Well, here it is. This chapter was inspired by some of the Star Fox Event Horizon levels, but I will elaborate on that at the end of the chapter.
(-)
(Meanwhile, with Fox)
The vulpine had been dashing at a breakneck pace to get to the treasure room of the fortress, and worrying Scales might find the Spelltstone before he arrived. After being instructed how to reach the treasure room, which wasn't too far from the Cloudrunner royal palace, Fox had run as fast as he could, dashing through the door and into the catacombs below the fortress.
When he made it inside, he almost did a double-take at sight before him. The room itself was made up of the same stone architecture as the rest of the fortress. Mountains of gold and treasure were simply lying around, stacked in a large pile, while other artifacts and treasures were placed on shelves and stands as if on display. Things from figurines to gold vases and coins, among countless other items, were being hoarded here. The treasures piles were pushed to the sides, and a path was marked ahead of him through the center of the room. The trail led to another exit at the other end of the room.
To anyone else, the sight of this treasure hoard would be very enticing; most anyone would have, at the very least, smuggled away a few gold coins or vases. Fox, however, did not even dream of doing such a thing; his father had raised him to be more honest than that. And he wasn't some pirate who took what he wanted.
That being said, he knew several people, even among his teammates, who would have a field day in here. Amongst his teammates, he knew Falco Lombardi would have, at the bare minimum, taken a few gold coins in his pockets and accepted whatever reward the queen offered him to boot. Old habits from his day as a gang member sometimes got the better of him. The members of Star Wolf, on the other hand, would have gone wild at the sight of this hoard. Fox could not help but laugh at the site of the Wolf O'donald practically bathing in the gold piles nearby; the man lived for such riches. To say nothing of what Pigma Dengar would be doing in a room like this.
A thought, however, occurred to him. If the Sharpclaw had made it down here and held the fortress for as long as they had, undoubtedly, they would not have wasted much time looting the treasure room. There was no telling how much gold the Sharpclaw would have loaded onto their ships by now or what they would do with the wealth, but then there was no time to think about that right now. Fox shoved the thought aside and preceded further into the chamber. As he got to the doorway, he did a double-take as he heard a fierce voice sound from just a bit ahead of him. He hid at the side of the entrance and glared when he saw the figures before him.
"Guards, get moving. I want that Spellstone on transport within the hour!" General Scales barked out two of his grunts, who were lugging the Spell Stone in the direction of the entranceway Fox was hiding in. The vulpine only needed a few seconds to scan his targets; about three grunts, each lightly armored and armed, in leather armor and wielding clubs. They had not been afforded the more high-tech equipment of their supervisors. Towering over them was their general, who seemed to be personally overseeing the retrieval of the Spellstone.
Within seconds, Fox jumped out of his hiding spot and, in a flash, had drawn his blaster and shot down the three grunts. As blood sprayed out of their wounds, the Spellstone dropped to the floor, near the bodies of its carriers. Scales could barely react before the vulpine shot him in the chest, hoping to end his rain of terror.
And yet, despite taking a laser shot head-on, he barely flinched.
Fox stood, baffled, for a second before refocusing. He could not help but wonder how the general was unaffected by blaster fire. Then he remembered what Randorn had told him about the Kamerian Belt the Sharpclaw leader wore. It granted him a personal shield, one made to counter magic or energy-based attacks; but to what extent it worked, Fox had not known. He also had to consider how Scales', well, scales appeared to be hardened far beyond that of a normal Sharpclaw, to the point it seemed as if even solid steel would have a hard time piercing his hide. Fox barely had any time to any time if it had been the Kamerain belt's shield, his scales, or a mixture of both that saved him from the shot before the general spoke.
"Aw, Fox Mccloud, I see you have escaped your confinement. I had hoped my men could handle the simple task of keeping you in a locked room, but I see they are always capable of finding new ways to disappoint me." Scales said in a disdainful tone.
"Good to see you too, general," Fox said sarcastically, keeping his pistol pointed at the tyrant. Think fast, he ran over to the Spellstone and kicked it further into the other chamber, just as Scales was attempting to dash it. Reacting quickly, Fox dodged a swipe from Scales' metallic claw and put distance between him and the tyrant. The tyrant just stood there for a few seconds as if planning out his next move.
Scales pondered his next course of action; he could simply ignore the vulpine, dash to the Spellstone, and then teleport away with it, thanks to his belt. Yet, at the same time, this vulpine had proven a significant thorn in his side and perhaps the most significant threat to his plans, besides Krystal. So far, his men's attempts to stop the vulpine had failed, and the general was beginning to doubt that the intel he sought from Fox was worth the effort of recapturing him. Scales realized that killing Fox here was within his best interest at this point.
"You know, I think I am getting tired of your antics." Scales said as he drew his sword.
"The feelings mutual," Fox replied in a smug tone.
"I have many pressing matters to attend to at the moment, and frankly: you're not worth my time. So let's make this quick." Scales said, gesturing to the vulpine with his sword, pointing it at Fox before twirling it briefly and moving into a ready position.
Knowing his pistol would be worthless here, Fox holstered it and grabbed his sword from his back. With luck, the shield wouldn't be useful against melee attacks.
Scales slowly walked towards the vulpine before attacking Fox with a massive slash from his sword. With that, he jumped back and took the defensive, knowing that a being of Scales' height and strength would have the advantage against a blind offensive. The vulpine attempted to block the attack with his blade but found himself unable to match the tyrant's massive strength. He blocked the attack, but his guard was broken, and he staggered back. Luckily for Fox, he had the reflexes to jump out of the way as the tyrant lunged at him, aiming a jab directly at Fox.
Switching gears, Fox dashed forward, moving from side to side to throw off Scales, and aimed a slash for his chest but found his attack blocked. Fox dodged it and flipped backward, trying to keep his distance from the tyrant. He jumped back again, and the two foes began to circle each other.
"Not bad, Fox. But you will have to do better than that." Scales said, taunting the vulpine. In a blink, he lunged forward and aimed another swiped at the vulpine. However, Fox was prepared; he buried his heels in the floor and reinforced his sword with both hands, allowing him to maintain his block with Scales. He managed to parry the general, and, as an opening made its elf apparent, he aimed a slash for Scales' midsection but found his attack blocked. The two clashed blades for about a few seconds. Having his prosthetic hand flee, Scales tried to slash Fox across the chest as he moved the todd's sword out of the way. Fox barely had enough time to react as he shoved himself away from the tyrant and attempted to jump back.
Too slow, however, as Scales's claw managed to graze the surface of his chest, tearing his flight suit and drawing blood.
"Oh, I bet that hurt." Scales said in a darkly sarcastic tone.
Fox groaned in pain but regained his bearing as he fought on. It was a shallow wound, and he had been trained to fight through pain worse than this. Channeling his surge of adrenaline from the pain, Fox dashed side to side, dodging the general's attempts to counter him. With his fast speed and reflex, he managed to slide under the general's massive legs, get back on his feet, and slash him across the back before kicking him away.
Scales groaned in pain briefly but didn't lose his balance too much. He spun around and faced the vulpine again, who had put a good few yards of distance between the two.
"Impressive, but it will take more than that." Scales retorted as he and Fox began circling each other again.
"Don't worry; I've gotten plenty of surprises," Fox said, scanning the general for any more vulnerabilities.
"As do I." Scales said as he pressed a button on his belt and suddenly went invisible.
Fox was briefly caught off guard but shook it off.
"So you have a few tricks up your sleeve," Fox murmured, readying himself for a ponytail attack. He did not have to wait long, however, as Scales attempted to slash the fox from behind, but Fox, having quick reflexes, jumped out of the way. In a flash, he used his free hand to draw his pistol and shoot at where the tyrant had been. Though the blasts had proven useless against the tyrant's barrier, the impact of the bolts against the tyrant caused the cloaking to briefly 'blink,' exposing Scales' outline for long enough for the vulpine to jump forward and attack him.
Scales, however, countered the attack and kicked Fox against a stone wall, causing Fox to lose his grip on his sword briefly. The todd recovered quickly and got back up, but Scales was standing only a few feet from him now.
"Had enough?" Scales sneered.
Fox gave a slight chuckle. "Oh please, I never do." He said before lunging at the tyrant again.
(-)
As she finished off another Sharpclaw, Krystal suddenly caught wind of a familiar set of emotions. Finding a respite from the fighting, as the Cloudrunenrs had nearly finished mopping up the Sharpclaw, she focused her telepathy and tried to identify it. It only took about three seconds for her to realize who it was.
"Fox!" She cried. In an instant, she dashed to the nearest Cloudrunner.
"We have to get to the treasure room; Fox and the Spellstone are in danger." She yelled.
The guard, taking a moment to process what the vixen had told him, nodded and began telling his fellow guards. He lowered himself for Krystal to board him.
"Get on!" He shouted. Krystal quickly complied. Within seconds they were airborne.
The two adversaries had continued fighting for some time, with Fox becoming exhausted. He had landed at least another slash across the tyrant's chest, but he knew he was reaching the end of his energy. Despite all the vulpine's training and skills, these Scales had proven an extremely formidable foe.
That didn't mean it was over yet, though.
Just as Scales was about to try an overhead slash, the vulpine sidestepped the massive Sharpclaw and attempted to slash at his legs. In a stunning display of awareness, Scales caught blocked the blow with his metallic arm, then used the curved end of his claw to disarm the vulpine of his sword, faster than the exhausted mercenary could react.
The tyrant smiled menacingly, knowing that the vulpine was now at his mercy. Fox's mind raced as he pondered what to do. This had been the most intensive fight he had been on since he arrived on Sauria; the battle against Galdon was the only battle that could have compared to this. The way this Sharpclaw before him moved and fought was unlike anyone else Fox knew; he had a particular strength and finesse that few other opponents Fox fought in the past had. At this point, the only option he had left was to run, seeing as he failed to break through Scales' defense. As he stepped back, he shot a glance to the exit. Scales stood directly in the way, as Fox had lost track of his position relative to the stone during the fight against Scales. Perhaps he could try to circle the tyrant? Before he could make up his mind, Scales' words broke his train of thought.
"You fought well, outworlder. It's been fun, but I think we're done here." Scales said as if about to stab the vulpine.
But just as he was about to attack, the tyrant was suddenly hit by something from behind. The tyrant grunted as he was pelted with several fire blasts from those of a Cloudrunner. The concentration of blasts was enough to break through his barrier, singing some of his scales slightly. Though the barrier could only withstand so much, his natural resistance to the fire meant' the blasts were only mild pain at best.
The duration, however, was enough for Fox to be able to run to safety. Looking up, he saw that Krystal had arrived with a group of Cloudrunners. The group comprised of about seven Cloudrunners, who were each taking battle stances around the tyrant. Krystal had her staff drawn and pointed at the general, while Fox unholstered his blaster and pointed it at the general as well.
"Thanks for the save," Fox muttered. Krystal nodded in response and turned her attention back to the tyrant.
"It's over Scales. Surrender." Krystal roared.
The general, however, merely laughed. "Oh, quite the opposite. You may have won this little battle, but I assure you our game is far from over." He said as he pressed something on his Kamerian belt and suddenly disappeared before the group's eyes as if disappearing.
The whole group stood there, dumbfounded. Fox scanned the room while Krystal tried to use her telepathy to search for the tyrant, but he was gone.
"It's no use; he's completely gone. I can't sense him anywhere." Krystal said a bit irritated the tyrant got away.
Fox stomped his foot. "Damnit! Almost had him." He stated. After a moment, however, he regained his calm composure and spoke to the vixen again. The fact that they might have just saved the fortress dawned on him.
"But… we got the Spellstone, right?" He said, gesturing to the stone, which the Cloudrunnres were beginning to pick up. Krystal smiled.
"And the guards topside have wiped out most of the remaining drones and Sharpclaw. I can sense it." She added. Her expression lit up. "Come on, let's get back to the queen." She said, gesturing for the rest of the group to follow her.
Fox retrieved his sword and walked to her side while some of the other Cloudrunners had taken to lugging the Spellstone out of the area. The Cloudrunners offered the foxes a ride, but the two declined, wanting to talk.
"Thank goodness you are alright, Fox. I was worried when we sent you down here alone. A little foolish, I might add." Krystal stated. Fox, to her surprise, didn't try to defend himself.
"Normally, I would say otherwise, but I think you have a point, Krystal. This guy was a cut above most of the other Sharpclaw we've fought. Even compared to other foes I've face hand to hand, he's fierce." Fox noted. " Wish you were with me when I fought him," Fox added, catching a slight blush on Krystal's face out of the corner of his eye. He decided not to press her, however.
"From now on, we should stick together, as a team. I know you can handle yourself, but I still worry. But there is one thing…" Krystal trailed off.
"What?'
"I didn't realize it before, but Scales was able to resist my telepathy. And father noted that he had enhanced strength and speed, well beyond what you might expect from someone on their own. I am starting to think Scales has a Krazoa spirit." Krystal explained.
Fox grew a worried look. "Damn. Well, it would explain his reflexes and speed during our fight. He's clearly in peak shape, but his finesse is unlike that of anyone else I've seen. But still, how did he gain positions of one? I thought it was only the 'pure of heart' who could act as a vessel for the spirits?" Fox inquired.
"Well, keep in mind that pure does not always mean good," Krystal replied solemnly.
"Fair point. But still, how could the Krazoa have allowed him to become a vessel; don't they care about the planet?" Fox pressed.
"I would assume so, yes. But it seems to me that anyone can take their tests unrestrained by morality. Perhaps the 'pure of heart' requirement is more of a requirement to be able to contain a Krazoa Spirit within your body, not a test of character." Krystal noted.
"Even if it means pure evil, it seems," Fox said sternly.
"We will look into this later; we must get back to the others. Also, we need to get that wound looked at, Fox." Krystal said, gesturing to his bloody back.
"Yeah, and that."
The two continued walking until they arrived outside. Walking back up the ramp, the group was greeted by another guard.
"Cain, good to see you are ok. What's the status of the battle?" Krystal asked the guard.
"Sharpclaw are in fall retreat. We've freed the rest of our guards and soldiers. The royal family has been taken to safety, as have the rest of the tribe." He reported.
"Good. As you can see, we've got the Spellstone. The only downside is Scales got away." Fox responded, still a bit bitter.
Cain shrugged. "At least we have our home back, and our loved ones are safe. Don't beat yourself up over something out of your control." He assured the fox." Now, come with; the royal family is waiting for you." Cain said. Fox, however, huffed.
"Sure, just give me a minute to catch my breath." He said, feeling the fatigue setting in.
Cain complied. The other guards flew off to inform the queen and to bring her the Spellstone. Fox and Krystal sat up against the stone wall for a minute, trying to catch their breath. Cain, meanwhile, perched next to them, tapping his foot in wait for them to be ready.
(Meanwhile, on the Sharpclaw held end of the fortress.)
The Sharpclaw were in a frenzy. General Scales had teleported away from his encounter with Fox and had ordered a tactical retreat, instructing every remaining soldier to return to the dropships.
He stood on a sky dock, with many soldiers reboarding ships. He was in the middle of addressing one of his remaining captains, as many of his other lieutenants and higher ranked Sharpclaw present at the fortress had been captured or killed.
"Sir, I take full responsibility for what happened here. Rest assured, I can ready a counter-attack soon." The captain, a large blue brute in gilded armor, spoke to the general. Suffice to say; Scales was not happy.
"How is it that, despite all our new weapons and our solid grip over the fortress, you and the other officers still failed to quash the rebellion? I gave each of you simply orders to follow; you were to maintain your positions across the fortress. But could you even do that?" Scales berated the captain. The captain stammered to come up with a defense, but he could not. To the captain's horror, Scales raise his good arm as if to hit the captain. But instead of hitting the captain, Scales pounded a nearby crate in anger, shattering it.
The captain stood in shock; he fully expected to receive a beating from Scales, given how even normally treats his subordinates. Though this was no act of kindness on the part of Scales, more likely than not, he had his reasons for not killing the captain for his failure.
"I am not even going to bother leaving you a scar; you know full well how I usually respond to failures." Scales said coldly. "Now, what of Revallos? Did he make it out?"
"No sir, some of my men saw his body in the plaza during the skirmish. We believe the Cloudrunner guard captain killed him." The blue Sharpclaw explained.
Scales rolled his eyes. "Whatever, he served his purpose anyways. It hardly matters. Now, I still have use for you, seeing as you are one of the only remaining officers I have left on hand here. Coordinate the retreat and ensure the rest of our men get to the transports. Don't leave any of the weapons behind; destroy what you can't carry. And make sure the treasure we made off with gets back to the base safely." Scales ordered.
"Yes, sir! But what about you?"
"Don't think I've given up that easily. I have a backup plan in motion." Scales said, turning towards one of the transports. "Let's just say I know more than a few ways to 'persuade' the Cloudrunners to submit." He said, a sinister smile forming on his face.
The captain didn't have to think long to figure out what he meant. He merely followed his orders and focused on the tasks laid out before him.
As Scales boarded the transport, he called to the pilot, as female yellow Sharpclaw.
"Contact the base in the Golden Planes, tell them to ready my personal ship and the rest of the available aircraft. We are going to raze the fortress into submission."
"Got it, sir."
And with that, the transport took off.
The pair of vulpines had made it to the royal perches, where the royal family was waiting for them. The five princes and princesses, including Kyte, were sitting atop golden perches around the central column, while the queen sat atop the main perch, just in front of her 'throne', which was where the Sharpcalw constructed the cage was. To her side, Kree sat at the ready. There was a perch made for him as well, higher up on the side of the wall, but he did not seem inclined to use it.
"Krystal, Fox, we are in your debt. Thanks to your efforts, Cloudrunner Fortress is now back under our control." Saffali spoke. " With Scales gone, my tribe can now start to rebuild their lives. I am forever in your debt." The queen said, bowing.
Fox and Krystal returned the gesture.
"And what's more, with the Spellstone back in our possession, the fortress can be returned to the surface, and the Sauria is one step closer to being whole again," Kree spoke up.
"Thank you, your highness. We are honored to have been of assistance." Fox spoke. He then casually stretched his arms. "Forgive me, but is it cool if we just take a break for a bit? It's been a long day." Fox said, to which Krystal glared lightly.
"Fox, this is royalty we are speaking to. You can't just-" Krystal began before Saffali raised her wing.
"It is quite alright. I understand the day has been long. Know that you are free to stay with my tribe for as long as you wish. It's the least we can do." Saffali stated.
"Thank you, your highness," Fox said.
"Mom, are we almost done here? It's getting a bit boring." The young prince, Ezra, spoke, much to his mother's chagrin.
"Yeah, can we go play now? I want to see if our friends are ok." One of the younger princesses, Riji, chimed in.
Krystal could have sworn she saw the queen roll her eyes just a bit before she spoke. "Riji, Ezra, what did I tell you about proper etiquette?" Saffali scoled the two. "Behave yourselves; we are talking to guests.
"Yes, mother." The two said in unison.
Kree and the vulpines laughed a bit. Krystal then spoke up. "It's quite alright, your highness. But, if it's fine, I would like to depart as well. I could use a respite." She added.
"Very well then. Enjoy our fortress to your heart's content." Safflali said, waving the vulpines off. Fox and Krystal walked off, wanting to take five after a long day of fighting. Whatever ceremony the queen had in store for them, if there was one, could wait in their minds.
Kree walked off to, having business to attend to with the other guards. That left the royal heirs and their mother.
"Mother, may we be excused to check on her, our friends?" Kyte asked as she and her brothers landed near their mother's perch.
Saffali smiled. "Of course, my dears. But first…" She began as she took her children in her wings and hugged them. "Know how much I love each of you; and how grateful I am that you are safe."
"We love you too, mom." Each sibling said, embracing their mother for a bit longer. After a few moments, they let go and flew off to check on the rest of their friends, who were likely returning to their homes. While they were at this, they would try to find where Tricky had ended up.
It had only been a few hours since Scales' transport made it back to the Golden Planes base, but the general wasted no time mobilizing his fleet. They had a few dozen craft by this point, though he did not yet have the exact number. It hardly mattered at the second, as he knew they had more than enough to bring the fortress to its knees. Scales had begun the final preparations for his personal craft.
Scales sat in the cockpit of his fighter, running diagnostics on the systems. Sure, he had not done any live tests yet, unlike his subordinates, but he had studied the weapon systems and controls of the ship intently. He had spent much time in the flight simulator in the hanger Drakor had shown them and had learned how to pilot this particular craft quickly. He was confident he could at least fly it.
Outside the cockpit window, he saw the rest of his pilots getting ready to launch.
"Better be worth the time and effort." He grumbled to himself. Finishing his preparations, he activated the commlink and saw that the communications between ships were online.
"This is General Scales. Officers, do you read me?"
"We read you, sir. All wings are good." A Sharpclaw captain said as his image appeared on the screen. He had ditched his armor for a leather tunic and metal helmet, as the clunkier armor would not fit in the cockpit of his craft.
Several other officers appeared on screen as well, signing in. After they were finished, Scales spoke.
"Good. Now, you know the formation. Flank me, but don't act unless I give the order. As a demonstration, we are to level a part of the fortress, but only as necessary; I am not trying to level it. We seek to force them into submission, and there is still much wealth hidden through the fortress. Only attack at my discretion." Scales ordered over the comms. " I am expecting resistance from the Star Fox team, however. If they show, focus your fire on them, any Cloudrunner soldiers who engage us are of little concern to our fighters. The Star Fox team are the only ones capable of posing a threat to us. Do I make myself clear?"
"Understood, sir!"
"Good, now stay information until we reach the fortress." Scales said as his ship began to take off, followed by about three dozen more. For fast craft like the ones they had, it would only be a matter of minutes before they got to the fortress.
"Enjoying yourself, Fox?" Krystal asked as she walked up to the sky dock and found her companion lying on his bag, like a pillow. Tricky had been playing with the royal siblings within the park around the Cloudrunner statue in another part of the fortress. Their guardians had left them there, knowing they would be fine. For now, the pair of foxes had gone about their methods of relaxation. Fox and Krystal had gotten Fox's wounds treated and had found Tricky playing with some Cloudrunner chicks.
As Krystal glanced around the area, it occurred to her that there weren't exactly many benches around, seeing as the Cloudrunner's had no use for them. Nearby, a few guards were stationed, monitoring for any more suspicious activity.
"Is that such a bad thing? It's been a long day." Fox responded in a playful tone.
"No, I suppose not." Krystal agreed.
"I am just glad we have seen the last of those-" Fox began before an incoming transmission interrupted him. He flipped on his PDA and booted up the comms to his earpiece.
"What's up, Slip?" Fox said in a casual tone.
"Fox, we've gone a problem. I've picked up a few dozen energy signatures, likely those of spacecraft, heading in the direction of the Cloudrunner Fortress!" Slippy's panicked voice sounded from the comms.
The moment he heard this, Fox shot up. He knew they had pissed off Scales, and the thought of what the tyrant might do to the Cloudrunner tribe in retaliation scared the fox.
"No! Slippy, tell Peppy of the situation and get to your Arwings, and have ROB move the Great Fox into the fortress' airspace; I am going to need the support. Hurry!"
"Got it, Fox!" Slippy said, hanging up. Immediately, Fox turned to the guards nearby.
"Guard, the fortress is about to get attacked by Sharpclaw ships; warn the rest of the tribe right now!" Fox screamed, to which the guard was confused.
"Wait, what? What is-" He stammered, but Fox pressed on.
"More of the ships that ambushed you are about to attack, and deadlier ones at that. We have no time, warn the queen and the rest of the tribe, and tell them to take shelter. My team and I will deal with this!"
"We can help-"
"These fighter crafts will rip your forces apart in seconds. Stop arguing and go!" Fox screamed, to which the guard finally considered and began warning his fellow guards. Within seconds, each guard in the doc was informed and fluttered off to warn the tribe.
This left Fox with Krystal.
"Krystal, the fortress is about to be attacked by Sharpclaw fighters; get the others to safety; my team and I will deal with this." He said, beginning to run in the direction of his Arwing. Krystal ran after him, however.
"Fox, let me help you. I have training in handling fighter craft," Krystal urged the mercenary, who stopped briefly.
"How much?
"A few months' worths; I know the basic maneuvers."
"Probably like our Arwings; they are specialized."
"I already read the controls from your mind."
"Muscle memory and lack of experience is still a thing. It's too dangerous to throw yourself out there."
"Fox, I can adapt quickly, and your team might now get here in time. Please let me-"
"Krystal! We have no time for this; we are the only things standing between this tribe and certain death right now. If I am not in the air within the next few minutes-"
"Then let me help you! You will need every pilot you can get out there, and I have been in a few dog fights before on my travels." Krystal pressed, knowing she could very well be needed in the air.
Fox hesitated for another second before sighing. He then opened his comms again.
"Slippy, one of the spare Arwings down to these coordinates." HE said, inputting coordinates for the sky docks.
"Why-"
"No time to explain. Just do it." Fox responded firmly.
"On it. Slippy out"
Fox then turned to Krystal. He could not believe he was doing this: letting a stranger fly one of his Arwings. Sure he had gotten to know Krystal well over the time on Sauria, but it would normally be considered idiotic to let someone just borrow one of his craft like this, let alone someone who had never flown in a dog fight before.
Regardless, Fox stilled doubted his decision. Then again, he needed all the help he could get, and Krystal claimed she had the basic flight maneuvers down. Her telepathy allowed her to tap into some of Fox's experience and learn the fighter's controls and such. On top of this, she claimed to have been in a few dog fights before, though likely with untrained pirates and such in her travels. It did not make her an expert, but it gave her a chance in this fight, at least.
"Alright, a fighter will be sent there in a second. It should be ready to go." He spoke as he put his hands on Krystal's shoulders. "But understand, I am only doing this because I trust you, and you claim to have the knowledge needed to handle the basics of a dog fight."
Krystal smirked. "I've had my share of dogfights while traveling planets, but that's another story. You can count on me, Fox." She assured him.
"I know that, but I still worry. Just promise me you will pull out of there if you find yourself in danger; I can't imagine what I would do if
I lost you." Fox said, to which Krystal raised an eyebrow at the last part. He sounded as if he were speaking to a lifelong friend, and she only read his mind enough to learn the controls, not pry into his feelings. She would prefer to ask him about this later rather than read his mind.
"Got it. Now go, I will be right behind you!" Krystal said; Fox nodded and ran off. Seconds later, an Arwing manifested on the sky docks.
Krystal wasted no time getting in the cockpit via the manual lift and getting inside of it. She studied the controls briefly, going over what she learned from her flights with Fox and what she learned from reading his mind. After about a minute, she felt she had it done.
"Let's see if I can pull his off." She muttered as she readied the takeoff. Nervously reaching for the throttle, her foot caught something on the floor. Giving in to curiosity, she reached for it and found some kind of magazine about felines, with a model on the cover. Krystal stared in amusement.
"I'll ask about this later." She affirmed as she tossed it behind her seat and resumed her reach for the throttle. Within a few seconds, she was up and flying.
(Onboard the Great Fox)
Peppy and Slippy were running through the rusted ship hallways towards the hangar. Peppy had been informed by Slippy of the situation and wasted no time getting out of the command deck. He had ordered ROB to run scans on the Arwings and ensure they were ready for flight while instructing Randorn to stay on the command deck.
Peppy, for his part, was almost out of breath as he made it to the hangar.
"Peppy, come on, they are counting on us!" Slippy urged through heavy breathes, readying his Arwing. Neither of the two was very athletic, seeing as Peppy was growing older and Slippy rarely went to the gym instead of working on the team's equipment.
"Running like that takes the wind out of ya at my age, Slip." Peppy grumbled as he pulled the ladder and got in one of the nearby Arwings. The team had about five craft leftover by this point, counting Fox's craft and the spare they sent down to the surface. Besides the ones Slippy and Peppy were using, there was one leftover from when Fara left the team, though it hadn't seen use in years. The craft Krystal was sent had been Miyu's, though the team had kept it in running order just in case it was needed.
As Peppy readied himself, he contacted ROB on his PDA.
"ROB, monitor the enemy craft and move in to assist as needed."
"Affirmative." The robotic voice called from over the comms. Peppy then called Slippy.
"Slippy, what's your status?"
"All clear." The toad responded.
"Good, now let's get a move on!"
Wasting no time, the two mercenaries began the launch sequence and were soon out and flying. They estimated it would only take a little while to reach the fortress at the velocity they were traveling at.
(Back at the fortress)
Fox had wasted no time getting to his Arwing and getting the ship off the ground. Within a few seconds, he was going airborne.
Circling the fortress, he scanned the radar for both Krystal and the Sharpclaw. No signs quite yet, but that could change within seconds. Knowing time was of the essence, he used his ship's comms to contact Krystal.
Switching the screen on, Krystal's image appeared on the screen within seconds.
"How are you holding up, Krystal?" Fox inquired, still a bit wary of the idea of letting her fly a ship. He knew she could handle herself, but he doubted his judgment on this case.
"Fine, I think I got it down. Lucky for us, I don't think their pilots are too skilled either, so we shouldn't have too much of a problem." Krystal responded, having deduced this from reading the minds of Sharpclaw, who went through the VR training at their base.
"Doesn't mean they aren't dangerous."
"Yes, but-" Krystal said before a beeping sound cut her off. At this, Fox and Krystal minimized their video calls and glanced down at the radars on their craft. Several red dots were heading their way.
"They're here. Krystal, take evasive maneuvers, get them from the back. I will draw their fire." Fox ordered, going off instinct from his time as team leader.
"Got it." Krystal complied, knowing he knew more than her about leadership and air duels such as this. She trusted his judgment and knew it would be in her best interest to follow the advice of an expert.
As the Sharpclaw aircraft came into view, they began to scatter in formations. Most of the craft present were black with orange highlights, with the bulk of the squad made up of t-shaped craft with three wings on a center mass, two curved ones to the side, and a single 'fin' on the bottom, with engines at the end of each wing, as well guns. Among the squadron, fox noted a few dropships taking part in the attack, each made up of a bulky frame (similar to the ship that dropped off Tricky in-game).
But what captured his attention was a ship at the front, likely the leader. It was a large ship with four vertical wings protruding from the center mass. Its hull was somewhat flat and had three guns protruding parallel to each other on the front of the hull. It was a dark grey, with orange marks across the wings, but the hull was somewhat rusty as if it had not been stored correctly.
Suddenly, both Fox and Krystal got a video call request incoming from their screens. Surprised, both accepted the call and were surprised to see the face of General Scales appear on the monitor.
"Scales!" Krystal hissed.
"Why yes, my little blue fox, it's me. Very perceptive." He remarked with dry sarcasm.
"You're done hurting this tribe, you bastard," Fox remarked.
"Oh, don't be so certain of that. I would be more worried about yourselves now." Scales retorted, to which Fox grew worried. What could this tyrant have up his sleeve?
"Now, let's see if your piloting skills hold up to your reputation." The general spoke on. "All ships, battle formations." The two vulpines heard as the video cut.
At this, Scales' ship broke from the formation, flanked by two allies. The rest of the squadron started departing into groups of five and began targeting different areas across the fortress. It was barely a few seconds later when one squadron began opening fire on one of the eastern fortress buildings, causing it to collapse in on itself. From her viewpoint. Krystal noted several Cloudrunners flying away from the rubble.
The vixen's blood boiled. "Not on my watch!" She growled as she changed course to intercept the squad before it went for another attack run.
"Fox, they're trying to raze the fortress!" Krystal told him from the video chat as Fox began a path to intercept another squadron.
"I recognize the design of their ships, their using Venomian tech! They're fast but lack a shield, as these fighters were meant to be mass-produced. Try to take them from behind; the Arwing should have the firepower to handle them!" Fox shouted as he diverted his focus to an incoming squad of fighters. Not missing a beat, he lined up his shots and opened fire on the squad, down three of the five as the other two tried returning fire. Fox's shield absorbed most of the blows as the reaming two broke off and tried to get behind the todd.
In remembering his training, Fox drew the fighters back out into the open air, away from the fortress. The two Sharpclaw craft attempted to shoot the vulpine down, but he managed to loop his ship and positioned himself behind them before opening fire and destroying the Sharpcalw. Fox flew off to intercept another squad, seeing the damaged ships fall out of the sky in flames.
Krystal, meanwhile, was having some trouble. She managed to get behind the squad as it was coming in for another attack run. After some trouble, she lined up her shots on the monitor and downed at least one while landing a shot on another craft. This, however, would bite her; the squadron diverted their attention to the vixen and maneuvered their craft to tail her from behind.
Not having the same experience Fox did, Krystal opted to increase velocity and maneuver underneath the fortress, hoping to lose the Sharpclaw there. Spring into avoiding the attacks, she dodged most of the laser baggage, but a few hits landed on her ship. She felt the craft shake as she glanced at the shields and saw they were dropping.
"Damnit." She muttered. She used her telepathy to predict their next move. Thinking fast, she dove down further and performed a U-turn, catching the tailing fighters off guard. Unable to react fast enough, at least two more of the enemy fighters were destroyed, while the remaining two scattered, likely trying to regroup with other Sharpclaw squadrons. The cobalt vixen briefed a sigh of relief, hoping this would by sometime for the other members of the Star Fox team to arrive.
Scales was keeping his distance at the moment, monitoring the foxes' movements. He was looking for an opportunity to intercept Mccloud, and one such opportunity had just presented itself.
He saw on his radar that Fox was tailing behind another one of the Sharpclaw bombing squads, heading in Scales' direction. Seeing his chance, he pressed a button on his console, and his ship went invisible. Before pursuing, he sent an order to his wingmen.
"Send another squadron after the Cerinian, then divert any other available craft towards bombarding the fortress. I'll deal with McCloud." Scales growled.
"On it, sir!" A Sharpclaw pilot responded over the comms.
Fox had just shot down another enemy craft when he suddenly felt his craft shake a bit. Glancing at the monitor, he noted his shields had taken a hit. Frantically, he scanned the radar but found signs of a craft behind him. The laser barrage going on out his window would beg to differ.
Thinking fast, Fox pivoted to the right, performing a role. He scanned the environment around him but couldn't find anything.
"Bastard must be using a stealth craft." He muttered to himself. Taking evasive maneuvers, he looked back and tried to get a bead on Scales' ship, trying to figure out where he went. Testing each of his ships' instruments, he was unable to locate any sign of the enemy fighter.
Damnit." Fox muttered. He figured the only way he could find this craft was to predict its flight patterns from its next round of attacks or wait for it. The cloaking devices on most ships could only sustain themselves for so long, while weapons and shields were in use. Eventually, Scales would have to become visible again. Knowing this, Fox stirred his ship to intercept the other Sharpclaw squadrons.
Krystal was hot on the tail of a stray Sharpclaw fighter craft, hoping to intercept it. She read the pilots' mind and predicted how he would try to roll to the side. Anticipating this, she aimed in that direction as the Sharpclaw pilot attempted to do so and distorted his fighter craft.
No sooner had she done this, about ten more fighters appeared on her radar. Before Krystal could even react, she saw the target-locked alert flash on her console.
"Crap," She thought as she scrambled to evade the laser barrage of an incoming fighter. She tried spinning and turning, but she had next to no preparation on how to counter one of these. Hitting the thrusters, she was going to try and perform a U-turn, but before she could, the fighter exploded.
"Need some help, miss?" An old rabbit's voice rang as he appeared on the Arwing's video feed. Krystal nearly gasped in surprise but was quickly able to deduce who this must be.
"You ok?" Peppy asked the vixen.
"Yes, thanks for the assistance," Krystal responded politely. She checked her radar for the other Sharpclaw fighters but saw they had broken off her pursuit and engaged other fighters. She quickly deduced who it might be.
"Slippy and I will keep these guy's busy; see if you can pick off the squadrons razing the fortress. We'll talk more later." Peppy said.
"On it," Krystal said, changing course to intercept another Sharpclaw squadron.
Slippy and Peppy, meanwhile, were engaging the Sharpclaw fighters. Slippy managed to down at least two of them before a pair ended up on his tail. Thankfully, he had learned from experience how to deal with such a situation and maneuvered to throw off their targeting and take them by surprise.
Peppy, meanwhile, was having no problem dealing with any of the five incoming craft trying to get him from the front. Having been at this for decades, these amateurs were no match for his knowledge and piloting skills. He performed an Aileron Roll while targeting the incoming craft with his weapon's systems. The second he completed the roll, his target found their markets, and he launched the Arwings's missiles, destroying the majority of the incoming craft. Only one was left, and Peppy was able to turn his craft and give chase, knowing it would not take long to finish off the sole remaining enemy.
Finding his marks, he gunned down the enemy fighter, sending it spiraling out of the sky. Satisfied with himself, he changed course to assist Slippy.
As he had predicted, Scales' ship finally became visible again. The tyrant was relentless in his pursuit, firing off a barrage of lasers in the vulpine's direction. Thinking quick, the vulpine looped back around and took the tyrant by surprise. He opened fire on the ship, damaging the shield. After some sustained fire, the shield briefly dropped, and he landed a hit on the hull, causing the ship to shake. Despite the damage, the ship didn't seem in bad shape, as the hull and armor were likely reinforced.
However, Scales' ship quickly increased speed within seconds and dove down, trying to throw off the Arwing's targeting. The ship didn't resume cloaking, but Fox saw that the shields were going back on through his ship's monitors. Scales must have been cycling the power to focus on the shields.
Noting this, Fox maintained pursuit.
Krystal was hot on the tail of a group of Sharpclaw crafts, which consisted of the tri-fighters and some troop transports. Using her telepathy, the vixen saw that they intended to retake the fortress; through any means necessary. Onboard the transports were batches of explosives, likely going to be used on the Cloudrunners' barracks and homes. Krystal sensed that this was another scare tactic by Scales; the deaths of a significant number of their citizens would demoralize the tribe and force the queen to submit.
As if to prove an example of what they would do, the fighters opened fire on and destroyed another building, scattering the nearby Cloudrunners. The fighters moved in to intercept them.
Fury taking ahold of her, the vixen doubled her speed and locked onto the crafts, opening fire and taking them down. Seeing the present Cloudrunners were no longer in danger, she shifted her focus to the transports, which lacked any kind of shield, seeing as their hulls were armored. When her lasers did nothing, she locked on with missiles and found their marks.
Two of the three present transports were blown to pieces within seconds, causing the remaining one to retreat. The remaining fighters attempted to change course and intercept Krystal, but she was confident she could take them.
Fox's duel with Scales was raging on. The tyrant had taken all sorts of unorthodox maneuvers, throwing off the todd's aim. At one point, he found an opportunity and managed to do a u-turn and land a few hits on the Arwing, damaging the shield.
Fox's craft shook a bit as the shield ate the shots. He could only keep this up for so long; Scales' ship proved able to tank most hits, but it was not invincible.
Fox maneuvered his craft to get behind the tyrant and found his lock. At this, he opened fire and kept up his barrage of lasers. Even as Scales attempted to maneuver, Fox was one step ahead of him, having figured out his flight patterns. Fox had worn the shields down and launched a missile, which quickly hit the tyrants' ship.
Before he could finish the tyrant off, however, the enemy's craft vanished. Fox figured that Scales would try to flee, seeing as his craft was damaged. It could likely still fly for the time being, but not for too much longer.
Fox banged his hand on the console of the fighter. "Bastard got away, again." He grumbled. On his radar, he could see that the rest of the Sharpclaw craft were beginning to disperse, the rest likely having been destroyed by his teammates. When they arrived, Slippy and Peppy had checked in on the team comms and were instructed by Fox to handle the other fighter squadrons. He guessed that Scales would be limping home, and a video call a few seconds later confirmed that.
Fox frowned as the tyrant's face appeared on the screen. "So you live up to your reputation, I see." Scales stated sternly.
"I've dealt with far worse than you before. This was nothing." Fox retorted.
Scales ignored this and spoke on. "You may have delayed the Cloudrunner's defeat for now, but I assure you this war is not over yet. Watch your step from here on, Fox." Scales taunted ominously. Without that, he cut the video feed.
Fox sighed, knowing relieved the attack was dealt with but knowing the tyrant was far from defeated. He opted to call the rest of his team and check in on them.
"All craft, what's your status?" Fox inquired.
"The whole team, including Krystal, appeared on the video feed on the ship's monitor.
"All good, the Sharpclaw are in retreat."
"Scratch another body," Slippy stated as an explosion sounded in the background of his feed.
"All clear on my end. A bit shook, but I think I am fine." Krystal said, noting the turbulence of her experience. If these Sharpclaw pilots had more experience and skill, she knew she would have had more trouble. It's lucky she had been taught a few basic maneuvers and could predict their attacks using her telepathy. She realized she may have been a bit overconfident in her abilities as a fighter pilot.
"Note to self: invest in more flight training. Nearly bit off more than I could chew with this one." The vixen thought to herself.
"Alright, well, let's head back to the fortress; I think there should be some more landing zones on the sky docks," Fox stated.
"Agreed, it's time we get better acquainted," Peppy said, reflecting Krystal's involvement in the dog fight.
"Agreed. I look forward to meeting you all in person." Krystal said to Slippy and Peppy.
The team each made their way for a landing zone as the Great Fox came into view of the airspace. Though it had not been needed, Fox still felt the sight of a ship like this would deter any further attacks.
"Sir, I take full responsibility. for our failure here." One of the Sharpcalw flight captains said over the comms. "I will-"
"Shut it." Scales silenced the captain, tired of his excuses. "Give me a status report; what made it out of the attack?"
The captain gulped before replying. "About half of the fighters were lost, sir. Only about three troop transports made it back." The captain responded.
Scales frowned. The attack on the fortress had proven a failure, in most regards. The loss of troops and equipment was considerable, as was losing so many aircraft. Revallos' death meant little, as he had expended his use to the general anyways. Scales was about to scold the captain before he stopped and thought. Though they did not get it all, the Sharpclaw tribe had made off with a fair amount of gold and treasure from the Cloudrunners. And they still had many other Sharpclaw who went through the VR training to pilot the spacecraft.
Scales grinned as a plan formed in his head. He turned his attention back to the video on the monitor, where his captain awaited a response.
"Captain, make sure the troops ready the long-range communication at the base."
The captain looked confused. "Sir?"
"It's clear to me that we underestimated the Star Fox team. The craft we have to give us an advantage over every other tribe on this world, even the Cloudrunners. But it will take more than this to deal with pilots of Star Fox's caliber." Scales explained. "It's time to, shall I say, make an investment." Scales finished
"What of the equipment we lost? And the troops who were captured?" Asked the captain.
"We will have to cut our losses. If the prisoners are still present, we will free them when we retake the fortress later. But there is still the matter of your punishment for your failures at the fortress." Scales said in a menacing tone. For a few solid seconds, the captain waited in horror to hear what it would be.
"Normally, I would maim you personally for your inability to carry out your orders; however, I am feeling especially generous today." Scales said in a faux polite tone. "One more chance is all you get; you are to regroup with the other officers at the base and await further orders."
"Understood, sir!" The captain said, signing off. He briefed a sigh of relief the second the comm chat was over.
With that, Scales continued to fly his damaged craft back towards the Golden Plains base. In his mind, this was nothing more than a setback. At the very least, he had made off with some gold and sent a message to the Cloudrunners of how outmatched they were in this war.
He would simply have to adjust his plans a bit. Though he underestimated the Star Fox's teams abilities once, the tyrant would make sure it would not happen again.
Author's Notes:
I swear, I am not trying to make this like Star Wars, but some of the Jedi Fallen order dialogue was echoing in my head as I wrote this. I had to put some of it in.
Anyways, the dog fight part was inspired by a session I had while playing Star Fox Event Horizon in the Cloudrunner Fortress WIP mission. I loved the idea of the Sharpclaw having a fleet of starships since it makes Adventures feel more a part of the Star Fox universe instead of being a black sheep of the franchise. The game is by Undying Nephilim; I highly recommend downloading and playing it. It's a fantastic game and fills that itch that the lack of good Star Fox games in recent years has left. The work Nephilim did on Event Horizon is nothing short of impressive. The idea for Scales' ship in this chapter was also based on his ship in Event Horizon, namely the stealth capabilities.
As for the female Sharpclaw showing up when I never mentioned any of them before, I figured it is more realistic than they are around. (Yes, I know that's a bit too convenient, but just roll with it. I just forgot to insert a mention of them before this.) As for why none were encountered until this point in the story, just assume they were present in the scene but not specifically noted.
As for Krystal taking part in the dog fight, I am aware it's a bit weird that she would be able to do that, but I wanted to keep that scene in the story. I hope I portrayed it at least halfway plausibly; I don't want to make her mary-sue.