Rogue Fox Dark Dreams
Chapter V
Command and Control
~SyxxFox

The feeling of being encased in the same room as two of the most elite warriors in the entire system never started feeling comfortable. Armoured or not, Syxx and Pyro were the most deadly warriors on the face of the planet. The room was dark, and Syxx's fur blended well with the shadows of the briefing room. Falco, Katt, Krystal, Slippy, and General Peppy Hare all sat around the oval shaped table. As the surface of the table glowed with a bright blue hue, their faces were all underlit, making the shadows of the room, like dark crevices. A few other commander filled in some of the empty seats around the table. A hologram formed on the surface of the table. It was a three dimensional topographical map, with densely packed forests, rolling hills and somewhat rugged train, as most of Katina was covered in; mixed deserts and forests of various sorts, including large tree-like mushrooms.

Peppy Hare cleared his throat, sitting up straight in his chair and rolling it forward. His paws met together at the edge of the hologram. "The Cornerian Army still controls the space around the planet. But most every moment they are faced with opposition from Aparoid forces beyond the meteor belt. Our rail cannons can pick off whatever can bypass them and enter the atmosphere. The attacks don't seem to be coordinated, just random at best. The final briefing for destroying the hive on Katina will take place in the days to come, once the device has been prepared by military technicians. Until then, we have some more immediate problems."

Peppy moved his paw through the hologram, and as he did, the entire format changed. He zoomed into a smaller area and continued. "During the Aparoid's last rush of the base, they also overtook some of the smaller settlements along the light-rail line. This has severed our direct line of transit to Wesetna." He pointed to an area marked in red. "When the Katina Post was being attacked, we had forces pull out of these areas to defend the base, so whoever was left either was overrun and had to fall back or is MIA. The area has been rather quiet the past twenty-four hours, but we know there are Seeders in the zone. No transmissions go in or out of the station." Peppy leaned back into his seat. "Falco, this is a good chance for you to get to work with Metal Assets, and become more aware of each other."

Falco leaned back in his chair. He put his wings behind his head, crossing one leg over the other as he casually rocked in his seat. "So what's the plan, Pep?"

Peppy placed his finger tips together, as he moved forward enough to put his elbows on the table. "This is a ground mission, Falco. The Assets will be taking lead."

"Oh you've gotta be kidding…" Falco sulked.

Peppy motioned his paw toward Syxx, who stood at the edge of the table, next to Pyro. The black fox's tail swung behind him, back and forth in a slow motion, flowing side to side as his arms were crossed over his chest and the white tank top shirt that he wore. A cropped star shone bright, tattooed white into his black fur on one shoulder, while his tongue licked over his silver fang. He had already been doing a lot of thinking and strategizing in his head. His eyes looked over the red area marked on the map; the area that was giving them the problem.

Syxx took in a long deep breath. "Seeders in the area are going to make it difficult for aircraft to track targets. Falco and his team will get us as far into the red zone as possible. Pyro, from there, we'll move in by foot."

Falco huffed. "Fox, we can give you backup."

"You will." Syxx replied. "We've had reports of civilians left in the settlement. If there are any left, we're best not to stir the nest. The civilians will have a better chance if we can take out some Dragoons and Seeders quietly. We'll have even bigger problems if there are infected in the area, which I'm suspecting there are. It's better if we can go in quietly. Any infected Lylatians act super-aggressive. If we go in with air support and designate every building with bots in it, we might be doing some serious friendly fire on whoever's left. This operation will be recon and execution. Insert us here." Syxx pointed to an area on the map, just inside of the red zone. "We're going to be hitting the zone late afternoon. The heat of the day is when infected forms seem to be the most dormant, and the least aggressive."

Falco looked a little dumbfounded as a waypoint appeared on the virtual map. "That's thirty clicks from the settlement, Fox."

Syxx dipped his head. "Providing we encounter minimal resistance, we'll have that distance covered in about forty-five minutes. We'll be traveling just outside of the light-rail line and service road. We'll go in and neutralize the Seeders in the area. Once we do, we'll be able to make radio contact with our assessment. Then, we'll proceed from there."

Krystal chimed in. "What if we don't hear from you?"

"If you don't hear from us in six hours, level the settlement, station, town, everything."

Krystal's jaw dropped down, just enough for her mouth to remain open. "Are you joking?"

Syxx narrowed his eyes a little bit. "If we haven't done what we need to do in three hours, we've ran into something completely unexpected. You've seen what an infected Slayer can do. So if you can't can't make radio contact with us, glass the zone."

Falco crossed his wings. "What are the chances of that happening?"

"It won't." Syxx answered simply. "But it's good contingency."

There was a moment of silence before Peppy spoke. "Now, I know you are all raring to go. Remember Falco, just do what the Assets tell you to do."

"Yeah, you got it Pep." He answered with a roll of his eyes.

"Slippy." Syxx looked toward the toad. "Get our rifles outfitted with suppression devices."

Slippy nodded uneasily. "I have the techs install SDs on your weapons."

"No offence, fox." Falco said. "I've seen you guys fight. You go in, and you blow everything up. Peppy, are you sure these are the kind of guys you want going in to secure survivors."

"Are you kidding!" Pyro butt in. "This is the sh-t we were trained for! What you see are berserkers, and you know what I see? I see cold and calculated maneuvers. We're doing more out there than just blowing sh-t up." Pyro took a pause. "But, ya know… blowing sh-t up is a part of it too."

"Slayers were originally trained for covert operations, zero-G maneuvers, stealth combat. Slayers were never meant to be berserkers. It's what we are now, that's different." Syxx crossed his arms over his chest, he looked down at the 3D map as he spoke. "Peppy, why don't you tell Falco, Katt, everyone, the reason the Slayers were formed."

Peppy sighed softly as his paw-tips pressed together, against one-another. His answer came uneasily and without haste. "Your kind was formed because of the lack of a team like Star Fox to defend the system. It was the military's plan to create an elite force to replace private mercenaries. Teams like Star Fox, were a thing of the past. And we needed something more dependable. Though teams like this worked well in times of crisis, they were not the solution to the ongoing turmoil in the Lylat System. Project Slayer was introduced not long after the war with the Anglars. Many of the candidates of Slayer, were not expected to survive. And the ones that did survive…"

"Became too powerful." Syxx finished his sentence.

The black fox stared at Peppy while his paws remained flat on the table, the vulpine somewhat hunched over. Their eyes made contact for a long while before the hare turned his gaze away. He looked downward, dipping his head, as Syxx could read the expression of shame across his face.

Syxx moved his paw through the hologram, activating additional markers. He stood up fully again. "Falco's team will be on standby. Pyro and I will run recon. Once we make our assessment and clear out the Seeders, we'll call in Falco's team as strike package. Peppy, have ground forces ready to roll in when we call in Falco and the others. Have APCs and armour on standby. Make sure they are ready to extract, or fight." Syxx leaned back from the halopad. "Any questions?"

Everyone around the table remained silent. There wasn't even the shuffle of uncertainty. Everyone just stayed quiet, listening to the commanding Metal Asset.

Syxx went on. "This's a small area. The bots have only been there a few days, so they haven't had a lot of time to fester and spread. We don't need excessive force. I'm sure the General would appreciate if we can secure the area while leaving most of the infrastructure intact. If it's a 'go on force', we'll have targets designated by the time Falco's team arrives. Falco, you and Katt provide cover for the gunship. Slippy and Krystal will deliver payload to targets. There might be civis in the area, so only hit what's painted. Pyro will carry in red smoke, incase our HUDs aren't operational by then." Syxx lifted his head, looking at Krystal and Slippy. "If it's painted, hit it. But don't miss. Clear?"

Krystal bit her tongue, keeping herself from speaking. She simply nodded her head in response to Syxx, even though under her breath she mumbled to herself.

"Alright. Pyro and I will be dispatching bugs and infected alike. There will be a body count." Syxx finished up. "Slippy, get our weapons and suits ready. Falco, make sure your team's ships are checked. Peppy, have APCs on standby to retake the station and setup a stronghold." He looked at Katt and then Krystal. "You two know what to do. We're finished here."

Syxx turned his back to them all for a moment as all he could hear was silence. He looked over his shoulder at everyone in the room. "Get out." He added.

It wasn't long after that remark, everyone in the room stood up. They all shuffled around the table, making their way to the exit of the briefing room. Krystal and Syxx shared a short stare into each other's eyes as she too left, shaking her head as she followed Katt out of the room. Peppy was still at his seat though, even after all the other COs left. Peppy's security detail both gave him a concerned look as they were the last to leave the room, leaving the General alone in a room with two Slayers. It wasn't like they would be much help for security anyways with Syxx and Pyro. Peppy quickly dismissed the guards with a short upward motion of his head. The room now silent once again, was only filled with the three Laylatians Syxx, Peppy, and Pyro.

Syxx circled the table to stand across from it from the general. The black fox tapped at a pad next to one of the seats as the 3D map of the strike zone disappeared. With a few motions of his paw, he brought up another map. A map of the solar system. A familiar layout that showed all the planets, all the sectors and Lylat's sun.

Syxx crossed one arm over his midsection while the other made its way up to rub the fur under his chin for a short while. "What is the state of your military?"

Peppy leaned back into his chair. "Shall I start with Corneria?"

Syxx just dipped his head, motioning with one paw just off his chin, upward.

It angered Peppy. They've had little confrontation in the way of how Corneria was left after the Slayer's actions. But Syxx's measures couldn't be forgiven. Not just for the state he left the heart of the Lylat system in, not just for starting a war, but for how he acted. For lying. For faking his death. Peppy still had a lot of resentment toward the fox, even after he had acted like a father to him upon the passing of James McCloud so many years ago. The hare did try to look past that all. All he could do now was look forward. There was no point in fighting with Syxx. In his mind, Fox McCloud had died the day that his Arwing burnt up in the atmosphere of Corneria. Everything from this point forward, was just business. And the Slayers, ran a good one.

Peppy held back his emotions. His paw lifted, as the planet made its way by him. As he tapped the hologram of Corneria with his paw, the planet enlarged and lifted above the rest of the system. Small lettering filled areas around the zones where Corneria's weapons had been turned against them by the rogue Slayers. There were also clusters of ships in orbit around the planet.

"The radiation on Corneria is dropping. It's levels are still unsafe though. They'll remain unsafe for a while. Slippy has been working with SFX Corporation to modify the climate control generators that are used on Fachina to be deployed and filter out the planet's radiation. Over the past few days, we've heard our first communications from the surface. The losses are vast, but not as bad as we initially thought. We still have operational military bases on the surface. Even many of the smaller towns and cities away from the blast zones are intact. A large portion of our navy still remains in orbit around Corneria. There are even ships that leave the surface time to time that are picked up by our freighters. Our first aide drop begins today. In the next few weeks we'll be beginning evacuation of the planet's surface, with the exception of Corneria City, and a few of the other larger populated centres. Many of these are now controlled by local militias. It's not safe for us to drop peacekeepers there at this time."

Peppy brought Corneria out of their view and focused on another planet. Katina. It was the planet they were on now. Next to Corneria, the second most inhabited planet in Lylat, and home of the vast majority of Corneria's Navy as well as Corneria's strongest line of defence. "There is conflict beyond the orbit of Katina, but it's nothing our navy can't handle. As you know, Katina has always been our stronghold for defences. It's where most our military lies." Peppy went on. "Sectors X, Y, Z are showing no signs of Aparoiditation. Though we can't confirm that, because of the ambient radiation levels in these sectors. Fortuna showing no signs of Aparoiditation, neither do Fichina, Zoness, Aquas. Titania became infested early on. Same with Papetoon. We pulled out all our military and any independent researchers. Planet Venom, we can only assume that Aparoids have spread there. We have no forces on that planet. We've had our fleets do a flyby to scan the surface every few months. Those have stopped since we've reallocated most of our forces to more important duties. We've pulled back from Venom almost entirely."

"What about Macbeth?" Syxx asked.

"Macbeth is mostly controlled by the SFX Corporation as well as a few other manufacturers and military suppliers. As you can imagine, they've invested a lot of money in keeping their assets and facilities safe. Most of Macbeth's defence lies in the hand of their own private contractors, not to mention their own defence force. But, we do have two entire fleets stationed in orbit there as well. We are on hand to defend the planet, but SFX is a large enough entity they can protect themselves a lot more effectively than our army could. Not to mention their security force is always up to date with their latest gadgets and hardware. They have the technology, but we have the numbers. When it comes down to it, they won't be able to defend themselves against a full scale invasion. Keeping the military suppliers functioning, keeps us alive."

Syxx looked at the map of the Lylat system. He crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned back a little bit where he stood. "So the Cornerian Army is still on their feet." He looked at Corneria on the map, the once blue and green plant now emitted a dark toxic orange glow. "But what good is an entire army, when there's nothing left to defend?"

X

Katt shivered as they walked down the halls of the Katina Post. "It's just... that look he gives you, with those glowing eyes. It's just piercing." She hugged her arms over her chest as each of her paws grabbed onto the opposite shoulder. "It gives me the chills, hun."

Krystal sighed softly. Her ears drooped down a little. "Yeah. Tell me about it. It's the look he always gives me."

Falco snickered under his breath, shallowly. "Well this is what you wanted isn't it Krystal? The team back together again?"

Krystal took in a deep breath, as she looked down at her boots as they walked. "But not like this…" her voice trailed off.

Falco shook his head in frustration. "It's so stupid. We just get to drop those two guys off to fight, and we get to hang back. You'd think Peppy could give us a little more exciting things to do!"

Katt giggled. "As much as I hate to admit it, that fox is probably the best strategic mind in their army."

Krystal rubbed her face. "He's smart. I just wish he wasn't such a hard-ss all the time. He never used to be way…"

Slippy sighed. "Slayer changed him a lot…"

"Well, while you two girls gush over a sexy dark fox, I'm gonna see what kind of cash is in the team bank."

Slippy chuckled. "Getting tired of working on base Falco?"

The avian tossed his wings up over his head. "There's no personal space around here! Maybe Fox likes to work for free, but we don't!"

Katt nodded in agreement. "We are mercenaries after all. We're PMCs just like many other squadrons. And it was a kick in the teeth for us to lose the Great Fox like that."

"Yeah." said Slippy. "And ever since what happened on Corneria, Star Fighter X has tightened up their lines of credit for ships. The Cornerian Army is their biggest customer, but they have the cash to put out. Especially now."

The team marched into the mess hall. The large room was home to hundreds of tables, surrounded by even more chairs. It was about half full as usual. It was always about half full with the amount of personal on base and between the switching of night and day time crews. The four of them got in line, which was rather short to the cafeteria. As usual they didn't get much of a choice in their meal. They were rationed out what was given to them which was often some sort of meat, often seafood, and vegetables that none of them recognized. On days that they were lucky, there was pasta of sorts, but today was not one of those days.

The chatter between them went on through the line and even as they sat down at their own table in a quieter corner of the mess hall. Falco picked through his food, leaning back into the chair. He played with bits of the questionable meal that was placed in front of him, poking them with his fork. "I'm so sick of this." He carelessly tossed his fork down on the table, letting it bounce a few times in front of him.

Katt smiled. "Well hun, it's not like we have much of a choice, sweetie!"

Falco rubbed his face with his wings. "It's gonna be awhile before we can afford a new flagship. And we're not going to buy some piece of junk either."

"Well, why don't I just pay for one?" Krystal said.

Everyone at the table looked at her. She pushed her trey aside, even though she had not even touched any of the food on it. Her stomach was too upset to eat. Infact, since they had come to this planet she found that she had been eating a lot less. They knew that she had come into a large sum of money. She had paid for their new gunship outright. But, she hadn't filled them in fully on where the money came from. Maybe this was a good place to spend it, or at least part of it.

The little blue vixen continued. "Well, it would be nice not to be confined to a military base. We'd have the freedom to move around, go to Wesetna and other places while still remaining on call for Peppy."

Falco narrowed his eyes at her. "How did you get that kind of money? You just bought a Freon."

Krystal bit her lip. "It was just from some projects that I was working on while all that… stuff was happening." She struggled to find the words.

Slippy spoke a little uneasily. "That's a lot of money to be forking out at once Krystal. I mean, I work for you guys, but I also work for SFX too. Maybe I can arrange something. I'm sure I could get some sort of discount on a destroyer class ship."

"What about a ship like the Great Fox?" Asked Falco.

"Well," Slippy took a moment to think before going on. "The Great Fox was built by Arspace Dynamics. Same with the early Arwings. Star Fighter X, bought Arspace out years ago, so I'm sure we have the blueprints on file. If we do, that ship was constructed with a lot of the materials that they now use to put together destroyers."

Falco raised an eyebrow. "So what does that mean?"

Slippy continued. "It means, SFX, can have a ship like the Great Fox constructed fast. Especially if we walk in a fat stack of cash. No waiting on banks. No waiting on paperwork. We pay, and they'll build us a ship."

"How fast, is fast?" Krystal asked.

Slippy hummed a little in thought. "Thirty days?"

Falco choked on his water, making a mess. He smacked himself on the chest with one wing and put down the glass with the other. "Thirty days?! You can build a ship of that size in thirty days?!"

Slippy nodded. "Well yeah Falco. Most of it is prefabricated. The subframe is built on the same chassis as a destroyer! And since the Great Fox was built to enter and exit the atmosphere, it doesn't have to be built at an obital dock. They can build it on the ground of MacBeth, and launch it when it's done." Slippy leaned back and put his feet up on the table, kicking the chair back on two legs. "Ships are a lot simpler than you think Falco! SFX has tons of staff! And they have all the parts on hand! It's pretty much just bolt it and weld it together!"

"And that's a fully functional ship?" Falco asked.

Slippy scratched the back of his head. "It's functional ship, yes. But to the get the entire thing furnished, to install slingshots for the Arwings, plasma cannons, furnished living quarters, the lounge... to make it the way the Great Fox was outfitted would be another…" he paused in thought for a moment. "Maybe another two weeks? Then there's about two weeks of flight testing and fine tuning at a space dock. It has to pass all their checks and tests before they'll release the ship to us."

Falco laughed. "That's not long at all!"

Slippy smiled in agreement. "SFX has crews that work around the clock! And after the flight testing, they'll release the ship to us! It used to take almost a year to construct a ship the size of the Great Fox but their facility now can really put out."

Katt grinned. "So two months!"

"Mhm!" Slippy chimed back

Krystal looked at each and every one of them. "Well? What do you guys think?"

"Don't you want to take some time to think about this?" Katt asked.

Falco nodded. "Yeah, it's a huge purchase."

Krystal shrugged. "Well… what's there to think about? We've never not had a ship until just lately. And we can't just keep leaching off the military like this."

Falco agreed. "Yeah, it really doesn't work for us. Especially if we have to deliver Arwings to insertion points. We can't spend ten days in an Arwing just to fly to Sauria!"

"Krys is right." Said Katt. "We'd be able to move to tactical advantage points around the system a lot easier."

Slippy opened up his communicator, tapping at controls on his wrist. He hummed softly in thought as he scrolled through the digital media that was presented to him. "Star Fighter X has promos for PMCs. I could put it on a payment plan with them. James put the first Great Fox on an eighty year loan."

Falco laughed. "Good! We'll be dead by the time it needs to be paid back! I guess the nice thing about not having a ship lately, is that our bank account has grown!"

"Yeah, but it sounds like we can have a good sum of the down-payment." Slippy cleared his throat. He scrolled through the database a little longer before closing the information center on his communicator. "If you guys are serious about this, all I need is to show proof of funds, and a deposit. I can prepare and submit a purchase order today."