It had been remarkable when they had come in visual range of the Von Dross. It was a most impressive ship, likely more so before it had been damaged. It was an impressive size and it was a pity that there was no intention to salvage or rescue the thing. But orders were orders. Until the situation was made more clear and they had a better understanding of what they were dealing with, they were not to attempt to do anything beyond what lay within their mission parameters.
Now that Noellap had the bridge, he found himself somewhat apprehensive of the events that might come. The Star Fox team's presence was something he had not counted upon. He didn't believe the higher ups had expected that either. He imagined that this was a deep complication of the plan.
He was staring out the viewport now, in the direction that the Great Fox had disappeared as it made its retreat. Of course, he couldn't see it now. Just the great blackness of space and stars stretched out as far as the eye could see. Sensors indicated that the ship was still out there, but it was well beyond their current range. For the moment, Star Fox seemed to be acting cautious. They were keeping their distance, and he imagined they might be either contacting or attempting to contact someone from Corneria. This was problematic, as this mission had been intended to operate with the utmost secrecy, preferably without any involvement from Corneria or even knowledge that anything had ever gone amiss here. He didn't know what the Star Fox team was doing here, but it must have been blind chance that they managed to be in the right place at the right time. Or wrong place at the wrong time, depending on how one viewed things.
He sighed as he settled back in the captain's chair, a temporary position to enjoy. He'd be happy to be rid of it. Perhaps one day he'd have his own command, but for now he was content to serve as first officer. He preferred it that way. He did not believe he was ready for the increased responsibility. Of course, he knew that in many ways he was qualified. He had been well trained, he prided himself on discipline and procedure, he was intelligent and flexible as the situation required. However, he was also untested. And he was humble enough to admit that he may not be able to handle a crisis as well as he ought to have.
His service under Captain Kamille had further opened his eyes, as each and every decision that the captain made served to surprise or impress him, sometimes both. He acted with a cool head when most would have simply reacted, for good or ill. He was able to quickly process all the facts that he had available, then make a decision based on that knowledge. It was rather impressive, no question of this. Noellap did not possess this ability. He wished he did, and perhaps one day he might. For now, however, he would be content merely to serve under his captain, perhaps one day having the experience and ability to have his own command.
He looked around the bridge at the various members of the crew at their posts. This ship was a rather complicated piece of equipment, one of the most advanced he had ever seen, and as such it took a number of people just to operate. Shields, power fluctuation, temperature, everything had to be carefully monitored and maintained. It was a rather delicate balance, and even the slightest mistaken variable could cause deep ramifications for the security and stability of the vessel. Some of it was automated of course, but that only accounted for some of the systems.
Noellap wondered just how much longer the captain would be absent. It had been the better part of an hour now since he had retreated to his quarters in order to receive the communication from the Great Commander. Noellap had never met that individual yet. It was a strange title, he mused. Why would one call themselves that? Was it a designation based on service? Why was it the highest rank in their organization? It also seemed like it might be a source of confusion in the future. There were many commanders, but only one Great Commander. Excepting, of course, the commanders who were simply great.
He shook his head, a faint smile crossing his features. Silly thoughts. Momentary amusement, but he could not afford to dwell upon them. He soon cleared his mind of such distractions, refocusing on matters at hand.
He turned to a crewman to his right, seated in his assigned position and working on his console. "Have you intercepted any communications from the Great Fox to the Von Dross?"
"No sir," came the immediate reply. "There have been multiple attempts to communicate, but all have failed. We have not intercepted any specific transmissions. The Great Fox has retreated out of our sensor range. It is possible they are contacting another party, sir."
"Indeed." Noellap raised one hand to the side of his head as he sat, resting his jaw upon his thumb, his cheek upon his forefinger. "The question we must answer is who were they contacting on the Von Dross. Someone who sent out a distress signal, or..."
He trailed off, giving the matter further thought. The ensign turned back to his console, resuming his work. The communication troubled Noellap. Something was off about this. Of course, it could just be Star Fox's sense of duty to assist those in trouble, and they were continuing to make contact with whoever they could on that ship. But the Dominion had already attempted to communicate with the Von Dross, and they got nothing but static, no other response. How was it that Star Fox was communicating with someone and the Dominion could find no trace of that person? No one knew the Dominion's purpose, and whoever was on that ship was likely desperate enough not to care. So who was it, precisely, that Star Fox was in communication with?
There was another piece of the puzzle to unravel. He turned to another crewman, one assigned to monitoring the sensors. "Anything to report on the Great Fox's position?"
"No sir. The Great Fox is holding steady in orbit just beyond our vessel's range. They are not leaving."
"I thought so. Carry on, crewman." The other man nodded his head, turning back to his station and continuing to do his job.
Noellap sighed. He knew there was a problem here. The pieces didn't all fit. Star Fox wasn't just here to rescue the distressed ship, something more was at stake. His instincts assured him of this. He knew something was wrong, but he simply wasn't sure what it was. Frustrating.
His musings were interrupted by a familiar chime that came from the elevator behind him. He rose to his feet and gave a salute to the figure who emerged, that of his commanding officer. "Captain on the bridge," he stated while offering a crisp salute.
Kamille nodded before approaching the captain's chair, and Noellap carefully stepped out of the way, content to stand to the side as his captain took his own seat. Noellap was watching him, though he tried to be inconspicuous about it, merely sending glances towards the other lizard when he could.
The captain looked tired and worn. Whatever he had just gone through seemed to have taken a bit of a toll on him. Noellap wondered exactly what had transpired, but he did not wish to question his commanding officer so soon. He knew that Kamille would inform him in his own due time. Noellap would be content to wait. Patience was a virtue, after all. And so he simply stood beside his commanding officer, staring straight ahead at the stars, hands clasped behind his back as he considered what to do next.
They were silent, the two of them, for a long while, just gazing out of the viewport. Both of them were lost in their thoughts, musing over recent events, though Noellap expected that the exact nature of their thoughts were quite different. Kamille was almost certainly thinking of whatever conversation he had just had with their leader, while Noellap himself was more preoccupied with the immediate situation, with Star Fox and the Von Dross.
At long last, the captain spoke, his words quiet. "I have informed the Great Commander of our situation, and we have been given further orders."
"Yes sir?" Noellap asked, arching an eyebrow.
The captain looked rather distant as he continued. "He made the situation quite clear to me. We are to keep Star Fox engaged if they should persist, keep them away from the Von Dross. But we are not to destroy them unless absolutely necessary. We are to remain in orbit and continue to analyze the situation. We will make further attempts to contact our agents on the inside and assess based on their findings."
"We have an agent aboard?" Noellap arched an eyebrow, quite curious about this. It was news to him.
"Indeed. They were sent to this vessel some time ago to infiltrate and prepare for our arrival. Now that we are here, it is evident that something has gone wrong. I wish to have answers before we move in. With any luck, we can make contact with our informant before moving forward. Either way, we are also to prepare an extraction team and move in as the situation warrants, whether we establish contact or not."
Noellap blinked. "Sir, we don't know what's on that ship yet, and our scanners have difficulty piercing the outer surface. There may be great risk in sending a team into a potentially hostile situation."
"I am well aware of that fact, lieutenant." The captain sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead. He looked rather frustrated, something that Noellap didn't see from him very often. "But this is the nature of the mission. Sometimes risks must be taken, gambles must be made. Unfortunately, if Star Fox is aware of our presence, they will, if they have not already, make contact with another party. Sooner or later, others will come to investigate, further jeopardizing our mission. Therefore we must move quickly. We cannot allow outside interference."
"Perhaps we should have destroyed Star Fox from the start." Noellap commented. It was not a suggestion, nor was it wistful thinking. It merely seemed as though it would be more practical.
The captain shook his head. "No. That would be directly against the orders we received. Besides, you are aware of our purpose. We are not here to bring pain or destruction, but rather strength and security."
"Yes sir." Noellap could not deny that point. There was, however, still some hesitation and uncertainty clouding his mind. "But would it not be for the greater good to destroy them? It would be a black mark now, but surely in the grand scheme of things it would prove easier than having them as a constant thorn in our sides, jeopardizing our mission. Now that they are aware of our existence, it seems likely they will provide further trouble for the Dominion, even beyond this mission."
"It is possible." Kamille grew silent for a time, staring forward, his gaze lost among the stars. The silence dragged on. He did not know for how long. Noellap wondered if the conversation was already over. He thought about prodding him, asking him for more information or clarification, but he didn't want to disturb the captain if he wished to be left alone. So he simply waited. The captain would speak when he was good and ready.
Noellap took this moment to study his superior officer's expression. Again he noticed how tired he looked. Perhaps he was frustrated by the orders as much as Noellap was. Perhaps he agreed with Noellap. But as the ranking officer aboard this vessel, he could not afford such doubts to be made manifest. Come what may, he would be held responsible for this mission. And to give voice to his doubts, if indeed he had any, would only further complicate things.
At last the captain spoke again. "However, sometimes the most direct and obvious course is not the correct one. So long as our mission is not directly jeopardized by the Star Fox team, they are merely to be swatted aside, not destroyed. These are orders from higher up, there will be no negotiation on this."
"Yes sir." Noellap nodded respectfully. "I understand, sir."
"There is one other matter." The captain was staring now at the Von Dross. "Fox McCloud is not aboard the Great Fox. I want him contacted as soon as possible, and I want scans run on both the Great Fox and the Von Dross, crossed with any records we might have. I want him found immediately."
The lieutenant blinked in surprise, his eyes widening a bit at the suggestion. "Fox is...why would you think he's not with his team, sir?"
The captain turned to regard him, a cooled expression on his face. "Do you not think it is obvious? Why do you think that the frog answered our communication and not Fox himself? Why do you think he was careful not to tell us exactly what Fox was doing? Why do you think we only fought two Arwings, when we know for a fact that the Star Fox team has most always comprised of four?"
"Yes, but we only saw the two, that leaves two Arwings unaccounted for, not one."
Kamille shook his head. "Incorrect. One. The frog was on the bridge, meaning that they were down his Arwing, likely in the hangar. That leaves only Fox, who has a reputation for being one of the best dog fighters in the Lylat System. Where do you suppose he must have been?"
It was clear that the captain knew exactly where Fox was. It wasn't obvious to his first officer, at least not right away. "I..." Noellap went quiet, lowering his head as he gave the matter some thought. Now he realized what it was that had been bothering him earlier. This detail. They never actually spoke with Fox. This was why the ship had limped away but wouldn't leave. This was why Star Fox kept trying to hail the Von Dross, even though they knew it might provoke their former assailants. At last he answered his commanding officer, turning his head up to look at him. "Fox...is trapped on the Von Dross."
"Precisely." The captain offered a faint smile. He seemed pleased that Noellap had finally come to the right conclusion, though whether because he thought Noellap was intelligent or was just finally grasping the obvious was difficult for Noellap to say. For now, he simply took it as a compliment. The captain continued. "Fox is trapped there, and we need to find him. I want his progress monitored. It is possible we can use his efforts to advance our own cause. He may well do our work for us. However, should he become a problem, we need a way to remove him from the situation, forcibly if need be."
"Yes sir. I'll have the men running scans immediately, we will attempt to overcome their shielding."
"Good." Kamille took a deep breath and then settled back against his chair. "Fox is a worthy adversary. But being that he is still on the Von Dross, he is out of his element. We have the advantage, and we will use it."
"Yes sir."
Once again, Noellap found himself rather impressed with the captain. Not only had he figured out where Fox was, he was already intent on making good use of the situation. Others might have panicked when they realized that someone like Fox McCloud could possibly be endangering the mission. Not the captain. And what was more, he was certain that whatever Kamille came up with, it would be an equally brilliant and effective strategy.
"One other matter." The captain spoke before allowing his officer to leave. "While maintaining the jamming signal, keep attempting to reach our contact. It is vital that we have an understanding of the situation aboard as soon as possible."
"Sir, how do we know they are still alive?" Noellap asked.
"We don't. But the Great Commander was most confident in their ability to succeed. What is more, the agent has been provided with some rather compelling motivation. They will contact us in time if they are still alive. We can be certain of that." Noellap was curious about what gave the captain, and evidently his superiors, so much confidence in their agent. Kamille did not elaborate at all on that point. "But should we not hear from them soon, we must be prepared to act."
"Yes sir." Noellap offered his captain a salute. Kamille nodded, then turned his attention elsewhere, watching over his bridge and the crew complement upon it.
For the moment, Noellap would excuse himself and find one of the ensigns for monitoring the Von Dross. They would have to focus their efforts on finding Fox. Once he was located, the captain would provide further instructions. They would succeed. He had no doubt of that. He just hoped that they were not underestimating the Star Fox team. Even with all the advantages possessed, leaving an enemy strong enough to fight back was a poor tactical decision. Not that they had any choice, at least not at the moment. He wondered what it would take before the captain decided to use lethal force. There must be a breaking point somewhere. He just didn't know what it was yet.
For now, they would focus on finding Fox and their contact, both of which were presumably on that massive ship. Beyond that? Only time would tell.
On the bridge of the Great Fox, things were a bit tense. It wasn't the usual tension, the kind that Falco and Slippy often generated with each other, that friction that often resulted from their interactions. This was something else. Something that Slippy thought was much worse. And of course, he didn't blame Falco for it at all. It was beyond either of their control.
He couldn't remember a time when they had been put in such a compromised position. Fox was trapped, Krystal was down, and now it was just Falco and Slippy. And ROB, of course. Just those three, no one else. What was worse, they had already been beaten by the bad guys (Or at least Slippy was assuming they were the bad guys at this point), and another encounter with them did not seem at all preferable. So they were sitting on their rears, just waiting for something to happen, waiting for some sign or inspiration for what their next move should be. And neither of them were coming up with any ideas.
Slippy tried to occupy his mind with the data that was on his computer, an analysis of everything transmitted to the Great Fox during the dogfight with the enemy fighters. There was a lot to go through, a lot to analyze. But he just couldn't focus on it right now. He was out of his mind with worry for both Fox and Krystal. They had no way of contacting Fox, and no way of knowing how long Krystal would be incapacitated. And they needed both of them! With a sigh, Slippy leaned forward, resting his face against his hand, unable to think anymore about anything productive. What were they going to do?
He shifted his fingers, allowing himself to peek at Falco and see what he was doing. The bird had his head bowed and his eyes closed, his thoughts and emotions guarded. This was typical, Slippy thought. Of all of them, Falco was the least likely to show any real emotion. Unless one counted snark, sarcasm, or annoyance, of course. He had that in spades. But the other emotions? He had them, certainly. Slippy had seen them before. Falco liked to hide it, but he had a deep concern and care for the members of Star Fox. Even Slippy, despite how much they seemed not to get along. And the frog could tell just how upset Falco was over this situation. He seemed to feel as helpless as Slippy did.
He jumped as Falco suddenly slammed his fist hard against one of the monitors, causing Slippy to emit a loud croak. "Hey! Hey, those are sensitive!" He protested. "If you're going to take out your frustration, do it on something else!"
"Like you?" Falco growled.
Slippy paled a bit, widening his eyes. "C-come on Falco! I'm not even...I haven't done anything!"
"I know." He grumbled something inaudible under his breath, then resumed speaking aloud. "I know, sorry. I'm just...I don't like this. I don't like just sitting here, waiting for something to happen. We're now down two people, and we don't got a clue."
"Yeah..." Slippy nodded his head wearily. "It's not looking good. I'm still in the process of analyzing. Those shields have to have a weakness. Everything has a weakness!"
"Yeah, well that doesn't help us at all until we know what it is." He let out an exasperated sigh, shaking his head. "I don't like being outmatched. I don't like running. And I don't like it when plans fall apart."
"Yeah. I know. I don't like it either." Slippy started to rub the back of his neck. "I don't know what we're supposed to do right now. I mean...we could risk another battle, but that seems pointless. I don't see how the shields can be penetrated."
"Yeah, I'm not going out there until we have a bit more of a plan than simply 'try again'." Slippy couldn't say he blamed Falco for this thought. It wasn't fun being beaten. And to immediately face an opponent who had an immense advantage over you, where nothing had changed since the last bout? Well...only a fool would rush into that battle. And Falco, despite what Slippy occasionally thought of him, was not a fool. When Falco next spoke, he still sounded frustrated. "So do we got any options?"
"Well..." Slippy cleared his throat. "I think we can attempt to get closer to the Von Dross than we are. I couldn't help but notice that the other ship didn't pursue, and I got a feeling that maybe it's more than just mercy. I'm thinking the range on those fighters might be a bit small."
"Hmm." Falco raised one of his hands to his chin as he considered this possibility. "They were bigger fighters though. They looked like long-range interceptors to me, though I admit I was more busy dodging lasers than I was observing their design."
"Well, I got some pictures of them, and ROB has prepared a sort of holographic display." He turned to ROB and nodded at the robot. "Thank you ROB."
"You are welcome." The robot said in response, then started typing rapidly and entering a series of commands. Then, before Falco and Slippy's eyes, a holographic display appeared, elevated above the command console to give them a good view. It was now blown up on a level that even Slippy hadn't seen before, allowing him to give it a much better analysis.
"They're kinda big to be short range fighters." Falco commented. He then pointed at the engines of the ship. "See that? That's pretty standard design, isn't it? More powerful engines, extended fuel capacity. This thing is for long range."
"I dunno." Slippy shook his head. "That could be anything in there. And while you're right, it would make sense for those to provide some sort of extended fuel supply...I just don't know. My gut is telling me that there's something more here, something we're missing. But I'm not seeing anything unusual, myself. There's gotta be something though, there's gotta be! ROB, zoom in on the tail end of the ship."
"Affirmative."
The holographic ship grew bigger, and the focus shifted on the engines. Falco arched an eyebrow as he looked at the thing, then shrugged his shoulders. "I still don't see anything out of place."
"Me either." Slippy went to one of the consoles himself, entering a few commands. A specific part of the 'engine' lit up and started flashing. Falco blinked, then leaned forward to get a better look.
"I still don't see nothin'."
Slippy nodded again. "ROB, is there anything out of the ordinary about these ships? Have you found anything that indicates a weakness or...or some kind of flaw? It's got to have something wrong with it, or at least a vulnerability that can be exploited."
"Negative." Slippy would say ROB's answer was firm, but ROB wasn't capable of sounding unsure or indecisive, so that didn't really mean anything. "All available data suggests standard fighters, though with small upgrades."
"Upgrades? Like what?" Falco asked.
ROB hit a few buttons himself, causing a few parts on the vessel to be highlighted. Parts of the engine lit up, as well as the weapon systems on it. "The enemy fighters are equipped with superior weaponry and maneuverability compared to standard fighters of this class. Origin of modifications unknown, does not match records of any previous encounter by Star Fox."
"Great." Falco groaned. "So not only are they invincible, they're faster and hit harder than they have any right to be."
"Correct."
"So where is the shield coming from?" Falco voiced the question they all wanted to know.
"Speculation: The shield is emanating from the primary enemy vessel, designation VDS Bulwark."
"Whoa whoa whoa." Falco narrowed his eyes. "Slow down. That's not possible. I've only fought ships with this kind of shielding once in my entire career, and that was on an orbital platform over Venom. The entire station was used as a shield generator for the fighters. There's no way that's happening here. Look at it." Falco reached for his own console, hit a couple of buttons...and pulled up the Great Fox's schematics instead. Grumbling, he made a few corrections. Then he got an advertisement of some kind of beak trimmer pulled up in place of the ships. Falco growled with frustration, then finally gave up. "Look, one of you do it, okay?"
"Sure thing." Slippy grinned, then punched in the proper command. Sure enough, a visual representation of the enemy vessel showed up, the large ship that housed all of the enemy fighters. It certainly was impressive. A big ship too, definitely bigger than the Great Fox.
"See that?" Falco pointed at the image that popped up.
"See what?" Slippy squinted. Falco wasn't really pointing at anything specific, or at least he didn't think he was, so it was impossible to figure out what he was referring to.
"Exactly." Falco folded his arms across his chest. "There's nothing there. I've never once gone up against a shield generator that didn't have some kind of weakness, a spire or tower to project the shields or something.
"Oh yeah!" Slippy exclaimed, nodding his head with enthusiasm. Now he saw what Falco was getting at. "You're right, that's the reason why those things aren't used on a wide scale. They take up a ton of power, and they're usually pretty obvious. They're vulnerable and exposed while providing a shield. We'd see it. Hmmm..." As he spoke, Slippy started to rotate the holographic representation of the enemy ship. And sure enough, there were absolutely no indications of a shield generator. This posed a bit of a problem, to say the least.
"I don't get it. There has to be -something- there. They've gotta be getting their shields from somewhere, and there's nothing else around, unless it's cloaked. And that's impossible. Stealth fields and shields don't really play along very well, so usually you gotta pick one or the other."
"Yeah. Good thing." Falco mused dryly. "Wouldn't want want to fight an enemy that generated shields -and- could cloak. Especially at the same time. Would not be a fun fight."
"Yup!" Slippy agreed, still studying the design of the larger ship, the one called Bulwark. Oh how he wished he had a more accurate schematic of that thing. If he could get close enough, he might be able to analyze it better, but that would require them getting much, much closer. And considering what had happened the last time they attempted such a thing, well...that would be a very bad idea. Which meant that that they were basically stuck. All they had was guesswork, and that wasn't enough.
Sighing, Slippy settled back in his chair and closed his eyes, trying to think through this. He wasn't sure there really was a solution, at least not one he could get from here. But he had to try. What else could they do? Wait for the the enemy ship to just provided them with valuable data right when Slippy needed it most? What were the chances of that? He shook his head at the idea, smiling faintly. Yeah, like that was going to happen...
"Multiple warp signatures detected." ROB suddenly chimed.
"Huh?" Slippy blinked, startled out of his thoughts. "Wait, what?"
Things were quiet on the bridge. The ones manning their stations worked silently and efficiently. Two security officer stood by the elevator door, maintaining silent vigil over their posts. All of them, the entire crew of this ship, had been well trained and disciplined. It was exactly as it should be, and it made Noellap proud to serve aboard the vessel, to serve the Venom Dominion. He could just imagine such order spread across the Lylat System. Everyone working in efficient harmony to make the galaxy a better place. He could imagine no better future.
He was currently busying himself with reading what reports they had on the Von Dross. It wasn't a lot, but it was something. The ship was remarkably discreet about its activities, making information gathering much more difficult than it ought to be. And then, of course, there was the rather unique recruiting process the ship had, which was very difficult to exploit indeed. He wondered if he himself would ever be desperate enough to attempt such a thing. To voluntarily give up part of your memories in order to...
A faint warning chime sounded nearby, bringing him out of his thoughts. An ensign at the monitoring station turned to address Noellap and Kamille. "Sir! Unidentified vessels warping in to our position! Six of them..." He paused, his eyes widening as he studied the screen. "Eight vessels. Nine! The number is growing!"
Kamille reacted immediately and with no hesitation, addressing the entire crew. "All personnel, assume combat positions! Shields to maximum, pilots to your ships."
There was a scramble as all of the men and women on the bridge assumed battle positions, and the mood quickly shifted. Though as frantic as things may have become, it did not devolve into panic. Everyone maintained control of themselves, much to Noellap's pleasure. It was efficient, clean, and orderly. It only took a few seconds for everyone to be prepared, for the viewscreen to alter its image, revealing the intruding ships as they took up a hostile position.
Whoever this was, they weren't messing around. Noellap counted at least one cruiser and two frigates among their number, so a fairly powerful force. He suspected pirates, but he wasn't entirely certain. Not yet.
"Sir, we are being hailed," one of the crew informed his commanding officer. He looked at the captain, waiting for his response.
"On screen." Kamille ordered.
The image of the enemy ships was immediately replaced with the face of an unknown foe. And it would seem that Noellap had been correct in his suspicions. He didn't bear the marks of any known faction in the universe, rather sporting a more casual attire. This was often the case with pirates. They didn't wear uniforms and generally detested regulations, besides the ones that the individual captains leveled on their crew. Some aspects of his attire were familiar. It looked like he was wearing a sort of hodge podge of colors, belonging to any number of factions. The opposing captain was simian, an ape. He probably used to belong to either Andross or his nephew Andrew. Either way, Noellap doubted very much that he served either of them now. He didn't know why so many of their kind, apes, had followed Andross during the rebellion. Perhaps it was simply because Andross was an ape himself, Noellap didn't know. Naturally, not all of their kind did so. But far too many had, and it gave the rest of them a rather...unpleasant reputation in some corners of the galaxy.
The enemy captain was rather direct in his first question. "Who the heck are you guys?"
"This is Kamille, captain of the VDS Bulwark. You are trespassing." Noellap's superior officer stated coldly, regarding them with an impassive glare. "You will leave this sector immediately or be destroyed. This is your only warning."
"Ha! So it's a scrap, eh?" The pirate grinned again, displaying several gold teeth, likely replacing ones that he had lost. It made for a rather unpleasant smile. When he spoke, he had a thick accent, something that seemed to suit his brutish appearance and nature. "Don't knows if ya noticed or not, but there's one o' you and a heck o' a lot more o' us. Well, we don't take kindly to t'reats, now, do we lads?" The grin widened, and there was the sound of others hooting and hollering in the background.
Filthy animals.
The enemy took a moment to revel in the enthusiasm of his men, then turned back to his viewscreen, regarding the captain with a grin. "Works fer me, mate. Was gonna kill ya's anyway. Alright boys! Work 'em over and wipe 'em out!"
The message immediately ended, followed by the enemy opening fire. The opposing force had nearly a dozen vessels, most of them small warships, such as destroyers and frigates. There was, however, the one cruiser and a number of fighters that were currently launching from its docking bay. That was very likely the command ship. Laser blasts filled the vacuum of space, striking their vessel. Or at least, they would if the shields weren't still holding. And by holding, he meant at full power and not giving even the slightest indication of wavering.
"I believe it is time to demonstrate the true might of the Third Fleet. More specifically, to show them the strength of the Bulwark." Captain Kamille stated. There was no hurry or anxiety in his voice, no real concern over what might be. He knew exactly what was going on here, and exactly what to do about it. More importantly, he knew what the odds of victory were. They were not in the enemy's favor. "I have a message for the rest of the ship. Ensure they can hear me."
"Yes sir." The crewman assigned to communications nodded his head, pressing a button on his holographic display before turning. "Awaiting message."
The captain cleared his throat before proceeding. "Now hear this. We are now engaging an enemy of the Venom Dominion. Pirates who intend to plunder our ship and sway us from our mission. The new order has no place for scum such as them." He paused for a moment, then delivered his final orders. "You do not need to hold back on their account. This is not the time for mercy. This is our first step in bringing order to the Lylat System. Do your duty, and make the Dominion proud. Obliterate them."
Noellap allowed himself a faint smile. In truth, he knew that the crew had been rather itching for a fight since the mission began. And that is precisely what they were about to get. Perhaps an impressive battle, at that, though that remained to be seen. In a matter of moments, the fighters would be launched, their pilots intent on carrying out their mission. He wondered how long the enemy would last against their firepower.
One last order was given before the battle began. "Prepare the main cannon, then hold until my signal," came the order. The crew quickly accommodated his wishes, preparing the primary weapon for use. It would be the first time the cannon would have been fired outside of a testing environment. This truly was a momentous day. First they had driven off Star Fox, now they would eradicate a group of pirates. Noellap was confident that they would prove to be nothing more than a minor nuisance. And a rather forgettable one at that.
"A number of ships are warping in on these co-ordinates, close to the original vessel." ROB continued to relay information as he worked. With the tap of a few buttons, an image was projected on the screen. It was small and distant, not of much use at the present.
"You've got to be kidding." Falco groaned, approaching his console and zooming in on the action. His eyes widened. "Holy crap. You're right. There's like...a dozen ships that just warped in."
"Reinforcements?" Slippy suggested. He winced as Falco muttered some profanity under his breath, not finding the prospect of additional enemy forces to be even remotely appealing. They already couldn't take on the one ship, how could they possible manage to overcome a small fleet?
"That's all we need." He grumbled to no one in particular. "Well...I guess we should prepare to reposition. I might need to fly out and distract them if they come our way. Let's get ready to..."
Falco went silent when he saw a burst of laser fire erupt from one ship towards the one that had attacked them earlier. The two members of Star Fox could only stare at the image with the mouths hanging open as it turned into all out war. All of the recently arrived ships were concentrating fire on the enemy vessel, and it didn't respond to their fire right away. There were a lot of them, a lot more ships than the Star Fox team currently had. Some of them were bigger too. This was a switch.
"What do we do?" Slippy asked.
"I think..." Falco tapped on the side of his head a few times as he gave the matter some thought. "I think we should get closer."
"C-closer?" Slippy croaked nervously. "But we might get caught in the middle of that!"
"Yeah, we might. But you need to be closer to get a proper reading of that ship, right?"
Slippy blinked, then nodded his head. "Y-yeah. I...I do, actually."
"Seems to me this is the perfect time. I doubt we're going to get a better opportunity."
"Yeah...yeah, that's smart thinking, Falco!" Slippy gave the bird a bright grin.
Falco scoffed and shook his head. "Don't talk like that's out of the ordinary."
"Oh, right. Yeah, sorry, I didn't mean...never mind." He cleared his throat, then turned to ROB. "Alright, get us closer! I'm gonna try to run some scans." He then turned back to Falco. "What if they need our help? The newcomers, I mean."
"Well, that depends on who it is. Just because they're shooting at each other doesn't mean either of them are friendly. So let's take it one step at a time." The frog nodded in response to Falco's words, they seemed to make sense to him. ROB, meanwhile, was punching in coordinates and sending the ship lurching forward. Falco highly doubted they were going to escape detection, but hopefully they could at least get close enough to get a good read on the situation, maybe figure out if they should help one side or the other. No matter what they did, they'd have to approach this situation with a degree of caution. There was no telling what either of these forces were capable of.
As they drew closer, the conflict seemed to escalate. The same interceptors that had previously gone against the Star Fox team were now engaged with enemy forces. It was quite a different feeling watching it from here, and as they drew closer they were able to take in a better view of the action. Despite Falco's reluctance to admit this, those pilots were quite skilled. It wasn't just their shields that made them strong, which those naturally helped immensely of course. It was also their training. They knew how to maneuver, how to shake an opponent off their tail, how to weave in such a manner so as to make them difficult to track, both with the eyes and with targeting equipment. They could fly defensively and manage to be aggressive at the same time. More than that, he could tell that they were working well together as a cohesive unit. He could appreciate this a bit more as he watched the battle from a distance, rather than engaging in it himself. They were good. Very good.
In contrast, the newcomers seemed to rely more on numbers and brute strength than any sort of finesse. It didn't take long at all before a number of fighters burst into fiery explosions, the wreckage careening through the blackness of space before being utterly disintegrated. All the ships that were destroyed belonged to the newcomers. Despite the sheer volume of enemy ships, he didn't count a single kill to come from them.
This wasn't a battle. This was a slaughter.
The longer the engagement was drawn out, the more readily apparent it became who was truly outmatched. The newcomers never managed to penetrate the Bulwark's shields, and they were losing fighters one by one. Before long, one of the bigger ships, a destroyer, erupted in flames as multiple interceptors skimmed across its surface, weapons firing freely. It wasn't just laser fire, either. They were releasing some kind of explosive charges, detonating as they impacted the surface of the larger vessel. The course of the destroyer was altered as it was disabled, slowly and painfully altering its trajectory as more and more of its primary systems were compromised. A number of small explosions rocked the ship. He wasn't sure what they hit next, but it was enough to make it go critical. A massive explosions erupted from the center of the vessel as it split in two, fiery husks being launched in two different directions.
The interceptors didn't even pause in their work. They continued to swarm additional enemy ships, taking out any fighters that came their way while simultaneously focusing their fire on the bigger vessels. It wasn't long at all before another two destroyers were wiped out. Without fighter support, which they were losing quickly, the larger ships were completely exposed, not having the weaponry to deal with the smaller craft.
It also seemed that the newcomers weren't smart enough to use the proximity of the nearby Von Dross to their advantage. Falco was still convinced that had something to do with why the enemy had backed off earlier. At the very least, it may have caused them to retreat a little sooner than they might have otherwise.
The newcomers had no such fortune. Piece by piece, their fleet was getting obliterated.
Still, even though the Dominion forces seemed to have the advantage, Falco knew firsthand that they would have trouble penetrating the shields of some of the larger ships. The new Great Fox, with all of its flaws, had some pretty impressive shields, on par with a frigate or somewhat smaller cruiser. It was inferior to the original in almost every possible way, but at least it had something going for it. The destroyers here were small enough that they didn't possess heavy shielding, and thus were easily dispatched by the swarm of enemy fighters. However, the cruiser would pose a greater problem. The thing likely had shields strong enough to repel the interceptor weapons. The same might prove true of the frigates as well. Dealing with that would be more difficult.
"We're in range now." Slippy declared. "I'm running scans. Should we intervene?"
"No." Falco shook his head. "Those guys ain't friends of ours. See?" He pointed at one of them on the screen, causing it to zoom in a bit. "Those markings? They're pirates. Think they run out of Fortuna some place. Can't recall their names. It's not the group that Star Wolf was in charge of, anyway. And I think if we jump in, we're just gonna get our butts handed to us. They ain't winning."
"Y-yeah." Slippy stammered, then continued to work on his analysis. "We're getting a lot of data here. This should be a lot more useful than what we got last time!"
"Hope so. Let's, uh, maintain this distance, alright? I don't think we should get much closer."
"Got it." Slippy answered in the affirmative.
` They certainly had a lot more information to work with now. They could watch comfortably as the new fleet fired countless blasts of energy into the Bulwark, as they attempted to shoot down some of the interceptors. They had precisely as much success as the Star Fox team had earlier, which was to say none at all. Actually, they had less success than even that, as they were getting blown to pieces, a fate which the Star Fox team had managed to escape.
It was difficult to take everything in, it all happened so fast, and there was so much going on. All Falco was really sure of was the fact that the Dominion, or at least the ones who called themselves that, were winning. And it wasn't a close or narrow victory. The other side never stood a chance. And apparently, the Dominion's opponent was beginning to understand the futility of their assault, as their ships were breaking off and attempting a retreat. By now, the oncoming force had lost roughly half of its ships, and the rest were limping away.
It was over.
"Sir, the enemy is retreating. Your orders?"
Noellap looked to the captain expectantly, awaiting his response. It could go either way, to be honest. Perhaps the Kamille would allow them to limp home with their lives. Or perhaps he would crush them utterly right here and now. The battle had already gone quite well. Once more, not a single casualty. The enemy had lost dozens of fighters and warships, so the exchange had gone very well indeed. So what would be ordered now?
After a pause, the captain gave his answer. "Target their flagship with our primary cannon. Order all interceptors to fall back out of the blast radius."
The crewman nodded his head, then punched in a series of commands into his console before looking up at Kamille. "Target acquired, awaiting your orders."
Silence. The crewman awaited confirmation from his captain, but none was forthcoming. Kamille stared at the viewscreen, watching as the other ship retreated, desperately attempting an escape. Everyone on the bridge was holding their collective breath, waiting for the order to be given. The silence seemed to stretch on and on. Noellap himself had no idea why there was a delay. He could only turn to his captain and study him quietly until the order was at last given.
"You may fire when ready." Kamille stated simply, breaking the silence.
Noellap watched as the crewman pressed in the last command that would initiate the weapon. He then looked up at the viewscreen to see the results. There was a loud hum as power was drawn throughout the ship in order to charge the cannon. There was even a buildup of raw energy visible on the outside, able to seen through the viewscreen as the weapon prepared to fire. And then their ship lurched gently as the cannon was discharged.
The effect was as immediate as it was absolute. The blast pierced the cold depths of space with blinding speed, connecting with the largest enemy vessel within a heartbeat. There was a flash of white light...and then only a massive explosion where the enemy ship had once been, pieces of it careening into space. Within a scant few moments, the enemy flagship had been reduced to space dust. Another success for the Dominion.
"Well done." A series of cheers went up from the men on the bridge as they witnessed their enemy reduced to rubble. And in that moment, Noellap saw something from his captain that he did not often see. A smile.
"Sir!" One of the technicians monitoring the scans turned to the captain, eyes wide. "The Great Fox is approaching, sir! Bearing mark 04:76:21!"
The smile was gone. "On screen." Kamille ordered.
Sure enough, the Great Fox was now much, much closer than it had been, almost in range of their weapons. However, as Noellap studied the screen, he realized that the Great Fox was not currently moving. It was just sitting there.
Even Kamille seemed surprised. Noellap heard him murmur quietly to himself, "What's she doing..." Had they been intent on joining in the battle and had simply arrived too late? Or were the Star Fox team never intending to join the fight in the first place? If so, why had they moved?
"All hands, resume combat positions. Fighters, prepare to intercept." Kamille ordered. All of their forces prepared to engage the Great Fox, weapons at the ready. The pirates were defeated, scattered and broken, the few ships that remained now in a full rout. There was nothing to fear from them. But Star Fox? That could be another matter. Did they have something planned? Noellap looked to Kamille, awaiting further instructions.
"Perhaps another warning is in order..." Kamille murmured.
Both Slippy and Falco had been caught off guard by the immense discharge of energy launched from the Bulwark. For a moment, as the blast hurtled through space, they could only watch with mouths agape, staring stupidly as the third party's command ship was struck before simply exploding, the entire vessel reduced into space dust in a flash. The rest of the intruding ships immediately veered off, desperately attempting a retreat. The enemy did not pursue them, allowing them to escape.
"Holy..." Slippy couldn't even finish his exclamation, just stared in equal parts fascination and horror at what used to be a sizable cruiser, destroyed in a blink of an eye. That kind of firepower surprised and shocked him. It shouldn't have been possible! How did they do it?!
The Dominion forces were now facing the Great Fox. While the large ship didn't move, the interceptors were altering their course, now on a direct path for team Star Fox.
"Aw crap." Falco muttered.
"All engines full reverse!" Slippy yelled.
"Affirmative." ROB acknowledged. The ship lurched as it strained to put some distance between themselves and the incoming enemy, backing off as quickly as it could manage. It wasn't fast enough. Those interceptors would be on them in a matter of moments. And that was to say nothing of that terrifying weapon the group had just born witness to.
The engines were pushed to their limits, straining at full power in order to get some distance away from the oncoming enemy. Slippy could feel beads of sweat forming on his brow, trickling down his head. They were gonna get caught. And now they were down a pilot, as Krystal was in no condition to fight. This was bad. This was very bad...
Then the fighters abruptly veered off. Slippy and Falco both stared at the retreating interceptors, blinking their eyes mutely as the fighters returned to base. Of course, there was no guarantee the enemy wasn't simply preparing to fire again, thus perhaps negating the need for the interceptors to be present. But if there was any justice in the universe, any logic left, Slippy had to believe that the larger ship needed to recharge after using a weapon that powerful. It had to be. It would be impossible for it to be otherwise, that was too much energy expended. Combined with the powerful shield it had...logic insisted that there was a considerable power drain there, and even an entire battle station would require a recharge. Yet Slippy could not entirely banish the fear from his mind.
The tension was palpable. Slippy could barely breathe All he could do was wait, hoping like heck that the Great Fox could outrun whatever it was they were planning.
There was a familiar chime sounding nearby. Slippy stared in the direction it came from. ROB turned toward Slippy before speaking. "We are being hailed."
The frog gulped, taking a few deep breaths as he tried to calm his nerves. But he couldn't do it. His hands were shaking too bad, he couldn't deal with this. He was scared out of his wits after witnessing such destructive power. How could they possibly hope to stand against this?
Fortunately, he didn't have to. "Lemme talk to 'em." Falco approached the command chair, settling down in it before crossing his arms. If he was intimidated by what had just happened, he didn't show it now. Honestly, Slippy was grateful. If he had to get on the screen, he was all but certain they would see his fear clearly manifest.
"Affirmative." ROB answered. Within a moment, viewscreen flickered, and then they had a familiar image of the enemy bridge. There was the captain, flanked by his subordinate, who they currently had no name for. The enemy captain was quiet, just staring at them, stroking one of his cheeks gently with his index finger as he studied them.
"Bold of you to risk inviting our wrath a second time. Too bold. Perhaps I should make an example of you..." After studying them for a few moments, he raised his hand, signaling one of the nearby crew. Slippy wasn't sure exactly what the signal meant, but it couldn't be good. Perhaps he was preparing to fire the weapon again.
Falco was not intimidated, however. He simply folded his arms across his chest and glared. "Yeah? Well I figure if you were gonna do that, you would've done it by now. And you haven't. So something's you holding back. What is it, huh? Orders? Or do you guys think you got some kinda moral high ground?"
Slippy stared at Falco with his mouth open, his eyes bugging out. What was that crazy bird doing?! The last thing they needed right now was to antagonize this guy! This "Dominion" held all the cards right now, and Falco was bluffing with an empty hand!
"You would do well to mind your place." The enemy captain fixed Falco with a narrow eyed glare. He didn't buy Falco's bluff. "You do not seem to understand your position here."
"I understand plenty." Falco growled. "You've got superior weaponry and shield technology, you've got more people than we do. And you're just sitting there, not lifting a finger to help the people aboard that ship." The bird raised up his arm so he could point directly at the enemy captain. "You're a coward."
Everyone was dead silent, even on the other ship. Slippy stared at Falco with his jaw dropped. Had the bird gone nuts?! On screen, even the officer that appeared to be the second in command turned to regard his superior with an eyebrow raised. Evidently the words caught him off guard as well! But the captain himself was as cool as a cucumber. If the words affected him, he didn't show it. When he finally did react, it caught both Falco and Slippy by surprise. And judging by the expression of whoever it was standing beside the captain, it surprised him too.
He laughed.
The captain simply laughed at them. It was controlled, of course. Not the sort of uproarious sound that was made when one heard a particularly clever joke from a friend. It was a low and deep chuckle, an amused sound. Slippy had no idea what he thought was so funny, but it did at least sound somewhat genuine. And for some reason, dangerous. He couldn't tell why it gave him that impression, but it did.
The laugh subsided after a few moments, though a faint smile remained on the captain's face. "You amuse me. And believe it or not, I do have...some...sympathy for your plight. Not just your mission. Your leader...he's on board that vessel, isn't he?"
Slippy gulped, his eyes going wide. Falco gave no response, his arms folded across his chest. He just glowered at Kamille.
"And you have a rescue mission that you cannot fulfill. How frustrating for you." He straightened his back, then matched Falco's gaze. "This is the last chance at mercy that I offer you. Stay away. If you interfere in any way, my compassion will be spent. And you will suffer the same fate as the pirates. Farewell, Star Fox."
With that, the communication ended. Slippy let out a shaky breath and slumped in his chair. Even Falco seemed to be a bit unnerved, perhaps more affected by the conversation than he let on. Both of them were quiet for a while, just taking a few moments to collect themselves.
"I believe he was genuine in those words."
Slippy jolted up and turned to face Krystal as she spoke. She was in the entry way of the bridge, one of her hands resting gently against the door way while the other remained at her hip. "His emotions were easy enough to read. He does not wish to destroy us. But he most certainly will attempt to do so if provoked again."
"Krystal!" Slippy grinned at her. "Hey, you're okay! I was worried for a moment."
She nodded at Slippy, a gentle smile on her face. "No reason to be alarmed. I feel much better now."
"What happened?" Falco asked. "You just sorta collapsed."
She cast her gaze toward Falco, regret evident across her features. Her ears and tail drooped a bit, her face solemn. "That was my fault, I apologize. I tried to reach out for Fox, and...something else was waiting for me."
"Something else?" Slippy looked at Krystal, his head tilted to the side. "Like what? You mean..."
"In all of my years, I have only ever sensed one presence in the galaxy that shared its likeness. Its thought patterns." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Aparoids."
Slippy's heart sank like a stone. "Aparoids?!" He let out a loud groan.
Falco too seemed disheartened by the news. "Great. So not only are we dealing with being outgunned by another starship, we're also facing those freaks again." He shook his head, mumbling something under his breath, something that sounded obscene to Slippy, but he wasn't entirely sure if he heard him right. "I thought they were all dead. Didn't they all die with the queen?"
Krystal nodded. "Yes. I believe they did. And even though there was a similarity, perhaps a shared origin, this was also...different somehow. It is a difficult thing to explain. They both are, and are not, as the Aparoids we faced."
"Well...shoot." Falco shook his head, looking more than a little frustrated. "That's all we needed."
There was a moment of silence on the bridge as they all reflected on the implications of what had just happened. The enemy had overwhelming firepower and could likely vaporize them on a whim. On the Von Dross, the ship they came to rescue, there was likely an Aparoid infection, or something akin to it. And all of this happening while Fox was stranded aboard the Von Dross, meaning that Star Fox was without its leader and currently unable to communicate with him. "So what do we do now?" Slippy asked.
"I do not know." Krystal shook her head, her tail twitching behind her. "I do not see any easy solutions. This..."Bulwark" does not appear to have any obvious weakness.
Slippy sighed before agreeing with her. "Yeah. It doesn't. Not as far as I can..." He gasped as the thought suddenly hit him. "Wait a minute. We were in range and I was running a ton of scans. Maybe it does have a weakness! Or, more importantly, maybe I can find it!" He accessed the information he had with his console, and sure enough there was a great deal more data detailing the schematic of the enemy vessel. It still wasn't exact, it didn't give them everything, but...it was a start! It would take time to analyze though.
"Alright, I'm gonna get started on this." Slippy looked up at the other two. "Maybe we've got something here."
"Yeah, I guess I'll help. Not like I got anything better to do." Falco grumbled, then sat at his own console and started to retrieve the available information.
Krystal simply stood on the bridge and watched the other two for a while, then closed her eyes, slumping against the nearby wall. Slippy spared her a glance, then rose from his seat as though to help her, but she raised her hand and waved it to either side, indicating that she did not need his help. He still kept an eye on her for the time being, but it seemed as though she was just tired. He couldn't blame her. He expected that whatever it was that she went through earlier had been quite the harrowing and draining experience. For now, there was data to analyze, and this just happened to be the mechanic's specialty! If there were any secrets to be found, he'd find them.
"Report."
The captain's cold voice broke the silence of the bridge. Noellap looked down at one of the crewman expectantly, waiting for the report. He was genuinely amazed that the captain hadn't decided to blow Star Fox away, but he also sensed the truth of his words. Orders or no orders, they wouldn't brook interference a third time. He was certain of that.
The officer that had been addressed soon offered a full report. "Sir, all fighters are returning to their docking bays. Approximately 70% of the pirate forces have been eliminated. Their command ship has been utterly destroyed, and the damage to the remaining ships is extensive. Some will soon go critical even without further damage sustained. All remaining ships are in full retreat." He paused, then looked up at the captain. "Shall we pursue?"
The destruction unleashed had exceeded expectations. That was a small fleet that the Dominion had just dealt with, and their forces possessed but one ship and the few dozen interceptors at its disposal. Noellap allowed himself a smile. This had been a great victory for the Dominion.
For now, though, he waited alongside the young officer with the report, awaiting the captain's orders. His superior was silent for a long moment, not giving any sort of response. When he finally did move, it was only to shake his head. "There is no need to pursue. They are broken, and I will not be further distracted from our task. Star Fox's continued interference is troublesome. I shall have to confer with the Great Commander. Perhaps he will alter his orders. In the meantime, monitor the Von Dross. Keep scanning it, and keep scanning Star Fox. I want to know what they're doing at all times. They are not to surprise us again."
"Yes sir."
"Monitor the situation. And I want the troops ready to deploy in a moment's notice. Redouble your efforts to locate Fox. I want to know where he is and what he's doing. And I want to know what is going on over there. Others are clearly being drawn to this vessel. I am loathe to act without further information." He paused for a moment before turning to face Noellap directly. "I trust you to handle the situation with sound judgment, if something should occur. I will return soon." The captain gave a nod to his second in command. "You have the bridge, lieutenant."
"Aye sir." Noellap saluted as his captain rose to his feet and headed for the elevator, which would take him to his private quarters. There he would contact their leader. He wondered how that would go.
But that was not his place. His only concern now was to monitor the situation and keep Star Fox from interfering again. He intended to take the captain's words at face value. If they tried something, he would give the order to destroy them.
Despite all that was happening, he still hoped it wouldn't come to that. He would not hesitate when the time came, not for a moment. But he was one of the great many that admired and appreciated Star Fox for what they had done, how they had served Lylat in the past.
But that was part of the old era. Star Fox did not have a place in the glorious new one to come. Still, even without a place, that did not necessarily mean destruction was the only outcome. It would be a shame if it ended that way.
But nothing should be allowed to interfere with the success of their mission.
He returned his attention to the viewscreen, watching the Von Dross in orbit. It wouldn't be long before their mission would begin in earnest. Just a matter of time now.