Chapter 14
You're stupid, Slippy. Can't do anything right.
He fished around in his Arwing's cockpit for his emergency pack, the word 'fishing' appropriate here considering the cockpit was half filled with water. The fighter rested near the banks of a jungle river, most of it underwater except for the top of the blue G-diffuser units. At last he found what he was looking for, his webbed hand pulling the pack out from behind the seat. But the bag got hung up on something. The toad grunted, trying to yank it out. It popped loose, sending him falling backwards into the dirty brown water. He sighed, blowing a bubble out of his mouth underwater. Oh well, he was an amphibian. Within seconds he'd dragged the pack to the river's muddy shore, opening it up to reveal his emergency supplies.
One of the items was an emergency beacon to help Star Fox locate him. Slippy groaned upon seeing it again. He wished he didn't need to use this thing as much as he did. Back during the Lylat Wars, there was the time he was stranded on Titania. The toad shivered at the memory. When the robot Spyborg attacked them in Sector X, he'd jumped in to help fight it. Then the giant bot slapped him down to Titania, and the rest of the team had to come save him from that giant beast Goras. Out of one monster's clutches and into another's.
What happened today was about like that. Why did he try to take on Wolf of all people when even Fox was fighting for his life against that new fighter?
Because you're stupid. We already went over this.
Slippy shook his head. Wolf also shot his father and he wanted to take vengeance, but he'd failed. And I also let Star Fox down...again. Can't forget that. The toad wasn't looking forward to seeing the faces of his teammates again. Whenever they rescued him, Fox always told him everything was okay and to not worry about it, but Slippy got the feeling the vulpine wasn't always sincere. At least Fox hadn't fired him yet.
The rain pelted down on Slippy's head, soaking his cap and flight jacket. He looked at the brown river in front of him, swelled up in size from the deluge of rain falling into it. White crested waves crashed along the shore, lapping at his feet. Good thing he was Star Fox's best swimmer by a long shot, or the current would have swept him away. It was at least one small victory, right? Slippy frowned.
I wish I could be helpful today, somehow. But how will I do that with a soggy Arwing?
Thunder roared overhead. At first Slippy thought it was the storm, but he realized those were ship engines. He glanced up in the sky, spotting small silhouettes of fighters against the dark clouds. Was that Fox and the others coming to rescue him? I see two fighters, three…wait, four? Five? Seven? Twelve? Now there were too many to count, all of them heading east. They didn't adhere to any type of formation, flying more like a disorganized mob. The CDF held to a rigid command structure and strict formations, so it couldn't be them. That left only one other possibility.
Star Wolf! They're looking for me!
Slippy sprinted across the muddy river bank, diving into the tree line. Trembling, he peered out from underneath a leafy bush, looking back up to the sky. He couldn't stay here. The Arwing would be easy to spot from the air, with how its white and blue paint clashed against the jungle's colors. Slippy jumped up on his feet, ready to run for his life…but all of the fighters held their course due east. He watched them leave. They must have seen the Arwing, so why weren't they stopping? Where were they headed?
Star Wolf wouldn't come down here without a good reason. In fact, didn't Wolf have most of his force on the surface when Star Fox first arrived here? Why? Now that he was curious, Slippy knew he wouldn't be content waiting next to his Arwing for a pickup. Maybe he could follow Star Wolf, and see what was going on. Not fight them. Just report to Fox what he saw. It sounded reasonable in his head. His mind made up, he put the emergency beacon back into the pack.
After slinging the bag over his shoulder, he followed the river east where the fighters had gone. The river seemed to lead in the same direction.
~X~
Deadly lasers flashed around Star Wolf, bathing the entire room in a lethal light show. Wolf dived underneath one of the consoles, one of the turrets blasting pockmarks on the spot where he'd been standing.
Ooveh's roar echoed throughout the room, even drowning out the noise of the turrets. His heavy automatic blaster answered back with its report, silencing one of the automated guns. Wolf rolled out from underneath the desk, now laying on his back and aiming up at the ceiling. He brought up his sights on another sentry gun and opened fire. Several shots struck its targeting lens, causing it to fire wildly until Wolf struck the supporting pole. The machine went tumbling to the floor. Standing up, he took aim at another turret, soon sending it to the scrap heap. Panther and Leon joined in the shootout, and within a few more seconds all the automated guns fell silent.
The alarm in the room was still blaring out. Ooveh growled, aiming his gun at a nearby alarm panel. A quick burst of shots silenced the klaxons.
"Thank you," Wolf called out to him, dusting himself off. "Everyone good?"
The others called back in the affirmative. Safe now, the lupine growled as he gave one of the destroyed sentry guns a good kick. More damn traps. Oh well, the threat was behind them now. What was their next move? His comms unit beeped at him: Jamal was calling from the Retribution's bridge.
After answering it, the rhino's face appeared above the unit as a hologram. "Wolf! The base's security system is booting up again!"
"Thanks," Wolf rolled his eye. "You should have told me about a minute ago. We already destroyed the turrets. What else you got for me, Captain Obvious?"
"What do you mean? It's happening all over the base!"
The entire base rocked around him, distant explosions and gunfire echoing through the many corridors. An entire battle had started, with them right in the center of it.
"You need to pull everyone out of there! You'll get shot to pieces if you try going further inside!"
Wolf glared at Jamal, shaking his head. "No."
"But Wolf, the casualties will be enormous and—"
"You're the captain of the Retribution." Wolf jerked a finger at Jamal's image. "But I own the PMC. We keep pushing inside, try to figure out where Augustine and Giichi are, and capture them once we find them."
"Lord O'Donnell…" The rhino took a more respectful, quiet tone. "Please reconsider. We can wait outside and cover all the exits. They'll have to come out eventually. No one will leave without us seeing it."
"Yeah?" Wolf raised an eyebrow. "Under your watch, no one was supposed to escape from the Retribution either, right?"
Jamal couldn't look Wolf in the face, turning his head so the brim of his old military cap covered his eyes.
"These two are slippery. If they had a plan to get off the Retribution, they've planned a way out of here too." Wolf clenched his fist. "We need to find them ASAP. Now, Captain Jamal," Wolf mimicked the rhino's formal tone, "how are you going to help me with that?"
The rhino's leathery brow furrowed. The gears were turning in his head, but Wolf didn't have high hopes for a solution. Jamal did wear his old colors from his military days. However, the rhino was also part of the reason his old military didn't exist anymore, given he failed them as a general. It was also why Wolf had relegated him to captaining the Retribution while the lupine himself still called most of the shots.
A distant pair of running footsteps sounded over the comms, getting closer to the microphone. The rhino looked off camera, just in time for a huge mass of quills to fill the image.
Although Wolf couldn't see a face, he knew who it was. "Suneel?"
"Wolf! Wolf!" the porcupine programmer jumped up and down, trying to keep his wireframe glasses and pointy nose in the shot. When that didn't work, he reached up, turning the camera downwards to where it could see him better. "I know where Augustine and Giichi are!"
The lupine's ears perked up. "You do?!"
He nodded, quills billowing all around him as he did so. "I've been examining the base's systems since you made it there. At first they were dormant, nothing going on, but as you saw everything's come online." The porcupine grinned, words gushing out of his mouth. "I'm amazed this system is still working. The tech is incredibly durable since it's of ex-Venomian design, but these people must have done some amazing repair work to everything and—"
"Okay!" Wolf grit his teeth. "Get to the part about where they are!"
Suneel reared back from the camera at Wolf roaring at him, the quills still dancing around his face. "S—So sorry!" He pushed the glasses back into their proper position. "They are controlling the base's systems through a small device, something like a tablet or laptop. I can track them through its signal. Have a look at this map. We've finished scanning the base's structure."
Suneel's face became small, moving to the side. A 3D map of the base appeared, showing a blinking blue dot inside a large hangar on the top floor. Wolf's face lit up. No more hide and seek? They could go straight to the dot and find these two assholes at long last?
"Suneel…" Leon moved to stand next to Wolf, so he'd be in the shot. "If this works out, consider that database encryption incident to be forgiven."
"Likewise," Wolf joined in, grinning. "In fact, I think I'll double your salary for this."
Suneel laughed, although it was a nervous type of laugh. He wiped a handkerchief across his forehead.
"Jamal…" Wolf pointed at the blue dot on his map. "Send everyone we've got there. Lock it down tight."
The rhino's massive gray hand—bigger than Suneel's head—pushed aside the porcupine like he was a stuffed animal. The programmer even gave a small squeak as he was shoved away.
"Roger Wolf!" Jamal gave the lupine a salute with his other hand.
Wolf changed his wrist communicator to enlarge the map, grinning as he observed the base's structure. Finally! All they had to do was go to this dot to get the case. But his smile faded as he observed how far away they were from it. They'd entered at ground level, so a good few dozen stories separated them from their objective.
"Tadao, how old are those tracks?" Wolf asked.
"Very recent. I'd say we're about half an hour behind at most. But something worries me. Look at the amount of footprints." He waved his flashlight all over the room, the dust disturbed in nearly every corner by boot prints. "Augustine and Giichi joined a much larger group here. We'll be fighting more than Augustine when we catch up with them."
"I don't care how many there are." Wolf looked at each of his companions in turn. "Star Wolf doesn't run away from a fight."
Without hesitation, Tadao got on his knees. "Forgive me." He bowed. "I didn't mean to insinuate anything, Wolf."
The lupine's eye widened at the submissive gesture, before beaming a smile. You couldn't buy loyalty like this. If only he could inspire this sort of obedience in the rest of his PMC.
"Don't worry about it. We have a job to do." Wolf pointed his finger at the open doorway where the tracks led. "Let's hunt them down! Tadao, take the lead!"
Tadao rose to his feet, bowing again, and they set off into more of the dank corridors snaking throughout the underground base. But almost right after they started moving, Tadao halted in his tracks, thrusting out a green-scaled arm to stop the others. The group came to a crashing halt, everybody stumbling into each other. Wolf glared at Tadao, but the look faded when he saw their guide pointing at a small red light at the end of the hallway. He would have walked right over there if it hadn't been pointed out.
"Get around that last corner, would you?" Tadao requested.
They all did as he said, while the iguana collected a golf ball sized chunk of concrete on the floor. Backing up to the corner himself, Tadao hurled it towards the light. The response was deafening. Red laser blasts fired from the direction of the red light, illuminating the dark passageway in a hellish crimson hue. Once the stone struck the floor, the firing ceased, although the loud laser blasts still rung in Wolf's ears. These tight corridors amplified the sound a lot.
"More turrets," Tadao muttered.
"I'll take care of it." Ooveh stepped around the corner, raising his heavy laser blaster and firing off a quick burst.
The red light soon extinguished, a loud clank as the sentry gun fell to the floor. Tadao waved his flashlight around, trying to see if he could spot anything else. Some of the walls were crumbling, pieces of concrete, metal, and rocks cluttering the floor.
"It's safe now, but watch your step."
They proceeded down the hallway, making a racket as they stumbled over the clutter. Rocks and rubble shifted underfoot, the low light conditions not making things any easier.
This slow, plodding progression gnawed at Wolf's patience. Distant laser blasts and explosions echoed down the halls, reminding Wolf of why they couldn't rush. However, he kept checking the base's holographic map every couple seconds. The blue dot hadn't moved yet, but he didn't know what that meant. Were Augustine and Giichi still there? Was the case there? Was it all a big decoy, like when Wolf had sent most of his PMC to the surface the first time to find the case?
They reached a t-junction at the end of the corridor. When they got to the intersection, Tadao signaled for everyone to stop again. He waved his flashlight between the two branching paths over and over again.
"What is it now?!" Wolf clenched his teeth.
"They split into two groups here. Most of them went right." He pointed the beam in that direction, indicating the wheel tracks and multiple footprints in the dust. "But a smaller group went left. Only about three or four people at most."
Great, what do I do now? Wolf's eye darted back and forth between their two choices. Which group had the case and Giichi? Or what if Giichi was in one group and the case in the other? Wolf needed to make a decision fast, but at the same time this was Augustine they were dealing with. Misdirection and traps seemed to be the guy's calling cards. The lupine's head buzzed, weighing his options. Left or right? Split up the group? Tell Jamal to divert some forces to look for the second group or keep chasing the blue dot? He rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. Why couldn't this be Fox he was dealing with?Yeah, the pup shot him down from time to time, but at least Fox was honorable enough to fight you head on. He didn't use damned mind games like this. Wolf tapped his foot on the floor, faster and faster. Time he didn't have kept ticking away.
"Wolf…" Tadao looked Wolf in the eye, speaking evenly. "Let me take some of your men to the left. You have your device to guide you to the hangar, right? You don't need my help to find the way."
The lizard's honeyed, relaxed voice cut through the noise inside Wolf's head, bringing everything back into focus. The lupine had been letting his thoughts run away too much. He smiled with gratitude. This plan sounded straightforward, although he had this feeling no matter what he did here it would be wrong. Even so, Tadao's tracking skills had proven to be impeccable so far.
"Okay." Wolf nodded to Tadao. "Check it out, but stay in touch on the comms." He pointed at Leon and Panther. "You two go with him."
"No." Panther narrowed his eyes.
Wolf cocked his head at the jungle cat. "Why not?"
"I'm certain Giichi went with the bigger group." Panther glared at the tracks heading into the right tunnel. "We need to catch him."
I wonder how he figures that. Wolf studied Panther closely. It wasn't what he was interested in uncovering right now though. "What is it with you and Giichi?"
"What do you mean?" Panther's harsh look melted away, now looking nervous instead.
"First you tried catching him at his cabin, now this." Wolf stepped closer to Panther. The lupine stood a bit taller, staring down at his Number Three. "It's like you've got something personal against him."
"I just…" Panther shrunk back, his head tipping backwards as he looked up at Wolf. "I just want to make sure he pays for what he's done to Star Wolf. That's all."
"So?" Wolf folded his arms. "We all want that. But you're different. You're acting like your life depends on us catching him. Is there something I should know, Panther?"
His Number Three remained silent, staring at the floor.
Tadao stepped in between Wolf and Panther. "Forgive me Wolf, but we don't have time to argue about this right now. Maybe we should wait until after we have the case and the boy in custody to discuss this?"
Wolf didn't appreciate being cut off, but Tadao did make an excellent point. Nodding to the iguana, he turned to Panther. "You're going with Tadao. That's the end of it. Get moving already!" He waved towards the left corridor.
Tadao bowed and left as ordered, Leon following soon after. This time Panther didn't argue. In fact, he looked relieved to not have to talk to Wolf anymore, right before he turned and went after the other two. The iguana's flashlight beam was soon out of sight. Wolf would remember to ask Panther more about this after the mission, and Giichi too if they managed to catch him.
"Was this the right choice?" Ooveh's thumping footsteps sounded behind Wolf, the bear towering over him. "Maybe you should have sent me with them."
Wolf spared a glance up at his tall companion. "A smaller group moves a lot faster and quieter than a big one. I chose Leon, Tadao, and Panther because of their swiftness and stealth, to match whoever they're chasing." He smirked as he tapped one of his fists against the chest piece of the bear's combat armor. It felt like rapping on a solid brick wall. "No offense, but you're not exactly subtle. You're quite the big boy."
Ooveh gave a deep laugh, the sound rising up from his belly. "Well, my mutti didn't feed me much else besides fleisch, kartoffe, brot und bier. Of course I would grow to be grosse." He got a faraway look in his eyes. "I should visit her at some point. It has been too long."
The lupine turned his head up, grinning at the bear and pretending he understood those foreign words. "Whatever happens, I'm sure you'll get a chance to use that where we're going." He pointed at the heavy automatic laser in the bear's hands. Glancing back at his map, he said, "We need to keep moving. Let's go."
Wolf led the way now, using his own flashlight to cut a path through the darkness. A sentry gun or two barred their way, but it was no trouble for them to dispose of. The tracks they were following ended at a freight elevator.
"Should we use the elevator?" Ooveh asked. "Whoever we're fighting has control over the base's systems. They could trap us inside."
Wolf's face scrunched up. It was a good point. But at the same time, if they tried hoofing it up forty-plus stories they'd never catch up to Augustine in time. "We'll have to risk it."
The two of them jumped inside, Ooveh closing the gate behind them as Wolf punched the button. With a loud whine and groan the elevator set off, carrying them to the upper levels of the base. Wolf watched the numbers tick by above the door, clutching at his blaster. Couldn't this thing go any faster?
"Wolf!" Jamal called out over comms.
Wolf raised up the wrist device, Jamal's holographic face appearing there again. "What is it?"
"We've surrounded all routes in and out of that hangar you designated, but we're facing heavy resistance. Whoever's inside, they've got all entrances locked down tight with barriers and turrets. We can't push forward."
The things Jamal said corresponded with what Wolf was hearing and feeling. He noticed the higher they ascended, the more intense the gunfire and explosions became. The elevator rattled in its frame with every distant boom.
"I'll be there soon. Let me know if there's any changes." Wolf cut off the connection, sighing. They weren't going to give up without a fight, huh? Well, fine then. He'd be happy to oblige.
At long last, the elevator dinged upon arriving on the top floor. When the doors slide aside, he got to see the source of all the noise. At the other end of the hall, some of his men gathered outside a door marked Vehicle Storage RM-02. Some laid on the floor, black burns on their chest and blood dripping on the floor. A medic, this one a duck, tended to their wounds as best as he could. Another explosion rocked the hallway, blasting the doors outwards and sending a few Star Wolf grunts flying out into the corridor. The medic protected his face with his hands, and then dragged his patients further away from the door, trying to keep them out of harm's way.
Wolf looked in through the open door. It was as bad as Jamal said. A sea of abandoned vehicles filled the room, including trucks, tanks, halftracks, jeeps, and assorted other vehicles. Many machines of war, all sitting here idle, their masters long since gone. All of his men took cover behind them, a flurry of red laser blasts flying over their heads. The volume of fire was so high the shots lit the entire room in a near constant red hue.
At the far end of the space, a giant, crude steel cocoon covered the door leading to the hangar, holes poked through the metal for turrets to shoot through. All of the suppressive fire came from there. It reminded Wolf of the Bolse satellite in the Lylat Wars, when he was called to defend it from Star Fox. The makeshift barrier looked to have been welded together in haste, but nonetheless it'd be a difficult obstacle to break through.
Wolf rushed through the doorway, diving behind a defunct tank near the room's entrance. He spoke into his wrist comms again. "Jamal…are there any other entrances into that hangar?" Laser blasts struck the tank he hid behind, sending sparks flying. Wolf kept his head down, bits of superheated metal landing on his bare skin. He brushed them off, ignoring the pain as best as he could.
"There are, but all of them have the same types of defenses erected. They've sealed off all ventilation ducts as well. We can't get in."
"But that also means they can't get out, so they're trapped. It's only a matter of time before we break in."
"How will we do that, Wolf?"
Good question. Wolf lowered his wrist comm, eyes narrowed as he observed the defensive barrier. Laying siege to the room could work, but that could take days or weeks. Sure, they'd defeated Star Fox earlier, but Wolf wouldn't be surprised if Fox reported the Retribution's location to Corneria. The CDF could be on their way right now.
Even as he was pondering that problem, Jamal presented him with another one. "Wolf! They have a ship in there!" The rhino shouted over the radio. "Our sensors are detecting its engines coming online! They're getting ready for take off!"
Panic seized Wolf, his heart racing as he eyed the metal barrier again. If they didn't find a way through it within the next couple minutes, it would all be over. What the hell would he do now? His eyes roved over the room, trying to formulate a plan in his head. But how could he think with hundreds of thousands of laser blasts flying over his head?!
Thunk.
Wolf turned to the side, spotting Ooveh opening a panel on the side of the tank they were hiding behind. The bear sat on his knees, poking around inside for something.
"What are you doing?"
"This tank… It's in relatively good shape." He gave a grin to Wolf, as his hands kept working with something inside. "I think I can get it running again."
Oh gods above… Wolf clasped his hands together, looking up at the ceiling. I apologize for not praying to you more.
He turned to Ooveh, laughing as he clapped him on the shoulder. "All right, do it then."
The bear fiddled around inside the compartment, playing around with a bolt or two, taking a piece out and swapping it into another place. Wolf chuckled to himself, imagining the look on Augustine's face when he saw a tank plowing right through the shooting gallery he set up. Well, that was assuming that canine had any emotions to show, that is...
"Okay." Ooveh slammed the tank engine's hatch shut, patting it closed. "Now I'm going to get inside. Cover me!"
Wolf peeked around the side of the tank, firing off scattershot blasts from his blaster. Several shots from the barrier answered, lasers ricocheting off the edge of the tank near his hand. He glanced upwards, seeing how Ooveh was doing. The bear didn't waste any time, as he'd already thrown open the hatch up top and squeezed inside. With how big of a guy he was, it wasn't an easy task. He dived in head first, but squirmed around with his muscular legs kicking in the air before he could slide in. A few seconds later, the tank started up with a satisfying rumble, the engine growling.
The turret on top rotated into firing position, Wolf hearing a clanking noise inside as Ooveh slammed home a shell. The lupine covered his ears. Ooveh fired the cannon. Wolf didn't so much hear as feel the shell detonate on the other side of the room, the entire warehouse shaking. A loud ringing sound pounded around inside his skull, as he swayed to his feet. Standing up and looking out from behind the tank, he saw the shell had shredded the steel barrier, the metal blasted apart from the inside into flower-like petals. He laughed, although he couldn't hear his own laughing at the moment.
Ooveh opened the hatch, holding out a hand to help Wolf climb aboard. Once Wolf settled into the driver's seat, the bear clapped him on the back in return, almost forcefully enough to send the lupine's head into the dashboard. Wolf didn't mind though, a toothy smile on his face as he looked through the driver's slit window. The smoke was clearing now, and he saw shadowy figures running down the hallway behind the destroyed barrier. It was them! The people who took the case from him! They'd been playing him like a fiddle all this time. Augustine, Giichi, Harry, Franco, and who knew how many others. Well, play time was over, and it was time to take back what he rightfully stole. The tank groaned as it moved from its resting position, rotating to face the open corridor. He spotted a handheld microphone nearby, noticing it was plugged into the tank's loudspeaker. Smiling, he flipped a switch, the speaker crackling as it came to life.
"Run them down!" Wolf shouted into the mic, his voice booming through the warehouse.
He slammed his foot on the accelerator, the vehicle pulling a wheelie as it surged forward across the concrete floor. The Star Wolf mercenaries roared in excitement, waving their weapons in the air like a barbarian horde as they ran behind him. The tank tossed aside what was left of the barricade like nothing was there, entering the passage beyond.
And then Wolf noticed a problem.
He slammed on the brakes, the tank lurching forwards as it halted. The excited shouts of his men died in their throats, stopping to mill behind him and wondering why they weren't moving forward anymore.
"What's wrong?" Ooveh poked his head down from his station in the turret.
"Umm..." Wolf pointed his finger through the driver's slit. "This tank. We're too wide to fit."
The lupine eyed the mysterious figures running through the passageway, towards the end of the corridor. There was the hangar. He could see their getaway ship from here. The case was right there! Wolf's fist clenched around the tank's steering wheel.
"Screw this! Hang on tight!" Wolf planted his foot on the accelerator, forcing the tank into the too-small corridor. The walls on either side collapsed as he drove through them, the tank smashing right through the concrete like it wasn't there. Wolf cackled, watching Augustine's friends looking behind them, falling over themselves as they hurried to escape.
"Look at them run!" Ooveh laughed and pointed. "Like tiny insekts!"
Wolf kept his foot planted to the floor, urging the tank onwards as far as it could go. Debris piled high on top of them as the passageway crumbled, the tank bearing the weight with little problem. All of the despair from before was gone, replaced by sheer glee. Wolf felt like a medieval warrior king riding into battle on a glorious, gilded chariot, crushing everything in his path while his army rode behind him, ready to cut down whoever he missed.
A red light blinked on the control panel, while a corresponding whining sound arose from the engine behind them. Wolf looked at the dashboard. It showed he was overworking the engine, pushing it far beyond the types of tolerances it was designed for. But he glanced back up, seeing the hangar was just a few more meters ahead. The enemy's getaway ship was right in front of him, revealing itself as a giant rectangular freighter. Its thrusters were glowing, a dark purple hue pulsing out of them.
"Keep going!" Wolf begged the tank. "Don't let me down now!"
The engine groaned in agony behind them as Wolf kept his foot down. The last couple meters were torture on the poor vehicle, but it slammed it straight through the doorway at the end, bringing them into the hangar proper at last. A loud hiss and pop sounded behind Wolf, the engine finally giving out as concrete blocks and torn steel rained down around them.
Ooveh let out a disappointed sigh. "Well, that's it for the panzer, boss."
"It was good enough." Wolf made his way up the ladder out of the tank.
As the hatch opened, bullets flew all around him, pinging off the metal. He slammed the hatch shut again, hearing the little plinks off the outside of the tank. Bullets, really? Augustine's whole crew used them? Here Wolf was, getting shot at by people using technology from centuries ago. Why didn't they use bows and arrows too while they were at it? The lupine snarled, wishing he could at least peek out.
Wolf moved back to his driver's station, looking through the slit window. At least they'd made it into the hangar now, with the freighter resting a stone's throw away. Unfortunately, Augustine's friends had constructed another barricade, this one made of shipping containers, shelving, and whatever else they'd found around the room. Several hostiles in dark body suits peeked out from behind the makeshift roadblock, firing at the tank with their small arms.
A loud humming sound droned over their heads. Wolf leaned forward to see what it was. Unlike a traditional docking bay, this hangar was shaped like a column, with bare rock walls extending upwards to the ceiling. A few hundred meters above, he saw it. A huge circular door was opening, exposing the stormy sky above. The ship would be gone out that door soon. Well, not if I have anything to do with it!
"Ooveh, is the gun still operative?"
"Ja!"
"Target their engines!" Wolf pointed. "We can't let them take off!"
The bear jumped back in the gunner's position, moving the turret's stick. While it groaned trying to turn underneath the weight of all the concrete and metal on top of it, at least it could still move. Ooveh moved the cannon into position, firing another shell. Another buzzing sound coursed through Wolf's ears, the spent shell ejecting to the floor with a loud clang. Wolf glanced out through the driver's slit to see the damage to the freighter. There wasn't any.
"Their shields are up!"
"Keep shooting!"
Ooveh reloaded the cannon with lightning speed, handling the heavy shells like they were footballs. But with every shot he made on the freighter, a blue shimmering shield blocked the shot, the shell uselessly exploding in midair.
Cries came up from behind the tank, the Star Wolf mercenaries running around the destroyed tank to join the battle. Soon Augustine's compatriots were forced to dive back behind cover again, the volume of Star Wolf mercs quickly becoming too intense to hold back.
"Keep trying with the cannon!" Wolf shouted to Ooveh, collecting his own blaster. "I'm going out to help them!"
Wolf clambered out of the tank, joining the shootout. The tank's cannon fired again, but this time some of the shrapnel managed to get through the freighter's shield, scarring the metal plating around the rear left quarter's shields. By this time the doors overhead fully opened, rain falling into the open docking bay and showering everyone inside. The ship's engines spooled up, the freighter lifting off the ground. Wolf opened fire with his laser rifle, firing everything he had, but the shield absorbed it all. His battery empty, he tossed it aside and slammed home another one, emptying another useless barrage into the ship's shields. God damn it! He wasn't going to fail now! Not after all this!
Others Star Wolf mercs fired their weapons at the shields, for all the good it did. Those shields were intended to protect against ship-mounted weapons, so their small arms were useless. Ooveh fired his tank cannon over and over again, but it was only doing minor damage to the ship's armor underneath. They didn't have enough firepower to take down that freighter before it could get away.
The freighter was now at the mouth of the hangar's entrance, about to make it into the open air… but a dark shape appeared over the exit. Wolf recognized the silhouette of one of his frigates, covering the hole and preventing the freighter from leaving. It opened fire with its laser batteries, the freighter's blue shield glowing in response to the incoming fire. However, that deflector shield wasn't going to last much longer, and the freighter had nowhere to go. Star Wolf had won at last. Wolf laughed, anticipating his massive paycheck...
Until the laughter died in his throat, that is. Red laser blasts struck the side of the frigate. The Star Wolf ship was taking fire from all sides now. Who the hell was doing that? Was the CDF here?
"Jamal!" Wolf roared, bringing up his wrist comm. "What's going on?!"
"The base's cliff guns…they've come online! They're firing on your ships! We have to pull back!"
"Don't do it! The freighter will get away!"
But the frigate moved out of the way regardless. Free now, the rectangular ship ascended up into the sky, becoming smaller and smaller by the second. It turned its nose up to the dark clouds. The ship's engine made a charging sound, rising in pitch to an ultrasonic whine. Oh the noise hurt! Wolf curled his ears back, blood dripping out of one of them. He kept firing his rifle, screaming through the sound and his squinted eyes. A bright flash of light filled his eye, forcing Wolf to cover it. Another mighty boom blasted his ear drums, as he was forced to the ground. When his hearing recovered, mayday cries came over the comms from the pilots in the air, the shockwave from the blast sending them all tumbling and flying through the air.
"The freighter's gone to warp!" Jamal cried out. "He did it in atmosphere!"
For a moment, the rain stopped, the shockwave having blasted the falling water up and away. But as Wolf rose to his feet again, it came back down in one giant splash, soaking him from head to toe. He didn't notice though, staring at the empty spot where the frigate was. So close. So goddamn close. He nearly had the case again! Wolf snarled. The lupine ran his hands over his ears, soothing the agony his ear drums had gone through. He wanted to hurt someone now. He didn't care who. Just someone. Anyone.
A bullet flashed past his face, the projectile tearing through the air and billowing his facial fur. He dived onto the wet concrete behind a shipping crate. Augustine's friends in the dark body suits were still there behind their barricade, having been left behind by the freighter. So...they wanted to give their lives to protect the case? Well, he'd be happy to make sure they did.
Wolf changed the channel on his wrist comm. "Ooveh...target their barrier."
~X~
Even as the rain beat down upon his war torn face, Shuro grinned, watching the empty sky where the freighter had been moments ago. They'd done it. He glanced at the tablet in his hands, monitoring the status of the cliff guns outside the base. Some of them were destroyed now, but they were still pumping out a steady volume of fire, forcing Star Wolf's aircraft away from the base. Hopefully it'd be enough of a smoke screen for the rest of Sentinel to escape.
More laser blasts struck the shipping container he was hiding behind, bringing him back to the present moment. Shuro rolled onto his feet, putting away the tablet. He held his rifle around the corner, spraying another magazine at the oncoming hordes of mercenaries. He didn't know if he was hitting anybody, but this was the best he could do right now. They had him pinned down far too good for anything but blind fire. The other Sentinel operatives fought with everything they had, Shuro hearing merc after merc cry out as he was mowed down. From the brief glimpses he was taking, they were killing three or four Star Wolf mercs for every one Sentinel member lost in return. But Wolf had far more bodies to spare than Shuro did. The reports of Sentinel's kinetic rifles were slowly being drowned out by the plasma and laser weaponry.
Shuro knew he was doomed, but he'd trained for this moment, spent his life preparing for it. His duty was to Thaljista even above himself, to make her a better place for future generations. That was what Razir Azer preached to them. Razir promised a future to everyone who fought under his banner, no matter their species. Shuro prayed the one life he gave today would be enough of a sacrifice to see the Free People of Azer's goals achieved, and that Thaljista would be at peace once again.
He reached for another magazine from the green metal box at his feet, but his hand touched nothing but the bottom of the container. The caracal looked inside. No bullets left, nothing but a pile of shell casings and empty banana mags sprinkled on the floor all around him. Shuro dropped the rifle, taking his pistol out of its holster.
A bright light blinded him. He didn't know much of what happened next. A loud ringing blotted out all other sounds, as he flew through the air. He stayed airborne for what seemed like a minute, before he crashed down to the concrete, the wind knocked out of him. The caracal tried to get back on his feet, only to scream out when he put weight on his left hand. When he touched it with his right hand, his finger went through a bloody hole in the center of his palm.
The bright light faded away, his vision coming back into focus. Shuro realized he was on the ground behind a container. He didn't know if it was the same one as before, but oh well. It was cover. His pistol laid on the concrete next to him. Crawling over, he grabbed the gun, sitting with his back against the corrugated metal of the giant box. Laser blasts struck the side of his cover, sending sparks everywhere.
He poked his pistol around the corner and emptied the mag, not knowing if he hit anything. The pistol clicked empty, the slide pulled back. Shuro thumbed the mag release, the empty magazine clattering to the floor. Since he only had one hand to use, he set the gun on the ground next to him, receiver pointed up. After fishing a fresh mag out of his pouch with his good hand, he slammed it home into the receiver, picking the gun up and thumbing the slide release to chamber the first round. Pressing himself against the container, he psyched himself up...but the shooting had stopped. Everything was quiet.
Shuro looked around, staring at the rest of the barricade they'd set up. The tank shell had ripped through it, leaving nothing but a black crater in the center. The corpses of his men lay scattered around haphazardly from the explosion, leaving him the only survivor. He shakily stood up, using the container behind him for support.
Rapid footsteps approached from behind. He turned around in time to come face to face with Wolf O'Donnell, the huge canine towering over him. Something punched into his gut, making him keel over. The caracal sunk to the floor, crumpling like a ragdoll. Shuro clutched at his chest when he hit the ground, the pistol slipping out of his grasp. His chest felt like it was on fire, but when he touched that spot it was wet. His fingers came away bloody. Wolf towered over him, holding a smoking blaster, fury in his eyes. The lupine leaned over him, giving him a punch right in the face. Stars blasted through Shuro's vision, his left eye swelling.
Wolf grabbed the bottom of the feline's muzzle, turning his head so they stared each other right in the eyes. Never in his life had Shuro seen so much hatred and anger in a man's face. The leader of Star Wolf didn't say anything, but he didn't have to. It wouldn't be a problem for Shuro for much longer though.
"You—" Shuro coughed, blood running out of his mouth. "You can do whatever you want to me. But you'll never get that case."
The caracal's head rolled backwards, eyes closed as a sigh escaped his mouth.
~X~
A/N: I would like to credit WingcommanderWhitewolf for coming up with the idea of Sentinel's freighter escaping by taking off in atmosphere. I think it's a much better idea than the one I originally wrote out for how the chapter would end. Also, Demo ODST helped with a couple bits of this chapter so thanks to him for that.
I was really looking forward to working on this part of this story, so I decided to work on Hazardous Contents this month instead of Love is Blind. Also, this chapter was originally going to be longer, but I thought 13K+ worth of text was pushing it for chapter length. So I decided to split this up into two chapters for better readability. The good news is this means most of Chapter 15 is already written, so that may be getting posted not too long after this chapter. This whole final battle for the end of Act 1 sure did end up going longer than I thought it would though…
I think I may try to finish off Act 1, and then I'll return to Love is Blind. We'll see.