Note: I'm really soaring through this story, aren't I? Not only am I twenty chapters in, but I think I've covered the first half of Assault. It took a bit of research and watching gameplay, but the story is on track. Before, I wasn't sure that I would be able to get it done. With what we know about Adventures and Assault, it makes writing a remake about both easier. Before we move on, I have something to say to four reviewers.
Big Bossk Man 92: Hmm, I wonder which mission you could be talking about. As for the boss on Fichina, I saw that it kinda looked like a bug that had a huge body, but smaller legs. It also kinda looked like a bacteriophage, mainly because of the structure of its body. It isn't everyday you see an enemy in a video game that looks like a cell. Stay tuned for what happens next.
Ron: At times, I wish that I would be able to pitch scripts and concepts to those who work at game companies or production studios. If that happened, then I probably wouldn't be able to continue my stories. From there, they would be left, and it would be up to those in the fandom to continue them. I hope you're ready for the next chapter.
UltimateCCC: Either something will, or something won't. I hope that you're ready for this, because I have worked hard on this chapter.
The White Wolf named Alex: Yeah, he's not going to have a pleasant time. I hope that you're ready for what happens next.
Now that I have said that, it's time for chapter twenty-one.
Chapter 21: Pigma No More
Fara let out a moan, her eyes blurring as she struggled to open them. Her surroundings were warm, as if she were laying on the surface of either Titania or Papetoon. Sitting up, the fennec rubbed her eyes, trying to make her vision clearer. She had a headache, making it harder for her to see straight. Once her vision was clear, the vulpine could see that she was no longer in her Arwing. Rather, she was in the infirmary of the Great Fox.
Before she could question as to why she was there, Fara's head throbbed. The last thing she remembered prior to blacking out was that she was chasing Pigma on Fichina. All throughout the chase, the fennec was doing her hardest to shoot down the boar, using charged shots. Before she could fire another one, something knocked her Arwing out of commission. It fell to the ground, crashing. When Fara tried to steer in back into the air, the ship got hit again, causing her to hit her head and get knocked out, leaving her in the freezing environment of Fichina.
Upon getting her bearings, Fara expected for Star Fox to have arrived in the Great Fox. If they were already in the spacecraft, then a member of the team would've come in to check on her. The entry door came open, causing the fennec to jump. She sat still, waiting for someone to come in. ROB64 stepped into the infirmary, holding a box of supplies. He didn't seem terribly surprised that Fara had recovered, though that was largely due to him being a machine.
"Subject Fara Phoenix is awake." ROB64 spoke. "She will now be given a heating pad."
"I don't need it, ROB, I'm fine now." Fara said.
"No heating pad required, subject will be released." The droid said.
"Before I get out of here, can you tell me if the others have gotten back?" The fennec asked.
"Star Fox has yet to arrive." The machine whirred. "They are roughly two miles away from entry."
Upon hearing that, Fara walked out of the infirmary. She made her way to the main room, deciding to sit on the couch for the time being. The fennec hoped to surprise Star Fox the moment they walked in the door, but she felt as though it would be spoiled. Krystal was probably using her telepathy to check and make sure she was alright. If not, then the vulpine figured she would jump up from the couch and greet her former teammates. She just hoped that they wouldn't have heart attacks when she did so.
The door to the elevator came open, allowing Fara to duck behind the couch. However, she quickly looked up to see Star Fox walk in. Peppy was out in front, with Slippy on his left and Falco on his right. Fox and Krystal were behind him, talking to each other. Seeing her opportunity, Fara leapt up and looked at them.
"Surprise!" She greeted.
Upon hearing her voice, Star Fox smiled at Fara. The fennec was glad to see them come in, and they were relieved to know that she was alright. Fox and Krystal were the first ones to come towards her. The long-eared vixen hugged them, with Peppy putting a hand on her shoulder. Slippy and Falco walked past the four, continuing on through the main room. They sat on the couch, knowing that there would eventually be a mission awaiting the team.
"It's good to see that you've recovered, Fara!" Peppy spoke.
"Yeah, we thought you were dead when we saw you on Fichina!" Fox said.
"I was just knocked out, guys!" Fara chuckled.
"You were knocked out, alright!" Krystal said. "When I used my telepathy, I couldn't find a thought pattern!"
"So, I was out cold?" The fennec asked.
"Doubly so, considering you were on Fichina at the time!" Peppy said.
Letting go of Fara, Fox and Krystal joined Falco and Slippy on the couch. Peppy went down to the control room, deciding to check for any messages that were sent while the team was on Fichina. As for Fara, she stood by, knowing that she would not been leaving the Great Fox for quite some time. Given that she had been brought to the infirmary, the fennec doubted that her Arwing had been brought as well. After all, the ship was usually parked at the CDF garage whenever she wasn't using it. Considering the crash on Fichina, the vulpine figured that someone in the team had called the CDF to take it in for repairs.
After a minute of nothing happening, Star Fox was called down to the control room. When they got there, they saw Peppy speaking to General Pepper. The hound dog was likely wondering if the team had gotten the Memory Core back from Pigma. If he wasn't, then there was something else on his mind. Krystal's telepathy couldn't scan his mind, considering how far the Great Fox was from Corneria. She only joined her teammates in anticipation, waiting for the General to speak to them.
"Star Fox, there you are!" Pepper said.
"We just got back from Fichina, sir." Fox spoke. "Don't worry about Fara, she recovered."
"As glad as I am to hear about that, we've got bigger problems!" The General said. "Bill called me and told me that he was going after Pigma, and I haven't heard back from him since then!"
"We were going to chase after that swine with him, but Bill told us he could handle it!" Falco said.
"You don't think Pigma could've outwitted him, do you?" Slippy asked.
"Pigma wouldn't have to outsmart him." Krystal said. "There are two passages away from Fichina. One is clear, while the other passage, Meteo, is difficult to get through on account of the asteroids."
"And, from what I could tell, Bill was chasing Pigma on the path that led to Meteo!" Peppy cried.
"In that case," General Pepper said, "you need to go through Meteo, find Bill, take down Pigma, and grab that Memory Core as soon as possible!"
"Don't worry, we're on it!" Fox said.
As soon as the call had ended, Star Fox went out to the docking bay. With Bill potentially in danger, the team didn't want to waste time. Everyone climbed into their Arwings, kicking them into gear. Peppy was the first to fly out of the Great Fox. Slippy followed him, even going so far as to do a somersault as a way of showing off. Falco and Krystal were about to fly out, but Fox signaled for them not to do so yet.
"Shouldn't we be going after our teammates, Fox?" Falco asked. "Hasn't Fara being stuck on Fichina taught you anything?"
"We'll join them," Fox spoke, "I just want to make sure that we're ready for this. Considering how Pigma still has the Memory Core, we need to get it away from him as fast as possible."
"He doesn't think we're going to give up, right?" The pheasant asked.
"Knowing Pigma, he's going to get away if we don't do anything." The orange tod said. "For this mission, I want all of you to look for Bill and take down any enemy that comes your way."
"Easier said than done," Krystal said, "seeing as we'll be in Meteo."
"Don't worry, a couple of space rocks aren't going to take us down!" Falco said. "Fox, we're find going to find Bill as fast as possible!"
"And if there are any Aparoids, we'll blast them into oblivion!" Krystal said.
"With all that in mind, let's head out!" Fox said.
Fox, Falco, and Krystal then flew out of the Great Fox, eager to look for Bill and Pigma. They met up with Peppy and Slippy, who were waiting outside. With the team together, they began to fly into Meteo, dodging the asteroids that were floating adrift in space. After a minute of flight, Peppy and Krystal began to fly away from their teammates.
"Krystal and I will be looking for Bill!" Peppy spoke. "Go ahead and look for Pigma, guys!"
"If we don't come back, make Pigma suffer!" Krystal said.
"Will do!" Slippy said.
Upon splitting up, Star Fox proceeded to fly through Meteo. With Peppy and Krystal going to look for Bill, Fox, Falco, and Slippy were alone. As Fox kept an eye out for Pigma, Falco and Slippy were on alert for hostiles. Considering what the Aparoids could do, the three felt as though the space parasites were able to hide within the asteroids. Their radar didn't pick up any living organisms besides themselves, but they figured that their new enemy was able to camouflage themselves. Whatever the case, Fox, Falco, and Slippy knew that they needed to find Bill, defeat Pigma, and get the Memory Core back before something bad happened.
Meanwhile, Peppy and Krystal were flying side-by-side, having agreed to keep watch for enemies. While Krystal's telepathy was on, she worried about being unable to help Peppy. The cobalt vixen knew that the hare could handle himself, but she didn't want to get in a situation where he would be unable to fight back. She couldn't do much to save her home planet, but she managed to help save Sauria from meeting the same fate. The Cerinian wasn't going to let anyone she held dear die again, and she was willing to fight in order to protect them. No matter who they were, Krystal wouldn't let anyone hurt or kill her loved ones.
"Say," Peppy spoke, "do you have any signals on your radar, Krystal?"
"No, but I'm keeping an eye out." Krystal said.
"I'm not having much luck, either." The hare stated.
"Don't worry, my telepathy can detect for him if our radar doesn't work." The cobalt vixen said.
As they continued to fly through Meteo, Peppy and Krystal watched out for each other. When asteroids got in their way, they either dodged or destroyed them. However, certain asteroids broke into pieces, which provided more of a challenge to the two pilots. Krystal flew around each, but she wound up having to go over one. Peppy was out in front of her, dodging and shooting everything that came his way. The results from that sending asteroids all over the place.
"Peppy, be careful!" Krystal cried.
"Don't worry, I'm not trying to get us blown up." Peppy said. "Besides, we need a clearer path if we're going to find Bill."
Without warning, a noise rang out. Krystal's telepathy had picked up something in the distance, and it wasn't far from her or Peppy. She saw a glow, followed by several sparks. Leading Peppy to where she saw it, the cobalt vixen signaled for him to stop when she did. Once they were in the right area, they watched as someone flew around and shot down enemies. Both Krystal and Peppy smiled, knowing who the pilot was.
"It's Bill!" Peppy spoke.
"Yeah, and he's really going for it over there!" Krystal said.
"Think that we should help him?" The hare asked.
"We should, because a soldier shouldn't be by himself!" The cobalt vixen shouted with determination.
Flying her Arwing towards Bill, Krystal fired at the enemies who were chasing him. Seeing that they were Aparoids, the cobalt vixen didn't feel bad about shooting them out of space. Peppy flew in to help her, seeing as she wouldn't be able to hold off the alien parasites for much longer. Bill then did a somersault, trying to get away from the Aparoid on his trail. With the creature distracted, it was left unable to get away. Krystal and Peppy did a mutual kill, destroying the metallic insect by using charged shots.
Once the Aparoids were gone, Bill spoke to Peppy and Krystal.
"Man, that was a close one!" Bill said. "Thanks for the rescue, guys!"
"Let's not waste time, Bill." Krystal said. "Now, we need to regroup with Fox and the others!"
"Before we head back in their direction," Peppy spoke, "I have to ask you something, son."
"What is it, Peppy?" Bill asked.
"How come the General didn't hear from you?" The hare asked.
"I was chasing after Pigma, trying to shoot him down and get the Memory Core." The greyhound said. "Before I could do so, I got surrounded by those cybernetic creepy crawlies!"
"Well, you were doing well out here!" Krystal said. "C'mon, we gotta get back to the guys before something bad happens to them!"
"Right behind you, honey!" Peppy spoke.
"I can't wait to turn Pigma into bacon!" Bill said.
The three then flew out of the area. Setting a course on their radar, the mercenaries and the soldier wanted to reach Fox, Falco, and Slippy as fast as possible. If they didn't, then their allies would be vulnerable to an attack. Even if the three would be able to handle it, the Aparoids could have reinforcements. Given that Pigma was still out, he could have been luring them into a trap as well. Either way, Peppy, Krystal, and Bill wanted to reach Fox, Falco, and Slippy before something happened.
Fox, Falco, and Slippy were still on the search for Pigma, but were having no luck finding him. With Krystal and Peppy searching for Bill, the three were at a considerable disadvantage. If Pigma were to ambush them, then they would have to fight for their lives. Slippy would likely be the first to be knocked out of the battle, but there was a chance that all three of them would get taken down. That was something that none of them wanted to happen. They hoped that they could take down Pigma the moment they saw him.
As they looked for Pigma, Fox had Falco and Slippy keep an eye out for something that looked like it would be infected by Aparoids. While chasing after the stolen Memory Core was Star Fox's main priority, they also had to watch out for the parasitic aliens that could assimilate everything around them. They feared that Bill had become a victim of theirs. If not him, then the team would become victims of the insect-like creatures. Fox wanted to avoid his teammates and loved ones becoming assimilated. He always dreaded losing them, so he didn't want to fight them as well.
Slippy looked up and saw something flying towards him, Fox, and Falco. He couldn't make out what it was, but he hoped that it was something good. Three faint glows zoomed closer to the three, being fast enough for them to see what they belonged to. A Cornerian Fighter and two Arwings flew near Fox, stopping before they collided with him. Slippy was about to fire his weapons before he made out what was in front of him. Due to the ships he saw, the toad came to a conclusion: Peppy and Krystal had managed to locate Bill.
"Hey guys, what's up?" Bill spoke.
"Good to know that you're alright, Bill!" Fox said.
"Yeah, but it's still bad that we haven't found out where Pigma is!" Falco said.
"Don't worry, we'll look for the fat bastard next!" Peppy said.
"Question is: Where could he be?" Slippy asked.
"It looks like he went through that tunnel over there." Krystal spoke, pointing to the side.
Looking where Krystal was pointing, Fox, Falco, Slippy, Peppy, and Bill saw a tunnel drifting off in space. The structure looked like it had come from a space station, but it was brand new. Being as cautious as they could, Star Fox flew through it. Once they got to the end, Fox saw something floating adrift. The others saw it as well, with Peppy narrowing his eyes to get a closer look. Flying near it, the team and their ally knew what they were looking at, but what was about to happen next was going to be nightmarish.
"Pigma's ship." Fox said, regarding the spacecraft.
"But where is Pigma at?" Slippy asked.
"Fox!" Krystal gasped and pointed ahead, her telepathy having caught something.
Startled by what he heard, Fox turned his head and saw something he never thought he would see. It was a feeling that was mutual for his teammates and Bill. As they looked ahead of them, they saw a space station with silvery, purple light surging around it. Looking closer, Star Fox saw Pigma on the destroyed station, laughing like a maniac. His skin was now purple with silvery accents to it, with fleshy mounds all around him. The boar's voice now had a demented, demonic tone to it, making him sound much more menacing.
"Pigma?" Fox asked.
All of a sudden, Pigma was surrounded by light. He screamed as this happened, the light enveloping not only him, but also the space station. Star Fox and Bill covered their eyes, the light threatening to blind them unless they did something to shut it out. Once the light had dissipated, the team and their ally were then met with a horrific sight: the transformed space station. Sitting in its center was a glowing, purple imprint of Pigma's face. This monstrosity laughed in its demonic voice, almost taunting its enemies.
"Do not resist." The Pigma/Space Station Monster spoke. "You have been warned."
"Looks like Pigma's already gone." Fox said. "Who or what are you?!"
"We will answer." The monster said. "We are the ultimate existence. You cannot resist us. You will join us."
"Not in a million years, you Aparoid creep!" Falco shouted.
"We will stop you and get the Memory Core back!" Slippy said.
"And don't think we'll show mercy to you!" Peppy yelled.
"Monsters like you don't deserve any mercy!" Krystal said. "Especially not when you threaten the entire universe!"
"And we're doing the universe two favors!" Bill said. "First, we're destroying you, and second, we're going to kill Pigma!"
"Fire at will, everyone!" Fox shouted.
Not willing to let Aparoid Pigma take them down, Star Fox and Bill began to fire at the monstrosity. The creature responded in kind, firing lasers at them. By dodging the lasers, the team and the soldier were able to shoot at its weak spots. As it got hit, the Aparoid screamed in pain and terror. It kept firing back, desperate to keep itself alive and destroy its enemies. Star Fox ignored the screams, only continuing on with their onslaught.
With Aparoid Pigma being wounded, Peppy saw the opportunity to finally bring an end to the monster who had plagued him after all this time. The hare remembered when Pigma had betrayed him and James McCloud on Venom, and how he wanted him to suffer for it. He never thought of seeking revenge, but now he had to. With Pigma now assimilated by the Aparoids, the lepus went for it. Once the monstrosity tried to attack again, he fired a charged shot at a weak point, followed by a Nova Bomb. This caused a chain reaction of explosions, which overshadowed the screams of the creature.
"Everyone, brace yourselves!" Peppy warned.
In order to not get caught in the explosion, Star Fox and Bill flew away from it. Once the explosion had stopped, they saw an object floating amidst the wreckage. It was the Memory Core, which meant that Pigma and the Aparoid that had merged with him had been destroyed. With the monster defeated, Bill flew over to the Memory Core, using a tractor beam on his Cornerian Fighter to grab it. Getting worried about his friend's well-being, Fox flew over to him. The rest of the team slowly followed him, being as cautious as they could.
"I've got it, guys!" Bill said. "Head on back to the Great Fox, I'll get this to the General!"
"Good luck, Bill!" Fox said.
"Check and make sure that it's Aparoid-free before you give it to Pepper!" Krystal warned.
Once they were back in the Great Fox, Star Fox met up with Fara, who was reading a magazine. Realizing that General Pepper would be contacting them at any moment, they all went down to the control room. Sure enough, the screen came on with their arrival. On the screen was the General himself, along with Beltino and Bill. Near them was the Memory Core, which had a protective shield around it. When he saw Star Fox, he began to speak with them.
"Good work, Star Fox." General Pepper said.
"We've retrieved the Core Memory, and Bill brought it back to you." Fox spoke. "What will it do?"
"It will reveal the location of the Aparoid Homeworld." The hound dog said. "The time to face the Aparoid Queen has come. The source of all Aparoid will, the Queen herself, makes her vile nest on their home planet. As long as the Queen exists, the Aparoids will continue to multiply!"
"Understood." The orange tod said. "We're on our -!"
"Fox!" Krystal cried.
Upon hearing her voice, Star Fox looked over to Krystal. She looked distressed, her telepathy having no doubt picked up something. However, they doubted it, as the cobalt vixen had said that her powers couldn't go from planet to planet. They set their doubts aside, deciding to see what was the matter.
"There's a distress signal from Sauria!" Krystal said.
"Sauria?" Fox asked. "From Tricky?"
"Yes, you idiot!" The cobalt vixen snapped. "There's a distress signal! The residents of Sauria are crying for help! We need to get there and slaughter those Aparoids!"
Note: Uh oh, it looks like Sauria is in trouble. Oh, and I had Krystal say that she could sense the distress signal instead of not being sure and only hearing cries of agony. She's not an empath, she's a telepath. Anyway, will Star Fox make it in time to save Sauria? What terrors could be awaiting them on the planet? Who all will be going down there?
Until next time, guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!
