NOTES: Okay, this lack of updating chapters for this story on my part really needs to stop! But I did finally find time to submit a one-shot! It's called Echoes of the Twilight, and it's basically Link's reflections on the end of Twilight Princess (I won't say anything else, for those of you who don't want anything spoiled because you haven't played TP yet. If you haven't and you're a Zelda fan, I seriously recommend you do so soon!). Anyways, the plot is getting thicker and thicker now, and hopefully I'll reach the halfway mark of this story soon (don't know when that will be…especially with my horrible updating habits). Thanks like always to all my reviewers, as your valuable input is always appreciated. Alright, let's get going!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Super Smash Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Star Fox, Metroid, or any other series of games that I've mentioned so far. They all belong to Nintendo, and only this story, its contents, and its title are mine. So yeah, I don't own a whole lot.
Chapter 22: Calm before the Storm
'Outer space…it's so quiet…'
The various stars and distant planets shined like diamonds as newly proclaimed Emperor Andrew Oikonny viewed them from the command bridge of his flagship, Simian's Wrath.
As he stared out toward the stars, memories started to flood into his mind. His uncle had been the mad scientist known as Andross, who attempted to take over the Lylat System over ten years ago. During that time, Oikonny had been a member of the mercenary team Star Wolf. Together with lizard Leon Polwalski; a notorious assassin and torturer, Pigma Dengar; a greedy pig and former member of Star Fox who was responsible for James McCloud's death on Venom; and Wolf O'Donnell, the leader of Star Wolf and a notorious scoundrel. They were given orders personally by Andross to eliminate the Star Fox team, which had resurfaced once again with Fox McCloud as its leader.
Following in his father's footsteps, Fox had become an ace pilot and gathered together his friends Slippy Toad and Falco Lombardi, along with his father's best friend Peppy Hare, who was a member of the original Star Fox. Together they liberated the planets and sectors of the Lylat System that had been taken over by Andross' forces. Along the way, they faced not only many of Andross' minions, but also the Star Wolf team.
12 years ago...
"Okay, so that's the plan. We're entering the atmosphere of Fortuna now and they still don't know we're here yet. So far our forces on the ground have managed to keep them busy long enough to arm a bomb so that those Cornerian fools can't claim the base. We just have to keep them busy long enough for the bomb to go off. Understood?"
Andrew flicked his acknowledgement light on in his Wolfen after Wolf finished speaking. After checking his laser recharge levels, he noticed that they had just broken though the atmosphere. The faint traces of a battle could be seen being waged below, and now the four craft were in range to pick up on team Star Fox's communications.
"…bomb has been planted at the base," said the mechanical voice of some robot over the radio.
"Form up, maximum G-Diffuser output," said Wolf over the private channel. Andrew hit the throttle and took off with the rest of the team, heading straight towards the unsuspecting members of Star Fox.
"Jeez, can anyone take care of it?" said Fox.
"Can't let you do that, Star Fox!" cried Wolf as his team came out of the sun, completely surprising the others.
"Andross has ordered us to take you down," said Leon.
"Peppy! Long time, no see!" said Pigma in a mocking tone of voice.
"Andross' enemy is my enemy!" said Andrew as he and the other members of Star Wolf accelerated to attack.
"Pigma, go after that old fogey Peppy. Leon, you're our best pilot so take out Lombardi. Andrew, chase down that cowardly toad. McCloud is mine!" said Wolf over their private channel. Acknowledgement lights flickered green across his board as he went after Fox.
Andrew spotted and went for Slippy immediately. For a member of a supposed "elite" team, this guy wasn't too good of a pilot. Andrew easily got a lock on the Arwing, and started firing away at it.
"Stick to the pond, froggy!" he taunted over the radio.
"Fox, get this guy off me!" Slippy shouted over his own radio.
'Fox isn't gonna save you…he's too busy dealing with Wolf…' thought Andrew with glee as he held down the triggers. Laser after laser connected with the back of Slippy's ship, sparks flying everywhere. Slippy continued attempting barrel rolls to deflect the shots, but he couldn't quite perfect them long enough to be effective. He started to panic as his shields failed.
"I'm coming Slip!" Fox shouted, ditching his own dogfight with Wolf as he performed a quick U-turn.
"Andrew watch your six, I'm trying to take care of this pup quickly, but he moves too damn fast!" said Wolf over the radio, his frustration leaking into his voice.
Andrew yoked the joystick into a roll while continuing his assault on Slippy. His radar showed Fox's Arwing almost on top of him as laser blasts came from behind.
'No…I won't disappoint my Uncle…I'm going to defeat you all!' he thought with fiery determination, but a large explosion erupted from the backside of his ship and knocked him off course.
His shields suddenly failed as laser shots pierced the hull and he lost control, sparks flying everywhere. His ship went into a death spin toward the ground of Fortuna. Wolf tried to say something over the radio, but Andrew couldn't hear him as he continued to press the eject switch. Nothing happened as his cockpit viewscreen shattered.
"UNCLE ANDROSS!!" he shouted as his ship exploded.
'I still can't believe I managed to escape with my life. We encountered Star Fox a second time on Venom, but we were all defeated once again by them despite the fact that we had newer ships. After my Uncle died, I left the team and took control of the remaining forces loyal to him. We tried to stage a rebellion on Fortuna many years later after we gained strength, but again we lost to Star Fox! ARGH! Somehow I survived once again until my forces found me. Well, this time my plan is foolproof. I'll finally get revenge for my Uncle and defeat that insolent vulpine once and for all!'
He chucked to himself briefly, but his thoughts were interrupted when a gruff voice spoke behind him.
"Emperor Oikonny, sir?"
The ape turned around to see one of his ruffians facing him at attention, straight as a board. Oikonny dismissed his gesture with a wave of his hand.
"At ease, Admiral. What's our current status?"
"Sir, we're close to Venom's outer defense zone, Area 60. So far, it seems our fleet has been undetected. There's some civilian craft in the vicinity, but they have yet to notice us. However our radar's detecting a medium-sized Cornerian Navy fleet patrolling the atmosphere and inner perimeter of the planet. Destroyer and Dreadnaught class ships, by the looks of it. Our scouts have confirmed that there's a large number of anti-air missile batteries and turbolasers set up around the capital city, but we can't determine exactly how many."
"Your scouts have done well. Are our forces prepared for the attack?"
"Yes, ninety percent of our forces are ready for combat, awaiting your orders sir."
"Excellent, Admiral. Oh, and one last thing: have your scouts found the location of the Great Fox yet?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes sir, it's currently being used for a Smash Bros. battle that began not long ago. The Star Fox team is patrolling the outer perimeter and sometimes firing at the combatants as instructed by officials. They're unaware of our presence."
"Deploy all stealth squadrons first, and jar the enemy awake. They may use a decoy if necessary. Then unleash all of our forces on their Fleet, and have ground troops standing by and ready for action. Eliminate anyone that dares to stand in our way!"
"Yes sir!" the Admiral exclaimed, giving a quick salute and walking towards the Comm. Station to relay orders to the other capital ships. Oikonny turned back to the viewscreen and stared at his late Uncle's former home. He would retake it and revive the once glorious empire of Andross.
'And then, I'll take over the Lylat System by storm and revive my Uncle! With a little help from my new partners, that is…' he thought with an evil smile.
Fox used his reflector to deflect an arrow before unleashing a fury of blaster shots. Link backflipped in the air and landed on the top of the Great Fox, the wind threatening to throw him off. But he held his ground, putting his Hero's Bow away. The crowd watching from below was cheering them both on.
"And another near miss for Link! Fox McCloud seems to have the upper hand right now but both combatants are matched well against each other!" said the announcer over the loudspeakers littered across the large Venomian canyon. Both of them had one stock left out of five, and the match had already been waging for about a half hour.
"Getting tired Fox?" Link asked with a small grin.
The mercenary panted a little, but returned the grin. "Sorry, but I'm still standing. You're gonna have to give it your all if you hope to beat me Link!"
Link smiled, drawing the Master Sword and his Mirror Shield once again. He had used it many times so far, reflecting Fox's blaster attacks off of its gleaming surface.
'I knew this thing would come in handy! Now I'm glad I brought so much equipment with me. I'll have to tell Zel that it pays to lug around so much!' he thought with a slight smile. His thoughts drifted to his princess for a moment, and he started once again to miss her.
'No, I can't think about her right now. I have a match to win!'
Even though he didn't let it show, Fox was indeed overcome with fatigue. His muscles and ligaments were all sore and being pushed to the limit, but he refused to give up. He couldn't lose now, not with his team watching. Besides Falco would rub it in his face after.
His thoughts shifted to his team, whose Arwings were now forming up alongside their flagship. His eyes wandered to Krystal's Arwing where he caught a brief glimpse of her in the cockpit. She waved at him, and then broke into a roll as she and the others flew off to set up for another attack run.
'Man, I'm so lucky to have a girl like her. She's been my biggest supporter all along now, even devoting much of her free time to earning money for the team. No wonder why I love her so much…but there's more time for that later. Best to stay focused on the fight at hand.'
He rushed towards the top wing while Link jumped down to face him, bringing his sword to bear. Fox came in with a roundhouse kick, but Link knocked it away with his shield and unleashed a vertical strike. Fox rolled backwards and tried a Fox Illusion attack. Not expecting it Link was knocked back, hitting the titanium plating of the ship hard. His instincts kicked in and he rolled forward, just as Fox threw an exploding capsule. He snapped his fingers when it missed and looked around for something else to help him win. His eyes spotted a Super Scope and he ran for it immediately. Link saw what he was doing and shot a few arrows from his Hero's Bow to prevent him from using it.
'Fox is dangerous with that weapon! If he gets to it…'
But Fox had already gotten there, and in one single movement he brought the Super Scope to bear, the sight directly aligned with Link's head. Without any hesitation he fired, unleashing a barrage of golden shots.
The Hero of Time tried his Mirror Shield, but it did little to protect him from the shots. His arm tired, and he let down his guard just enough that the shots knocked his shield back. The shots pierced through him, raising the damage level on his damage counter. He could do little as the shots pelted through his body.
'Egh…I can't move…'
The shots abruptly ceased and Fox tossed the gun away, the ammo count down to zero. Link struggled to rise but Fox rushed him with another Fox Illusion, knocking him clear off the edge. Trusting his equipment, Link shot out his Hookshot which latched on to the lower wing. It pulled him towards the ledge as he grabbed on. Fox dropped down to the edge and rushed over to it, watching Link struggle to rise up again.
"It's been a good fight pal, but I'm taking the win today!" he proclaimed. He aimed his blaster at Link's head.
"Don't…be…so…cocky!" Link said as he found enough strength to pull himself up and knock Fox backwards, causing his blaster to go off in the air as he dropped it. Before he could get his bearings Link was already there with a running slash. Fox jumped back and launched forward again, fists clenched. Swords, punches, and kicks connected as the two fought. Fox attempted a grab but Link leaped back and threw his boomerang. The hit knocked the mercenary off-balance in a daze, long enough for Link to use his Hookshot. Fox broke the lock though and kicked the Hylian back.
He noticed a crate next to him, and decided to break it. To his surprise, a Super Mushroom flew out and landed on him. He felt his legs, his torso, and the rest of his body grow bigger as he increased in size. Fox could only stare in awe as Link grew ten times his natural size, causing the Great Fox to lean slightly to the left with the added weight.
"Now I've got the upper hand!" shouted Link in a booming giant's voice as he swung his enlarged Master Sword, hitting Fox with ease. Somehow the mercenary managed to stay on the Great Fox, but still he could do little to stop the giant Link. He fired his blaster, but the shots merely deflected off of his enormous Mirror Shield. In a last ditch effort, he attempted a Fire Fox. Link was covered in flames and took some more damage but the attack still didn't stop him from grabbing onto Fox with his large Hookshot.
The Cornerian struggled, but he was thrown off the stage far enough that he couldn't use his Fire Fox or his Fox Illusion. Link watched on silently as he shrunk back to his original size.
'Damn, he won again! And I was so close too!' thought Fox in anguish as he plummeted towards the bottom. Fortunately he was caught by the Melee system before he hit the harsh Venomian soil.
"Game!" the announcer bellowed.
'Ohh…my head…what happened?'
"Look, he's starting to wake up!"
"I told you he was just unconscious. His pulse was pretty strong."
Darkness was pierced by beams of sunlight as Marth opened his eyes, pain obscuring his vision. He could faintly make out two figures looming over him. He tried to rise, but one of the figures held him down.
"Hey, take it easy Marth. You've been out awhile, man" said what sounded like Roy's voice.
His thoughts were confirmed when the looming figures of Roy, Samus, Peach, and Zelda came into focus. He shook his head again until things were clearer and managed to sit up.
"Guys, what happened? Why are you all in here?" he asked.
"We were hoping you could tell us that. Me and Zel were walking down to the lounge to watch Link and Fox's match when Roy came scrambling down the hallway, saying that you were hurt and your room had been ransacked" said Samus.
Memories of the night before came flooding back into his mind.
"Wait, now I remember. I heard someone in here so I drew my Falchion. From the shadows I thought I saw a pair of red eyes. They disappeared, and then I felt something hit the back of my head. Everything else is a blur."
Roy pondered this, wondering who it could have been. The door had been open when he found Marth, and the only thing wrong besides the huge mess was that the window was open. Obviously someone must have broken in.
"Do you know what they were after?" asked Roy as he helped Samus lift Marth onto his feet.
"No idea, but I guess they didn't find whatever it was since everything appears to be here..."
"I already told Master Hand about this, and he's sending out Wire Frames to scout out the areas around the Mansion. He says he'll cover the damage costs." said Samus with a slight grin.
This didn't help Marth much though. Something still didn't seem right to him.
'Why would someone break into my dorm? I could see if things were missing, but all of my stuff's still here from the looks of it. Unless…'
"Guys, is Link's stuff all accounted for as well?" asked Marth in curiosity.
Zelda looked away for a moment, but came back to meet his gaze.
"No, his box of masks is missing and much of his equipment's been destroyed. Luckily he took most of it with him on his trip. I'm so worried now, what if the intruder found what he was looking for?"
"Apparently he did, because he sure left in a hurry. And I don't think this is some simple burglary either. Do you all know if Link's okay?" asked Marth.
"We haven't spoken to him, but we just saw him win against Fox on Venom. He's not answering the communicator I gave him, so I can't contact him unless I can contact Fox on his ship," said Samus.
"Keep trying Samus! If Link was the real target then he has to be warned. Come on!" shouted Roy as he sprinted out of the room with the others in tow.
Emperor Oikonny was observing Venom and the distant lights of spacecraft and cities when someone tapped him from behind.
"My lord, you have an incoming message. Should I patch it though?" he asked with a slight trickle of fear in his voice.
"Yes, send it through to my quarters, I'm heading there now. Admiral, you're in charge while I'm gone," he said to his second in command as he walked off, not even glancing.
After heading down a long hallway and taking the elevator, he walked inside a dark room where a life-sized hologram of Ganondorf appeared, waiting patiently yet hiding the frustration apparent in his eyes. Oikonny bowed quickly before continuing on.
"What is it, my Master?" he asked.
"Emperor Oikonny, I have some additional instructions for you before you initiate your attack. One of my servants broke into Smash Mansion last night to retrieve something valuable to our cause, but it wasn't there. It's believed that my nemesis Link is carrying it on his person. If your forces encounter him, I want them to retrieve a mask called the Fierce Deity's Mask. Under no circumstances is he to be killed, or else I'll personally have your head mounted on my front door. He should be in the company of that Star Fox team you detest so much. Is that understood?"
"Yes Master, as you wish." said Oikonny as the hologram vanished. This would hinder some of his plans but if Lord Ganondorf wishes it, it must be done. He started to walk back to the command bridge, when three shadowy figures approached him from behind.
"What do you want us to do right now?" the tallest figure asked.
"I want all three of you standing by at your ships. If the Star Fox team makes it through our armada and vanquishes most of our forces, I'll have the three of you personally take care of them. Until then, wait for my orders!"
The lead figure suddenly grabbed Oikonny by the scruff of his neck, hoisting him up to eye level. The figure bared his sharp teeth.
"Just so we're clear with one another I don't trust you, and me and my team aren't just some scumbags like your men to be ordered about like mindless zombies. Like Pigma, you used to work for me. Remember that! The only reason why I haven't killed you yet is because my team is receiving quite a hefty sum from your boss for taking out Star Fox. I have a personal score to settle with McCloud regardless, and no one is going to stand in my way!"
He threw Oikonny against the steel plated corridor, glaring at him until he and his team left, disappearing back into the shadows. Oikonny stood up slowly, coughing. Anger seethed throughout his body for a moment, but he cooled off and resumed walking towards the bridge.
'He's never respected me at all! If he was under my Uncle Andross' regime again he would never dare to speak out of turn like that! Oh well, unlike them I'm not ruled by the promise of money, only power! Star Fox, either way you're the ones who are going to lose in the end!'
In case you're wondering, yes for space stuff I do use some Star Wars terminology, like for ship classes and stuff like that. I know, short chapter but the action's gonna be intense next chapter. Oikonny's launching an invasion on Venom and only the Star Fox team and Link can stop him! Will Venom fall? Find out next chapter, which should be up soon as I have already begun writing it and have half of it done. I want to get as many chapters out as possible before summer is over. Okay, well thanks like always to my readers and reviewers. Without you guys I wouldn't have a story right now. Please review!