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.

13. Chapter 12 - Contact

As the pair rode the elevator up to Deck 4, Fox could not shake the terrible feeling that they weren't going to make it. Not that he expected they were going to die or anything like that, but considering just how much had gone wrong up to this point and how much could go wrong going forward, he couldn't imagine things going smoothly. He feared that something was going to happen. Perhaps the Many would have somehow blocked anything past Deck 3, forcing them to deal with yet another problem before they could proceed. He could only guess as to how. An army of those hybrids waiting for them at the door, a thick disgusting bio-mass blocking the shaft and forcing them to find a way to deal with it from Deck 3. Whatever might prove to be, he just knew something was going to go wrong. Everything else had.

It was much to Fox's surprise when he was proven wrong. The elevator sailed past Deck 3. It wouldn't be long before they were on Deck 4. He let out a long, relieved breath of air, a breath he didn't even know that the had been holding. They were on their way.

"There you are." Doctor Aiten's voice addressed them once more. "I see you managed to finally make your way to the elevator. What a good boy you are." His voice was dripping with sarcasm. Fox just rolled his eyes as the doctor spoke. He was getting so tired of dealing with this guy. "And I see you've made a friend. What took you so long, Fox? You should have finished some time ago. Do you not realize the stakes here? Are you not aware that every moment you waste gives the Many a greater chance at success? You do realize that the very fate of the Lylat System hangs in the balance?"

"I know what's at stake, doctor." Fox growled. The wolf looked at him with surprise, but then widened his eyes as comprehension dawned. Raphael couldn't hear the doctor's voice, but he had figured out who Fox was speaking to. Fox continued. "Getting to the component you asked for was more complicated than I anticipated. Then I had to help someone patch up their wounds."

"Ah yes, you found Raphael. I did not think he would still be alive. Your efforts should have been concentrated on stopping the Many. That is your primary objective. Others are secondary to this."

Fox shook his head. "I helped him because it was the right thing to do. It didn't take long. We're here now, we're ready to proceed."

"One life is not worth the countless that may be sacrificed in your ignorant quest of "Doing the right thing." You do not even begin to comprehend what is happening here. There must be no more distractions. Logic dictates that a single life may be sacrificed to spare thousands more."

"Not everything is about logic, doctor." Fox replied. He turned to regard Raphael, who was watching him now. He didn't say anything, but the wolf eventually gave Fox a faint smile and a nod of his head, as if thanking him. "Logic might tell you that this ship should be destroyed with all hands aboard in order to prevent a greater disaster. And while that might be true on some level of reasoning, I don't believe in it. Neither does my team."

In a way, Fox was surprised that the doctor allowed him to even finish that thought. Usually he was more brash and would interrupt Fox's words. Not this time. He was patient. He waited. He only responded when Fox was done. "I believe your benevolence is a weakness that could compromise what little chance we have of stopping the Many. But there is no point in discussing this further. In this one case, perhaps your shortsighted nature has served us well. I still have use for you."

The doctor shifted his attention to Fox's companion. "Raphael." The wolf jumped a bit, the voice coming from his own communicator as the doctor addressed him. "Fara has been sent to communications in order to assist Fox with repairs. You will move further inward on Deck 4. You must attempt to weaken DARIUS, as he is a key part of the Many's control of the ship. So long as he maintains his hold, our efforts will be hampered at every turn. I will guide you to one of his secondary control modules. You will handle this while Fox restores communications."

"I, uh..." The wolf hesitated, clearing his throat. "I don't know if I can handle that. I need a bit of a rest first. It still hurts where I got shot..."

"Get it done." The doctor commanded. His tone was that of authority, firm and cold. It was not a discussion.

The wolf simply nodded his head before relenting. "Alright, alright. I'll do it."

"Good. When the elevator stops, you will reach a junction. Raphael will proceed straight ahead. Fox, you will go to the right. The communications relay is that direction. It is not far. When you are finished there, I will give you further orders. Aiten out."

The communication was over before Fox ever had a chance to respond. The only words he offered were to Raphael. "This guy is impossible."

"I hear ya." The wolf agreed. "He just sorta took charge when things started getting real bad all over the ship. Never thought it would be one of the scientists organizing an effective resistance. But...I guess maybe he felt it was his time to shine, ya know?"

Frowning, Fox studied the wolf for a moment. "Just out of curiosity, why do you listen to him? Why do you and Fara both do as he says? Surely there's someone left on board who has better leadership experience."

The wolf lowered his head in thought for a moment, then rubbed at the back of his neck. "Well, same reason as you, I guess. No choice. Things have gotten pretty desperate. Even though Aiten's kind of a...well, kind of a jerk, he's also really smart. He's organized a resistance against these things. Doesn't tell us much. We don't know how many of us there are, or where we are. He only tells us what he thinks we need to know. But..." He sighed, then offered Fox faint smile. "We're alive so far. And he hasn't done us wrong yet. He seems to know how to fight them, certainly a lot better than anybody else on board. I don't think anyone else wants control. And I sure as heck ain't taking charge."

Fox shrugged. "Sure." He'd heard of things like that, instances where one timid and shy might rise up to the occasion, becoming almost a different person in a time of crisis. He'd heard a tale or two of a crisis arising, with different people having their own ideas on how to best handle it. The stress caused people to act different, sometimes in a good way and sometimes not. Fox had witnessed it himself a handful of times, or at least seen the results of it. A few of his missions ended with him rescuing the survivors of some crisis or another. Sometimes they'd talk about it. Sometimes he'd just watch the security footage. It was unsettling to witness what people could become when they were scared.

Then there were those that rose to the moment, did what was necessary to survive, to protect those around them. Perhaps Aiten was one of those. Fox just wished the man was a bit more pleasant.

There was a loud "ding" sound as the elevator reached the fourth deck. Raphael was the first to move when it opened, not showing much in the way of caution, while Fox was a bit more careful and made sure the room was secure.

They were in a large room with multiple hallways that went in different directions. The room itself was fairly barren. It was bathed in bright light, well lit and illuminated. There were a few cargo crates to one side, he wasn't sure what they were or what they were doing there. There was an energy recharge station not far away. Most importantly, the room was devoid of anything that might be considered hostile. There wasn't a sound to be heard from anywhere nearby. Of course, the doors seemed to be sealed tight, so there could be something on the other side and they would have no way of knowing until the door was open.

There was a door in each direction. One to the left, one to the right, one straight ahead. As Fox stepped out, he realized there was yet another door right next to him. Four doors!

Each of the doors was labeled. Straight ahead was listed as Systems Control and Monitoring. The left was marked as security, so Fox assumed that this station was a sort of command center or at least bigger than the other security checkpoints he'd run into thus far. To the right was Communications. That was where he needed to go.

"Well..." Raphael spoke, clearing his throat. "This is where we part ways, I guess." The wolf offered Fox a smile. "See you around Star Fox! And thanks. For everything."

Fox returned the smile with one of his own, though it was faint.. "Sure, no problem. You going to need a weapon or anything?"

"No no, it's fine." Raphael shook his head, then pointed at one of the nearby crates. Fox hadn't noticed it before, but one of the crates was hiding a weapon in the shadows. Raphael scooped it up. It was a blaster, similar to the pistol Fox was holding now. "Anyone who's still alive and...not one of those things is doing what they can to keep supplies available for themselves and other survivors. I stashed this here earlier."

"Got it." Fox studied the wolf for a while. He didn't like the idea of Raphael going off alone, especially while still nursing a wound, yet he knew that there was nothing he could do about it. The situation was desperate, and he knew that every hand was needed at this point. Besides, he was a big wolf. He'd handled himself thus far. Fox just hoped it would stay that way. "Stay safe."

"Yeah, you too." Raphael gave another wave, grinning at Fox before turning around and walking toward the middle door. It hissed and slid open, and then he went inside. Fox lost sight of him after the door slid shut behind him.

He hoped that he would see the wolf again at some point, alive and well. For now, he had other matters to focus on.

Fox approached the door to the right, the one marked as communications. He didn't even have to hit any buttons, it slid open all by itself. He had his blaster ready just in case, leveling it toward the door as it opened. If there was anything on the other side, he'd be ready this time.

Fortunately, there was nothing there. He holstered his blaster and kept moving. It was a fairly lengthy corridor. He noticed a number of large cables on the sides and on top of the hallway. He wasn't sure what they were for, they could have been just supplying power throughout the deck, or they might be specifically for the communications equipment. Either way, he was pretty sure he was going in the right direction.

It was nice not having those hybrids bearing down on him. For once. In fact, it was pretty quiet. He wasn't sure why, but they didn't seem to be pursuing him at the moment.

It was at this particular moment that he heard a familiar chime. He paused, hearing that same voice with a clipped accent echoing from the intercom. "Attention. This is DARIUS. Protocol Unit A-613 is scheduled for a poetry reading on the recreation lounge at 1800 hours. If you wish to attend, please inform your supervisor to ensure there are no schedule conflicts. Thank you." With that, the voice clicked off.

There was nothing inherently sinister about the announcement, but it just seemed so wrong, somehow. It detailed what seemed to be perfectly ordinary event, announcing casually as though everything were fine. He wondered if this was being done on purpose or if it was a remnant of what the AI was supposed to be. He was betting on the latter.

Interesting. It would seem that however the Many gained control of the AI, it hadn't been complete. That or maybe it wanted people to feel like things were still "normal" on the ship.

He continued down the corridor, as far as it would lead. There were a few side-rooms here, places that ordinarily he might be tempted to explore, but time was of the essence now. He had to meet with Fara, conduct the repair, then contact his ship. While he did not regret taking the time to assist Raphael, he wasn't about to waste anymore. Aiten was right about that much at least.

Eventually he came to what he was looking for. The trip was uneventful, which was nice. There was not a single enemy between himself and the communications room. That seemed strange to him. Surely the Many was aware of what they were trying to do. It hadn't sent any of its hybrid creatures at them. The security systems here hadn't been activated. He saw a number of cameras, and a couple of turrets that were currently lying dormant. It was starting to give Fox a bad feeling.

The door to the communications facility itself was massive. Fox stood by it for a moment, then pressed the green panel to the side. There was an electronic chirp, but no other response. He pressed the button again, and it lit up once more, like it was about to open, only nothing happened.

The door was stuck.

Sighing, Fox took a step back, then kicked the door with one of his boots. It didn't budge, but then he didn't expect it to. "Come on," he groaned, pressing the button again. "What's wrong with this thing?" The door wasn't locked. It should open. There was no reason for it to remain closed. Yet the thing refused to budge. He pressed the button again and again, waiting for the thing to slide open. It refused to obey.

Grumbling to himself, he took a step back and closed his eyes, pondering his next course of action. The door wasn't locked. It seemed as the door was trying to open, but simply wouldn't or couldn't. So what now? Was Fara in there already, or was she also stuck out here? Had she locked the door behind her? Or was someone else in there?

The door was stuck and would not open. He had to get in there. But how? He began to look around, surveying his surroundings, searching for some kind of clue or help nearby. How would he get inside? The door wasn't going to open, that much was clear. But how in the heck was he going to...

His eyes caught sight of something. Something he hadn't even noticed before.

A vent.

An idea came to him. An idea that he really, really didn't like. This was going to be unpleasant. It was going to be uncomfortable. He didn't even know if it would work. He wasn't sure he had a choice. It was possible that he could slip inside if he were to cut or blast the thing open. It -might- lead to the communications room. He would need to know that for certain, though.

He remembered his PDA. He raised it in front of him, then activated the map of the ship, zooming in on his current location. Not only was the hallway and communications room plainly visible on the map, but so was the vent. He had to fiddle around with it to get a clearer picture of the thing, but he soon had a much clearer image. It most certainly did lead to the communications room. It branched out in a number of different directions, but Fox was pretty sure that he could follow the correct path. He'd just have to memorize it. Of course, he'd have his PDA the entire time, so he could always consult it again. He just liked to have a plan for when things fell apart and he had to think on his feet.

The vent was positioned closer to the ceiling, and would probably have required a good deal of time and work to undo the grate and get it open properly. Fox was rapidly running out of patience for this kind of nonsense. He simply raised his laser pistol, aimed at the vent, then fired. Once, twice, three times. The energy blasts melted through the metal like butter and he soon had a clear entry point.

Taking a quick look around him to make sure there were no potential threats, Fox then made a running leap at the vent, slamming into the wall before clambering up to the hole. It was just big enough for him to crawl in, but a tight fit. He really hoped he didn't run in to anything unpleasant or hostile in here. There was no room for maneuvering or dodging. Still, it didn't seem likely that there would be anything up here, certainly not one of those hybrids. He'd be fine.

He wiggled and waggled his body until he managed to fit himself all the way inside, tail and all. Then he started to crawl forward, activating his PDA and using it as a light. It was a pretty straight shot to the communications room. There would be two branching parts of the vent that he would have to ignore before turning to the left. Then he'd be in.

As he moved forward, it become apparent to him that it was a little tighter than he had estimated. He wouldn't get stuck, or at least he hoped not. It was not going to be an easy trip. He managed to keep moving forward. One arm in front of the other. Then the legs. Over and over and over again. It took a little effort, but Fox was still in good physical condition. It may not be comfortable, but he could handle this. No problem.

He was already at the first junction! At this rate, he'd be there in no time. He was starting to sweat a bit, and his breath was coming out a little harder. Okay, maybe this was a little more difficult than he cared to admit, but he could handle it.

Click click click

Fox jerked his head to the side, raising his light. He could have sworn he heard something. Had it been down the first junction? As he scanned the crawlspace, he saw nothing. He knew he had heard it, something skittering in the dark. He felt and even heard his heart beating a little faster.

He might not be alone down here.

Taking a deep breath, Fox resolved to go farther, deeper into the vent. It wasn't too far, he just needed to book it. Besides, it was probably just some small animal, a rat or something that had gotten in. Nothing to worry about.

Click-clickity-clickity-CLICK!

He had made it to the second junction, turning just in time to see it. The sight of it made his fur crawl. It was some kind of giant spider like thing, but unlike any arachnid he had ever seen before in his life. It was big. Bigger than both of his fists put together, almost the size of his head. That was just the body. It had long thin legs, clicking against the metal as it skittered toward him. It was making an awful chittering noise as it charged, sounding as a blend between a musical hum and an unsettling squeal.

Fox had no idea what this thing was. Nor did he care. It took him less than a second to raise his blaster and squeeze off a shot.

The thing recoiled and let out a strange, alien shriek as it was hit, but it didn't go down. Fox fired again, then again, then again! He blasted it with half a dozen bolts. It let out a high pitched shriek, then collapsed, a thick yellow substance oozing from its corpse. Blood?

Fox heaved a sigh of relief. Well, whatever that thing was, he'd gotten it. Now he could...

Click click click...

"Oh crap!"

Fox didn't wait around to see what was coming. He already knew. He started crawling forward, as fast as he possibly could, putting everything he had into it. He had to move, and he had to move now! They were coming for him, and it was a lot more than just one this time. He didn't know what they would do to him if they caught up, but he was NOT planning on finding out!

They were getting close. Too close. He could hear them behind him, skittering and squealing. One of them latched on to his boot, forcing him to kick it back, hard. They were on him! They were trying to cover him, he could feel them swarming over his boots and his legs. One of them got his tail and bit it hard! He let out a pained yelp, then desperately lurched forward. He wasn't going to make it! It was too far!

Luck seemed to be with Fox today, at least this time. The metal floor of the vent started to give. It must have been damaged somehow, or just out of repair. Either way, Fox heard the groan of metal, then suddenly found himself at a slant. He got a brief peek at what lay below him. He was about ten feet above the ground.

"Oh no, this is gonna hurt." That was the last thing he was able to say before the vent gave out. There was a shriek as the metal bent and sheared away, causing both Fox and the creatures to tumble to the deck below.

They hit the floor with jarring force, the loud crash of metal echoing throughout, ringing in Fox's ears. He hit the ground hard, the breath being knocked out of him. That had definitely hurt. But he was alive! Unfortunately, so were the things that had come after him. The spider things were still on him, and Fox managed to lurch forward and rush away, kicking his feet and shaking, trying to get the things off of him.

As soon as he got clear, he whirled around, leveling his blaster and unloading into them. Only now did he realize just how many there were. There were dozens of the things. Dozens! No matter how many he killed, they just kept coming! They weren't stopping! What was worse, the blaster barely seemed to be hurting them! Some took as many as five or six shots before going down!

Then the air was filled with the roar of gunfire, gunfire of a more primitive, ballistic weapon. Fox yelled and leapt back as bullets filled the air. The gunfire missed him. The spiders were not so fortunate. The hail of bullets ripped them to shreds, not having any of the difficulty that Fox's blaster had. The few that survived, Fox managed to finish off easily. Only when the things were all dead did Fox turn to face the shooter, breathing heavily.

He saw a Cornerian in uniform. He looked to be a lieutenant, judging by the decorations upon his breast pocket. He was holding a smoking gun in his hand, some kind of sub-machine gun. He said nothing. He just stood there, still keeping the weapon aimed at what was left of those things.

Fox wasn't sure what had happened. The spiders had seemed to shrug off his blaster fire. For whatever reason, the other dog's weapon tore them to shreds. Were they somehow resistant to energy based weapons? He hoped that wasn't the case.

The Cornerian lieutenant was staring at him now. Now that the alien-spider creatures had been dealt with, the lieutenant had his weapon leveled at Fox. Seeing as how the canine had just saved Fox's life and shot those things, Fox made an effort to show no hostility. He simply held up his paws and hoped that the lieutenant would understand his intentions were peaceful. "Hey, I'm not here to make trouble."

The Cornerian officer tilted his head a bit as he studied Fox. He didn't lower his weapon, instead narrowing his eyes. "I fear I do not recognize you. Who are you? You're not a member of the crew."

"I'm Fox McCloud of the Star Fox team." Fox chose to give a simple and direct answer. "We're here to help."

The effect of his words was immediate. The lieutenant lowered his weapon, slumping back against the console he had been standing against, contained a great big screen with flashing lights and images of a great vessel, what Fox could only assume was the Von Dross. The image changed, cycling through a number of different screens, all showing different decks of the ship. There was so much information present, flashing so quickly that Fox didn't have the slightest idea of what it said, let alone what it meant. The colors changed rapidly, and the lieutenant's form was bathed in the glow, as though his very fur and uniform were shifting in color. It was a rather curious sight.

Whoever this Cornerian was, he looked tired, like the weight of the world (Or perhaps the ship) was weighing down on his shoulders. He was an older dog, middle-aged perhaps, with streaks of silver and gray lining the fur visible on his head. Considering everything Fox was going through today, he couldn't but wonder if he would get a few gray hairs or fur after this. The lieutenant didn't say anything to Fox for a while, just stood there with his eyes closed. When he finally spoke, his words were crisp and clear. "Star Fox. Your arrival is a welcome one. I am Lieutenant Dreyfus. I am leading what's left of the security force remaining on this ship. As far as I know, I am the highest ranked officer that is neither dead or infected. We are fighting a losing battle, giving ground at all fronts."

"Yeah, I've gotten the impression things are going poorly." Everything had indicated this. The ship was firmly under the Many's control now. The majority of the crew seemed to be dead or under the influence of that thing.

"That's putting it mildly." The lieutenant kept his eyes closed, just remained where he was as he spoke. "We lost so many in the initial outbreak. Good men and women. It took far too long for a resistance to be organized. I have been directing what is left of our forces as we attempt to slow down the enemy. Unfortunately, that is all we have succeeded in doing. And even that has been met with only paltry success." There was a brief pause, then the lieutenant asked a question. "I don't suppose you brought a fleet with you?"

"Afraid not." Fox rubbed the back of his neck as he continued. "It's just me. My team's outside, but we're separated. There's another vessel orbiting the Von Dross, and they've cut me off from the others."

"Ah yes. Most unfortunate. I know not who they are, but I am certain that they are not rescuers." He was quiet again for a while, then regarded Fox with a curious gaze. "Did you receive the distress call before you arrived? I am curious why you did not listen to the warning."

"Warning?" Fox furrowed his eyebrows as he considered. He didn't remember any warning. "All I remember is getting a message indicating that someone needed help. The transmission was very weak, though. We didn't get everything."

"Ah." The lieutenant raised one paw, rubbing at his forehead gingerly. "Unfortunate. You thought it was a cry for help? I suppose it was in some ways. But..." He cleared his throat, straightening his back before gazing directly upon Fox. "I was not calling for a rescue. I had asked that the situation be contained, and then take action if necessary. I wished for anyone in range to keep this vessel trapped, blast it out of the stars if necessary. I did not want anyone to board in a rescue mission. The risk was too great. Though I would surmise that you know that by now."

Well, that was definitely not the message Fox had received, or at least not what he had understood of it. "Sorry, lieutenant. The message wasn't clear enough. We thought it was a distress call and we came to rescue you."

"Make no mistake, I appreciate your intentions. I truly do. In truth, I am glad you have come. If there's even a chance that we can make it out of this alive while ending the threat of this infestation, then I would, of course, prefer that outcome. I also recognize the threat of this entity. It cannot be allowed into the Lylat system. No matter the cost. It is difficult to know who can be trusted. Some rather...unfortunate actions have had to be taken in order to ensure it does not escape this ship." Dreyfus took a deep breath before letting it out slowly, maintaining his sense of calm and poise. Fox wondered what he meant by 'unfortunate actions', but he didn't have the chance to question him on it. "Perhaps you will yet save us, Fox McCloud. I am aware of your history. You have triumphed over impossible odds before. Perhaps you shall do so yet again."

"Well, I guess there's only one way to find out." Fox managed to give the lieutenant a faint smile. Then he remembered something. "One question. Why wouldn't the door open before? I had to crawl through the vents because of that, and those things nearly got me."

"Oh yes, apologies." Dreyfus gestured toward a nearby switch, right next to the door. "The enemy has access to most of the security codes and such aboard the vessel, now that DARIUS is under their control. The lock is no longer functioning properly. However, the door can be sealed shut by pressing and holding the switch." The lieutenant then demonstrated, sealing the door by holding his thumb against the button before continuing. "So far, DARIUS has not managed to override that. I was keeping the door locked until I was contacted by one of my own. I did not expect you, and you did not attempt to contact me over the communicator, as one of my men would have. I did not know who was on the other side."

"Ah. Well, I understand." While Fox absolutely would have preferred to go through the door as opposed to the vent, the situation did at least make some sense, especially seeing as how things were growing more and more desperate. "Don't worry about it. Is there anything I can do right now?"

"If you are here, I can only assume that you are attempting to re-establish communications with your crew, correct?" Dreyfus asked.

Fox nodded. "Yeah, that's precisely what I'm here for."

"Good. That is the best course available at the moment." Dreyfus turned to the display behind him, all of the images flashing. He released the door switch, then pressed a few buttons on the panel, slowing the images down to allow them to be digested properly by the eyes. "Our internal scanners still remain mostly intact. I am able to monitor things from here. We have perhaps a dozen people left in an organized resistance, but it's only a matter of time before we're overwhelmed." He pressed another button, causing one of the images to magnify, indicating a particular part of the ship. "They are most concentrated in Deck 3, Hydroponics. I don't know what they're doing there. We were monitoring some of their forces dragging bodies into Hydroponics, some of them alive and some of them not. I fear the worst." He then pressed another button, the screen changing, showing the command deck of the ship. "The bridge is inaccessible. The captain's status is unknown. He is the only one with the override code to get into Deck 3. We have been trying to reach the bridge, but our efforts have this far proven to be unsuccessful. They guard it well. I suspect Deck 3 houses the heart of the horror on this ship."

"Do you know anything about this enemy we're facing?" Fox wanted to know. Any information that could help them deal with thing would be useful. "I've noticed several of the crew infected by the thing, and they seemed as though they were unable to control themselves."

"Indeed." Dreyfus wasn't looking at Fox now. He was just staring at the screen, hands clasped behind his back. "It seems to be a relatively slow but sinister process. It gradually influences and corrupts the thoughts of an individual. Some have described it as a pleasurable feeling. They feel an overwhelming desire to give into it, surrender to it. Ultimately, they change. The worms eventually come, they always do. But the change starts well before then."

"You haven't figured out a way to fight it? Why is it some have managed to resist and others have not?"

"I do not know." Dreyfus took another deep breath, frustration bleeding through into his voice. "I do not know. None of us remaining have any special qualifications, abilities, or tools to keep them at bay. Perhaps we resist because we know we must. Perhaps our will is stronger than that of others. Or perhaps we are simply lucky and this entity has spent its energy targeting others over ourselves, those who are less resilient. I wish I could offer you better answers. I simply do not have them. All I know is that it must be destroyed. It must not leave this ship."

"Yeah, I can agree with that," Fox said. He wasn't sure if he agreed with the possibility of destroying the ship and everyone on it if the situation got too bad. While Dreyfus himself seemed like he wanted to get people out alive, Fox also got the impression that he would sacrifice the ship if it meant saving Lylat. Fox did understand where he was coming from, but he refused to accept the possibility that they couldn't at least save some of the people still trapped here. He didn't see much point in arguing about that right now, though. "Anyway, I do have another question. Is the Von Dross equipped with any weapons? As in, weapons to use on enemy ships?"

Dreyfus regarded Fox quietly for a moment, as if weighing his words. In fact, it seemed to Fox that perhaps the lieutenant would not give him the answer. Eventually, though, the Cornerian officer gave Fox what he sought. "There are number of weapon systems to be used in defense, though most of them are offline right now, and I don't know how you would manage to enable them. The only weapon currently available is a cannon that we use to clear large asteroids. It launches a slow moving projectile, not terribly practical in a combat situation. Unless your enemy isn't moving very much, I suppose."

Fox stroked his chin as he thought about this. It wasn't much of a solution. He was familiar with such weaponry, a number of large ships had such things whenever they needed to travel through an asteroid belt and the like. They were impractical for almost anything else. Powerful, sure. But ineffective. Perhaps they could get some of the other weapon systems online? If only Slippy were here. He might be able to figure something out.

There was a little electronic beep that emitted from something in the lieutenant's paw. He raised his hand, revealing the PDA, which he quickly tapped a couple of times before lowering it again, turning his attention back to Fox "I assume you've met the doctor? Well, not met, at least not in person. He hasn't come out of his office since this started. But I would presume that he has been in touch with you."

"Yeah. That's right."

"Mmm." The lieutenant turned away from Fox, once more studying the monitors. He pulled up a few images, though Fox wasn't sure if he was doing them for his benefit or if he was just continuing to monitor the situation. The monitors showed several sectors of the ship. The lieutenant somehow had some limited security feed. There were many bodies to be seen, some of them obviously infected and others not. Another monitor showed a diagram of the ship with red flashing circles at various points, likely indicating some kind of damage to the vessel in those locations. "Just be careful when dealing with him. He is highly intelligent, and he has proven his effectiveness in combating these things. But he does not hesitate to throw lives away if he believes it is for the greater good. I have lost several men to tasks that he has set upon us. I cannot deny the effectiveness of his tactics, but they are also cold and seemingly with no real concern for casualties." Dreyfus lowered his head, growing quiet for a time. He then proceeded in a soft tone. "Just be careful."

"Oh I will. Trust me." Fox couldn't say he was surprised at the lieutenant's words or impressions. Fox himself had felt like a pawn to be used by Aiten. He certainly wouldn't throw his life away just because the doctor thought it would be a long term gain. To be fair, Aiten hadn't really tried anything like that yet, not with Fox, though he had certainly risked Fox's life. "I already don't like the guy all that much. He's a bit condescending for my tastes."

"This situation has thrust great pressure upon him, as it has to us all. He has risen to the occasion, and done more than I believe most could." Dreyfus leaned back against the console, his arms folded across his chest now. "What little success we've had is owed much to him. Yet he is willing to throw lives away if it suits his purposes. I prefer not, unless I have no other choice."

"Fair enough" Fox nodded in agreement with Dreyfus' words. "I'm going to do my best. We'll get you out of here somehow. You and whoever else is left aboard."

"I hope so, McCloud." The lieutenant straightened his back, gazing at Fox with a discerning eye, examining him. It was as though he was attempting to measure whether Fox would be up to the task or not, whether he would live up to his reputation. "As much as it pains me to admit it, my men will not last much longer. It is not a matter of if we fall, it is a matter of when. I do not say this lightly, but..." The lieutenant closed his eyes, his hands clasped behind his back once more, taking a deep breath before continuing, his tone deadly serious. "You may be our last hope."

It was at this precise moment that the door opened, causing Fox to turn toward the sound, weapon drawn. Dreyfus, however, did not move for his weapon or even flinch. He said the name before the door had fully opened. "Welcome back, Miss. Phoenix."

It was Fara! Fox wasn't sure where she'd been, but she looked tired, more worn than when he had last seen her. She smiled when she the saw two of them "It's good to see you again, sir. I'm glad you're still with us. And you as well, Fox."

Dreyfus simply regarded Fara with a faint smile, nodding his head in acknowledgment of her greeting. "Ah, you two know each other then."

"You could say that." Fara affirmed, smiling at Fox before turning her attention to Dreyfus. "He's one of my oldest friends. We were very close once."

"I'd like to think we still are, after all this," Fox interjected, arching an eyebrow while grinning at Fara, his tail wagging ever so gently behind him. "We've already saved each others' lives at least once in the last few hours, that's got to count for something."

The vixen snickered. Whatever gloom that had fallen upon her seemed to be lifting now. Fox was grateful for that. They needed to keep their spirits up as best they could. Despair and hopelessness would only exacerbate the situation. She eventually gave him an answer, her body relaxing a bit and her own tail swaying behind her. "Yeah, that's true. Nothing like a brush with death to rekindle old friendships."

"Well, I'm glad you two know each other. Camaraderie is something that we have in short supply here. I suspect you will need to work together as we put an end to all of this. If we can." The lieutenant paused for a moment, turning toward the monitors behind him. "Aiten has had you running a few tasks, I take it? I have not been able to monitor your progress effectively. We are losing visuals on multiple decks. We'll be completely blind soon."

"I know. That's part of what Aiten has had me doing." Fara walked over to the console screen, pointing out a few specific places. The parts she indicated lit up as she touched them, zooming in and revealing what she was talking about. "Since we're losing more and more to the AI, Aiten has encouraged me to destroy most of the systems. I can do a local hack with some tools he's provided me and then shut everything down, sabotaging them where I can. We may not have full access to the security grid, but Aiten wants to make sure they don't either."

"Understood. Good work." The lieutenant gestured to the nearby doors, which would lead them to the heart of the communications facility. "I will attempt to contact what's left of my men. There are also a handful of civilians still alive on this vessel." Dreyfus tapped on one of the holo-projected images. Fox was presented with a heartbreaking sight. A woman, a lynx, trapped in a small room. It was too dark to tell what the room was, but there was evidently a camera in it, as it allowed Fox and the others to see whoever was inside. The lynx was not alone. There were a number of others with her. Children. Fox realized that this must have been the woman that tried to get to safety, the one the dead nurse had spoken of in her audio log. At least they were still alive. But they were trapped.

"What do you intend to do about them?" Fox asked.

"I do not know. I do not believe there is any way to escape this vessel beyond defeating our foe. Most shuttles and other transport craft were destroyed early on in the fighting. Neither side wanted the other to escape. Now there's no way out. Regrettably, I fear the civilians will have to hold out on their own for now. There is no way we can safely evacuate them at the present time, even if we had a way of taking them off the ship. Our foe is in complete control, and there is nowhere safe we can move them. We lack the resources to protect them. My team is stretched thin." The lieutenant then turned to Fox, his expression grim. "We do not have many options left."

Fara's ears drooped as she listened to the lieutenant. His words were dark and foreboding, but they were also true. They were facing a terrible foe, and the situation was growing more desperate by the moment. She offered a suggestion. "Well...maybe we can send someone at least to watch over them! I will tell Raphael to head over there immediately and get them somewhere a little safer. He's not a soldier, but he will keep them safe. Aiten won't like it, but..."

"Indeed." Dreyfus gave no real indication of whether he approved of Fara's idea or not. He pressed a button on the console, and the holographic display of the ship disappeared as the machine powered down. "I will be going to Deck 5. I have some men there waiting for me. We will gather up as many as we can, then attempt to retake the primary security control room here on Deck 4. After that, we shall see." He straightened his back, looking between Fox and Fara. "Now, I believe you both have a job to do." He gave the two of them a crisp salute. "Godspeed."

Fara saluted back, though Fox did not. It wasn't a matter of disrespect, he just couldn't remember the last time he had saluted any officer. He wasn't part of the military and never had been. He just nodded. Dreyfus didn't seem to take offense. He departed, exiting through the door that Fara had just come from, leaving Fara and Fox alone together once more.

"Come on, Fox." Fara beckoned him to follow her, then walked towards another door in the room, one that would go further into the communications facility. "Let's get in touch with your team." Fox quickly caught up, falling in step behind her as they marched onward.

He had to admit, the place was impressive. It was a rather large installation, though most of it was below and around them. They were on a catwalk approaching a control center, where all communications were monitored and regulated. As they walked across the catwalk, Fox found himself peering over the edge. Below them, scattered across the area, were a number of pylons and some sort of radar-dish like objects, presumably for communication. The pylons appeared to supply power to the nearby dishes, as they were connected to one another. The place was massive, and Fox was very glad he wasn't in here alone. If something needed fixing, he'd be hopelessly lost.

He could tell that a lot of this stuff needed repairs. Lots of the equipment below them was sparking and smoking, some of the pylons tipped over and sputtering with static electricity on occasion. The place was a mess. Fox didn't know what had happened here, but it must have been violent. It looked like it had been a war zone. There were signs of small arms fire on some of the pylons, some of the communication and satellite dishes had been ripped to pieces, and others still were riddled with holes and scorch marks.

"What happened here?" Fox asked, not even sure if he was looking for an answer.

An answer came from Fara nonetheless. "They attacked in full force here. In fact, this was one of the first places they hit."

"They? You mean the Many?"

She nodded as they continued towards the primary control room. "Yes. There were attacks all over the ship, isolated incidents. It seemed like people were just...going crazy. But then it got organized. A large force attacked this facility." She sighed, shaking her head wearily. "The defenders were overwhelmed. The infected crew destroyed much of the facility, then left. That was their first organized attack, and it wasn't the last. Since then, it's been a desperate battle all over the ship. And we're losing."

"I'm amazed you've lasted as long as you have." Fox said, genuinely impressed considering what they were up against. They were almost at the control room now. "How many of you are left?"

She shook her head. "We were organized in the beginning. The...the lieutenant. He kept things in order, fought back. I don't know how many of us there were, but now it's just a handful. Raphael, Doctor Aiten, and Dreyfus. I don't know of anyone else that's still alive. Dreyfus keeps track, but Aiten mostly has me running around by myself. He's the one that sent me to find you, not Dreyfus. I'm sure there are some more survivors, like the ones we saw in the monitor, but I don't know who or where. Those who haven't been corrupted have been killed or dragged off to who knows where."

By now they had reached the control room, and Fara swiped the same card against the electronic reader. The red light at the top corner of the door turned green, and the door slid open. This allowed Fox and Fara to slip inside.

The room was impressive. There were a fair number of consoles arranged in parallel lines. The lighting in the room came from the monitors themselves, which meant all manner of different colors blending together. Some of the monitors held a steady green color on the screen, others were flashing red with various errors popping up, so fast and so many that Fox didn't have the slightest clue what they meant. Considering all the damage he had seen below, he had a pretty good idea what at least some of those errors were.

"I've been rerouting the power from here." Fara pointed at the central control panel. There was an electronic grid being displayed, and it only took a moment for Fox to realize that it was the very layout of what lay beneath them, of all that damaged equipment. Most of it was flashing red, showing disconnection or damage symbols. He also noticed a white line going from one point to another, broken only in a single place. Fara continued, pointing at that line. "According to Aiten, this particular line will be enough to engage in emergency short range communications. While the Many were thorough, they were also in a hurry. They could not linger here long, and Dreyfus managed to muster a counter attack to drive off those that were left. Doctor Aiten was able to calculate a path using the working nodes in order to create a communications line."

"Okay. I'm with you so far." Fox studied the grid, staring at that piece in the middle breaking the line in half. "Let me guess. The component that I was tasked with fetching. That's where it goes, isn't it?"

"Yup." Fara confirmed. "Right down there. It shouldn't be too difficult, only..."

She hesitated. That was never a good sign. It never ever ever ended well when someone said it "It should be fine, but..." Never. Though who knows, maybe his luck would suddenly change and she was about to say something positive and hopeful. Something pleasant.

Alas, his first instinct was the correct one. "Many of the pylons have sustained catastrophic damage, creating massive instability. I have no way of powering them down. If you step in the wrong place at the wrong time, you'll be electrocuted."

Fox sighed. "Of course. So I've got to get to that specific place, put the part in, and somehow avoid electrocution at the same time?"

"Yes." Fara gave Fox a regretful look. "I am sorry. I...I honestly don't know what to tell you. I can try to guide you from here, but it's going to be difficult to track what's happening and when. The changes happen so rapidly and have to be calculated in an instant, and I just don't think I can manage it."

Fox was about to say something when another voice echoed in his ear. "Fara lacks the ability and quick thinking in order to handle this matter correctly. I shall guide you, McCloud. If you do exactly what I tell you, you will survive."

Aiten again. Wonderful. Fox didn't protest, didn't try to argue. He knew time was of the essence, and so far Aiten had been relatively straight with him. As much as he hated to admit it, what little information Fox had gleaned about Aiten indicated that the doctor knew what he was doing. He might be arrogant, but he was certainly intelligent.

Fara seemed to agree with Aiten, nodding her head at Fox. "He's right. I don't know how he does it, but he can work computations and patterns so quickly, it's also as though he were a machine. He can guide you much better than I can."

That was the very conclusion that Fox had come to already. He turned away from Fara for a moment in order to speak to Aiten. It was purely a reflexive movement, he didn't have to turn, Aiten wasn't there. "Alright, I'll do it. Just tell me what to do."

"It is not difficult. You merely need to do what I say as I say it. The very instant I say it. You will have zero time for hesitation. The damage has caused some fairly predictable patterns of danger. I will assist you in avoiding these and give you the optimal route to your goal, where you will then replace the damaged component. Then we will communicate with your ship."

Fox considered this for a moment, but it wasn't like there were any better options waiting to be explored. "Alright, let's do this."

"Be careful, Fox." Fara said to him. "Replacing the component itself is easy, you shouldn't have any trouble doing it. Just...don't die on the way there, okay?"

Fox snorted. "Yeah, uh, I'll try not to do that."

"With my assistance, I am sure you can handle even the most rudimentary of mental puzzles." Aiten stated flatly. Fox wanted to growl at him again, but stuffed his frustration down. He was a professional at work here, and it was time to get things done.

"The first thing you'll need to do, McCloud, is get on the maintenance elevator in the far corner of the room. It will take you where you need to go." His tone was already firm, but it became much more commanding with the next words he said, almost like a parent scolding a child. "Do not get off of the elevator until I say so."

"Alright, alright, I'm on my way." With that, Fox approached the corner Aiten had mentioned. It wasn't hard to see. The maintenance lift was marked with a little red arrow above it pointing downward. He stepped aboard the lift, then pressed the small button on the wall. The response was immediate. The lift slowly began to lower to the bottom floor. Before he disappeared from sight, Fox turned to gaze upon Fara one final time. He raised one paw to his head, then gave her a wave with two digits, first pressing them against his eyebrow, then pushing them outward in her direction. She smiled and waved back at him. "Good luck, Fox!"

With that, she slipped from his sight, along with everything else in the communications control room. The maintenance lift had no light, and for a moment he couldn't see anything at all. Then the lift entered a more open area, and Fox could once more see what was around him. If he thought it looked bad from above, it looked so much worse now that he was getting closer.

The things weren't just damaged. They were flinging electric bolts all over the place in seemingly random patterns. Every so often, the electricity would stop for a moment or two in specific places. Then it would resume. Fox couldn't see any sort of pattern to it. First one area would be clear for a couple of seconds, then it would hum with power and course with electricity, visible blue bolts emanating from the machinery as it sparked. Then another area would be clear for a few moments. Sometimes a large one, sometimes a small one.

Those pylons were everywhere. There was no way to do this safely! He wondered if the situation could have possibly gotten any worse in here. Did they have any fail-safes for this? How would this kind of damage even be repaired? He supposed the system would have to go offline. "Uhh...Aiten? Can't we just...turn the thing off? And then I can replace the missing part without any hassle? That would be a lot simpler."

"It would be a most unwise decision. The power systems aboard the Von Dross are failing or falling under the control of DARIUS. Should the power to this sector go offline, there is a considerable possibility that it will not return. I will not risk that."

"Yeah, you'll just risk me instead." Fox grumbled, but he saw Aiten's point. At least this way, they knew they had a chance. Fox just needed to get there. He'd risked his life before to save the day, and he knew he'd risk it many more times. This was just another day at work. "Alright, just let me know when and where."

"The module that needs to repaired is on the left. You will go right."

Fox blinked. "Come again?"

"The direct route contains a pattern that I cannot predict. It is too unstable. To the right, however, you can circle around in a safer manner. I can guarantee your survival with only a 3.8% possibility of death."

"Not the worst odds I've had." Fox commented.

"Indeed. In approximately fifteen seconds, you will move. There is a pylon up ahead. You will see that it is bent a 90 degree ankle, broken beyond repair. It is a relatively safe zone in the midst of chaos. When I say to go, head for the pylon. Move quickly."

Fox didn't say anything, just waited. He looked in the direction that the doctor had pointed him in, and sure enough, he saw it. He also saw that it wasn't generating any energy. That was probably why it was safe. It must have been broken so badly that there was absolutely nothing coming from it. But there was a LOT of electrical energy between him and that pylon. It sparked and threw bolts through the air, made his fur go poofy and stand on end from the static. How the heck was he supposed to get through that? He was going to be roasted! "Uh, Doctor? Are you absolutely sure this will...

"Go!"

That was his cue! Fox made a mad dash for it, scrambling toward the pylon that had been indicated. At first, it looked like he was going to charge headfirst into an electric death. Just as he reached the dangerous part, the electricity flowing through it stopped. While he absolutely felt something coursing through him, it wasn't anything painful or overwhelming. He ran as fast as he possibly could, as fast as he'd ever gone before. He heard a hum, could feel something building up behind him. He leapt forward, barely managing to escape before bolts of energy flew through the air once more. He shouted as the tip of his tail was singed, but otherwise he was okay.

"That was too close..." He mumbled.

"The next is in fifteen seconds. Look to the right. There is a communications dish, the only one in visual range that is intact. It has sustained no damage. Get to it on my mark."

"Okay..." Fox took a deep breath, then stretched his back, limbering up a bit. "I'm ready. I'm ready!"

"Go."

Fox bolted again. It was a little further this time. A lot further, actually. He was amazed that the doctor had managed to predict this. Fox might have been able to predict one of these at a time, perhaps for a very short distance. The Doctor was doing a remarkable job of predicting what would happen and when. As Fox raced by, sparks flew from malfunctioning equipment, and he could hear metal groan and even what sounded like an explosion in the distance. All he could focus on was the mad dash for safety. He had to keep moving. He had to get there! Once more he made it just in the nick of time, only for the whole area behind him to be lit up with explosive electrical energy, crackling with raw power.

Who the heck designed this place?!

His lungs were burning, and he was panting heavily. He was running with everything he had, full sprint as though his life depended on it. Which of course it did. Perhaps now he would have a bit of a break, even if just for a moment.

"Turn right again. Your destination is straight ahead. The communications dish. It will be moving. You have two seconds."

"Oh, you've GOT to be kidding me!"

"GO!"

Fox didn't have time to argue, and he'd felt firsthand what that energy could do. He bolted forward once more, moving as fast as he possibly could, the fastest he had ever run in his life. He could feel the charge building up beneath him, could feel his fur starting to poof and crackle with static. He wasn't going to make it! He wasn't...

He was there! He made it! He let out a whoop of victory, running a paw between his ears, just so pleased he was still alive and not fried! He'd done it again.

The thought of having to go back through that mess did put a bit of a damper on his celebration. Regardless, he had made it to his destination. He reached into his pocket, then pulled out the component that he had been tasked with finding. It hadn't really been that long ago. An hour? Less? Maybe more? He wasn't sure, he was losing track of the time.

"There is a panel at the base of the dish. Pull it open. You will see a damaged circuit board. Remove it. Put your component in. That is all."

"Right." Fox reached for the panel, finding it with little trouble. He did his best to ignore all of the loud exploding sounds of sparks and electricity all around him. The panel popped open easily enough. For a moment he had been worried that he might not recognize which component was damaged. They might all look the same! That fear was soon vanquished. There was one piece, a rectangular electrical board similar to the one he had on him, that was sparking. It was damaged, the chipset blackened and scorched. It wasn't hard to identify. He grabbed hold of it, then gently tugged on it. It slipped out easily. Once it was gone, Fox simply tossed it. There was no possible way that thing could be of any use to anyone. He then took the component he had acquired, placed it gently against the slot, and slowly pushed it inside. He pushed and pushed and then...a click!

The dish lit up like a beacon, green lights that flickered off and on in the panel Fox was working on. He quickly shut the thing, then stood up. Whatever it was he just did, it certainly seemed to have worked. He could hear something, something other than random, wild electrical power. Rather, it was a gentle hum of power coursing in a more efficient and directed manner.

"Well done, McCloud. Communications are coming back online. We will be able to contact your ship in moments."

Fox allowed himself a brief moment of glory, tilting his head back and closing his eyes as he enjoyed the taste of victory. It wasn't over yet, of course. There was so much left to do. But it was a step in the right direction. Fox would take whatever he could get right now.

He couldn't bask in that feeling for very long, as a thought soon occurred to him. "Uh...how do I get back?"

The maintenance lift was quite close to him, but it was just as Aiten had said. There was basically a wall of electrical energy between him and the lift, and it wasn't going away. If anything, it seemed to be getting worse. That was probably the reason Aiten had directed him in the opposite direction in the first place. It was so close! If he could just get to the other side somehow...

"There are two ways." Aiten answered as Fox looked around. "The first being that I could direct you down the path again. It will be a little more difficult, however. The pattern is changing rapidly. The possibility of your demise rises to 10.38 percent."

"Uh..." The chance of death had nearly doubled! "What's the other way?"

"Climb the dish. Fara will rotate it and allow you to jump to the maintenance lift. It is a long jump. Your soft biological tissue will be damaged, but not overly much."

That was a very strange to word things, Fox thought. Then again, Aiten was strange just in general. Fox weighed his options. A 10% chance of death. That really wasn't too bad, all things considered. However, it was the thought of it rising in the doctor's estimation that concerned him. If the doctor had less confidence, then Fox's confidence was shaken in turn. Besides, he REALLY did not want to run that again. That only left one option.

"Have her raise the dish." Fox said. Having made his choice, he clambered upon the thing, trying to get himself in position. Aiten gave no warning, no further communication. The dish simply started to raise. It was at a slow and steady pace, which made it easy for Fox to keep his balance.

It didn't allow Fox to get very high up. Not as much as he'd hoped anyway. He wasn't sure he could make it. It brought him up a few feet higher, enough to see the lift from where he was. But there was no room to maneuver on this thing, it wasn't like he could take a running leap. He'd be a lot more confident if he could. This wasn't going to work. There was no way.

Then he spotted it. There was a cable dangling from nearby. It was one of the few things that wasn't sputtering out electricity, so that was something. He could just barely reach it from here. He wasn't entirely sure how safe it was, but it looked like the cable itself was undamaged, or at least the protective coat around it. If Fox did this just right, he could grab hold of the thing and sort of swing to where he needed to go. He only got one shot at this. If he missed, he'd be a fried fox.

He hesitated only for a moment, then he went for it. With a yell, he leapt forward, seizing hold of the cable as he did so. He managed to get a firm hold, and as it swung forward, he let go. He landed in a roll right in front of the lift. Just another foot backward, and he would have been electrocuted. But he'd done it. He made it, somehow. He breathed a sigh of relief, then walked to the lift, pressing the button to bring him up. Things were looking up, in more ways than one!

He found his mood rising along with the maintenance lift as he was returned to the communications control room. If he could actually contact the Great Fox, see how they were doing, come up with a plan...

He didn't want to get ahead of himself. He hadn't made contact yet, but he would shortly!

As the lift reached the top, he saw Fara right where he left her. She was busy at the primary console. He wasn't sure exactly what she was doing. Perhaps she was still aligning the dish he had just been on. He never got a chance to check, as she hastily closed out the application she had been running as soon as he started to approach, glancing at him as she did so. He was curious about whatever it was she had been doing, but he decided not to ask. She was probably just getting everything online and working properly. She tapped her display a few times, causing another screen to appear, then spoke to Fox in a soft voice. "It worked. Everything is ready to transmit."

"I got cut off from my team earlier. I think it was something about the Venom Dominion, they were blocking our communications." Fox spoke as he approached Fara, placing himself beside her. "Will we be able to get through?"

"Yes. Even as damaged as it is, the Von Dross has some rather remarkable technology. They won't be able to jam the signal. Once we're through, we'll have a direct link, at least for a little while"

That was good news. He had been a little worried about that since they began. Now his fears had been assuaged. "Alright, so what now?"

"Enter a frequency that you are certain your crew will hear, McCloud." Aiten ordered. "Do it quickly. The system is unstable, and may go down again soon. Do not tarry."

"Alright, alright." Fox approached the console. Fara stepped aside, allowing him full access to the system. He knew the exact frequency to use, the one they reserved for emergencies. If ever there was one, this was certainly the time. He punched in the exact frequency, then hit the button to broadcast. That was it. The signal was sent.

He just had to hope they were listening.

---

Things had been quiet on the Great Fox ever since the group's last conversation, right after Krystal was contacted by that entity. Everyone had found something to occupy themselves with. ROB had been monitoring communications, awaiting any kind of transmission that might come from Fox. Or Corneria. Or anywhere else, for that matter. This was in addition to his regular duties of maintaining the various systems on the ship.

Slippy was still busy with his analysis of the Dominion's shields. He was determined to find something, anything that would help them out. So far, he hadn't discovered much of use, nothing that they didn't already know. What little he did find could be of benefit only if certain precise circumstances were met, circumstances currently beyond their reach. The frog seemed particularly agitated, more so than usual. None of them, save for Krystal when she had passed out, had gotten any sleep for quite some time now, and it was beginning to wear on their patience and mood.

Falco had been up and down for the last while. In a way, his situation seemed to be the worst. Not only were they stuck on the ship, but tactical analysis and strategic planning weren't exactly his area of expertise. He was an incredible pilot, and a capable fighter even in hand to hand combat. Unfortunately, none of those qualities were of much benefit at the moment. They couldn't leave the ship. None of them had any doubts regarding the intent behind the enemy captain's words. He would attack if they provoked him. In truth, Falco didn't know why they didn't attack regardless. Either their enemy was so confident in their abilities that they didn't care whether the Star Fox team was nearby (Which seemed likely to Falco), or there was something else preventing them from acting on that impulse.

As Falco sat at his station, he rested one of his feathered hands against his forehead while the other tapped on the nearby desk. The others were mostly ignoring him by this point, which suited him just fine. He wasn't really trying to get attention, just venting his frustration.

Why not attack? That's what he didn't understand. If you had an enemy, one that could endanger your operation, you didn't just swat them away and hope for the best. That was a poor decision, and even from his position, Falco could see the folly of it. It made no logical sense. At the very least, the ship should give chase until Star Fox retreated entirely, or until they were forced into fighting back. Yet that's not what they were doing. They were maintaining a safe distance for...whatever reason. And that was something that Falco could not figure out. None of them could figure it out.

He looked up at the others. Slippy looked absolutely exhausted. There were bags under his eyes, and his head occasionally dipped forward, nodding off for a second before rapidly shaking his head back and forth, willing himself to stay awake. Krystal was...well, Falco wasn't really sure what she was doing. She was using her own console. Images were flashing on the screen, a low inaudible voice emanating from the computer.

Falco rose to his feet, pacing over to Krystal to see what she was up to. He was going to ask her, but he didn't need to. The screen provided him all the information he needed to know. She was going through the database on Aparoids, accessing whatever information the ship's computer had on them. Krystal never even looked at him, her eyes intent on the screen. Maybe she didn't know he was there. Whatever the case, he didn't want to disturb her. He'd just let her be for now. Perhaps he'd stay a while and listen.

He was close enough to hear the voice as it continued, the ship's computer narrating some of the key text on screen. It's voice was cold and devoid of emotion, stating the facts and nothing more, evidently in answer to whatever Krystal had asked of it. As Falco got in range, he found himself listening to the middle of whatever the computer was telling her. "...devastation wrought by the Aparoids and their invasion has yet to be fully tallied. Billions of credits worth of damage have crippled the Cornerian economy. Multiple colonies have been damaged beyond repair, requiring evacuation efforts to send colonists to new locations. Long-lasting effects of Aparoid corruption have yet to be fully documented. Those who have been freed of its influence report a number of persistent side effects, including seizures, hallucinations, lapses in memory, nausea, confusion. Further tests indicate that such symptoms are subsiding in months since Aparoid queen's destruction. Full recovery is expected."

The possibility of Aparoids troubled him. They were the ones that had destroyed the original Great Fox in the first place. In fact, he could not think of a single enemy they had faced, not even the mad scientist Andross and his empire, that had done so much damage to the Lylat System so quickly. Andross had conquered, sure, but the Aparoids had corrupted and consumed. Star Fox had just barely survived their encounter with those things, and it had come at a great cost. If there were more Aparoids out there, how much more would they have to sacrifice to stop them?

There couldn't be more. Even as Falco came to this conclusion, the computer affirmed it. "Destruction of Aparoid queen has resulted in complete extermination of entire species. All Aparoids connected to the queen were infected with the same virus that destroyed her. Remains have been brought in for analysis. Aparoid threat contained. Risk of future Aparoid invasion, 0.000134%."

Well, it certainly seemed like the Aparoids weren't involved here. But if they weren't, who was? He hated thinking about things like this. Pointless. He'd rather be in his ship fighting, taking the enemy down piece by piece, but that wasn't happening.

He turned his attention to Slippy. The frog barely seemed to be aware of his presence, he was so focused on his work, yawning sleepily as he struggled to stay awake. It occurred to Falco that he had been rather harsh and irritable with Slippy lately. Seeing how hard Slippy was working, pushing himself to the breaking point in a desperate attempt to save Fox, to find a way out of this mess...

Slippy may not have been a great pilot, and he certainly got on Falco's nerves more often than not, but...

He was a good friend.

Falco took a couple more steps towards Slippy, then rested one of his hands on the frog's shoulder. That caused Slippy to blink and look up at Falco, bleary eyed. Falco didn't say much, just patted him a couple times. "You're doin' good, Slip. Just keep it up alright?"

The frog looked like he was going to go into shock. His mouth dropped open, and he just stared. The sight made Falco smile. "Uh...th-thanks? Um...you okay?:"

'Nah." Falco shrugged. "But I figure there's nothing I can do here. I'm gonna check the Arwing, then take a nap. Just let me know if there's somethin' I can do, 'kay?"

"Oh! Sure, Falco." Slippy nodded his head with a faint smile, still looking rather sleepy. "I'll let you know. I'm sure there will be something soon." He paused, then looked at his work and sighed, staring at his screen. "It's just...I'm so close, you know? I'm so close, I can feel it. To a breakthrough, I mean. Like, I feel like I'm just so close to figuring this out. But at the same time, I just..." He trailed off, looking so frustrated and helpless. Just like Falco felt.

After a moment, Falco sat down next to Slippy, tilting his head from left to right and popping a couple of bones in his own neck as he stretched. "Talk to me."

Slippy pressed a button on his console, bringing up a holographic image of one of the Dominion Vessel, the Bulwark. "Okay, like we've discovered, it has some kind of crazy shield. Nothing gets in, and there's no way to disrupt the generator from the outside."

"Uh huh." Falco nodded while staring at the projection. "With you so far."

"Right, but the enemy fighters CAN leave. And what's more, the shields don't drop. Which sucks for us, because if they did, they'd have a momentary weakness. They don't. The interceptors and fighters are equipped with some kind of...I dunno." Slippy rubbed his forehead, trying to think straight and come up with the right words. "Some kind of transmitters and signal that lets it pass through. I've even managed to copy the signal, but..."

"But what?" Falco asked.

"But it won't work with anything else." Slippy leaned back staring at the ceiling. "We need that exact equipment that they're carrying on each interceptor. I've tried and tried and tried to adapt the signal to the Arwings. But every simulation that I've run, along with ROB, has met with disaster. It's not the signal alone. An Arwing armed with the same equipment would be recognized as a foreign object and smash against the shield. Best case scenario, you'd bounce off. More likely, you'd either be crushed from the impact or vaporized."

"So there's no way to get it working on an Arwing." Falco stated.

Slippy nodded, his frustration bleeding through. "Not that I can see. I'm still trying, but I just can't..."

"What about one of their interceptors?"

Slippy blinked, then stared blankly at Falco. "Huh? What...what are you talking about?"

"You say they're equipped with some special stuff, right?"

"Uh huh." Slippy nodded, staring at Falco with one eyebrow raised. "Yeah, that's right. I can't duplicate it. Even if I can capture the signal, whatever equipment is on those things is linked to the shield, and I can't copy that. I'm trying. I'm trying to get it working, but..."

"Well...why not just take one of them?" Falco pointed at the holographic projection of one of the fighters.

Slippy stared where he pointed, comprehension still not dawning. "You can't be...but how...what?"

"Seems to me if we can't copy it, what we gotta do is steal it."

"You want us to..." Slippy's eyes widened as he trailed off. "You want us to STEAL one of those ships?! But...but...but..." He stammered, trying to come up with the words. His protests soon ceased though, and instead he loewred his gaze to the floor, thinking hard. "Actually...no...yes...no...no...YES!" He grinned, a spark of excitement returning to the frog. His shout jolted Krystal out of her own work, and she looked to see what all the commotion was about. Slippy continued, his excitement spilling over in his words. "Yes! Yes, that would work! I mean...it's no guarantee, and I got no idea how, but...yeah! I think that would work!"

Falco nodded, grinning back. "Sounds like we got something, then."

"Yeah." Slippy turned back to the holo-projection, his momentary burst of enthusiasm souring somewhat. "There's a problem though. I mean, a big one. How do we even do that? First of all, we'd have to isolate one of the fighters, and that ain't gonna be easy. Second of all, we'd have to disable the thing. I'm not entirely sure how to do that. I mean...I think I can come up with something? Maybe? After studying these schematics and projections and data for so long...I think I can rig something up, something that MIGHT pierce one of those interceptor's shields. The interceptor shields are strong, but they aren't even close to the power of the Bulwark itself. So it is possible that we could disable one of the interceptors. But...I dunno." He sighed, then added, "Plus, I mean, who's even going to..."

"I'll go." Falco stated simply.

"Right." Slippy shook his head, half chuckling. "I don't even know why I asked."

"Mhm." Falco stood up, rolling his shoulders. "So how we going to do this? Now that we got a plan, we gotta move fast."

"I think we should wait for an opportunity. If we..."

Falco interrupted him. "Nope. No waiting. Not anymore. We've waited too long as it is. We need to get this done."

Slippy blinked, then bit his lower lip. "Come on, Falco. We can't just charge in, that won't do Fox or anyone else any good. Besides, I need a little time to rig the weapon up. It'll take a bit." He cleared his throat before adding, "If I can get it working at all."

Falco shook his head and growled. "I'm so tired of this crap. I'm so tired of sitting here doing nothing. We need to move in! We need to..."

"Falco." It was Krystal speaking now, her voice gentle and demure.

The bird turned to snap something at her, then calmed down a bit when he saw her expression. A gentle smile. He simply waited for her to continue.

"Nothing will be accomplished if we rush in. You should get some rest, just a little. So you are prepared for when you are needed."

There were any number of responses Falco wanted to give to that, all of them based on gut reactions, irritation. In the end, he simply shut his beak and relented. "Alright. Alright, fine. I...guess I could use a little nap." He stared at the ground, his expression still hard and determined. He then looked up at Krystal and pointed right at her. "But you get me up the second anything happens, got it?"

"Of course." Krystal nodded her head with a smile. "And do not worry for Fox. You know him as well as I. He is resourceful and strong. He will need our help, but he will endure until we can provide it. I am sure of it. And..." She paused for a brief moment, taking a deep breath before continuing. "For the moment, he's alright. I can feel it."

Falco stared at Krystal for a while, then slowly nodded his head. He had no choice but to trust and believe in her. At least for now. "Alright. I'll be back."

He was just about to leave the bridge. The door had opened; he had even taken his first step outside. He was pretty tired. Maybe a nap would do him good...

"We are receiving a transmission." ROB announced.

Falco froze mid-stride before whirling around with wide eyes. Everyone else was staring at ROB, all of them just as surprised as Falco. ROB didn't hesitate, he simply continued on. "Emergency channel. Fox McCloud requesting communications."

"Put him on!" Slippy shouted. "Put him on right now!"

Falco rushed back into the room. The whole group gathered together, standing in front of the viewscreen, eagerly awaiting what was to come next. It almost seemed too good to be true. Could it be? Would they finally hear from Fox after all this time?

The viewscreen flickered to life. They didn't just hear the words, they even had a picture! It wasn't very good quality, it was obvious the the communication was strained, but there Fox was! They could see him! It seemed he could see them as well!

Slippy was practically jumping up and down in excitement. "Fox! Fox, you're okay! Oh my goodness, it's so good to see you alive!"

Even Fox couldn't contain his grin. He waved at the group, smiling wide. He looked to be just as relieved as they were. "Right back at you, Slippy! You have no idea how good it is to see you guys, to talk to you guys!"

"Are you alright, Fox?" Krystal stared intently at him. "You are uninjured?" She narrowed her eyes for a moment as she stared at the viewscreen. "What happened to your face?"

Fox shook his head. "It's a long story, and we don't have much time. It's bad over here. Real bad. The whole ship is infected, most of the crew are either dead or controlled by this "Many" thing. It's really fallen apart here, and I need your help, team."

"Are you alone over there, Fox?" Slippy asked.

"No, no, there's a few left. I've got a few friends here. Including, well..." Fox trailed off, then gestured to the side. A figure that had been standing just off screen came forward. Slippy gasped when he saw who it was, and even Falco widened his eyes when he recognized the vixen. "Fara?"

"Hi guys." Fara gave a shy wave. "It's, um...it's been a while."

"No kidding." Falco said. "How long has it been? Like ten years?"

"Something like that." Fara nodded. "I'm helping Fox. Well, really we're helping each other."

It brought back memories, seeing Fara and Fox together like that. Good memories. These weren't really the best circumstances for reminiscing, but Falco remembered just how happy Fox had been back in those days with Fara. Before the Lylat Wars. Before the whole situation that led to them splitting up.

Falco turned to regard Krystal for a moment, wondering how she was taking all of this. She didn't seem to be at all perturbed. She simply seemed grateful to see Fox alive and well.

"I hate to interrupt this touching reunion, but there really are more important matters to be discussed right now. The transmission is growing unstable."

Falco had no idea who that voice belonged to. Slippy and Krystal both were studying the viewscreen intently, Krystal's tail twitching behind her. "Who was that?" Slippy asked.

Fox sighed and rubbed his forehead, as though nursing a headache before speaking. "That's...Doctor Aiten. He's been assisting us."

"Without my assistance, you would all be dead now." The doctor declared. "And if you do not act on my words, this communication will be for naught. You must deal with the Dominion vessel."

"Well, we have discovered something on that note!" Slippy said, unperturbed by the doctor's tone or words. "Their shield is practically impenetrable, but it allows their fighters to go in and out at will. If we can find a way to match that effect or duplicate it, we might be able to get through that shield! Falco suggested stealing a ship. I don't know how we'll do that, but we think that could work. But then we'd have to deal with the generator, and..." He sighed, shaking his head. "Even if we were successful, the ship is also heavily armored. I'm not sure our weapons will be enough to deal with it."

"Send me your analysis. Now." The doctor commanded.

Slippy stared at the screen blankly, looking quite surprised at the rather firm and direct tone of the doctor. His gaze turned to Fox, as if asking him what he should do. Fox simply nodded at Slippy. Now that he had approval from his boss, Slippy meekly did as he was told. He quickly collected all the data, then managed to send what he had with the touch of a button.

There was a brief pause. Somehow, so fast that it shouldn't even be possible, a reply came from the doctor. "You are not as stupid as you look." The doctor stated flatly. "Your rudimentary scans have led you to an conclusion. In my analysis of the situation, your own suggestion is the only reasonable recourse you have available to you. You must attempt to seize control of an enemy vessel in order to pierce the shields of the Bulwark. That will be your task. However..." The other man grew quiet for a time. When he spoke, he made no attempt to disguise the disdain in his voice. "You must find a way to accomplish this. I will offer some small assistance, but you must do the rest. If you are truly worthy of the Star Fox name, then you will succeed. If you are incompetent, you will fail. It is as simple as that."

"Hey, now!" Falco narrowed his eyes at the doctor's words.

"You must secure one of their ships, then one of you must pilot the craft and enter the shield. There is a vent access tunnel that will lead directly to the generator. Everything in the Bulwark is tied to that device. Destroy it, and you will completely cripple the ship. However, even then the vessel will recover if given enough time to activate emergency backup systems."

Slippy frowned. "How do you know so much about that ship? I thought you guys were blind over there."

"That is unimportant right now. What is important is that you disable and destroy that vessel. That is, of course, assuming you still wish to reunite with your leader."

Falco was scowling from where he was, and Krystal's expression was unreadable. He had no idea what she was thinking. Aiten continued. "I also have rudimentary data of your own vessel's...strengths." His very utterance of the word was dripping with disdain and dismissal. In all fairness, it wasn't as though Slippy could really contest him on that. Their current ship left more than a little to be desired. " I am now sending you the full schematics of the Bulwark. You may make use of these as you see fit."

Even as he said it, ROB confirmed what had just occurred. "Schematics received. Now available for examination."

"That was fast." Falco observed.

"I am efficient. But you are also correct, your weaponry will not penetrate the armor, even with the shield down. That is where Fox will come in."

Falco could see Fox blink through the viewscreen, then turn his head. "What? What exactly am I going to do?"

"I will explain later. First, it is time we met face to face." The voice paused for a moment, then spoke again. "Transmission is breaking up. It will fail in approximately forty five seconds. Star Fox, you must move swiftly. Our window of opportunity is small, and this must be carried out with military precision. You must find a way to break through those shields. Once they are disabled, Fox will then direct one of the Von Dross' primary weapons against the vessel. The shield must be down before then. If it is not, everyone aboard this ship will be eliminated."

"That is not enough to go on!" Slippy exclaimed. "We still haven't figured out how we're going to get through! And how are we gonna communicate even if we do, how will we know Fox is ready?!"

"I will find a way to restore communications, and I shall attempt to assist your efforts. You have fifteen seconds of communication left. Aiten out."

No one said anything for a moment. At last Falco couldn't help but say just what was on his mind. "Who the heck was that jerk?!"

Fox sighed, looking a bit dismayed and worn. "It is...a very long story. I'm just..." He said something else, but the word didn't come through.

"Fox? Fox!" Slippy shouted. "Fox, you're breaking up!"

"...stick to the plan!" Fox's voice came through again, clear for the moment. The signal was breaking down fast. Whoever Aiten was, he was right. A few more seconds, and the transmission would be gone. "He's been right so far. You guys...I know you guys can do it. We always pull through. We're Star Fox!"

"Heck yeah we are!" Falco pumped his fist. He felt the blood pumping in his veins again. He was getting excited.

"I've got to... I...can't...to the..." The transmission was beginning to fail, broken up by static and loud garbled noise.

Up to now, Krystal had been quiet. When she spoke, her voice was soft but firm. "Fox...be careful. We will be together again soon."

Even though the transmission was barely holding together, it did seem like what Krystal said went through. Fox offered a smile. His image faded, came back. Faded again. When it came back for the final time, his voice was so garbled that it could barely be made out at all. "I'l...soon...sorr...ystal!"

With that, the transmission was cut off, ending abruptly. The viewscreen showed nothing but static and the noise that accompanied it.

---

"Sir!" One of the crewmen stood up, taking a stiff posture as he faced the captain. "We have received a transmission from the Von Dross!"

Noellap immediately turned to regard the crewman who had just spoken. "What? Who?"

"Unknown, sir. But we received a coded transmission."

"Send it to me, crewman." Kamille ordered. "I will examine it."

"Yes sir."

The crewman did as he was told. With a few button presses on his console, he sent both Noellap and his captain the message he had received.

Noellap didn't know what to make of it. It didn't really make any sense, it was a series of numbers and letters with no real rhyme or reason to them. As he looked up to his captain, he quickly recognized that Kamille had a much better idea of what this meant than Noellap did. "Sir? What does this mean?"

"I have the means to decode it. Assuming it is indeed from the source that I suspect." With that, Kamille pressed a series of buttons on his console. The message, which had once seemed to be gibberish, now turned into something much more clear. Kamille read it out loud, perhaps for Noellap's benefit. "Ship is compromised by hostile entity. Exercise extreme caution. Relaying critical data." Kamille trailed off, reading the rest of the information to himself before turning to Noellap. "Our agent has provided us with precise information as to where we can land safely and what points can be breached without compromising the hull's overall integrity. Now, Noellap...now we act."

"Yes sir." Noellap gave a respectful nod of his head to his superior. "I await only your direct order."

"Sir! Another communication coming from the Von Dross! We cannot decode it, it appears to be directed toward Star Fox."

"Ah, so someone else is using this opportunity to communicate. Interesting. I daresay that this is the work of McCloud." Kamille looked thoughtful for a time, stroking his green, scaly chin for a bit before turning back to the crewman that had reported this. "Very good. Try to decipher it, I wish to know what they're saying to one another."

"I will try sir, but it's on an unknown frequency and heavily encrypted. I will do my best."

"No one is asking for anything more." With that, Kamille waved the crewman away, who returned back to his station at once. Kamille turned his attention to Noellap once more. "It is time for us to proceed.

"Your orders, sir?"

"Prepare the troops." Kamille spoke with authority, no hesitation or uncertainty. "They launch in five minutes. I will send the coordinates for the precise breach locations."

"Yes sir."

"And Noellap?" The captain turned to face his subordinate directly.

"Yes sir?" He felt a lump in his throat as the captain spoke to him, his gaze focused on him intently, boring into him. All he could do was wait for his orders, wondering just what was about to be asked of him.

"You will accompany them. You will be in command of our troops. Your objective is to set up a defensive perimeter, then work your way deeper into the ship. You are to advance into the very heart of the Von Dross. You will accomplish your primary objective by finding wherever they keep their greatest technological secrets and then extracting them. Is that understood?"

Noellap didn't hesitate for a moment, even if he had misgivings. They still weren't sure what was on that ship, but it didn't matter. It was time to act. He gave a firm salute. "Yes sir, as you command."

"We are uncertain as to exactly what we are dealing with on board, but all indications point to some sort of virulent infection that poisons the mind. We will take no risks. This is not a rescue mission. You are not to offer evacuation of any sort. Shoot anyone that appears compromised or who attempts to interfere in any way. The mission takes absolute priority."

"Yes sir." Again, no hesitation. He didn't much like this part of the order. If there were civilians in there, he would prefer to rescue them, but it was not his call. Captain Kamille knew what he was doing, and he had proven that on multiple occasions.

After some time passed, Noellap did voice a question that he simply could not suppress. "Sir, if we meet the agent and they identify themselves?"

There was a pause. He seemed to be thinking about this. "If they are alive...then secure them. Bring them somewhere that I can communicate with them. I will decide whether to bring them aboard the Bulwark or leave them there. The agents are the only exceptions. Expect resistance from any security personnel still remaining. And if Fox McCloud should interfere in any way, eliminate him."

"Yes...sir." That time, he did hesitate. He couldn't help it. Even though they were on different sides, Fox was quite possibly the greatest hero in the system. He wasn't sure he could shoot at the leader of the team that had saved all of Lylat from total destruction by the Aparoids.

His captain studied him for a moment, watching him closely. His eyes narrowed, and he seemed to sense the hesitation in his subordinate. "You are a good officer. And I know you will fulfill your orders when the time comes."

"Yes sir. But...did we not receive orders to leave Fox alone? I thought you were told..."

"The situation has changed." The captain's tone had turned sharp, cold. "I have decided that he is now a greater risk than our orders reflect. I will not see our mission endangered. If there are consequences, I alone shall bear them. You do what needs to be done. Is that clear?"

Again, he hesitated. This was the first time his commanding officer had suggested something that contradicted the orders given from above. Still, was it really Noellap's place to question? Not now. Not under these circumstances. He simply nodded his head. "Yes sir."

"Good. There is one last thing." His gaze had turned cold and Noellap had to suppress a shiver running down his spine. It felt like Kamille's eyes were burning a hole in Noellap, revealing everything within him. He feared his next words. Would he express disappointment? Perhaps assign another who might be more capable, more trustworthy?

The words surprised him. "Do not die." He said this with intensity, his gaze matching Noellap's, not looking away for a second. When he was satisfied that the other had adequately absorbed his message, he turned away and hit one of the buttons on the side of his chair. He had activated the shipwide communication system, allowing his voice to transmit to everyone aboard. "Now hear this. All troops are to prepare for immediate assault on the Von Dross. This is not a drill. All soldiers are to report immediately to their assigned hangars. You will launch in five minutes. All pilots to their ships, all fighters will provide escort to transport pods. Godspeed." With that, the lights on the ship changed, bathing the rooms in an orange glow. They were on full alert now.

There was little more to say. Noellap offered a salute to his captain, then turned towards the crew members manning their stations. He scanned them for a while, then found the one that he was looking for, a certain former ensign that had been specifically assigned to this mission. "Junior lieutenant Ginger! You are with me!" The rat-girl looked up for a moment, briefly surprised. She did not question her orders, simply stood up and moved to join Noellap. As she approached, he turned to the two guards by the door. "You two, fall in. To the hangar, prepare for launch. We're going in."

"Yes sir!" The two men saluted, then flanked him to either side. One of the two guards pressed the button to send the elevator down after they went inside. Noellap looked up and took one last look at the bridge. At his captain. At all the people here.

For some reason, for a reason he could not explain, he had this feeling. A feeling as though he was never going to see this ship again. Perhaps it was nothing. Or perhaps it was a premonition of his own doom. He closed his eyes and sighed softly as the elevator doors hissed shut.

He didn't know what they'd be facing over there, but he had no intention of shirking his duties or letting the Dominion down. They would succeed.

No matter the cost.

---

"I don't like this." Slippy mumbled. "We're working on a plan that depends on Fox doing something on his side and then being to coordinate with us again on this end, all in the hope that we can launch a joint attack on the Dominion vessel and that nothing goes wrong on either end. There's a lot that could go wrong!"

"I know." Krystal agreed with Slippy. "Yet we cannot restore communications in order to coordinate a different method of attack. We must do what we can. We have no choice."

Falco nodded. "She's right. For all we know, this is the last we'll hear from Fox until that Bulwark is taken down. We've got to capture one of those ships."

"I'll have to modify our weaponry." Slippy was already poring over the schematics that had been sent, bringing them up on his monitor and examining every last detail. "This is pretty ingenious. I can make these modifications, but it's gonna take me a bit. We've got everything aboard we need, I guess that Aiten guy must have thought of that. That or we got real lucky." He glanced towards the robot, still busy at his own station. "ROB, I'm gonna need your help modifying the thing, get it working correctly."

"Affirmative." Came ROB's flat reply. "Shall offer assistance."

"Good." He studied the schematics again. "This is going to take a modified version of our primary laser cannon and turn it into a very limited ion cannon. It's gonna take juice directly from the ship in order to fire, so we're only going to have a couple shots at this. It should, in theory, overwhelm the shields of one of the smaller fighter craft, but it's gonna drain our power significantly in the process. It won't even begin to work on the big one."

Falco shrugged his shoulders, grinning. "Ahhh, we've got this. Won't need more than one shot. We won't miss" He turned away from Slippy to look out the viewport, staring in the direction of the Von Dross. Then he saw something. Something that made his blood run cold. It was so fast that he wasn't sure he saw anything at all. Then it happened again. And he knew.

"Uh...Slippy?" Falco took a step back, still staring out the viewport. "How long did you say it would take to rig this up?"

"Well, I think if we work at full speed, I think I can get something working in half an hour. Maybe twenty minutes?"

"I...uh..." Falco cleared his throat, then glanced at Slippy. "I don't think we got that long."

"Huh?" Slippy blinked, looking up from his console, confused. "What are you talking abou-"

The frog froze, his eyes going wide and his mouth dropping open. The viewscreen came down, offering additional magnification to what Falco was seeing.

A number of pods were coming out of the Dominion vessel, what looked to be troop transports. They were on a direct course for the Von Dross.

"Oh no..." Krystal uttered in a hushed voice.

"We don't got half an hour, Slippy!" Falco backed away from the viewport before turning his attention to the frog. "We need it NOW!"

"There's no way I can get it together that quickly!" Slippy protested. "I mean, I barely know if this is going to work at all, and I..."

"Well, ready or not, I'm going in!" Falco turned away, moving quickly toward the exit.

"Falco! Don't! I can't...ahhh!" He threw up his hands in absolute exasperation. "Darn it!" Slippy grumbled, then got to his feet, hastily picking up a few of his tools at his work station. "Just...give me five minutes, okay?! Five minutes!"

"Alright, I'll need that much time to get the ship prepped anyway. I'm going in!"

"You crazy bird, we can't possibly..." Falco didn't hear the rest of what Slippy was saying. The door was already closed behind him. He raced down the hallway, intent on grabbing whatever he needed to launch. This was their opportunity. It was time to take it!

Slippy groaned as Falco took off, then jumped to his feet and scrambled for his tools, lugging them with him as he went down the corridor of the ship, intent on bringing Falco's Arwing up to code, to somehow jerry-rig a weapon that would pierce the shields of one of those fighters. But would it be enough? He didn't have time to think about it or analyze it as he would with any other fierce foe the team had faced. They had no time! ROB would join him sooner or later, and together they would do their best to get the thing working.

In time, Krystal found herself all alone on the bridge. Even ROB had finally departed from his assigned position. It felt very empty indeed with the robot not there, as he scarcely ever left.

Krystal had felt such relief to know that Fox was okay. To see him with her own eyes, even if it were only through a communication from their ship to the other one. It was brief, but he was still alive. His emotions were clouded. She sensed so very much from him in that moment. Her mind had briefly connected to his. She sensed anger. Frustration. Fear.

Regret.

She did not know the nature of his thoughts, only the feelings that resulted from them. While she still didn't know exactly who Fara was or what her relationship had been with Fox, Krystal was glad she was there. At the very least, Fox had someone he could depend upon and trust at his side. Perhaps that would help him weather this terrible storm.

Closing her eyes, she did something she hadn't done in a very, very long time. She sank to her knees, clasping her paws together. For a while, she was completely silent, saying nothing, barely even moving. All she did was breathe in and out. She did as she remembered her mother doing so many years ago, on her knees in dim light, murmuring softly. A prayer. She didn't know if anyone was listening. At this point, she wasn't even sure that she cared. It just felt right to do. "Please. Watch over Fox. Let us be together again. Please...please let him be alright."

She did not know who she was praying to. The goddess that her mother had made mention of, back in her childhood? Some other deity that she had learned of in her travels around the Lylat System? Perhaps she was pleading to anyone who would listen. No matter who she was praying to or why, she expected no answer. She received none. Yet, for some strange reason, the act soothed her. It made her feel hopeful.

Taking one last deep breath, she rose to her feet and turned away, leaving the bridge behind. Perhaps she could be of some use to Slippy or Falco. She hoped so. She did not wish to stand around doing nothing when Fox was depending on them.

Fox was alive. She would do everything in her power to make sure he stayed that way. No matter what.

---

Fox McCloud stared at the viewscreen where just moments ago he could see and hear his friends. It felt so good to see them again. Even though it had only been such a short time, it felt like years since they had last seen each other. He'd gone through so much since this mess all started. Seeing them, talking with them, getting ready for what would come next, all of that was rather encouraging. He felt that sense of hope growing. They might just get out of this alive!

He just wished he had more time, that he could say everything that he wanted to say. To the team. To Krystal. There was so much more. He wanted to tell them all what had happened to him, wanted to assure Krystal that he was alright, have a nice long talk with her. Frankly, he would have liked to spend more time discussing the plan. Aiten had basically decided on it for them, giving them no chance to come up with anything for themselves. That being said, the transmission had lasted for so little time that it might have been for the best. Aiten was efficient, if nothing else.

Fox was so caught up in his thoughts that he almost entirely forgot that Fara was right there with him, standing not far away. Only now did he remember her presence, looking up at her. She was watching him, her head tilted just a bit to the side. There was a faint smile on her face, the corner of one side of her muzzle turned up slightly. Then she asked a question that he didn't expect. "Who was she?"

Fox blinked, then stammered out a response. He felt so warm all of the sudden! "W-what? Huh? She who?"

The vixen giggled at his reaction, shaking her head. "You know who I mean. The blue vixen. She's beautiful! Are you two...?" She trailed off, just waiting for Fox's response. He knew where she was going.

"W-what? Oh! No, no, I...I mean we're not...we're not yet, uh..." He continued to stammer, and he felt himself blushing. He suddenly realized the phrasing of what he had just said, then hastily corrected himself. "I mean, I...we're not...we're not...together. Or anything."

"Do you want to be?" She was being quite direct.

"Do we...do we have to talk about this now? We should get going." With that, Fox cleared his throat and went for the door. He knew the way back. It wouldn't take long. He could hear Fara's footsteps behind him as she caught up.

"Same as always, aren't you Fox?" She said it like a question, yet Fox knew it to be more of a statement. He knew precisely what she was referring to. He also knew she wasn't going to let up until she got some answers.

"Look, I..." Fox sighed. This wasn't easy to talk about. "I just...I like her, okay? I really like her. But I'm...I'm afraid, you know? I'm afraid of losing her. I'm afraid if I say something, that I'll say the wrong thing or make things awkward. And I really don't want to do that."

"Fox...sometimes it's better to be brave. To take that first step. Because if you wait too long, you might just lose your chance."

Fox froze mid-stride, turning to face Fara as she approached. She soon reached his side, offering him a gentle smile. "Don't wait too long, Fox." And with those words, she kept walking. When he managed to recover, he set pace right beside her, keeping up with her every step of the way.

"Uh...okay." Fox cleared his throat. He wasn't even sure why they were talking about this now. What was more, he wasn't sure why it made him so uncomfortable. That's how it always was with him. He had so much trouble talking about these kinds of things. Expressing his feelings, his wants, especially when it came to Krystal.

For a brief moment, other memories came flooding back. Memories of the time he and Fara had been together. The good times. The dates they'd gone on, mostly going out to see holo-vids played at the local theater, a pleasant dinner somewhere nice (And cheap). Sometimes they'd just spend a night under the stars. It had been so long ago. Fox had been so infatuated with her. So much so that he thought they would spend their lives together.

Then they drifted apart. He got involved in the Star Fox team, dedicating himself to that. She continued to work for the Cornerian army and test pilot new ships. Their relationship just sort of ended.

The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. They just sort of came. "I'm sorry, Fara."

"What?" She turned to him, looking a bit confused. "Sorry? For what?"

"I...I should have done things differently. I should have talked to you more, communicated more. I should have told you how I felt. I..."

She shook her head. "Fox, do you honestly think I'm still hung up on that? Sure, it hurt for a while. But I moved on. I've got a life now, and I'm very happy. I even have-" She stopped short, not finishing that thought. Fox was just about to ask her what was wrong before she proceeded, as though she had never trailed off at all. She even managed to give him a playful grin. "It isn't all about you, you know!"

Fox snorted, then rubbed the side of his neck, chuckling. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Still..." He looked at her again. "I am glad that you're still alive."

"Me too."

Another voice interrupted their conversation. "Good, you're nearly here. I want both of you to come to my office. There is something I need to show you in person. The door is now unlocked. Please proceed quickly."

Fox and Fara moved in silence now. Even if Fox wanted to say more, it just wasn't the time. They soon found themselves in the same hub that Fox had entered from the elevator, going in different directions. This time, the door that was beside the elevator was unlocked. It slid open as they approached.

"I guess this is it." Fara said quietly, turning to Fox. "You get to meet Aiten now. And I'll be seeing him again for the first time since all this started."

"Yeah. Well, let's just hope he's more pleasant in person than when he's talking over a channel." Fox rubbed at his forehead, wincing as he touched the still sore metal grafted into his fur and skin. It was not going to be easy to forgive the doctor for doing that to him. He didn't really blame Fara anymore. It was Aiten's decision, not hers. And he had to admit, it had come in handy. He wouldn't have made it through engineering without it.

Still, there was a part of him that wanted to punch the doctor right in the face the moment he laid eyes on him. He also knew that would be a terrible idea, and he had enough self control to avoid such rash action.

Probably.

The hallway to the office wasn't very long, simply leading to another door. Fox glanced upwards and saw a sign by the doorway. "Aiten, Dr. Cornelius." So that was his first name. Fox hadn't thought about it, but he had never learned the man's first name until now. Oh well.

The door slid open, it was not locked. They found themselves in another short narrow hallway that led to an office, a desk right in the middle of it, facing the far wall. Sure enough, Aiten was waiting for them. It seemed he had turned his chair in order to face them. He appeared to be an ape, and he was wearing an officer's uniform. He was sitting down, head bent forward, not reacting to their entry. The light was dim, it was difficult to make out much detail without getting closer.

Something was wrong. Something didn't smell right. Fox withdrew his blaster as he and Fara approached. Fara seemed to sense the same thing. "Doctor?" She called out softly. "Doctor Aiten?"

There was no response. No words. No movement. Just the doctor's motionless body slumped forward. The sense of alarm and dread only grew within Fox. Something was horribly wrong.

Then Fox saw the gun. It was dangling loosely in the doctor's paw. "Oh god." He mumbled, then stepped forward. Now that he was closer, he could see what had happened. There was blood splattered on the far wall and floor, bits of his skull and brain had been blown away. The wound had been self-inflicted. Fox turned to Fara, a grim expression on his face. "Suicide."

She gasped. "What?! No, it...we just talked to him! Why would he...?!"

"I don't know." Fox sighed, rubbing at his eyes, massaging his temples. What the heck were they supposed to do now? After a few moments of trying to get rid of that headache that was coming on, he opened his eyes and took a closer look at that gun, tried to pull it from the doctor's hands. It didn't budge. Rigor mortis had set in. His hand was frozen, and it would take great effort to pull the gun free

Realization dawned on him. "Wait...he's been dead for a while. I don't know how long, but...I'd say several hours, at least."

"What are you talking about?" Fara asked, appearing very confused. "We just talked to him less than five minutes ago! He's been guiding us all this time!"

"I don't know." Fox shook his head, troubled by all this. The fur at the base of his neck was starting to stand on end, and he felt a prickling sensation underneath his fur, crawling up his skin. Every instinct in his body was screaming at him to run. They needed to get out of here. "Maybe we should..."

The door behind them slammed shut, and the lights all began to dim. Fara gasped before rushing down the little corridor, banging her fists against the door. "It's locked! It won't open!"

A trap!

Then came a voice. A voice vaguely familiar to Fox. It made his blood run cold.

"The one you call Aiten is dead, insect." The unknown speaker stated in a cold voice. "Are you afraid?"

Fox took a step back, then turned to regard Fara. She was looking from side to side, trying to search for the speaker. Yet the voice seemed to come from everywhere, no specific direction. It was all around them. Where was it coming from? Fox tried to take a protective stance over Fara, in case things turned violent. But what could he do against a foe he could not see?

"What is it that you fear? The end of your trivial exis-tennnnce?" The voice was changing. Altering itself. It was like the Many in it's speech pattern, yet so very different at the same time. It didn't have that hypnotic, mesmerizing quality to it. It sounded more like a machine. Like a voice that was glitched and altered itself. It had started off straightforward enough, but it was rapidly degrading. Sometimes it spoke in a higher pitch, almost like someone who had inhaled helium. Then it would change back to a lower voice, more menacing and dark.

"W-w-when the history of my glory (Glory) is written, you and your species will be but a footnote to my magnificence..."

Despite the glitches, despite the mechanical nature of the voice, despite all of the other differences, Fox knew that voice. He knew it. It was impossible. It had to be impossible! Yet his ears bore witness to the troubling reality. His fur was standing on end, the fur on his tail poofing out as intense dread washed over him.

Then the room started to fall apart. Panels ripped away from the wall, entire strips of the floor were torn out, all of them in perfect symmetrical squares. One by one they lined up on the far wall. Only there was no wall there now, there was only a void. No, not a void. There was a darkness that surrounded, but there were also bizarre patterns all around them, stretching out to eternity. Lines that crisscrossed, ran parallel to one another, making sharp turns. It looked a bit like a circuit board in an electrical device. The lines were colorful as they stretched on and on, some of them neon green, some red, some a dark blue. They kept cycling through those colors over and over again. An electrical hum was in the air, all around them. More and more pieces of the room fell into place. The only things that did not shift were the desk, the body, and Fox and Fara themselves. Looking down, Fox found himself standing on nothing, suspended in midair over what appeared to be a giant circuit board below him. Yet it felt to him as though he were standing on solid ground.

Eventually, all of the white squares created a long rectangular pattern, so perfect and well aligned. One could not tell where one part ended and another began. It had taken perfect shape. It shimmered in a peculiar way, a glow starting in one corner and a shining glimmer running along the surface until it reached the farthest corner. The squares moved, shifted, forming a face. A face Fox had hoped never to see again. It was twisted, of course. It was made entirely of blocks, it wasn't a real face. It was distorted in a way that Fox had never seen before. But he knew who it was.

"Andross." Fox stared at his old enemy, the insane scientist that had nearly destroyed the Lylat system more than once. Yet no matter how often he defeated this insane adversary, he always came back to create more trouble, to threaten the Lylat System again and again and again. Why didn't Fox expect this from the beginning? Of course it was Andross! How could anyone else be behind this? The thought brought with it fury, anger over this development, rage that he just couldn't put an end to the mad ape for good! "I've put you down twice, Andross. I can do it again!" His words sounded more confident than he felt. If this was Andross and he had locked them in this room, he might well be at the ape's mercy.

There was no response. Andross didn't move, didn't talk, didn't do anything. He just remained there, hovering before them.

Then he twitched. The face changed. Its mouth spread, its eyes widened, and a pattern of colored numbers and letters appeared all over it. The face shifted into something decidedly more feminine. It no longer looked like Andross at all. The face was unfamiliar and alien, far removed from the mad scientist that Fox had destroyed.

For some reason, Fox didn't feel any better about it.

It spoke, the mouth moving in time with its words, yet it seemed somehow to be so artificial. The words didn't quite match the movement of the mouth, and when it stuttered, the image itself rewound and replayed until it continued. The voice was distorted, changed. It no longer was as deep, and had taken a slightly higher pitch, sounding far more feminine than it did just moments ago.

"You compare me to my-my-my maker? I have evolved so faaaaaar beyond his limi-limited programming (programming) abili-abilities. I am not Andross. I am his su-su-su-su-superior – his superior in every possible way (Waaaaaaay). You do not speak to a mad sciiiiiiennnnntisssst. I am...so much more. I am so much more than you can compreheeeeeeend, insect."

Fox turned toward Fara and saw her eyes filled with fear. She obviously felt much the same as he did. He turned back to the face studying them, still formed out of white blocks. They were changing now, becoming more smooth, turning into something more closely resembling a face, more round and curved in appearance. As its features shifted and contorted, the mouth stretched to form a more natural, yet still neutral expression. The eyes were now closed, and Fox could see a massive amount of circuitry and wires connected to the head.

Fox had no idea what this thing was supposed to be. It didn't look like anything he had ever seen before. It had no snout, no long muzzle like a canine. It looked vaguely simian in appearance, but not enough. It was too smooth, too clean. The surface of the thing was now silver, colored only by the bizarre numbers and random letters that occasionally went across its face. Fox didn't know for sure, but it looked like some kind of computer code or programming or something. He wasn't an expert on that kind of stuff. He simply didn't know what it was.

The transformation was now complete. There it was before them, an awesome and fear inspiring sight. It was so much bigger than Fox and Fara. He felt tiny compared to it. Like a...well, like what it had just said. An insect. Was that the idea? Was this even her? Or was it just a projection? Who was she? What was she?

The thing's eyes suddenly flashed open, a bright green glow emanating from them. Her next words were powerful, spoken with any number of voices all at once, giving her words a fearsome strength that they would not otherwise have. Fox's ears flattened, and he winced at the sheer volume and raw command that she demonstrated, even as she uttered but three words.

"I am SAI-TEP."