Chapter 1: The Sacrifice

The defensive formation had been established. Big battleships in front, with sleeker, more maneuverable fighters zig-zagging between them. It was experimental, but showed promise. Any glimmer of hope that was available now was a great comfort– expect for Huck.

In a galaxy that clung to optimism and hope, Huck O'Beryl was the pessimistic needle that constantly pricked its groping fingers. He knew truth, and he knew crap... most of the time they seemed one in the same. Overly critical and a touch shrewd, he was disliked by many. It was his attitude, however, that had brought him this far. He had kept his cool and anticipated the worst outcome when others had lost their foolish hope or pride. He had quickly rose the ranks to captain– a title he would love to jettison into space.

"Alright toddlers, listen up!" A gruff voice blared over the sub-space radio. "The general says that this is the last line of defense against the Lethargy. We make our stand in Sector Y, using this exact flight pattern. Once we enter Y-space, radio silence is in effect. ETA 2 minutes."

"Hey captain," an irritating squeak came over the comm. "What do you think the fleet's chances for survival are?"

"You don't want to know." Huck bluntly stated in his low, rumbling voice.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Stop bothering the captain." Another voice rang through, this once husky and deep. "If he doesn't tell you something, it's for your own good."

A few moments of silence, and the husky voice came on again.

"Sir, is it true that the Lethargy is the race that defeated the legendary Star Fox team five years ago?"

"It is." Huck again said flatly.

"Is that how they lost their leader, Fox McCloud?."

"Affirmative."

"Why, sir, did they disappear? We could– "

"You will not follow this line of conversation any further." Huck commanded. This time however, there was a slight break in his voice. "Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir. Sorry sir."

The private had struck upon a bad memory; the memory that had made Huck stop being a mechanic and join the armed forces three years ago. A memory of Fox and he as childhood friends. He remembered clearly the day that Peppy Hare had told Fox about his father's death at the hands of a teammate. Fox was staying the night at his place, and it had taken Peppy twelve hours to track him down. He remembered how he had chased Fox through the lightning-filled night, how Fox cried and screamed at the sky, and how he had sworn to avenge his father and make sure no one else suffered the way he had...

"Radio silence now in effect. Stay off the phone, kids."

Huck stared silently at the Y-shaped nebula sitting in the starry sky. He attempted to clear his mind of Fox and the incident. If he was going to be anything like Fox, he had to focus on his mission. He had to make it his sole purpose in life to fight the Lethargy.

A blip on his radar caught his attention. Then another. Then twelve more. Soon, his entire radar screen was alight with green blips. He looked up, and saw the massive blot in space, as well as the hundreds of fighters, the light of the nearby nebula glinting off their metal carapaces. It seemed the Lethargy had arrived. The fleet stopped, but the Lethargy floated closer. This legion of terror had obliterated planet after planet, ship after ship. The estimated number of people missing thanks to the invasion was massive. Each day that passed, a new ship carrying hundreds of survivors docked at the last haven in the Lylat system– Corneria. The line had to be drawn.

Huck watched quietly as the black planet slowly opened up, and hundreds more ships exited. A red panel flashed on his monitor– radio silence was official broken.

"For Corneria...attack!"

The fleet fired in perfect unison, taking out at least 30 ships before the Lethargy retaliated. The fleet broke formation, splitting into smaller units comprised of one battle cruiser and two or three fighters. The cruisers fired their burst cannons, lighting up large clusters of the ships. The lethargy, in return, swarmed around the large vessels, hellbent on their destruction. Soon, the first of the cruisers was destroyed, but not before exploding and destroying more ships. Out of the explosion flew more Lylatian ships, blasting away at the assailants.

Huck chose his targets with great precision, taking each out in a single shot. He noticed two or three tailing him, and clicked his tongue. Then, in a maneuver that Fox would have envied, Huck hit the anti-gravity brakes as he pulled back on the stick. The ship flipped upside down, its lasers aimed straight at the enemy ships. Huck fired, and eliminated then before righting the ship in one swift motion. An allied ship whizzed by, and Huck targeted the ships trailing behind it. With one shot, he disabled them. As he approached, however, the ships self-destructed and knocked Huck away from the skirmishing. He tried desperately to realign the ship, knowing good and well he was a sitting duck without the ability to stop the spin-out.

Meanwhile, the battle was quickly turning against the Lylatian fleet. The enemy had adapted to their tactics, destroying the cruisers then firing blindly into the resulting explosion. Pilot after pilot was shot apart. It was getting much worse, however. On the outskirts of the battle, the core of the black planet opened, and the barrel of the massive planetary cannon extended and crackled with energy.

Suddenly, the Lethargy ships fell back, much to the surprise of the fleet. Huck had just stabilized when he saw the barrel extend. He immediately hit the comm.

"Fall back! It's getting ready to fire!"

The fleet immediately turned tail, but Huck realized they couldn't make it in time. Statistically, there was one last chance– direct interference with the cannon.

Huck knew the risks, but he also knew the alternative. He hit boosters, and streaked towards the planet. He flipped of his comm-link when the others tried to stop him. The first wave of Lethargy tried to finish him, but he tilted and slid through. The second wave was denser– he had to use a well placed laser burst to make an opening. By the time the third wave had reached him, the barrel of the cannon glowed brilliantly. Time was running out, and Huck understood perfectly. The blasted through the final formation, and entered the barrel. White electricity arced throughout the entrance of the massive tunnel, but Huck deftly dodge the bolts. Suddenly, he felt something hit his diffusor. He looked at his radar, and saw that two Lethargy ships were giving chase. Quarters were tight– he would have to grin and bear the fire. Huck finally passed the lightning, but barely swerved across a huge turbine. More were randomly placed through the tunnel to boost the energy discharge; if he could destroy some, he might buy himself some time. Again he flaunted his impeccable aim, taking out at least five turbines with a few shots. The turbines exploded with a bright flash, Huck closing his eyes just in time to prevent being blinded. As he exited the flash he saw one of the assailants crashing into the wall. One down, but the other had to be mad.

The next section rippled and pulsed with destructive potential. When the tunnel branched off into two parts, Huck instinctively took the left. The enemy took the right, and Huck hoped he hadn't taken the wrong path. Much to his relief, his path turned out to be much better than the alternative as the enemy vessel zoomed in front of him. With a quick volley of fire the second attacker was eliminated. Free of obstacles, Huck again hit the boosters. He only had a few seconds left, the turbines exploding buying him little time. Finally he saw a light at the end of the tunnel– he had found the core. His mission was clear as he threw everything he had at the shining crystal focusing the cannon's power source. He unleashed all of his charges and bomb in conjunction with laser fire. Each attack hit, but didn't destroy it. The crystal was severely compromised however, cracked and sizzling with white light. He had come this far– failure was not an option. He steered into a collision course with the crystal, and gave the engines all the power the tiny ship could muster.

The only thing the Lylatian fleet could see was the explosion of light that emanated from the core of the planet. The barrel was blown apart, the unchecked power of the cannon ripping enormous chunks of plating from the planet. Lethargy ships in the face of the blast were instantly disintegrated. The Lethargy had been dealt a mighty blow, and were forced to retreat. No one cheered, however. The victory had cost the life of a loyal and courageous soldier, completely dedicated to the well-being of the galaxy. In honor of Huck, Captain of First Rank in the Cornerian Space Forces, the battle was considered by all present that day to be a draw. He would not be forgotten...