Fox sat in the briefing room aboard the Antares staring at the screen before him, "My god we've waiting for twenty minutes were the hell is Riken!" Fox complained
Falco rolled his eyes, "Oh my god, what is taking so damn long."
The briefing screen suddenly lit up with the words, Attention distress beacon activated, source…Corneria. An image of General Pepper appeared on the screen, "Help, the aparoids have invaded again the countryside has been infested by the damned beasts. Corneria city is holding for now but unless someone stops them Corneria will be overrun."
Fox and everyone else in the room stormed out of the briefing room and onto the bridge. "Set a course for Corneria!" Fox yelled
Capt. Raynor shook his head in confusion. "Why?"
"We just got a distress call from General Pepper, Corneria is being sacked." Fox replied
Raynor nodded, "Set a course, and contact the Epmitheus and the Titan. Tell them to join us. Have all fighters on standby."
Corneria city, the once beautiful jewel of Lylat lay in ruin aparoids ran through the streets destroying everything in their path and infecting what they left behind. Fighting continued through the streets, Cornerian infantry carrying machine guns slaying aparoids left and right. But it wasn't enough, they kept coming, infinite swarms of blue-crusted insect like machines that slaughtered mercilessly.
"My god, what have they done?" Falco said grimly, as the Antares descended upon the capitol.
Fox looked out the view port, seething with rage. "Those bastards will pay for this."
Fox stormed off the bridge and down the tank hangar, he quickly selected the tank of choice. The Landmaster 2.0, he climbed into the cockpit and was quickly teleported down to Corneria's surface.
Fox, landed for behind the frontline he watched as Cornerian troops ran forward headed towards the battle. He put the tank in gear and drove with them, the sight of mangled building and bodies sickened him. Fox drove on, he could see ahead about a mile the demonic aparoids tearing through the left flank of the elite Cornerian guard. And so he attacked…
"Alright, let's get down there, Raynor send everything to the surface." Falco ordered, as he and Slippy crammed into in the elevator and headed to their Ar-wings. Falco arrived in the hangar. He moved to the catwalk, he hopped into the cockpit. As the canopy closed, the elevator door opened again Rhys stepped through the door.
He walked across the catwalk to his HE-72. He stepped into the cockpit and closed the canopy, "I'm going too, this is my home." Rhys said
Falco looked at him, and nodded approvingly, "Okay, don't get killed." Falco replied, the bay doors opened and the trio blasted out into the skies of Corneria.
"Phew, I thought those damn stairs would never end." Krystal panted, as she sat at the edge of the massive staircase she'd just climbed. She winced as a sharp pain filled her head.
"Krystal, I am sorry for this disruption. But there is an urgent matter that requires our attention. Corneria has been invaded by the aparoids, and the outcome looks grim. I have deciphered the inscriptions. There is a way to stop the aparoids, but you must act quickly continue down this hall and take the next stair case down in there will be an object of great power.
I will contact you when I know more."
Krystal shook her head, and jumped she then bolted down the hall and flew down the stairs. The staircase was huge; it went down so far into the depths of the palace she couldn't see the bottom. After twenty minutes of running down the stairs she hit the bottom, it was pitch black, "Where is that flashlight?" Krystal asked herself while searching her pockets, "There you are!"
She pulled the flashlight from her pocket, and turned it on bringing much needed light to her search. Krystal continued walking in the dark, carefully mining her surroundings as she walked. The she directed her light to the left, it revealed a solid wall she turned it to the right and saw the same. She walked forward for another ten minutes; a powerful feeling came over her, one of pain and rage.
Like what she had felt, five years prior when Andross imprisoned her in the crystalline prison that Fox saved her from. "What is going on here?" Krystal walked forward slowly, and out of nowhere with no warning a bright blue light burst into the endless hall. She saw a large blue object like fire, but calmer softer and welcoming.
But still in it's warmth, it still commanded a great presence over Krystal. It felt like electricity swarmed her body, crippling her limbs and her mind was overwhelmed with grief. "What sort of devilry is this?"
Krystal! I hear thy call! A voice shouted in her mind, it felt like someone had speared her brain. The great power of the Krazoa, is upon you why have come here? Speak mortal!
Krystal fell to her knees in front of the fiery orb, "I…I have come in search of you." She replied.
The orb remained still and the voice returned. Why? What value am I to one such as you?
"My friends, are dying and my home is being destroyed. I have no other way to save them. Please you must help me." Krystal replied
Ah, you come for others? To save them, but do you tell truth? How do I know what you will do with my powers? You easily could conquer, the galaxy.
"Please, my husband is fighting there. Give me your powers and I swear when I saved Corneria I will relinquish them." Krystal pleaded
The orb, began to shift growing unstable, until it burst into a cloud of white light. It then rematerialized as a Krazoa, much like the one that met Fox in moon mountain pass. "I am, Jeicho high Krazoa guardian of this temple. I have searched your feelings and I believe you to be in earnest." Jeicho paused, his cold eyes staring into Krystal's eyes, "However, I do not know for certain what you will do. So, Krystal you will face a trial that will test your heart."
"Urgh, damnit stop that aparoid he's tearing through the right flank!" Fox shouted, turning his Landmaster left to avoid damaged road.The Landmaster bounced along the broken road, it's main pulse cannon sniping aparoids off of buildings and bunkers.
Falco, Slippy and Rhys flew overhead firing at airborne aparoids and dropping proton bombs behind enemy lines. "Hey, Slippy hit that tank with a bomb. Rhys take a few fighters and hit those aparoid drop ships. I've got the escorts." Falco ordered, gracefully flying his Ar-Wing and striking aparoids from the sky.
Slippy, flew to lower altitude and slowed down he put his eyes to the bombsight and pulled the trigger over an aparoid tank and it's supporting troops. "That's for dad." Slippy mumbled as he let loose the bombs, and grinned satisfied wit his work as the aparoids disintegrated. "Got em' Falco."
Rhys flew in tight formation with Cornerian fighters heading straight for an aparoid drop ship. "On my mark, fire into the aft section of the vessel with your missiles. Three…Two…One! Now!" all the fighters in his squadron opened fire, their missiles slammed into the rear hull of the mammoth transport. Destroying it.
Falco smirked at the exploding ship, and turned his attention to the fighter escorts hounding Rhys' fighter group. Falco pulled on his stick taking the Ar-Wing into a steep left turn until his crosshairs were right on an aparoid, he pulled the trigger on his control stick. The aparoid fell to the ground, dead. "Another one bites the dust."
Fox looked up above pleased with Falco's work, "Slippy, throw a couple bombs down on those aparoids hitting the right flank. Falco keep shooting down raiders. I've got the infantry." Fox hammered the throttle and hit a busted piece of road soaring into the air with assistance from his hover jets he relocated his Landmaster to the upper highway and began sniping.
"Urgh!" Raynor shouted, the bridge of the Antares of exploded in a spark shower. "Damnit, these aparoids won't relent. Direct your fire on the cruisers, and send some reinforcements to the surface!" Raynor held his arm; shrapnel had torn through his arm a medic stood next to him treating his wound. "How are we doing?"
One of Raynor's lieutenants stood up and answered, "Not good, sir we've lost the majority of our fighter screen and the Oblivion and the Versailles are not responding to hails."
Raynor grunted, when his medic pulled a chunk of metal from his shoulder, "Crap, Dyson, would nuclear weapons be any good right now?" Raynor asked, lowering his head.
Lieutenant Dyson sighed, "They might, you'd have to be a damn good shot though."
"Hit, their main battle formation. We've held back long enough." Raynor replied
Dyson took a deep breath, "Wait, we need authorization from the legislation."
Raynor grunted, "I don't care nuke those sorry bastards.
Dyson looked down to his console and punched in the arming code for a twenty-gigaton nuclear bomb, "Acquiring lock…Target locked. Firing in 3…2…1!" Said Dyson, his console blinked a few times and he looked out the main bridge port window and saw the nuclear missile racing towards the aparoid battle fleet…
Fox looked up into sky and watched Falco shoot down aparoids, until he felt what seemed like a punch in the chest, his face was taken over with a vengeful smirk as he saw a massive explosion in the atmosphere, "Falco they nuked aparoids!" Fox chuckled with pleasure as the aparoids retreated. "Don't let any escape!"
Falco shook his head in disbelief, "We've actually won? We haven't won since the beginning of the war." Falco soaked in the thought of victory Corneria was safe from the aparoids, for now.
Back on the Antares Capt. Raynor let loose a sigh of relief, "Dyson open a channel to all Cornerian units," Raynor watched Dyson configure the comm relay, "We ready?" Dyson nodded, Raynor nodded back and took a deep breath, "Attention All units we have won the battle, begin assessing the damage and commence the necessary repairs. Then ready yourselves for a counter offensive, Raynor out."
Fox down on the surface examined his Landmaster; it was in battle ready condition he drove by the infantry formations on their way back to base. He linked up with an armor division on their way back to the City of Artanis.