NOTES: …YES, I'M FINALLY BACK! I apologize for the long wait, but life has once again been getting in the way. In order to get my college stuff done (which was worth it, since I got accepted to where I wanted to go!), I had to put this story on hold along with all of my other activities so that I could get ready to send applications and do well on my second SAT attempt. Well, after that every time I tried to go back to this story when I had a free moment, writer's block and laziness prevented me from writing. It's been hard trying to go on knowing that I needed to get back to writing fan fiction eventually, and it's torn at me every day. But here I am, at it again and hopefully to stay for a long time to come. Anyway, enough about me: I'm sure you're all just anxious to find out what happens next (if you remember the story that is…). The next two or three chapters should hopefully finish up this arc, and then maybe I'll finally be able to get back on track here. (5 months ago I found time to outline the actual plot, so maybe now I'll be able to finish faster!) Oh, just a side note, this is a Melee fic and not a Brawl one. Even though Brawl is awesome (been playing it nonstop!), the inclusion of any of its characters at this time would just make the plot more complicated (although if I need another fighter or two, I may use some of Brawl's, although I would not like to). Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's get started.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Super Smash Bros, The Legend of Zelda, Star Fox, Metroid, or any other franchise mentioned in this story. They all belong to Nintendo, and Super Smash Bros. is also owned by HAL Laboratories. If I owned these games, I would not be here right now and instead would probably be in Kyoto, Japan making lots of money! But sadly that isn't the case. (Sigh…)
Chapter 23: The Invasion of Venom
Lieutenant Jacobs of the small Cornearian Dreadnaught-class cruiser Reclaimer sat at his post, monitoring various navigation equipment and radars. The round circles below the orange and black-striped tiger's eyelids hinted at a lack of sleep, but regardless he continued monitoring for anything suspicious.
A few days ago Cornerian Intelligence had warned of a possible attack by malicious forces, most likely from whatever remained of Andross' former fleet; no more a threat now then common space pirates since the Aparoid Wars. The Cornerian Navy, not taking any chances decided to position a moderately sized battle group in orbit around Venom, but so far nothing had been reported.
'This is more like babysitting than protecting...' thought Jacobs with a frown of discontent as he sipped his coffee. Nothing like caffeine to keep you awake for more than 20 hours straight.
A sudden pulsating of the radar interrupted his thoughts. He swiveled his chair to face the radar where he saw a single blue dot appear as out of nowhere. He detected the remains of a warp gate dissipating, quickly realizing where the craft had come from.
It was unmarked and slowly approaching the fleet surrounding Venom. Its size was too large for a mere civilian ship, maybe a small freighter but it was too far to tell. Jacobs decided to call his superiors immediately; best they know about this right away.
"Sir! I got something on radar. There's no marking or any type of identification so I really don't know what it is. Should I hail them?"
Admiral Vicks, a prestigious veteran of many battles and the one canine you'd want in any strategic engagement or defensive, walked swiftly from the captain's chair to Jacobs' monitoring station. He stared at the screen, watching as the dot continued toward the fleet.
"Hail them, Lieutenant. This is restricted space to civilians right now unless they have special clearance."
"Aye, sir."
Jacobs turned a few knobs and flicked some switches as he powered up his radio. "This is the Cornerian cruiser Reclaimer hailing unidentified ship. This is a restricted area, turn back now unless you have clearance. If you do, please transmit access codes now."
He waited a few moments but the freighter didn't respond. It continued on its course as before, maintaining a steady speed. Vicks frowned as over Jacobs/ shoulder he watched the ship maintain its original course.
"Send them a clear warning, Lieutenant. If they continue towards this planet then we'll arm weapon systems."
Jacobs nodded as he tried once again. "Repeat, this is the Cornerian cruiser Reclaimer hailing unidentified freighter. If you continue on your present course we shall be forced to open fire. Turn back now or transmit clearance codes now!"
But the ship continued on, not slowing down. It was now only about 2,000 kilometers from Venom. It breached the first line and continued on its way.
"Lieutenant Nichol, arm missile pods six though twelve," ordered the Admiral as he made his way back to his seat, calling up his personal viewscreen.
"Tracking sir...freighter is within range and pods are ready," Nichol said as he calibrated the targeting. He had a solid lock.
"Fire!"
Six anti-warship archer missiles erupted from various pods on the Reclaimer, streaking toward the unidentified ship. Even with six missiles heading its way, it refused to evade. The missiles struck it directly, destroying it in a brilliant flash of fire.
"Status report!" ordered the Admiral.
"Sir, unidentified freighter destroyed...wait. Sir, I scanned the craft for lifesigns shortly before it was destroyed since it was acting so erratically. Sir, there were no life signs!"
'A decoy ship. But for what?' thought Vicks as he stared where the ship had once been.
A sudden explosion from starboard rocked the Reclaimer like an earthquake; alarms were ringing and lights were flashing red everywhere. Vicks quickly got to his feet and was in awe at what he now saw. He didn't even think of asking for a damage report there were so many.
"Sir, multiple enemy contacts! Stealth ships by the looks of them! Scanners are showing over 300 frigates and cruisers exiting various warp gates farther away!" yelled Jacobs, his hands trembling in fear as he made various adjustments to his scanners and radar.
"They're launching fighters and powering up their weapons! I'm also detecting ground troop transports heading straight for Venom!"
"Get me a damage report on the Reclaimer, and send out orders to the rest of the fleet to engage the enemy at will. Make sure none of those dropships get though the last line and launch all fighter squadrons. Send a message to Venomian Command; tell them to prepare for a ground assault and to evacuate the civilians!"
"Aye, Admiral!" the crew said as the entire bridge of the Reclaimer hurried about their tasks while Admiral Vicks continued to gaze out the viewscreen, plotting the fleet's next move.
'One minute everything's fine, the next minute all hell breaks loose. God almighty...'
The bridge of the Great Fox started to come to life once again as all systems rebooted and the engines warmed up.
"Hey Slippy, we ready to go now?" asked Fox from the captain's chair.
"Yeah Fox, we have enough fuel cells left to get back to Smash Mansion. Sorry about shutting down all systems but I had to make sure I didn't blow us up when tinkering with the engines. Anyways, they're fixed now so you can lift off whenever you're ready!"
"Great, thanks Slip! We're lifting off immediately so we can get Link back to Smash Mansion, refuel the ship there, and then head for Corneria."
"Okay Fox, you've got it!" said Slippy as Fox switched off his comlink. He turned back toward his laptop and typed in a few commands, initiating the liftoff sequence before he headed to the main doors. He glanced back briefly at ROB, who was typing in commands on a nearby maintenance computer.
"ROB, prepare for departure and program the navigational computer to head for Smash Mansion. I'll be in the lobby if you need me," said Fox as he left the bridge and headed for the lounge.
"Affirmative," ROB replied as he guided the Great Fox out of the hanger bay into Venom's atmosphere.
Fox walked into the lobby and headed straight for the kitchen to get some dinner. Falco was watching F-Zero races on the widescreen TV, but Peppy wasn't anywhere to be found.
'Eh, he's probably in his room; writing or reading old history books like usual.'
Krystal was having some soup when Fox entered the kitchen. He grabbed a soda from the fridge and put a frozen dinner in the microwave. He sat down next to Krystal, giving her a quick peck on the cheek as he opened his soda.
"The engine's repaired and refueled now so we're all set. We're heading to Smash Mansion before Corneria; should be about a two day journey with no warp gates. Unfortunately Venom doesn't have their own warp gate system operational yet so we'll have to travel the old fashioned way," said Fox, sipping his soda.
"That's fine. That just means there's more time for us to relax..." said Krystal as she kissed him, taking his paw in her own. Suddenly an enormous explosion rocked the ship, nearly knocking them out of their chairs and signaling the alarms.
"All members of team Star Fox report to the bridge immediately!" ROB's emotionless voice erupted over the loudspeakers as everyone in the lounge bolted for the bridge.
Fox and Krystal were the first ones on deck, and what they saw astounded them beyond words. The Cornerian fleet surrounding Venom was engaged in combat with a large enemy fleet of ships. Explosions and lasers surrounded the battle, and by the looks of it the Cornerian defense line was starting to break. Fox only managed to pry his eyes away from the viewscreen when a random beep erupted from the holopanel in the center of the deck.
"Incoming message from Admiral Vicks. Shall I put him though?" asked ROB.
"Go ahead," said Fox as the image of Admiral Vicks appeared in the holopanel. The middle-aged bloodhound briefly saluted them before he spoke.
"Fox McCloud, I'm glad to see that you and your team are safe. We've encountered a large space force attempting to invade Venom. They used a decoy to take us off guard and then they struck as if from nowhere. So far, we've been able to hold them off but we've taken heavy losses. All Venomian ground troops have been mobilized to protect the civilians, but we cannot evacuate the planet without risking the lives of the civilians."
"What can we do to help, Admiral?" asked Fox in earnest.
"Star Fox team, my superior officer, General Pepper, has spoken quite highly of you and your skills. I'm asking for your assistance in both the space front and on the ground if the invasion force make it that far. Unlike some of the other officers around here I'm not ashamed to ask mercenaries of your caliber for help."
"Do we even know who we're fighting though? No point attacking an enemy we know nothing about," said Falco off-handedly as he continued watching the attacking ships. Vicks ignored the remark and continued.
"The insignia on the side of the ships points to Andross, but since he's dead the only other person we could think of is Andrew Oikonny. Apparently he survived the Aparoid invasion on Fortuna."
"Apparently..." muttered Fox in anger.
"Regardless, we've been able to locate the capital ship where Oikonny is directing his forces. He's a lot stronger than he was on Fortuna, so our lines have had a hard time targeting his ship. You, however, will probably have more success than us Star Fox."
"Okay Admiral, we'll back you up. Can your forces still hold the line until we get out there?" asked Fox.
"So far we can, but our shields are fading fast. My ship alone has taken severe damage, but we're still managing to hold on. Do you have a plan?"
"Yes, I think I do...just hold your position for now, we're coming!"
"You got it, McCloud. We'll help in any way we can but I can't guarantee much. Good hunting and good luck to you all."
The transmission cut off and Fox turned to face his team, all silent and looking to him for their orders. It always gave Fox pride to see his team so eager for action.
"Okay, so we know where Oikonny's flagship is, yet we can't get close enough to destroy it, right?" said Fox.
"Yeah, so if we can't get in close enough to demolish it with the Great Fox or our Arwings, then how are we gonna destroy it? From the inside or something?" asked Falco.
Fox thought about the idea for a moment, a slight grin briefly showing on his face before he turned to face Slippy.
"Hey Slip, is there any way we can beam cargo aboard other ships from a distance?" he asked.
"Well Fox, it'd be difficult but if I can get the Great Fox just close enough, I could possibly calibrate the teleporter to do that. Why?" asked Slippy, although everyone else already knew the answer. Krystal was the first one to protest.
"Fox, you can't seriously think of going by yourself! What if you run into more than just Oikonny and his ruffians on that ship? And even if you manage to wire the ship to explode, how will you escape? Steal one of their fighters? What if it turns out there aren't any left!" she ranted.
Fox simply smiled at her, never once forgetting how beautiful she looked whenever she was concerned or frustrated with him.
'Heh, if we ever hope to get married, she's gonna have to learn to deal with me in times like this...'
He shook his head, about to respond when someone else spoke behind him.
"He won't be alone, Krystal. Whether he likes it or not, I'm going with him."
Link stepped out from the shadows, his arms crossed in front of his chest.
"I heard everything; you guys don't need to brief me on the situation. Relax Krystal, I'll go with him and make sure he comes back in one piece. Remember, we're Smashers! We can take on anything Oikonny can throw at us." Fox smiled slightly, nodding his head in agreement. He only had one term that Link had to meet before he would allow him to tag along.
"Link, one thing though. You don't know much about technology, so I'll have to handle the explosives, okay? But regardless of that, you're right. We're both Smashers, so we can take care of ourselves."
The Hylian nodded in agreement. Fox turned back toward his team, his leader mask on once again.
"Now, I want the rest of you in Arwings protecting the fleet and the Great Fox. Falco, you're the leader while I'm gone. If any ground transports make it to the surface, follow them and protect the civilians at all costs until they can board escape craft. Any questions?"
"Yeah, just one. What happens if you and Linky-boy fail?" asked Falco sarcastically.
"Then you'd better pray for a miracle, because by the looks of the hull plating on that ship it'll take more firepower than what we have to take it out," Fox said grimly.
Emperor Oikonny stood on the bridge of Simian's Wrath, eying the battle. So far the numbers were pleasing: over half of the Cornerian fleet was either destroyed and disabled, while not even a quarter of his own fleet had been damaged yet. None of his ground assault ships had landed on Venom yet, but it was only a matter of time until the final line of the Cornerian fleet was breached.
"My Emperor, I have some news for you," said the Captain, stepping toward his leader. Oikonny turned to face him.
"Yes, what is it?"
"Sir, we've detected the Great Fox. It's entered the battle and has launched Arwings; however, it isn't actively participating in the fight yet. Curiously, it hasn't powered up its weapons but it's moving this way. So far it's managed to stay just out of range of our turbolasers, but it will be in range shortly. Should I order all turbolaser batteries to fire upon it when it comes into range?"
Oikonny almost gave the order, but then reconsidered. Obviously the Star Fox team was up to something if they weren't attacking.
'Hmm, this might be interesting...'
"No, don't bother. By the looks of it they know they can't punch though the shields of this ship even with their main laser cannons. However, if they do decide to fire upon us, return fire immediately."
"Yes, sir!" said the Captain, snapping to a salute. Oikonny walked past him away from the viewscreen and headed back to the elevator.
" Keep me informed of their activities, Captain. I'll be in touch," he said as the doors closed in front of him.
The Captain nodded and went back to his station, monitoring the invasion's progress.
This chapter's kind of a filler, I know but the real action will start up next chapter and it'll be non-stop until this arc finishes up! Will this plan of Fox's work or will certain things complicate matters? You'll just have to find out, won't you? Expect the next chapter sometime within the next few days or so, as I've already gotten though it and just need to edit it before it's posted. I promise never to leave as long as I did ever again, okay? Man, it feels so good to be back on here. Okay, anyways, thanks for reading, and reviews are always appreciated!