Chapter 5: Separatist Attack
Four days later, back on Corneria, a large crowd was gathered at the Starfleet docks, eagerly awaiting the return of the USS Enterprise. Among the crowd was the Star Fox team. Fox was impatient, as he was eager to see Jim again and to find out what those signals were.
"How much time left, Falco?" Fox asked.
"Uhh…it looks like about fifteen minutes." Falco said.
"Great."
"Well, it looks like you're in a much better mood than you were four days ago, Foxie." Krystal said. "You aren't worried, are you?"
"Nah. I think Jim's gonna be fine." Fox said. Krystal sat down beside the Cornerian vulpine and rested her head on his shoulder. Fox smiled and kissed her head. Suddenly, the intercom announced the arrival of the Enterprise.
"Wow, they're early." Falco said as the crowd moved outside to see the ship land.
"Don't you want to go see the ship, Fox?" Krystal asked.
"I think we should wait until the crow clears up. We'll let everything settle down and then we'll go out to meet Jim." Fox replied.
Krystal giggled in agreement. "Good idea."
They heard the roar of the Enterprise's engines, but for some reason, it sounded quieter than it did four days ago. Both their heads shot up as they heard the crowd gasp and start murmuring among themselves; Oh my God, look at that! That's unbelievable! What happened! What happened!
Fox and Krystal quickly ran outside to see what the crowd was talking about, and what they saw left them speechless and shocked. The Enterprise had returned and was nearly destroyed. The starboard engine was nothing but a burnt pile of metal, there were several holes in the side and several burn marks on the hull.
The doors opened as the crowd rushed forward to see if any of their loved ones were still there. They were forced back by some of the crew members.
"Get back! Get back! We've got wounded!" they shouted. Fox saw Jim, Kara and Ayel on the exit ramp, trying to get the wounded crewmen off of the ship as quickly as possible. Fox couldn't believe what was going on.
Krystal caught up with Fox as they tried to push through the crowd. They reached the front but were stopped by one of the crew members.
"No one is permitted onto the docks." he said.
"You don't understand. The admiral is my friend." Fox said. The crewman didn't believe him. He tried to force Fox and Krystal back when Jim called out to them.
"Fox, Krystal, come give us a hand! Ensign, let them pass!"
The crewman stepped out of the way and let them pass. Jim led them up to the medical bay.
"Jim, what the hell happened!" Fox exclaimed.
"I'll explain later. First we've got to get the wounded to the hospital." Jim said in a breathless voice.
They ran patients off the ship as fast as they could, trying to assure them that they would be okay. When all of the wounded had left the ship, Chancellor Earhart arrived and met Jim on the exit ramp. Fox and Krystal stood behind him, hoping to hear what happened.
Jim stood at attention as the chancellor stood in front of him. He looked up and studied the ship then returned his gaze to the young admiral.
"Jim, what is the meaning of this." Jim made no answer. He just stood at attention.
"Jim, it's alright. Just tell me what happened."
"It was the CIS, sir. They've taken over the Parvenian System."
The chancellor's eyes widened when he heard this. Fox's heart sank as he heard this. What he had feared had become reality. Krystal was shocked too. She moved closer to Fox as he put his arm around her back.
"What happened to the ship?" Earhart asked.
"We were intercepted over the planet, Utapau. It was us versus twenty-five ships. There is thermal damage to the hull, the starboard engine has been destroyed, there's minor damage to the shield generator and our warp drive capabilities have been disabled. Our casualties are thirty-two dead, times two wounded." Jim replied. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to the chancellor, his hand trembling.
"Here are the names…of the dead, sir." He said with a shaky voice. "We landed on Rhen-Var and gave them a proper burial."
As Earhart took the paper, Jim turned his head and a tear fell from his eye as he remembered those who had died. Some of those crewman, he had known since his days in the Academy, and now they were gone.
Earhart put his hand on Jim's shoulder. "It wasn't your fault Jim. You did all you could." He said in a reassuring voice. Jim nodded his head and wiped the tear from his eye.
"You need to take some time off. I'm putting you on leave until the Enterprise is repaired." Earhart said in a kind, reassuring voice.
"Thank you, sir." Jim said as he walked off the ramp and back onto the surface of the planet. Fox and Krystal followed him. Krystal could hear Jim's thoughts as he was walking and she knew that there was more.
"Jim!" she called out. He made no answer.
"Jim!" she called again as he continued walking.
"James Kavannagh!" she called out very loudly. Jim stopped, turned around and glared at the Cerinian vixen. Krystal's heart sank as she looked into Jim's striking eyes. She stepped back and held onto Fox. Fox looked at Krystal and saw how scared she was. He put his arm around her as if to protect her.
"Look, Jim, I know your hurt, but we have to know more. We know there's more. You have to tell us." Fox said.
Jim was silent for a few minutes, then spoke up. "Follow me." he said in a low, silent voice. He led the two Star Fox pilots to his office inside Federation headquarters. He pulled out the device that held the visual scans of the two new droids.
"You're right. There is more." Jim said. He brought up a map of the Parvenian System. Some of the planets were marked red. "The planets I have marked are the planets that are currently controlled by the CIS. As you can see, they control most of the system's twenty-three planets."
Jim closed the map and brought up an image of one of the new droids.
"The CIS has manufactured two new types of droids. This one is an upgraded version of their standard battle droid. They call it a Super Battle Droid. They are equipped with thicker armor and much more powerful weapons. Rather than a standard blaster rifle, they are given a blaster in their left wrists that can alternate between a blaster and a tri-shot. Their right wrists carry wrist rockets."
He then brought up an image of the second droid.
"We learned that these droids were manufactured on Mustafar. They are known as Magna Guards. They are equipped with short range rockets and grenade launchers that are lethal at close range but are very inaccurate at long distances. However, at long distance, their shape can easily be mistaken for that of a Federation soldier, therefore increasing the chances of friendly fire."
"Where is their base located?" Fox asked.
"All evidence points to the planet of Geonosis, but we haven't been able to prove it. If we are to find the Separatists' base of operations…" Jim stopped.
"What?" asked Krystal in a worried tone.
"If we are to find their base of operations, we're going to have to search every planet under Separatist control. I think you know what that means." Jim said as he looked at the two pilots.
"Another war?" said Fox.
Jim nodded his head. "Another war."
Fox dropped his head and let out a sigh. They had just gotten out of a war and now they were back to fighting again.
"It's going to take a while for me to convince the Federation Council to officially declare war on the CIS. So don't worry. It won't happen immediately." Jim said, hoping to relieve Fox in some way.
"Alright, Jim. Listen, I'm really sorry about those men who died." Fox replied.
"Thanks." Another tear fell from Jim's eye.
"Well, we'd better get going." Fox said. "I'm glad you made it back in one piece." Fox shook Jim's hand and took Krystal back to the hotel. As the two were walking, Krystal sensed a lot of frustration and anger coming from Fox. On the way, they ran into Falco, Slippy, Peppy and ROB.
"Fox, I heard about what happened." Peppy said.
"Well, what else did you hear?" Falco said.
"Quite a bit." Fox said.
"What is it, Fox?" Slippy asked eagerly.
"Listen, you'll all find out later." Fox replied in a sharp tone. "I just need to rest for now." He and Krystal headed back to the hotel. Fox was silent the whole way, save for a few murmurs under his breath. Krystal could tell that he was thinking about the crewmen who were killed as well.
"Fox… are you alright?" she asked. Fox remained silent.
When they returned to the hotel, Krystal decided to follow Fox into his room. He went inside and leaned over the desk.
"I can't believe this." he said. "This is unforgivable. The Enterprise heads to the Parvenian System simply to investigate something that they can't recognize, they have no hostile intentions, they give their enemy a fair warning to withdraw, and the CIS attacks the ship at first sight!" Fox slammed his fist on the desk, causing Krystal to jump and take a small step back. She had never seen Fox this angry.
"Thirty-two men dead and twice that many wounded! The CIS is going to pay for this! This kind of action…it's just…Agh!" Fox yelled as he kicked the desk and sat on the edge of his bed, burying his face in his hands.
Krystal went up and knelt down in front of him. Fox lifted his head and looked at Krystal. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes. He stood her up and gave her a tight hug. Krystal buried her face in Fox's shoulder, tears streaming down her face.
"I'm sorry, Krystal." Fox said as he held her. "I'm sorry that this is happening."
Krystal looked up at Fox as he wiped the tears from her eyes. She rested her head on his shoulder.
"I love you, Fox. I can't tell you how much I love you, and seeing you like this, in this much pain and rage…it's really scary." Krystal said.
"I know. I hate feeling this way too." Fox said. He brought Krystal's eyes level with his. "I'll be fine, Krys. I love you." Fox said as he and Krystal shared a long, deep kiss.
That night, Fox and Krystal told the rest of the team about what they had learned from Jim. Falco and Slippy went wide-eyed, and Peppy was indeed concerned, but it was hard to tell since his aged face was hard to decipher. When Fox was done explaining, Falco stated that if war did break out, that they would all go in and fight as a team. Fox smiled at his promise and agreed. The group went back to their rooms to get some much needed rest.
Once again, Krystal followed Fox to his room to make sure he was alright. Fox sat down at the desk as Krystal came up behind him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and started kissing him on the cheek. Fox looked into Krystal's eyes, unable to break his gaze. The two vulpines smiled at each other.
"I'm sorry this had to happen, Krystal." Fox said.
"I know you are." Krystal replied as she stroked the fur on Fox's forehead. "Don't worry. It wasn't your fault. Are you sure you'll be alright, Fox?"
Fox smiled. "I'm sure."
"Well, I should probably let you get some rest." Krystal said as she gave Fox a tender kiss.
"Goodnight, Fox."
"Goodnight, Krystal."
Krystal waked out the door as Fox got up and lied down on the bed. He was thinking about all the events that had happened that day, and began to let it all flow and began to fall into a peaceful sleep.
All of a sudden, Fox heard a burst of machine gun fire, followed by another, and then another, then a few shots from a rifle, then the sound of an exploding grenade, then more machine gun fire. Soon, a chorus of gunshots and explosions began to ring out. Fox went out onto the balcony and looked toward the Federation HQ, where the shots seemed to be coming from. He saw multiple flashes from the building, accompanied by either gunshots or explosions.
What the hell is going on?, he thought.
"Fox?" said Krystal's voice.
Fox whirled around and saw Krystal standing in his room.
"Fox, what's happening?" she asked with a frightened voice.
"I don't know." he replied. Suddenly, the lights of the hotel were shut off, and the entire city went dark, as the flashes illuminated the Federation HQ. Krystal quickly took a hold of Fox. Just then, Fox's wrist communicator buzzed on the desk. He grabbed it as Jim's voice came over the communicator.
"Fox, are you there?" Jim yelled.
"Yeah, I'm here."
"Are you still at the hotel?...Agh!"
"Yeah, we're all still here."
"Good! Stay there! Do not go outside! It's not safe!"
"Jim, what the hell is going on?"
"Federation Headquarters is under attack by the Separatists!" and the communication was cut off.
Fox looked over at Krystal, whose eyes were wide open at the news they had just received. Krystal stayed in Fox's room, their only light coming from the Federation HQ. For twenty minutes they stayed locked in the room until Fox had enough. He went to the closet and pulled out his blaster. Krystal tried to stop him when she realized what he was doing.
"Fox, you can't go there. You'll be killed." she said.
"I'm not just gonna sit here and let the Separatists kill Jim. I'm going." Fox said.
Krystal was silent for a moment. "Then I'm going with you." She said as Fox started walking out the door.
Fox stopped and was about to stop her from coming, but thought it over. "Normally I'd stop you, but I don't think I'd win that argument." he said.
Krystal ran to her room and got her blaster as the couple headed straight for the Federation Headquarters. Fox knew that the Separatists would be in control of the front of the building and he led Krystal around back. Fox had a retractable cable and shot it up toward the window that led into the Council Chamber. Krystal held on as tight as she could as not to fall off. When they reached the top, they were immediately met by Ayel.
"You must be Fox and Krystal." he said. "I thought Jim told you to stay in the hotel."
"He did. We're not going to let him fight without us." Fox said. "Who are you?"
"My name is Ayel. I'm a Romulan who defected to the Federation and James Kavannagh's second lieutenant."
Ayel led them to Jim. He and Kara were on the steps in front of the Council Chamber, both firing at the Separatist forces. But to Fox and Krystal's surprise, the Separatists weren't droids but rather a mixture of humans, Cornerians, and other species. Jim looked back and saw the two foxes standing behind him.
"Get down!" he shouted at them. "What the hell are you two doing here? I thought I told you to stay at the hotel!"
"Sorry but we had to belay those orders." Fox replied.
Jim rolled his eyes and emptied his magazine. He led Fox and Krystal back to the council chamber.
"Alright. If you're going to fight you're going to need something better than those blasters." he said as he led them to the armory. They were given standard Federation automatic rifles with six 50-round clips. Jim gave them orders to defend the Council Chamber at all costs. They would be aided by Ayel. The battle raged on.
After another fifteen minutes of fighting, Jim and Kara came back to the Council Chamber.
"We're just not getting anywhere. This is hopeless" Jim said.
Fox refused to believe that. He told Jim to bring up a map of the headquarters. After studying the map, Fox devised a plan.
"Alright, this is what we're gonna do." he began. "Okay. Krystal, you and Kara will move to help defend the library. The library contains the data banks for Memory Alpha. We can't let the Separatists hack into those records. Jim, Ayel, the three of us will head down the hallway and capture the storage room. Once that's done, we'll give Krystal and Kara some covering fire so they can meet up with us across the main hall. From there we'll move to take the planetarium. If we can take that, we'll be able to flank the Separatists at the main entrance and surround them in the main hall."
"I hope it works." Ayel said.
"It will work." Jim said. "It has to work."
The five of them got in position to head for there objective points.
"I'll toss a grenade to give us some cover. Once it goes off, make a run for it." Jim said. There were still huge numbers of Federation troops in the main hall, so the throw had to be perfect.
Jim hit the "arm" button and threw the grenade as far as he could. It landed in the middle of a group of Separatist troops, sending them flying in all different direction when it detonated.
At that moment, Fox, Jim, Ayel, Krystal, and Kara all ran for their objective points. Fox, Jim and Ayel easily took the storage room, and Krystal and Kara had and easy time protecting the library as well.
Once the storage room was taken, Fox, Jim and Ayel found some cover in the main hall and provided the two vixens in the library with covering fire. A few Federation soldiers help them out by providing extra covering fire and escorting Kara and Krystal across.
"Alright, now it's in to the planetarium." Fox said. Jim called out to a group of Federation soldiers.
"Commander, we're going to need your help." he said.
"What do you need, sir?" replied the Federation commander.
"I'm going to need all troops to put as much fire as possible on those Separatists. We need a good enough distraction for us to take the planetarium."
"We'll do what we can, sir."
"Good. Alright, let's get ready."
The four foxes and the Romulan prepared to make their attack.
The commander's voice was heard over the intercom. "All troops, suppressing fire! Repeat, suppressing fire!" As he said that, a wall of bullets hammered the Separatist forces, and the group made their assault.
Jim tossed a grenade inside the building, killing three enemies as it detonated. Fox, Krystal and Kara cleared out the rest of the enemy troops. Jim and Ayel then took up positions near the door and took advantage of the enemy's exposed flank.
They emptied two clips each and killed seven Separatists.
Jim then got on the intercom and ordered five federation soldiers to the planetarium. They would assist in the final assault.
The ten-man group then prepared to cut off the remaining Separatist forces.
"Make sure you have full clips. This is gonna be one hell of a fight." Jim said. The team put fresh clips into their magazines as they waited for Jim's order to attack. He got on the intercom and ordered another round of suppressing fire and the group took off.
They ambushed the Separatists who were guarding the entrance and began firing down the steps at the enemy troops at the bottom of the building. After they emptied three clips each, the Separatists at the bottom of the steps surrendered. Jim sent the five Federation troops down to arrest them as the rest of the group then concentrated their fire on the main hall.
After unloading the last of their ammunition on the troops in the main hall, they too finally dropped their weapons and surrendered.
The troops sounded the siren as the city lights came back on. The Federation had captured over 200 Separatists and Jim ordered that they be interrogated. Jim was called over by a Federation soldier.
"Sir, we've found the Separatist commander." he said. He led the group to the council chamber, where they enemy commander was being held. As he led them there, he explained to Jim that they weren't part of the regular Separatist army, but they did have ties to the CIS. In the Council Chamber, a Federation soldier standing over the enemy commander, interrogating him.
"I'm warning you, under penalty of court-martial, I order you to tell us who is responsible for this attack." The soldier said.
"I'm not afraid of this 'court-martial.'" said the enemy commander.
"Is that so?" said Jim. "Then why don't we make it under penalty of death?" he said as he pulled out his pistol, cocked it and held it up to the commander's head. "Start talking, you Separatist bastard."
The commander was unmoved. "Shooting me won't get you anywhere." he said.
"Maybe not, but it will set an example for the rest of your troops."
"I refuse." replied the commander.
"Have it your way, then." Jim said. He pulled the trigger, sending a bullet into the enemy commander's head and he fell to the ground. Krystal quickly turned away and buried her face in Fox's chest as Fox put his arms around Krystal.
"So, who's next?" said Jim in a cold voice. A Separatist private was chosen. He was shaking as he was thrown in front of the admiral. Jim held the gun up to his head and ordered him to surrender the information they wanted. Just looking into James Kavannagh's intimidating eyes was enough to break him.
"Wait. Please don't. I'll talk. I'll talk. I'll tell you everything." he pleaded.
"I know you will." Jim said in a low, cold voice. "Get him up!"
Two Federation troops stood him up and led him into a separate room for questioning. Jim followed them with the pistol pointed at the private's back.
At that moment, Falco, Slippy and Peppy arrived. They were shocked at the sight of the battle's aftermath.
"Dang! What'd we miss?" Slippy asked .
"One hell of a fight." Fox said.
"What happened?" asked Peppy.
"It was a group of Separatists with ties to the CIS. This must have been a preemptive strike." Krystal said.
"For what?" said Falco
"I'm not sure."
Suddenly, they saw Jim rushing out of the room where the enemy private was being held.
"Commander, send a message to Starfleet to get every ship available into space immediately! We're about to come in contact with over forty CIS starships!"