Disclaimer: Bucky 'O Hare created by Larry Hama, Star Fox is copyright Nintendo.
"Aparoid?" Fox asked, but he would receive no answer as the creature lifted its thorax up and pointed it at the arwings. There was a glowing red gem at the end of it, and the bottom third of the thorax glowed a bright red and yellow, like magma. Then, something like magma erupted out of the end of the thorax. Had not the Star Fox team reacted quick enough, they would have been turned to slag as the ground beneath them turned to lava as the molten liquid touched it. The fighters turned to face the Aparoid, and it fired its magma beam again. However, Krystal noticed something, "Fox, ai for the open spot on its head!" she told him. "What?" Fox responded confused. Krystal elaborated, "Every time that thing attacks, it opens a vulnerable spot on its head! Aim for that!" Understanding what she meant, Fox responded, "Got it! Cover me!" she said as he flew toward the creature. "On it!" Falco replied as he aimed for one of the orbs with his twin lasers, turning the orb into a fireball. Slippy and Krystal got the idea and followed suit, while Fox aimed at the pink sphere that opened in the abdomen, right where it met the head. The vulpine let loose a hail of green laser fire at it, making cracks appear on its surface. Then, he delivered the coup 'de grace', delivering a nova bomb right at the orb. It shattered as the explosion detonated, sending the Aparoid fluttering to the ground as miniature explosions wracked its body. It crashed on the ground, its wings ceased beating as smoke rose from its corpse.
"Yeah, we got it!" Falco cheered. "But, what a strange creature…" Fox said, almost under his breath, then he saw something that caught his eye, as did Peppy. It was a cubed shape, nestled within the shattered sphere. It looked like a DNA strand that was twisted into a cube, colored blue and yellow, "Hey, what's that?" Fox asked. "I don't believe it. Fox, you must get that!" Peppy said urgently. "Really? Well, okay." Fox landed his arwing next to the Aparoid corpse and climbed out. As he climbed atop the body, he reached the shattered sphere and took the cubed-shaped thing from its nest. He looked at it, feeling the thing in his paw, it felt warm and tingly to the touch, as if it were alive with electricity.
That's when Falco's voice rang over the comm system, "Uh guys, I think we got company." he said, looking up. Just above them, a whole swarm of Aparoids was closing in, looking just like the one that the team just defeated. "Fox, you have to get out of there, now!" Peppy ordered. "Right!" Fox said just as he made his way off the corpse, he was mere meters from the arwing when it exploded into metal fragments and flames. Fox was blown back from the force of the explosion, landing on his back.
"Fox, are you all right?" Krystal asked, worry clear in her voice. He sat up, seeing the molten spot where the arwing once was, "I'm fine, Krystal. Just a little shaken up, that's all." "Oh, thank the goddess," Krystal replied, "Stay there, I'll be right down." she said. Fox was about to reply, and saw a shadow fall over him, he looked up and saw the Aparoid descend and land on the ground on its six segmented legs. It crawled up to him, and reared up on its two rear legs, its wings folded behind it as it threatened to crush him with its immense weight. "FOX!" Krystal shouted when she saw the Aparoid rear up over Fox. He looked up at the arwing that was speeding towards him, knowing it won't make it on time. He closed his eyes, one name going through his mind, "Krystal…".
Then, he thought he saw a light through his eyelids and opened them slightly. He looked above the Aparoid as it was about to land on top of him and saw the source of the light. A blinding bolt of plasma enveloped the Aparoid, resulting in a final shriek of horror before turning into ashes before his eyes. From behind the carcass, the distinctive shape of an Arwing flew closer, peppering the other Aparoids in a relentless flurry of plasma bolts and fire.
"Who is that!" Fox cried out loud as he looked toward his savior. "It looks like Peppy's old bird, but that can't be!" muttered Falco as he looked on. On the ground Fox heard a familiar whooshing sound and turned to see Krystal's arwing land near him. He ran over to it, and as soon as the cockpit opened, he climbed in behind Krystal. They saw as the mysterious pilot begun blasting through the swarm and managing to fire a missile at the center, making a hole right through the middle. Seeing this as the perfect oportunaty to get out of there, team Star Fox headed towards the opening before it could beging to close up. Flying as hard as the arwings would allow, the Star Fox team sped through the hole just as it closed right behind them. They the turned oround and saw the immense mass of insect-like aliens proceed to the surface of the planet, totally ignoring them. Taking advantage of this small moment of levity, Peppy's Arwing got close and open communications with the group. But the voice that greeted them was not the old hare, but their new friend O'Hare! "Are you guys all right!" he said from the cockpit, only to be greeted by the shocked tone of his new acquaintances. "BUCKY! What are you doing there? Since when could you fly an Arwing? What is going on here?" they all asked in confusion. Bucky simply sighed and laughed before recounting the events of the battle above.
Earlier above Fortuna, the remains of Oikonny's army and the Cornarian fleet are ducking it out, with assistance from a recently arrived Commander Dogstar. The combined efforts of the defending ships are pushing back the aggressors, victory seems near. Despite this, aboard the Great Fox, Captain Bucky O'Hare can't shake the feeling of something being amiss.
"Something doesn't feel right." He mumbles to himself before turning to the senior officer. "Peppy, do we have any other aircraft on board, I just can't shake the feeling that I should be out there, helping in the fight!" he asks the other hare anxiously. Sensing the tension of her fellow captain, Mimi decides to intervene, "Bucky, I don't like sitting on the sidelines any more than you do, but there's nothing we can do except have fate in our fellow officers, I'm sure Commander Dogstar can handle this." She tells him comfortably. "It's not about that Mimi, there's something out there we're not seeing. The toads didn't come here just to join forces with some wannabe dictator, there her looking for something, I just know it!" he says with certainty. Having been listening, Peppy could help but agree, he may not know the toads like his fellow hare did but from what he had learned something seemed odd. Plus, it never hurts to have more fighters in a battle, especially one of this size. Having made up his mind he turns to Bucky with a pensive look on his face and tells him, "Well sonny, there is my old Arwing on board, I decided to leave it in storage after I retired from fighter duty, decided Krystal needed a new bird to fly! I would mind leading you to take her for a flight, but you'll need someone to teach you to fly it, and I'm a little preoccupied with things here in the control room, but perhaps your droid friend could be of use." Peppy says as he jesters toward Blinky. Looking up at him, the Android First Class can't help but be shocked, "Me, it would be an honor sir, with your permission I shall download a copy of the flight manual for such a craft" he tells the senior officer proudly. "Of course Blinky, ROB will help you out with that!" he says before turning back to Bucky, "So what do you say Captain O'Hare, ready to get out there!" Bucky responds with an eager smirk before saluting, "Sir, yes, sir!"
Meanwhile on the Toad Mothership, Toadborg, and the Air Marshall are gaining their bearings after their final attack. "Give me a status report, now!" Toadborg bellows as he regains his footing. "Sir, the engines are down! We have to evacuate immediately." Cries out one of the officers on the bridge. "Can we still fire!" was Toadborg's response, unwilling to surrender without a last laugh. "Sir! We…" he began before Toadborg intervened again, "CAN WE STILL FIRE!" the cyborg toad cried out once more. "Yes, sir. We'll fire at your command." Said the officer with a gulp. "Excellent, fire for every escape pod we launched, and trooper," he begins as he turns to leave the flaming vessel, "the empire thanks you for your sacrifice." Toadborg finishes as he leaves. "Wait for meeee!" the Air Marshall cries as he runs after him. With a heavy sight, the trooper prepares to fire, a single shot for every lifeboat that's launched, bolts flying wildly across to battlefield as he accepts his fate, but before it was over, something caught his eye. An unknown signal approached rapidly, an entire fleet worth, all making their way towards them!
Back on the Great Fox, inside the hangar, Bucky prepared for his first flight. Aboard the cockpit of the Arwing, he went over the controls, admiring the intricacies of the craft. According to Blinky, the Arwing is a personal super-high-performance combat spacecraft used by members of the Star Fox Team. Developed by Space Dynamics Co., Ltd., the Arwing is equipped with the revolutionary G-Diffuser system, an anti-gravity device that allows the pilot to accelerate or decelerate instantaneously and perform a wide variety of high-performance combat maneuvers. By executing an aileron or barrel roll, the Arwing can also generate an electromagnetic shield that will deflect most optically based weapons, such as laser beams. The particular models the Star Fox Team uses are much different from any production versions as they have been extensively modified with improved armor and advanced weapon systems, such as Hyper Laser Homing Bolts and Smart Bombs. An impressive layout for any spacecraft to have. He had rapidly memorized as much as he could about its operating systems, he was in the process of carrying out the final checkups before the hanger started to shake.
"Woah! What's going on out there!" Bucky cried as he was shocked side to side by the impact. "Look like I don't have time for checkups, I'm going out!" he called back as he began taking off into the battlefield. As soon as he had made it out of the hangar, he saw what had hit them, the very same mothership that had tried to ram them earlier, its engines still burning from the earlier attack. He could tell it didn't have much time left, but still, he made his way over to it just to make sure. Doing a flyby, he began peppering the craft with blaster fire, surprised at how powerful it was despite its size. The speed was also nothing to scoff at, rapidly moving away from the doomed ship and making his way towards the still active warzone. Surveying the damage, he was surprised at what he saw, or more importantly what he didn't. The lizard ships were nowhere in sight, he wasn't sure if they had retreated or if they were hiding, he had to keep an eye out for them. Keeping this in mind, he continued firing upon the remaining toad ships, Double Bubbles proving no match for the Arwing. The G-diffusers did prove a challenge to operate, but he was a fast learner. Seeing a swarm of Bubblers heading for the Indefatigable, he quickly made his way to intersect. Firing a barrage of missiles, space erupted into a blinding display of explosions as dozens of ships met their end. Making his way over to the frigate, he opened channels before saying, "Commander Dogstar, need a hand." "Bucky my good boy! That was some excellent flying you did out there, we would love some help kicking these creeps to the curve! " Dogstar replied to his friend, happy to be talking to him again. "Well said Commander, I'll cover your six!" Bucky replied as he prepared to assist his fellow S.P.A.C.E. officer. "Excellent, and while you're out here, maybe you could help us get caught up with what's been happening since you left." he told him, Bucky responding with a smile before answering, "It will be my pleasure, Commander."
Back on the toad fleet, Toadborg and the Air Marshall had safely made it aboard a smaller Toad Slave ship. The terrible duo quickly surveyed the damage done to their fleet. "Look at this mess, we were short on ships before, but now! I just don't know how we'll pull this off!" the Air Marshall said, his voice a mix of indignation, fear, and sorrow. Toadborg retain a more stoic expression as he looked upon the carnage before him, his mechanical mind thinking of a way to salvage this battle, "Where is Oikonny?" he demanded from one of the officers aboard the ship. "He… he's still on the planet sir. But his army is still on our side!" he answers fearfully. "And Sly Leezard? He asked. "We'll contact them immediately sir!" the officer said as he quickly made his way towards a terminal, after fidgeting with the controls for a bit he managed to contact the ronin. Turning towards the small screen Toadborg spoke," Sly, where are your fleets? We need to regroup immediately!" he shook at his apparent ally. "Part of being a great samurai is knowing when to retreat. We have lost the element of surprise and we lack the manpower for a prolonged siege! Besides, we were promised a conquest, not a mere assault!" he informed the cyborg before him, "We have already retreaded towards Venom, and I suggest you do the same!" he said before cutting communications. After thinking of the situation at hand, Toadborg turns to his subordinates and said, "Regroup with the others, we will not retreat until we are truly beaten! We will teach these puny mammals to fear the Toad Empire!" he bellowed before he was interrupted by an officer. "Sir, we have an unknown approaching at high speeds, it's heading straight for the planet!"' he said urgently as from afar a bright light rushed past them.
As the object got closer, sensors began to go wild, alerting all to the mysterious being nearing them. As it passed by Bucky, the sensors on his ship began going wild, shocking the hare, "What was that!" he cries to himself as he regains control. "Bucky! Are you all right, we are getting messages from the Cornerian fleet, it appears that…" Dogstar began before his ship was under fire, the toads had taken advantage of the confusion to regroup and counterattack. Taking cover behind the nimbler Venomian craft, they provided the firepower to the remaining fleet, making enough damage for the small craft to get in close. "Looks like that message is going to have to wait, LETS CROAK SOE TOADS!" Bucky cried out as he flew toward the enemy ships, managing to perform perfect rolls as he dodged the incoming firepower. His model may have been older, but it still packed a punch! He continued playing defense for Indefatigable and the Cornerian fleet, weaving through the remaining Double Bubbles with little problem, but he wouldn't enjoy this superiority for much longer. The venomian forces soon lay on him, trying desperately to take him down. Now on the backpedal, he tried to shake them off to no avail, the craft matching him in speed. Suddenly his radio came to life, "Bucky come in. Quickly, you need to do a barrel roll now!" the voice of Peppy demanded from the other side. "What?!" Bucky replied in confusion. "Spin the craft at a full 360°, it will activate the shields." Peppy explained, taking the elder hare's advice, Bucky did as he was told. As he spun around a faint blue shield began to deflect the enemy blast, giving him enough time to swoop behind them and fire back, blowing the ship apart. From inside the control room, the crew blew a sigh of relief, before Mimi decided to comment, "Is that an Aileron roll do?" Peppy just chuckled and said, "Maybe in your world sunny!" as he continued to laugh. Pudding his serious face back on, Peppy turned towards the console and says, "Bucky, you need to get out of there fast, the team just found something down there, and it's bad!" he informed the newcomer with urgency. "What is it Peppy?" Bucky asked perplexed and worried. "Aparoids, and I doubt it's alone." He responded firmly. And as in on cue, before Bucky could ask what exactly they were, a massive swarm of robot-like bugs descended across the battlefields. They laid siege to all they could get their claws on, destroying without a second thought. The vacuum of space became littered with smoke and debris as dozens of craft were destroyed. Noticing that the Cornerian ships were starting to retreat, Bucky wasted no time and contacted his friend, "Commander! Follow the Cornerian fleet, this is an all-out retreat!" he informed them. The reply came fast, "Understood Captain O'Hare, we received similar warnings already. Will you be coming with us?" Dogstar asked a strange air of professionalism in his voice. "I must join my team out there, but don't worry we'll rendezvous soon! Now go!" he said urgently. "Understood. Good luck out there." Was all he said as the frigate began to leave. Turning around, Bucky made a beeline straight toward Fortuna, determined to help his new friends out.
Back with the toads, chaos had spread among the fleet as their allies were being destroyed in rapid succession. Turning towards his more imposing superior, the Air Marshall began to speak, "Does this look like an appropriated time to retreat now!" he bellowed at the cyborg. "We should have left when we had the chance!" he continued, but Toadburg was not listening, for his senses were on something far more important. From outside the window, he saw them, creatures of metal and flesh, destroying all around them, their power eclipsing all around them, he was fascinated by them, they were so primal ye so sophisticated, so perfect yet so chaotic, so strange yet so familiar. He could have sworn he saw something like them before, some small piece of tech that matched what lay outside. He needed to remember, for he needed this power for himself. Noting that he was being ignored, the Air Marshall retook control of the operation and called out through the fleet, "Attention all available craft, this is a full-scale retreat, I REPEAT A FOOL SCALE RETREAT. MAKE YOUR WAY BACK TO VENOM AT ONCE!" he said in a panic as officers rushed to their stations, desperate to get as far away from the carnage as possible. As the ships left the system behind them, Toadborg continued to stare, trapped within the ambitions of his mind.
Back above Fortuna, the team was making their way back to the fleet, having already listened to Buck's story. As they broke the atmosphere, the Great Fox could be sighted, Krystal's arwing surged forwards and was the first one to land inside the bay. When the fighter landed, both pilots climbed out of the cockpit, and Fox felt himself get embraced by the blue-furred vixen.
She looked up, almost on the verge of tears, and said, "Are you all, right?" looking straight at her Fox could only nod. She responded With a soft smile, "I'm really glad you're all right." She said, embracing him once more. Fox chuckled a bit and held the vixen close to him for a moment longer until he saw the other fighters pull in and promptly pulled away. Krystal was puzzled by this, but when she saw the other arwings, she understood perfectly. Falco climbed out of the fighter first, followed by Slippy, he walked over towards Fox before saying, "Man, that was wild. I really thought that this was your last flight, Fox." he said, patting his team leader on the shoulder. Slippy also moved over to the group, and that was when Peppy walked into the hangar to meet the team. "That was a close one, team. Thank God that you're not hurt," he said with relief. Taking a step forward, Krystal was the first to ask, "Peppy, what was that thing?" From behind her another voice joined in, "Yeah, what exactly is going on out there, because if you hadn't warned me, I would be here right now!" Bucky said, pulling his goggles up as he walked towards the team. Fox came forward, wearing a grateful look on him before responding, " The same thing could be said if it wasn't for you. Thank you!" he said as he held out his paw, Bucky taking it on his own shaking it. The two leaders nodded with an unspoken understanding.
That was the moment when Peppy spoke up, "Those were aparoids." he said as he shook his head ruefully. "And what exactly are those?" Bucky asked, his curiosity peaked, along with his worry. "Something that I had hoped wouldn't come back to haunt us." He said with sorrow. Feeling the need to interject, Fox stepped forwards, "Peppy, since you seem to know all about them, don't you think you should let us all in on it? he asked his old mentor. Peppy nodded and gestured for all to follow, "Follow me, and I'll tell you everything."
With that, both teams followed the hare out of the hangar, with the door closing shut behind them.
Author's note:
And it's done! The Aparoids make their first appearance and the story of Star Fox Assault is fully on its way. This was a lot harder than I expected, I haven't played the game in a while and had to rely mostly on written material from the levels. With that said, I hope you enjoy it, and if you have any suggestions for future missions or character pairing you would like to see, don't be shy about leaving a comment. I always read them and try to take what you say into consideration. Thanks for reading!