Chapter 12
"Slippy! No!" Fox cried, putting a hand on the side of his canopy as he watched the toad's Arwing tumble towards Fortuna. Just like that, he was shot down. It all happened so fast Fox couldn't believe his own eyes. Fox held the microphone on the side of his headset closer to his mouth. "Slippy! Are you there? Pick up!" Nothing but static showed on the communications window. He punched the paneling next to the console. "Damn it!"
Red lasers splashed off his shields, Fox suddenly remembering where he was. He engaged his rocket boosters, blasting away from Wolf's agile Foxhound again. The lupine relentlessly chased from behind. Fox's eyes narrowed, looking at the red and black fighter in his mirrors.
Switching over to Wolf's channel, he said, "What the hell? You know Slippy's no match for you!"
"Well kiddo, tell that to the CDF." Wolf glared at Fox over his monitor. "When they came to clean us out of Sargasso, they sent a task force five times the size of what I had there. Do you think they cared about a fair fight?"
"You shot his dad, Wolf!" Fox growled, clenching his stick.
"We're not that different Fox." Wolf sighed. "I'm only a man trying to stay in business, like you are. But unlike you, I don't mind doing whatever it takes to stay afloat. It's what you have to do working on the other side of the law." He looked at something off screen, before giving a sideways smirk back to the camera. "Well, it doesn't matter. Things are about to get wrapped up soon, one way or another."
Fox didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean?"
Wolf cut his speed, letting Fox outdistance him. Fox didn't know why he quit attacking, but sensed it wasn't for benevolent purposes.
"Look at Fortuna." Wolf flashed his teeth in a wicked grin.
Fox turned his head towards the planet. Monsoon clouds covering the surface cast a brilliant white sheen, the glow almost painful to look at. Numerous dark specks contrasted against the white; small fighters, gunboats, and even a couple light frigates took shape as they approached. Wolf's backup had arrived. Fox's heart quickened in pace.
"Fara! Falco!" he called out to his teammates. "Heads up! More contacts coming this way!"
Red blips appeared on the radar, filling the screen. Not good. Without Slippy, it was only him, Fara, and Falco, and they were already having trouble dealing with the main three of Star Wolf.
"Tell you what." Wolf chuckled, seeming to pick up on the terrified look on Fox's face. "Since I'm in a hurry, I'll make you a deal. If the three of you leave right now, I'll let you go and I'll tell my men to stand down. Promise." The lupine held up one of his pinkies to the monitor, a mocking grin on his face.
"A deal?" Fox raised an eyebrow. "You're gonna let me run? This isn't like you, Wolf. What's going on here?"
"I told you." Wolf frowned, lowering his hand. "Much as I'd like to finish this, I don't have time to waste on you. Got something more important to deal with right now."
The response piqued Fox's curiosity. Why was Wolf in a hurry to end this fight? Before this battle, what was he up to? Why had he left the Retribution undefended? What was so important about Fortuna that he would send nearly his entire force there? This whole situation raised so many questions. Too bad he couldn't borrow Krystal's psychic powers and pluck the answers out of Wolf's head or something. But then again, if he was messing with his enemy's plans by staying in this fight, it could only be a good thing if Star Fox stuck around.
Fox smirked at the lupine, whiskers sticking up to show his keen attitude. "I've had worse odds." Even so, the confidence and cocky display was nothing but an act. Fox knew he was the underdog in this fight now. "So what if I stay?"
Wolf returned his own smile, unfazed by Fox's confidence. "You and I can keep going at it one on one, but your two friends over there…" He pointed a finger at Falco and Fara over by the Retribution, still dueling Panther and Leon. "They're fair game for everybody else. What's it gonna be, little Foxy?"
Unusual conditions. Fox didn't know why Wolf wanted to do things that way. He steeled himself, preparing for another high speed pass. "You know I don't back down from a challenge."
"Very well." Wolf put on a faux-posh accent, mimicking a male version of Krystal's as if to mock him. "Shall we continue?"
Fox responded by reignited his engines, accelerating straight for the Foxhound. Passing by, he let out another torrent of laser blasts, scoring a direct hit on the Foxhound. Sparks blasted off one of the nose's twin prongs.
He smiled at the small victory, but his Arwing vibrated, proximity alarms going off as shadows flashed over his canopy. Looking around, Fox saw Wolf's lower lackey pilots flying by in their own ships, staying out of the dogfight as promised. But a sinking feeling came over him as he watched them join Leon and Panther to chase Fara and Falco. In terms of skill, these crude merc pilots probably had nothing on his two wingmen, but with numbers that wouldn't matter as much.
He watched as Fara went from having only Panther after her to having five bandits in pursuit, a storm of laser blasts filling the air around her Cornerian Fighter. She did a quick aileron roll, sending the lasers spinning out into space. Star Wolf's attack was relentless though, many more follow up shots striking her shields. One of the shots penetrated through, tagging her starboard wing and scarring the spotless white paint.
"Fox! Where are you?!" Fara's face appeared on his monitor. She kept looking back and forth, trying to watch the bandits in her mirrors. "We need help over here!"
Fox's face tightened, watching as she dodged the deadly lances, diving behind the Retribution. Panther's Black Rose led the charge after her, a horde of merc pilots falling into step behind him. They moved like a coordinated pack, all of them closing in together for the kill.
"Aaah!" she screamed. On the monitor, red lights flashed in her cockpit, sparks spitting out of a panel next to her. "Help me!"
"Hold on Fara!" Falco shouted.
The bird's Arwing accelerated to assist, but Leon's Rainbow Delta popped up on his six, tagging him with numerous shots from behind. It wouldn't be long before his shields were out too.
"Shoot! He's right behind me!" Forced to divert, Falco pulled a loop de loop to escape the chameleon, but Leon mimicked his moves with great accuracy. And Fox could see another fighter group moving to back up Leon as well.
Enough of this! I have to help them! Fox pulled his Arwing in a tight turn, swerving around to point himself back towards the Retribution. It would all be okay. He'd bailed out his teammates lots of times like this. If he could make it over there, he could turn the tables and—
"Hey kiddo! Where do you think you're going?!"
Wolf's Foxhound filled the Arwing's mirrors, close enough to where Fox could see his opponent's face through its canopy. He realized now he'd made a big mistake. Going into a sharp turn left him easy prey for Wolf's new fighter, given how it had proven itself to easily beat the Arwing in turning. Fox steeled himself, knowing he couldn't escape what was about to come next. The Foxhound's laser cannons glowed an angry red, pouring successive blasts straight into the back of the Arwing. Fox's ship rattled around him, alarms blaring in his ears. He slammed the throttle forward, managing to outrun Wolf again, but that last attack had smarted something awful. A quick check of the monitors showed his rear shields as gone now, with hits on one of his G-diffusers and the starboard wing.
"Oooh, that looks like it hurt." Wolf's laughter echoed in the Arwing's cockpit, a smug look on the comms screen. "Remember Fox, you're free to tap out anytime you want."
Fox glared as he watched Wolf pursue in the mirrors. The original reason he challenged Wolf to this one on one was to keep him busy, so he couldn't protect the Retribution. Wolf had turned the scenario on its head now, by keeping Fox from helping Fara and Falco. Even so, Fox wasn't afraid. Being against the wall like this only made him want to come out on top that much more.
"What's the matter Wolf? Scared?" Fox returned Wolf's grin.
Wolf's smile vanished instantly. "What?"
"Why do you want me to run?" Fox smiled bigger. "You could always turn tail yourself Wolf, like old times you know?"
Wolf didn't reply, but his face revealed what was on his mind. Fox could almost see the rage boiling out of him. It was the way he tilted his head down, while his pointed ears peeled back. And it was the way his one eye narrowed, becoming razor sharp and focused on Fox. "You and your friends are dead now." Wolf opened his mouth wide on the word 'dead', showing off all of his teeth.
A chill came over Fox's body, the vulpine feeling it creeping along his spine. Wolf's jovial mood was gone, and Fox wondered if he'd bitten off more than he could chew. Nonetheless, he spun his Arwing around in a half loop, speeding back towards the Foxhound for another pass. He still needed to end this quickly so he could rescue Fara and Falco.
~X~
Ooveh clomped around inside the Retribution's hangar, Augustine and Giichi still hiding behind the forklift. With every booming footstep, the small vehicle swayed and rattled on its rubber tires. Giichi legs shook and knocked against each other, and he let out a little gasp every time the floor shook beneath them. Augustine pulled Giichi in close, covering his mouth so he wouldn't give their position away. Even through his own bodysuit and Giichi's red hoodie, he could feel the sand cat's rapid heart beats.
"Wo bist du?!" Ooveh bellowed out. A loudspeaker built into the olive green power armor amplified his voice, elevating it to near deafening levels inside the echoing room. Perhaps he used the sound for psychological warfare. "Come out, schlappshwanz!"
Augustine and Giichi winced, their ears curling backwards at the noise. The sand cat squirmed in fright in the gray canine's arms. Even so, Augustine remained calm, his face tranquil. With the cold logic and rationality of a computer, he recalled what he knew about Ooveh and the suit's capabilities. He'd seen the bear working on it from time to time. Its armor mirrored tank armor: high density metals, ceramics, and plastics. Even explosive projectiles would have difficulty penetrating it. Looking at his handgun, Augustine shook his head and put it back in its holster.
The footsteps moved away from the forklift, the vibrations lowering in intensity. Augustine peeked out from behind cover, spotting the bear's backside. While fighting someone in that suit would be like fighting a small tank, the armor had the same weaknesses of a tank too. A hardened metallic circle stood out as a prominent feature on the suit's back, vents visible within the circle. Excess heat distorted the air as it exited the vents, indicating the power core and motors underneath. If Augustine could destroy those internals, the suit would shut down, trapping Ooveh inside.
First though, what to do with Giichi? Looking around, Augustine spotted a cargo truck parked nearby, the same one that had brought them into the hangar.
"Giichi." Augustine looked at the cat. "I'm going to distract him. When he focuses on me, you hide over there." He pointed at the truck.
Giichi looked queasy at the idea of leaving cover, but nodded in response. He didn't need any more explanation, given the deep bond of trust they'd developed and shared for so many years.
Augustine stepped out from behind the forklift, pointing the metallic gauntlet on his right hand at the bear's back. Around his arm, the glove liquefied and changed shape, transforming into an arm cannon within seconds. Energy built up inside the weapon's barrel. The buzz of energy tickled Augustine's skin, his fur standing up on end. However, Ooveh heard the cannon charging too, turning around towards the sound. Behind the bear's mask, Augustine felt their eyes meeting.
"Hallo," Augustine said.
A bright orange bolt of energy shot out from the cannon, electricity crackling as it soared across the space straight for Ooveh. The bolt slammed into the bear's chest, pushing him backwards. His boots scraped against the floor, sparks flying at the harsh metal on metal contact. Ooveh recovered faster than expected though, coming to a stop and aiming his miniguns at Augustine. The miniguns spooled up, the sound of the rapid revolutions accelerating into a scream. Behind the bear's emotionless mask, Augustine could sense Ooveh beaming a large grin.
"Guten tag!" Ooveh bellowed back, the words so loud Augustine's body shook from the loudspeaker's sound waves.
The canine winced at the volume. "Scheisse."
Over six thousand rounds per minute of laser minigun fire came Augustine's way, filling the air with a bright array of red laser blasts. However, in that short moment between the weapons' spin up and firing, the canine's arm cannon had liquefied again, becoming an array of metallic droplets floating in the air. They moved as if of a single mind, each one repositioning itself to intercept another blaster bolt that would have hit Augustine otherwise. In his now-exposed right hand, Augustine held a glowing orb of orange energy. Small electrical arcs occasionally appeared between the droplets and the orb, controlling them
"Meine Güte!" Even in the midst of firing, Ooveh seemed impressed by what he was seeing. "Wunderbar!"
Augustine dived behind a stack of cargo containers, the droplets following him and reforming back into the cannon around the orange energy sphere. Once he was in cover, he spared a glance towards the cargo truck. The tips of Giichi's pointed ears could be seen above the driver's side door. Does Ooveh know he's in there?
"Ich komme für Sie!" Clomping elephant-like footsteps came rushing towards him, the containers rattling as the bear rounded the corner.
No, probably not.
Augustine charged directly at Ooveh, covering the distance within seconds. The bear readied his miniguns again, bracing himself against the floor as the weapons spun up for a second volley. Coiling up his legs, Augustine sprung off of the floor, flying forty feet into the air. Ooveh's shots flashed underneath, making a solid beam of hard light as they tore through the spot where Augustine stood an instant before. The bear leaned backwards to track his target, but the heavy harness and miniguns made his movements clunky and slow. Just what Augustine was counting on. He slowed, reaching the apex of his jump. Augustine twisted his torso around, aiming his arm backwards as he fired off another bolt of orange energy at the circular cover on Ooveh's back.
Ooveh screamed over his loudspeaker, orange electricity crackling over the suit's metal. His movements became spasmodic and jerky. It looked like the shot overloaded his power cells, causing some electrical systems to short out.
Meanwhile, Augustine flew towards the air towards the hangar's far wall, looking like he was about to plaster right into it. Even so, Augustine's face stayed blank as the wall approached. He held out his right hand, the suit around his body briefly growing a flap to slow his momentum via air resistance. When he touched the wall, his hand stuck to it, his right boot also sticking to the wall and letting him hang there.
Glancing back towards the bear, Augustine saw Ooveh's power armor had rebooted itself, the bear rising back up into a stand. He brought his miniguns around, firing without waiting to aim properly. Augustine's gauntlet dispersed into droplets with a flick of his hand, the small spheres expanding outwards to cover him. Augustine planted his feet on the wall, running along it as if it were the ground, his body perpendicular to the floor beneath him now. He kicked off, propelling himself towards two cargo containers stacked on top of each other. Without missing a beat, his feet touched the side of the top container, Augustine still running as if he'd simply hopped from one horizontal platform to another. Ooveh turned to keep him in the sights of the miniguns, but his turning speed was too slow.
"What are you, some kind of spinnefrosch?!" Ooveh bellowed, firing away. "Halt still!"
Augustine kicked off of the cargo container, propelling himself directly at Ooveh head first, arms outstretched. The canine clenched his fist, the metallic droplets forming into the glove around his right hand. Augustine landed hands first on the floor, his feet touching the ground briefly before he sprung forward, pouncing straight towards the bear with his hands outspread. Ooveh frantically fired, but he was having trouble tracking such a fast-moving target. The fingers of Augustine's glove extended, changing into claws. He took a swipe as he soared right past.
Ooveh cried out, one of his miniguns going silent. Hitting the floor, Augustine rolled back into a stand, turning back towards his opponent to survey the damage. He'd cleaved right through a part of the suit's mounting harness for the miniguns, also taking out one of the weapons in the process. The gun's multiple barrels lay scattered all over the floor, sliced up into tiny pipes.
"Verdammt!" Ooveh undid a clamp on the suit, the harness falling off and slamming to the floor. Reaching down, he detached the other minigun, holding it with both hands. With one smooth motion, the bear spun the massive weapon around as easily as if he were wielding a standard blaster rifle, aiming it right at Augustine. He moved a lot faster than he did before, Augustine surprised by the speed.
He jumped behind another cargo container as the minigun's barrels spun up again. Augustine heard a whooshing sound, like a jet engine starting up. Before he could blink, Ooveh flew around the container, floating sideways in midair. He'd ignited a rocket on his back and boosters on his feet, allowing him to glide across the floor. The minigun was already spinning at full speed and ready to shoot. Augustine dived around the other side of the container, minigun fire narrowly missing him.
The canine pressed himself against the metal walls of the large box, heart pumping and breaths short. Even so, he couldn't help but smile. While Ooveh was a big hunk of muscle, he'd shown himself as smart too by shedding the extra weight of the harness and one of the miniguns. That meant a reduction to three thousand rounds a minute, but also a huge boost in movement speed. He would be much more dangerous to fight now. Augustine reflected he would have done the same thing if their roles were reversed, and had to give Ooveh credit for his tactical decisions.
The bear's jet engines let out a loud whoosh, the sound now overhead. Augustine looked up to see the bear floating above him. Ooveh cut his boosters and fell downwards, threatening to squish the canine. Augustine rolled out of the way. A loud boom sounded when Ooveh hit the floor, the noise like a bomb going off. He grunted shaking his boots to pull them free from the indentations he'd left in the floor. Meanwhile, Augustine used the chance to run away.
Finally free, Ooveh resumed his attack, spraying minigun fire in Augustine's direction. But the metallic droplets appeared once more, protecting the canine from the incoming fire. Even so, Augustine knew his weapon wasn't designed to protect him from this volume of fire forever. Eventually the droplets would lose internal cohesion and simply disintegrate. With Ooveh having lightened his loadout, Augustine couldn't count on jumping all over the place anymore to keep him out of harm's way. He needed more cover.
Running away from the cargo containers, he hurried into the hangar's workshop. Large machines, workbenches, and other pieces of equipment filled the floor space. Tall racks of tools, spare parts, and other supplies lined the back wall. Augustine sprinted between two of the racks, one side lined with spare metal plating stacked on pallets, the other lined with various chemicals used in subsystems within spacecraft. He could still hear the power armor's rockets humming along as Ooveh chased him. With a clomp, the bear landed on the floor, running into the aisle after Augustine. The canine stopped at the end of the aisle, turning to face Ooveh. His metallic gauntlet transformed into a sword, orange bolts crackled along the liquid blade. With two deft swings, he cut straight through the legs holding up the racks on either side, sending them toppling inwards on top of Ooveh.
"Ah, sohn einer Hündin!" Ooveh of pounds of shelving, metal plating, and buckets of chemicals fell on top of him, quickly burying him beneath their mass.
Augustine watched the pile, the sword changing back into the arm cannon as he waited. Was that enough to take out Ooveh? He watched and waited, the hangar silent around him save for the noises of the space battle outside.
A screech pierced the air. One of the metallic panels shifted, sliding down the pile and clattering to the floor. The buckets, shelving, and sheet metal slid out of the way, the top of the pile collapsing. Augustine could make out the noise of a jet engine inside the stack. The canine readied his arm cannon, pointing it at the heap of debris. It exploded at the top like a little volcano, sending clutter flying everywhere as Ooveh emerged once again, his rocket boosters on full thrust as he shot out into the air. Dings, dents, and scrapes covered his armor. Some of the chemicals from the barrels stained his suit with black, sticky residue.
Ooveh raised the minigun…only to discover the barrels were all bent out of shape from his fun little adventure of being buried alive. Sighing, the bear tossed the weapon aside, letting it clank to the floor. Despite being at a disadvantage now, Ooveh was of good cheer, laughing as he descended to land on the floor near Augustine.
"I've never seen such a weapon like yours!" He stared at the special glove on Augustine's arm. "Where did you get such a wunderwaffe?"
"Some place children have no business messing with." Augustine clenched his gloved fist, the material crinkling.
"Children?" Ooveh scratched his metallic masked chin with one of his gloved hands, making a scratching sound as he did so. "Who are you working for anyway? Are you another mercenary?"
"No." Augustine snapped, nearly shouting. "This is about something far more important than mere money." The canine spat out the last word in disgust. Augustine's golden eyes narrowed on Ooveh, his brow razor sharp and focused, all of his being concentrated on his opponent. He jerked a finger at the door out of the hangar. "Geh raus, trantüte."
"I'm a bag of whale blubber?" Ooveh belly laughed at the insult. "Why did you learn my language anyway?"
"I like the efficiency of it. The way those who speak it get straight to the point." With surprising speed, Augustine kicked off the floor, covering the space between him and Ooveh in an instant. He slashed horizontally at the bear as he passed by.
Ooveh used his rocket booster to side dash out of the way, laughing at the canine. "Aha, clever."
Augustine landed on his feet, turning around to face the bear again.
"Leave." Augustine repeated his demand. The two of them paced around in a circle, the canine holding his sword at the ready. "You cannot win now. Not after I've stripped you of your weapons."
"Oh, there's plenty of other weapons here." Ooveh chuckled again. He turned to a nearby workbench and picked up a large power tool: a circular plasma saw, two and a half feet in diameter.
It was designed for space craft repair, when a repairman would need to cut through starship armor and shape new panels to replace damaged ones. The tool would normally be mounted to a frame or workbench, being too big and cumbersome to be used by hand. That didn't apply to Ooveh though. Holding the saw by its handle, Ooveh waved it around with one hand like it was nothing but a simple sickle. Depressing the trigger, the buzz saw spun up, glowing pink along the sharpened edge as humming energy coursed across it. Augustine smiled at the display.
"Time to make a million credits!" Ooveh rocketed forward with a mighty charge, swinging at Augustine with his left fist. The blow came so fast it grazed the tips of the canine's pointed ears. Had he been a second or two slower, his head would have been taken clean off.
Looking up, the canine saw the plasma cutter about to crash straight down upon his head. The fist was a distraction! Augustine raised his liquid metal sword, the plasma cutter spitting out sparks when it contact the silvery metal. Ooveh pushed down with the full weight of his arm, forcing Augustine to kneel on the floor. The plasma cutter's glowing edge hovered inches away from his face, blasting him with an overpowering wave of heat and light. Almost felt like he was about to get a facial treatment with liquid hot magma. Augustine growled as stray hot sparks burnt his skin and fur, his muscles aching and burning as he concentrated all of his strength on keeping that energy blade from cutting him in two. In desperation, he drew his pistol with his free hand, squinting with one eye open to aim as he fired it into Ooveh's face. Bullets plinked off of the bear's faceplate, forcing him to step back and cover his face with his hand.
Free now, Augustine jumped backwards, landing a safe distance away from Ooveh. He blinked rapidly, eyes taking time to adjust after being in such close proximity to the bright light. After rubbing his face to soothe the small burns he'd picked up, he took a moment to check the status of his weapon. The liquid metal blade glowed white hot where it had been in contact with the plasma cutter's energy blade, cooling rapidly and reforming itself back into the correct shape. However, Augustine didn't want to subject the metal to any more punishment. This gauntlet was an amazing thing, but it couldn't hold up to extreme temperatures for long.
Ooveh's jet engines howled again, Augustine looking up to see the bear charging right for him, plasma blade at the read. Augustine leaped to the side, the blade sizzling straight past his lower torso as the bear rocketed through. Not giving him any reprieve, Ooveh spun back to face him, taking swing after swing, pushing Augustine back against a wall. Now that his opponent was cornered, the bear punched the blade straight for the canine's throat. Augustine grit his teeth, holding up his sword to block the incoming strike as the plasma blade's pink energy dug into his sword again. The tool cut straight in, eating through the material within seconds. Augustine ducked at the last second, the energy blade burying itself about a foot into the wall behind him before Ooveh could recover. It ground to a halt, the pink energy disappearing.
"Scheisse!" Ooveh tugged on the saw, struggling to pull it out. He planted a boot on the wall for extra leverage as he yanked on the handle.
Meanwhile, Augustine looked down, seeing half of his sword lying on the floor. The material glowed orange where it had been cut. Psyching himself up, Augustine snatched it off the floor, hissing as the hot metal made contact with his hand, even burning him through his black jumpsuit's glove. He could not afford to lose a piece of his weapon, ignoring the pain as he mashed it back into the liquid gauntlet over his right arm.
The cut piece struggled to reform with the main mass, taking time to reintegrate itself. Augustine clenched his hand around the glove, willing for it to hurry up and finish repairing itself. While the stuff this prototype could do was amazing, the durability was lacking. He'd need to tell the science team about that when he made it back home.
With one mighty grunt, Ooveh finally pulled the plasma cutter out of the wall, managing to restart it. The blade spun up to full speed again, the bright pink energy returning. Ooveh seemed to notice the state of Augustine's gauntlet. "Having some problems?" He laughed, readying himself into a fighting stance.
The canine frowned, rubbing his hand on his suit to soothe the burns he'd picked up. This fight was taking too long. He glanced out through the open docking port, checking the status of the fight outside. The rest of Star Wolf had arrived, and they looked like they were putting the hurt on Star Fox now. Outnumbered, Star Fox continued to fight on, although Augustine knew it wouldn't be long before the battle was finished. He and Giichi needed to be out of here before that happened.
At the moment though, he had a big problem standing in his way. Ooveh's power armor was something else, and Augustine didn't seem to be doing much good on damaging it. The canine checked his gauntlet again, the material looking melted instead of smooth and sleek like it had before. While damaged from the heat, it looked like it could fire one last cannon shot. He needed to make it count.
Ooveh stomped towards Augustine, still wielding that massive plasma cutter like it weighed nothing. The canine reformed the metal into a sword again. It took some time to change back, the blade appearing weak and floppy for a moment before straightening out.
Ooveh laughed at the form he'd chosen. "What? That again?"
Augustine returned a thin smile, pointing his sword arm at the ceiling. The liquid blade detached from his hand, floating in midair. It twirled in place, even doing a few three sixty spins before coming to a halt, the tip pointed at the bear. Ooveh gasped in surprise, stopping to admire the sight.
Augustine charged the bear, the blade flying ahead of him. Before he reached Ooveh though, he snatched his pistol out of its holster, firing at the bear's face plate as he ran. The bullets pinged off of the faceplate, doing little damage, but they forced Ooveh to stagger backwards. He raised one of his hands to block further bullets. When the shooting stopped, Ooveh saw the disembodied sword flying straight towards him, holding the circular saw up to block.
Instead, the sword flew around Ooveh, going behind his back. Augustine had used the distraction to get behind the bear, now clinging to his armor. Ooveh jumped around, struggling to reach behind him to grab Augustine, but the heavy armor plating prevented his arms from twisting far back enough to reach properly. Meanwhile, the liquid blade returned to Augustine's arm, changing shape back into the cannon. Except it wasn't doing it as fast as he would have liked. The material struggled to form a straight barrel, writhing and twitching as it tried to hold its shape properly. Ooveh swiped a hand past Augustine's shoulder, narrowly missing grabbing his neck.
Deciding that he couldn't wait any longer, Augustine pointed the melted cannon at the circular cover, firing a point blank blast. Ooveh roared as the energy surged across his back. Augustine's gauntlet didn't fare much better, exploding into liquid droplets as the energy blast passed through it. Regardless, he'd managed to force the cover partially open now. Focused on the task at hand, Augustine yanked on the damaged cover. With one mighty tug, Augustine finally got it off, exposing numerous power cells and servo motors. He reloaded his handgun, twisted the fire select to full auto, and sprayed an entire magazine into the internals. Sparks blasted him in the face, wires, circuit boards, and batteries shattering into pieces as the lead perforated them.
Ooveh cried out over his loudspeaker once more, before the power for the suit cut off. The power armor froze in place like a statue, the joints unmoving without the motors to keep them in locomotion. Augustine could hear the muffled noises of Ooveh shouting inside, trying to move. The power armor leaned back, falling to the floor. Augustine jumped off, landing on his feet as Ooveh toppled to the floor with a mighty boom. The suit was so heavy it imprinted the floor where it landed.
Augustine breathed hard, sweat rolling down his face and leaving dark trails along his grey bodysuit. He glanced at his gauntlet again. That final shot had not been kind to his weapon. Most of the liquid metal had fallen off, leaving only small individual splotches clinging to his arm near the orange energy sphere. They struggled to pull themselves back together. The rest of the liquid flowed along the floor, coming back towards him. Augustine hurriedly scooped it back up, willing for the gauntlet to reform. To help it along, he patted it back into shape manually, as if it were clay. The material looked like it was holding together now, although he didn't want to risk making it transform again until it could be properly repaired back home.
He stared down at his opponent, the power armor still laying there like a toppled statue, muffled grunts as Ooveh continued to try breaking free. All that and this guy still wasn't dead. It was a shame Ooveh worked for Star Wolf. Augustine figured they could have been friends otherwise. In some ways, he'd seen a kindred spirit in Ooveh during their fight together. Alas, Augustine had one last duty to fulfill now.
He felt around the power armor's neck area for a clamp to undo the helmet, holding his handgun in the other hand. He needed to put a bullet in Ooveh's head before they left. The helmet had a complicated locking mechanism to prevent it being forcefully removed like this though. He was having trouble getting it open.
Someone clamped a hand round Augustine's gun arm as he did so, tugging him away. Augustine spun around, glaring at who it was…only to see Giichi there, a scared look on his face. "Don't do it," he whispered, the sand cat looking close to tears.
"I have to." Augustine stared into his young master's eyes. "I need to make sure he doesn't get up again."
"No!" Giichi cried, grabbing Augustine's arms with both of his hands. "He's helpless now. You don't need to kill him. We can leave. You've killed enough for one day…"
Ooveh's looked at them through the faceplate's cracked glass, angry and frustrated as he rattled around inside the suit, trying to find a way to move again.
"All right, if you say so Giichi." Augustine put away his gun. "Let's get going."
Leaving the bear on the floor, they ran towards one of the few remaining fighters left in the hangar. The rust orange craft was shaped kind of like a hexagon with wings and a tail attached to it, Venomian in origin. While the design was crude, Augustine's intelligence noted that these fighters were designed with loose tolerances and generally kept going no matter what kind of punishment they were subjected to. It ought to be enough to get them to their intended rendezvous point. Thank goodness it hadn't taken any hits in the crossfire earlier.
The two of them piled in, Giichi resting in Augustine's lap since he was the smaller one. Augustine punched in commands, hearing the engine spool up behind them as they taxied for takeoff. Soon they'd be out of here and on their way back home.
As they lined up for the open docking port, Giichi took one last glance in the mirrors. "Nail, look!"
Augustine's head snapped around, staring behind the fighter. Ooveh was out of his suit, wearing nothing but a green tank top and pants, showing off his massive muscular frame. Those muscles could easily put even Wolf to shame. For some reason, the bear was leaned over his power armor, fiddling with something.
"What's he doing?" Giichi asked.
"I don't care. We're gone." Augustine had the fighter in position for launch. He slammed the throttle forward, while glancing back to see what Ooveh was up to.
The bear stood up, holding one of his power armor's massive boots. He laid it on the floor, pointing the leg part at the fighter, the toe pointed at the ceiling. He pushed a button on the side of the shoe. With a whoosh, the rocket booster on the bottom of the boot ignited, sending it flying straight at their fighter like a missile.
Augustine's eyes widened. He couldn't do anything to evade, not while they were in the middle of taking off. The boot went straight for the ship's thruster. Augustine shut his eyes, bracing for impact. A massive shudder went through the entire ship, Giichi screaming and causing Augustine to grit his teeth. The engine howled in protest, screeching as the foreign object became lodged inside its internals. Red light washed over the cockpit, all of the engine metrics instantly turning over to critical…
~X~
Sweat rolled down the sides of Fox's face. The beads of moisture fell into his eyes, but he refused to take his hands off the stick to wipe them away. He was still trapped in the dizzying dance with Wolf as each of them fought to get on the other's tail. All it would take was one small distraction or hesitation and Fox could wind up dead. He'd never had a dogfight last this long with Wolf before, the mental and physical exertions of this battle getting to him.
As the two of them flipped upside down and spun around, Fortuna and its moon Genma kept coming in and out of his sight, the Retribution appearing every now and then as well. Everything by this point had become a blur, Fox's hands and feet moving less by conscious thought and more by instinct, honed after years of experience in space combat. Were it not for the muscle memory drilled into his body, Wolf would have already killed him. Goading him on earlier with that stuff about the Lylat Wars felt like a big mistake now.
"Die already!" Wolf screamed out, as he fired some parting shots after the vulpine went in for another of his high speed passes. None of them hit. "Graaaaa! Hold still! I don't have time for this shit!"
Fox wasn't too happy right now either. His teammates continuously yelled for help but he couldn't do anything as long as Wolf was still around. There had to be some way to break this stalemate!
After Fox made another high speed strafing run, Wolf attempted to accelerate after Fox's Arwing, even though they both knew the Arwing was much faster than the Foxhound in a straight line. The lupine was letting rage be his guiding emotion now, letting himself get sloppy with his tactics and decisions.
While Slippy's attack earlier in the fight was foolish, Fox had to give the toad credit for landing a hit on Wolf that knocked out his shields. If Fox could manage a couple more clean shots on the Foxhound, he could end this fight for good. Unfortunately, Wolf had been too good at protecting his backside, never once giving Fox a chance to get behind him. But with the lupine getting angrier and angrier the whole fight, Fox figured he could trick Wolf into opening up his six.
As he accelerated away for another pass, something strange appeared on his radar. One of the red dots separated from the main swarm around the Retribution, coming towards where he and Wolf were fighting. What was this now? Was it Panther or Leon coming to assist? He spotted the orange craft approaching. It looked like an XTB-1400, an old Venomian fighter from the days of the Lylat Wars. That would make it cheap to buy and maintain, since there were so many surplus fighters and spare parts left over after the war. So it was one of Wolf's low level lackeys.
Curiously, the fighter seemed to be going around their dogfight as opposed to joining in to help Wolf. Fox spotted a small fire on the rear section of the ship, probably from its reserve oxygen supply leaking out. The vulpine raised an eyebrow. If he was crippled, why come this way? Why not dock inside the Retribution for repairs?
"Hey, you! In the XTB-1400!" Wolf called out over his radio, hailing the wounded fighter. "What are you doing over here?"
No reply from the ship, although Fox heard Wolf say something else that caught his attention.
"Wait…Jamal, are you saying they're inside that fighter?!"
Wolf abandoned the dogfight to follow after the damaged ship, pulling up alongside it. Fox's eyes widened. This must be something damn important for him to do that. Speaking of… Wolf did say he had something more important to deal with right now. Could this be it? In any case, Fox saw a golden opportunity he couldn't pass up. This would feel like cheating, but oh well. His friends' lives were in danger.
Fox accelerated after the Foxhound, able to easily get on its six. At the last second, Wolf noticed he was in Fox's sights and turned to escape, but he was too late. Fox pointed his Arwing's nose ahead of the Foxhound's path, squeezing the trigger. His aim was true, as his laser blasts hammered into the engines and wings of the Foxhound from behind. Explosions and smoke blasted out of the ship, sending it tumbling end over end through space without any more means to power itself.
To say Wolf was pissed was an understatement. "Fox! You damn little prick!" Although Wolf's mugshot on the comms screen was distorted by static and warping pixels, Fox could make out the lupine hammering his fists into the console in front of him, trying in vain to get his fighter running again. "Shooting me in the back like that!"
"Now you know how Slippy's dad felt." Fox frowned. He'd gotten payback for his friend, but didn't feel happy about it. It wouldn't change what Wolf had done to both of the Toads after all. He glared at Wolf. "I could kill you right now if I wanted. That's probably what Slippy would have me do right now. But I'm not going to. I'm going to make sure you stay alive to face justice." And to make sure you're able to tell me where the case is, so I get paid. Fox rolled his eyes. That would've been a more honest reply but would've ruined the moment. "You wait there. I've got other stuff to do now."
Fox glanced once more at the wounded Venomian fighter, still puttering along towards Fortuna. Maybe he could chase after it and find out why the people inside were so important to Wolf. It could shed some light on why something seemed off about this entire battle.
"Fox! Help us!" Fara called out over comms. "We're dead if you don't get over here!"
The vulpine blinked. "Hang on guys! I'm coming!" Spinning his Arwing around, he blasted back towards the Retribution on full thrusters.
As he approached, he saw it wasn't looking good. Panther zapped Falco with his special cannon again, blue electricity surging across the Arwing. The fighter shuddered, internal systems cutting in and out as it tried to stabilize itself. Leon took the opportunity to strafe Falco's ship, twin laser blasts impacting the blue G-diffusers and sending out a shower of sparks. Fara arrived to protect him, firing green lasers as she went. The chameleon scurried away, but now Panther was behind her, shooting his electric gun at her. He scored a direct hit, electrical sparks blasting through her Cornerian Fighter.
Fara screamed over the comms, the voice terrifying as Fox listened. "My systems are all shorting out! The stick isn't responding!" By this point, her previously perfect white paint was scarred grey by blaster marks, the fighter trailing smoke from multiple spots. Fox considered it a small miracle it was still intact.
Several Star Wolf grunt fighters closed in on her, like sharks smelling blood in the water. There wouldn't be enough time to fly over there and intercept. Fara's ship sat between him and the approaching swarm. Chewing his lip, Fox readied a nova bomb.
"Fara! Hang onto something!"
"What are you-"
Fox launched the bomb at the pack approaching her. Time seemed to move in slow motion as the glowing blue warhead flew through the air, towards both Fara and the bandits. Fox prayed he'd calculated the trajectory right. The bomb passed right by Fara, close enough for the glow to reflect off of her fighter. An instant later, it exploded in a spectacular explosion behind her, silhouetting her ship while turning the fighter group into nothing but space dust.
"Aaah!" she cried out, her fighter going tumbling from the force of the blast. While afraid she might go spinning off into nowhere, small blasts of air appeared across her craft, indicating she'd gotten her retro rockets working at least. She halted the spin, righting herself.
"Fara, are you okay?" Fox asked, pulling up beside her.
"Yeah but…" Fara sighed. She let out a weak laugh. "That was…that was something. Definitely something old Foxy from the academy would do. I thought you were aiming at me for a second." The smile vanished from her face. "But my fighter's main engine has lost power. I'm stuck here.
Fox frowned, not liking the sound of that. Slippy down, Fara crippled, and… "Falco, what's your status?" The vulpine pulled up his mic.
"What do you think it is, Fox?!" Falco could be seen being chased by a swarm of enemy fighters, Leon and Panther right on his tail. With every volley of red lasers, he deflected them away with perfect timing and maneuvering, but Fox knew he couldn't keep that up forever. "Get over here!"
"On it!" Fox launched another nova bomb.
Some of the bandits got caught in the blast, although this time they seemed to see it coming, many of them dispersing away and rejoining into the swarm to pursue Falco. Fox fell into step behind the fighter group. He directed his attention to the Star Wolf lackeys one by one, taking them out with ruthless efficiency. It was child's play after that long duel with Wolf, none of them anywhere close in skill to his nemesis.
"Falco, is your tow cable still functional?" Fox continued the fight as he went.
"Yeah?" Falco raised an eyebrow. He seemed to know where this conversation was headed.
"Get Fara out of here. I'll deal with these guys."
"By yourself, Fox?"
Fox took a deep breath. He knew he was a great pilot and had the record to back it up, but could he handle Star Wolf's entire remaining force all alone? The fact was if he wanted to protect Fara and Falco, he didn't have another choice now. "Yes. I'll do it."
Falco stared at him silently, but nodded back. "Okay. Good luck Fox." He turned around his Arwing, rushing towards Fara's stranded fighter.
Fox watched him leave before returning his focus to the fight at hand. The vulpine put a grimace on his face, preparing himself for the battle ahead. He spotted Leon and Panther moving to get behind him, a dozen other fighters falling in behind the number two and three of Star Wolf. Angry red lasers ripped past Fox's fighter, coloring his entire world bright crimson. It was like trying to dodge rain in a thunderstorm.
Angry, he pulled every trick he knew to escape fiery death. Jinks left and right, aileron rolls to deflect shots, flying near the Retribution and daring the other fighters to chase him, and various other maneuvers. While it was an impressive display of skill, Fox knew he could not win this fight only by running away. They had him pinned down so well he needed to focus all of his attention on dodging, not having any time to return even a single shot.
Just when Fox was at his breaking point, the rain of fire stopped. It was as if a downpour had suddenly ended, storm clouds immediately vanishing. Fox looked around for a moment, wondering what was going on, but he soon got his answer.
"Hey Fox…" Wolf's smooth, relaxed voice came over the comms. He sounded so calm, so collected, so sure of himself. Fox trembled, sensing he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear. Looking down at the comms screen, Wolf appeared to be back in the Retribution's hangar bay, out of his fighter and holding up a camera. A most sadistic grin was plastered on his face. "I want to show you something on Leon's feed."
The image switched to show Falco's Arwing towing Fara's crippled Cornerian fighter. Star Wolf fighters surrounded them, all with their guns trained right on the two Star Fox pilots. If Wolf gave the order to fire, they would die instantly.
"Remember that deal I offered you before?" Wolf chuckled, the monitor switching back to him. "Well, still interested?"
Fox's eyes narrowed. He wanted more than anything right now to reach through the screen and punch Wolf right in that smug grin, maybe knock some teeth out. But what could he do? There was no way he could rocket all the way over to where Fara and Falco were to save them in time. Wolf had him good this time. He didn't see any other way out, except for taking up Wolf on his deal and hoping he kept his word. Sighing, he raised his microphone up. "Okay, you win."
"What was that?" Wolf raised one of his pointed ears towards the camera, giggling. "I couldn't hear you there."
"We're leaving." Fox growled.
"Louder, please?"
"We're goddamn leaving!" He snarled, snapping his teeth at Wolf. "All right? Is that good enough for you?"
Wolf's mocking laughter echoed in Fox's cabin. "Wise choice Fox. Wise choice." He cut the connection.
Fox turned his Arwing in the direction of Fara and Falco, boosting to catch up with them. The Star Wolf fighters that were holding them up passed by, heading back for the Retribution. Fox's ears turned back in embarrassment as he watched them regroup.
"Damn it!" Falco cursed as Fox settled into formation next to him. "I hate this!"
"We need to rescue Slippy too," Fara pointed out, looking down to the stormy surface of Fortuna. "He's still down there somewhere."
Fox nodded. "Right. We'd better start up a search and rescue after we regroup." Poor Slippy, stuck down there in the jungle while they were busy fighting up here. With the state the toad's craft was in, he would have to make a crash landing in the jungle. He could be badly hurt or even dead by now. Fox prayed he was okay.
They flew around Fortuna's moon, headed back towards the Great Fox II. Fox checked his mirrors, taking one last look at the Retribution as it disappeared. The plan had gone so well at first, and then Slippy mucked up everything by going after Wolf. Sure, he got in trouble from time to time like this, but Fox would worry about reprimanding him later. The important thing now was to get him back safe. The Great Fox II appeared, the dreadnaught's docking bay open and inviting, ready to receive their three fighters. As they got into position to dock, Fox looked over at Fara and Falco once more, trundling along beside him.
"We'll pay them back later guys. I promise."
~X~
Wolf stood near the open docking port of the Retribution's hangar, watching Star Fox heading back to wherever they came from. Even though Star Wolf came out the winner here, he wasn't smiling.
He'd seen those two, sitting in the cockpit of that damaged Venomian fighter headed for Fortuna's surface. Giichi had looked like a little kid sitting in the lap of his canine bodyguard. While stony-faced Augustine kept his eyes forward, the sand cat had stared back at Wolf, looking at him like he was the freaking grim reaper. That expression of terror on Giichi's face would become one of Wolf's most treasured memories. Everyone who double crossed Star Wolf should look that way before Wolf dealt with them.
Then Fox shot his Foxhound in the back and ruined everything. Wolf growled, his tail thrashing around behind him. Thanks to stupid Fox and his idiotic friends, those two had slipped right through his fingers.
No matter though. This would only delay things a little longer. Wolf had dispatched a handful of his pilots to follow the traitors' fighter in his stead. He would know exactly where that ship ended up crashing right when it happened, and there would be no escape for Augustine and Giichi.
Wolf grinned, looking down upon Fortuna where it peeked out behind its moon. He watched his ships descending towards the surface again, preparing to hunt down and capture the two fugitives. A warm feeling tickled him, imagining what Star Wolf's balance sheet would look like once this was all over. It would be a great payday indeed, and his first major step towards turning things around after losing Sargasso. Star Wolf would rise again, Wolf carving out his own little criminal empire again and assuming the title of Lord O'Donnell once more.
"Wolf! We're ready to go!" A booming voice called out for him, directing his attention towards the dropship being prepped for takeoff nearby.
The lupine spotted Ooveh standing next to the ship, waving for him. Even though his power armor was out of action, the bear was still eager as ever to fight. He'd simply swapped to a black jumpsuit and a black combat vest, not that different from Wolf's own combat outfit. His new weapon of choice was a high wattage, high capacity laser machine gun, designed for suppressive fire. Ooveh made the massive weapon look tiny in his hands, even without the power armor.
Wolf smiled, walking over and taking a seat inside the rear cabin, Ooveh moving inside to take a seat as well. Boxes of extra armaments were still being packed inside, ready to be used by ground forces once they went planetside again.
"Are you ready to finish this?" Wolf grinned at the bear, needing to crane his neck up to look him in the eyes.
"Ja." Ooveh grinned back, letting the massive laser gun rest across his knees. "I'm ready for some payback, especially after Augustine killed so many people in this hangar. Many of them were my friends, like Wattz." The smile faded away. "This depp Nail Strafer will suffer for what he has done."
"That he will." Wolf nodded in reply.
The rear hatch sealed, the shuttle taking off and blasting back into space. The walls were closing in on Augustine and Giichi. They had no more tricks to pull, no more obstacles or distractions to throw up, nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide. He smiled as he watched Fortuna approach through the window. Soon it would all be over, and Wolf could begin work on his plans for the future.
He couldn't wait to get started.
~X~
A/N: I don't think I've mentioned this before, but I'm visualizing Hazardous Contents as being divided up into three acts. I would say we're 2-3 chapters away from finishing Act 1 at this point. Jeez, and I started on this story as early as 2012… At this rate I won't be done for twelve more years. Heh…well at least I'm working a lot more steadily on the story now, right? I'm considering putting Love is Blind on hold for a bit so I can write to the end of the first act on this story. We'll see how I feel.