, where bodies floated around the place, some towards the large holes that were in the walls and led out to space. Blood that flowed the shot-up, hacked and otherwise mutilated corpses floated all over the place.

As Jacques stepped forward, the blood decorated his armour at first touch. He frowned behind his helmet, where he breathed steadily.

"This can't be happening," Slippy moaned, "This is where my dad lives!"

"Relax," Fox said, "He's alive. He's a few rooms…"

He checked his PDA, and looked over the station schematics over a blinking red dot. He pointed…

"…north."

They stepped forward, with Jacques still in the lead, him holding the gun. Jacques pushed past the dead bodies, allowing them floating into space. Krystal just tried to avoid touching them, almost on the brink of freaking out.

'Focus,' she thought, 'Just focus.'

Slippy was just sweating in his suit, just from the tension. A body floated by him and he clamped his mouth shut just to suppress screaming his head off. Only in his worst nightmare has he seen bodies floating past him into space while he and his bodies walk through an exposed space station, their magnetic boots keeping them from floating away as well.

They passed through an open doorway, where more blood, gore and floating bodies met them. Most of the poor souls were carved up, while some others had gasping looks on their faces.

"The next door on the right," Fox said, "Jacques?"

The Marine nodded, where he stepped before it, seeing as it hasn't opened for them. He banged on it, not hearing a thing.

"You can't hear anything," Falco pointed out, "We're in space."

"I know that," Jacques replied, "But I sense that this door has been barred from the other side."

They stepped up towards it, where Falco rolled his eyes around.

"How do we get in, then?" the avian asked.

Krystal looked up, seeing the vents were above them. She smiled, reached down to her boots…

"Krystal?" Fox said questioningly.

…and disengaged her magnets, where she floated up towards it. Fox smirked.

'That's my vixen,' he thought.

Krystal tore open the vent grating and floated in, where she quickly scampered through the ventilation until she was above the barred room. She pushed the grating into the room aside and floated in gracefully, where she engaged her magnets, keeping her to the floor.

She saw that the door was barred, seeing several file cabinets barring it. She exhaled and got to work moving the junk.

Five minutes later, the others saw the door opened, to see Krystal with her hand on the side of the door.

"Was there a lot to move?" Fox asked.

Krystal nodded, wishing she could wipe the sweat from her brow, "Yes. There was."

They moved in, with Jacques keeping a tight grip on his boltgun. The room appeared to be an office.

"Beltino's office," Fox said, "I should have known."

"Where is he?" Falco asked, "You said he was in this room."

Fox then eyed a cabinet situated across from the desk. Fox nudged towards it, and the avian nodded. He walked up to it…and tore the door open…

"ARGHH!"

…where suddenly a panic-stricken frog in a spacesuit barrelled out and landed face first onto the metal floor.

"Beltino!" Fox exclaimed.

The frog quickly got up and backed up against the wall, panic completely taking him over. To him, his fear and rashness blurred his vision.

"OUT!" he cried, "YOU GOTTA GET ME OUT!"

"Dad!" Slippy exclaimed, "It's us!"

He stepped to him and took his clothed hands, squeezing them firmly.

"It's me."

Beltino looked up at his sons eyes, where he felt his panic slowly dissipate, quickly being replaced by relief, and the joy of seeing his flesh and blood.

"Slippy?"

The young frog smiled and nodded, "Yeah, dad. It's me."

"Oh thank God," Beltino said, "I thought no one will receive my transmission, I…AHHH!"

He saw Jacques standing nearby, which to Beltino was a very hostile Space Marine. He quickly gripped his son's shoulder.

"WATCH OUT!" he cried, "HUMAN! SPACE MARINE! DANGEROUS!"

Fox sighed, "Relax. He's with us."

"Huh?"

The human stepped forward, shouldering his boltgun.

"Jacques Mortensen," he introduced himself, "Recent addition to Team Star Fox as the Heavy Weapons Expert."

He then stretched his hand forward, knowing that the frog couldn't see his friendly smile through his helmet. Beltino looked at him, before hesitantly accepting it, shaking it firmly.

"Beltino Toad," he said, "Cornerian Research and Development. I must say…"

He smiled nervously.

"This is a first."

"What is?" Slippy asked, eyebrows crossed.

"That we've made contact with a Space Marine and he hasn't tried to blow or beat the holy bejeebers out of us," Beltino explained.

"He's part of the team," Fox assured him, "Now, let's double time back to the Great Fox."

Minutes later, they were back on board the Great Fox, where Beltino sat in Fox's chair, with a blanket over him and holding a cop of coffee with both hands. As he took a sip, he noticed everyone standing before him, and staring.

He looked back, and said, "Yes?"

"What happened, dad?" Slippy asked.

"What?"

"What attacked the station?" Falco said, arms crossed, "You've spent 10 minutes sitting there, I think we're entitled to an explanation."

"Oh," Beltino said, dumbfounded, "We were attacked by these green-skinned beasts…"

'Orks,' everyone thought, rolling their eyes, 'Damn it.'

"…first they shot out our defences from space, before boarding and butchering everyone they can see. Then they stole the telescope and then they begun punching holes in the station. I had the only space suit, so everyone else…"

He downcast his eyes.

"…got smothered by the vacuum."

"We saw that," Krystal remarked, trying to erase the thoughts of all those floating bodies in the hollowed out space station out of her head.

"Anything else?" Slippy asked.

"I…I heard one of the Orks mention the planet Papetoon and how some 'red-arse' is building a 'biggie gun.'"

"Papetoon?" Fox repeated, then frowned, "Then that is where we are headed."

"My thoughts exactly," Jacques said, "I suspect that Oikonny himself is there on that world, and so is the rest of his forces, including his Orkish mercenaries."

"That's all our thoughts really," Falco added.

"Let's do it, then," Fox said, "Papetoon it is."

Soon, the Great Fox was steering in the direction of planet Papetoon, which was since long forgotten by almost all those who lived outside that lost world.