Chapter 3:

Over in the Koopa Kingdom, Korry was in his basement, doing his best to revive the alien body, hoping to glean the secrets from the individual once he or she revived. Korry looked around, wondering where Kamek was, feeling that the chief Magikoopa was right outside and examining the scene. He extended his senses to try to find his superior. When he could not sense him, he shrugged and got back to work, a nagging feeling creeping into the back of his mind telling him that this might not be a good idea. Kamek had his own studies to attend to and he did not want to interrupt him. Kamek had given him his blessing on reviving this alien body and that was good enough for him.

He used his magic to scan the body once more to try to ascertain who or what he, she, or it may have once been. When he could get no feeling, the nagging feeling in the back of his mind began to grow. He could not shake the feeling that this person had once been a powerful fighter. If that was the case, then he could be a great boon to the Koopa Kingdom, if he decided to serve. If not, though, he could be a significant threat. Still, despite any misgivings at the back of his mind, he continued with the procedure.

He went over to the large black cauldron, which was beginning to bubble as steam rose from the magical brew, the flame beneath the cauldron having been heating it for over an hour. Checking back with a book on a small stand not too far from the cauldron, he saw that the brew would be ready once it had reached its boiling point. Checking the brew once more, he found it to be boiling. He could finally proceed.

Going over to the mysterious body, he waved his wand and fired a beam at it. The beam struck the body and he carefully moved his wand, using it as if it was like a tractor beam projector. Using his tractor beam, he levitated the body towards the cauldron. Once it was over the cauldron, he cut the beam and let the body fall into the cauldron with a splash. Once the body was submerged into the brew, the brew began to bubble more and more. The cauldron bounced as the brew went to work reviving the body, prompting Korry to retreat to the other end of the room.

After a few seconds, the cauldron shattered into a thousand shards. No liquid splashed on the floor, for it, had vanished once the spell was complete. There, standing among the shattered remains was a tall muscular human male with silver hair and green cat-like eyes. He looked blankly ahead, seemingly unaware of the fact that he was naked. After a few moments, Korry hesitantly stepping forward to see the fruits of his work.

"Amazing," the Magikoopa stammered, staring at the human. "It worked. And the body was that of a human, no less," he continued to mutter absently. This was really good, for Hylia had a strange effect on humans that increased their physical strength and endurance. The effect was greater the longer the human was on world and had even more pronounced effects the younger the human was. The Marios, both of who had been brought to Hylia when they were babies, were famous for their superhuman strength, particularly their jumping abilities, of which the younger Luigi's were even greater than Mario's, as well their superpowers, another gift that humans had access to. While some Toads could use certain superpowers, humans had access to a far greater variety of powers that gave them far more options in combat. If this man could be convinced to serve the Koopa Kingdom, he could be the missing link in the army that would allow the Koopa Troop to finally beat the Mario Brothers once and for all. This was too good an opportunity to pass up.

The man continued to look blankly at the Magikoopa, not uttering a single word. A puzzled look crossed Korry's face as the man did not make a move or sound. This was not what he had expected. He walked around the still nude man and examined him. From what he knew of humans, the man was muscular and toned. Still, the man gave no reaction and did not say a thing, something that surprised Korry since he remembered human customs being that they were uncomfortable with their own nudity save for very specific situations. "Hmm, perhaps something went wrong," Korry muttered to himself. "I would have expected him to have shown some signs of action by now."

Still, the man did not move. The Magikoopa sighed and was about to swish his wand and place the man in stasis, abandoning the project of reviving a warrior as a failure while still preserving him for any potential genetic research that could help the Koopa Troop when he saw the man blink his eyes. The man's face then moved as he scanned the room until his eyes met Korry's.

"Who are you?" the man asked in a clear voice. They were the first words out of his mouth since his revival. The man's speech startled Korry, especially since the man spoke the Magikoopa's language.

"You can speak; my language, no less," the Magikoopa managed to eek out in shock, the sound of his voice shocking him, for before those words, he had thought the man was practically brain dead. Being caught off guard by the man's question, it took a few moments for him to answer.

"Korry," he eventually said, looking at the man. The man looked at him in a puzzled fashion and Korry continued, "My name is Korry. I'm a Magikoopa. And you are…?

The man took a moment to gather his thoughts before answering. He attempted to think back and remember who he was but he could not remember his name for a while. Thinking back a bit more, he tried to remember his name and other things about himself.

"Hey, Hylia to unknown man, you there?" Korry asked, snapping his fingers to try to jostle the man out of his reverie and hopefully get the man to remember something.

A few memories began to surface in the man's mind but these were basic, too basic for him and he knew that a lot was still missing. Fortunately, though, one of those memories was a word that had to be a name of some sort: Sephiroth. Yes, that was it. That had to be his name. Eventually, he answered Korry's question. "Sephiroth," the man told the Magikoopa. It was as good a name as any at the moment.

"Sephiroth?" Korry queried, taking a moment to realize that that was the man's name.

"It's my name," Sephiroth stated. "At least, I think it is," he added hesitantly.

"Hmm, it's as good as any I can think of," Korry shrugged.

Sephiroth then tried to think back to how he had gotten here but he found it difficult to concentrate. It was difficult for him to form a thought and to verbalize his next question. After a few seconds, the words came to mind and he asked, "How did I come to be here?"

"I don't know how you came to this world for certain," Korry answered, shrugging. "I found you in what looked to be a small craft of some sort. But once you arrived on world, I was the one who took your body and revived you."

"Revived?" Sephiroth queried.

Korry nodded. "You were dead. And it looked as if you had been dead for quite a while, for your body had been reduced to almost a husk."

"Why did you revive me?" was Sephiroth's next question.

"I was fascinated by your arrival and I wanted to try out this spell," the Magikoopa answered, not wanting to give away too much information about his goals on the chance that his goals and Sephiroth's did not coincide with one another. "I have to admit that you were a bit of an experiment. While some have been able to revive fallen Koopas before, with a lot of power and preparation, I wanted to be able to do it more tactically, so to speak."

Sephiroth considered Korry's answer for a second but said nothing more for a moment. He then went to examine himself and found that he was still nude. He then attempted to use magic to summon some clothing for himself. Nothing happened. He narrowed his gaze and soon tried again. Again, nothing happened and he was still naked. The image of a sword then came to his mind and he attempted to summon it with his magic, for he remembered being able to do this on his own. Once more, nothing. This prompted a dark frown.

"Is something wrong?" Korry asked, noticing the human's change in expression.

Sephiroth did not give an immediate answer. Once more he tried to think back. He remembered a word that was associated with magic: Materia. He remembered that it was an item that allowed one from where he was from to cast magic, even if they did not have any innate magic in them, which almost everyone from where he was from did not. Questions soon flooded into his mind as to how he knew this and why he would know this but not other things. It was so annoying and he gritted his teeth. Despite how magic worked where he was from, which was likely a different world from this one, he knew that he did not need Materia to summon his sword, and probably did not need it to summon any clothing, either. After a few more seconds, he remembered that Korry had asked him a question.

"I'm sorry, what was it you asked just now?" Sephiroth asked distantly.

"I was wondering if something was wrong, Sephiroth was it?"

"I don't know," Sephiroth answered. "I was trying to summon my sword but was unable to do so."

"Summon?" Korry asked. "Are you a magician of some sort?"

"Maybe," Sephiorth answered in an annoyed tone. "I just can't remember."

The questions were beginning to get to him. He knew that something was wrong. He had come back wrong, assuming he had actually come back at all and that he was more than a mere doll or organic robot of some sort.

"I'm a magician, myself, assuming you didn't notice," Korry offered, indicating his robes as a sign that he was a powerful magician. "Maybe I could make a sword for you; and probably give you some clothing in the process."

Sephiroth nodded, indicating that Korry should do so. The Magikoopa then swished his wand and pointed it at Sephiroth. A beam of magic emerged from the wand and hit Sephiroth in the torso. Almost immediately a pair of black trousers and a black shirt formed over his body. Sephiroth looked at it appraisingly but still frowned; something was missing.

"I need a black leather trench coat," he told the Magikoopa.

Korry wondered why he would be so specific as to his request but did as the man asked. Perhaps, Sephiroth was beginning to remember more about himself. Another swish of the wand and a long, black trench coat formed over Sephiroth. "There," Korry said. "How's that?"

Sephiroth looked over himself and answered, "Better." There were still many things missing, but he felt as if he was on the right track.

"And your sword?" Korry asked next. "Any particular kind you want?"

"A long sword with curved blade around seven feet long," Sephiroth answered.

"Oh," Korry answered, his eyes going wide. He had never heard of swords that long before that were wielded in what were likely duels, for if this Sephiroth was going to help him and his master, he would need to be able to duel as well as fight on a battlefield. Still, Korry did as Sephiroth bade and he pointed his wand at a large block in the corner of the room. Pointing his wand at it, a series of geometric shapes emerged from the wand's crystal head and struck the block, instantly transforming it into a large katana-like sword that was over seven feet in length.

Sephiroth then went over to the blade and picked it up, far more easily than Korry would have expected. He performed a series of slashes and stabs wielding the sword more easily than if it had been made of foam. Sephiroth then grinned. While he did not have his full memories or his magic back, he was beginning to feel more whole once more as more memories began to surface, particularly as to how he had previously died. He also began to feel something within him, an ability that he had not realized he had before. From deep inside his mind, he heard a whisper, but it did not seem to be coming from inside of him, but from far off, almost as if there was another force that had some sway over him, or at least some interest in him and that he could use to his advantage. The only problem was that this force did not seem to be located in this building, or even in the same city or country. Still, the need to find this force was increasing with each and every moment. And there was only one way he would be able to find a way to get to this force.

"Korry, what capacity for seeing the future or clairvoyance do you have?" Sephiroth asked. His question caught Korry off guard and it took a few moments to answer.

"Me personally, not much," the Magikoopa eventually answered. "There are some others who have that talent, but not many. Why do you ask?"

"An overwhelming need has come for me to find some unknown force. I think that it may help me find out more about myself," Sephiroth answered.

"Hmm," Korry murmured, his curiosity piqued. While he had no real interest in Sephiroth save for how he could help him with his goals, so far, Sephiroth's goals did not conflict with his own. "An unknown force, eh?"

Sephiroth gave a curt nod. "Could it be harmful?" came Korry's next question.

"I don't know," Sephiroth answered, shaking his head. "I have a feeling in myself that there is more to me than meets the eye," he said, suppressing a sly tone, for a plan was already forming in his mind. "Perhaps this force could help us."

"Us?" Korry asked, beginning to grow suspicious of the tall, muscular human standing before him. He could tell that a plan was forming in Sephiroth's mind and that the man was likely more intelligent than he was letting on.

"Your kingdom and I," Sephiroth answered. "You only revived me because you thought that I could help your kingdom."

"I never said that," Korry retorted defensively. This was bad. The last thing he wanted was for Sephiroth to become an enemy, for he could sense a great deal of potential power inside of him. The human's own physical strength was already greater than that of Korry's and he also suspected that the man's speed was similar for Sephiroth had an air of quickness about him.

Sephiroth began to look at him suspiciously, mirroring Korry's own expression as the Magikoopa narrowed his gaze on him. "What are your intentions Sephiroth?"

"To return to my world and take over its essence," the human answered. Of that, he was certain. He may have had other questions about himself, but he knew that he was destined for greatness. Still, while he was trapped on this unfamiliar world, with most of his power not being accessible to him at the moment, he knew that he would require Korry's assistance so he did not want to make an enemy of the Magikoopa until the Magikoopa's usefulness had ended.

Korry breathed a sigh of relief. While Sephiroth was almost certain to do whatever it took to accomplish his goals, at least his goals were not the takeover and/or destruction of Hylia. Perhaps Sephiroth could still be useful after all. "I don't know if I can do that," Korry eventually told the human. "However, there may be a way we can help you accomplish your goals. It also just so happens that this could help us with our own goals as well."

"What do you mean?"

"Right now, we're inside the Koopa Kingdom, in the basement of a hideout not too far from the kingdom's capital. In the sky above the Mushroom Kingdom, though, is a place called Star Haven. Inside of Star Haven is an item called the Star Rod, which is capable of granting any wish you make. I think that it would help you in your endeavors."

"And it would help you in yours, no doubt," Sephiroth answered suspiciously.

"Yes," Korry answered, nodding, making no attempt to deny it. "But not until you have made your own wish."

"How would we get there?"

"We'll take a two-seat jet fighter."

Sephiroth cast a sideways glance at Korry. "And why can't you just go there and get it yourself?"

"Because it will be defended," Korry answered. "And while Mario isn't there right now, he won't be far away due to him and his brother celebrating their birthdays today."

"Mario?" Sephiroth asked.

"A human plumber slash warrior that fights for the Mushroom Kingdom, our enemy and the aforementioned location of the mountain that leads to Star Haven," the Magikoopa answered. "While the Mushroom Kingdom does, indeed, have its own military, it's not effective. Mario is its real military force and hero. Now, I'm no match for Mario but since you're a human, too, you probably will be. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if you were able to use some magical items here to enhance your strength and power."

"Then give me these items," Sephiroth told Korry.

Korry then went over to a corner and got out a blue and pink umbrella and handed it over to Sephiroth. "Point it at me," he directed.

Sephiroth did so and a series of sparkles were launched from the umbrella. They showered onto Korry and Sephiroth took on the form of Korry, the magical hologram of Korry appearing over Sephiroth's body.

Sephiroth looked over himself and saw the appearance of Korry appear over him, though he still saw his own form. "How does this help us?" Sephiroth asked curtly.

"It's a disguise," Korry answered. "You now look just like me. The umbrella you have is called a Sneaky Parasol. It can be used to make you look like anything you point it at. It's a great tool for infiltration, which is what we'll want when we go to the Mushroom Kingdom and Star Haven. You'll still want to sheathe your sword and be careful about where you step, though. You may look like a Magikoopa but you're still a human with a very long sword. If you bump anything, you'll potentially be exposed."

"I understand," Sephiroth answered. "But why do you want me to disguise myself?" A part of him did not like the idea of having to infiltrate the Mushroom Kingdom using disguises.

"Because we don't want our enemy to know what he's going up against until it's too late. If Mario has a chance to plan his battle strategy around us, he'll have a significant edge since he has access to a lot of items that can get around our strengths."

"I see," Sephiroth said, nodding.

"Good," Korry stated in a satisfied tone. "Okay then, next we get a fighter and get the Star Rod. There's a secret hangar not too far away from this study. That's where we'll get the fighter. Bowser's busy either making plans to attack the Mushroom Kingdom, or is attacking it already, so if we hurry we might be able to reach Star Haven and accomplishing our objectives before the Marios can respond."

"What about the items that you told me about earlier?"

"Oh, right, heh, heh," Korry said sheepishly. "We'll have to go down to storage to get them, but that shouldn't take too long."

The two then departed the room and made their way down the dark corridor towards the storage area. The storage area was home to many unique items that Korry had acquired during his time as a Magikoopa but that he did not have any immediate use for. Since neither he nor Kamek or Bowser and his kids could use Mario's items, he usually kept those he managed to acquire in storage in order to study them, hoping to eventually be able to utilize them properly ever since the magic crystal Kevin made for his father that allowed him to utilize such powers and items was destroyed in a fight against Mario. Bowser had given several such items to Korry and other Magikoopas, hoping that multiple heads would be better than one in this scenario.

Once the duo reached the storage area, Korry got out his magic wand and cast a spell on the door, causing it to open. With that, he and Sephiroth stepped inside, the real Magikoopa flipping a light switch so the two of them would be able to see inside the area. The storage area appeared to be mostly empty, which concerned Korry at first. Eventually, though, he found what he was looking for when he saw a small open box with a Fire Flower jutting out from inside.

As if sensing the energy inside the Fire Flower, Sephiroth went over to the flower. Before touching it, though, he shed his Magikoopa disguise. He then proceeded to reach out and touch the flower. Upon touching it, he could feel the power emanating from it but something was not right. Its power was different from the power that he was used to…the power of the Lifestream. In addition, when he touched it, nothing else happened. Korry watched Sephiroth and a bead of sweat began to form on his brow. This was not what he had expected. Every other pureblooded human had been able to use Mario's superpowers without a problem. Heck, even some Toads had been able to use them. Why was Sephiroth unable to do so?

"Is something wrong Sephiroth?" he asked hesitantly, cautiously approaching the human.

"I can't use this flower's power," Sephiroth answered plainly, turning to face the Magikoopa. "I can sense its power. I can even feel it when I touch it, but its power is incompatible with me."

"Incompatible?" Korry asked. "Why? How?"

"I don't know," Sephiroth answered. He was beginning to grow annoyed. He did not want to waste any more time inside the Koopa Kingdom. "Anyway, we should leave and go to this Star Haven now."

Korry could not disagree with Sephiroth and he prepared to depart. Sephiroth then used the Sneaky Parasol to disguise himself as a Magikoopa once more and he followed Korry out of the storage area and into the corridor once more, the two heading over to the stairwell so they could exit the building and head on over to the secret hangar and acquire a supersonic jet fighter so they could reach Star Haven while the Mario Brothers and their allies were distracted by Bowser and his assault on their birthday party.

The walk over to the hangar bay was free of incident. Since the area was deserted there was little fear of the two being discovered. When they neared the hangar, they met the first signs of life in the area, a squad of four Koopatrols. They were patrolling the area, likely just making sure that nothing was out of place since the hangar was supposed to be secret. As the duo made their way past the guards, the Koopatrols did not notice anything amiss, despite Sephiroth being an almost exact replica of Korry, and they let the two pass without even batting an eye. Korry's greatest concern during the walk was that one of the Koopatrol guards would take a closer look at the two Magikoopas and notice that they looked identical. Fortunately, none of them took that closer look since Korry was just a standard Magikoopa and his comrade was likely one as well. As such, they were able to make their way to the hangar without anyone viewing anything as being out of the ordinary.

Once they reached the entrance to the hangar, Korry told Sephiroth, "Once we get in, follow my lead. We'll need a supersonic fighter jet that's also a two-seater. I can fly and I know the location of Star Haven so I'll pilot the jet, you get into the seat behind me."

"Understood," Sephiroth responded, managing to keep his voice even. He did not like being given orders, though, and had no intentions of letting Korry boss him around once he arrived at his destination.

Korry then went up the control pad and punched in the combination that opened the door. The door slid open, granting the two entry to the hangar. Korry was the first to enter, followed quickly by the disguised Sephiroth, no one being any wiser to their presence.

The interior of the hangar was sparsely populated, most of the mechanics were on Bowser's airships or working on fighters at the major airbases and castles. Still, there was a small contingent of fighters present, including a few supersonic jet fighters, a secondary force should the main airbases suffer catastrophic damage in a coordinated assault by one of the Koopa Kingdom's enemies. Korry quickly scanned the hangar for a fighter that fulfilled his needs. Being a Magikoopa, he was granted clearance to fly so he and Sephiroth drew no attention from the few mechanics and guards that were present. After a few moments of searching, he found a plane that fit his needs. It was a fighter jet that resembled a first generation supersonic fighter jet of Earth from the twentieth century. He would not have been surprised if the design had actually been copied by a spy that had gone back to Earth to search for relatives of the Mario Brothers.

Korry made his way over to the fighter jet, Sephiroth following him closely. As Korry neared the jet, he began to grow concerned that Sephiroth may have been too big for the fighter, especially with his sword. While the Sneaky Parasol made him look like a Magikoopa, physically, he was still very human, which was an asset in combat, but could be a liability if he was forced to travel in a vehicle that was designed for Koopas, for he was much taller than any Koopa, to say nothing of the seven foot sword he was carrying.

When the Magikoopa reached the fighter jet, he looked at it appraisingly, wanting to make sure that Sephiroth would fit in the co-pilot's seat. Fortunately, the plane was designed for larger Koopas, quite possibly the Koopalings or Kevin. Good, Sephiroth would fit. It would be cramped but he would still be able to fit.

"This is it," Korry told Sephiroth. "I'll prep the fighter for takeoff."

Korry then went to a panel on the side and pushed a button. The plane's canopy opened and a ladder extended from a side panel. Korry quickly climbed the ladder and jumped into the pilot's seat. Sephiroth followed behind the Magikoopa and took his place in the seat behind him. Sephiroth had to maneuver himself into the cramped sitting space but was able to do so. As he did so, he noticed a mask and helmet on the console in front of him. Once he was in, Korry closed the cockpit and told Sephiroth, "Put the mask and helmet on. They'll provide your air supply while we're in flight."

Sephiroth did as he was told and Korry then activated the radio, speaking into it, saying, "Control, this is Magikoopa Korry requesting clearance for departure."

Korry then waited a few seconds for the response, which soon came. "This is control, clearance is granted. Have a safe flight," came a male voice over the radio.

"Thanks, Control," Korry answered as he then shut off the line. Sephiroth, however, was still concerned.

"Aren't you worried that our flight will be reported?" the human asked.

"I'm a Magikoopa," Korry answered in an almost haughty tone. "I have clearance to fly whenever I want."

"Maybe on a broomstick, but this is a fighter jet," Sephiroth retorted.

"We'll be fine."

Sephiroth was unconvinced, but he was not too concerned about it at the moment. Even in his current state, he could survive anything the Koopas could throw at him. And if this fighter were as fast a Korry boasted, they'd likely make it to Star Haven before the Koopas intercepted them. Either way, there was little that could be done now so he sat back as Korry guided the fighter out of the hangar and towards the runway. Once he reached the runway, Korry pushed the throttle and the fighter began to accelerate. It accelerated until it began to lift itself off the ground. Once the jet was in the air, Korry retracted the landing gear and then directed the fighter towards Star Haven. Once he was ready, he called back to Sephiroth, "Hang on."

With that, he gunned the throttle to full and the fighter jet leapt forward as it went supersonic in the direction towards Star Haven. As they rocketed towards Star Haven, all Sephiroth could do was try to think back to his past some more and try to remember more about who he was and what his abilities were, hoping that it would not matter, for once he got a hold of the Star Rod, he would use it to become whole once more, and spread himself across this entire world, and more.

Not too long into the flight, Korry checked his radar to see if the Mushroom Kingdom had any defenses deployed close to the border that he would have to worry about. When he checked his instruments, he was greeted with a different sight: that of the Koopa Airship fleet. It was then that the radio crackled to life. "Hey Korry," came the familiar voice of Kamek. "Nice of you to drop by," Kamek continued in a sarcastic tone.

"Uh, sir, I do have a good excuse for missing the meeting," Korry stammered in reply.

"We can discuss that later. Right now, you need to get into formation. We're making our attack on the Mushroom Kingdom and the Marios' birthday party."

"I copy, sir," Korry responded in a clear tone as he banked his fighter to the right so he could join a jet fighter squadron that was down a fighter.

Meanwhile, in the back, Sephiroth, having heard the exchange was less than pleased. He did not want to get bogged down in these Koopas' conflict with some plumber. "What about Star Haven and the Star Rod?" he asked plainly.

"This'll play right into that," Korry answered. "The Marios and the Mushroom Kingdom military will be too busy fighting the airship fleet and air force to worry about a single fighter headed towards Star Haven."

"And if we get shot down during the battle?"

"That won't happen," Korry assured the tall silver-haired man. "I'm cleared to fly on any aircraft and I do have combat pilot training."

That did little to assuage Sephiroth's concerns but he did not press the issue further. He needed Korry just as much as Korry needed him. For the time being, he was content to let Korry join this assault on an enemy of the Koopa Kingdom. Still, he was formulating alternate plans for getting the Star Rod some other way if things went south during the battle.

Meanwhile, near the outskirts of the Mushroom Kingdom, several Toads manned a listening post near a beach that led out to the open ocean. This listening post was one of many that had been ordered constructed by King Shroomgus, himself, even though many of his advisors, and even his own son Prince Toady, were against it. King Shroomgus, however, had noted the numerous times that Bowser had managed to infiltrate the Mushroom Kingdom completely undetected despite arriving in massive and distinct airships that could not be confused for anything built by the Mushroom Kingdom. In the end, the others saw his wisdom and allowed the construction of a series of listening posts on the border between the Mushroom Kingdom and the Koopa Kingdom. At least this way, they would be able to alert Princess Peach and Mario as to when Bowser was approaching.

It had been a day just like any other for Securi T., the former Chief of Security in the Mushroom King's castle before being transferred to serving on the first line of defense against a Koopa incursion and his subordinates operating the listening post. The radar dish spun around on top of the building as it searched for signs of contact and radio receivers did their best to pick up any chatter that may have been going on between any airships that had been present. So far, though, in the three months that the posts had been operational, they had picked up next to nothing, which had alarmed King Shroomgus and the Mushroom Kingdom Security Council, for they knew that it was only a matter of time before Bowser tried something.

As if on cue, the radios began to come to life as they picked up a series of radio signals coming from just beyond the border. Securi T. and the others immediately shot up and rushed to their posts to try to identify the radio signals, the group almost certain that they came from the Koopas. While they did not discount the possibility that the new chatter was due to the recent "meteor" crash inside their kingdom, they also knew that the signal would not be so close if it was about the meteor's impact.

"Anything?" Securi T. asked, hoping that it was just some Koopas doing a patrol of their own borders and not the prelude to another invasion.

One of the Toads manning one of the consoles pushed a series of commands on his keyboard and a series of images flashed on the screen. He then input another command that showed the radio wavelength of known Koopa transmissions, much of the data having been obtained when the Mario Brothers and their allies had stolen the Koopa flagship during their escape from the Koopa Kingdom a year ago. From that ship, they had discovered the radio frequencies used by the Koopas in their communications, as well as their codes and code words. In essence, they could pick up any communications from the Koopas and be able to identify them, assuming they had not altered them after the theft of the airship and the data onboard.

After scanning the frequencies and cross-referencing them with the Koopa codes, they found no similarities, which they quickly reported back to Securi T., saying, "Doesn't look like the Koopas, sir."

Securi T. was unconvinced. "Are you sure?" he half queried, half challenged.

"It's of no known Koopa frequency or code," the Toad answered.

"Okay. But still, keep monitoring the comms." He then turned to the Toad manning the radar console and asked, "Anything on radar?"

"Nothing, sir," the Toad answered. "Still, if the Koopas are using stealth technology, their craft would not be picked up on radar, at least not as massive aircraft. It would likely have the cross section of a bird, maybe a large bird if it is an airship."

"At last report, the Koopas didn't have stealth technology," Securi T. answered, scratching his chin. Despite everything telling him that the signal was not from the Koopas, or indicative of an imminent invasion, the Director of Outer Defenses was still on edge. There was always the potential of magic being used to confuse their radar. Either way, he did not want to take any chances. "Still, we should inform the outer defenses of the signal we detected and tell them to be on guard and also contact Princess Peach's Castle and tell security there to be on the lookout for anything. This is the Mario Brothers' birthday and the last thing we need is for Bowser to try to ruin it."

The others nodded in agreement. Just as Securi T. was about to contact the castle and inform them of the suspicious signal, a radar officer blurted out, "Sir, we've just picked up something approaching on radar!"

"What is it?" the Director of Outer Defenses queried.

The officer checked the silhouette and his face went white. He then looked up at Securi T. and replied, "Sir, it looks to be the entire Koopa Kingdom Airship fleet and air force."

"What?" Securi T. asked in stunned disbelief. He had dreaded that Bowser would try something today, he just did not think that it would be something this big.

The Toad checked his instruments once more before answering, "Confirmed, sir."

"Where are they heading?" the Director asked, though he felt as if he knew exactly where the fleet was headed.

The radar officer looked back at his map screen and his face almost went aghast at what he saw. Turning to Securi T., he answered distantly, "They're on a direct course for Princess Peach's Castle.

The Director of Outer Defenses gave a sigh and turned to the communications officer and said, "Chat T., get Princess Peach's Castle on the line and also scramble the closest available fighters. Tell them that the Koopa military is headed for them. Once that's done, scramble everything we've got to try to intercept them. We have to at least slow them down."

"Yes, sir," Chat T. answered. Activating the radio, he then spoke into it saying, "Princess Peach's Castle, come in. This is Defense Post Thirty-four. We've detected the entire Koopa Airship Fleet headed your way. We're scrambling everything we've got but we're no match for the Koopa military. Put everyone on high alert.

As Chat T. was alerting the castle, Securi T. was sending out a signal for all of the military bases and defense fortifications to scramble all fighters and even tanks in the hope that they would be able to do some damage to the airships. While he knew it would not be enough to stop the Koopas' onslaught, it may slow it down enough to give Peach time to either flee her castle, or prepare a defense.