Somewhere in Deep Space

It had been a year since Judy had last seen her home, a year since she had last heard the voice of her friends and family. In the course of that year she had done a great many things, much of them bordering the line between possible and not. Over the course of that year she had seen a great many things, very few of them being pleasant. In the course of that year she had fought or else skirmished with just about every famed gangster and had come out on top. Over the course of that year she had learned a great many places her team had reason to investigate and many more things to fight. But now, finally, she was going home if only for a fleeting moment before her team moved out. Soon they would continue the legacy of the SMW and fight for justice no matter how powerful a force they would have to face to get it.

But before that she would have to once again brave the dangers of the Great Com wall, a barrier that while largely imaginary was a very real threat. Built out of a small fleet poised to strike and destroy any ship that dared leave or enter the territory of the SMW while jamming any call for help that they feared would prompt them to action and potentially go the way of their ancestors who proved near catastrophic for the empire that preceded the existence of the ZGA. Such a fear was well deserved even though the SMW had seen little action for sometime. Despite their inability to leave and the ZGA's cloak over them they were still fiercely determined and, as a number of encounters decades before had proved, were still a force to be reckoned with.

Now exiting that great fold in the universe that let her travel light years in little time she readied for the fight to come, in minutes she would find herself swamped with foes clinging to a code that did not let her shoot to kill, in minutes she would find herself facing ships filled with mammals that bore no such code.

000

Planet Octurius

The door to a great office slid open to revel a wolf decked in the uniform of an officer, an officer well liked by the likes of Bogo.

Seeing the officer through the corner of his eye Bogo turned to face him, "What is it?" Had there been someone in the base who had known Bogo yet had not known of the attack they would have been shocked by the softness of the mammal's voice. While before it was large, deep, and intimidating, now it was weak and soft as if he feared that any harshness in his tone would bring another end like the one before.

"The Fox is here sir."

Bogo settled further into his seat letting out a long deep sigh aimed at the hopelessness he now felt and the lack of control he had. While before his power was opposed only by those whose thoughts were never pleasant nor whole he now found himself attacked by all including his men. This, coupled with the "gifts" the threat had left him put him in a seemingly never ending mood of grief and worry, this left him with little choice other than pulling in the Fox. When the Fox entered he would be in control of the negotiations, whatever price he asked for was the price that would have to be given to him. But until the Fox entered Bogo would still hold some semblance of control, control that his words called an end to.

The wolf nodded before leaving the room leaving Bogo alone to enjoy the last few moments of his reign until the Fox appeared. For a few moments his reign lived in peace, then his usurper entered the room and approached his desk. Honoring his ruler Bogo gave a very weak, very fake smile, and extended his paw, now it was time for the Fox to rule.

000

The Great Com Wall, Two hundred and Thirty Thousand Miles From the Orbit of Mintura's Furthest Moon

Imagine being within a great cone of air, a cone that spun so rapidly that cars and buildings found themselves lifted into the sky to then be flung towards you like the sand a young kit might throw in numbers far beyond anyone's ability to count. If this is what you now imagine then you have a sense of what Judy felt with as she stared down the great fighter swarm before her. These fighters, all of the among the latest and most advanced of the ZGA were armed to kill, all of them were unlike her in that they were willing to destroy their prey. But as any predator knows, there exists no prey who will lay themselves out before the one who seeks to consume them, no mater how small there is always something they possess to give themselves a unique edge to their sword. In Judy's case her defenses were many and could often cause her to trade places making her the pred and the enemy the prey. But for now with a destination in mind and without want to fight, she turned to the one defense that so many prey possess, she turned to the defense of speed.

Without air to slow it down her speed seemed to be without limits, the only thing holding her back being the power of the engines and the amount of fuel she still held. Within moments she was moving twice as fast as the swarm and moving opposite the course it held, now instead of bearing her down they could only watch in shock as her ship shot over theirs leaving all but one without hope of pursuit. This ship, a vessel best described as a ring of engines around a black, needle shaped body and with a pair of small blasters protruding from its nose. This ship was one built for speed, speed that it gained fast and never lost, speed so great despite its pilot's skill it often seemed doomed to barrel into some ship and blow its prototype frame into oblivion.

Breaking formation the pilot slammed his throttle forward sending a great plum of blue streaking from the ring and throwing him forward like a Cheetah on the hunt. As it got closer the Vindicator pulled a quick turn to the side in an attempt to peacefully avoid a fight. but this was not to be as the pilot's fingers tightened around the trigger sending bolts of red towards the small craft before him.

In her ship Judy saw the bolts draw a quick line between the two ships and saw them strike her wing. Fortunately the bolts were weak, far to weak to breach the shield of her ship, and left only a light on her panel as a sign that they had hit. This ship's just like Sam, she thought, Both are fast but surprisingly weak. For those who knew not Samantha (her full name though it was seldom used) was a Skunk who despite being born with great speed and endurance was surprisingly frail in build. Despite her lack of strength she was determined, persistent, and courageous, so much so that even though she could not knock an opponent out she could leave them on their knees begging her to cease. had it been Sam fighting in such a ship she would've continued her assault despite her ship's obvious lack of arms, but this pilot was not her, immediately realizing the futility of his attack he broke from her and continued the opposite way.

Now there was little threat of the small, quick craft, now she would have to face the threat of the larger, slower, and more powerful gunships. These craft built without wings and seemingly designed as a trio of cannons surrounded by two great launchers left no doubt as to what they were for. As one they let loose their load making themselves like a cloud dropping rain on those bellow, or in this case before. Within that storm she spun her ship around avoiding the aim of the cannons and letting loose a storm of her own to counter the great rain. With her great aim a number of the enemy found themselves unable to fire after a great burst of blue struck them and sent through their systems a shocking jolt leaving everything system critical to direction and fighting shorted out and its three operators running in a state of panic. now with an area for her to run through Judy turned her ship to its side and slipped by the opening.

With all of the quick ships behind her there was only the escorts and capitols to pass. While these ships were great in size and in the power of their arms they were slow and had miles of space between them. Without the ability to move closer it proved simple for her to pass them without trouble. Now she was within the territory of the SMW and the fleet was unwilling to enter for fear of the SMW acting against them. Now there was nothing separating her from her home, now she was in for a short uneventful flight to the moon of Shiporum.

000

Bogo's Office

The phrase "keep an eye one him" would prove relevant to what one would have seen in Bogo's office. While the great mammal had expected the fox to immediately demand a price most extraordinary the red canine had sat down without a word, while he had described the vents of the preceding weeks the Fox had kept silence about him. Now wary for fear of a bigger plan being in the Fox's mind he bent forward negating the distance between them for desire to Bogo bent his head to look the fox in the eye, "...That being said,", what had been said was the dire situation he and the ZGA had found themselves in, " if you want to back out we will be more then happy to work without your help."

Nick grinned, he knew that without him hey had no hope, without him the galaxy had nothing but chaos and destruction in its near future. Still the time for sarcasm and the chance to poke fun at his long time foe had arrived. "That you can,", his tone was of the kind that can take the place of quotations, "I have no doubt."

The Buffalo's eye narrowed, "Is that sarcasm Wilde?"

Nick shrugged, "Make of it what you will."

Bogo let loose a noise that while having the elements of a sigh bore the tone of a groan, "Alright, what price do you have?"

Nick's muzzle shot open to state a price most grand but then found that small piece clamp it shut. For several second the internal battle that had waged within the walls of his cell flared up once again. Then, as he had before, he offered a compromise to both, "I'll tell you when I'm done."

Bogo's head jolted back in surprise, "You realize we won't be as desperate when you're done right?", the Fox nodded, "Then why...?"

Nick sighed before answering, "Right now, I feel conflicted. I'm hoping that I'll feel better when I'm done so I'm going to ask you to give me time."

Bogo shook his head in astonishment. "Well fine then,", he lowered himself into his chair, "your stuff is in hanger number 34 and you'll be leaving in an hour, don't be late."

Nick slid off his seat and started towards the door, "Don't worry, I won't."

000

Planet Mintura, Moon Shiporium

If ever there was one name that told you everything you needed to know about a planet sized mass it was the name Shiporium. Covered in ash like dust, without mountains, and largely devoid of green it was a place where next to nothing could be supported for any amount of time. But then again, with little rain and huge, empty expanses Shiporium was perfect for one of the great life lines of the SMW to rest without fear of capture or attack. Here where the few patches of green where surrounded by walls and platforms formed through the cement of the ash like ground the great ships that would carry all the teams could rest within reach of their passengers yet out of reach to those that wished them harm.

While one of the more recognizable moons of Mintura Shiporium was not alone. Many thousands of miles apart from it Aphilion, home of the Knights of Mintura (the term used by those who the galaxy labeled as the SMW) Aphilion was a moon made to be the opposite of Shiporium. Lush with an unusual form of grass, greeted at the beginning of every orbit by a great storm of rain, as well as being neutral in terms of heat and cold, Aphilion had proved to be an almost perfect place for the team of rebels that fled there many centuries before. Then they had been without a home, then all they could eat was the hardy grass and flowers that grew on that moon, then they lived in constant fear of attack while they were unsettled. Had you looked at either moon at that time you would not have guessed that within a year those rebels would find themselves redefined, you would not have guessed that some day such heroes as them would ever come to exist. While we will not dive into what made them so we must know one thing, what it was had left them the code by which they lived by, what it was had made such teams as the one Judy had so recently formed to exist. Had it not been for that one event the ship in which Judy flew would have never been designed, in fact Judy herself would doubtlessly have been lost, or else would have found herself in the chains the Knights had originally formed to cut.

But that was not the case, now the Knights were feared though the ZGA had lost the original reason why, now ideas and speech that had been told of them long ago had given them a new permanent image as murderous thieves, something that was the exact opposite of what they actually were. Now their ships were no longer stolen property of a great empire but where now the creations of their own minds, creations that far surpassed anything any other force could offer. Among those ships the Ghost series, the type that Judy currently flew, was among the best of those designs. This ship, protected by a deceivingly capable shield, enabled its pilot to fly straight through the atmosphere in a fiery re-entry without fear of her ship burning through. This capacity let her hit the lower level of air within minutes of flight, something very few ships of the fighter class could do.

While she could easily have continued until she was within a hundred feet of the ground she pulled her ship to level at one thousand. Off her right wing tip another craft with a body same as hers but with the livery of a Ghost running along its length, this was the original Ghost, or at least the sixth prototype of the Ghost craft. Piloting it was the job of it creator Livor the Lynx. For a few seconds the two craft flew with "L" behind and slightly above, a following position, one that despite being among the Knights' best pilots was one he often took. Uncompetitive, he did not care whether he flew as leader or as support, if someone assigned one to him he'd take it, otherwise he'd take the rear, a position he could hold well.

From within her cockpit Judy heard her headset ring with the voices of her grounded friends, built more as a shield than a jammer the wall could do little to stifle the links the Knights held within their turf.

From the view on her screen Judy could see their location and quickly turned to reach it. After a short period of flight a small patch of green surrounded in great walls, pads, and towers stood raised above the sand. On each platform a ship of unique design and livery stood waiting for their next missions. On most of these ships great vibrant colors and patterns crossed their sides and gave each of them an unmistakable tint, but on one there seemed to be nothing, instead its sides where decidedly bare with clean shiny metal sides. This ship was Phantom, a design so unique that there existed nothing quite like it. Soon Judy would land and enter this vessel which for weeks or months would serve as her home, soon she was to join the four mammals visible beneath it and the others already within.

From her view point a great distance above she could not see who it was beneath the vessel but it she had a good idea who they were. Sam Skunk, her sister through adoption, Jack and Skye, Rabbit and Arctic Fox respectably, engaged when she had left, and Honey the Badger, the designer of the great vessel she stood beneath. All four with the exception of Honey and the inclusion of "L" were to be part of the Alpha attack force, one of three in the team and the best of the whole group. Honey would be of the Phantom force, she would be one of the eight who would manage the mighty Phantom and preserve its unique capability. there was but one small problem, when she had left Judy had expected to find a friend they had planned to be among them but had found that he was no more. Now they lacked one for the team, if they were to continue long term they needed another.

For the moment the issue was to be pushed aside for at that moment a great threat posed a danger to the universe and if they were going to stop it they would have to launch at once. Who knows, she thought, we might even find one while we're away.

000

Inside the hanger Nick found his ship the Endevour, a small, sleak, arrow shapped ship of the darkest grey with years of use portrayed by the dark marks all over. Despite being half as long and many times the lesser in weight, Endevour was a ship without equal in terms of speed and climb and in the hands of the informed, was a capable fighter. One feature of Endevour that stood out to most was the two seats it contained, while Nick never flew with anyone in the back seat Endevour had once been owned by someone who had. This mammal (more correctly mammals) had been very dear and after lossing them Endevour had turned into the only reminder of them and had to one who knew its history, served as a reminder of why he was no longer with the SMW.

Set on this seat, apparently from need of any other place to set them, sat his two weapons, their freshly repaired segments now shining with the stainlessness of a brand new part, perhaps something like that small piece that he had discovered in prison. Maybe this part felt a connection to those weapons, perhaps it felt that like them it was small but it shone and had brought the whole back into usefulness. Perhaps the other part felt that like how these repairs would soon fade in their brilliance and were to become like the rest, so too would this other part. Regardless of whether either part had made for itself such analogies as these, only time would prove either to be right.

But at that moment there was but a long wait ahead as their carrier waited for the order to arrive. For a long while there was nothing, then just as Nick's lids were about to abondon all resistance against sleep it came. It was load and harsh, quick and mechanical but it was the call he had been waiting for and it was the call that sent his throttle flying forward.

Being of nimble design his ship blasted through the doors of the hanger, pulling the stick back Nick forced its great nose to point straight into the sky. Within minutes the base was far behind him, a little longer and air was but a memory in the back of his mind. Now free from the resistance of air his engines gave it their all and flung him free from Octurius' gravity. Now drifting in space propelled by the great momentium he had gained Nick let his ship move on its own accord as he entered the coordinates to the planet on which this threat had been last seen.

From the communicator the voices of a great many ships cackled the procedures in which they had to follow. After several minutes of listening to the constant checks of the fleet that was to escort him to the the apparent home of the threat he was finaly given clearence to go. His paw having been hovering over the button up until that point Nick slammed down on it. In an instant all shapes around him faded into a sea of brilliant violet and evey tone that had once been in his ears left leaving him in silence. Soon he would be in orbit around the threat, soon he would come to face it.

000

As Nick was leaving Octurius behind a very different team was leaving a planet of their own behind. This team, hidden within the mighty Phantom which like the spirits it had been named after could fade into apparent none exisitance, passed without hassle through the very deffense one of their members had taken so long and had undergone such trail to pass not too long before. For now this team was unkown by the ZGA but that was soon to change. Within the space of a few days the name Star Knight would be well known among the ranks of the ZGA, whether the name would bring relef or terror, whether it brought hope or dispare, what they ment for the ZGA's hired paw, those were questions that would have to be left for later events to answer.

OK, ch.2 is finally done! Now Judy is finally in the story and Star Knight is on its first deployment! Please post a review and tell me what you think of the story so far and please don't feel ashamed if what you have to say contains critisim as whatever faults you point out are opertunities for me to improve.

Please, I am terrible at making up planets and moons so please put some ideas, please include tahe terrain, general climate, whether or not it's populated and if so how its residents cope with whatever it is they have to survive. Please never feel as if you have too much info as any details you have will be extremely helpful in the story and feel free to put the idea in the review option or as a privte message. While I'm not calling for anything in particular I do have 19 moons to make and name so please maybe help me there. Then again it's all up to you.

If you have any ideas or input whatsoever please let me know about it, I'd love to know if you have a ship design, character idea, plot idea, idea for something I should look at for inseperation, weapons, gear, traditions, ect...

OK, I think that covers just about everything, see ya later in chapter 3.