Author's note:
Happy New Year, everyone. Welcome to 2021. Or whichever year it is when you're reading this.
Chapter 13: X Marks the Problem
"Guys, my radar's acting up."
"Copy that, Dash. That means we're inside the sector," Falco replied. "Everyone, stay together and keep your eyes peeled. Those pirates could pop up anywhere."
Deep within the darkness of space just beyond Titania, Sector X was among the most dangerous locations within the Lylat System. During the middle years of the war, an unknown catastrophe created a luminous nebula out of nowhere. Many researchers believed that Dr Andross had been responsible, but even the military could only speculate how and why. All that anyone knew for certain was that the irradiated space dust had detrimental effects on navigation equipment and critical ship components.
Ahead of the team, debris floated all around the sector. Much of the steel panels dwarfed their starfighters. Dash caught a glimpse of Venom's emblem painted against one. "I heard that you guys passed through here on your way to kick Andross's butt," Katt remarked. "What did you do to this place?"
"Wasn't us," Falco answered.
"The base was like this when we first got here," Peppy explained. "Andross planned to use a warp gate to breach Corneria's defences during the war. Unfortunately for him, one of his superweapons malfunctioned and destroyed the base instead."
"So, what did you do?" Dash asked.
"We destroyed the superweapon, but we never found the gate. The Cornerian Army wrote it off as bad intel until pirates started hitting cargo ships leaving Zoness a few weeks ago. Apparently, they came from Katina."
"You think that they're using the gate?"
"The Army certainly does. Otherwise, the scenario would be extremely unlikely. It takes eight hours to fly from here to Zoness. That's a long and costly way to travel just to steal cargo. It also explains why the local authorities have had such a hard time catching anyone. Those pirates duck out through the wormhole the second they smell trouble."
"The military have their hands full at the moment," Falco cut in, "so they've asked us to look into this. It helps that Star Fox has been through here before, so we won't be surprised by Andross's traps."
"What's the plan to find the gate?" Katt asked.
"Look around and see if those pirates show up. That's all we can do. There's too much radiation to find anything with thermal scans."
Falco's response didn't give Dash a lot of confidence. However, he honestly couldn't think of a better strategy. Without their radars working properly and there being any number of hiding places among all this wreckage, they were practically searching for a needle in a haystack. Or more accurately, a bunch of needles that would happily skewer them in a heartbeat.
"Couldn't the Zonessians find the gate on their side?" Katt pointed out.
"The pirates lost them over in Sector Z. That's where they think the other gate is," Falco replied. "So, they've got the same problem as us."
"It's all the more dangerous given how close Z is to Venom," Peppy added. "The sector is teaming with even more hazards than this one. Attack drones; mines; not to mention all the space junk floating around. Local patrols aren't equipped to navigate those conditions safely."
"But a ragtag gang of pirates is?"
"They're stupid enough to try, at least," Falco scoffed.
They scoured the area for three hours without finding anything. Stewing in his boredom and frustration, Dash began wishing they had something that could trace the quantum energy emissions from the warp gate. Slippy might have been able to string something together to the effect, but he was still holed up in a Space Dynamics lab with Dr Reinard.
Peppy suggested that they turn back to refuel on the Great Fox. An air of disappointment permeated the team. Dash released a heavy sigh as he brought the Monkey Arrow around. They cruised through the wreckage for a while before something caught his eye.
"Hey, guys? I think I saw movement at my two o'clock."
"A ship, maybe?" Peppy asked.
"Not sure. I didn't see it clearly."
"Might have just been some debris," Falco commented. "There's plenty of that around us."
"Even so, we should check it out to be safe," Peppy replied. "Dash, lead the way."
It was tricky to guide towards something that he only saw through the corner of his eye. By the time they circled around, the area was clear. Falco soon ordered to widen the search and split off into pairs. He and Peppy went left. Dash followed Katt towards the right.
He became anxious. He began questioning what it was that he actually saw. Had it just been debris like Falco assumed? Doubt niggled in Dash's mind; both for and against Falco. He swore he saw an odd colour among the sea of grey.
Perhaps it could have just been the wreck of a Venomian starfighter left from when the base was destroyed. Dash and Katt flew past a group of them drifting to one side. He was impressed that two were still in good condition despite being abandoned in a place like this. They were in very good condition. 'Hang on…' Dash soon realised that they were in too good condition.
"Katt, on your left!"
She noticed the ships and brought her Catspaw up as lasers flashed towards her. They quickly took out her shields. One of them hit the underside of Katt's starfighter. "Shit!"
The enemy fighters' engines flared to life. "Run for it!" Dash exclaimed. He and Katt accelerated. The two pirates gave chase. "Falco! Peppy! Katt and I are under attack!"
"We're on our way!" Peppy answered. "What's your status?"
"Those bastards almost knocked out my G-Diffuser system!" Katt hissed.
"Can you still fly?"
"I said 'almost,' didn't I? I'm fine."
"Crap!" Falco yelled. "We've got bogeys on our tails too!"
"You and Peppy take care of yourselves first," Katt told him. "Dash and I will manage."
Dash certainly would like to know what her strategy was. There was so much junk around, they could barely manoeuvre through it. He swerved around laser fire. A missile soon locked onto his fighter. Tasting his heart in his mouth, Dash rolled quickly. The gravitational vortex generated by his G-Diffusers blew the missile off course and into a cluster of broken toilets.
"Katt, I'm going to try and get behind them!"
"I can see a space where we can loop over their heads. We're going to have to make it tight, so don't get too far ahead."
He saw it too. The debris cleared up over the path ahead. Dash took a shot to his back. The pirates behind them kept shooting. Thankfully, his shield spared him from the worst damage. Next to him, Katt weaved around the assault.
"Ready…? Now!"
After clearing the scrap tunnel, Dash raised his fighter up and over. The centrifugal forces pushed down on his body. He hated this manoeuvre. Yet, it did its job. He and Katt were now behind the pirates. Katt charged her laser to full power, letting it loose and destroying her target in an instant. Dash opted for faster shots, but his enemy kept pulling out of the way. Seconds passed until a missile from Katt snuffed the pirate out.
"Sorry, Dash," she smirked. "The early bird gets the worm."
"Hey, so long as the job gets done," he laughed it off. Though deep down, Dash kicked himself for taking so long that Katt had to intervene.
More pirates quickly arrived. There were eight of them now. "Dash, we're not going to be able to fight these guys if we can barely move around. We need to find a more open area."
He agreed. "Where do we go then?"
"There should be a junction ahead of where you two are," Peppy cut in. "If you fly through there, you should reach the spot where we fought Andross's weapon. The area is clear there."
"Thanks, Pep," Katt purred. "You're the best."
They opened fire while the pirates were still in front of them. Dash took down one while Katt destroyed another two. The remaining ships shot back, forcing Dash and Katt to focus on evading. The two sides crossed each other. Dash pushed the Monkey Arrow to maximum speed and followed Katt before the pirates could turn around.
Falco and Peppy coordinated with each other over the comm link. Knowing they were still fighting gave Dash some hope. That hope was tested when automated turrets poked out from the debris. The pirates must have reprogrammed the base's defence systems since the war. Dash could see through his rear-view that the turrets weren't hassling their fighters. He kept moving, shooting at each threat in front of him. The ones behind would have to wait.
"Peppy, we're at the junction," Katt reported.
"Head right and keep going. We're right behind you."
"Damn it! How many of these guys are there?" Falco exclaimed.
Dash turned right alongside a colossal wedge of ruined steel. He did a quick count of the ships behind him. Five more had joined their ranks. "Katt, we're going to be sitting ducks if we don't do something!"
"Don't worry. We've got cover coming dead ahead."
That cover turned out to be a twisting mess of junk that was impossible to see through. The debris was large enough to obscure their fighters from laser fire. Relic drones attacked from the front. Katt shot most of them down.
"Falco?" Dash called. "Where are you guys?"
"Taking a detour. Those pirates drove us the wrong way at the junction."
"We'll meet you on the other side," Peppy reassured.
"We're almost at the clearing," Katt advised. "I'm getting tired of this cat and mouse game."
The pirates seemed eager not to let them get that far. They shot wildly, not caring what they hit. Dash prayed as he dodged and rolled. Each hit that he took wore down at his shield. The final stretch took ages to cross.
At last, he and Katt broke free from the junkyard. The space was wide and clear, save for the battered remains of a gigantic robot. That must have been the weapon his grandfather created. It was a small wonder that the base was in ruins.
"Alright, Dash. Let's show these jerks who they're dealing with," Katt grinned wickedly.
She accelerated into a somersault, straightening at the halfway mark. As soon as Katt flew over and past the pirates, she turned quickly around and launched a smart bomb. Its blast tore half of the ships apart. Dash broke free from the survivors and turned to target one with his missile. The pirate deflected it with their G-Diffusers. However, the warhead spun into one of their comrades, taking out their shields and making them easy pickings for Katt's lasers.
As the four remaining pirates scattered, more arrived to join the fight. Two Arwings flew ahead of them. "Are you two alright?" Peppy called.
"Better now that you guys are here," Dash sighed in relief.
"Let's clear these suckers out so we can head on home," Falco stated.
"Try to keep up with me, Falco," Katt chuckled. She steered towards him and Peppy, shooting down a couple of the pirates chasing them.
Every fighter scattered across the battle zone. Dash could barely keep up with where his teammates were at any time. It took all his concentration to keep an eye on the enemies closest to him. He managed to destroy one and critically damage another two. Peppy swooped in to take out another pirate sneaking behind Dash. He returned the favour by driving off another approaching on Peppy's tail.
"Guys, my fighter is acting up!" Katt cried out. "I can't shake these guys behind me!"
Four enemy fighters were hot on her heels. Katt tried to turn, but her ship drifted awkwardly in the attempt. Her last few manoeuvres might have overtaxed her damaged G-Diffusers. She was losing control.
"Hang on!" Dash answered. "I'm coming!"
He steered after her pursuers. Dash destroyed one, but the rest flew erratically as soon as they realised that he was chasing them. They still shot at Katt, who could barely dodge. Dash fired one laser after another, each either just clipping the pirates or missing them entirely. He panicked as one of his blasts almost hit Katt by mistake.
"I'm being tagged!" she yelled.
'Not good!' Dash finally blew up a second pirate. "I've almost got them!"
Dash didn't know which of the remaining two ships was tracking Katt. He picked at random and hoped for the best. Three of six lasers landed on his target, shorting out their shields and destroying them. Just as he began shooting at the final ship, a missile flew from it after Katt. She spun to deflect it, but the Catspaw couldn't generate enough force. The missile veered into her wing, detonating against her side. Katt shrieked.
"KATT!" Dash screamed. Her ship spiralled through space. Sparks and broken fuselage spewed from the stump of her demolished wing. Dash quickly finished off the pirate and chased after her. Katt made no attempt to straighten out. She was flying right towards the junkyard. What if she was hurt and couldn't regain control?
Dash locked onto Katt and launched his tether. It latched onto the Catspaw's side. He led the cable flow so he could stop her spin gently. Dash then reeled the tether back and hit his breaks. Both ships slowed just in time to avoid crashing into the debris.
"Katt! Are you alright?!" Falco yelled in alarm.
She gave no answer. "Katt?" Dash tried. "Are you okay?"
Fretful seconds passed until her weak groan carried over the radio. Dash's relief was interrupted as warning sirens blared inside his cockpit. They shut off soon after as Falco took out the foes who targeted him.
"Dash! Get her out of here!" he barked. "Peppy and I will cover you."
Dash swallowed through his tightened throat. "R-roger!" With Katt trailing listlessly behind him, he fled from the battle and back into the field of debris. He had no idea how bad Katt's condition was. He didn't have time to worry about the details. All that Dash could focus on was getting her back to the Great Fox as fast as possible.
As soon as Dash flew them both into the hangar, he rushed to pop open Katt's canopy. Her eyes inched open while he unbuckled her restraints. Katt moaned his name weakly. Her head flopped over her shoulders. She hissed in pain as Dash tried to move her. Slowly and carefully, he helped her out of the cockpit.
The second her boots touched the floor, Katt lurched forward. She threw up over both their feet. All that spinning must have made her nauseous. Dash rubbed her back while trying not to retch at the sight and smell of it. He thought cat races licking themselves was just a myth… Supporting Katt's weight on one shoulder, Dash walked her to the med bay.
"What happened?" she mumbled, clutching at the back of her neck.
"What do you remember?" Dash asked.
"I remember getting hit from behind. Not much after that."
Dash's throat tightened. "One of those pirates shot your wing to pieces. You spun off into the junkyard. I managed to catch you and bring you back to the Great Fox."
"Where are the others?"
"Falco and Peppy stayed behind to cover our escape. I don't know any more than that." The weight building in Dash's chest surpassed that against his shoulder. "Katt," he croaked. Tears trickled in his eyes. "I'm so sorry. I took too long to get those pirates off your tail. This is all my fault."
Katt stumbled one step. She winced as she held her injuries tighter. "Shit happens. Don't worry about it," she murmured. "Is my Catspaw okay?"
Dash cracked a small smile. Typical of Katt to be more concerned about her starfighter than herself. "It took a lot of damage. I'll look at it later for you."
"Thanks, Dash. You're a sweetheart."
As soon as she said that, Dash felt the guilt churn harder inside him. He went back to the moment when he tried to shoot down the pirates chasing Katt. He had chosen his last target wrong. If he hadn't missed so many shots, Dash would have prevented all of this. Katt was lucky that he hadn't gotten her killed.
ROB stood in the med bay to greet them. Dash guided Katt to one of the stiff, plastic beds and got her to lie down. ROB was programmed with many first-aid procedures that made him indispensable to the crew. He examined Katt's eyes, ears, and blood pressure, and probed her body. Her neck was particularly sensitive. Possible whiplash from the missile impact. It didn't appear too serious, though ROB still put a brace under Katt's chin.
A few minutes after he finished, the med bay's door opened. Falco stormed inside with murder in his eyes. "What happened?!"
"Falco, calm down," Peppy told him as he arrived. He looked worriedly over to Katt. "How is she?"
"Disoriented with minor trauma inflicted to her neck, collarbones, and temple," ROB reported. "I detect no signs of decompression sickness or internal bleeding. Further examination by a healthcare professional is recommended, though I assess there is negligible danger to her life. I have administered a dose of paracetamol to relieve Katt's discomfort."
Peppy let out a breath. "That's good news."
"But that doesn't answer my question," Falco growled, turning on Dash. "What the hell happened out there?!"
Dash involuntarily stepped back. "Well… I… Katt was being chased by some of the pirates. I think her G-Diffusers were damaged when they started chasing us earlier, so I went to…"
"I saw what was going on!" Falco cut him off. "What I meant was: what the hell did you think you were doing?! That shitshow you pulled almost got Katt blown to smithereens! How fucking hard is it for you to shoot down a couple of stinking pirates!"
"Falco! That's enough!" Peppy stepped in crossly.
"Is that kind of shooting what they teach at the Academy these days? What a fucking joke!" Falco ignored Peppy. "I don't know how much handholding you're used to getting, kid; but when you're out there in a dogfight, every second counts! What we do is a matter of life and death! And when you fuck around like that, guess which one of those you and your teammates end up with more often."
Dash's gaze sank to the floor. "I… I… was doing my best…"
"Really? That was your best? Because I expected more than that from what we saw on Papetoon. Either that was just beginner's luck, or we really dodged a bullet with those other schmucks!"
"Shut your beak, Falco!" Katt snapped. She pushed herself up from the bed. "Dash did everything that he could out there. And it was enough! I could have been blown up from the very start if he hadn't spotted that ambush in time! So, lay off him!"
"It was also Dash who spotted the pirates in the first place," Peppy added. His glare was like a stony wall with a mounted turret. "If it wasn't for him, we might have been floundering around that sector for days."
"And that's great," Falco flourished his wings. "But when the chips are down and I'm in the middle of a fight, I expect every single one of my teammates to be able to do their jobs! What the hell would we have done if Katt had died out there?"
"Aww, you do care about me." A coy grin glinted in Katt's eye.
He jammed a furious finger at her. "Do not joke about this! I've already told you lot that I'm not here to play babysitter. If you're not going to watch out for yourselves or your teammates, and do it competently, then you can go pack your bags and head on home."
Turning on his heel, Falco left the room. Peppy called after him. He followed Falco into the hallway. When the door closed behind them and muffled their voices, Dash collapsed against the cold wall.
"Hey… Don't listen to him," Katt said gently. "Falco's full of hot air and blows off all the time at the slightest thing. He'll calm down eventually."
Dash stared blindly at his boots for a pause. "He's right though."
"Dash… you did your best."
"And look at where that got you!" he hissed. Shame burned in his eyes. He wiped them with his sleeve. "I didn't stop those pirates in time. I let you down. If that last shot had hit you directly…" He couldn't finish the thought. "I shouldn't even be on the team."
"That's not true. You belong here, Dash. You've earned it."
"Did I?" A bleak chuckle shook through Dash. "Back on Papetoon, I knew who you were before we met. You're a local hero on Zoness, after all. I knew you'd get a place on Star Fox, and I offered to team up so you wouldn't knock me out from the start. I even sussed out what your fighter could do while we were talking." Dash buried his head into his hands. "God, I'm the worst."
He expected her anger; her screams; and her insults. Maybe even something hard and heavy thrown at his head. Dash didn't expect Katt to cackle instead. "I had a feeling back then that was what you were doing," she said.
"Why are you laughing?" he yelled. "All I did was ride your coattails to get here! I used you! And now I almost got you killed!" Dash hung his head again. "I'm nothing but scum."
"Dash," Katt smiled, "when you work in this business, you're always sizing people up at first glance. That's how you learn to pick your friends from your foes. I knew you were scheming something, but I could tell that you were an alright guy. So, I gave you a chance. And you made good on it. I was actually impressed with the tactics you came up with that day. You even gave me the best fight I'd had in weeks."
"You mostly chased me around the whole time," Dash mumbled pitifully.
"Yeah, but the way you handled your ship amazed me. I wish I could've seen Falco's face when you led us around the Great Fox like that." Katt giggled at the thought.
"I have a record of his reaction saved to my memory," ROB interjected, nearly causing Dash to leap out of his skin. He completely forgot that the robot was in the room with them.
"Maybe when my neck stops hurting," Katt grinned. "Look, Dash. It's true you've still got a long way to go as a pilot, but you have plenty of other skills that make you an important part of the team. You have sharp eyes, you're clever in a fight, and you know how to rig a mean starfighter. A lot of other mercenaries don't have those talents, so you should be proud of them."
"Fat lot of good those did today…"
"It might not seem like it now, but there are things that only you're able to do. You just need to find out what those things are and go for it."
Dash dried his face. "Thanks, Katt. I'm sorry I let you down today. I'm really glad that you're okay."
"Don't worry about it," Katt smiled. "And I, for one, am glad that you're here on the team. It wouldn't feel the same if you weren't around, so don't let Falco get to you."
"Right." Dash pried himself off the wall and stood straighter. "I'll… I'll let you rest. Let me know if you need anything."
After leaving Katt alone in the med bay with ROB, Dash shuffled his way to his room. Her encouragement gave him comfort but did little to cast away the haze of doubt and guilt from his thoughts. He needed to be better than this. He couldn't fail his teammates again. They had all given Dash a chance to fight alongside them, one that he should never have taken lightly. He had to prove that he deserved it.
"Falco!" Peppy barked. His whiskers twitched angrily as he chased him down the hallway. "Falco! Get back here!"
"What?!" Falco spat, barely slowing to glare over his shoulder.
"Don't give me that tone! The way that you acted towards Dash in there was completely out of order!" Falco said nothing. "For Pete's sake, he's just a kid! Go easy on him!"
Finally, Falco stopped and turned on Peppy. "You're right. He is just a kid. Yet, you insisted that we let him join the team. Was this the kind of performance you expected from him? Because you led me to believe that he was more fit for the job!"
"That is enough!" Peppy jabbed at Falco's chest. "Yes! Dash is inexperienced, and he has plenty of room for improvement. But he does not need that sort of attitude from you! As his squad leader, you should be trying to build him up, not tear him down over every single mistake he makes! It's not helping anyone."
"I am trying to help him," Falco growled. "I am trying to help him see that when he is out on a mission, there is no room to make mistakes. When he screws up, someone could die! If he wants to be a mercenary, he needs to learn to shape up and do it fast! Because you can guarantee that the next band of pirates aren't going to go easy on Dash for being 'just a kid.'"
He then turned his back to Peppy and walked away. "I need to contact the army. They'll want to know about those clues we found about the warp gate."
Peppy called after Falco but was ignored. He didn't pursue Falco again though. Peppy let out a heavy sigh and ran his hand through his ears. He did not approve of Falco's treatment towards Dash. Not at all. Alas, he could see Falco's point all too clearly. And sadly, Peppy sensed that he also understood why he felt the need to push Dash so hard. Falco didn't want to lose anyone else on the squad the same way that they had Fox.