Note: Last time we left off, Star Fox had managed to save Sauria. However, the Aparoids have now targeted Corneria. Can Star Fox arrive in time to stop the space parasites from infecting and taking over the planet? Hopefully so, considering how dangerous they are. Before we move on, I have something to say to three reviewers.
Big Bossk Man 92: Actually, it was supposed to be a different version of the King RedEye battle, but if he had alien technology on his body. As for the battle on Corneria, it all depends on what happens. Stay tuned to find out.
King Tutanfoxenkhamen III: As I told the previous reviewer, it all depends on what happens. Star Fox might not be alone in the next mission. I hope you're ready for what happens next.
UltimateCCC: They probably did, considering that they're evil space bugs. However, maybe the Aparoids didn't trash it. I didn't even know that James had a statue.
Now that I've said that, it's time for chapter twenty-three.
Chapter 23: Invasion
Once they heard that Corneria was the Aparoids' next target, Star Fox immediately flew to the planet. To their relief, there seemed to be no sign of the space parasites anywhere on the surface. However, the team knew that they would arrive at any minute. They had been preventing the evil insects from gaining numerous victories, and now they were going to have to stop them from taking over Corneria. It was a given, considering how they were linked to their Queen. As such, she was ready to turn her wrath towards those who had been hindering her evil plans.
The moment they entered Corneria City, Star Fox saw Aparoids falling out of the sky. As such, they began to open fire on the enemy. They had shown no mercy on the space parasites, making sure that none escaped their sights. For each Aparoid that was killed, the team found themselves becoming more calculating. However, there was a sense of justice beneath it, as they wanted to stop the evil parasites from destroying everything. Nothing was going to keep them from doing so.
While flying through Corneria and blasting Aparoids to oblivion, Star Fox was soon joined by Peppy. The hare practically sped out to his teammates, not at all caring about the possibility of colliding with an Aparoid.
"Good thing you guys got here!" Peppy said. "I was only talking with the boys in the CDF when the General called me! He told me that the Memory Core was glowing, which meant that it was signaling for its fellow Aparoids!"
"I hope the General's okay." Slippy spoke.
"I hope he is, too!" The hare said. "But, we don't have time to worry about everything! Now, we need to splatter the Aparoids into oblivion! Fox, do you have a plan?"
"Yeah." Fox said. "I'll be on the ground, while the rest of you take care of the sky!"
"What?!" Falco said. "That's stupid! You'll be at a disadvantage!"
"Fox, it's better for you to be in the sky with us!" Krystal said. "There aren't any Aparoids on the ground, and there won't be as long as we kill the ones coming down from space!"
"You can't handle the ground all by yourself!" Slippy shouted. "Fox, stay up here with us!"
"No, everyone." Fox said. "This is something I have to do! I know that it's unwise of me to be on the ground instead of in the sky, but I have no choice but to keep an eye out for any enemies on the ground. Is that understood?"
"Sometimes, Fox, you can be a real idiot." Falco sighed. "Whatever, let's just blast more Aparoids, guys!"
As his teammates flew away, Fox looked for an area to park his Arwing. Once he landed, he saw more Aparoids up in the sky. Some of them were flying, while others were falling to the ground. They didn't go unnoticed by Star Fox, who were killing every Aparoid they came across. Knowing that they couldn't kill all of the space parasites, Fox got every weapon that he could and got ready to fight the ones who would be approaching him. If it was the last thing he would ever do, then he would make sure that the Aparoids would know what justice was.
Falling to the ground, a few Aparoid eggs began to hatch. Deciding to stop them from unleashing the evil inside, Fox fired his blaster at each one. However, that didn't stop more eggs from falling out of the sky. He wanted to shoot them as they fell towards him, but he felt as though each round wouldn't reach the eggs. As such, the orange tod was only able to destroy the ones that were on the ground, killing the Aparoids before they could hatch. If he didn't, then Corneria would become infested.
As he continued to destroy the eggs, Fox looked up and saw how his teammates were doing. Falco was doing everything he could, even tricking Aparoids into colliding with each other. The pheasant fired charged shots at the space parasites, destroying them on contact. However, he was unable to stop certain ones from laying eggs. That didn't stop the avian from destroying some of them, even if he couldn't get them all. Despite his overconfidence and arrogance, Falco was still capable of taking down any enemies that were in his way.
Slippy used a Nova Bomb on several Aparoids, destroying them in the process. Afterwards, he shot a few more out of the sky, then moved past them to kill more. Eggs were laid by the Aparoids, so the toad tried to destroy them before they hit the ground. He wasn't as successful as Falco was, as they had fallen to the ground before he could even fire at one. This left Fox to destroy the eggs before they could hatch. While it gave him grief, he knew that Slippy was doing what he could.
Flying above the Aparoids, Peppy fired both normal shots and charged shots. He even used a Nova Bomb, stopping certain Aparoids from laying eggs. The hare was quicker than Falco and Slippy, even shooting at eggs when they were almost on the ground. While a few eggs got away from him, that didn't stop him from firing at the Aparoids who were going to lay more. As he did that, the lepus unleashed another Nova Bomb, destroying more of the evil space bugs. Clearly, he was not going to let them destroy the planet he called home.
Krystal was not going easy on the Aparoids. Not only was she firing both normal shots and charged shots at the ones that came her way, but she destroyed the eggs that they had laid. It seemed as if the cobalt vixen's telepathy told her to destroy anything that came her way. Given how brutally she was destroying her enemies, Fox could see that she was doing everything she could to keep them from gaining an advantage. The Cerinian was far more merciless than ever, but it was pointed at the Aparoids. Fox was happy, knowing that Krystal focused her wrath on those who were evil, while sparing those who were good.
"How are ya doin' down there, Fox?" Peppy's voice came out of the communicator.
"I'm doing fine, everyone!" Fox said. "Just try to keep eggs from falling out of the sky, because I can't destroy them all!"
"You can't do this for much longer!" Krystal said. "The Aparoids will overwhelm you!"
"As long as we're working together, we'll wipe out all of the Aparoids!" The orange tod said.
"Yeah, but there are more on Corneria than the other planets!" Falco shouted. "At this rate, they'll kill us before we can destroy them all!"
"They just keep coming!" Slippy cried. "We're as good as doomed, Fox!"
"Not if we have anything to say about it!" A voice came out of the communicators.
Looking behind them, Star Fox saw three more Arwings racing towards them. While the first two were the same colors as theirs, the third was a distinct black color. Krystal had sensed their presence moments before, but she held her tongue, wanting the arrival of the trio to be a surprise. Not that it mattered, as their voices were familiar to the team. In fact, the three pilots started shooting Aparoids left and right, using whatever they could. Afterwards, the black Arwing launched a Nova Bomb at several others, stopping them from overwhelming Slippy and Peppy.
"You guys need a hand?" Miyu's voice came out of the communicators.
"Of course we do!" Falco said. "I was wondering when someone was gonna come and help us!"
"Well, wonder no more, because we've got bigger fish to fry!" Fara spoke.
"Better make that 'bugs to squish' Fara!" Fay said, firing at the Aparoids in front of her.
"Save the phrase-correcting for later!" Peppy said. "We need to destroy these monsters before they destroy Corneria!"
Knowing that Fara, Fay, and Miyu had joined the battle, Fox hoped that the team would be much closer to victory. He could not watch them for much longer, as he had to keep on destroying the Aparoids that were on the ground. The orange tod ran through the streets, shooting every Aparoid that came his way. Each of the evil space parasites were instantly destroyed, leaving no part of their bodies behind. As he entered the next area, the Papetoonian found himself in a position where he would be surrounded. However, as he still had access to different weapons, he figured that he would be able to stop the Aparoids that were willing to kill him.
As she flew around in the sky, Fara made sure to wipe out the Aparoids that were still plaguing Corneria. Given how she had been knocked out of the sky on Fichina, the fennec wanted to get another chance to battle against the Aparoids. Now that she had recovered from being knocked out, she was willing to destroy the space parasites. If possible, she was hoping to take the fight to the Queen, so that the Aparoid threat could be eliminated. That depended on what happened, especially since there was no time for wondering about the future. If the Aparoids were not defeated, then there would be no future.
Fay was flying near Slippy and Krystal, helping them destroy the Aparoids that were still raining down from the sky. She was hoping that their combined attacks would keep the space parasites at bay. The spaniel was eager to stop the threat, to the point where she felt excited by the death of all of her enemies. It was something she never felt before, not even against the most dangerous of criminals. After years of fighting against dangerous people, the canine had gotten used to it. However, the Aparoids were a different kind of scum, and Fay was eager to wipe them out as soon as possible.
Taking his eyes off his team for a moment, Fox noticed that there were Aparoids surrounding him. He fired his blaster at them, trying his hardest to get rid of them. However, as the orange tod kept destroying them, the space parasites only multiplied. It seemed like they had planned to do that once they had died, choosing to lure their prey into a trap. Fox kept firing at the Aparoids around him, even using a grenade to keep them at bay. With his attacks barely working, it was only a matter of time before the bugs assimilated him.
"Fox, you gotta get back to your Arwing!" Peppy's voice came out of the communicator.
"I'll do that!" Fox said. "I just have to kill these Aparoids!"
"You can't do that by yourself!" Slippy shouted.
"They're going to kill you before you even get a chance to escape!" Falco said. "And with only three reinforcements, we're limited on help!"
"I wouldn't say that Fara, Fay, and Miyu are the only reinforcements we have!" Krystal said.
"What are you talking about?" Fox asked, speaking into his communicator.
Out of the horizon, three ships raced towards Corneria City. Fox couldn't make them out at first, but their shape had become apparent. Initially, he thought that they were Cornerian Fighters, but he was wrong. They happened to be Wolfens, which meant one thing: Star Wolf had come to Corneria. By watching them approach the city, Fox worried that the space pirates were going to shoot down his teammates. However, his mood changed when they started to assist Star Fox in battling the Aparoids.
While two of the Wolfens began to shoot Aparoids into oblivion, the third one was flying down towards Fox. The pilot fired at the Aparoids, firing dangerously close to Fox. As the pilot continued to fire, the orange tod had no choice but to run. He jumped for it, only to land on something. By standing up, the Papetoonian could see that he was now on the wing of the Wolfen. That allowed him to see who was flying it: Wolf.
"I never thought that you would save my life!" Fox said.
"Don't get the wrong idea." Wolf spoke. "Listen here, Fox, if anyone is going to tan your hide, it's going to be me!"
"He's only kidding." Panther's voice came out of the communicator. "He actually wanted to save you."
"Wolf can be a real softie at times!" Leon chuckled.
"Whatever!" Wolf scoffed. "As an aside, Fox, you should have known better than to be on foot, fighting those damn things instead of being in your ship! Let me give you one piece of advice: Don't hesitate. When the time comes, just act!"
"Someone had to cover the ground." Fox said.
"You were doing it by yourself?" The one-eyed lupine said. "You really DO have a death wish, Pup!"
"Can we save the arguments for later?!" Falco spoke. "We have a planet to save!"
"Fine then." Wolf said. "Panther, Leon, let's go! Hang on if you can, Fox!"
"I'll try my best!" Fox said.
As they continued to fly into Corneria City, Star Wolf blasted every Aparoid they came across. The team had never thought about helping Star Fox before, even if it were a situation as big as this one. In fact, they were contacted by an anonymous source telling them that the Lylat System needed all the help that it could get. Wolf was the one to suggest working with Star Fox, though Leon wanted to ambush them once the Aparoids were defeated. Needless to say, both Wolf and Panther stopped him from carrying out the plan, saying that he would not be able to do anything if the Aparoids destroyed everything before then.
Flying up next to Krystal's Arwing, Panther proceeded to blast the Aparoids that dared to fly behind her. As he destroyed each one, the black jungle cat could see Krystal's beautiful face. She looked dismayed to see him, but she hid those feelings well. The cobalt vixen worked with the feline to destroy the space parasites. While she fired charged shots, he fired normal shots, feeling the need to compliment her attacks with his own. They eventually attacked the Aparoids separately, though it didn't stop Panther from talking to Krystal.
"Hey, Krystal, would you like to get on my wing?" Panther asked.
"Thanks for the offer, but I'd rather be on Fox's." Krystal said.
Meanwhile, Leon was blasting away at the Aparoids, even stealing a few kills from Star Fox. It annoyed him that the space parasites were nearly unstoppable, but he pressed on. After all, what was the point in getting frustrated with an untold amount of enemies, especially when that was part of the job? Leon was more prone to torture and carrying out assassinations, though he enjoyed the thrill of battle. If not for the fact that he had to work with Star Fox, he would have kept fighting until the whole Lylat System bowed to him. The chameleon had a big opinion of himself, and he was prone to letting those around him know it.
After killing a few more Aparoids, Leon flew between Falco and Slippy. The two were surprised by his entrance, but their outlook changed when he continued the fight against the space parasites that were threatening the Lylat System. Falco wasn't particularly happy to work with the chameleon, given who he was. Slippy was a bit reluctant, but he knew that Star Fox needed all the help they could get. The toad accepted the help of anyone who was willing to destroy the monsters who threatened the universe, from former teammates to other mercenary teams. Of course, he wouldn't have minded if Katt, Bill, and a few other soldiers joined in on the battle.
"If either of you fools wishes to accept the help of the Great Leon, say it." Leon said.
"We've pretty much got it under control here, Powalski!" Falco said.
"Not from what I can see!" The chameleon said.
"C'mon, guys, let's keep blasting Aparoids to Hell!" Slippy said, hoping to cease tensions.
Star Fox and Star Wolf continued to fight against the Aparoids, showing no mercy towards the space parasites. As they kept fighting, the two teams felt as though their enemy was ceasing. Knowing that it was far from over, they continued to fight against the monstrous bugs that threatened the Lylat System. In the process, Fox found himself blasting the Aparoids that had eluded some of his teammates. He managed to kill them, blowing them out of the sky. Needless to say, his efforts were proving better in the sky than on the ground.
"Unstoppable!" Falco said. "Way to go!"
"You've got some skills, Fox!" Wolf said.
Fox actually felt happy when he heard those words. However, he never expected them to come from both Falco and Wolf. While Falco did respect the orange Tod's skills, he was still pretty arrogant most of the time. Wolf was a different story, considering how he seem obsessed with taking down Star Fox at any means necessary. It seemed that the war against the Aparoids was bringing out the best in everyone. Not only were Star Fox and Star Wolf working together, but they were giving it all they got.
After killing more of the Aparoids, Star Fox and Star Wolf continued on through Corneria City. That was until they saw something floating in the sky. It was a ship, but it was much different than any of theirs. In fact, it turned out to be a war ship, one that the highest ranks of the Cornerian Army used. However, it looked to be Aparoid-infected, which meant that Star Fox was going to have to fight another one of the Elite Aparoids. But, who was inside the ship was someone they knew well.
"Is that you, Fox!" A voice spoke.
"Is that -?" Fox asked.
"It's the General!" Krystal cried, her telepathy having picked up his mind.
"General Pepper's in there!" Peppy shouted.
"General!" Fox shouted.
"Too late, the Aparoids have taken over my ship!" General Pepper spoke. "This is my final request. Destroy this ship! Destroy me!"
The Aparoid-infected warship began to fire at both Star Fox and Star Wolf, intent on killing its enemies. As such, the two teams were forced to dodge its attacks. Star Wolf fired back at it, trying everything they could to stop it. Fox aimed his blaster at the Aparoid-infected portions, hoping to give General Pepper an opportunity to escape. However, nothing seemed to work, and it only enraged the Aparoid that was controlling the ship. It fired back at its enemies, letting out a screech.
"I'm sorry!" The General cried. "I'm powerless! Shoot! Shoot me!"
"We don't want to kill you, General!" Fara shouted.
"No reason to wait, I'm as good as dead!" Pepper yelled.
"In that case, we've got no other choice!" Wolf said. "Everyone, quit holding back and finish it!"
With no other option, Star Fox and Star Wolf fired at the General's ship. They aimed at the Aparoid-infected portions, trying to destroy it as efficiently as possible. However, the two teams had a different goal. Star Fox wanted to save General Pepper, while Star Wolf wanted to kill the Aparoid. Fox hoped that Wolf would be able to damage the ship enough for General Pepper to be freed. It seemed unlikely that he could be saved, but Fox wanted to challenge that outcome.
"Let me die in battle!" General Pepper shouted. "Fox, let me keep my honor! Honor!"
"We're not going to let you die in vain, sir!" Fox shouted. "Everyone, fire at will!"
Reluctant to do so, Star Fox fired at the Aparoid-infected ship, intent on taking it down. They didn't want to kill General Pepper, but they had no choice. Star Wolf was less remorseful, as they saw the Aparoid as yet another threat to the Lylat System. As regular shots and charged shots hit it, the General's ship began to fall apart. It began to fall out of the sky, showing that the Aparoid that infected it was finally dying. All Star Fox and Star Wolf needed to do was shoot it one more time.
"Before I die, everyone," the General spoke, "promise me this: Avenge the deaths of those who died at the hands of the Aparoids!"
"We'll do that, General." Peppy said somberly.
By shooting at the ship again, Star Fox and Star Wolf knocked it out of the sky. This managed to kill the Aparoid, and it let out a pained screech. As the General's ship went crashing to the ground, the two mercenary teams flew away from the wreckage, knowing that there was no way for General Pepper to survive the crash. Krystal even refrained from using her telepathy, feeling saddened by what she had seen. She had never wished such a horrible thing to happen, especially to a well-respected, honorable man. The team felt the same way, but they were sad in different ways.
Upon reaching Fox's Arwing, Wolf let him climb down from the wing of his Wolfen. He wanted to say something to the orange tod, but he held his tongue. Taking off, the one-eyed lupine flew off with Leon and Panther. Once they were gone, Star Fox went back to the Great Fox, deciding to take a break. Fara, Fay, and Miyu joined them there, wanting to be with their former team for the time being. All of them were saddened, unable to form a single word.
As he looked out into space, Fox thought about all of the horrors that had happened since the Aparoids had arrived. Not only had they attacked planets Star Fox had visited in the past, but they threatened so many innocent lives, including General Pepper and the population of Sauria. His sadness soon turned to anger. The rest of the team could see this, and they started to feel angry themselves. The Aparoids were not going to stop until everything in the galaxy was theirs, and by sitting around and moping, Star Fox was letting it happen. With determination and anger on their minds, the team decided that they were going to get to the Aparoid Homeworld as fast as possible. They had enough, and the Aparoids were going to pay for everything they had done.
Note: Now, it's more than personal: it's heated! Star Fox is not going to let the death of the General keep them from giving the Aparoids theirs. Is the team going to the Aparoid Homeworld? Are Fara, Fay, and Miyu going to go with them? Will they see Star Wolf again? What is going to happen next?
Until next time, guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!