"You know that I control the galaxy." – Emperor Andross, StarFox 64
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chapter 2, Behind Enemy Lines
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Macbeth Western Front, (Cornerian Zone)
So far so good. There wasn't a trace of the Cornerian's being alerted beyond the fact that they reinforced the bunker they once had at the bottom of the hill with a dozen troops and a Landmaster. Jim wasn't worried one bit about this mission. Rayn had so far been quiet, despite the last remark he made at the Sentry tower. And the other commandos were running fine.
Before them lied an empty valley with the occasional Cornerian scout or sniper and possibly a Greenie that could be patrolling the area. Then they got to the base where the war was being fed petrol.
Gee, if every mission ran like this, the war would be over. Jim thought. The war had become more than a job. It had become a cause. For all his life, Jim's father had fought against annihilation, for the right to live. But Jim was fighting for something more… he was fighting for freedom.
"Jim, there's nothing but mines and trenches from here all the way to the Cornerian base." Jewel said.
"I know." Jim said, "We'll need some kind of cover. APC rolls in, we'll be sitting ducks."
"How about we spread out?" Rayn said sarcastically.
"All right, keep COM lines open." Jim said.
His team moved to the side. They all unknowingly checked their ammo counters simultaneously.
This is where it gets tough. Jim just knew it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Great Fox-B
Less than a minute had passed and the Wolfen II had landed in the Great Fox'shangar bay. Amber came back to join Kiara and Michelle. The three women walked down the stairs to greet the pilot who they only knew as Luke O'Donnel and none had met prior.
The canopy to the cockpit opened with a hissing noise and out jumped a strong, young wolf. The Luke was about the same size as Jim, weightwise and heightwise, Michelle noted. His facial features resembled his father's from what Michelle recollected from pictures on the internet and the interplanetary database.
"I hope I'm not too late." He said. His voice was deep and commanding. His outfit was that of a true experienced criminal: brown coat, gray pants, Cornerian marine issued combat boots, gloves cut off at the fingers. Michelle was surprised to see that he wore no eye patch.
"For what?" Kiara asked.
"The war."
"The war started a year ago." Michelle said.
"I know, but I ran into a few hitches along the way here."
"Why'd you come here in the first place?" Amber asked.
"My father had some kind of deal with Fox McCloud. They must of finished it 28 years ago due to his helping them 'gainst the Aparoids. Tired of doin' nothing. Decided that since I got no beef with Jim, might as well join him in the war. He's famous among the outer colonies, you know?"
"So I heard. Just never fully believed rumors." Kiara said.
"Well, where do I sign up?" he asked.
"You're welcome to stay based at the Great Fox." Amber said. Michelle sensed a certain giddiness in her voice.
"Sure thing. You'll rearm and refuel my ship?"
"'Long as you don't betray us." Michelle said, "We'll be your best friends."
"Look forward to it. But first, I could use some R and R. Got a spare room?"
"Right this way." Amber said. She gestured Luke to follow her to an extra cabin.
Kiara and Michelle watched as Amber led Luke to the elevator to bring him to one of the spare cabins.
"Gee, she hasn't even met the guy and she's already trying to get him in bed."
Michelle giggled, "You wouldn't believe the kind of conversation we were having not half an hour ago."
"All about sex and marriage?"
"How'd you know?"
"She's bugged me about it last time I stopped on board. Only you was sleeping."
"Hehe, she really wants to get married."
"So much so she won't stop and think about what the hell's going on around her. I worry about her sometimes. You'd think a girl with telepathic abilities would be probing through the minds of criminals like Luke O'Donnel. Yet here she is taking him to a room… alone… without a weapon."
"O believe me, she was a weapon."
"And that is?"
"Her mind."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Macbeth Western Front (Cornerian Zone)
"Captain. Contacts sighted, 40 degrees west, my position." Kave said. His voice was very nervous.
"Range?" Jim asked, looking to his left where his medic was supposedly.
"Twelve yards. I'm in a foxhole on the inside of a trench. Two scouts with SMGs. Wearing light armor. Very alert."
"All right. Jewel, did you get that?"
"Copy." Jim found Jewel in his visual and saw her drop to the ground and look through the scope of her rifle. She aimed it at the scouts and fired once. The shot passed through the first scout's head and caused it to explode into a shower of blood onto his buddy.
The second scout saw where the shot had come from and jumped into the sidelong trench. He immediately saw Kave. Kave reached to shoulder her rifle but the scout already had his submachine gun trained on her. Kave tried to close her eyes. She knew that this was the end.
She was going to die.
Alone.
In a foxhole.
By the lowest of Cornerian soldiers.
Suddenly the soldier's chest exploded in a rainstorm of blood as two dozen heavy caliber rounds ripped their way into his heart and lungs.
Kave shielded the blood from her face with her hands and turning her head. When she dared look, she saw only the lower half of a Cornerian body. The upper was nothing but a butchered pile of meat soaked in blood. Kave stood up and looked at the top of the trench. Rayn was standing there. His AR-4 had a small trail of smoke coming off the tip of the barrel.
The medic swallowed and said, "Thanks."
"Stay with me." Rayn ordered her. He pushed the COM link in his ear and said, "Captain, I'm taking Kave under my control due to chain of command and immediate circumstances."
"Copy that Rayn." Jim said.
"Captain, this is Jewel, we got some trouble coming. Somebody must've heard us. We got four Landmasters and an APC headed our way."
"Rayn! You and Kave duck into a trench. You on look out, Kave get in another hole. Jewel, Jars, Cody, stay with me. Bentley, cover."
Jim put a grenade into the front grenade launcher in his rifle and positioned himself on the top of a small hill. He aimed his rifle down into the "street" that led to the Confederate Zone. Jewel and Jars found themselves good spots next to Jim on the same hill. Cody took a spot lower on the opposite side of the hill in a trench. Bentley found himself a hill another 50 yards from the hill that Jim put himself on.
"Jim, trouble our way!" Jim could hear Rayn's rifle coughing bullets. He guessed that there were a half-dozen Cornerian infantry trying to get into the trench that Kave and Rayn were hiding in. They were only going to attract more attention, "Ah! Gorramit!"
Jim wished he could do something. But he knew that the Landmasters were a bigger deal, "Rayn, neutralize all targets. Then find a new hiding spot. Wait for us there."
"Copy."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Confederate High Command
General Cornelius Pepper was standing in front of a holographic map of the Western Battle Front trying to decipher the many symbols that stood for Confederate and Cornerian battle units. From what Pepper could see, the Confederates were boxed in until they could get some gorram air support to lift them out. And if it came to that, where would they go?
Their only hope was the other half of the Confederacy- Zoness. If the Zonesian Armada made it through the Cornerian blockade, they could most likely defeat the Cornerian army.
Of course, everything had to go perfect. The 43rd Commando division had to destroy the Western Cornerian Shield Generator so that the Zonesian fighters cold bomb it to hell. The Western Front wasn't as bad as the Eastern Front. Pepper wanted the war in the West to end so they could bring the remainder of their troops to the East.
So far the space front had been quiet.
Pepper smiled. He'd never dreamed in all his life that he'd actually be fighting against the Cornerians. He had fought with such bravery for years to ensure that they survived for generations to come. Of course, it was only after the third war with the Venomian Empire did he really step back and take a look at what he was actually fighting for.
Tyranny.
Pepper looked over at the Western Front. Captain James McCloud of StarFox II, temporary commanding officer of the 43rd Commando division was leading a team of 6 Commandos plus himself into the enemy Zone. Go far enough into the Zone and it was all in the fog. The fog of war.
"General Pepper." Lieutenant Stricken, a tall cheetah said, "news from the space front." The cheetah handed Pepper a manila folder containing a report from far above the surface of Macbeth.
Pepper's eyes widened as he read.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Great Fox-B
"Copy, this is the Great Fox. Requesting orders." Amber said into the COM.
"Roger, Great Fox. You have a live transmission from General Pepper coming in. I'll put it through to the holonet." Lieutenant Stricken said.
Amber pressed the "live preview" button on the console and then spun around in her chair. The holographic projector put a life-size General Pepper in 3D surrounded by a blue cloud that made him look like he was really there.
"Michelle." Amber said.
Michelle looked up from her computers and saw General Pepper on the hologram. Max and Luke who were also on the bridge looked up at the General.
"General Pepper here." He said, "Captain McCloud, we have a new mission for you."
"I hope you mean the Misses." Michelle said.
"Hehe, you should clear up that deal with your husband sometime soon."
"If I could ever connect with him, I will."
"Good. I have just received the news that an entire Cornerian fleet just warped in via gate?"
"That's correct, General. Approximately 150 warships, mostly Dreadnought Class-IIs, a few Enterprise Cruisers have come in as well. Of course, they're still in the prototype stage in their development, so we'll just have to play into their hand and find out how effective they really are."
"All right, but I want the Great Fox to go on a higher priority mission."
"Is there anything higher priority than defending our planet from the ruttin' Cornerians?"
"No, but that requires soldiers. And air support."
"You want us to retrieve that?"
"Yes. The Fox's hangar can hold twenty C-26 dropships, about 400 soldiers, and dozens of atmospheric fighters."
"Sir, we can hold the soldiers, but not quarter them. The Fox is mostly just for the StarFox II team and the rest is for our own use. Almost none of it is for quartering."
"They won't be on the ship long. I'll send you the full mission report now. Pepper out." General Pepper disappeared from the holographic display.
Michelle looked at the mission report that she had on one of her screens. She read the objective, easy enough. She read the coordinates.
You've got to be kidding me. How'd he get troops from THERE?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Macbeth Western Front (Cornerian Zone)
Jim waited silently. Hopefully, the darkness would cover them and the Landmasters would move on past them. Jim preferred these Landmasters as targets over the ones that the StarFox II team used. The SF ones only needed one person to drive and shoot. The standard Cornerian ones required two, one for each job. The only problem with that was that since the body that held the tank together could only cover one troop. The gunner had to stick half of his body outside the ship so he could fire the main cannon.
The gunners made good targets… if they weren't paying attention to you.
"Jewel." Jim whispered.
Jewel looked over to him. Jim made counted down on his fingers. Jewel looked through the scope and aimed it at one of the gunner's head. In the corner of her eye she saw Jim count down from 3…2…1.
CRACK!
Jim saw the gunner's body fall limp. The Landmaster stopped. The other three aimed their guns at the hill where Jim, Jewel, Jars and Cody were. Jim and Jars open fired. None of their shots hit.
Jewel stood and threw herself down the hill.
"Go!" Jim said. Jars and Cody followed the leader and his sister. Suddenly, the hill exploded as laser fire from the Landmaster caused it to explode in a hailstorm of dirt and sand. The four commandos scattered and turned towards the hill again. Jewel threw herself behind a thick brush.
Another Landmaster suddenly jumped up from the other side of the hill. Jim aimed his rifle at the Landmaster and fired two short bursts at the gunner. Jars and Cody followed suit.
The Landmaster fired its main cannon at Jars. He jumped and was thrown back from the blast as the laser threw up dirt and earth.
The Landmaster swerved to the left and the gunner let the cannon recharge. Jim let out four more shots at the gunner when suddenly, Rayn got into Jim's line of fire and hooked himself onto the back of the Landmaster. The gunner swung the cannon around and almost hit Rayn's head, which would've most certainly knocked him out.
Rayn dropped his rifle, primed a grenade, and tossed it into the main hatch. Rayn let go of the vehicle and dropped to the ground on all fours.
The Landmaster exploded into a brilliant display of red and orange light.
Rayn watched for a second. The main explosion subsided and now a deep black smoke poured from the remainder of the vehicle.
Rayn turned around and watched as another Landmaster roared up the hill and swerved to aim its cannon at Rayn. Another Landmaster led the way for a dozen Cornerian marines to go down the hill with their rifles shouldered. The second Landmaster aimed its gun at Jim. The marines aimed their weapons at the other commandos. Jewel was the only one completely hidden.
"Think dad ever felt like this?" Jewel asked her brother.
"I feel more like mom."