Note: Last chapter was a bit of a doozy, wasn't it? Not only did the mission not go as planned, but Star Wolf made their appearance. What's a Star Fox story without them? Okay, there's quite a few stories on here that doesn't feature the team of space pirates, but they're small compared to the ones that do. It's not a rarity, but it's something that doesn't happen a whole lot in the fandom. Then again, Star Wolf is iconic, so they make themselves known to Star Fox fans.
Before we move on, I have something to say to four reviewers.
UltimateCCC: I can't answer that question, mainly because I would be spoiling the story. Let's just say that it might depend on what happens during the chapter.
Big Bossk Man 92: The Ruffian Falco fought with wasn't really a giant, more like an athlete. Either way, he did give the pheasant a hard time during their fight. As for the dialogue, I figured that I would have to look up certain areas of the original Star Fox Assault. Hopefully, Nintendo decides to make a new Star Fox game and makes sure to have people test it before it gets released. Stay tuned for what happens next.
Owyn Ross: Maybe they will, maybe they won't. I can't make any promises. I hope that you're ready for this chapter.
The White Wolf named Alex: I'm glad that you liked the previous chapter, and I hope that you like this one. I can't promise that Wolf will appear in this chapter, though.
Now that I've gotten that out of the way, it's time for chapter twenty.
Chapter 20: Fire and Ice
Now that they knew that Pigma was last seen around Fichina, Star Fox was ready to go to the planet and take him down. They were also intent on looking for Fara, seeing as they hadn't heard back from her. It worried the team to not hear anything from one of their allies, let alone one of their former members. Knowing what Pigma was like, it didn't seem likely that he would take Fara captive. Even if she hadn't been captured, the fennec could've easily been stranded or worse. Star Fox hoped that she was alright, mainly because her lack of messages could've meant that something bad had happened.
The Great Fox was above Fichina, overlooking the planet's ice blue appearance. With how the planet was in mind, Star Fox agreed to put on protective clothing before stepping out of their Arwings, assuming that the mission would go like that. Everyone was already in the docking bay, ready to get into their ships. Before they could do so, Fox spoke to them.
"Alright, everyone," he began, "our first priority is to find Fara and make sure that she's okay. Our second priority is to take Pigma down as quick as we can. If you see any Aparoids or hostiles, destroy them!"
"What if someone joins us during the mission?" Slippy asked.
"Assuming they're on our side, leave them alone." Fox said. "With all that being said, is everyone ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be, pal!" Falco said.
"Let's do this!" Slippy shouted, cracking his knuckles.
"I hope that Pigma is ready for the amount of pain that he deserves!" Peppy said, clearly fuming.
"And let's just hope that Fara is alright." Krystal said.
"Move out, guys, I have to speak to Krystal for a moment." Fox said.
Falco, Peppy, and Slippy nodded their heads. Once they got into their Arwings, the three took off, leaving Krystal alone with Fox. The two spoke to each other, not joining their teammates at the moment.
"We should really join them, Fox." Krystal said. "It's worrying enough that Fara hasn't messaged us, but it's even more when the others are on a mission by themselves."
"Krystal, they can take care of themselves." Fox said. "You don't have to worry about them all the time."
"You'd do the same." The cobalt vixen said.
"I suppose so, but that's not the reason I wanted to talk to you." The orange tod stated.
"If this is about the last mission, I wish I could've stuck by your side." The Cerinian said.
"Well, I was wondering why you didn't use your telepathy to look for Pigma on a different planet, considering how he wasn't at Sargasso." The Papetoonian said.
"My telepathy has limits, Fox." The Cerinian said. "I can't look for someone on a planet if I'm standing on a different one."
"What if the signal is strong enough to trigger your powers?"
"Then my telepathy can pick it up. I would need to move closer to the signal, though. Hopefully, I satisfied your questions for now."
"You have. Let's get down to Fichina!"
Fox and Krystal climbed into their Arwings, setting a course for Fichina. Their teammates hadn't arrived on the planet yet, so they knew that they were in safe hands. However, as Fara was still chasing after Pigma (at least, what they were hoping), they wanted to get down to the planet as fast as possible. Switching each of their Arwings to all-range mode, Star Fox braced themselves for Fichina's atmosphere. While they felt they wouldn't need to get out of their ships, the team were still wary of what the planet was like, especially when a blizzard happened. Krystal, as far as her teammates, hadn't been to the planet before, so they didn't want her to get sick.
"Alright," Fox spoke, "here's the plan: Krystal and Peppy will cover me, while Falco and Slippy fly independently. Slippy will try to find Fara, while Falco will look for Pigma, assuming he came here like Star Wolf had told us."
"I think that they might've been lying to get us off their hides." Peppy said.
"No matter what they told us, it is rather odd how they're running a hijacked station instead of hunting for Pigma." The orange tod said. "Wolf really seemed to be out for that swine's blood, and, from what I could tell, so were his teammates."
"They're quite dedicated for a group of hired guns." Krystal stated.
"And very dangerous." Falco said. "We were kinda hoping that you wouldn't have had to meet them, Krys."
"Let's move on from that, guys." Fox said. "We're about to enter Fichina's surface. Everyone, remember your positions!"
As soon as they were in the sky of Fichina, Star Fox split up. Falco flew miles ahead of his teammates, promising to keep an eye out for Pigma. Slippy flew west, deciding to begin his search for Fara there. Krystal and Peppy stayed with Fox, keeping an eye out for any hostiles. With the fact that her surroundings were a tundra, Krystal had her telepathy on, deciding to look for something that couldn't be found with the naked eye. Now that everyone was in their correct position, Star Fox was ready to carry on with their mission.
Out from the horizon came a few hostiles. Firing her weapons, Krystal quickly killed them, preventing a fight from breaking out. A hostile then showed up on the ground, intent on blasting the three mercenaries out of the sky. Peppy and Fox fired together, taking out the enemy with little hesitation. With little hostiles in their way, Star Fox felt as though they could fly through Fichina and find Pigma and Fara in no time. However, given how the Aparoids were currently roaming around the Lylat System, they knew that it wouldn't be that easy.
"Guys, I found Fara!" Slippy's voice came out of the communicator.
Hearing that, Fox, Peppy, and Krystal set their Arwings to follow the coordinates of Slippy's location. To their relief, the toad wasn't terribly far from them. But, given the tone of his voice, it sounded like Fara was in grave danger. The two foxes and the rabbit practically sped to where Slippy was at. Krystal told Falco to meet up with the rest of the team, finding that he would be the one to get Fara to safety. That is, if she was still alive.
The moment they arrived to Slippy's location, Fox, Peppy, and Krystal saw Fara's Arwing laying on the ground. The ship didn't look like it had a tremendous amount of damage done to it, but the fact that it was on the ground worried the team. Falco was about at their location, but they feared that they were far too late to help their ally. Krystal used her telepathy to sense if Fara still had any thoughts in her mind. The fennec's mind was clouded, but she still had a few thought patterns. If Star Fox didn't get her off of Fichina, then she would die.
"Fara's still alive!" Krystal spoke.
"Now all we need to do is to get her out of here!" Peppy stated.
"Hold on, guys, Falco's almost here!" Fox said.
Sure enough, Falco's Arwing came out of the horizon. The ship landed near the wreckage of Fara's Arwing.
"Is she still kickin'?" Falco asked.
"Yes," Fox said, "but we need to get her out of here before she freezes to death!"
"Someone give me a hand!" The pheasant said. "I can't move her by myself!"
Krystal landed her Arwing, deciding to help Falco. She hopped out of the ship, signaling for her teammate to open his up. The pheasant got out of his ship as well, knowing that Krystal couldn't open a frozen Arwing by herself. He grabbed a crowbar, gesturing for the cobalt vixen to take a step back. She did so, allowing for the avian to pry the cockpit of the black Arwing open. Once it was open, Falco and Krystal saw Fara unconscious.
Upon pulling Fara out of her Arwing, Falco checked her pulse, hoping that she was still alive. To his relief, the fennec was still breathing. However, her heart was beating very slowly, feeling as though it would stop at any moment. With no time to waste, Krystal helped Falco load the vulpine into his Arwing, even telling him to turn the heat on. He hopped into the ship, placing Fara behind him. With that out of the way, Krystal stepped back, not wanting to be annihilated by the diffusers.
"I'm going to take her to the infirmary, then I'll be back!" Falco said.
"Come back as quick as you can, Falco!" Slippy said. "We need you out here!"
As soon as that was out of the way, Falco flew off of Fichina, setting a course for the Great Fox. With him gone, Krystal climbed back into her Arwing. She shivered for a bit, despite wearing enough protection against the cold. The cobalt vixen turned the heat on, not willing to let the cold get the better of her.
"Too cold for you, Krystal?" Fox's voice chuckled.
"It's official: Fichina is colder than the SnowHorn Wastes on Sauria!" Krystal said.
"Believe it or not, it hasn't been this cold on Fichina in a year." Peppy spoke. "On this very planet, there is a Climate Control Center that was created to make it habitable."
"You don't think that Pigma could've damaged it, do you?" Slippy asked.
"He had to!" The hare said. "Why else would there be a blizzard in a time where Fichina wouldn't have one?"
"Then there's no time to lose!" Fox said. "Move out!"
"You guys go ahead!" Slippy said. "I'll get in contact with the CDF and see if they'll get Fara's Arwing out of here!"
Fox, Peppy, and Krystal flew away from Slippy, hoping that he would catch up. The blizzard was raging around Fichina, which made navigating the planet difficult for anyone unfamiliar with it. By having their maps on, Star Fox could make out the planet's layout. Krystal had her telepathy on as well, hoping that she would be able to find Pigma. Something interrupted it, however, making the cobalt vixen struggle to keep her powers focused on a single person. The team was approaching a battle, and they would have to do what they could in order to get to the Climate Control Center.
"Aparoids dead ahead, guys!" Krystal spoke, her hands clutching the controls to her weapons.
Flying ahead of Krystal, Peppy saw several Aparoids flying in the sky, clearly unbothered by Fichina's climate. The metallic insect aliens fired lasers at Star Fox, intent on shooting everyone down. Not willing to go down, the team returned fire, giving it their all. One by one, the Aparoids fell out of the sky, exploding before they hit the ground. When more of the creatures came, Peppy fired at them. He wasn't willing to let any of those monsters kill his friends.
"Guys," Slippy cried, "wait for me!"
"That must've been a quick call!" Peppy said.
"It was," the toad spoke, "and I already told them to get Fara's ship out of here as quick as possible! For now, let's crush these evil bugs!"
As more Aparoids flew down to Fichina, Star Fox continued to blast them out of the sky. Reinforcements weren't just coming from the sky, however. Krystal's telepathy began to pick up thought patterns from the ground. They were not friendly, nor were their thoughts coherent. It wasn't hard to tell that they were Aparoids, but it worried Krystal that they were now able to spawn on the ground. These creatures were rapidly evolving, and Star Fox needed to stop them before they became unstoppable.
"Fox, watch the ground!" Krystal warned.
Heeding Krystal's words, Fox watched as several strange creatures rolled out and fired at him. Knowing that they were more Aparoids, the orange tod immediately fired back. One by one, the ground Aparoids were destroyed, with nothing left of their bodies. With that out of the way, Star Fox continued to fly through Fichina, desperate to get to the Climate Control Center until it was too late. If it wasn't on, then Fichina would be uninhabitable like how it was during the Lylat Wars. That was something the team wanted to prevent from happening.
Upon finding the Climate Control Center, Fox signaled for the others to keep watch outside while he went in. Before he could, the shield generators for the building turned on, preventing anyone from entering. Knowing what needed to be done, Star Fox aimed at the generators. They fired at them, causing each to explode. With the shield generators gone, the shields went down, allowing entry to the Climate Control Center. Agreeing to keep watch outside, Peppy, Slippy, and Krystal allowed Fox to land his Arwing on the ground.
Stepping out of his Arwing, Fox ran into the building, desperate to turn it back on. When the orange tod found the switch, he turned it on, hoping that it would work. However, instead of the Control Center stopping the blizzard, an alarm went off. Startled by this, Fox realized that Pigma had done something to the building. The swine didn't just turn it off, he tampered it so that it would mistake those who tried to fix it for an intruder. Closing itself, the entryway for the Control Center locked.
"Fox, what's wrong?" Peppy asked.
"The Climate Control Center is acting up!" Fox said. "It's acting like I'm an intruder!"
"Why would it do that?!" Slippy's voice came out of the computer.
"Pigma messed it up before we even got here!" Krystal spoke. "Fox, you're locked inside! We're going to try and get you out of there!"
"If you can!" Fox said.
With no time to spare, Fox decided to run out of the Climate Control Center and join his teammates in the air. Before he could even find a way out, the orange tod saw something flying towards him. It happened to be the defense droids that were put into the Climate Control Center. They were known as the Sentrybot3000 units, and their job was to destroy any intruder to the building. When Fox saw them, he noticed that they looked like they were malfunctioning. None of them looked damaged, but it was clear that there was something wrong.
"Hey, Fox, how are you doing down there?" Falco's voice came out of the communicator.
"I'm trapped in the Climate Control Center!" Fox said.
"What about the others?" The pheasant asked.
"They're keeping watch for Pigma and the Aparoids!" The orange tod said. "Why are you asking?"
"I'm coming back down to Fichina!" The avian said. "Once I get to the Climate Control Center, I'll try to get you out!"
"Hopefully, you make it in time!" The vulpine said.
The Sentrybot3000s began to fire at Fox, intent on killing him. He dodged each laser, returning fire with his blaster. While the orange tod managed to him them, he ultimately couldn't destroy the robots. From this point on, the vulpine was reduced to fighting against Sentrybots that were going haywire. He could only hope for Falco to arrive and bust down the door to the Climate Control Center. If not him, then someone else would have to blast a hole in the building.
Falco was speeding down to Fichina, intent on getting to the Climate Control Center as quickly as he could. Once he was in the planet's surface, he saw the rest of the team firing at approaching Aparoids. From what the pheasant could tell, they were keeping watch for Pigma and stopping the alien parasites from attacking the Climate Control Center. However, there was something else attacking Star Fox: the Sentrybot3000. There were hundreds of the same robot surrounding them, with slight electric crackles coming out of them. It didn't take Falco long to determine that something was wrong with the defense system.
"What's going on, guys?" Falco spoke.
"If you couldn't tell," Krystal said, "we were about to rescue Fox from the Climate Control Center, but then these defense droids came out and began to attack us!"
"Aren't they supposed to be on our side?" The pheasant asked.
"Not anymore!" Slippy cried. "They've been infected by the Aparoids!"
"We'll work on destroying them, just get Fox out of there!" Peppy said.
Flying his Arwing closer to the entrance of the Climate Control Center, Falco aimed at the entrance. Releasing a charged shot, he destroyed the door, allowing Fox to escape. When the orange tod ran out, however, a few of the infected Sentrybot3000s followed him. Thinking quickly, Falco waited for Fox to move. Once the vulpine was out of the way, the avian fired another charged shot, hitting the Sentrybots that had escaped. This destroyed them instantly, with not even a circuit left afterwards.
Now that he was out, Fox saw that the rest of the team was dealing with the Aparoids and the infected Sentrybot3000s. Peppy had launched a Nova Bomb, managing to take down three Aparoids at once. Slippy used a charged shot on a Sentrybot, causing it to collide with another. Krystal was focusing her efforts on both enemies, not using a Nova Bomb or charged shot unless it was necessary. Falco joined the onslaught by shooting down an infected Sentrybot, taking several Aparoids with it as it exploded. By watching this, Fox didn't know whether to help his team, or let them continue.
Getting into his Arwing, Fox flew into the air. He fired several rounds at each enemy that came his way, not willing to let them get away. If an Aparoid, or a machine infected by one, escaped, then the Lylat System would be in more danger. Star Fox couldn't let that happen, and they weren't going to let it happen. The team continued on with the onslaught, destroying the Aparoids and infected Sentrybot3000s with little effort. Once all the enemies they saw were dead, the team was ready to catch their breaths for a bit.
"Man, that was crazy!" Slippy shouted.
"I hope that's all of them!" Peppy said.
"From what I can tell, there isn't anything approaching us on our radar." Falco stated.
"Yeah, but we still need to fix the Climate Control Center." Fox said.
"Sorry, everyone, but you're not going to fix anything!" A familiar voice taunted. "I've been pulling a few strings to get you out of the way, but it seems as though you managed to pull through! Looks like I'll have to deal with you myself, then!"
Recognizing that voice, Star Fox felt enraged. Pigma was still on the planet, meaning that Fara hadn't been able to stop him. While they weren't angry at the fennec for being unable to take down the boar, they secretly wished that she had. Krystal's telepathy was able to pick up where he was, and she was eager to kill him. Upon picking up where the swine was, the cobalt vixen hit her brakes. He was coming towards the team, and they needed to stop him.
"Falco, behind you!" Krystal shouted.
Before Falco could move, he heard a ship pull up behind him. Looking behind him, the pheasant saw Pigma slowly flying behind him. The boar had a smug smile on his face, much like how he always did. This time, however, it was different. There wasn't just smug overconfidence and greed behind it, there was something else. It seemed like Pigma knew something that no else in the Lylat System knew.
"So, you guys want the Core back?" Pigma spoke. "Well, I can't exactly give it to you, especially since this thing could go for thousands, if not millions, on the black market! I'd rather show you what I could do with it!"
"Stop him!" Krystal shouted, getting ready to do a somersault.
With Pigma directly in sight, Fox, Peppy, and Slippy opened fire. Unlike the last time, the Arwing rounds didn't seem to work on his ship. Upon getting behind the boar, Krystal and Falco opened fire on the tractor beam on his ship, trying to make it drop the Memory Core. Like their teammates, their attacks weren't working on the former Star Fox member's ship. This frustrated Star Fox to no end. Nothing was working on their enemy, and it seemed like getting the Memory Core back was going to be pointless.
"As you can see, my ship's been upgraded." Pigma spoke. "If you attack me like that, you won't be able to take me down."
"We can still try!" Fox shouted.
"Now, Fox, that's rather unbecoming of you." The boar said. "Besides, don't you want to see what I can do with the Memory Core?"
"No, but we're going to shoot it off your ship!" Slippy said, aiming for the Memory Core.
Star Fox fired at Pigma's ship again, trying to knock the Memory Core off of it. Pigma was unfazed by this, only pressing down on the artifact with his ship. Once this happened, the ground began to shake. Taking their eyes off of Pigma for a second, Star Fox saw the Climate Control Center begin to move. The building turned purple and black, with neon purple legs shooting out of it. In a matter of minutes, the Climate Control Center had been turned into a monster.
"The Center!" Peppy cried.
"It's been infected by Aparoids!" Slippy shouted.
"No, duh, Slippy!" Falco said.
"Knock it off, this isn't the time to fight!" Krystal snapped.
"She's right, now we need to stop it!" Fox said.
"And while you guys are doing that, I'm going to split!" Pigma said.
"Oh no, you don't!" Peppy shouted. "Guys, I'm going after Pigma, fight the Aparoid!"
"On it!" Fox, Falco, Slippy, and Krystal said.
As soon as Peppy sped off to fight Pigma, the rest of Star Fox began to fight the Aparoid-infected Climate Control Center. They narrowly avoided getting crushed by its legs, doing barrel rolls and somersaults in order to do so. Once they had done that, the team began to fire at it, hoping to cause some damage to the creature. Using both regular shots and charged shots, they threw the Aparoid off its balance. However, it responded by firing back at them. In order to get away from its attacks, Star Fox used every maneuver they could. But, considering that the monster had a weak spot, they knew they had to find it.
Upon taking more firepower from its enemies, the Aparoid-infected Climate Control Center jumped into the air. It was hell-bent on crushing everyone with its mass, feeling angered by their presence. Having dealt with a warship that had used this same tactic, Star Fox immediately sped away when they saw the Aparoid's shadow above them. Krystal left a Nova Bomb behind, hoping that it would damage the monster. While it exploded, the Aparoid was unharmed by it. It seemed like there was no way to defeat the infected building.
"Hey, Fox, do you need a hand?" A familiar voice rang out.
Looking up in the sky, Fox saw a Cornerian Fighter racing down. Realizing who this was, the orange tod knew that his team was in safe hands.
"About time you got here, Bill!" Fox said.
"I was just helping the boys move Fara's Arwing to Corneria, then I saw that thing start to attack you guys!" Bill spoke. "I just figured that I might as well help you!"
"Well, all we need to do is to find the Aparoid's weak spot." Slippy said. "Think that you can help us?"
"Sure, just let me near you guys!" The gray hound said.
With Bill joining the battle, Star Fox continued to fire at the Aparoid-infected Climate Control Center. They all fired at its legs, which seemed to knock it off its balance. However, the creature regained its composure and fired back. It jumped into the air again, intent on squashing its enemies. Star Fox signaled for Bill to get out of the way, not wanting him to get hurt. Before she could speed off, Krystal saw a red flashing light on the bottom of the Aparoid. She fired at it, then flew away from the creature just in time.
"Fox, it's like a bacteriophage!" Krystal said. "There's an opening on the bottom!"
"And that's its weak spot!" Slippy added. "Hit it with everything you got, guys!"
Knowing where the Aparoid's weak spot was at, Star Fox began to fire at it. Bill threw a bomb at it, signaling for them to get away in order to avoid getting blown out of the sky. Upon receiving damage, the Aparoid grew enraged and jumped into the air again. With little time to spare, Falco and Slippy fired charged shots the moment they saw its weak spot. Once the creature landed, Star Fox fired below it, causing more damage to it. With the Aparoid heavily-damaged, Fox and Krystal aimed for its weak spot.
"Ready, Krystal?" Fox asked.
"Oh," Krystal chuckled, "I'm ready!"
Firing their weapons together, Fox and Krystal hit the Aparoid's weak spot. With the creature fatally damaged, it let out a piercing scream. Fox signaled for his teammates to get away from the creature as it fell. The Aparoid exploded, leaving the damaged Climate Control Center behind. Knowing that they had bigger fish to fry, Star Fox and Bill raced to Peppy's aid. The hare was still fighting Pigma, and it was only a matter of time before the boar defeated him.
Now that he was locked in a battle with Pigma, Peppy was doing what he could to shoot him out of the sky. While he did get some progress, he couldn't shoot down his former teammate.
"Not too shabby, Peppy!" Pigma taunted. "Though, what do I expect from someone like you?"
"I'll never understand how James let you on the team in the first place!" Peppy shouted.
"Let's just say that the guy was desperate!" The boar said.
Hearing Arwings rushed towards him, Peppy turned around and saw his teammates approaching. Bill was also with them, flying his ship faster than them. Upon seeing them, Pigma began to fly out toward the horizon. Not willing to let him escape again, Star Fox tried to chase after them, but Bill signaled for them not to.
"I'll follow him, guys!" The gray hound said. "Head on home!"
"And leave you to get shot down?" Falco spoke. "No way!"
"I'll be fine!" Bill said. "Just take a rest until something else comes up!"
Star Fox reluctantly followed Bill's order, allowing him to chase after Pigma by himself. They didn't want to let him go alone, considering how Fara crashed her Arwing doing so. Knowing that the CDF was backing the gray hound, the team hoped that he had all the help he needed. With the mission done, Star Fox began to fly back to the Great Fox. While doing so, they had a conversation.
"These Aparoids just keep evolving!" Peppy said. "It's getting out of hand!"
"And who knows what the next ones will be like?" Slippy said.
"Hopefully, we'll be able to take them down." Falco said.
"We will." Fox said. "We're not going to let some evil space bugs take over the Lylat System, guys!"
"Let's just hope that they're not too strong for our weapons." Peppy said. "If that's so, then we've got another problem."
Meanwhile, in space, Pigma was flying his ship. He was going rather slow, mainly due to being asleep.
"Obey us..." Pigma muttered in his sleep. "Obey us... Obey us... Obey..."
Jolting awake, Pigma looked at the Memory Core, then at himself. Realizing what the Aparoids were, the boar knew that he was in trouble. However, it didn't matter to him, as his main priority was getting rich off of the Memory Core.
"Was I just talking in my sleep?" Pigma said to himself. "No! I won't turn a profit by obeying them! I... I... Obey..."
Note: Uh oh, it looks like Pigma's giving into the Aparoid's influence! Bill better watch out while chasing after him. And it seems like Fara might be out of commission. Will she make a return to the battlefield, or will she be unable to? Who else will Star Fox meet up with? Are they friend or foe? Can they help them defeat the Aparoids?
Until next time, guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!