Star Fox: The Harmony of the Many

by NamaFox

The Aparoid Wars are over, and the Lylat System is recovering. Team Star Fox receives a distress call from just beyond the edge of the Lylat System. What starts as a rescue mission soon becomes something much more than the team anticipated. Fox McCloud soon finds himself contending with horrors beyond imagination, and it will take all his wits and courage just to survive.

5. Chapter 4 - The Return

For a few moments, Fox found himself engulfed in complete darkness. The unpleasant thought crossed his mind that he might get stuck in here, perhaps trapped by a malfunctioning door. But he thankfully did not have long to dwell on that possibility, as the room was soon bathed in flashing dull red lights. Emergency power, he presumed. No sound though. No alarms, no radio chatter, no nothing. He wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not.

"Hey Fox!"

He had almost forgotten that he was still tied into the Great Fox and the rest of the team. "Hey, Slip, what's up?"

"Keep talking, okay? You're all alone in there and we don't know what you're up against. So talk us through. I can see a little bit through the camera on your suit, but not a lot."

"This thing has a camera?" Fox blinked, tilting his head to either side in a vain attempt to see it.

"Yeah, yeah it's integrated into your helmet." He paused for a moment before adding with a somewhat amused tone, "You, uh, can stop looking for it. You won't be able to see it."

"Ah." Fox felt a little foolish, but then just chuckled and shrugged. "Well, alright. So now what?"

"The door should be opening in five...four...three...two..."

Right on cue, there was a hiss and the groan of metal as the various locks and tubes on the door shifted and allowed for it to move. The central mechanism, a sort of circular indentation, spun around before emitting an audible click, then the door pulled apart in either direction, finally letting Fox see what lay within.

Not that there was much to see. The corridor that he found himself in was only lit by emergency lights, providing him with a limited view of his surroundings. The lights flashed off and on, off and on, over and over again, giving sickly red illumination. There was a desk in front of him, possibly a security checkpoint.

He was struck by the silence. Even though there were lights, there was no sound. In the airlock, that hadn't been too alarming, as he might not have been able to hear anything even if everything was just fine. The thing was designed to not let much in or out, just allowing air pressure to be regulated and separate one side of the ship from the vacuum of space in case there should be some sort of emergency. But here, inside the vessel proper, there should have been noise of some kind. Some indication of life. But there was not. There was nothing. Nothing but the sound of his own breathing. And any chatter coming over the radio from the rest of his team.

"What do you see, Fox?" Slippy asked.

"I don't know." Fox responded, then withdrew his blaster from its holster before taking a tentative step inside. He reached up with his paw and tapped on the side of his helmet, activating the light merged with his suit. Now that he had a steady source of illumination, he could see the place more clearly.

And what a mess it was in. He had been right, it was a security desk. But there was no one manning it. He was in a large rectangular room that narrowed on either side of him, leading down massive corridors that he presumed would take him to other parts of the ship. The walls were gray and white, almost pristine. There were a couple of splotches and stains on them that should have been cleaned by maintenance, but otherwise no real indication of whatever problem had left the ship dark, or at least this part of it. He let his light drift over everything, taking in all that he could. He wasn't sure what to make of this. Of course, he didn't really know what he expected to find. He just had hoped to find some trace of what happened here. But so far, it appeared to be nothing but an empty room leading to empty corridors.

He had to secure the immediate vicinity first. Not that it was terribly difficult. The room was sealed off, security shutters cutting this area from the rest of the ship. Some kind of lockdown was in effect, unfortunately. Which meant he wasn't going anywhere until he got that sorted. That explained the flashing emergency lights, at least.

Taking out his blaster, he went from one end of the room to the other, searching for any signs of activity or clues as to what happened here. There was clutter scattered around, a few holo-magazines on the floor, a toppled plant in one corner. Purely out of curiosity, he reached for one of the holo mags holding it up to give it a look over, to see if there was anything special about it. It was nothing new. It looked like a bunch of entertainment news, which really wasn't Fox's thing. The lives of celebrities, the new big film coming out next year, the latest and greatest hit pop songs. Nothing out of the ordinary. Amazing how the entertainment industry thrived even when so much of the Lylat System suffered. He supposed it made some sense. People were more desperate than ever to forget their problems after the Aparoid invasion. So many lives destroyed.

There was nothing in the magazine out of place, and he certainly didn't have to time scrutinize each and every article. There was nothing that hinted at whatever happened here. He lay the holo-mag back on the ground and continued exploring.

Aside from the clutter, there really wasn't much to be found here. There were no people. The place was eerily silent. There was a faint of hum of power that he could hear overhead, coursing through the ship, but that was all. And even that was faint. There were no weapons, no communications equipment, no armor or clothing. Nothing of any real interest except the security terminal. At least he wouldn't have to deal with anything hostile. Yet.

Still, this whole situation was off. Generally a lockdown happened because of a disaster taking place in the area. But he couldn't see any real signs of danger or tragedy. Sure, the room was a little messy. And it was certainly abandoned. Where did they all go? And why? Perhaps it had to do with whatever happened in the docking bay.

As he rounded the security booth, he found himself inspecting a number of systems and equipment. There were monitors for cameras, intercoms, and even a safe that he presumed carried items crucial to maintaining security on a vessel such as this. He could only guess as to precisely what was inside that safe. Weapons? Emergency supplies? Not that it much mattered, it was locked. Looked like there was a passcode, and it wouldn't matter even if he knew it, because the terminal was offline anyway.

Unfortunately, nothing was working. Most of the screens and security monitors were without power, and the few that had any juice displayed nothing but static. He tapped a few switches, tried to see if he could use the security communications system, but nothing happened. Every button he pressed produced nothing but a dull click, empty and hollow.

"Alright, the area you're in is currently in lockdown. Probably due to the hull breach in the hangar?" Slippy's voice came over Fox's comm system. "We're gonna have to get around that somehow. If you can lift the lockdown, automatic systems should engage to seal the breach and restore gravity."

"Alright." Fox responded, looking the security panel over with brows furrowed. "How do I lift it?"

"I mean...if you got the skills, you might be able to hack the thing." There was a little snicker over the comm, and Fox wasn't sure if it was Slippy or Falco that was laughing. Fox growled quietly, and Slippy hastily added, "But, uh, yeah, I know that's not much of an option. So, uh...look around! You might not see it, but I know what to look for. And remember, I've got my own eyes on you, I'll see what you see!"

"Right." He did as he was told, turning his head from side to side, up and down, looking for anything that might stand out, some clue on the equipment he was studying. He wasn't seeing anything. Every switch looked the same to him. It was a pretty complicated piece of equipment, from what he could tell. State of the art. Probably had a button for anything and everything. Which meant if you didn't know what you were doing and after something specific, well...

"Got it!" Slippy yelled over the comm, causing Fox to wince. Thankfully, his next words were more subdued. "Sorry about that. Okay, there's a panel to your right. It's got glass on it. Flip it open." Once again, Fox found himself simply doing as he was told. This was Slippy's field, not his. He soon found the panel that Slippy was talking about, pulling it up and revealing a number of buttons and switches inside, as well some kind of screen that he wasn't entirely familiar with. It looked like some kind of card reader, but he couldn't be sure. Slippy soon confirmed what he was thinking. "Okay, yeah, I'm familiar with this, this is a pretty standard security measure on larger Cornerian vessels. You'll need a security card from someone in this sector. You'll swipe it over the screen, then flick the left and rightmost switches. That will lift the lockdown. I think."

"Great." Fox studied the security equipment and panels quietly for a moment, then shook his head. "Well how am I going to do that? The place is locked down and I don't see any security guards."

"Yeah, that might be a problem." Slippy admitted. He seemed to consider the matter, then offered his own suggestion. "Tell you what, I'll see if I can establish some kind of link from here and maybe force it to open from my end. But I wouldn't count on it. I might be able to do it if I was there, and able to get into the system manually, buuuut...I' m not."

"Well, that doesn't really help us much now, does it?" Falco spoke up, evidently having been listening to the conversation up to this point.

"Well, maybe it does!" An edge of excitement was showing in Slippy's voice. "It's true, normally I couldn't do anything to help you with that kind of stuff from out here, but you're lucky I came prepared! There was a sale the last time we visited Fortuna, and I got a couple of cool gizmos and a couple of cool holo-vids, featuring..."

"Really don't have time for that right now, Slip." Fox stated flatly.

"Oh. Oh yeah, you're right." The frog cleared his throat before continuing. "Anyway, hit the little red button on the far right of your suit. Something will pop out. You'll see." Fox did as he was told, finding the button as Slippy described and pressing it. A slit opened up above his wrist, and a little cable popped out with a pronged connection. Some sort of computer cable, he guessed. "Okay, I got it."

"Alright, slip that into the desk console." He hesitated for a moment before adding, "If it's got the right slot. I uh...kinda forgot that it's not a universal thing. Might be why it was such a good deal."

"All this and it might not even work?" Falco snickered over the comm system. "Nice."

"Oh shut up, Falco. I don't see you helping at all."

"Hey, I'm doing exactly what I've been told to do. Flying up and down the length of this ship. And there is nothing out here, I'll tell you that right now."

"Cut the chatter, guys. Focus." Fox tried to redirect their attention after finding a slot that looked like it might match the connection. He tensed a bit as he reached for it, and as he tried to slip the thing in, he wondered if it was the wrong shape or size. And indeed, it didn't seem like it was going to go in at first. But then, thankfully, he managed to turn it just right and it slipped inside easily. There was a cheer over the radio. "Woooooo! You got it, Fox! Gonna work my magic now."

"I didn't think you were a hacker, Slippy." Falco again. He sounded genuinely surprised.

"Well, I mean, I'm not. But I've been learning! Just in case a situation like this ever came up. Besides, this isn't -really- hacking, it's more like just accessing the computer from a distance and trying a few things and working around the system. It's going to be using the Great Fox and ROB in order to do the brunt of the work, not me."

"Pretty sure that's hacking." Falco stated dryly.

Slippy didn't bother to respond. It was quiet for a while as he worked. Fox sighed and sat down in the chair behind the security booth. It wasn't like he could go anywhere while attached by cable to the booth like this. So he just sat there and waited for Slippy to finish, drumming his fingers against the desk idly while Slippy did whatever it was he was doing.

He was just starting to feel more than a little impatient when Slippy spoke in an overly dramatic tone, "Open Sesame!" And like the very magic that he was apparently referencing, one of the security shutters began to open! "YES!"

Then it started to close. "NO!"

Then it started to move up and down rapidly in a sporadic manner, sparks flying from the sides as the metal grated on the walls of the ship. "CRAP!"

If the situation weren't so serious, Fox might have laughed at listening to Slippy's reactions as he struggled to make the door stay open. At last, the door grew tired of teasing them and remained fully open. The lockdown was not lifted, but at least one of the doors had opened up.

"Woohoo!" Slippy celebrated. "I had it all along!" There was a brief pause before he continued. "Anyway, you should look around. I managed to get that door open, but, uh...I sorta got locked out almost immediately afterward. Sorry! Anyway, there might be someone down that hallway, and who knows? Maybe you can access the rest of the ship. And if not...well, maybe you'll get lucky and someone dropped their card. And if all else fails...I mean, I packed you some heavy ordinance in your Arwing. You might grab some of that and just blast a hole through the security shutters."

"I'd rather not blow even more holes into this ship if I can help it. We're on a rescue mission here." Even as he spoke, he was contemplating the use of such an option. He wouldn't admit it, but it may well become necessary. "Besides, are you sure it would even work?"

"Not really," came Slippy's answer, not at all reassuring. "But if you can't find anything, well...it's the best chance you've got, short of pulling me over there. Also if you do that, make sure to take cover. It could be a pretty big boom."

Fox just grunted. Nothing was ever easy, was it? "Alright, I'll take a look around first and hope I can find another way."

"Righto, Fox!"

With his blaster drawn, Fox started down the hallway. There was no telling what what he would find down here. He hoped to discover some clues, maybe even a survivor to tell him what was going on. At this point, he'd even settle for an enemy, maybe whoever caused all this. It would be better than the rather unnerving silence and emptiness that seemed to fill every corner of the vessel that he was exploring at this point.

The red emergency lights continued to flash, painting the room in a rolling red glow. It provided enough illumination for him to see where he was going, but little else. He had to rely on the light attached to his helmet for the rest. The corridor was mostly dark with little light to be relied upon. He paused for a moment, studying the wall and noting some rather large scorch marks not far from a couple of sparking computer panels on the walls, now worthless. Large broken cables hung from the ceiling in places. He nearly stumbled over a ventilation grating that had fallen to the floor before kicking it out of the way.

He had to refocus on what he was doing. Each step was slow and deliberate, his ears flitting up to full alertness, listening for the slightest disturbance, any indication of threat or hostility. He had his blaster at the ready, holding it in front of him, ready to shoot anything that might jump out at him. The only sound that he could hear was when his boot touched the floor beneath him at the end of each step. He had a terrible feeling about whatever had happened here. A feeling that only grew with each step he took.

The hallway went on for a while, but he could see that it was coming to an end soon. There were a couple of doors on the left, with malfunctioning digital signs above them, flickering and contorting in ways that gave no real indication of what their intended purpose was. Otherwise the corridor was empty. He ignored those other rooms for now, wanting to ensure that his area was first secured before he began poking around anywhere else. And with only a few more steps, he had reached the end of the line. A dead end. Another security shutter.

This one was different though. Not in make, it looked to be more or less the same, or at least he assumed it was. It was hard to tell. And that was the problem. The security shutter was down, but the one on this side of the hallway had been blasted open, likely with some kind of heavy weapons fire. An explosive of some kind, he assumed. Whatever it was, it had blown a considerable hole into the door. It wasn't quite big enough to fit through, unfortunately for him. But it did confirm for him that there were some weapons aboard this vessel. And not just any weapons. Whoever managed to punch a hole through that door was packing some pretty serious firepower. He couldn't help but wonder if he'd run into whoever was responsible. And how poorly that meeting might go. There was a very real possibility of him being caught in a fight, and he was not about to let someone get the drop on him.

"Slippy?" Fox activated his communication system before speaking to the frog. "Another shutter here."

"Yeah, I see it. Oof. Guess somebody else didn't like the lockdown either."

"Yeah. Anyway, I can't go any further. Any suggestions?"

"Uh..." Slippy paused, and there was a rustling noise. It sounded like he was checking something. "Well...I mean is there anywhere else you can go? Maybe there's a security guard around there somewhere. The place isn't exposed to vacuum and there's emergency power. There might be someone around. There has to be! And, uh...well..." The frog hesitated for a long moment, and Fox could only imagine he was about to suggest something that Fox really didn't want to hear. And sure enough, that's what happened. "And hey, if there's not, you can always just fly out and we'll find another way in!"

"Yeah." Fox let out a frustrated sigh, bringing up one of his hands in order to rub his forehead. Or at least, that's what he tried to do. He had momentarily forgotten he was wearing his space helmet, which got in the way of that. "Well, I'm feeling more and more like if there's any survivors left on this ship, they don't have a lot of time. We need to move fast."

"Don't worry Fox! We'll think of something! We always do."

Though the frog couldn't see it (Or maybe he could, come to think of it), the fox gave a little nod of his head. He was right. They would figure it out. One way or the other. "Alright," He spoke over the comms. "I'm going to check out one of these rooms. I'm not sure what they are."

"Alright, just give me one second." Fox pressed the button for the first door, the one on his left. There was an electronic buzzing sound, but no other response. The door sputtered and slid an inch, then slid back shut. Broken. He kicked the thing with a frustrated growl, which he knew wouldn't help at all. But it made him feel a little better. Or at least that's what he told himself. "Time for door number two," he mumbled. He hit the button beside the door, waited for a moment. And another moment.

He was just about to give up on the door when there was an affirmative chime, the door sliding open. His ears were immediately greeted with the sound of running water. And he didn't just hear it. Looking down, water was trickling from within the door and into the hallway. It wasn't a lot, but the floor of the room he was trying to enter was flooded. He found himself grateful that he was wearing this suit and not his best boots, then stepped inside. The lights weren't working, so he'd have to rely on his helmet light for this.

He figured out what the room was the second he walked into it. A lavatory. His light painted the way. There were a number of sinks on his right, along with a mirror positioned above them that had a few cracks in it. One of the sinks was stuck on, and the water was overflowing and falling to the floor. So that the explained the flooding, or at least some of it. He had the feeling that this was due to more than just one leaky faucet. To his left were a number of stalls, providing a modicum of privacy for the various species that needed to do their business. There was some water flowing out from under the stall doors.

"Ew, a backed up bathroom. Glad I'm not there." Slippy chimed in, evidently still watching what Fox was doing.

"Thanks Slippy, that's really helpful." Fox grumbled. He wasn't sure whether the frog had heard him or not. But Slippy was quiet for a while either way.

Well, he wasn't likely to find much of use in a restroom. And that's all this was. A leaky one. Another dead end. With a sigh, he turned for the door.

He heard a bit of radio static, causing him to blink. "Slippy? Did you say something? I don't think your voice came through."

"Huh?" Came the reply. "What, no, I didn't say anything. Why?"

"I'm hearing some static, and I thought..."

He stopped short, his fox-ears flitting upward as he took in a sound that didn't quite match. He had been so focused on the running water that he hadn't considered that there might be something else in there. And there was. The sound was barely audible over the water. Static. But it was -not- from his comm system. It was from within one of the stalls.

"Fox! What's going on?" Krystal's voice. She sounded concerned.

"Just...gotta check something out. I hear something. I'll let you know if I find anything."

"Careful Fox." He wasn't entirely sure which one gave him that warning. Maybe it was both of them at the same time. It didn't really matter, he supposed.

There were six stalls in the lavatory, all lined up together. He knew the sound of static was emanating from -one- of them, but he wasn't sure which one. He spoke up, in the slim hope that he'd get a reply. "Hello? Is someone there?"

No answer.

"This is Fox McCloud of the Star Fox team. We received a distress signal and we're here to assist." He continued, drawing closer to the stalls. His fingers tightened against the trigger-guard of his blaster as he prepared to do a sweep. It looked like he was going to have to do this the hard way, check them all one by one, starting with the one nearest to the entrance where he came from. There was a little panel on the door, indicating occupancy, which could be set from the other side. Hitting the switch, the door slid upward, revealing what lay within. Fox had his blaster drawn, leveling it at whatever might be inside. Unfortunately (Or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), there turned out to be nothing. It was just an empty stall.

"Is anyone in here? I'm here to help." Fox continued his search, checking the second stall, just as cautious as before. Nothing.

He checked the third and fourth in quick order, no luck. The fourth one seemed to be backed up, the water bubbling over the seat and flowing around the toilet. What a mess.

Only two stalls left, and he was all but certain that the static sound was getting closer. Still no response though. He tried again. "Is someone there? Are you hurt? What happened here?" He didn't really expect to hear an answer to any of those questions. If someone was there to respond, they surely would have by now. He just hoped that on the off chance there was someone there, they'd know he wasn't here to hurt them. The last thing he wanted was to surprise some shell-shocked survivor and either get shot or have to gun them down in self-defense.

Fifth door opened. Nothing.

One door left.

He positioned himself in front of the door, taking a deep breath as he steadied his nerves. In truth, he had suspected this to be the one from the beginning, but he had to make sure. No surprises, be thorough. His hand went for the panel, which...he stared at it for a moment, realizing that it wasn't working. At least, it wasn't displaying occupancy or not. The others had said vacant, this one was just showing nothing. He hoped he wouldn't have to kick down the door or crawl in from another stall. He pressed the button and hoped like heck that it would work.

There was a delay, no immediate response from the door. He pressed the panel a couple more times, grumbling as he resigned himself to the fate of climbing over the wall of the adjacent stall to get inside. But just before he stepped away in order to do so, the door hissed open. And he had to stifle a gasp as he gazed upon what lay within.

There was someone slumped against the corner, an older gentleman. He might have been Cornerian, as he appeared to have canine features. He was sitting at an awkward angle, leaned back against the wall while sitting on the stall-seat. As Fox drew closer to the man, he could more clearly see the uniform that the old dog was wearing. He wasn't sure what the uniform signified precisely, but Fox suspected he was a security officer.

The man's eyes were unfocused and frozen, staring forward into nothingness eternal, widened with fear of some unknown peril, mouth ajar. Fox had seen the look before. He'd seen it too many times. He would check his pulse to make sure, but in the end it simply confirmed what he already knew. The man was dead.

It wasn't difficult to figure out the cause of death. As Fox's eyes drifted downward, he took note of a rather sizable wound in his chest. Make that two wounds. Scorch marks around them, the kind left behind by blaster fire. He wished he knew more about the situation. Did they catch him off guard? Was he hiding here? Who shot him, a member of the crew or an invader of some sort? So many questions.

But at least he was able to discover one answer. The sound of the static was loud in here, and looking down at the security guard's belt, he discovered the source. Some sort of communications device, likely used to keep in contact with other security personnel in case of emergencies. Considering there was nothing but static right now, he doubted very much that it would be useful, but he had to check. He glanced up at the dead security guard, then offered an apology, as though he were stealing from him somehow. "Sorry. Gotta borrow this for a while." He managed to unhook the thing before starting to pull it away. "Don't worry. I'll find who did this."

The guard moved.

Fox nearly jumped out of his fur. But even as he reached for his blaster, he realized the guard wasn't alive. Fox must have shifted him a little bit by accident when he pulled the radio free. The guard's hand fell to the side, and what was once hidden was now revealed. He was holding something, a small box-like device that he had never seen before. It wasn't big or bulky at all, and it looked like it could be attached to one's belt or even placed in a pocket if necessary. The box had a screen on it and a few buttons, plus what looked to be some kind of slot for inserting...something. He had no idea what.

He wasn't entirely sure what this was, but it also seemed somehow familiar to him. He had seen one of these before, or at least he thought he had. He simply couldn't remember where. Either way, he'd better take it. It wasn't doing the guard any good. Fox reached for it, having to unclasp the dead dog's hands in order to get at the thing. Once he managed to pry it free, he held it up in front of his eyes in order to get a better look.

This action also gave Slippy a better look too. "Heeeey! I know what that is!" Slippy said to Fox. "That's pretty cool! That's a PDA. Personal Data Assistant! On some ships, it's a requirement for the crew to carry them. Everyone might be assigned one. It's top of the line stuff! They contain all kinds of useful stuff, especially for big ships. They contain maps, schematics, daily instructions and orders, access cards, and even allow for recording thoughts! Some places require that for some reason. Something about warding off the ill effects due to excessive time spent in space without leave?"

"Huh." Fox turned it over in his hands, studying the thing. It didn't look like a terribly complicated device. "You're saying there might be a keycard on this thing?"

"Yeah, probably. I mean, it might not be an actual card, per se. But it will function as one. Or at the very least, it will grant you some level of clearance and open certain doors. I think. I hope."

"Yeah, so do I." Fox turned it over again, studying the front of the device and watching the screen. There weren't terribly many buttons on the thing, just a couple here and there. "How does this work?"

"I'm not sure, I've never seen that exact model before."

Fox chewed on the corner of his muzzle, then flicked one of his fingers across the screen. The device shortly flickered to life, offering him a few options of what to do next. Apparently, there was a program already running. Some sort of audio log. "I think I got it. I'm gonna play this, Slip."

"Go for it."

There was a flashing little box on the screen, and Fox tapped on it with his thumb. Immediately a picture popped up, showing the face of the guard that he had just taken this from. Words came out, but his mouth wasn't moving. Apparently it was just an image taken of him to accompany his speech. He was now listening to the words of a dead man, one within this very started in the middle of his conversation, and Fox wasn't sure if he could rewind it or not. Fox only got a little bit of what was said. But it was enough. The speaker's voice was strained, occasional rasps and hisses as though he was overwhelmed with pain. But Fox could make out his words even so.

"...never saw it coming. I've been working with Darrel for the past three years. He just went in the bay and...next thing I knew, there were alarms sounding. Explosions. I don't know what he did. I don't know if there were others in there. But when he came out, he just...he just shot me. Didn't pause for even a moment. I...we've played poker together. We've swapped stories. He was my friend."

"I...I shot him. To stop him from killing others. I've never heard a scream like that. To my shame, I froze. I panicked. And then I locked it all down. But I was too late. Everyone in this sector is either dead or gone.

I hid in here. I could hear those "things" trying to breach the doors. I should fight back. I should try to call for help. But I can't.

I'm dying. And I'm dying a coward. They're out there now. I hear gunfire. More explosions. Screams. But...I can't move."

"Elaine, I'm so sorry. I'm...I'm not coming home. I've failed. I've failed everyone. I can't...I'm...forgive me..."

The transmission broke off in a loud burst of static, which was all that remained of the message now. Fox lowered his head, his thoughts heavy and dark as he imagined the final moments of this poor soul, wounded by a friend and hiding from other attackers. Then dying while believing he was a coward.

The comms were completely silent. No one said anything. Fox wondered if they even heard it. It was actually Falco that was the first to speak. "Jeez...poor guy."

Fox looked at the fallen security guard with renewed sympathy, then reached for his head, resting his fingers over the man's eyes before bringing them down, closing them forever. He deserved that much, at least.

Still, there was something even more disturbing about that message than the guard's final moments. It sounded as though there were some sort of betrayal. A mutiny perhaps? Or infiltration? Either way, the situation had escalated to the point of violence. It seemed likely that others had been hurt or killed. And others still had fled. But if that were the case...

Where were they now?

"That poor man," came Krystal's solemn voice. "We will bring those responsible for this to justice." There was a brief pause, the sound of an engine firing could be heard over the communications system. "I've just cleared the Great Fox." Krystal's voice came through. "I'm on my way. I'm approaching the hangar now."

Fox was stirred from his thoughts, rapidly shaking his head as he cleared away the cobwebs that threatened to cloud his mind. He could dwell on those things later. For now, he had a job to do. His eye zeroed in on something at the bottom of the screen, a little arrow. He tapped on it, then tapped a couple of times on the various prompts that popped up. And then at last he saw something that gave him reason to smile.

Clearance. Security clearance. This was exactly what he needed! With a triumphant grin, he tucked the PDA away into a secure little compartment on his suit. At last they were making progress! Now he would just need to return to the security station and open a way up. Krystal would be here soon, and they'd be able explore the rest of the ship together. He tapped his communicator before relaying the good news. "Slippy? I've got it!"

---

There was a lot to keep track of on the monitors. Of course, Slippy didn't -have- to watch it all. That was one of the things ROB was good for. He could do any number of tasks simultaneously and with virtually no reduction in efficiency. But even so, there were some things Slippy really preferred doing himself. Besides, if trouble -did- come up, he wanted to know exactly what was going on and how to handle it. Of course, ROB could do most of that too, but dang it, Slippy was determined to help on this one!

Everything that he could see looked good. Falco was still running a patrol over the length of the massive ship, his Arwing transmitting a great deal of the data as he did so. The computer had enough data to form a rough outer schematic of the ship, even able to postulate where certain decks might be and what they might have on it. Unfortunately, without the actual schematic or at least someone inside able to map it out, that was all they would have for the moment. Guesswork. Of course, that was still better than nothing, but even so he would prefer an accurate detailed layout of the ship. He'd normally run a scan on the thing and get a detailed analysis, but it simply wasn't working this time. He wasn't sure if it was interference from the nearby gas giant or perhaps some sort of shielding coming from the ship itself. Or maybe some combination of the two. Either way, he couldn't get much of use at the moment, which was a shame. It would sure help Fox and Krystal out a lot, once they were both on board.

He drummed his fingers against the top of the console as he worked, closing his eyes for a moment. Yet another mission he was sitting out while the others were busy doing their thing. Ever since Peppy had left, Slippy found himself in positions similar to this, providing support from the background. In a way, it was just as well. Everyone knew that he was the weakest pilot on the team, even Slippy knew that. It seemed like every time he went out, Fox, Falco, or Krystal had to bail him out of a jam. But even so, he wasn't -that- bad of a pilot. And he still enjoyed it, being out there, being useful. Fighting alongside the other three as they faced insurmountable odds. Not that he wasn't allowed to do it, of course, at least on occasion. But often they needed his technical support and assistance, and that was a lot harder to give when he was locked in a fight for his life with enemy interceptors. It made sense for him to be on the Great Fox. It had some pretty thick shields, reasonable firepower, and provided him precious time to concentrate in a tough situation, making it easier to give technical readings and concentrating on analyzing enemy weaknesses.

All that was well and good, but it still stunk that he was stuck on the Great Fox while his friends were out there.

Oh well.

He studied his monitor again, seeing a blip emerging from the center of the screen. Krystal had just exited the Great Fox, and she'd be joining the others soon. Looked like this was going to be a pretty boring operation, at least from the outside. There was no telling what awaited them from within, but...

"I'm on my way Fox. I'll be there soon." Krystal's voice. She was heading for the same hangar that Fox had landed in. Wouldn't be long and she'd be docked.

He blinked as something appeared on the monitor, a flashing blip that was there and gone within the space of a second. He stared at the screen, his eyes narrowed as he waited for the reading to come back. Nothing. Maybe just a glitch? Or maybe interference as a result of the nearby gas giant. Still, he wasn't about to take any chances. He turned to face ROB, who was busy at his own console. "Hey! Hey ROB, are you getting anything unusual in the sensors?"

The robot never paused in his work, speaking in that mechanical voice of his even as he worked. "Systems have not detected anything unusual. However, scans could be considered unreliable due to proximity with Cetau V."

"Huh." Slippy leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling for a moment before closing his eyes, thinking. Maybe it was nothing. In fact, that was quite likely. It could just be a glitch. Just radiation or some sort of shielding or some energy emanating from the planet. He glanced down at the monitor again, just in time to see that same blip. It was there for a second, then it was gone.

He knew he had seen it that time. Something was wrong. "Hey ROB. Open the viewing screen, set our view to these co-ordinates, 531.24, 114.85."

"Acknowledged. Coordinates locked in, area is now on display."

Slippy looked up at the main viewport, now zoomed in on the precise location that he had given. He rose to his feet, narrowing his eyes as he studied it. Even though there was nothing inherently sinister about what he had just seen or detected, he could feel his heart beating just a little bit faster. Maybe it was nothing. He hoped it was. And as he stared at the location, he grew more and more convinced that it was just that. Nothing. He breathed a heavy sigh, shaking his head. He was getting paranoid. There was nothing there. And that was a good thing.

And then something flickered. He only saw it for an instant, just like the blip on the screen. But it was there. And it was big.

He reached for the terminal, activating the comms. "Uh, Fox? There's something really weird out here. I think you better get ba-"

He didn't have time to finish his sentence. Suddenly, the flicker that he had seen became much more corporeal. A massive ship was there. It was nowhere near the size of the Von Dross, but it looked more like a space station than a ship. It dwarfed the Great Fox! Where had it come from?

"Uh...fox? FOX?!"

---

Fox didn't have long to enjoy his success before Slippy came over the comm. More problems, no doubt. Fox's grin faded as he pocketed the PDA. It was always something. He wondered what it would be this time. Switching on his transmitter again, he spoke to Slippy. "What is it Slippy? I just found..."

A voice came over the comm system, evidently belonging to another vessel. The speaker was male and spoke in a firm, authoritative voice, commanding and leaving no room for doubt or question. "Attention invaders! This is Captain Kamille of the V.D.S. Bulwark! You have trespassed into territory claimed by the Third Fleet of the Venom Dominion! The vessel you orbit is under our protection, and you are in direct violation of our mission. You are ordered to surrender immediately and unconditionally. Consider this your only warning." The voice abruptly cut off as soon as the message had been delivered.

"Fox! Fox!" Slippy was shouting into the comm now. "We've got company! We've got a LOT of company!"

What the heck?!

Everything fell into chaos after that, everyone yelling over each other as each one was overwhelmed simultaneously. Slippy was the first to react, but everything happened in such quick succession that it almost seemed to devolve into panic.

"Fox! Fox, come in! Fox! They're everywhere! I don't know where they..."

"Holy crap, they're all over me!" Falco's voice now, sounding strained.

"I've got multiple enemies on my tail!" Krystal shouted. "More hostiles approaching, they have opened fire!"

"That wasn't much of a window for surrendering!" Slippy shouted in protest. And he was right. Apparently, that offer of surrender was just an empty one, just for show.

Fox didn't need to hear anymore. He was already sprinting for the door. But the door decided to slide shut, and even after he slammed his fist against the panel, it took a while before it would open again. Stupid machinery! "Slippy! Pull back the Great Fox, initiate evasive action and get clear, you understand?! Get out of there!"

"But Fox, I..."

"Just do it, Slippy!" The door opened, and he launched himself into the hallway, practically sliding into the wall opposite before sprinting back for the airlock. "Krystal, Falco, provide covering fire for the Great Fox, protect it!"

"I'm on it, I'm on it!"

"I'm returning to the Arwing!" Fox yelled between heavy breaths as he charged forward. "Just hold on!"

---

The dogfight began almost immediately, and Falco found himself in the thick of it. He had broken away from the Von Dross and was en route to intercept the Great Fox when the fighters came upon him. He hadn't even fired a shot yet and at least six of the things came barreling towards him, laser blasts piercing the space all around his craft, narrowly missing his cockpit. He immediately started to evade.

"Where did they come from?!" Fox demanded, sounding just as frustrated and bewildered as the rest of them.

It was Slippy who answered first. "I don't know! I think they were cloaked! Or they warped in! Or both! But they're here now!"

"No, really?!" Falco snarled over the comms, sending his Arwing into a tight turn. He dodged and weaved as much as he could, laser blasts flying overhead. A lesser pilot would have taken multiple hits by now, would be dead by now. But not Falco. That familiar rush of adrenaline surged through his body, and it felt like lightning was coursing through him as he continued evasive maneuvers. Those enemy pilots were good, no question of that. But he was better.

He kept them guessing with each turn, starting to go one way then veering to the other, rapidly altering his speed, doing a loop, a barrel roll, every trick he could think of. And even though he'd shake off one or two for a while, the others would stay right on his tail. He couldn't lose more than a few at a time. Laser blasts screamed by his cockpit, narrowly missing. And by the way his ship was rocking and the display on the monitor lit up, he knew he wasn't dodging every shot. A few of the blasts managed to graze his ship. Lucky the Arwing had some good shields on it.

As he maneuvered, he caught a glimpse of Krystal's ship screaming by, four or five interceptors hot on her heels. He may not be able to lose the ones he had on him, but he might as well do something useful while they were on his tail.

"Krystal, multiple bogeys on your six."

"Can't...shake them!" Krystal responded. She was doing much the same as Falco, desperately trying to maneuver herself away from her pursuers. And she wasn't having any better luck. But maybe that was about to change.

"I'm on it." Falco did a quick roll to the side, a spinning maneuver that positioned him right on the tail of the interceptors chasing Krystal.

Now that he had a better look at them, he couldn't help but notice their peculiar design. They were small, smaller than Arwings. In their size, they appeared to be standard interceptors, the kind of which that were fielded by Corneria and almost any standard mercenary or even pirate in the Lylat System. The cockpit was a large round orb in the middle of the ship, serving as the engine as well as the body. The wings looked like thin pincers, vaguely resembling scorpion claws. They discharged a series of red laser blasts as they fired in alternate succession, not all at once. He hadn't ever seen this particular fighter model before.

"Krystal, I've got your back. Veer right, I'm opening fire!" Falco barked.

"Acknowledged!" The vixen made a hard turn as soon as she heard the order, and Falco started firing immediately, still narrowly evading laser blasts from his own pursuers, going into a spin as he launched volley after volley into the enemy fighters. The ships bobbed and weaved as they attempted to evade Falco's blasters, but not all of them were as skilled as Falco was. One of them was caught right in the center by multiple blasts, easily enough to secure a kill.

But the fighter didn't explode. It didn't even look like it was damaged. There was some kind of bright pink glow emanating from it where the laser had struck, a colorful energy field illuminated by the weapons fire before fading away, and then the fighter just kept going, spinning away from Falco's sights. And Falco found himself under heavy attack once more, unable to continue tracking the target.

"Shields!" He shouted. "They've got shields!"

"The Great Fox is under attack." ROB announced. Never pausing his evasive maneuvers for more than a second, he spared a fleeting glance at the Great Fox. Sure enough, enemy interceptors were swarming the thing. Fortunately, their weapons seemed weak enough that they couldn't penetrate the larger vessel's shields. The ship was already altering course, heading away from the Von Dross. The fighters were still swarming it, unleashing volley after volley of laser blasts across the surface of the ship. "Engaging emergency evasion protocols. Engines online. Standby." The engines burned with a bright blue glow as they fired, blasting the ship forward, providing a quick burst of speed to gain some distance from their pursuers.

Surprisingly, the interceptors didn't follow the Great Fox after she jumped. Instead, they turned their attention to the other immediate threats in the area. Namely Falco and Krystal.

Great, he thought. This party never stops.

A half dozen fighters were speeding toward him, and he was now getting hit from the front and behind. It was becoming an even more desperate bid for survival, with the odds of success growing more and more remote by the moment. At this point, he could barely spare any thought to firing back. Every part of him was dedicated to simply evading the enemy's relentless attacks.

"Falco! Krystal! Get out of there!" Fox gave the order over the comm.

"I'm WORKING on it!" Falco growled, sending his Arwing into another rapid spin while looping around. But no matter where he went, the interceptors were on him. Once in a great while, he got a clean shot. But even if he took it, even if the blast connected, it didn't make the slightest bit of difference. The energy field protecting the enemy interceptors caused the laser fire to be absorbed, leaving the fighter craft completely unharmed.

He didn't know how they were going to get out of this one. And their odds seemed to be getting worse by the moment. Krystal and Falco each had nearly a dozen fighters on their tail, weaving around and firing at every opportunity. While the enemy pilots weren't as good as anyone in the Star Fox team (Except maybe Slippy), they were still competent pilots, able to put immense pressure on Falco and Krystal as they continued their assault, all while avoiding any friendly fire of their own.

He couldn't dodge them forever. He could make a desperate break for the Great Fox, as for some reason they hadn't pursued it after it gained some distance. But there was a long stretch of space between where Falco was and there. He couldn't just go in a straight line, any remotely predictable path would end with him and Krystal both being toasted. What could they do? How could they get away?

His eye was drawn toward the massive ship they were investigating. And he got an idea. "Krystal! Follow me! Get on my tail and do not lose me!"

"Roger, Falco!" Even though she was being swarmed by interceptors, she managed to pull her ship towards Falco, trying to join him.

He hoped this worked. It was a gamble, but it was the only thing he could think of.

After letting his ship drift away from the Von Dross, he suddenly made a sharp roll back in that direction, hitting the thruster and pushing the Arwing to its absolute limits. Little warning lights flashed on the console in front of him. He'd sustained a bit more damage than he thought, that or the stupid G-diffuser was malfunctioning. Again. Either way, this had to work. If it didn't, there was little chance of him escaping. He held his course, laser blasts rocking the cockpit as they came so close to hitting him, and he winced as the ship rocked violently after sustaining at least one direct hit. "C'mon, baby..." He mumbled, his hand still hard on the throttle, as fast and as far as it would go. "Don't let me down now..."

Right when it seemed he would crash against the surface of the Von Dross, he pulled up, allowing his ship to practically skim the surface of the vessel. The enemy interceptors followed, though he had gained at least a couple of seconds, as they seemed to have difficulty predicting exactly where he would go. It didn't last long, though. As they righted themselves behind him, they continued to fire, and his Arwing took a few more glancing hits.

Apparently, he wasn't alone. "I'm hit!" Krystal yelled. "I can't shake them. They're everywhere!"

It didn't look like it was working. They were still firing. Many of the missed shots were piercing the hull of the ship, causing small explosions to rock the surface wherever the laser fire made contact. He had gambled on the fact that they wouldn't attack the ship that they had claimed they were protecting. It would seem his gamble hadn't paid off.

---

Fox finally made it to the airlock, slamming his fist against the panel in order to get the door to open. It hadn't seemed so slow the first time around. But this time? It felt like an eternity. The doors were not designed for speed, obviously. He growled quietly, frustrated that he couldn't get out there with the rest of them. He darted inside the chamber once he could, but still had to wait for the door behind him to close before the the other airlock door would even start to open. It was taking forever, far too long. He started slamming his fist against the airlock door, desperate to open it up, swearing loudly as he beat on the thing. A useless gesture, of course. "Come on! Come ON!" He shouted at the thing, even kicking at the door with his boot. It didn't do any good.

At long last, the door started to slowly open with a hiss. As soon as there was enough space, he squeezed through the door, once more finding himself in the hangar of the ship. Everything was much as he left it, and he had a straight shot to his Arwing. Only this time he was in much more of a hurry. He moved as fast as he could in the zero-g environment, somewhat hindered by his gravity boots.

He needed to get back to his ship, get out there, and assist the others. Once they had cleared the enemies and assessed the situation, then they'd finish here.

His breathing had grown rapid, loud in his own ears, his heart hammering. Every footstep was agonizingly slow. He could hear the others yelling over the comms. He could only imagine what was going on out there. But whatever the situation may have been, it sounded desperate. He followed the platform, turning to the left to reach the port docking ramps. His Arwing was right there at the end of that catwalk, in the one space that was free. He'd make it. He had to make it.

Then the unthinkable happened. A series of red laser blasts pierced the hull of the ship, rapid fire that punctured the very platform that he was standing on. He didn't know where it came from. Probably from the dogfight going on out there. It forced him to stop short, holding a hand in front of his face and stumbling backwards as he was nearly grazed by laser fire. He just managed to recover his balance before falling over, shaking his head and looking up at the damage.

Well, it didn't seem too bad. The walkway was scorched now, but it was still intact. That could have been worse, honestly. He sighed with relief. Now to get to his Arwing and get out of there...

Then he noticed something flashing red to his immediate right. And he heard a faint beeping sound, high pitched and growing more frequent. He turned in order to give whatever it was a better look. There was a piece of debris, what he had assumed up to this point to be just an empty chunk of the hull of some ship. But there was a red glow coming from inside. It must have been the ejected core of the vessel it had once belonged to. Or maybe it hadn't been ejected, maybe it had simply been ripped out from whatever had destroyed the ship previously. Either way, it was evidently still active. And had just been pierced with laser fire. The red warning light flashed with growing frequency and intensity. Fox suddenly had a very bad feeling of what was about to happen.

Slippy's voice sounded over the comm, confirming his fears. "Fox, I'm reading a massive energy spike where you are! Something is going critical, you need to get out of there, now!"

For a split second, Fox froze. He had to make a decision. He could return to his Arwing, try to escape that way. But it was further off. If he ran for the Arwing, he might have enough time to make it, get out of the hangar before the explosion consumed him. Or he might be vaporized halfway there. It was an awful long walk with these boots on. And that core would blow any second.

There was an alternative option, one that did not at all appeal to him in this moment. He could get back to the Von Dross. The airlock was much closer than the Arwing. But if he went back inside that airlock, there would be no way out. He'd be trapped on this ship. And isolated from his team.

The clock was ticking. And he was out of time.

One more glance at the damaged engine core confirmed what he had to do. It looked like it was cracking, ready to burst. With a groan and a muttered curse, he turned on his heel and sprinted back for the airlock. He didn't want to do this. He wanted to be out there with his friends, but he had no choice. He had to get out and get out now.

It turned out to be the right decision. No sooner had he reached the airlock and punched the switch than the ship rocked violently. He turned his head to look back in the exact moment of the core's detonation, filling the hangar with incinerating flames. The airlock shut just in time, mere seconds from allowing him to be vaporized. He could hear the roar of the explosion, the vibrations of the ship rocking from the sheer force of whatever had detonated in there. He was practically thrown against the opposite airlock door from the sheer power of the blast on the other side. That had been a big one. There were a series of low rumbles, what he presumed to be other explosions. Everything in that hangar had just been blown away.

Including his Arwing.

He slumped back against the door, slowly sliding to the ground before reaching up and rubbing at his helmet with one paw.

What the heck was he supposed to do now?

---

Falco's maneuver hadn't worked, and the ships had fired anyway. And now he was running out of options, or at least he seemed to be. Well, he wasn't out of this yet. He had a few more tricks up his sleeve. Laser blasts continued to scream past his cockpit, and he wouldn't be able to hold the course much longer. He could practically hear his old pal Peppy yelling advice from the Great Fox. If the rabbit were still around, he knew -exactly- what he would say.

Falco couldn't help but grin at the thought, despite the rather desperate nature of their situation. "Don't worry, old man. I'm still listening." He said aloud. Then he performed a barrel roll, veering away from the Von Dross for the moment. And it worked! At least for a few moments, the laser fire was nowhere near his ship. Or anywhere else, for that matter.

Huh. He knew the barrel roll was effective, but was it supposed to be -that- effective?

"They've...they've stopped." Krystal's voice came out, sounding just as confused as Falco felt.

"What?" Falco turned his head to look, even guided his ship so that he could get a better view of what was happening.

She was right. All of the enemy interceptors had broken away, all of them retreating to wherever they came from. This allowed Falco a better look at the ship that had launched them all. He wasn't sure what just happened. They had him. He hated to admit it, but they -had- him. He might have been able to evade for a while, he might even have been able to escape with a bit of luck. But there was no possible way he could have won that battle, and even Falco had to admit that. As good a pilot as he was, he knew when he was outmatched.

So why did they retreat when at the cusp of victory? It made no sense.

His thoughts were interrupted by Slippy's voice. "Fox! Fox, are you okay?! Are you alright, did you make it out of there?!"

"Out of where?" Falco demanded. He had been so caught up in the fight that he had completely lost track of almost everything else. He looked back toward the hangar bay that Fox had come from, and...

Uh oh.

There were still little explosions rocking the thing. Whatever had blown up in there had caused some manner of chain reaction, sending debris hurtling into space. The entire hangar was practically vaporized. That couldn't be good.

"Fox!" Krystal gasped, and it didn't take a telepath to tell what she was thinking. Her words were laced with equal parts fear and concern.

"Hey, I'm sure he's fine." Falco reassured her. "He made it out, okay?" He then thought of something. "Why don't you try and sense him?"

There was a long silence from Krystal, then she sighed. "I...have had to limit my telepathic abilities for the present. There is something on that ship that is overwhelming my thoughts whenever I reach out, making it difficult to think straight. But...for Fox, I will try."

Before she had the chance, Fox himself interrupted them, his voice crackling over their communicators. "I'm here, guys. I'm okay. But I don't think I'm getting out the way I came in."

"Uh, yeah. I think I coulda told ya that." Falco stated dryly, all while looking at the exploded remains of what was once the hangar. Now the part of the ship that had been their best bet for entry was completely blasted to pieces, leaving no way in. And then the reality of the situation sank in. "You're trapped down there Fox. We can't get to you. There's no way."

There was a silence, then a quiet affirmation. "Yeah...I figured. I guess I don't have a choice now." He was quiet for a while longer, then spoke again. "Krystal? I'm..." The words didn't come. He must have been struggling to get them out. Falco wasn't even sure he should be listening to this conversation, but whatever. If Fox wanted it private, he could say so. And he hadn't, so he didn't think there would be a problem. At last Fox managed to get out what he seemed to want to say. "I'm sorry, Krystal."

The blue vixen gave no answer, no response at all. Once again Falco believed he could read her mind even without being a telepath. Or an empath. Or whatever it was she was supposed to be able to do. She was hurt and upset, and more than anything, very concerned for Fox. As the silence lasted, Falco decided to break it himself. "We'll cover things out here. Just keep yourself alive, alright? Let us know when you find a way out. We'll hold down the fort. Not like you're the only remotely competent one on the team."

"Yeah. Thanks Falco."

---

Aboard the Great Fox, Slippy found himself staring at the monitors with wide eyed disbelief. As suddenly as the attack came, it had ended. His sensors showed all enemy ships retreating to whence they came. He had no idea why. They did seem to pull back as soon as that explosion occurred in the ship, the one they caused. Perhaps it was connected to that? After a few moments, he finally recovered enough to turn to ROB. "Uh...status report! Any damage?"

"The Great Fox sustained no severe damage. Shields held against enemy fighters. Engines are recovering from short boost, and will be ready to fire again should the attack resume." ROB informed them of this in a flat, mechanical tone. Slippy sighed with relief, grateful that no serious damage had been inflicted upon them. There had been so many of the things swarming them, he had been afraid for a moment they might have punched through. Good that they hadn't.

Blip

Slippy blinked as he heard the strange noise, turning his attention to the console, staring at it as he waited for whatever it was to happen again.

Blip

There it was again! A low, repeated beeping sound coming from his console. There was a red light blinking in the corner of the screen. He knew what that meant. Without even looking up at him, ROB confirmed what Slippy was seeing. "The enemy vessel is hailing us. Awaiting command." Slippy stared at the flashing console, momentarily befuddled and unsure of exactly what was happening. They were being hailed? By the people who were just shooting at them? Why? What was going on?

He was broken out of his stupor by Fox. "Slippy, open a channel. Let's hear what they have to say."

Slippy nodded his head. "Alright Fox." He took a moment to analyze what information he had, as certain data was flashing on the screen. It was indeed from the other ship. "They're requesting a visual link. So we can see them as well as hear them. But they'll only be able to see and hear me, not the rest of you guys."

Fox seemed to consider this for a moment before giving the order. "Alright, do it. Let's learn what we're up against."

Taking a deep breath, Slippy hit the switch to begin the transmission. An image appeared on the screen, an image of what Slippy presumed was the inside of the other ship, likely the bridge. There were a handful of personnel in the background, all wearing distinctive red and black-lined uniforms. The uniforms seemed vaguely familiar, though they didn't quite look like anything Slippy had seen before. The deck had a green tint to it, both in the color of the material that made up the insides as well as an ethereal glow created by the monitors and various equipment on the bridge.

In the front and center of the screen, there was one who had a more commanding presence, staring at them. He had the appearance of a decorated officer, a handful of medals pinned to the breast of his uniform. He was sitting in the captain's chair, his elbow placed against the armrest, supporting his head with his thumb and index finger on his chin and cheek respectively. The enemy was staring at Slippy quietly though the viewscreen, perhaps sizing the frog up. The other captain appeared to be some kind of lizard, a reptilian of sorts. He had never seen him before, he knew that much.

There was one detail that troubled him in particular. The enemy captain, or whoever he was, was wearing a helmet, one that Slippy found all too familiar. There was a large letter "A" stamped on the front of it, right above the forehead, though it looked as though it had faded somewhat with age. In all of their encounters, he could only ever remember one group who had worn such a thing. One person that they had all belonged to.

It was Fox that reacted first, saying in a hushed tone what the others were all no doubt thinking. "Andross..." But Andross was dead. So who was this?

As if on cue, the man on the other screen gave a faint nod of his head before speaking. "This is Captain Kamille of the Third Fleet of the Venom Dominion. Identify yourself."

"Uh..." Slippy cleared his throat, thinking. He wasn't sure what this third fleet was, though there were some indications that it was connected to Andross. And if it was, they would hate Star Fox, so maybe he shouldn't actually identify who they were. But then again, they'd already seen the Arwings, and those were pretty distinctive. Plus, if he lied to this guy, he'd have to keep up the pretense of the lie, concoct a story and elaborate as needed. And he'd probably be ticked off if he found out they were lying. Besides, maybe he already knew who they were and this was just a test of some sort.

In the end, he decided to just go with it. And he hoped he wouldn't regret this decision later. "This is Slippy Toad of the Star Fox team. We came here in answer to a distress call."

The captain was silent, just stared at him wordlessly, his eyes narrowed somewhat. Slippy felt as though he were being eyed up, probed, examined. Analyzed. There was something most unsettling about the lizard's gaze, even through the viewscreen of a ship, far away from him, a coldness reflected in those eyes, a lack of emotion. At last the lizard spoke. "You are not Star Fox." He declared. "You are not a fox."

"Star Fox is the name of the team." Slippy corrected him. That was such a common mistake. They ran into that everywhere they went. It seemed like every other person in the Lylat System thought Star Fox was Fox McCloud, when in fact it applied to the whole group and their ships. He almost immediately wished he hadn't corrected him, as it really wouldn't be a good idea to get this guy mad.

Thankfully, the captain didn't seem at all put out by this. He just continued to stare. There were people in the background, a couple of them on wall-consoles with their backs to Slippy, and another standing to the captain's right, perhaps his executive officer, hands clasped behind him as he regarded Slippy alongside his captain. The second officer was also some kind of lizard, a dark colored salamander. He was a bit thinner in frame, smaller than his superior. But he wore that same helmet that his captain did, with the emblazoned "A" on the forehead. Different color, though

After a long silence, the captain spoke again. "Fox McCloud is the leader of Star Fox. Why do I address one of his underlings? Why am I speaking to..." His lips curled into an amused smirk, "...one of his toadies?"

Despite the gravity of the situation, Slippy heard Falco make a 'snrk' sound from his Arwing. It took everything Slippy had not to retaliate, but now was not the time or the place. He cleared his throat, trying to come up with an answer. How honest should he be? "Where's Fox? Uh...he's occupied at the moment. He's unable to see you." He hastily corrected himself after speaking, trying to make it more vague. "Uh, I mean, unable or unwilling. Not necessarily just unable."

"Tell him he's in the can." Falco again.

"Shut up, Falco." Slippy hissed this through the corner of his mouth.

The captain reached one of his scaled hands up to his head, tapping on one of his eye ridges with a single claw. He couldn't hear the other chatter, or at least Slippy didn't think he could. If he did, he gave nothing away. He just continued to tap as he pondered. "Star Fox..." He murmured to himself, as if tasting the words.

The moment was tense, and Slippy could feel sweat dripping down his face. He hoped that the captain couldn't see it. That other ship had already displayed some serious firepower, and that was just demonstrated in the fighters alone. His preliminary scans of the vessel indicated that it had even more destructive power aboard, though he believed they were currently out of range. They were in a rather desperate situation now, and it would only make things worse if the enemy knew or even suspected that. So he had to put up a brave face. He stared back at the captain with his best poker face, trying to bluff his way to a better position. Unfortunately, he was not a good poker. In fact, he had not won a single poker game in his life. He just hoped he could pull off a bluff just this one time.

At last the captain spoke again. "Out of respect for your team and accomplishments, we will allow you to pull out. Withdraw from this space. This vessel and all aboard are now our concern, not yours. Leave or we will finish what we started. You have five minutes." With that, the transmission ended. That was all they were going to get.

Before anyone said anything. Slippy made a few adjustments to the channel the team was using, hopefully ensuring that it wouldn't be intercepted. But it wouldn't last long. If they were listening, they'd eventually find it. "Okay, guys. I don't know if they can scan us or read our transmission, so we better be fast. What do we do?"

Zero hesitation from Falco. "I say we fight. I want another round. We can take these jerks."

Slippy shook his head, even if the bird couldn't see the gesture. "No way. Even if you could take them, your Arwing took some hits, you gotta come back for at least some quick repairs."

"Slippy is right." Krystal agreed, sounding both weary and thoughtful. "And even if we were fully prepared, how would we deal with the shields around those ships? They seemed all but impenetrable. Attacking them again without some sort of countermeasure would be fruitless. An uphill battle at best."

"Yeah." Fox spoke now. "I want you to all head back. Repair, analyze, find a weakness. Learn everything you can about them, then act accordingly."

"What about you, Fox?" Slippy wanted to know. "We could probably get you out. Maybe if we tell them..."

Slippy was interrupted by the firm voice of their leader. "No. They don't know I'm here, and I'd like to keep it that way. If we all leave, there's no way to rescue whoever is left on this ship. Their captain says that they're here to help, but I don't trust him or his motives. They could be here for anything. And even if he agreed to let us go, I wouldn't put anything past him. For all we know, he's offering an olive branch simply to put us in a more compromised position to take advantage of."

"Yeah..." Slippy leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, frustrated and disappointed. "This sucks. I'm not sure what to do."

"First of all, try and see if you can get a transmission to Corneria." Ever the practical one, Fox was quick to come up with a potential solution. "Maybe someone there will know what's going on. And second, I need you to analyze that other ship, get everything you can on it. Find a weakness."

Slippy nodded. "Gotcha. I'll do what I can."

"And Krystal? I'm...I'm sorry about all this. I should've been more careful. But I promise you, I..." It was at this precise moment that something happened to the signal. Widening his eyes, Slippy flicked a few switches, twisting a dial before using his console to boost the signal. But it was quickly fading. It only took a glance for him to know why. They were being jammed. "..fa...you a...can't...care...you again soon..." After that, the message was completely garbled, mixed with static.

"Fox? Fox!" Krystal shouted with growing alarm. "Fox, can you hear me? Fox!"

"The signal's gone." Slippy stated. "He's on his own."

---

The data was still coming in, but the results were quite promising. This had been one of the first live tests of the new shields in the field, and thus far they were proving to exceed expectations. Unit A5 had sustained multiple direct hits and had been almost completely unfazed, though the shielding had weakened considerably. It would need some minor maintenance in order to bring it back to full capacity. None of the enemy craft had been destroyed, of course, but their own fighters had proven quite effective. Granted, they had outnumbered the enemy by almost ten to one, but still. The Star Fox team had a rather vaunted reputation, as they had emerged triumphant against odds many more times stacked against them. All in all, a rather promising performance.

Save for one detail.

As the pilots all docked and emerged from their cockpits, descending from the bellies of their interceptors. Everything was state of the art, no expenses spared, ensuring each pilot could enter and exit their craft with both ease and speed. Today, their return had a small reception awaiting them. Two commanding officers were there greet them, as well as a few armed troopers standing behind.

Lieutenant Noellap had to admit, it gave him a deep sense of satisfaction to be part of the Third Fleet. Everything was done with military precision, protocol, and efficiency. And why not? This was the rise of the military that the Lylat System desperately needed ever since the fall of Andross. Since before then, he supposed. A system which rewarded those who excelled and approached matters creatively; for those that showed initiative, loyalty, and skill.

And it punished those who displayed a lack thereof.

Noellap waited beside his captain patiently, occasionally sparing the other a glance. The captain's expression, as always, was unreadable. He had a cool head, rarely displaying his emotions, no matter what they might be. He knew he had them, of course. Even if he was cold-blooded, he still felt anger and wrath. Noellap had seen them made manifest before. But he was very good at keeping it masked most of the time. He simply was not one for emotional outbursts.

His uniform was a mixture of colors, primarily red with black buttons and stripes on the shoulders, chest, and the pants. He wore a hat signifying his station as captain, with an insignia emblazoned on it just under the "A", a mark of his rank, a silver star with a formal pattern around it. He seemed to take pride in his rather meticulous appearance, though that was nothing unusual in the service.

He and Noellap had taken their positions at the exit of the docking bay. A half dozen armed troopers were blocking the entrance, each holding a rifle and keeping quite still. Their rifles were not raised and they wouldn't fire unless ordered to, but they were still there. They served as an ominous cloud, a portent of what may lay in the future.

The approaching pilots were jubilant at first, pleased about their first real combat mission, all of them in good spirits and ribbing one another, exchanging excited chatter and banter. In a way, he wanted to join them. They had practically crushed the Star Fox team. Was that not a reason for a celebration?

Their enthusiasm and good humor didn't last long, not once they saw their captain waiting for them. Each of them grew silent and apprehensive, coming to a stop before him and quickly lining up in their designated order, straightening their posture as they positioned themselves, all of them staring straight ahead as they waited for further instructions.

The captain approached them, walking slowly in front of the line and examining his men with a critical gaze, inspecting them. The silence was only broken by the occasional sound of his boots striking the metal plating of the docking bay's floor. At last, when he was satisfied with the inspection, he stood in front of the group and addressed the pilots. "I am curious. At what point during this mission did you forget your primary objective?"

Silence. One of the pilots gulped, but otherwise they didn't dare speak or even move. They just stood there in rigid silence.

The captain slowly walked back and forth in front of the men, pacing as he continued. "The only reason we are here...is that ship. The Von Dross. And yet your battle today put that objective at risk." No one made a sound while he spoke. Not the pilots, not the troopers standing at hand, and not Noellap. "You are fortunate that the explosion was as small as it was. Had you hit something more volatile, you might have destroyed half the ship." His movements stopped, and he looked directly at them, a cold rage smoldering in his gaze. "So tell me...was anyone here unclear about this order? Was it misheard? Misunderstood? Or was this willing disobedience?"

The silence now was palpable. No one dared to speak. They just stood there, frozen in place. Even Noellap was unnerved by the sheer weight of the conversation, able to hear his own heartbeat. Noellap had to admit, he was curious where this was going. He wondered if the captain might have at least a couple of the pilots executed here and now. It would not be unprecedented, though not necessarily on a personal level. Some of the higher ranking officers of the Venom Dominion were a bit...brutal. Still, he wondered if that would be the correct course of action. But right or wrong did not matter in this affair. Only the judgment of Kamille.

"It was my fault, sir." One of the pilots spoke up. Noellap recognized him, he was the squad leader. He remained perfectly still and stiff, not daring to look the captain in the eyes, staring straight ahead and maintaining his formal posture. "I became too focused on the immediate battle, sir. I did not think our weapons fire would put our objective in immediate danger, sir."

"I see." The captain leveled the pilot with a cold, calculating gaze. He seemed to be measuring his options, deciding on how best to deal with the squad leader. To the boy's credit, the pilot never flinched, twitched, or even shifted his eyes. He just stared straight ahead, awaiting judgment.

At last the captain spoke, his words careful and measured. "Standard protocol dictates that I confine you to quarters for the remainder of the mission, and for you to face a military hearing upon returning to base. However..." He paused, giving the young pilot a glance. The pilot gulped quietly, and he couldn't help but look apprehensive, unsure if this coming thought would be good or evil. For the first time, he looked genuinely nervous.

"However, I am considering leniency in this form. I offer you this choice. You may remain in your quarters and face a court hearing when we return home. This was a matter of simple error in judgment, therefore I doubt very much that your punishment will be...final. Though it will remain on your record." He let that sink in for a moment. All of them knew what that meant. "However, if you so choose, I will allow you to remain squad leader and continue the mission. Should you perform your duties with no further mishaps, I will be impressed. This matter will be forgotten as though it never happened." The pilot blinked, his eyes filling with hope before trying to regain control. "But if you should fail again, the consequences will be much more severe. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir!" He answered immediately with a firm voice.

"Very good. Which choice do you make?"

"I would serve, sir!" His answer came out with no hesitation, no trace of doubt or uncertainty. He knew what he wanted.

"Good lad." The captain offered him a nod, then turned to address the pilots in general. "You will be expected in the debriefing room within five minutes. You are all dismissed."

The pilots all gave him a salute, then marched out of the hangar, the troopers parting to either side of the door to let the pilots pass. The squad leader gave the captain and Noellap another salute, then joined his fellows as they marched out of the room. Kamille turned and gave a nod of his head to the troopers, and they shortly filed out as well, leaving the captain and his lieutenant alone for a time.

"What did you think of my solution?" The captain asked him. This question caused Noellap to raise his eyebrow. He knew the other wasn't asking for his approval, as he wasn't the sort that needed it. He wasn't asking him what he should have done. This was a test of some kind, he thought. Well, he supposed he had better answer honestly.

"I may speak freely, sir?"

"Yes."

He nodded his head, clearing his throat. "I believe he should have been simply confined. This is standard protocol, and I see no reason for his error of judgment to be allowed to be repeated. It could be disastrous."

"Indeed." The captain turned from him, staring out at the great sprawl of darkness and twinkling stars visible at the far end of the docking bay, where an invisible force field kept them safe from the cold vacuum of space. "But these are not standard circumstances. This mission is of the utmost importance. We can expect no reinforcements in the task at hand. And it was not expected for the Star Fox team to arrive. This creates a rather complicated situation to which we must adapt." He straightened his back, closing his eyes as he took a deep, calming breath. "We need every pilot. That one...he's talented. And I have read his file. A fine pilot, remarkably skilled. Occasional errors in judgment. But far more important than this, he is loyal. He will be more careful now."

"And if he's not?" Noellap questioned him.

By way of response, the captain simply turned on his heel and started to walk away. He paused in front of the door as it slid open, then addressed Noellap again. "If he makes such an error again, shoot him."

Noellap nodded his head. A harsh punishment, to be sure. Necessary perhaps? He did not know. It didn't matter. It was not his call to make.

"I must report our status thus far to the Great Commander. The pilots must be debriefed. You have the bridge until I return."

He had other questions for the captain, questions he had not been able to ask yet. It would seem it would have to wait for another opportunity. Why had they not finished Star Fox off? Had they anticipated the possibility of facing some manner of resistance upon arrival? Were there any other surprises expected for this mission? Were they to only drive Star Fox away, or were they to destroy them should they persist? So many questions. But now was not the time to answer them all, so he merely nodded his head. He did manage to ask one of the questions he had, the only one that he supposed would be absolutely relevant in the moment. "Yes sir. And if Star Fox returns?"

There was a pause, then the captain turned to give him a look over his shoulder. "Drive them off again. If they persist, destroy them. But we have been "encouraged" to repel any minor nuisance without the use of lethal force." With a nod, Kamille exited the docking bay.

Noellap was alone. He would eventually return to the bridge now and take over for a while. He turned toward the exit of the bay, gazing out into that vast reach of space, just staring and soaking it in with his eyes. The ship had moved a little, so now he also had a view of the gas giant below them, its surface riddled with storms, sometimes looking as though the very surface of the planet were boiling. And there, way in the distance, was a flashing light, the last position of the enemy vessel, the so called "Great Fox."

Star Fox. He never thought he'd be opposing them. Such strange times. But he had no questions of his position or loyalty. No twinge of conscience. He didn't know what Star Fox was doing here, perhaps they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Part of him hoped there would be no further need for violence, but...somehow he doubted that very much.

They would do their duty. Both sides would.

With that thought in his mind, he turned his back to the view of the planet and approached the elevator. Strange times indeed.