Here it is, the long awaited third chapter to The Remnant!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything relating to the Star Fox franchise. I only own what I make up myself.
Chapter 2: The Kestrel Incident
In the center of the city, far removed from the relative peace of the great chapel, stood an area the citizens referred to as the "Mall". However, it was not shopping center. Within this area, crawling with pedestrians and vehicles and bathed in color from the many gardens and groves that speckled this space, were all of the buildings and offices that formed the heart of Lylatian government. The massive Senate Building dominated the skyline of the mall, with its ivory white government buildings glistening in the morning sunlight. This structure, with it's oval shape, great domed roof, and deep silver painting shining in the sunlight like a great jewel, looked more like a sports stadium than a government building, much less one where all the laws of the Lylat System were framed, contained not only the Senate chambers where the representatives met, but also their offices and living quarters. It was almost like a small town in the middle of the bustling, noisy metropolis that was Corneria City. About a block away, much smaller than the Senate Building but just as important, was a tall office tower. This ivory white, pyramid-shaped spire was the headquarters of the Lylatian Defense Department, which governed both the individual defense forces that guarded each planet in the system, and the Lylatian Defense Force which protected the system as a whole. It was also known for it's great height, which at 2,500 feet made it the tallest building in the system.
Up upon the highest floor of the great spire was a solitary office, the office of the General Secretary of the Defense Department, who administered the activities and policies of the entire Lylatian military establishment, from establishing enlistment quotas to implementing policy changes. Currently, none other than now retired General Pepper, a stodgy old hound dog with equal parts determination and optimism, held the position. He would need both in the times ahead. Despite the progress that had been made in rebuilding the system, the military was still struggling to get back onto its feet after the Aparoid war. Nearly all branches had taken horrendous losses during the conflict. Worst affected was the Cornerian Defense Force, the arm charged with defending the capital world from attack. As Corneria itself had taken the brunt of the Aparoid's fury, so did the CDF, which had taken casualty rates upwards of thirty percent, and was now struggling to meet the lofty recruiting goals the government had put on them as part of it's rebuilding plan. The CDF had only been able to meet about thirty-five percent of these goals in the year that had passed since the conflict, a paltry number compared to the Katinian Defense Force, which had been able to completely replenish it's ranks and then some in less than six months.
Inside, the office was richly decorated. Paintings depicting famous starships and battles from Lylat's past were hung up on the fine oaken paneled walls of large, oval shaped room. The floor was decorated in carpet of the richest blue, which was set off by the light of the sun filtering through the massive panel window that made up the back wall of the office. A giant fish tank containing a myriad of colorful tropical fish was situated over on the left side, and lush green plants were place on a shelve hanging above the tank. Just outside the center of the room was situated a large, semi-circular oaken desk which complemented the wall paneling nicely, and sitting behind that desk, watching the latest news headlines from the large holoscreen mounted on the wall in front of him, was now General Secretary of the Defense Department William Pepper. Pepper frowned at the latest headlines that flashed across the transparent holoscreen, delivered by a rather lovely looking gray she-wolf dressed in a black business suit. Almost every report was nothing but the same old garbage, from reports on the Zoness' struggles to rebuild it's economy after the Aparoid attack, to the continuing recruitment problems the CDF was experiencing. Pepper sighed as the reports continued to flash across the screen. He had heard nothing but the same mundane, over covered news stories, mostly dealing with the remaining negative aspects of the whole rebuilding process. He would have liked to see someone actually attempt to cover the positive developments that had occurred in the nearly one year since the Aparoid's devastated the system, but that was like wishing for a rainstorm on Titania, it just didn't happen. After all, good stories never got good ratings. Pepper sighed again and was about to turn off the holoscreen when a particular story caught his attention.
"In other news, it's a happy day for a certain vulpine couple you all may have heard of." The she-wolf's voice announced, followed by a camera shot of a very familiar orange fox and his happy bride flashing across the screen. Pepper couldn't help but crack a smile at this. He had indeed heard of the vulpine couple whose image was now being broadcast across the airwaves of Lylat. "A representative of the Star Fox team has confirmed that today, after almost two years, Fox McCloud, everyone's favorite gun-for-hire and hero, has finally decided to settle down and marry his long-time sweetheart, who goes only by the name of Krystal." Pepper's smile grew even larger as he watched the vulpine couple kiss, seemingly oblivious to the fact that this image was now being beamed into nearly every home across the system. "The two wed this morning in the Corneria City Chapel, and by the looks of things, are quite happy about it. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a long and happy union for the McClouds. We wish them the best of luck." Pepper let a laugh escape him before turning the holoscreen off.
"Well Fox, my boy, I must say it's about time." Pepper said to himself. "It's about time." Pepper then turned back to his desk, and was about to engross himself in a book set over to the side by his communications panel, when he noticed one of the indicators on the screen was blinking. A quick glance at the screen revealed to be the incoming transmission indicator, which told him that his holographic communicator had received a new transmission. A quick tap of the screen brought the hologram projector popping out of the top of the desk with a mechanical hiss. The room seemed to grow a little brighter as the hologram communiqué came to life, revealing the head of a female border collie, black and white in color, with bright green eyes and a warm smile.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, sir." The woman said. "But you have an incoming transmission from Colonel Donelson on C-42." Pepper grew slightly concerned when he heard this. C-42 was one of the numerous sensor outposts set up along the border of Lylatian space. These outposts, nicknamed "watchtowers", were designed to for the sole purpose of detecting and tracking incoming ships. C-42 was located near Sector P, which just so happened to be where several civilian science crews were studying several newly discovered planets. If the station had detected something approaching the sector, and it turned out to be hostile, the safety of the science teams was in jeopardy.
"Patch it through." Pepper ordered. The woman nodded, before her image blinked out and was replaced by the slim features of a male black fox, dressed in the garb of a Lylatian Defense Force officer.
"Greetings general." The officer, Colonel Theodore Donelson, addressed. "I hope I'm not disturbing you." Pepper smiled slightly.
"Not at all, Colonel." Pepper said. "What seems to be the problem?" The Colonel's face disappeared, replaced by a star map of Sector P with all of the known star systems marked with green dots and text with each system's designation next to it.
"What you're seeing is a map of the sector we we're assigned to watch." The Colonel began. The map then zoomed to a star system labeled "A-231" and highlighted it with a white crosshairs. "This is one of the newer systems discovered, A-231, which is just inside our sensor range. At 0530 hours, our sensors detected several tachyon emissions within the vicinity of the fourth, currently unnamed, planet in the system."
"Tachyon emissions?" Pepper asked.
"Yes sir." The Colonel. "As you may recall, tachyon emissions indicate the presence of tachyon particles, which are the primary components of a cloaking field." Pepper was deeply disturbed to hear this. At the time, the only ships in the system that used cloaking devices were the Venomian Switchblade-class destroyers. If cloaked ships were active in the system, they were more than likely Venomian, further remnants of Andross' once mighty Venomian fleet. If so, then the civilians working in that sector would be in danger.
"Your certain that it's a cloaked ship giving off these signatures?" Pepper asked. He wanted to make sure that the station's crew wasn't jumping to conclusions.
"Quite certain, sir." The Colonel replied. "Tachyon particles are very rare in nature, and the quantities we detected them in were inconsistent with any known natural phenomenon. Also, the tachyon traces appeared to be moving."
"Moving?" Pepper asked. The Colonel nodded. Pepper now knew that the station's crew was not jumping to conclusions. Moving tachyon traces in unnatural amounts could only indicate one thing, a cloaked ship.
"What do you suggest, Mr. Secretary?" The Colonel asked.
"Put your station on alert level three, and send a coded transmission to all military units in the immediate area advising them to do the same." Pepper ordered. "In the meantime, I'll contact General Casey and see if he can spare any additional units."
"Yes sir." The Colonel acknowledged, before terminating his link with Pepper's office. The Colonel's image was replaced with that of the young woman, Pepper's secretary.
"Ms. Lane, please patch me through to General Casey's office. I need to speak with him." Pepper ordered.
"Of course, sir." The secretary acknowledged. Her face was then replaced with bright green holographic text that read "Establishing link. Please wait." Pepper leaned back in his chair and patiently waited for the link the Casey's office to be established.
---
If the mood in Pepper's office had been tense, it was most certainly the exact opposite at the Cornerian Great Opal, the finest hotel on the planet, where Fox and Krystal's wedding reception was to be held. Indeed, Peppy had wanted the best for this day, and the ballroom at the Great Opal was the finest the city had to offer. The Opal was renowned across Corneria, and indeed Lylat, for the opulence of it's elegant ballroom, which offered just about every luxury that one could imagine, from an elegant dining and dancing area to a fully stocked bar, which carried just about every brand of wine and spirits from every planet in the system. It was rumored that the barkeep at the hotel even kept a stash of Venomian whiskey, an extremely potent drink made from grains grown on Venom that, thanks to the "unique" nature of Venom's soil, had a hallucinogenic effect thanks to a mutation in the grain. But, like so many rumors that floated around the system, this had never been proven.
Fox and Krystal were the first the exit their vehicle, a luxurious black limousine. Fox was the first out, holding his hand out for Krystal, who gently took it and gracefully stepped out of the limousine, her dress not displaying the least bit of a wrinkle from the ride. Almost immediately, Fox scooped Krystal into his embrace and kissed her deeply and passionately. Krystal returned the gesture with equal, if not greater, fervor, her arms slithering tenderly around Fox's neck, pulling her even closer into his embrace. The couple carried on like this for nearly five whole minutes, before they broke apart, staring into each other's eyes with expressions of the deepest, purest love crossing their faces.
"I'm so glad that this day has finally come, Fox." Krystal said dreamily. "I love you so much." Fox smiled and kissed her on the forhead.
"Likewise." He replied, and then gestured towards the entrance to the building. "Shall we?" Krystal once again took his hand in hers.
"We shall." She said, allowing herself to be led by Fox up the entrance, where a bellhop in a red uniform with gold trim waited to grant them entrance, along with the rest of their guests, who had already exited their vehicles and were waiting to allow Fox and Krystal to enter the building first.
"Welcome to the Great Opal, Mr. McCloud." The bellhop politely greeted. "Please enjoy your stay with us." Fox smiled.
"Thank you, sir." He replied, before fishing a five-credit slip out of his pocket, and handing it to the bellhop, who thanked him and opened the door, allowing the vulpine couple and their entourage to enter the hotel and prepare to celebrate their joyous union.
---
The Lylat System was unique for many things; it's population of half-human animals being only one of them. Probably it's most famous landmarks were its uniquely shaped micronebulae, which took on the form of the last three letters of the alphabet, X, Y, and Z, which also how the sectors they were located in got their names. How the nebulae came to be shaped like this had baffled Lylatian scientists since they were first discovered. The accepted theory was that the gravity wells of nearby planets and moons somehow twisted the shapes of the nebulae into forming the letters. This could have certaintly held true for one of these nebulae, located in Sector X, a giant, swirling, blue X-shaped nebula that was famous, or rather infamous, for the strange electromagnetic field it generated, which could interfere with a ship's electronics, sometimes even disabling a ship and leaving it stuck in the magnetic field of the nebula. It was for this reason that the Sector X nebula was sometimes referred to as the "Boneyard". The nebula was home to the hulks of hundreds of disabled ships; all rendered dead in the water by the strange forces at work in the sector. Near the nebula were three of the main planets of the system; Titania, a formerly lush planet rendered a single, massive desert by an asteroid strike, Eladard, a mineral rich world that was peppered with mineral mines and processing plants, and Papetoon, the system's pleasure planet, famous for it's beautiful beaches and lush forests which were perfect for camping. These were all fairly good size planets, so their gravity wells could very well have contorted the Sector X nebula into the shape it was famous for.
Currently trudging its way through the sector was a small Lylatian ship; it's silvery admantium armor plate glinting in the light coming from the nebula. The craft itself was rounded, almost saucer shaped, its two rear mounted plasma engines churning out two streams of blue, brilliantly glowing plasma exhaust. The ship bore few markings, other than it's registry number, PC-175, and a shield marking depicting a map of the Lylat System on the face, with an olive branch arching underneath it and a sword going through the top of the shield, the emblem of the Lylatian Defense Force. The only other features on the ship were two triangular dorsal fins, slate gray in color, standing erect from the rear of the ship. This ship was the patrol cutter Kestrel, a member of the Sparrowhawk class of patrol cutter. Being a patrol cutter, she was lightly armed, and not exactly designed for deep space work, but she was the closest ship to sector P that could be found, and so it was she who was assigned the task of investigating the mysterious tachyon signatures.
Being a small vessel, the Kestrel had small, utilitarian rooms, from her engine room down to her crew quarters. Her bridge was no exception. The bridge was a small, circular room containing only two stations, both of which were situated at the front of the bridge, near the front windows of the bridge. One station was for the ship's navigator/helmsman, who both determined the ships course and piloted the ship, and sat on the right side of the bridge. The seat was currently occupied by a male avian, of average height and build, with brown feathers and light gray eyes, and who was dressed in the standard navy blue coveralls worn by all LDF crews. His eyes were currently focused on the navigational display on the rectangular console in front of him, showing him the ship's current heading and speed, as well as all nearby bases and ships.
On the left side of the bridge sat the ship's tactical officer, who was in charge of monitoring all of the ship's vital systems, including the weapons and shields. Also, it was the tactical officer's job to control the weapons in a combat situation, which patrol cutters such as the Kestrel rarely found themselves in. Currently, the tactical officer, a young male lion, had his eyes glued to the tactical display in front of him, which told him the status of all of the ship's vital systems, carefully watching for any anomalous readings.
Sitting in the rear of the bridge, looking behind him as the sector X nebula shrank as the ship moved away, was the Kestrel's captain, a middle-aged wolf with brown that was slowly fading to gray in some areas, Commander Jon "Big Jon" McFaul. McFaul wore the same standard coveralls that the rest of the crew wore, except his had the added element of gold piping trim on the shoulders, indicative of his status as the ships commanding officer. McFaul turned around in his brown leather captain's chair to face the front of the bridge before speaking to his helmsman.
"Helm, what's our status?" He asked. The helmsman pushed a button on his console, which brought up a map of the ships current course on the small viewscreen in the console's center. Part of the space on the map was shaded in light gray, and near the end of this shaded area, a small blip indicating the ships current position was blinking.
"We're almost clear of the magnetic disturbance, sir." The helmsman replied. "We should be able to use the hyperdrive soon." The massive magnetic field generated by the nebula not only interfered with a starships electronics (which modern ships had since been upgraded with shielding to protect their systems when traveling through the sector), they also prevented the use of a ships hyperdrive, the system which enabled ships to travel faster than light by tunneling into hyperspace, a sort of "sub universe" that existed at the quantum level, and where the laws of physics were distorted, enabling ships to travel at faster than light speeds without experiencing the effects of general relativity.
"How much longer until we clear the magnetic field?" McFaul questioned.
"About five minutes, sir." The helmsman replied. McFaul leaned back in his chair. The ship had been trudging it's way through the magnetic field for almost an hour, and the crew was anxious to get to sector P and start their mission, which was to determine whether there was Venomian activity in the sector, an anxiety that McFaul shared. His anxiety only increased when he thought about potentially facing Venomian ships, especially destroyers. His little patrol cutter had only thin armor, which, even if it were admantium, wouldn't last long in a firefight with and Venomian destroyer. The vessel's shielding wouldn't help much either. The Kestrel was equipped with only minimal shielding, barely enough to hold another light ship's weapons at bay, and certainly not enough to repel the heavy laser batteries mounted on Venomian warships. As if weak armor and shields were bad enough, the vessel carried Type II laser cannons, standard weapons for all Lylatian patrol cutters. Type II cannons were good for engaging pirate ships and other criminals, who's ships were usually weakly shielded, but were pretty much useless against even small frigates, much less a destroyer. With all this in mind, he was pretty nervous about potentially coming up against one of these ships, which were sure to attack them if discovered. His only hope would be to cut and run if they encountered a Venomian ship. Hopefully, they would be able to get into hyperspace before they were pounded into scrap.
Shaking his head to get these thoughts out of his mind, he reached in the front pocket of his uniform and pulled out a PAD with some text written across the front, the latest novel from Todd Warson, one of Corneria's most popular authors. Warson was a writer of military fiction, and McFaul, a military man, enjoyed reading such stories. McFaul was soon engrossed in the words on the PAD, but it seemed like he had barely begun when his helmsman brought him back into the real world.
"Sir, we've cleared the magnetic field. We can now enter hyperspace." McFaul jolted out of his story and stared at the helmsman. The helmsman looked back with a surprised look on his face. "Are you alright, sir?"
"Yes, yes, of course." McFaul said. "Set course for Sector P." He ordered.
"Yes sir." The helmsman replied. He punched the hyperspace vector for planet 44619, where they would begin their search, into his console, which in turn patched it into the ships navigational computer. On the bow of the ship, a small, slender probe folded out. The probe began to spark green at the tip, before firing a green beam into space. The beam coalesced a few feet in front of the ship into a large green portal leading into hyperspace. The Kestrel, guided by its computer, entered the shimmering green portal. The ship soon disappeared into the portal, which collapsed behind it in a brilliant emerald flash.
---
Fox and Krystal stared in awe at the room they had just entered. It was no wonder that the Great Opal was a favorite of the rich and famous of Cornerian society! Everywhere they looked, they saw luxury. The ballroom was massive, easily accommodating all of their guests. The ballroom was divided into two areas. On one side was a massive dining area, carpeting in the most beautiful ruby red carpeting, which blended perfectly with the walls. In fact, the two blended so seamlessly, that the carpet and wall appeared to be one, the carpeting stretching to cover the walls. A multitude of mahogany tables and chairs, with plush red cushion seats, were neatly arranged around the dining area, vases of white forget-me-nots and red roses and silverware and plates likewise arranged neatly on the tabletops. The tables and chairs were all polished until the shined as though they were brand new, untouched by Lylatian hands. Along the middle part of the walls, lovely floral patterns were painted in gold.
On the other side, the floor went from ruby red to ivory white as the dining area transitioned to the dance floor. The white color came from the fine polished marble tile that made up the dance floor, and clicked under the footsteps of the assembled guests. The gold flora pattern from the dining area continued on this side. Hanging from the ceiling of both areas were the most beautiful crystal chandeliers any of them had ever seen. Each one was made of hundreds of beautifully crafted crystal pieces, which shimmered in the light filtering through the ballroom's massive windows. Hanging from the bottom of each chandelier were shining gold orbs, polished until they shone nearly as bright as Solar itself. All of the chandeliers hung on golden chains studded with so many diamonds and gems that they gave the appearance of miniature galaxies, sparkling in the emptiness of space.
Fox, Krystal, and the other guests were left in awe at the luxury before them, while Peppy just watched their astonished expressions with amusement. Indeed, it was he who had picked out this hotel especially for this occasion. If Fox, who had become something of the son he never had, was going to get married, he might as well do so in a blaze of luxury. Peppy had insured that everything was the finest it could be, from Krystal's wedding dress, designed with the latest fashion in mind and crafted from the finest materials available, right down to the choice of food on the menu. The Opal's chefs were renowned throughout the system for their mouthwatering dishes, made from the finest ingredients. He wouldn't have accepted anything less than the best for them.
"The wedding party of Fox and Krystal McCloud, I presume?" A dignified voice appeared out of nowhere, startling the mystified vulpine couple out of their trance. They looked over to their side to see middle-aged raccoon, about a head shoulder than themselves and dressed in a typical black tuxedo, or "penguin suit" as Falco liked to call them.
"Yes sir, we're the McClouds." Fox replied.
"Ah, very good." The raccoon replied. "My name is Charles, and I'll be your host for the reception. Tell me, have all the guests arrived?"
"Yes sir." Fox replied. "All 500 of them."
"That's quite a substantial party, Mr. McCloud." Charles replied. "But I'm sure we can manage. All the arrangements are in place. We may begin at your convenience."
"In that case, I say let's get this party started." Falco chimed in, eliciting a round of agreements from the assembled guests.
"I'll alert the kitchens to begin taking orders. Feel free to be seated." Charles said, before disappearing into a room behind a high table, which like the rest was richly decorated, this time with a white tablecloth and silver dishware, and the usual red roses and white forget-me-nots in crystal vases. Fox assumed that this was where he, his bride, and their attendants would be sitting. He turned once again to his beloved bride, who by now was hanging off of his shoulders like a teenage girl and her high school sweetheart.
"Shall we take our seat, love?" He asked. Krystal smiled sweetly.
"You bet! I'm famished." She said. Fox chuckled lightly before leading her off to their seats at the high table.
---
A swirling lens of green light was what heralded to arrival of the Kestrel in sector P, or more specifically, in star system A-265, where planet 44619 was located. As the Kestrel emerged from the green tunnel of hyperspace, they bridge crew was immediately greeted, once again, by the great black void that was deep space. The Kestrel, in addition to investigating the tachyon emissions detected by the outpost, had been asked to deliver a load of data chips to Station K-45 by the ASRB. Because the station was constantly logging data from it's planetary scans, it often exhausted it's supplies of fresh data chips, which were used to store the massive amounts of data the station collected before it was transmitted back to the ASRB headquarters back on Corneria. Though the data crystals in the chips, small, almost see through slips of neon green plastic with silicon connectors on one end, were high capacity crystals capable of holding over 60 gigabytes of information, the massive amounts of information coming in from the planetary sensors necessitated constant replacement of the chips, and K-45 had just exhausted it's supply of fresh chips.
On the Kestrels bridge, Commander McFaul sat partially slumped in his chair. He hated the idea of serving as an errand boy for the ASRB, but orders were orders. He shifted in his seat slightly before addressing his tactical officer.
"How long until we reach the planet?" He asked, referring to planet 44619.
"Approximately two and a half hours at full speed, sir." The tactical officer replied. McFaul acknowledged and ordered the helmsman to set a course for Planet 44169 before engrossing himself in his novel again.
---
The clinking of silverware and the clamor of conversing voices filled the air of the Great Opal's ballroom as the assembled guests happily ate the appetizers that the kitchen staff had prepared. The mouthwatering aroma of cooking food wafted into the hall from the kitchens, making the guests all the more hungry for the delicious food that was sure to come.
At the high table, the focus of the entire celebration, Fox and his bride Krystal, happily feasted, along with their attendants, on the assortment of morsels arranged delicately on brightly polished silver serving platters, crafted from pure silver and delicately worked by the most skilled silversmiths on Corneria. The food that was served them could have made even a person on the strictest of diets give in to temptation. On one platter, a delicious assortment of pickled vegetables sat steaming and waiting to be consumed by the voracious wedding party. On another, a stack of fried slices of eggplant served with a dip made from ground sesame seeds were arranged. Placed in front of where Krystal sat was a large bread bowl filled with a creamy, homemade yogurt topped with chopped walnuts and fresh strawberries, with a fine serving spoon crafted from silver already stuck inside it. To the left of the yogurt was placed a steaming tray of whole-wheat pita bread stuffed with sharp cheddar cheese, tomatoes and jalapeno peppers served with a mild salsa sat. The sight of the food, along with the aroma that made its way into their nostrils, caused the wedding party to become suddenly ravenous. Krystal, who had to undergo the taxing umaikara ritual and had barely eaten in eight days, was especially hungry, and began putting away the yogurt almost as soon as it was put in front of her. Fox couldn't help but chuckle at her as she scooped a hearty helping onto her plate and began to eat with earnest.
"Did you even taste those last couple of bites?" He jokingly asked her. Krystal swallowed the spoonful of yogurt currently in her mouth wiped her chin with the napkin placed beside her plate.
"Well, what did you expect after eight days alone in the wilderness on field rations?" She asked with a smile. Fox chuckled again and kissed her on the cheek before turning his attention to the pitas. Beside Fox, Falco and Katt helped themselves to some of the pitas, whilst beside Krystal, Fara and Marie dipped some of the eggplant slices in the sesame seed dip and chatted away. Next to them, Peppy likewise helped himself to some eggplant and relished the pickled vegetables. At either end, Bill and Slippy helped themselves to some pitas and pickled vegetables, respectively, Bill being careful not to get dipping sauce on his immaculate uniform.
Once the appetizers were out of the way, the serving trays were wisked away by the servers and replaced by a selection of drinks of the guests choice. Fox and Krystal, naturally, ordered a bottle of Chateau Katina Rosé Wine of a 2309 vintage, which they shared together. Peppy settled for a simple martini with olive. Fara and Marie both ordered a specialty drink of their own creation made from vodka, lemon-lime soda and cherry syrup, which they called the "soda jerk". Falco and Bill, not being the one's to sample fancy beverages, ordered a bottle of Cornerian ale each. The rest of the guests ordered a variety of drinks, most settling for assorted cocktails and beer, with soft drinks for the kids. A few, such as the Phoenix's, ordered fine sparkling wine, which they poured into elegantly crafted crystal wine glasses specially provided by the hotel staff. Fox and Krystal idly sipped their wine and chatted with the others seated with them, mostly about past events. Fox delighted them with a story about how, during an escort job from Katina to the nearby planet of Eledard to deliver relief supplies after the Lylat war, Falco had gotten a severe case of gas. For the entire duration of the two-hour trip, the COM traffic between the arwings and the freighters they were escorting was muddled with loud outburts from Falco's end of the line, along with his cursing about how he'd never eat at a cheap Katina diner again. All of them, Falco included, got a good laugh out of this. Falco even offered to recreate the events for them, an offer which they all heartily declined.
As they conversed, the main course of the meal was served. Each of them had preordered which dish they would eat before the reception. Fox, having grown up in a small town on the eastern shore of Esra, Corneria's main continent, and being somewhat of a country boy, had ordered the Country Steak, a 16 oz rib eye lightly marinated in a tangy barbeque sauce, served with sweet corn, country fried potatoes, a piece of fresh garlic toast, and a hickory smoked-flavored barbeque dipping sauce. Fox smiled at the thought of what the food in front of him would taste like. He had not had a decent barbeque in several weeks, since returning from interdicting drug smugglers on the Katina run to Corneria, and was quite happy to have to opportunity to enjoy one.
Back on Cerinia, Krystal's people had held a special reverance for water. The Cerinian's believed that the water was the blood of their world, flowing through the rivers like blood through the vessels of the body, nourishing the land and everything living on it. As such, the majority of the Cerinian diet consisted of seafood, especially fish, as they believed that anything brought by a river was a gift from their world to nourish them and keep them sustained. It was this belief that guided Krystal's choice of food. She had selected a fish dish consisting of prime salmon fillets, basted in white wine and topped with a creamy garlic butter sauce, served with a side dish of angel hair pasta covered with a light alfredo sauce. Krystal's choice, it turned out, went well with their choice of wine, which she was pleasantly surprised to find out.
Peppy, being the vegetarian that he was, opted for stir fry dish consisted of steamed baby pea pods, onions, bean sprouts, and water chestnuts doused with a spicy sauce and served atop seasoned brown rice. Peppy also took the opportunity to order a couple baskets of fresh sweet rolls and homemade butter. He picked up his fork and ate his meal gingerly, engaging the others in lighthearted conversation as he savored the dish. Marie and Katt, being somewhat light eaters, opted to split a large rack of lamb served with a delicious side salad covered in a tangy orange dressing. Falco, ever the carnivore, ordered a large t-bone steak made from black angus beef, marinated in a spicy concoction consisting of pepper and garlic, and served with mashed potatos and homemade gravy. Bill opted for a similar dish, although he had his marinated in a hearty barbeque sauce mixed with a little bit of Cornerian whiskey.
The guests ate their meals and happily chatted away, mostly about the wedding itself, and the future of the bride and groom. At the high table, Falco, Bill, and Slippy placed bets on how many kits Fox and Krystal would have, whilst Marie and Fara gossiped away like a couple of clique members in high school. Fox and Krystal just stared at each other as they ate, occasionally sneaking in a kiss, still overcome with joy at finally being united after so long.
After eating a copious meal, including a dessert course of the hotel's famous cream custard a la carte and the all important wedding cake (pieces of which were taken by the Marie and Katt to sleep with under their pillows to bring about dreams of their future husbands), it was time for the traditional toast the newlyweds, delivered, traditionally, by the best man, in this case Bill. Bill confidently stood up and adjusted his uniform jacket before tapping a nearby wine glass to get everyone's attention.
"Folks, can I get your attention for a moment?" He called to the guests. Instantly, all eyes in the room were focused on him. "First off, I'd like to welcome you all to this dress rehearsal party for my own wedding."
"Aw, sit down Grey!" Falco jested. Bill just laughed and continued his speech.
"As you all you all know, we're here today to celebrate the, at long last, wedding day of our very own Fox McCloud." He continued. "Just six months ago, he proposed to the lovely young lady sitting next to him, the now Krystal McCloud, after an almost two year romance. What the hell took you so long, Fox?" Bill asked in jest, eliciting a round of laughter from the guests.
"Don't bother asking him that question, Bill." Slippy chimed in. "We started asking before they ever started dating, and we couldn't get a straight answer. It was always 'Well, I uh…uh…um, uh…uh.'" He joked. More laughs erupted from the crowd. Even Fox laughed, being a firm believer in laughing at one's self on occasion.
"Krystal was worse." Fara said. "Every time I would ask her about her and Fox, she would start singing!" Fara then launched into a very off key rendition of the Cerinian song that Krystal sang to avoid her question. The guests were left in stitches over this. Even Krystal had to laugh at this, as Fara's impression was, admittedly, dead on. After the guests and wedding party all had a hearty laugh, Bill picked up a nearby glass of wine and held into the air.
"With all that being said, I hereby propose a toast. To Fox and Krystal McCloud! May your days be filled with joy, prosperity… and plenty of aspirin." He added the last bit to his toast with a mischievous grin. The entire assembly erupted into laughter at this last joke, especially the bride and groom. Once the laughter had died down, it was Fox's turn to speak.
"As long as we're all telling jokes, I think I'll bring this little number up." He announced before turning to Falco. "Say Falco, remember our first weekend leave from the academy?" Falco grinned widely when he realized what Fox was referring to.
"How could I forget?" He replied. "As I remember, all of us dumb plebes all hit the nearest bar as soon as we got our leave papers and hit the nearest tavern." Bill's own smirk immediately died when he finally realized what they were talking about.
"I remember we all agreed we would not purchase alcohol that weekend." Fox said. "Apparently, someone forgot our little agreement." He turned to Bill with a grin on his face as he made this statement. Bill braced himself for what was to come.
"When we got back to our barracks on Sunday, Bill, who was completely hammered, proceeded to fall on the gate officer at the entrance." Falco said, and then launched into a full on impression of a drunk Bill. "Beam me aboard, sir!" He yelled, before feigning a faint. The crowd roared with laughter at this, and even the hotel staff joined in on the laughter, while Bill just buried his face in his hand, blushing a furious crimson.
"Sorry buddy, but it was for your own good." Fox said, patting the thoroughly embarrassed Bill on the shoulder. Fara, who was, by this point, in tears from all of the laughing, took a moment to wipe her eyes before standing up herself.
"Well, if you guys are done reminiscing about the good old days, I believe it's time for the bride and groom's first dance." She said. "Am I right, girls?" She asked to Katt and Marie.
"Here!" They both called out, raising their drinks into the air in a mock toast. Fox turned to his beaming bride and gently took her hand into his, gently guiding her out of her seat and down from the high table to the dance floor in the center of the room. Fara gestured to a hotel employee standing near the exit. The man, a tall and slim coyote, pulled what appeared to the casual observer to be a remote control. As a matter of fact, it was just that. The remote transmitted a signal to the hotel's main computer core, which activated whatever program the remote was programmed to activate. In the case of this one, it was programmed to activate a special musical montage specially compiled for occasions such as weddings. Everything in the hotel, from the cooking appliances in the kitchen to the showers in the individual rooms, was wired to the hotel's massive computer. The music programs for the ballroom were no exception. With the push of a button on the remote, the computer automatically selected the desired program, in this case, a selection of love songs from various contemporary artists. The high capacity digital speakers carefully hidden in the walls and ceiling of the ballroom kicked to life, filling the entire room with the smooth sound of modern Cornerian romantic music. All eyes in the room turned to the bride and groom as Fox swept Krystal out onto the middle of the dance floor.
Fox delicately placed his arms around Krystal's waist, staring deeply into her azure eyes. Those eyes, they had always captivated him, since the day he first laid his own on her. Never in any woman he had seen had he encountered such a brilliant shade of blue, and the shine that seemed to permanently emanate from within them as if they had captured starlight, both of those conspired to put him into and almost hypnotic trance. Right now, her eyes were sparkling so much that they seemed to be made of the purest polished sapphire, a shine that was only enhanced by the glow of absolute joy upon her face. A loving smile crossed Fox's face as Krystal gently wrapped her own arms around his neck, and the two began to turn and sway in time with the music, their gazes never leaving each other's faces.
---
The light of the holographic display cast a dim glow on Pepper's face as he studied the latest developments in the rebuilding of the military. So far Titania, Eledard, and Katina had completely replenished their defense forces, and Zoness, Macbeth, and Papetoon had completed approximately eighty percent of the rebuilding, including the environmental damage done to Zoness by Andross' bioweapon research. Only Corneria still lagged behind, with only forty percent rebuilding completed.
"I never thought I'd see this." Pepper thought to himself. "The capital planet of the entire system, lagging behind even its colonies." He finished skimming the reports on the hologram display before switching it off and leaning back in his office chair. "I need a cup of coffee." He said to himself. However, the sudden beeping of his com panel caught his attention. He sighed in annoyance at the interruption before punching the button on the panel, bringing up the holographic image of his secretary.
"Yes, what is it?" He asked irritably.
"There's another transmission for you sir, from Science Station K-45." She replied, not noticing Pepper's tone. Pepper's expression went from irritation to curiosity in the blink of an eye.
"One of the science stations? What would they want?" He asked to himself, before turning to his secretary. "Patch it through." He ordered. The secretary's image blinked out and was replaced by the visage of middle-aged badger, wearing the standard powder blue jumpsuit of the ASRB space crews, the K-45 mission patch on his left shoulder, the seal of the ASRB on his right.
"Good morning, Mister Secretary." The badger greeted politely. "I am disturbing you?"
"No, of course not. I'm just a little tired, that's all." Pepper answered. "How can I help you?"
"I'm Dr. Henry Bougainville, director of Science Station K-45." The now-identified badger replied. "I was wondering, Mr. Secretary, is Star Fox still in the military's employ?" Bougainville's question puzzled Pepper for a second.
"No, Doctor. We released them from service just after the Aparoid incident." Pepper answered. "Why do you ask?"
"To put no finer point on it, we have a situation out here." Bougainville replied. "Just recently, our sensors detected an unusual signal originating from the surface of P-44619." Bougainville reached down, apparently pressing a button on a console, because his image was replaced with that of a 3-D globe of P-44619. As Pepper watched, a small white crosshair appeared over an area of thick jungle on the northwestern side of the single continent. "What you're looking at is an area of thick primary jungle located in quadrant C-23. The signal itself is originating from the spot indicated by the white marker. Our computers have indicated the signal is in the lower E-band range of the spectrum."
"E-band?" Pepper replied. "Aren't they normally given off by collapsing protostars?"
"Correct, sir." Bougainville replied as his face reappeared on the hologram. "That's why we were confused when the signal was discovered. We ran a database search to try to identify it, and that's when things got even more mysterious."
"How might that be, Doctor?" Pepper asked.
"The signal matched no known artificial signatures, but did correspond to a natural one. A brainwave." Bougainville answered. Pepper was thoroughly confused at this point.
"When last I looked, planets didn't have brains." Pepper said. "Are you sure it isn't artificial?" Bougainville nodded.
"E-band signals are very low frequency, and are notoriously difficult to generate artificially." He replied. "I can be done, but it requires highly sophisticated, and expensive, equipment to generate even a weak one. If someone was looking for a means of covert communication, a higher frequency signal broadcast piggy back on a standard communication line would be easier and more feasible." Pepper pondered what he had just heard for a moment. Bougainville was one of the ASRB's most prominent scientists, and Pepper knew he wasn't one to make something out of nothing. If couldn't identify the signal the station detected, no one could. "We've also ruled out the possibility of a computer error. I had my engineer run a complete diagnostic on the computer, and it found no problems."
"I have a ship on the way to the sector now." Pepper said. "They'll be stopping by your station soon, to deliver the order of fresh data chips you requested yesterday. I'll have them check it out when they arrive. If they can't find anything, I'll go ahead and give Star Fox a call."
"Thank you, Mr. Secretary." Bougainville replied. "K-45, out." The hologram immediately blinked out.
"Computer," Pepper ordered, answered by the beeping of the office's personal computer, "open a com line to the starship Kestrel." The holoprojector on his desk flashed on as the link to the Kestrel was established. It only took a few seconds for the massive transmitter atop the Defense Department headquarters to establish the link, and the grizzled features of Commander McFaul to appear on the hologram.
"Good afternoon, Commander." Pepper greeted.
"Same to you, sir." McFaul replied. "I'll assume that since the General Secretary of Defense himself is calling, it's something rather important."
"You could say that, Commander." Pepper replied. "I'm contacting you because of a message I just received from the director of Science Station K-45. Apparently, the station's sensors detected an unusual signal on the surface of the planet they were surveying."
"What kind of a signal?" McFaul asked. "Venomians?" Pepper shook his head when McFaul mentioned Venomians.
"I doubt it. The station director said their instruments indicated an e-band frequency." Pepper replied. "E-bands, as you probably know, are extremely hard to create artificially."
"I do know." McFaul said. "I served onboard the Starbuck when the LDF began experimenting with e-band communications. I think we both know how that little endeavor turned out." Both of them shared a chuckle as they remembered the experiment, and the flak they took from the Senate Appropriations Committee for Defense when the experiment failed. "An e-band signal pretty much rules out an artificial source. The lab coat boys have an idea of what it might be?" McFaul said.
"That's where this thing gets bizarre." Pepper answered. "When the station ran a computer check to try to determine what it was, the computer said that it was a brainwave." McFaul's expression immediately morphed in an expression of bewilderment.
"A brainwave? Their computer must be on the fritz." McFaul said in disbelief. Pepper shook his head.
"Dr. Bougainville assured me that the computer was working perfectly." He replied. "Any chance of it being an error is remote."
"I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you want me to check out this contact when I deliver the data chips the station requested." McFaul said.
"Exactly." Pepper answered. "I'd like some answers to this riddle, and soon."
"I'll do my best, sir." McFaul said.
"Good luck, Commander." Pepper replied. "Pepper, out." The hologram blinked out. Pepper leaned back in his chair, thinking about all the events that had been going on in sector P recently. Between the outposts detecting tachyon traces, to bizarre signals being detected on the surface of what was supposed to be an uninhabited planet, it was obvious that something strange was going on in the sector. Pepper hoped against hope that it didn't have anything to do with the Venomian loyalist forces left over from Andross' reign. With all the damage the system had taken from the Aparoid attack, the last thing Lylat needed was another war.
---
As the music, which had filled the air of the ballroom, began to fade out, Fox delicately swept Krystal into a deep, his loving gaze never leaving hers for a second. As he did so, the assembly erupted into applause, cheering loudly for the couple. Fox gently stood Krystal up, and the couple melted into a warm, passionate kiss, eliciting even louder applause from the wedding party. It was almost a full minute before Fox and Krystal broke their kiss, Fox taking Krystal's hand and gently leading her over to where Peppy sat. It was time for the traditional father-daughter dance, where the groom presented the bride to her father for a traditional last moment of time together before handing her off to her husband. As Krystal's father had been killed along with the rest of the Cerinian civilization in the tragic genocide that engulfed the planet, Peppy had volunteered to fill in the role of her father. It wasn't a very hard obligation to fulfill. Peppy had always been like a father to the rest of the team, and Krystal was no exception. When she first arrived on the Great Fox after the Dinosaur Planet episode, it was Peppy who first welcomed her aboard. When the team arrived on Corneria, Peppy, along with Fox, helped her adjust to the radically different cultural norms of Cornerian society, and helped to train her to become a valued member of the team. Much later, it was none other than Peppy who helped her to prepare for her wedding, including providing the meager rations that she took with her on her umaikara. Even though he had by the retired from the team and had taken a position at the Lylatian Military Academy as a civilian flight instructor, his loyalties firmly remained with the team, and he often went out of his way to help his unofficial family with whatever problem reared it's ugly head. For this, Krystal, and indeed all the members of the team, was eternally grateful.
Peppy climbed down from the high table and took a beaming Krystal on his arm before escorting her back out the dance floor. Fox, in turn, walked over to where the Phoenix's sat and took the hand of Mrs. Phoenix. It was another well-observed wedding tradition for the groom to dance with his mother, likewise a way of symbolize the groom moving away from his own family and toward the one he planned to build himself with his new bride. In Fox's case, Elena Phoenix would fill the role. Elena, who had lived not to far from the McCloud family home on the continents eastern shore, became a close friend of the family, along with her husband, when Fox's father, James, contracted with their company, Space Dynamics, to develop the arwing space superiority fighter. The Phoenix's would often watch Fox when his parents were busy, and had consequently become almost a second mother to him. This relationship was strengthened with the death of Fox's mother, and later his father, with Peppy and the Phoenix's sharing the job of raising Fox for most of his life, all the way through his years at the Lylatian Military Academy and later in Star Fox.
Elena gently took Fox's hand and stood up, allowing Fox to lead her out onto the dance floor. The two dances would be joint with each other, as opposed to one after the other. Once again, the sound of soulful, romantic music filled the room, and the couples began to turn and sway on the dance floor in the classic slow dancing fasion.
"I must say Fox, you are quite graceful." Elena whispered, complementing Fox on his slow dancing. Fox flashed her an award-winning smile.
"You can thank my father for that." Fox said. "He taught me practically everything I know about dancing."
"Including that gyration nonsense you young people are so fond of nowadays?" Elena jokingly asked. Fox gave a light chuckle at her statement.
"No, you can blame your daughter for that one." He replied. Elena feigned a look of pain and shock.
"Fox, you wound me!" She gasped in feigned horror. "I can't believe you would accuse my daughter of corrupting you!" Fox chuckled again.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Phoenix, but it's true." He replied. "She turned me in the worst delinquent this planet has ever seen." Elena and Fox shared a hearty chuckle at this joke before returning to their dance, gently turning and swaying to the music filling the ballroom.
---
"We're approaching the station, sir." The Kestrel's helmsman said. McFaul nodded in acknowledgement as the image of K-45 appeared on the viewscreen. Behind the station floated the great green and blue sphere that was P-44619.
"Open a channel to the station." McFaul ordered. The tactical officer punched a key on his console, initiating communications with the station.
"Channel open." He said. The image of Dr. Bougainville appeared on the screen. He wore a fatigued expression on his face, the expression of a man who had been under a great deal of stress. McFaul knew that kind of feeling all too well.
"Good morning, Doctor." McFaul greeted. "We have the load of fresh data chips you requested."
"Thank you, sir." Bougainville replied, fatigue evident in his voice. "You may transfer it over at your leisure."
"We've also been informed as to the contact you detected on the planet's surface." McFaul replied. "We have orders to investigate your report." Bougainville nodded.
"Thank you, Commander." He replied. "We await the results of your investigation."
"We'll beam down an away team as soon as the transfer of the data chips is complete." McFaul replied. "Kestrel, out." The image of Dr. Bougainville blinked out and was replaced with the previous image of the station orbiting the planet.
"Transfer room, are you ready to begin transfer?" McFaul asked over the intercom.
"The data chips are in place and ready to be transferred, sir." The thickly accented voice of the transfer chief replied. "Awaiting your orders."
"Prepare to initiate transfer." McFaul ordered. "And ready the machine to transfer a…"
"Sir, we have a contact on the sensors, bearing 093, mark two." The tactical officer cut in. "It appears to be a tachyon reading." McFaul turned to his tactical officer.
"Are they ships?" He asked.
"I'm not sure, sir." The tactical officer replied. "Sensors can't get a good reading with the interference from the… wait, sensors have just made an ID. Venomian attack ships, sir, Harpy-class."
"Dammit! How many?" McFaul asked.
"Three, sir. Closing in on the station at full speed." The tactical officer replied. McFaul cursed at their foul luck. The last thing he needed was a Venomian raid against the station.
"Sound general quarters." McFaul ordered, and immediately the entire ship was filled with alarm klaxons and the sound of crewman rushing to their battle stations. "Raise shields to full strength and polarize the hull plates. Arm all weapons."
"Aye, sir!" The tactical officer replied.
"Open a channel to the station." McFaul ordered. The viewscreen once again displayed the image of Dr. Bougainville.
"It looks like your data chips will have to wait, Doctor." McFaul said. "We just picked a Venomian strike force inbound." Dr. Bougainville's expression turned into an unmistakable expression of shock.
"Venomians, attacking the station?" He said. "I hope you have a plan, commander."
"There's only one thing I can do." McFaul replied. "Fight them off. Helmsman, set an intercept course with the Venomian ships." The helmsman immediately turned the ship to intercept the Venomians. The Kestrel rocketed off into space at full speed, it's crew determined to defend the station from the Venomian ambush. It was only a couple of minutes before the Venomian ships came into view.
The Harpy class of Venomian attack ship was rightly named. The ships, painted blood red and sporting the emblem of the Venomian Empire, were possessed of long, torpedo-shaped bodies, their bridge areas tapered to resemble the beak of a bird of prey. From their bodies sprouted long wing-like structures, slanted upward in the manner of a bird's wings, further heightening the appearance of a bird of prey. Slung under their bellies were two weapon mounts, each containing a deadly Talon anti-ship missile pod, each containing four Talon missiles. The Talon was a unique weapon, capable of penetrating shields and piercing armor plate easily. Though they weren't as powerful as their larger cousin, the Copperhead missile, they were still dangerous if they hit a vital system. Luckily for McFaul, the Kestrel carried the latest defensive technology to enter service with the LDF, the point defense laser. The PDL was essentially a small laser turret mounted on the top of the ship's hull, and was capable of targeting and destroying incoming enemy projectiles, like missiles. Hopefully, they would keep the Talon's from knocking out the Kestrel before she managed to fire some shots of her own.
"Tactical, lock laser cannons the lead ship." McFaul ordered as the Kestrel closed within cannon range. "Fire!" At McFaul's order, two bright blue pulses of particle energy burst from the Kestrel's laser cannons and impacted with the lead ship in the formation. Unfortunately for the ship's crew, they did not have their shields raised. The ship was hit in the lower stern, where the plasma fuel for their conventional engines was stored. The ship was immediately blown in half, destroyed. The other two ships immediately dove below the Kestrel and pulled away from the fight, hoping to get a firing position on her.
"Turn into them and get us into a firing position." McFaul ordered. The helmsman immediately swung the ship around, pulling her into position behind the attack ships. The Kestrel immediately opened up with her laser cannons, impacting the right ship in its stern shields. The left ship pulled up and away, leaving its compatriot to fend for itself. The ship tried to evade the Kestrel's laser fire, but the effort was futile. The Kestrel continued to pound the Venomian ship with laser bolts, thanks to her excellent targeting systems. Eventually, the Venomian's shields collapsed, and one final bolt to her back quarter tolled her death knell. The ship was engulfed in a fiery plasma explosion, completely destroying her. The bridge crew of the Kestrel whooped in joy over the two kills, but this joy was short lived. The ship was immediately rocked by a laser impact. The third Venomian ship had snuck up behind her, and was now pounding her shields with fire from it's own laser cannons, built into the ship's beak-like bow. Angry red bolts slashed their way through space and towards the Kestrel, threatening to give her the same treatment she had just given the others.
"Helm, evasive maneuver L4!" McFaul ordered. The helmsman deftly maneuvered the ship into a loop, flew her down below the Venomian ship, and cut away, leaving the Venomian commander surprised. The surprise quickly faded as the ship performed a near kickspin and homed in on the Kestrel, which was currently headed back towards the ship to attack. McFaul immediately recognized this maneuver as the "Crazy Eagle" maneuver, where the Venomian ship would turn and charge a pursuing enemy and fire all of it's missiles at it, usually resulting in a lucky kill for the Venomian. Luckily, the Kestrel was too far away, and McFaul knew what was coming. The Venomian ship fired all eight missiles from its pods, but the Kestrel was able to avoid the missile barrage, her PDL firing at and destroying a few which got too close. The Kestrel than came up behind the Venomian and pounded her back quarter with laser bolts until she, like her sister ships, exploded in a fiery burst of plasma and debris. McFaul was about to breath a sight of relief when…
"Sir, Venomian ships decloaking to starboard. Their missile frigates." The tactical officer announced. McFaul could have sworn his heart stopped at that moment as the image of the two Golem class missile frigates, dark blue in color, with heavily angled fighter like hulls with massive underslung missile banks looking like giant boxcars attached to the hulls, filled the Kestrel's viewscreen. The attack ships were just a diversion!
"Helm, get us the Hell out of here!" McFaul shouted in near panic. As tough as the Kestrel was, she was no match for the Golems. They each carried huge numbers of Talon missiles in each of their banks, enough to take on a whole fleet, let alone a single patrol cutter. The helmsman threw the Kestrel into a hard turn and immediately threw her to full speed. The missile banks on the two frigates swung out and opened up, revealing their massive stores of missiles. The ships launched a volley of missiles straight at the Kestrel's back quarter, threatening to reduce her to cosmic dust.
"Sir, there's no way our PDL can destroy all of those missiles." The tactical officer said, his voice betraying his fear.
"Can we avoid them?" McFaul asked. The helmsman shook his head.
"They're closing too fast, sir!" He said.
"Then let's hope our shields hold up. All hands, brace for impact!" McFaul gripped the sides of his chair, saying every prayer he could remember in his mind. Just as he was reciting the Messiah's prayer, his tactical officer cut in.
"Sir, massive energy reading coming from the planet." He said.
"Onscreen!" McFaul shouted. The screen displayed an image of the planet. On the continents northwestern side, near where the signal was detected, a swirling mass of blue energy was building. As the crew of the Kestrel watched, the energy concentrated and burst from the planet's surface in a massive beam. McFaul instinctively threw his hands up as the beam engulfed his ship, shaking her violently and throwing the crew around the bridge. One particularly violent lurch threw McFaul from his seat and slammed his head against the port bulkhead. McFaul's vision began to falter, and he eventually slipped into unconsciousness.
---
McFaul awoke, his mind in a daze. He tried to focus his eyes, but all he saw were blurred images. He saw two figures hovering over him, speaking in voices he could not make out. Eventually, as his mind cleared, he was able to make out some of the words they were saying.
"Sir, sir! Are you okay?" He recognized the voice as belonging to his tactical officer. His vision cleared, revealing the bridge of the Kestrel and his two bridge officers. He himself was lying on the floor, near the port bridge bulkhead.
"Wh-what happened?" He mumbled. "The Venomian frigates, what's going on?"
"You wouldn't believe, sir." The helmsman replied. "That massive beam of energy we detected from the planet blew both the ships and their missiles to Hell."
"The station, are they allright?" He asked as he sat up, his head throbbing with pain.
"They're fine, sir." The tactical officer replied.
"And the ship?" McFaul asked.
"Aside from a few things inside getting knocked around, she's okay." The tactical officer replied. "Our long range com unit is out, though. It's weird as hell, sir. What ever that beam was, it only targeted the Venomians. We got tossed around like a freight carrier in a hurricane, but aside for minor internal damage, we're fine."
"Alright." McFaul said, standing up and trying to ignore the pain in his head. "Patch me through to the station."
"We should get you to sickbay, sir." The helmsman replied. "You hit your head pretty good."
"I'll be fine, just patch us through." McFaul insisted.
"Aye, sir." The tactical officer replied. He sat back down at his console and opened a channel to the station, revealing the visage of Dr. Bougainville.
"Commander, thank goodness you all made it." He said, relieved. "Are you alright?
"We're fine, Doctor." McFaul replied. "What about on your end? Any damage or casualties?"
"Aside from a few broken pieces of glassware, everything is in working order here." Bougainville replied. "No injuries reported yet. I have crew searching the rest of the station, but I doubt anyone's seriously hurt."
"Good to hear." McFaul replied. "The jolts knocked out our long range com system. We need you to relay our report over to HQ."
"Of course, Commander. Send it over when you can." Bougainville replied before cutting the transmission. McFaul stumbled over to his chair and sat down, his head still throbbing with pain.
"Helm, take us back to the station. I want an away team assembled to assist them in locating casualties." McFaul ordered.
"Aye, sir." The helmsman replied. McFaul shook his head to clear up some of the pain, and took a long, hard look at the planet on the screen.
"Mother of God." He said to himself. "What in the hell is going on down there.
Sorry it took me so long to update. School's been keeping me busy.
Future chapters may be a little shorter than this one, about 8,000 words or so. Don't worry, the quality will not go down one notch.
As always, please read and review!