En route to Mission Area
Southern Sandstorm Regions / Titania / Lylat System
0653 Hours
Kyle grabbed a hand hold to brace himself as once again the Warhorse was subjected to the fury of the planet's sandstorms. The mission to take the Remnant base was a Go, with the first step to get the ground team planetside. Katt was flying the dropship that would drop the team off near the base, a task the fierce sandstorms refuse to make easy. But as much as the Sandstorm was a hindrance to the operation, it was just as much a key asset in blinding the fortress to the intrusion of its airspace. If Katt could make it out of range before the storm blows over the base would have no clue that any troops have landed just outside.
Out of the corner of his eye, Kyle saw Krystal's hands shake before she lowered her head and silently let out a tear. This was no easy task for her, it was never easy digging up a troubled past, but she was strong enough to push past her comfort zone to help those in need. A trait Kyle held the deepest respect for. Right away the blue telepath lifted her head with a small smile, she had just heard the human's prase. She was going to be alright.
"Alright, I'm about to land and open the hatch," Katt announced from the pilot's seat up front, "As soon as you're all out I'm going to book it back to the Grand Fox so you'll be on your own. Good Luck."
The rear hatch opened, and right away the ground team was bombarded with sand. Pulling his facemask up over his nose, Kyle grabbed his Warden and jumped out onto the desert below, soon followed by the other operators. Even with the sandstorm heavily obstructing their vision, they all could see the massive pyramid sticking up out of the desert.
"Everyone make it?" Fox yelled over the wind, trying to shield his eyes from the sand's relentless assault. "The ventilation shaft should be on the east side of the base, that's where we are now. Looks like it's about a hundred yards to the base, stay out of the wind best you can and keep together. Kyle, You're on point!"
"Sir."
The ground team slowly waded their way through the sandstorm, their feet sinking into the surface as the winds continued to attempt to blow them off balance. Silently, Kyle was thankful that he was still human, and that his armor (which was inspired by Halo Marine Armor) covered almost his entire body except for his fingertips. The face mask and eye protection saved him from breathing in the sand. Unlike his teammates whose fur was already caked with sand, especially the tails and ears. Slippy wasn't doing as bad, but the toad's short height and Amphibious nature still did not cooperate with the blistering sandstorm.
It took longer than anyone wanted, but before too long the ground team was repelling along the outside of the base. Security was extremely lacking, understandable since the only cameras the team encountered had been out of commission for some time, sand having eaten it's way through the wiring years ago. Half-buried under a mountain of sand, the pyramid shield started to groan ominously under the weight of its heavy load. Slippy didn't waste much time with the torch, cutting a man-sized hole in one of the thinner parts of the main wall. Big enough for the team to squeeze through one at a time, but small enough that it wouldn't affect the structural integrity to the point the Pyramid would buckle, and the base would be buried alive in sand.
Fox and Wolf were the first two in, repelling down the abandoned shaft until they reached the floor of the Reactor room, almost immediately taking cover behind various broken down machines marked for salvage. There were up to eight or nine people already in the room. A couple militiamen armed with blasters and incomplete sets of armor, One person in a complete set of armor, most likely an officer, and the rest were mechanics.
"The boss wants an update on that jammer they brought up from the pens the other day, did you get it fixed yet?" The officer demanded, threatening to shove the mechanics aside.
"Almost," Came the reply, "We got it working again, but there's no way of fine-tuning it to only affect the primitives' telepathy in here. Not unless we can get a few "volunteers" to come here."
"It doesn't have to be perfectly tuned, as long as it keeps them under control I don't care!" The officer shouted, pulling out his blaster and aiming it at the mechanics. "Get that piece of machinery working or I'll paint this room Scorched Red!"
The mechanics scrambled to prove they had been doing their jobs, quickly snapping the machine back together and welding the last few parts in place. One mechanic quickly connected the strange device to a portable generator before pulling the ripcord.
The moment the machine received the juice and began working, Starfox's cover was blown. Krystal fell to the floor crying out in pain as she tried to force the sudden telepathic noise out of her head. Not even giving the enemy time to react, Kyle open fired with his rifle, dropping both the officer and one of the guards before they had time to even level their blasters. No point in trying to stay quiet now.
Within seconds, all of the remanent personnel in the Reactor bay were killed, and Slippy made short work of the generator with his shotgun, finally ending the telepathic torture Krystal was forced to endure. As soon as they were clear, for the moment at least, Fox rushed over to the Telepath and offered her a hand up. Thankful, Krystal accepted the gesture, picking herself up off the floor and recollecting her carbine that she had dropped. The vixen was about to apologize for giving their presence away, but Fox hushed her. She was not at fault.
"Well well, it appears we have some unwanted guests." A voice announced over a PA system as the large doors to the Repair Bay latched shut, trapping the ground team inside.
"I was expecting an attack when those two traitors fled, but I must admit that I am impressed by the fact you managed to get into my base so easily McCloud." The voice continued as a security camera focused on the team, "So impressed that I am offering you a chance to surrender. My men are amassing just outside that door, If you surrender I'll tell them to take your team alive, especially the girl."
"You had your head stuck in the sand, wasn't too hard to just walk on up where you weren't looking." Fox retorted, subtly nodding to Panther who managed to stay out of frame. "We know about the Cerinians, and we're not leaving until this operation is shut down!"
"I can arrange for that." the voice smugly countered. "I think I'll have you and O'Donnell skinned and displayed as trophies in my office. The human will craft his weapons and Armor for my forces and the girl will finally rejoin with her precious people in a tearful reunion. As for the short one, well, some of my men have been talking about how flavorful Frog Legs can be. So yes, you won't leave until this base is shut down because you will never leave at all!" The voice laughed.
"Face it oh mighty Starfox," The voice mocked, "I have you completely trapped and outnumbered. You can't call for help, and no one will come looking for you. I have all the cards."
"Maybe, but you forgot something." Fox reminded before shooting the camera,
"I'm not playing by your rules. Charge is hot!"
The Detcharge Panther had subtly placed during the conversation lit up, blasting a new door through the wall opening an alternative exit. Now the fight was truly beginning. . .
