Slippy found himself in a very familiar position right now, laid out on his back under an Arwing, the innards of the sleek fighter craft exposed as he continued his work. He was wearing a mask and helmet common to anyone doing work with a welder or any other tools that could be dangerous to the eyes or face. He continued to cut into the Arwing, making precise incisions. Sweat beaded on his brow, trickling down his green head. This was delicate work. He had to get this right.
The light from his welding tool burned bright, flashing non-stop and lighting up the room, sparks flying against his protective head wear, harmlessly bouncing off his goggles and mask. He'd been at this for a while now. He wasn't sure how long. It could have been five minutes, it could have been twenty. He just didn't know. All that mattered was getting this done as quickly as possible.
ROB was working elsewhere on other parts of the Arwing. He wasn't a maintenance droid, and hadn't been programmed to repair or modify star ships of any kind. He knew how to operate them, and he had a basic knowledge of repair, but not the kind that they needed right now. He was just assisting Slippy by taking care of more minor maintenance as well as providing the frog with any tools that he might require. It still saved Slippy a lot of time. He was grateful for the help.
"Okay..." He stopped welding, taking a deep breath. "I think that about does it. We'll have to give it a test, and then we'll be ready to go."
"Affirmative." ROB was now in the cockpit of the Arwing, awaiting further instructions. "Standing by."
"Alright, go for it. Just try to turn her on. That's the first step."
"Affirmative." With that, ROB initiated the startup sequence. Slippy held his breath as he waited for the results, hoping that the ship would start up. Falco had helped at first, but he was getting very, very impatient and it had made it difficult for Slippy to concentrate. Slippy finally had enough and told him to just stay out of his way so he could work in peace. The bird had left in a huff, irritated with the frog. Slippy didn't really care what he thought at this point, just so long as he was able to work without distraction. That was something that Slippy always liked about engineering and fixing things and working on the Arwings. Whenever he was tinkering with them and fixing them up, it was like he was somewhere else, far away. His troubles melted away, and all he could think about was the ship that he was fixing up and improving. Nothing else mattered. It was therapeutic in a way. He enjoyed it.
The feeling was not so strong today, most likely because of the immense pressure put upon him. They needed this to work, to help Fox as quickly as possible. There were so many things that could go wrong, so much pressure on all of them. And while Slippy was more relaxed and calm here, working underneath the Arwing, than he was elsewhere, it was still stressful. He had to move as quickly as possible.
After a few more moments, with ROB making the necessary movements and pressing the appropriate buttons, the engine of the Arwing roared to life. Slippy let out a whoop as it fired up, finally crawling out from under the thing and wiping his hands, all covered in grease. So far so good! Of course, they didn't know if the weapon itself would work or not, but at least it was connected! His part was over, and now all they had to do was...
"Slippy? I think you should come up to the bridge right away." That was Krystal's voice. She sounded calm, but he knew she wouldn't be calling him away from his work without a good reason. She couldn't have known that he was done already, he had almost literally finished just that moment. He tugged his mask upward, wiping his forehead of sweat before responding. "Got it, I'm on my way up." He turned to look at ROB. "Hey, keep running some tests, alright? Make sure she's good to go."
"Affirmative." ROB acknowledged, then began to do as Slippy asked, testing the various systems on the Arwing. Slippy couldn't stick around to watch. He had to get back to the bridge.
He wasn't sure what it was all about, but he couldn't help but worry. His movements picked up in speed, his walk turning into more of a jog. When he made it to the bridge, he was panting a bit, though that wasn't just from the exercise on the way here. Working on the ship was surprisingly exhausting. He didn't have to move around that much, but it was still taxing, laying under the ship, using his tools, working as fast as he possibly could, sometimes having to hold his arm in a specific uncomfortable position for long periods of time. Now he was rushing back to the bridge. What a day!
When he entered, he found Krystal with her back to him, staring at one of the monitors in front of her. Slippy walked up behind her, still recovering from his exertion. Her ears twitched as he approached, her tail flicking behind her. She knew he was there, there was no need to announce himself. Then again, there never was. She practically knew when people were approaching before they even did!
"So what's up, Krystal?"
The vixen turned her head in order to face him, her expression remaining neutral. "Something entered our scanning range, something we had not detected before. I thought you might want to see it."
"Oh?" Slippy spun the chair in front of the console to the side, then sat in it before spinning back, looking at the screen and searching for what Krystal was talking about. "You know what it is? Like is it another ship, a comet, a bit of debris or..."
"I'm not sure." Krystal stated, shaking her head. "But I believe it was launched from the Von Dross a short while ago."
"Uh huh, well that's good to know. Maybe it's a..."
Slippy froze. He stared at the monitor, his mouth hanging open, unable to find any words, unable to speak! Krystal turned from the monitor to regard Slippy, looking a bit concerned. "Slippy? Are you alright?"
"That's...that's a pod!" Slippy exclaimed. "That's not from the Von Dross! That's one of those boarding pods that the Bulwark launched!" Slippy rapidly tapped a few buttons, bringing the image on the monitor into focus. With every passing moment, the thing drew closer and allowed them a better scan of it. He studied the image, nodding his head as his hypothesis was confirmed. "Yeah, that's some sort of boarding device. They drive that into the hull and send troops through it."
"I see." Krystal frowned.
"What's wrong?" Slippy asked her. "Something the matter?"
"It's...well..." She sighed, then shook her head. "There's no one on board."
"What?" Slippy knew he shouldn't question Krystal, she had no reason to lie. That couldn't be right, though. It just couldn't! Why would a pod be drifting so far away from its initial destination, and why would no one be abaord? He ran a few scans, though interference blocked it at first, interference from the Von Dross, perhaps from the Bulwark as well. As the pod moved closer and closer in their direction, the readings became more clear. Krystal was right. There were no life signs aboard.
That didn't make any sense.
"What's it doing out here?" Slilppy asked.
"I wondered the same." Krystal spoke softly. "What is more, I believe it is moving toward us."
Again, Slippy had to ensure that her words were correct. They were. The pod was heading right for them. It wasn't precise, it might pass them by if they didn't move to intercept it, but it would get close. Very close. This couldn't have been coincidence. He said as much to Krystal. "I think somebody...I think someone sent this to us!"
"I thought the same thing." Krystal nodded. "I wonder...is this perhaps the work of that Doctor Aiten?"
"I dunno." Slippy shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know enough about him to say. But maybe? I guess this is one way he was planning on helping. But why? What could we do with..." Realization dawned. His eyes went wide, and he gasped, bolting upright. "I got it! I got it! That's what he did! He sent us the pod! We might be able to use it to get inside the shield!"
The blue furred vixen furrowed her brow, rubbing at her chin with one clawed digit absently. "It is curious that he was able to predict our position with such accuracy. He could not have known for certain where we would be."
"Well, I mean, he might have." Slippy cleared his throat before continuing. "I mean, if he's as smart as he seems to think he is, it is possible that he was monitoring our position, our heading, and our speed and made a calculated guess as to where we would be at this point in time. I mean, that's still a long shot and it's amazing if that's what he did, but it's the only thing I can think of."
The vixen nodded. "That is plausible. But what will we do now?"
"Well...I guess that means we gotta go pick it up. I'll get ROB to man his post and we'll try to get the pod in our hangar. I think you and Falco will have to cover me with the Arwings."
"Alright." Krystal smiled. "It'll be good to be doing something useful."
"Well, uh..." Slippy hesitated, shifting his eyes and biting his lower lip. "I, uh...I only had time to outfit Falco's Arwing with the new weaponry. He'll be able to punch through those shields on the interceptors. You...you still won't be able to. S-sorry, Krystal!" Slippy looked at her with remorse on his face, feeling quite embarrassed about putting her in such a position.
The vixen did not seem perturbed. She simply shook her head. "It's fine, Slippy. You need not worry. I will still support Falco. Hopefully we will be able to retrieve the pod and escape before any trouble comes."
"Yeah. I hope so too!" Slippy rolled his shoulders, then his neck as he stretched before tapping on the intercom. "Hey ROB! How's those tests going?"
"All systems functional within acceptable levels. Slight power fluctuation in weapon systems. Unable to determine cause. Caution advised."
"Thanks ROB. Wish we had more time to optimize it, but it'll do. Get up here, I'll need your help piloting."
"Affirmative." Slippy knew the robot would be on his way immediately, he didn't need to say anything more. Now he just had to get in touch with Falco. He fiddled with the comm system for a bit, trying to figure out where Falco was exactly. Eventually he settled on the mess hall. "Yo Falco! You there?"
He heard a familiar voice yelling at him from the distance, not even using the intercom. Yup, Falco was there alright.
"Get your feathered butt to your Arwing, it's showtime!"
The words were barely out of his mouth before Falco went flying up the hallway, almost at a full sprint as he barreled for the bridge. He must have grabbed a snack or something from the mess hall while he had been waiting. Slippy had suggested that, actually. He had hoped that maybe Falco's mood would improve slightly upon eating something. Either way, he seemed ready now. He barely even stopped to acknowledge Krystal or Slippy, turning the corner and stopping only for the door to open. He squeezed past ROB, who was on the other side of the door heading for the bridge. "Friggin' finally!" Falco grumbled as he made his way toward the hangar.
Slippy was just glad Falco was finally going to get a little action in. He could tell how antsy Falco was, how frustrated he had been with the whole situation. At long last, Falco was going to get his chance and get into a little action.
That didn't just apply to him. Krystal moved away from Slippy, trailing behind Falco as she too headed for the hangar, politely stepping to the side in order to allow ROB to pass. She wasn't trying to match Falco's pace, but she was still moving at a steady, brisk rate. As the door that led to the hangar opened, she turned and regarded Slippy. "Good luck."
"Yeah, you too."
With that, the door closed behind the vixen, leaving Slippy alone with ROB. He turned to address his robot companion as he settled into his normal position. "Okay ROB, as soon as Falco and Krystal are clear of the Great Fox, I want you to take us as close as you can to that pod. We're gonna try to pull it into the hangar, then get out before the Dominion picks up our trail."
"Affirmative. Altering course to intercept objective. Standby."
Once more, ROB's mechanical hands flew over the interface panel he was working on, typing and pressing buttons at an incredible rate, his movements little more than a blur. This was what ROB was programmed to do, and he was good at it. Slippy didn't have to worry about him doing it right.
He still had some concerns about this. While this was a golden opportunity for the team, he couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't going to be simple. It could be a trap. Whether it was or it wasn't, that enemy ship, the one belonging to the so called Dominion, had to be aware of that pod's presence. In fact, Slippy wasn't entirely sure why they hadn't moved to intercept it. Had it gone unnoticed, or was it all part of their plan? He simply didn't know the answer to those questions.
That was to say nothing of the weapon he had just installed on Falco's Arwing. He wasn't even sure it would work. It should, he had run the numbers, made the appropriate adjustments, rewired the power and bypassed the safeties. It had more or less replaced the primary laser blaster equipped on the Arwing. He still didn't know for certain that the thing would even fire. If things got messy, if a hostile showed up and Falco couldn't fire his weapon, well...
It was a good thing Krystal was there, anyway.
He didn't know yet how well the Arwing would perform with that weapon equipped, or if it would even work. He had a feeling he would find out soon enough. He pressed the button beside him, his voice projecting through the hangar where Falco and Krystal undoubtedly were. "We're repositioning now. All systems green. Waiting on you."
It hadn't taken long for Krystal to prepare her ship. Aside from the minor repairs Slippy had made on the thing shortly after their first engagement with the Dominion, she had left it untouched, eager to return to action. Until this very moment, there had not been a sufficient opportunity. They could have been brazen and bold, of course. They could have charged the Dominion vessel or attempted to find some other way aboard the Von Dross. Such decisions would only have ended in disaster for all of them. It had been frustrating to feel so helpless, but at least now they were able to do something useful.
She was seated in her cockpit, flipping a few switches to bring the engines online. She could hear the steady hum of power as the various systems came to life. Her Arwing was lit up in green on the indicator, showing her how much damage she had sustained. It had been mostly orange when Falco and Krystal had limped back to the Great Fox earlier. Had she taken just a few more hits, her Arwing would have been crippled. It might not have been destroyed outright, but it wouldn't be returning to the Great Fox on its own power. She hoped that she wouldn't come that close again.
"Systems check!" Slippy could be heard shouting over the intercom. "Everything good, guys?"
Falco answered before Krystal could. "Yep, I'm good here. I'm good to go."
"Everything is fine on my end." Krystal responded to Slippy. "I am prepared for launch."
"Alright, awesome. Door's opening now. Running one last diagnostic on your new weapon, Falco. Standby."
Krystal took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she attempted to clear her mind. She always got a little anxious before taking her Arwing out. She loved flying, of course. She was a good pilot, the Star Fox team wouldn't have her if she wasn't at least somewhat competent. She could never hope to match the raw skills of Fox and Falco, though. While they seemed to feel more at home in the air or stars blasting through enemy fighters, Krystal found it a bit more stressful and difficult. She was a fine pilot, but she simply didn't have the years of experience that the other two did. She knew how to fly, of course. She couldn't have traveled the Lylat System or ended up on Sauria if she hadn't known how to fly a ship. Until she had met up with Star Fox, however, she had never used her piloting skills for combat.
Fox had told her she was a natural. She remembered that clearly. She sensed his emotions as he gave her those compliments, sensed the thoughts behind those words. She sensed how genuine he was. He wasn't just complimenting her to make her feel good, to flatter her, or even just to give her confidence. He had truly been impressed with her early abilities. He had taken it upon himself to train her, with Falco's help of course.
That was one of the things that attracted her to Fox. He was sincere. Though he admittedly wasn't very open regarding his feelings for Krystal, along with the many other doubts and insecurities he kept buried within him, he was not a flatterer or a liar. When he said something, he always meant it. She had never known him to deceive, even when others might lie to spare someone's feelings. Fox did not do that. The most he would do was say things were fine while burying trouble on his mind deep within him. Yet Krystal found that somewhat endearing as well. She wanted him to open up more, but she knew that it was a struggle for him. He wanted to be a good leader. She didn't have to be an empath to know that. It helped, though.
She felt that familiar wave of adrenaline and tension coursing through her body, making her fur tingle a little bit. It was a mixture of excitement, anticipation, and fear. They had already gone up against the Dominion once and nearly paid for it with their lives. If the Dominion got involved again, she didn't know how it would go. She'd do everything she could to make sure that they survived, all of them.
If there was some way to rescue Fox, along with anyone else who might trapped aboard the Von Dross, they -would- find it. They just had to get rid of the Dominion first before they could finally mount a proper rescue. She just hoped this pod would have what they needed.
"Okay! Diagnostic complete! Launch in five!"
Krystal had to focus. She had to concentrate on this moment and only on this moment. She did her best to close her mind to that thing that dwelt upon the other ship. She could still sense it. It was getting bigger and stronger. For the moment, it did not seem interested in her. Perhaps it was distracted with something, or perhaps building strength, biding its time. Whatever it was doing, she was grateful that it wasn't trying to breach her mind again. The last thing she needed was to be out in a dogfight and for that thing, whatever it was, to attack her.
"...three! Two! One! MARK!"
Krystal's thoughts snapped back to reality as one light started to blink rapidly on and off, waiting for Krystal to input the launch command. She waited for a moment, only able to watch as Falco rocketed out with a yell. "Yeeeeehawwww!"
Even before he cleared the doors, she entered the launch command. Her Arwing lurched forward before being hurtled at blinding speed into the stars beyond the open hangar doors. Her heart leapt into her throat, the same thrill coursing through her that always had since the very first time she'd done it. In less than a second, she had cleared the hangar doors and was now flying out in space.
For a brief moment, she was once again captivated by what she was seeing. Though she could see it in the viewport on the bridge clearly enough, being out here in the Arwing reminded her of how beautiful the nearby planet was that they were near. Were it not for the grave nature of the situation, she might marvel at the wonder that was the nearby gas giant, complete with the crisscrossing twin rings that wrapped around the planet.
Somewhere out there was the Von Dross, infected with something that was trying to kill Fox. Elsewhere, there was a ship ensuring that they could not reach him. She wasn't sure which was worse.
"Okay guys, I'm sending the coordinates. Head on over and keep us covered!" Slippy's voice rang out over the communication line they had. As Krystal turned her head, she could see the Great Fox repositioning, moving toward the coordinates he was sending them even now. The ship was moving slowly, it wasn't really capable of great speed outside of very short bursts, like what they had used earlier to escape from the Dominion's interceptors. Still, it wouldn't be too long before it would arrive. They'd just have to scout it first.
"On my way, Slippy" Falco announced. Krystal could track him on her scanner in the cockpit, seeing the green blip that represented his position. She turned so she could see him with her own eyes, and she saw his ship's engines flare before the Arwing launched forward.
She'd have to follow him. "I'm right behind you, Falco." She eased the throttle forward. She didn't move quite as fast as Falco, but she would keep up. She intended to keep a steady pace, and she didn't mind letting Falco take the lead here. He was obviously quite eager to continue.
"Okay, uh...I can see what you guys see, we're rigged up to you! Go ahead and take a look, see if there's anything else there."
"Uh huh, already on my way." Falco wasn't just talking the talk, either. He was accelerating toward their destination, already pushing the Arwing to maximum speed. Krystal had no choice but to match. She flicked a couple of switches, allowing her to amp up her velocity without fear, then pushed forward, managing to keep up with Falco, staying right on his tail.
"Alright, it's coming into sight now." Falco's voice sounded off. The audio wasn't crystal clear, but it was good enough. "Let's see what we got."
Now that they were nearly there, Krystal was getting a better look for herself. It was exactly what they had thought it was, a boarding pod. She had never seen anything quite like this one, it was of a unique design. It clearly had the capability of breaching another starship and then retreating if necessary, as it wouldn't be here otherwise. It didn't appear to be equipped with any weapons. Even though she was trying very hard to keep her mind guarded from that thing aboard the Von Dross, she was close enough to get a reading of anyone aboard the pod without extending her mental link too far. She could tell without even reading any instruments. There was no one aboard. The vessel was devoid of life, though she couldn't say for certain if there was something else aboard, perhaps a robot or other machine.
That's what Slippy was there for. "Kay, I just ran some scans. There's nothing on there. Ship is totally empty. No people, no robots, nothing."
"I can confirm." Krystal said. "I do not sense any presence on that pod."
"Good." Falco spoke next. "So we've scouted it. What now?"
"Okay, I gotta get it on board. I'll grab it and retreat to a safe distance. Then I'll run some tests, analyze it, and hopefully repurpose it so we can use it against that ship. Somehow."
"Alright, sounds good." Falco sighed over the channel. "Was kinda hoping for some action. Didn't even get to test the new weapon. Oh well."
"Perhaps it is for the best, Falco." Krystal offered. "The true battle lies yet ahead. There is no sense in expending ourselves needlessly."
"Yeah. You're probably right. Can't wait for some payback though."
"Don't worry Falco!" Slippy seemed to be in exceptional spirits right now, his voice enthusiastic and chipper. "You'll get your chance. Soon as I get this aboard, we're gonna find a way to equalize the playing field. Besides, we don't know for sure if the new weapon even wor-"
Slippy was cut off by a loud alarm blaring, and Krystal immediately had to check the alert screen on the side of her cockpit. It very quickly indicated what the problem was. They were no longer alone. Soon they heard ROB's voice coming in, flat and emotionless as it confirmed the team's fears. "Incoming enemy. Two interceptors en route. They are accelerating. High probability that they have detected us and are attempting to intercept." Krystal stared at the blips on the scanner. ROB wasn't lying. The enemy interceptors were racing toward them at top speed. They'd be on them in a matter of seconds.
"Crap!" Slippy yelled over the comm system. "We're not ready yet, I don't have the pod, we can't leave unless..."
"I'm on it, Slippy." Falco's engine seemed to ignite in blue fire as it suddenly burst forward, kicking into overdrive. "Bring it on!" He wasn't waiting for them to come to him, he was charging. For a moment Krystal thought that he was being reckless, then she realized that engaging them early would be the smart thing to do. Hopefully, they could at least keep the interceptors distracted long enough to allow Slippy to do his work and then retreat.
She wasn't about to let Falco confront the enemy alone. She didn't just use the accelerator, she accessed the boost that all Arwings were capable of, creating an intense short burst of speed, requiring a bit of time before it could be used again. The cockpit seemed to lurch a bit as she activated it, and she found herself propelled at top speed toward their opponents.
It took her a brief moment to realize that Falco was not firing his weapon. He was charging, but nothing was happening. Krystal came to the awful realization just before Falco swore over the comms. "The blasted weapon is jammed, it's not firing!"
The enemy had no such trouble. As soon as they were within range, they started shooting at Falco. As fast as they were, Falco was faster. He managed to do a barrel roll, spinning to the side as he veered out of the way. One of them began to pursue him, but the other charged straight ahead, ignoring him. Krystal moved to engage, quickly realizing that he wasn't aiming for her either. The interceptor was on a direct course for the pod that Slippy was trying to collect.
She didn't hesitate. She pulled the trigger on her flight stick, sending volley after volley of laser fire through the cold depths of space, piercing the void and blazing toward the enemy ship. She held down the trigger, continuing to shoot. The Arwings were equipped with outstanding firepower, and with enough energy to fire continuously for an extended period of time. While her first few shots did not connect, she was able to quickly realign herself to get her opponent centered. He was moving in a straight line, not even trying to dodge.
He was in her sights, she was almost directly behind him. She pulled the trigger again. More laser fire erupted from her craft, but this time it didn't just strike empty space. Multiple bolts struck the enemy ship, direct hits, easily enough to destroy a fighter of that size. Before the shots connected, she knew it wouldn't destroy it. Just as she feared, the ship's shields flared up, completely absorbing the weapons fire directed at it. All she managed to accomplish was cause the pilot to veer and weave from left to right in an attempt to shake her off. Even his evasive action did not necessarily mean he was in any danger. He may well have been trained to dodge regardless of the status of the shields, or perhaps too much punishment taken too quickly would disrupt them. Either way, she wasn't able to pierce those shields.
"Keep 'em off me! Keep 'em off me!" Slippy shouted, sounding frantic as the interceptor continued to rocket towards Slippy and the pod. The hangar of the Great Fox had opened, and Slippy was trying to get the pod inside. He was so close. He and ROB had angled the Great Fox so that it would scoop it up mid-flight. If Krystal could just distract the enemy interceptor for a few more moments...
"Growing heat signature detected. Missile being launched. Target: Great Fox. Impact in five seconds."
She saw it. Just as it was about to launch, something extended from the bottom of the interceptor. If ROB hadn't announced the missile launch, she would not have known what it was. Before she could even blink, a missile was jettisoned from the launcher that had emerged from the belly of the interceptor. It was small but fast.
"Destroy that missile, Krystal!" Slippy was practically screaming at her. "You can't let it hit!"
"I'm trying!" She tried to outmaneuver the enemy interceptor, but when she fired it moved again. This time, it didn't try to get out of the way, quite the contrary. It blocked her view of the missile, causing her shots to harmlessly strike the shield rather than her intended target. She tried to get around, but she was just too late. The missile was already at its intended target.
"Correction. Breacher Pod is the target." ROB stated flatly, just as the missile struck its true target. In that moment, there was a powerful flash of light, causing Krystal to wince. A shockwave emanated from where the missile had made contact with the target. In that moment, the breacher pod had been completely obliterated. The explosion and resulting shockwave caused Krystal's ship to lurch. Were it not for the Arwing's shields, Krystal might have sustained more damage. The interceptor, even closer to the blast than she was, seemed completely unharmed.
The Great Fox was not so fortunate. It had not been directly hit, but the blast had been powerful, powerful enough to send the Great Fox reeling backward, tilting to the side as it was flung away. "Crap!" Slippy was yelling again.
"Inertia dampeners offline. Weapon systems offline. Shields failing. Primary power units offline. Auxiliary systems engaging. Stand by."
"How can you be so calm about this?!" Slippy yelled, perhaps forgetting that he was talking to a machine. "Get it back up, now!"
"Affirmative. Rerouting power to necessary systems. Bypassing..."
Krystal couldn't hear the rest. She was far too focused on what was happening right then and now before her. The fighter had broken away from its initial trajectory, and it was now focused entirely on her. In the blink of an eye, the pilot managed to turn sharply, angling himself directly toward Krystal before firing. She only managed to dip below him at the last moment, barely managing to dodge the fresh wave of weapons fire. The interceptor immediately started to turn, attempting to get a clear shot at the vixen. She wouldn't allow that.
It was a one on one fight, so it was much more fair than the previous engagement with the Dominion, when she and Falco had been swarmed by the enemy. Even one on one, this was a very lop-sided battle. The enemy pilot was good, shielded or not. Not as good as Krystal, but still good. He knew how to dodge, how to weave, how to shake his opponent. Krystal only just managed to stay with him as he executed maneuver after maneuver. In a way, it was almost like a dance. Sometimes he would manage to twist and turn and find a good angle on Krystal, firing at her as she desperately tried to escape, pushing her ship to the limits to evade him. On other occasions, she managed to circle back around him, trick him by moving one way then performing a quick maneuver that would put her elsewhere. She ended up behind him, firing, hitting him. Even as she did so, she once again only hit the shield. The interceptor might as well have been invincible.
"I cannot break through!" She exclaimed, struggling to keep him in her sights. He'd be behind her soon. That interceptor was so fast! "The shield's are too strong, I can't keep up with them!"
Her words were only met with a string of profanity from Falco. Most of it was cut off by the radio static. "piece of...lousy stinking son of a bi-stupid crap can't-gonna shove this thing so far up your a-a week, you hear me?! You hear me Slippy!? This piece-"
"Falco! Falco!" Slippy was yelling back, trying to get through over Falco's insults. "You gotta divert power! It's gonna need all your juice!"
"What, you're saying I should reduce power to the engines?! How the heck am I supposed to maneuver when my ship doesn't have any juice, you moron?!"
"I don't know, it's draining more than I thought, I told you it wasn't ready for this, I..."
Krystal was barely paying attention to the argument. She heard enough to know that Falco needed her assistance. She would have to try something reckless, hope it bought him some time. Whatever she was about to do, she wasn't sure it was going to work. She just had to hope that it did. "Falco, I'm coming."
"Huh?" Falco sounded confused. "What, why? What are you gonna..."
She answered his question with actions not words. As the other enemy interceptor, the one tailing Falco, continued to fire, Krystal decided to give him something else to shoot at. She zeroed on him, racing toward him at maximum speed, engaging the boost. She fired as she did so, but she wasn't really counting on hitting him with the laser. She just wanted his attention, and she knew just how to get it.
The fighter was ignoring her at first. He didn't seem to consider her a threat. He certainly didn't suspect she was about to do what she ended up doing. He probably assumed she wouldn't be that stupid, and normally she wouldn't be. But today called for drastic measures. At the last possible second, the fighter seemed to realize that she was not going to alter her course. In a panic, he tried to veer away from her.
He didn't move fast enough. Krystal's ship slammed into him, the crash making Krystal wince as she practically bounced off of him. Fortunately, the interceptor's shields didn't block her ship. She sent both of them reeling in opposite directions. She could tell her Arwing wasn't happy about it, as there were sparks emitting from below her controls. A warning flashed up, showing the Arwing's status. The central part of the ship, the cockpit and nose, had sustained significant damage. Nothing crippling yet, but that was definitely going to leave a mark.
"What the heck are you doing?!" Slippy sounded absolutely shocked. "What...what was that!? Why are you wrecking the Arwing?!"
It was Falco that figured out what she was doing first. "Whoa! Nice move! They're both after you!"
He was right. After that reckless display, the other interceptor had turned its attention to Krystal. They were both after her now. She would have to do everything in her power to keep them from destroying her. Dodging two fighters was going to be much more difficult than just contending with one.
"Alright, I'm diverting power." Falco announced. "Basically everything I got. Keep 'em busy!"
"I don't think I have much choice!" Krystal had twin streams of laser fire screaming past her, both interceptors hot on her tail. The ship lurched occasionally, and she could see the flashing light of the shield indicator, the status of her ship. She had taken multiple hits. None of them were bad, but they were adding up fast. She pulled every trick that she knew to keep them off her. She didn't even get the chance to fire anymore. As soon as she lined up a shot on one, the other would take the opportunity to fire at her, forcing her to break off. Bit by bit, they whittled away at her shields, even piercing the Arwing's armor. A cry of shock escaped her lips when one of the wings was breached by multiple laser blasts. She tried to turn away from the thing before more damage was done, but it was too late. The wing itself sustained multiple direct hits. The status indicator of the wing flashed red over and over again, then went dark. She turned just in time to see her wing simply explode. Her ship immediately began to veer, and she was struggling to control the thing now.
Even without one wing, she managed to evade them for a while. It wouldn't last, though. They circled her now, like a pair of predators hunting a wounded animal, drunk in the certainty of the imminent kill. She could not hope to win. They had skilled pilots, fast and powerful ships, and a shield that couldn't be beaten. What hope could she have?
That didn't matter to her. There was nothing more dangerous than a wounded, cornered animal, and that's just what Krystal was right now! The two interceptors had veered away from her, both in different directions, spinning apart in order to converge at her position, going for the kill. Krystal closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath in order to steady herself. Then her paws balled into fists, her eyes snapping open as they filled with determination and stubborn defiance.
She would not end here! She would see this through! Star Fox would survive this, they'd rescue any survivors, and she'd see Fox again, no matter what! She pushed down on the throttle, rocketing toward them as fast as she could, launching an attack of her own!
If the enemy was surprised, they didn't show it. They met her head on. She knew they were about to fire, she'd have to disengage and try to pull away again. Her ship was wounded and sluggish. It would be much easier for them to keep up with her now. She was determined not to make it easy for them. She wouldn't go down without a fight!
Just before she pulled the trigger, a bolt of blue energy flashed across her sights, piercing one of the enemy interceptors. Much to her shock, the shield didn't protect it! The beam struck the interceptor square in the middle, a direct hit. Blue energy flashed across its surface, looking a bit like forked lightning and static.
"EAT IT, YA JERK!" Falco whooped over the comm line. He'd done it! He'd landed a perfect hit on the enemy ship! It couldn't have been at a better time. For a moment, Krystal really had thought that she might have met her end.
But she hadn't. She was alive. She and Falco were victorious, for now.
The wounded enemy ship had clearly lost control, as it wasn't turning or trying to alter its course even as Krystal did. The other fighter veered off immediately, seemingly in a panic. The one Falco had just hit wasn't going anywhere. The engines were dead or dying, and the interceptor just drifted forward, slowly spinning around and around as it went.
"Wow!" Slippy's voice rang out over the communicator. "The ship has been completely disabled. The weapon must have completely overwhelmed the shield generator, which caused a complete system shutdown! He's dead in the air!"
Krystal pulled hard on her flight stick, sending the Arwing to the side, repositioning. She was having to fight with it a bit now, control being much more difficult with one of her wings compromised.
Somehow she managed. The other interceptor was long gone, fleeing as soon as the other was disabled. It must have come as quite a shock to that pilot, as the Dominion's ships had seemingly been invincible up to this point.
That did leave one very important question to be answered. A question that Krystal now voiced to the rest of the group. "The pilot of the disabled interceptor is still alive. I am detecting confusion, as well as pain. It would seem he has been injured."
"We gotta bring 'em both aboard." Slippy stated. "We lost the pod, but this interceptor might be an even better prize. Don't destroy it, whatever you do!"
"You know, as much as I would love to blast this guy into space dust, I read you." She could hear Falco grumble over the headset. "I really wanted some payback. But then again, I guess they did choose not to kill us earlier, so it's only fair we give 'em the same."
"Yup!" Slippy agreed. "Alright, I'm bringing the Great Fox around for a pickup. You guys get on board and we'll get the heck out of here, before the, uh, the Bulwark has a chance to pursue or send more fighters after us."
"Roger that." Falco started to head for the Great Fox, but he suddenly brought his Arwing to a halt. "You alright back there Krystal? You need a hand? Can you make it in with your wing like that?" He wasn't usually the more considerate type, at least on the surface. He seemed to be rather impressed with Krystal right now. "That was some awesome flying!"
"I'm fine. I'm going to the hangar now." Krystal took a deep breath, then angled her ship toward the Great Fox. She gently pushed on the throttle, moving herself forward. She took it slow this time, she had no choice. Her wing was damaged and that made steering difficult. The ship kept wanting to drift a bit to the side. There were a steady stream of alarms sounding off in her cockpit, telling her what she already knew. There was a low beeping sound that would not turn off, a warning that her ship was in critical condition. It took all her concentration to be able to limp into the Great Fox's hangar. She managed to do it even as Slippy and ROB were repositioning, attempting to take the damaged interceptor into the very same hangar.
Krystal was the first inside, bringing her wobbling Arwing to a halt above where she usually docked, slowly bringing it down until its belly rested on the hangar floor. She then powered down the engines, switching off most everything until the cabin was mercifully silent, the alarms finally shutting off.
At long last, she could take her paws off the flight stick and throttle. She raised them in front of her for a moment, only now realizing just how much she was shaking. She couldn't keep her paws steady! She leaned back, her head falling against the back of her seat, and she just sat there, taking deep and steady breaths. She hadn't even realized how tense that had been until afterward. In fact, she couldn't believe she had just done all of that. What was she thinking? Ramming another ship at full speed with her Arwing? Trying to take on two interceptors on her own? She could have died. She hadn't wanted to admit how close she had come, not until now. Now the full realization dawned on her. She was so tired. So exhausted. She could barely keep her eyes open. With a shake of her head, she gathered up what little energy she could do and pressed a button to her right, causing the cockpit to hiss open, allowing her to leave.
She staggered out of the thing, stumbling out and almost falling in a heap on the floor. She managed to turn it into a slide, though it was still far faster and clumsier than she had intended it to be. When her feet touched solid ground, it felt absolutely wonderful.
Falco was the next to arrive, landing in his place in the hangar. They all had spots for their Arwings, places they tried to prioritize docking so there was no confusion. Krystal had the far left corner, Slippy had the far right. Falco and Fox were in the middle. It had worked out well enough so far, though it wasn't a strictly enforced rule.
The last to arrive was the disabled interceptor. Slippy had angled the thing so it slipped right through the hangar doors. As soon as it was inside, a device was activated, likely at the command of either Slippy or ROB. Two objects on opposite sides of the hangar bay lurched forward, forming a sort of incomplete ring around the object that had just entered, or was starting to enter. Before it could fall on the docking bay floor, the objects projected a sort of tractor beam, keeping the disabled interceptor suspended in the air. The device then moved, and the interceptor along with it, going to the far end of the docking bay and setting it down behind Falco's Arwing. Once it had touched the ground, the beam was released, and the incomplete ring separated again, the machinery whirring before returning to their dormant position in the upper area of the hangar.
They weren't finished yet. They may have captured the interceptor, but the pilot was still alive and inside. While Krystal was aware of this fact, she could sense little else. If he were conscious and armed, he would almost certainly fight back against the group.
Her heart hammered in her chest, and she felt as though all the strength had been drained out of her. That was the most reckless and daring she had ever been in her life. It was sheer desperation that drove her to such drastic measures. She very much hoped she would never have to do anything quite so reckless again.
Eventually her breath steadied and she began to calm down. Falco had emerged from his Arwing by now, hopping down before tilting his head from left to right as he stretched. He seemed to be in good spirits and full of energy, nothing like what Krystal felt right now. He looked at Krystal for a moment, then turned to the disabled ship that lay before them. The pilot had still not emerged. Falco turned toward Krystal and pointed at her, then beckoned toward himself while readying his blaster. Krystal nodded, then did the same, reaching for the sidearm she carried strapped to her belt.
The two of them then approached the interceptor cautiously. It was still completely intact. If one didn't know better, they might assume the vessel had landed there peacefully. Aside from the completely dead engines and the occasional blue crackle of energy that flickered across the surface of the ship, it looked normal. No hull damage, no indication of weakened structural integrity. Whatever weapon they had just used on the thing left almost no signs of lasting damage.
This was the first time Krystal had gotten a good look at one of the enemy ships up close. She had fought them in space, sure. She had seen them on the scanners. Now she was close enough to touch the thing. She didn't know much about engineering or construction of smaller starcraft, but it certainly seemed impressive to her. The fighter was a dark orange color, mixed with black, all on a rather sleek looking metal. If she had to guess, it was expensive. The cockpit was more of an orb than anything else, giving it a striking difference in appearance from the Arwings that the Star Fox team flew. It was a little smaller than an Arwing, at least the body was. It had wings on either side of it, looking a bit like claws. There was a gap in between the cockpit orb and the wings, connected by a thinner looking metal, making the orb look as though it were suspended in the gap between the two wings. She had never seen a design quite like it before. Granted, she was probably the least experienced member of the team when it came to these things, but she'd learned a lot since she joined Star Fox. She had wanted to prove her worth right away. While she didn't have the experience, she still had a great deal of knowledge that she had gleaned in her time with the team.
"Huh." That was all Falco would say when he stopped in front of the ship. "How...do we open this?"
"Hold on, guys. I'm doing a quick scan. Just a second!" That was Slippy, letting them know what he was doing over the communicator.
While they waited, Falco turned toward Krystal and gave her a nod of his head. "Krystal, that was some mad flying out there. You did great. I dunno if I could have done better myself!"
"Really?" Krystal asked, somewhat taken aback by his compliment. He wasn't the sort to offer praise easily, she had found that out pretty quickly upon joining the team. "Thank you."
"Well, okay, I probably COULD have done it better, but you still did great."
Typical Falco, but it made Krystal snicker either way. It was nice to have a moment of mirth after such a tense situation. "Well, I couldn't think of much else to do."
"What you did was rely on your instincts, your gut. That's something that can't be taught. You just gotta learn it." He grinned at her. "I think you're getting it, girl."
"Well, thank you Falco. I did my best."
"Yup. Fox would be proud." He paused, then corrected himself. "I mean, he WILL be proud when we get him outta there."
"I hope so." Krystal said with a tired smile.
"Yeah, well, for now let's deal with this jerk." Falco tossed his head to the side, indicating the interceptor that they had captured. There still didn't seem to be a way to open the thing from out here.
Slippy seemed to have that angle covered when he next spoke. "Okay guys! I've overridden the interceptor's docking mechanisms, and I'm popping her open now. Get ready!"
"Hey, Slippy!" Falco called out. "Which way is it gonna-"
He didn't get to finish his question. There was a hiss, followed by a whirring sound. The bottom of the pod opened up, and then the innards of the cockpit descended. So that was how they got in and out. The pilot's seat would lower from the craft, allowing for them to comfortably enter and exit. It was something Krystal had never seen before.
Falco and Krystal had their weapons readied, aiming at the occupant of the vessel. They soon realized he was of no threat to them. The pilot was slumped over the console, motionless. He made absolutely no hostile movements whatsoever. In fact, he didn't even seem to be aware of their presence.
He was hurt. Bad.
Krystal didn't hesitate for another moment. Falco raised his hand to try to stop her, but she just pushed past him. She knelt over the pilot, taking his pulse and performing a basic medical check on him. She wasn't a medic, but she was more experienced in first aid than anyone else on this ship. There was no blood on him, and he showed no signs of being shot. She could tell that he was in terrible pain, both from his expression and the emotions rolling against her mind. With that, she could sense where the pain was coming from, which helped her come to a couple of conclusions. She examined his arm, then his head, opening one of his eyes for a moment as she studied him.
The pilot was a young bright furred cat, sporting an orange fur coat, dull green eyes and long whiskers. He couldn't have been much older than 20. He had a youthful face, though it was now contorted in pain. His ears were pinned back, and his chest rose and fell with each labored breath he took. He was in awful shape.
"I think he's suffered a concussion. And I believe one of his arms is broken." Krystal stated. She couldn't be certain of either of those things yet, but it seemed a distinct possibility. "We'll need to get him to medical to stabilize him."
Falco nodded. "Sure. Will have guard him though. Did we fix the security field in there yet?"
"Uh, we don't got a security field." Slippy said over the comms.
Falco groaned. "Yeah, yeah. Forgot, we're flying a piece of crap now." He grumbled something incoherent to himself before continuing. "Well, what do we do with him then?"
"I will need to move him into the medical bay. I will treat him." Krystal stated her intent. She knew precisely what she was going to do and how she was going to do it. "I will be careful, of course. But I do not intend to ignore him or simply lock him away."
Falco was quiet for a bit, and by the look on his face, she was quite certain that he didn't entirely approve of Krystal's plan. He opened his mouth to say something, but Krystal simply stared back at him. She wasn't yielding on this, not an inch. Falco seemed to get the message. He reluctantly nodded. "Alright, alright. Look, I'll stick around for a bit and make sure it's okay. Then I'll clear out one of the extra quarters and prepare to lock it down, so he can stay in there when you're done."
Krystal nodded absently, already moving to the young wounded pilot and carefully taking hold of him. She looked to Falco, waiting for him to assist her. He quickly approached when he realized what she was waiting for, gripping the rest of the pilot's body and helping Krystal to carry him.
"Alright, on three." Falco cleared his throat. "One. Two. Three!"
With that, Falco and Krystal both hoisted the unconscious pilot up in their arms. Krystal was relieved to find he wasn't as heavy as she had thought he might be. They both set for the door that led to the rest of the ship. As they approached, it opened and Slippy came out, having exited the bridge and come down to the hangar himself. He eyed the two as they approached, stepping aside and giving them room to pass. "I'm gonna take a look at the new ship we just got, see if I can learn anything useful. And if there's any chance of us flying this baby. Hopefully I'll have something for us soon. I left ROB on the bridge for now."
"Uh huh." Falco grunted as they continued to move, concentrating on moving the enemy pilot. Krystal was doing the same. He may not have been too heavy to carry, but it was still difficult for her and Falco to move the body of a fully grown adult cat. More than that, she had to be careful. She didn't wish to injure the boy any further, and she had to be very delicate in how she handled his left arm. She would have to do what she could to treat it and get it in a splint as quickly as possible.
"You know..." Falco managed to speak between strained huffs as they carried the body. "This is one of the guys that just tried to kill us. You sure you wanna help him? He wouldn't have hesitated if it were the other way around. They were gonna take you out."
Krystal shook her head. "Yes. But that is the difference between us. Between our team and theirs. They were attempting to kill us, we merely defended ourselves. As we do now. I will not leave him to die simply because he is our opponent."
"Yeah." Falco shrugged his shoulders, or at least Krystal thought he did. It was hard to tell considering the way they were both straining to move the body. They had entered the hallway and were about halfway to medical now. It wouldn't be much longer. "You're more compassionate than me. But as long as there's no risk, I don't care. Do what you gotta do, I guess."
By now they had made it to the entrance of the medical bay. The door opened automatically for them. The room consisted of a couple of cots bathed in the flickering luminescence of dull green lights. There was a medical kit in here, slightly better supplied than the one in the break room, though not by much. The place was more designed to keep someone reasonably comfortable and treated until they were able to get to a proper medical facility. They did have just enough medical supplies that Krystal could perform basic first aid. She'd have to see to that broken arm, then check him for other injuries.
Once they managed to set him on one of the cots, Krystal got to work. She went to gather up some of the medical supplies they had in the room.
Falco was already heading off. "I'm gonna prepare a room to keep him in, then I'm gonna see what Slippy's up to. I'll be back in a bit."
"Alright." Krystal acknowledged him as he left. Once he was gone, she managed to find what she was looking for, a medical scanner for just such occasions. She held it up to the unconscious cat, moving it up and down his body, lights flashing as it scanned him for wounds. It eventually made a beeping sound, and Krystal was able to check the damage for herself. She was a bit relieved at what she saw. For the most part, he had simply been banged up pretty badly. The blast that had struck his craft must have violently rocked the ship, and he likely sustained his injuries from that. It was nothing serious. His arm wasn't even broken, just sprained. It was still something that she would have to address, but at least it wasn't as severe as she had feared.
She put the scanner away and got the rest of her equipment. She would tend to his wounds now. When that was done, they'd keep him secured until they could question him. And then...
Well, she didn't know what she'd do after that. That was a problem to worry about later. At least now her task was simple. As she did her best to treat the cat, her mind wandered to Fox, wondering if he was alright. How she longed to look upon him again, to hear his voice. For him to just let her know that he was okay.
As bad as things were, there was some small part of her that told her not to worry. She couldn't explain it. There was no logic to it, it wasn't based on anything concrete. Perhaps it was merely wistful thinking, a hopeful belief that had grown into a necessity. Either way, she felt as though she would see Fox again soon.
She had to believe this. She needed to believe that he would be alright.
That they would all be alright.
The captain of the Bulwark sat in his chair, studying various charts and information that appeared before him. He scanned through it, absorbing as much as he could before moving on to additional data. There was so much to go through. He needed to have full control and knowledge of all details.
The situation on the Von Dross was far worse than he had thought. The cancer on the ship was growing to an enormous size. It writhed and pulsed like a living thing, even on the outer hull of the vessel. He had thought of simply destroying it, cutting out the cancer, but after discussing it with two of his technicians, he had ultimately decided against the strategy. For one, the scans indicated that much of the growth on the outside of the ship was superfluous. Were they to shoot it, assuming they could even puncture the shields that were around the entire ship, it would be unlikely that they would hit anything vital. Even if they managed this, the damage they would have to do to this strange growth would likely be catastrophic for the Von Dross itself and everyone aboard. Of course, the lives of the crew were of little concern to Kamille. Theirs was a necessary sacrifice. Should they be between the Dominion and its goals, he would eliminate them without a second thought. Were it not for his express orders in dealing with Star Fox, they would have been eliminated as well.
However, he could not risk destroying the Von Dross while there might yet be vital information aboard. The only way he could even consider that possibility would be if he was absolutely certain that the mission was doomed to failure. In which case, he would have no other choice but to destroy that ship and everything in it. A lamentable loss. He would prefer that it didn't come to that. Losing those Dominion soldiers would be a blow, though not one the Dominion could not recover from.
What disturbed him most were the readings coming from that growth. It was getting bigger. The scans that his crew were running indicated some rather peculiar energy signatures emanating from the thing. No one aboard the Bulwark could identify precisely what the readings indicated, only that they were getting stronger, matching the creature's growing size.
To make matters worse, a couple of the crew were beginning to complain about headaches. It was nothing serious yet, likely just the stress of being on a dangerous mission, it being their first time for some of them. However, considering the fact that these symptoms only appeared after orbiting the Von Dross for a time, coupled with the unknown energy emanating from it, Kamille would find it foolish to simply dismiss it as coincidence. He had ordered the two ensigns to the infirmary, where they would be examined properly. Caution would be the order of the day. As of yet, the two he had sent were the only ones that had voiced any such discomfort. He hoped it would remain as such.
"Sir!" Kamille glanced upwards at one of the ensigns, a feline in a technician's outfit, waving to get his attention. "We're receiving a transmission from the interceptors we sent in!"
"Ah, good. Patch them through, I expect they encountered no trouble?"
The ensign hesitated. Kamille stared at him, narrowing his eyes. He drummed his fingers against the arm of his chair a few times, waiting for him to continue. At last the ensign complied, his voice unsteady and his whiskers twitching. "Sir, he...wishes to speak to you directly."
"Put him on." Kamille leaned back in his chair, straightening his back as he looked to where the pilot's face would soon be projected. Within a matter of moments, the pilot's face appeared, still wearing his oxygen mask and Dominion issued pilot's helmet. Little of his face could be seen, just his snout and bits of his cheek. "Identify yourself."
He was careful to be respectful toward the captain. "Junior Flight Officer Hawke, sir! We encountered Star Fox waiting for us at the pod. They were trying to retrieve it. We destroyed it before they could succeed."
"Why did you not contact us as soon as they appeared?" Kamille asked.
"We tried to, sir, but there was some interference. I think we were too close to the shield, or maybe Star Fox managed to jam our signal. We could communicate with each other, but couldn't reach the Bulwark."
"I see. Well, if you prevented them from capturing the pod, you have done well, both of you. After you dock, report for debriefing immediately."
"About that...uh..." The pilot cleared his throat, sounding quite nervous. "...I'm alone. They took out the other pilot."
There was a collective gasp from other personnel on the bridge, some of them turning to look at the exchange with wide eyes. Kamille only had to turn his head to regard them for a moment, his gaze more than enough to make them turn away and resume their tasks. Kamille then turned his attention back to the pilot. "Explain."
"I don't know what happened. We had them, I'm certain we had them. They couldn't penetrate our shields, but one of them came out of nowhere and slammed into us."
"That should not have been enough to fully compromise your craft, pilot." Kamille stated flatly.
"Yes sir. But it did more damage than anything else. We focused on the pilot that rammed us. We crippled their ship, we were just about to take it out. And then..." He trailed off, growing quiet for a while. He seemed to be gathering his nerve. At last he managed to speak. "They fired a weapon we hadn't seen before. The other pilot... Furson...he got hit. The shield did nothing to stop it, he was crippled. I...I had to retreat. I had no choice! They would have gotten me too! I thought I should report the situation immediately!"
Kamille was quiet for a long time. Some of the crew would sneak glances at him, but no one dared say anything to disturb him. There was a lot of information for the captain to process. Eventually, he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as he gazed at the projection of the surviving pilot. "As far as you know, what is the status of the other pilot?"
"I do not know sir. I don't think he's dead. I think he was disabled. Maybe they've captured him?"
Whatever Kamille was feeling at the moment, he didn't let it show, not even a hint of emotion. He simply gave concise and clear orders to the pilot. "Understood. You may dock immediately. Go to the conference room, where you will be debriefed."
"Yes sir." With that, the pilot switched off the video feed, and Kamille was left to ponder the matter.
The situation was unraveling. First he had lost contact with his team on the Von Dross. Now it seemed that Star Fox had discovered a way to disable the ship's shields. That was a weakness he had not anticipated. This information would need to go directly to the Great Commander as soon as possible, but not quite yet. There was another matter to be addressed.
He rose from his chair, then straightened out his uniform by tugging at the material on his midsection. He then walked to the elevator at the back of the bridge. The two soldiers on either side watched him as he approached. He beckoned for only one to follow him into the elevator.
The elevator ride to the docking bay was short and uneventful. When the doors opened, he found himself in the hangar. The pilot was just docking now, the interceptor taking its place alongside many others, turning itself so that it might dock in an organized and efficient manner. Once it was in place, the hatch popped open, allowing the pilot to descend from the cockpit. Once he was on the ground, the pilot moved toward the elevator, where Kamille was. He stopped when he saw the captain there, stiffening his posture and saluting. "Sir!" No doubt he also noticed the armed trooper behind him, remaining silent as his captain took control of the situation.
"I'm curious if you understand the full implications of what has just happened here, Hawke." Kamille stared at the young flight officer, his gaze impassive, his face revealing only a cold lack of emotion.
"We made a mistake, sir! We should have retreated before engaging!"
Kamille shook his head. "No no, that's not the mistake. The initial assault was wise. You destroyed the pod before they could acquire it. I commend your initiative, as that is the precise order I would have given."
This seemed to make Hawke relax a bit. "Thank you sir."
"However..." Kamille took a step toward the pilot, his eyes narrowing. "You were then defeated by the Star Fox team after needlessly engaging them in continued combat. You attacked without orders, without authorization. Why?"
Hawke was starting to look nervous again. He swallowed hard before talking, his words sounding a bit panicked. "We were...we were cut off! We didn't know what to do! If we returned to the ship, they might have gotten away! We didn't know if you would want us to pursue or..."
Kamille cut him off abruptly, having no interest in hearing his excuses. "Which of you gave the order to attack?"
"...I did sir," the pilot said after a long pause.
"And not once did it occur to you simply to fall back after your objective had been secured?"
"Sir, we didn't know if..."
Kamille held up his hand, causing the pilot to stop mid-sentence, lowering his head. "Is the other pilot alive?"
"I..." He wanted to say something else, perhaps protest or explain himself better. Eventually he just shook his head. "I don't know."
"What of his ship?"
"I don't know!" The young pilot seemed to be losing his control, trembling before the captain's emotionless gaze. He withered under his stare, under his cold words.
"You know precious little, it seems. You abandoned your fellow pilot, a member of the Dominion, to his fate. You left him to be captured by Star Fox. You also allowed his ship to come into their possession, a vessel directly linked with our own." The captain slowly paced back and forth as he spoke. Every single point made the pilot wince, as though each were a strike from a mighty hammer. At last, Kamille paused to stare the pilot down. His words were cold in tone, only just managing to convey the fury deep within him. "Do you have any idea what the full implications may be?"
"No sir. I'm sorry sir! I was not thinking clearly sir, I...I panicked!"
"That is without question. In fact, there is only one question that I must answer now. That is the question of your fate."
At this point, the pilot finally broke down, losing the last of his composure. He hung his head before apologizing, again and again. "I'm sorry sir! I'm sorry! I failed! I am so sorry!"
"Enough!" Kamille raised his hand, narrowing his eyes and viewing the pilot with little less than contempt. "You are a trained pilot of the Dominion. I expect you to act like it, despite the incompetence that you demonstrated today! Now stand at attention, soldier!"
The pilot sucked in his breath, then slowly raised his head. He was clearly struggling to keep his emotions in check, but doing his very best to stay calm and collected. He was trembling all over, barely able to contain himself. Kamille paced from left to right, musing over what to do with him. The thought immediately had occurred to him to have the pilot executed. It was within his authority. All ranking Dominion officers had the right to discipline those on their ship as they saw fit. The weak must be rooted out, made examples of.
"I expect you to face your death with a little more courage than the preceding moments." Kamille remarked. The pilot went pale, but surprisingly he did not protest. He didn't try to fight back, argue, or beg. He stared for a moment, looking entirely defeated and hopeless. He hung his head and just closed his eyes.
Kamille stared at the pathetic excuse of a Dominion pilot, who seemed to already be expecting his end. His beak quivered, almost as though he were praying. Kamille turned to the nearby trooper, nodding his head. The trooper raised his rifle, aiming at the pilot after priming his weapon. He then glanced at the captain, waiting for the final order.
A simple gesture, that's all it would take. He merely needed to raise his hand and signal, and the young pilot's life would cease. The pilot wasn't even trying to resist at this point. He had squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the end, accepting it.
Kamille raised his hand. He could see the trooper's finger start to pull on the trigger, anticipating the last gesture, the flick of a few fingers. He wouldn't even hesitate to obey, not for an instant.
It was Kamile who hesitated. The soldier waited expectantly for the final order, but it did not come. After a long silence, Kamille turned towards the soldier and simply shook his head. The soldier nodded, then brought his rifle down from a firing position, holding it diagonally across his chest, awaiting further orders.
Hawke seemed to be waiting for the end to come. When it didn't, Kamille noticed one of his eyes peek open, perhaps trying to figure out what was going on.
"I could have you executed for your incompetence. I would feel no remorse over your death. In truth, I believe it would be more than warranted." The pilot was staring at Kamille and looking very confused. He didn't seem to know what to expect, what he was supposed to think or do! It certainly sounded like Kamille was going to kill him, yet he was still alive. Kamille detected the faintest glimmer of hope within the pilot.
"However," Kamille continued, "Your first action showed intelligence. Initiative. Perhaps there is something useful to be salvaged from you yet. It would be a shame to waste potential." Kamille raised one scaled hand to the side of his head, his thumb resting on his jaw and his finger gently tapping at his eye-ridge. "Yet I cannot ignore the catastrophic blunder you have made. You are fortunate that I believe it is just that, a blunder. Were it intentional, I would have you launched out the airlock with no suit. I wonder what would kill you first? Would your blood boil in space? Would you suffocate? Freeze? Burn? Would you be sucked into the atmosphere of the nearby gas giant, ripped apart by the atmosphere, crushed by the pressure, lost in one of the endless storms that travels the planet?" He mused on this for a while, pondering the various possibilities. Hawke didn't dare to offer a single word of protest. Kamille paused for a long while, turning away from Hawke and giving both of them a chance to contemplate what was to come. He then turned and addressed Hawke directly. "I am sparing you from that fate."
The relief was clear on the pilot's face. All the tension seemed to wash out of him all at once. "Oh, thank you sir! Thank you, it won't happen-"
"I wasn't finished. Do not interrupt me again." Kamille warned, narrowing his eyes. The pilot gulped, then stood at attention once more. This allowed Kamille to continue. He doubted very much the pilot would be as pleased when Kamille was finished. "I am allowing you a unique opportunity to serve the Dominion. You will be piloting a boarding pod."
The pilot blinked. "A...boarding pod sir?"
"Yes. Yes, that's what you'll do. You won't be piloting it on the way there. The automatic pilot will take care of that. You are going to land on the Von Dross and you are not leaving until you rescue whoever is left of our forces."
The pilot went very pale at that. "But sir, they're...they might all be dead!"
"Well, then, you have to hope that some of them displayed more competence in their mission than you did. If there are survivors and they make it to you, the auto-pilot will disengage and you will be free to return them here. If you succeed, I will wipe this blemish from the record. You will do the Dominion proud, a brave pilot that stayed to the end in the face of certain death."
Hawke seemed to realize what had just happened. It's true, Kamille hadn't simply shot him on the spot. Rather, he'd given him what was in essence a suicide mission. None of the highly trained soldiers sent to the Von Dross had reported in since the chaos began. If they had been overwhelmed, what chance would the pilot have? He would have no way of leaving unless the mission parameters were fulfilled.
"What say you, pilot Hawke? Face the future with dignity and bring glory to the Dominion? Or die a coward?"
Hawke was quiet for a bit, swallowing hard. The color had drained from his cheeks. For a moment, Kamille thought he might well choose to die here and now just to get it over with. In the end, Hawke made the right choice. "I accept the mission, sir. I...I will dock on the Von Dross and remain until I make contact with other Dominion forces."
"An inspired choice." It was at this moment that Kamille allowed himself to smile. "Since you're taking on such a difficult mission, your bravery will be rewarded. Grab a meal from the mess hall. Sort whatever matters you wish before you depart, then report to the hangar. Dismissed." The pilot offered a quick salute before Kamille turned away from him. The captain then spoke quietly to the guard. His voice was soft, but it was just loud enough for Hawke to hear. This was deliberate. He wanted to make sure that the pilot knew exactly what sort of ground he was treading. "Escort him. Make sure he doesn't forget his loyalties. Do not let him out of your sight until he is on the pod and launched. If he should resist in any way, you know what to do."
The soldier nodded his head, then walked toward Hawke. Kamille had full confidence in the guard's ability to keep Hawke in line. Besides, they would be in public areas at almost all times. Hawke wasn't leaving unless he got on that pod, or into a body bag.
Kamille returned to the elevator, pressing the button for the bridge once he was inside, closing his eyes and clasping his hands behind his back. The situation was so much more complicated now. He did not know precisely what Star Fox had gained from all this. If they had one of the Dominion pilots, they might have access to information that was not intended for them. He did not believe that anyone captured would talk, but it was a risk nonetheless. What was more, they now had access to a Dominion interceptor. That was a far greater security risk. He did not know if Star Fox would be able to find a weakness to exploit here, but simply allowing them to capture an interceptor was unacceptable no matter what it lead to. They could take it apart, they could send the schematics to Cornerian Command, or they could even bring the entire interceptor to Corneria for research and study. That was unacceptable.
He would need to mull over all this, though he wouldn't have much time to do so. He would soon have to contact the Great Commander himself. There was no question of this now. He believed that his orders would now be changed in one crucial way. Despite the fact that his superiors had so firmly pressed upon him not to destroy Star Fox, he could not see any way to avoid that at this point. Star Fox was a greater threat than ever before. If they were not destroyed here and now, there was no telling what damage would be done, both here in this engagement and in any future ones. It could hamper the Dominion's efforts. It could jeopardize everything.
That could not be allowed.
If only he had been given that order sooner, he thought. If he had destroyed Star Fox from the start, none of this would be necessary.
He would need to make a decision, and he would need to make it soon. If only he had some good news to share with his superiors. So far, there was little good to report. Several squads had boarded the Von Dross and all of them were now missing in action, unable to be contacted. Fox McCloud was still on that ship, along with that sickening cancer that was growing by the moment. The rest of the Star Fox team had proven to be an ever present thorn in the Dominion's side. Now they had gone and captured a Dominion fighter. The Great Commander would not be pleased. He would not be pleased at all.
There was much that needed to be decided, and much more to be done. For now, he would assess the situation, monitor Star Fox's current position and prepare to intercept. He would need to know a few more details before he could report. He would need to ascertain whether they had truly captured the other interceptor or not. There was still the slim possibility that the interceptor had been destroyed, as the other pilot had not seen what happened directly. Once he was certain of what had happened there, then he would make contact with his superior.
Perhaps he would be able to report something more optimistic by then.