p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"At the edge of the Lylat system, just beyond the orbit of the barren and seemingly dead planet Venom, dark green hulls appeared out of nowhere. They made gradual progress into the system, eventually passing Venom and stopping close to Titania. Then, three scout picket ships headed further in, towards the direction of Corneria./span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" /span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" "My father was a soldier for the Zentraedi, rising through the ranks and earning a high position. He fought and survived the first space war between the Zentraedi and humans, and the guerilla wars that were to follow after the Earth was ravaged. The Earth, home world of humans and the Zentraedi's new home, had most of its surface scorched and ruined and its people slaughtered. My father also fought in the guerilla wars, fighting for one of the warlords who sought to take the Earth and prepare the way."/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""The way for whom?"/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""We don't know their true name; we simply know them as the "Masters", the ones who created the Zentraedi to begin with. It is said that something landed on Earth, something the Masters wanted very much, and sent the Zentraedi to retrieve it. But getting back to my father, he fought a human, and lost to him. However, the human decided to spare his life. This led my father to side with the humans, and when the guerilla wars ended he left the life of the Zentraedi behind and made a new name and life for himself. He wandered the wastelands until he found a town, and eventually my mother. My mother worked at a movie theater. She always loved films, and introduced my father to them. It took time, but he eventually warmed up to them, and to life as a human as well."/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Movies?"/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Oh, they're uhm…moving pictures with sound that tell stories."/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Oh! We have those here too! Only we call them "cinematics"."/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Right. Anyway, eventually I was born. My father instilled in me a warrior's code and encouraged me to join the military, though my mother disapproved. But both were proud when I entered the military and became a soldier, and eventually a pilot."/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Is that where you met your friends?"/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Yes; Michael, Jack, and Quint. We've flown numerous missions together. But we…had a falling out with the regular military and so we went freelance. One of the numerous jobs we get now is mostly weapons testing, trying out new weapons, fighters, etc. Our own craft, the Alpha, are prototypes that never really got any traction with the military and they shifted to the newer Thunderbolt model. Right now, we're just doing what we can to survive. However, being the first to make contact with another alien civilization is sure to at least boost our status."/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Yes, I'd imagine it would garner you at least a little fame."/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""It helped us in getting some better jobs, like coming here and acting as an escort for the ambassador. And then the Zentraedi show up here…"/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""It will be all right. You said yourself that your ambassador sent word back to your home planet and some kind of…fortress is coming here?"/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""An SDF, or "Super Dimension Fortress". It's basically the only weapon that can face a Zentraedi armada. We have two on Earth, so hopefully we can get one of them here, before anything else happens."/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" /span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" The picket ships passed the Meteo Asteroid Belt, the natural barrier protecting Corneria from the outside system. Inching closer to the planet, the few scout ships stopped short and started their scans of the planet. However, they were momentarily unaware of the one of the numerous listening and watching posts monitoring them from inside the asteroid belt, sending a silent warning to Corneria./span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" /span/p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" In Corneria City, the nerve center of the Cornerian military lied in the Cornerian Military Center close to the heart of the city. Here, in one of the many rooms were information is received and disseminated, an alarm was sounded at a console, the technician working there getting the attention of his superior. In a domino effect, the ranking officer contacted his boss with the information he had received from his subordinate, and he took it up further, and it was passed all the way to the office of General Pepper himself. The wizened blood hound was scrolling through forms on his PAD when he received a notice, and opened the email. It was an image of three ships that were vaguely similar to the ones that invaded Boran, followed by a wall of text indicating distance from the planet, what sensors they are using, what could be extrapolated from scans on them, and asking for immediate action to be taken. With a heavy sigh, he made a call to the governor of Corneria to relay the information./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" "You're sure this is alright?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""What do you mean?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""I mean, having me in your room like this. Wouldn't your commander disapprove?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Commander? You mean Fox?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Yes. I'm not sure how it is here, but for Zentraedi, males and females don't usually cohabitate like this."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Cohabitate?" Krystal asked with a laugh. "You mean mingle?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Right, that."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""What, don't humans do the same thing?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""They do, but...it just seems strange to me."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Have you even tried to interact with your own kind?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Which is my kind?" Van asked. Krystal paused for a moment./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Aren't both your kind? You even said humans and Zentraedi are similar to one another, right?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""On the outside, maybe. But internally, we are very different."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Different enough to where you couldn't exist?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Well…"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""How often have you mingled with others?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""I...don't really mingle."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Maybe that should change. Your father did, didn't he? If he hadn't, you wouldn't be here."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""That's just too much all at once." Before Krystal could reply, her door opened and Fox came in, startling both of them. Fox was taken aback at the sight before he recomposed himself./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Krystal, we got orders. We're heading back to the Great Fox now!"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" In the bridge of the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Lexington/spanspan class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';", Michael looked to the three pilots with a countenance of concern, looking up from his PAD. /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""We got a serious problem here, people. According to the native intel, we got Zen scout ships just shy of planetary sensors."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""How'd they pick them up?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""They got listening posts in the asteroid field. They picked up the Zen ships."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""How many we got?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""So far, just the three. But you know that scout ships wouldn't be here on their own, not like this."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""So what's our move?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" "We're going to launch with a strike force, consisting of a dozen cruisers that will be warped in from various sectors around Lylat to repel the alien ships, and then find out where they're holed up." Fox looked to his team as they looked to him from their various stations on the bridge./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""We can barely manage to pull this off. If we do manage to find some sort of fleet in our system, it will probably be like the one that's overtaken Boran. Even if we do fight them off, we might not have the resources to retake the Lycan system."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Let's worry about what we can handle for now, Peppy. Right now, we're scheduled to launch with the human ships in half an hour."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" "Once the Cornerian fleet gets here, we're to rendezvous with them with our forces and take on the picket ships. Since there are only three of them, and they'll be penned in by the asteroid belt behind them disrupting their fold abilities, they'll be easy to wipe out. After that, we'll perform a full-sensor sweep of the Lylat System for warp fold signatures matching Zen ships."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""So eighteen ships against three scouts is an easy win, but what about the Zen fleet that's supposed to be lurking around out there?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""We'll know as soon as we find them. Hopefully before then, the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Megalord/spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" will be here."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Yeah, not gonna hold my breath on that one…"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Regardless, their aramada will be here in half an hour. I want you guys standing by your Alphas ready to scramble, capische?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Sure thing, boss," Jack replied with an OK sign./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" The order was given, and the picket ships started to back away from Corneria as soon as they had sent the data they had procured from their scans. But as they did so, multiple emerald portals opened up around them, surrounding them as angular cruisers came from them, weapons trained on the slightly larger ships as the twelve cruisers formed a circle around the trio of Zentraedi scouts. The strategem thought up by General Pepper was radioed to the ship captains before they warped in, giving them precise coordinates and orders on how to proceed. From Corneria itself came another force: Two ARMDs and four triangular-shaped Northampton-class frigates left the atmosphere as the picket ships started to panic and unleashed their fighters and firepower. The /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Lexington /spanspan class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"launched its fighters, both manned and drones, as they led the charge of Thunderbolt-class fighters into the fray, firing upon the fighter pods as they sought to escape the net of laser fire coming from either the Cornerian cruisers or fighters. Amidst the Sol group of ships, a quad-winged Deadnaught-class broke away from the group as four ships launched from its hangar while it circled around behind the picket ships as they fired in all directions. The Cornerian cruisers closed in for the kill, their armor and shielding standing up to the punishing blows being dealt from their ever-more desperate adversaries, while the Great Fox rained down fire from above upon them, the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Lexington /spanspan class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"going underneath to fire its heavier laser cannons and missiles at the underbellies of the picket ships; Cornerian fighters, Arwings, Alphas, and Thunderbolts making short work of the fighter and battle pods that were being sent futilely out to repel the attackers. This was not a battle, it was a slaughter, and one that helped to boost the morale of the defenders: If they could easily best these ships, then how hard would it be to repel them from Lylat, or from Lycas? Soon, the picket ships were dead hulks in space, their fighters little more than floating detritus in the vacuum of the cosmos. The fighters were recalled to their respective carriers as they ventured forth into the asteroid belt and beyond. The ships with the greatest sensor range took the lead of the ensemble force and painted a picture of the Lylat system and sent it to the rest of the fleet. It was found that peculiar signal beams were emanating from the planet known as Titania. The Sol ships started their warp folds while the Cornerians formed warp rings directly in front of them. In moments, they traveled millions of miles across space to the rusty-colored planet, Taking a position just outside of its orbit, two of the Northampton-class ships edged closer to scan the planet and beyond. They found the signal beams coming from the dark side of the celestial body, and relayed the information to the fleet as they followed the signal beams, the fleet following them. What they found was something that caused the spirits within the Cornerians to falter: They looked upon the Zentraedi fleet, all thirty ships, ranging from a command ship more than twice the size of any ship in their fleet, to carriers that utterly dwarfed them. Aboard the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Lexington/spanspan class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" and Great Fox, the order was given and both ships sent out their fighters, followed by the rest of the fleet's squadrons as hundreds of fighters headed for almost certain death as the combined fleet dispersed as the Zen armada unleashed a torrent of interceptor craft numbering in the thousands upon them, the gunships taking positions in front to intercept the fighters and cruisers, the command ship taking center place as the larger carriers flanked it like gigantic barriers. Amidst the brilliant light show of death-dealing rays and blasts of exploding warheads, two squadrons fought through wave upon wave upon wave upon wave of fighter and battle pods just to reach the Zentraedi ships. Van piloted his beleaguered craft through the hellish bombardment, finding no solace when he reached the fleet itself as they tried to burn him down with their heavy particle guns and missile emplacements. He was joined by his fellow Black Knights on either side of him, while he caught sight of four familiar-looking angular fighters that fought hard to join them. The Arwings flew up next to the Alphas as they headed closer to the fleet, Fox breaking the radio chatter to reach Van. /spanspan class="c4" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""You guys have a plan?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c4" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""Our fleet isn't going to last long if we don't do something. Our plan is to make things easier for them by degunning the Zentraedi ships as much as we can, leaving only the fighters to deal with."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""That's an awful lot of guns to take down," /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Falco replied./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""They got numbers, but we got better warriors and weapons," /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Van responded with a toothy grin./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""If we can take down at least a third of their gun emplacements, it'll help us out a lot. The Lexington is going to back us up as we go forward," /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Quint added./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""They got my vote, Fox!" /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Slippy replied./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""Plenty for everyone if you want to join," /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Jack added./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c4" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""Alright, how about we split up into smaller groups and spread out?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""Works for me! Jack, take Slippy with you and head for port. Quint, take Falco and head Starboard. I'm heading straight ahead for the capital ship!" /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Van gunned his Alpha forward, flanked on either side by Fox and Krystal. A wave of enemy fighters formed in front of them, and Van answered with a hail of missiles that punched a hole in the center of the line while evading laser fire and missile clusters. Reaching the command ship, Van configured his Alpha to Battloid mode and strafed along its surface, blasting away at the firing guns while Fox and Krystal followed suite with laser fire and charged shots, but with over a hundred emplacements the task seemed a daunting one, and one would think it be nearly impossible as Regault battle pods descended upon the command ship to drive away the pests bothering the spatial leviathan. Van saw them and promptly gunned down several with his gun pod, trying to save as many missiles as possible, while Fox and Krystal continued their dual war path on the ship itself, gunning down and destroying battle pods, beam cannons, and missile boxes alike./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" Jack and Slippy strafed along the hull of one of the gun ships, blasting apart the beam cannons and missile launchers while taking pot shots at fighter and battle pods that arrived to drive them off. Slippy dodged and juked desperately as he unloaded his bombs and charged shots on the ships, destroying parts of the alien hulls as well as their weaponry, sucking alien bodies out into space. Jack fired swarms of missiles at cannons, missile launchers, and enemy fighters alike and watched the multiple explosions with satisfaction, switching between Guardian and Battloid to better deal with the situation. Soon, the foremost gunships had ceased their firing, having only their fighter squadrons to fight with, and they were too busy dealing with the ensemble fleet to be of much use, the Zentraedi guard fighters getting outflanked and outmaneuvered by their Sol and Cornerian counterparts as more fighters pierced the defensive line, taking advantage of the opening that was made./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" Quint and Falco circled around the heart of the Zentraedi armada, targeting the weapons of the titanic carriers as they unleashed the torrents of interceptor craft. Both pilots evaded the fighters and kept on blasting at the laser cannons and missile boxes, degunning the spatial behemoths as they tried, in vain, to get a bead on the smaller craft. Soon, they were joined by Cornerian and Thunderbolt fighters. Though they were outnumbered, they fought hard for every one they lost, ten Zentraedi fighters followed after them, the vacuum of space being littered with debris and broken bodies. The nimble Cornerian fighters dodged and juked between particle beams as they downed fighter and battle pods, while the variable Thunderbolts engaged in dogfights that downed many an enemy fighter, while taking pot shots at the Zentraedi ships. However, the combined forces of both Sol and Corneria were starting to feel the brunt of having fewer numbers as the sheer number of fighters began to overwhelm their defenses. Already, one of the Northampton frigates went down a fiery death as three Cornerian cruisers were engulfed in flames, their fighters torn apart from the proximity of the explosions. On board the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Lexington/spanspan class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';", Michael was in constant communication with the commanders of the Sol ships, as well as the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Great Fox/spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';". He saw the destruction of the Northampton and cursed loudly. "What's out status?!"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""All fighters are engaged in dog fights. We've lost 70% of our drones already, and the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Hood /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"reports they've lost half of their squadrons!"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""We're taking heavy fire from enemy Fighter and Battle pods! Our deflective plating is starting to lose its integrity!"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""The Cornerian forces are starting to scatter! They won't last long at this rate!"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Neither will we! Damn, if this isn't the worst…"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Captain, we're getting a warp fold signature!"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""From where?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Aft, sir! A ship is now warping in. IFF signal is being sent, it's the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Megalord/spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"!"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""It's about goddamned time!" Michael replied with a smirk as relief coursed through him like a stream. Miles from the battlefield, another ship was folding in. This one was enormous, even by Zentraedi standards, as it was the size of a city and rivaled the flagship of the Zen armada. It was angular and rectangular in shape, sporting a long bow that seemed to be split in the middle, and along the sides of the titanic boosters was an ARMD connected to it seemingly by the underside of their hulls. The boosters roared with power as they drove the behemoth of a vessel towards the spatial killingfield above the planet, weapons primed and ready. The ship was bristling with weaponry, and it had already sent out several squadrons of unmanned drones and Thunderbolt fighters while Destroids lined the hull to add to the ship's armament. On the bridge, the captain sported a smirk under his aviators and cap. Nathan Corson practically reclined in the captain's seat as the bridge was alive with activity as the bridge officers relayed orders to the squadron leaders and executed commands given to them./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Relay this to the Cornerian and Earth ships. Have them fall back and reform at the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Megalord/spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';". I have a surprise for the Zentraedi, and I don't want any of ours at the splash zone."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Yes captain," the communications officer replied as she relayed the message to the other ships. At the speed of light, the ships had received the orders and acted appropriately: The fighters were recalled back to their mother ships, those that didn't have one bunked u as best they could on other ships, and the ships themselves fell back from the Zentraedi armada to reform around the newly arrived /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Megalord, /spanspan class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"several squadrons' worth of fighters still active, including the Black Knights and Star Fox teams. The /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Great Fox /spanspan class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"and /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Lexington /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"formed up on either side of the titanic ship, while Fox and his team waited in their Arwings as they watched what was happening with great interest./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""So this is the /spanspan class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Megalord/spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"? I didn't think the humans could build something so massive," /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Slippy commented./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""Apparently this is the second one, meaning they have at least one another lying around. I wouldn't be surprised if they have more somewhere out there." /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Peppy added./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""But even still, it's only just one ship. What makes them think it can wipe out an enemy fleet?" /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Krystal asked./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" Van and the other Black Knights focused on the oncoming enemy. The Zen armada focused its attention almost solely on the new ship, as though they recognized it, and it was almost certain that they did, for they unleashed the reserves of fighter and battle pods and the ships rocketed towards it, weapons blazing. Corson gave the order, and the ship underwent a fantastic change: The boosters extended as the bow split at the middle, while the ARMDs left the sides of the boosters and were actually attached at the base to the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Megalord/spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';", looking like a pair of titanic limbs. In fact, the ship turned itself upwards to where the split bow pointed up and the boosters pointed down as it took on a vaguely humanoid shape with the boosters looking like legs and the ARMDs the arms and hands. The bridge repositioned itself to where it was between the pylons that used to be the bow. In moments, the fantastic transformation was over as the Zen fleet continued to bear down on the ship while the Cornerians were stunned in utter fascination at the sight./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""You gotta be kidding, their ship is a /spanspan class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"robot too/spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"!?" /spanspan class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Falco seemingly asked the question that was on his teammates' minds. On the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Megalord's /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"bridge, Nathan never lost his smug smile as he gave the order./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Aim and fire the Reflex Cannon on my order. Let's wipe them out in one shot!" On the order, the pylons shifted their position to face forward as the ship pushed ahead of the combined fleet, Destroids and guns firing at oncoming enemy fighters while the twin pylons charged and glowed with energy. As the enemy ships neared, the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Megalord /spanspan class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"unleashed its main weapon. From the pylons came a beam of energy that seemed big enough to engulf the ship firing it completely. The beam swallowed the fighters while it streaked to the main Zen fleet. Those that were not directly hit by the beam were torn apart by its sheer force, while those that were engulfed were atomized to nothing, including the seemingly invincible command ship. When the beam died, less than a third of the Zen fleet remained, and even less that were left unscarred from the attack. The enemy fighters were all but decimated by the attack as debris and detritus floated in the vacuum of the cosmos while the survivors retreated from Titania's orbit. Having lost their leadership, they apparently weighed their options and decided survival was the most prudent course. However, the combined Cornerian and Terran forces were far more jovial at seeing the Zentraedi retreat from the Lylat system, and were awed by the awesome power of the SDF-2. Even Michael felt himself sag into his seat in relief as the bridge around him erupted into a cheer at the sight, a slight smile on his features. The Black Knights were recalled back to the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Lexington/spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';", but not before one of them flew up alongside one of the Arwings for a moment, then returned to the hangar. Van jumped out out of the cockpit and headed for the showers almost immediately, but was stopped short by Jack who grabbed him by the shoulder./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""I saw that back there. What are you up to?" he asked with a slight smirk. Van brushed his hand off./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Nothing much, just relaying a message to a friend. You could call it a...date." Jack was confused for a moment as Van walked on, then it clicked in his brain./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""You're going on a date!?"/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" /span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" "My father was a soldier for the Zentraedi, rising through the ranks and earning a high position. He fought and survived the first space war between the Zentraedi and humans, and the guerilla wars that were to follow after the Earth was ravaged. The Earth, home world of humans and the Zentraedi's new home, had most of its surface scorched and ruined and its people slaughtered. My father also fought in the guerilla wars, fighting for one of the warlords who sought to take the Earth and prepare the way."/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""The way for whom?"/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""We don't know their true name; we simply know them as the "Masters", the ones who created the Zentraedi to begin with. It is said that something landed on Earth, something the Masters wanted very much, and sent the Zentraedi to retrieve it. But getting back to my father, he fought a human, and lost to him. However, the human decided to spare his life. This led my father to side with the humans, and when the guerilla wars ended he left the life of the Zentraedi behind and made a new name and life for himself. He wandered the wastelands until he found a town, and eventually my mother. My mother worked at a movie theater. She always loved films, and introduced my father to them. It took time, but he eventually warmed up to them, and to life as a human as well."/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Movies?"/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Oh, they're uhm…moving pictures with sound that tell stories."/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Oh! We have those here too! Only we call them "cinematics"."/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Right. Anyway, eventually I was born. My father instilled in me a warrior's code and encouraged me to join the military, though my mother disapproved. But both were proud when I entered the military and became a soldier, and eventually a pilot."/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Is that where you met your friends?"/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Yes; Michael, Jack, and Quint. We've flown numerous missions together. But we…had a falling out with the regular military and so we went freelance. One of the numerous jobs we get now is mostly weapons testing, trying out new weapons, fighters, etc. Our own craft, the Alpha, are prototypes that never really got any traction with the military and they shifted to the newer Thunderbolt model. Right now, we're just doing what we can to survive. However, being the first to make contact with another alien civilization is sure to at least boost our status."/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Yes, I'd imagine it would garner you at least a little fame."/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""It helped us in getting some better jobs, like coming here and acting as an escort for the ambassador. And then the Zentraedi show up here…"/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""It will be all right. You said yourself that your ambassador sent word back to your home planet and some kind of…fortress is coming here?"/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""An SDF, or "Super Dimension Fortress". It's basically the only weapon that can face a Zentraedi armada. We have two on Earth, so hopefully we can get one of them here, before anything else happens."/span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" /span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" The picket ships passed the Meteo Asteroid Belt, the natural barrier protecting Corneria from the outside system. Inching closer to the planet, the few scout ships stopped short and started their scans of the planet. However, they were momentarily unaware of the one of the numerous listening and watching posts monitoring them from inside the asteroid belt, sending a silent warning to Corneria./span/p
p class="c1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 12pt; padding-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" /span/p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" In Corneria City, the nerve center of the Cornerian military lied in the Cornerian Military Center close to the heart of the city. Here, in one of the many rooms were information is received and disseminated, an alarm was sounded at a console, the technician working there getting the attention of his superior. In a domino effect, the ranking officer contacted his boss with the information he had received from his subordinate, and he took it up further, and it was passed all the way to the office of General Pepper himself. The wizened blood hound was scrolling through forms on his PAD when he received a notice, and opened the email. It was an image of three ships that were vaguely similar to the ones that invaded Boran, followed by a wall of text indicating distance from the planet, what sensors they are using, what could be extrapolated from scans on them, and asking for immediate action to be taken. With a heavy sigh, he made a call to the governor of Corneria to relay the information./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" "You're sure this is alright?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""What do you mean?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""I mean, having me in your room like this. Wouldn't your commander disapprove?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Commander? You mean Fox?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Yes. I'm not sure how it is here, but for Zentraedi, males and females don't usually cohabitate like this."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Cohabitate?" Krystal asked with a laugh. "You mean mingle?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Right, that."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""What, don't humans do the same thing?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""They do, but...it just seems strange to me."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Have you even tried to interact with your own kind?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Which is my kind?" Van asked. Krystal paused for a moment./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Aren't both your kind? You even said humans and Zentraedi are similar to one another, right?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""On the outside, maybe. But internally, we are very different."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Different enough to where you couldn't exist?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Well…"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""How often have you mingled with others?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""I...don't really mingle."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Maybe that should change. Your father did, didn't he? If he hadn't, you wouldn't be here."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""That's just too much all at once." Before Krystal could reply, her door opened and Fox came in, startling both of them. Fox was taken aback at the sight before he recomposed himself./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Krystal, we got orders. We're heading back to the Great Fox now!"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" In the bridge of the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Lexington/spanspan class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';", Michael looked to the three pilots with a countenance of concern, looking up from his PAD. /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""We got a serious problem here, people. According to the native intel, we got Zen scout ships just shy of planetary sensors."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""How'd they pick them up?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""They got listening posts in the asteroid field. They picked up the Zen ships."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""How many we got?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""So far, just the three. But you know that scout ships wouldn't be here on their own, not like this."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""So what's our move?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" "We're going to launch with a strike force, consisting of a dozen cruisers that will be warped in from various sectors around Lylat to repel the alien ships, and then find out where they're holed up." Fox looked to his team as they looked to him from their various stations on the bridge./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""We can barely manage to pull this off. If we do manage to find some sort of fleet in our system, it will probably be like the one that's overtaken Boran. Even if we do fight them off, we might not have the resources to retake the Lycan system."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Let's worry about what we can handle for now, Peppy. Right now, we're scheduled to launch with the human ships in half an hour."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" "Once the Cornerian fleet gets here, we're to rendezvous with them with our forces and take on the picket ships. Since there are only three of them, and they'll be penned in by the asteroid belt behind them disrupting their fold abilities, they'll be easy to wipe out. After that, we'll perform a full-sensor sweep of the Lylat System for warp fold signatures matching Zen ships."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""So eighteen ships against three scouts is an easy win, but what about the Zen fleet that's supposed to be lurking around out there?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""We'll know as soon as we find them. Hopefully before then, the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Megalord/spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" will be here."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Yeah, not gonna hold my breath on that one…"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Regardless, their aramada will be here in half an hour. I want you guys standing by your Alphas ready to scramble, capische?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Sure thing, boss," Jack replied with an OK sign./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" The order was given, and the picket ships started to back away from Corneria as soon as they had sent the data they had procured from their scans. But as they did so, multiple emerald portals opened up around them, surrounding them as angular cruisers came from them, weapons trained on the slightly larger ships as the twelve cruisers formed a circle around the trio of Zentraedi scouts. The strategem thought up by General Pepper was radioed to the ship captains before they warped in, giving them precise coordinates and orders on how to proceed. From Corneria itself came another force: Two ARMDs and four triangular-shaped Northampton-class frigates left the atmosphere as the picket ships started to panic and unleashed their fighters and firepower. The /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Lexington /spanspan class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"launched its fighters, both manned and drones, as they led the charge of Thunderbolt-class fighters into the fray, firing upon the fighter pods as they sought to escape the net of laser fire coming from either the Cornerian cruisers or fighters. Amidst the Sol group of ships, a quad-winged Deadnaught-class broke away from the group as four ships launched from its hangar while it circled around behind the picket ships as they fired in all directions. The Cornerian cruisers closed in for the kill, their armor and shielding standing up to the punishing blows being dealt from their ever-more desperate adversaries, while the Great Fox rained down fire from above upon them, the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Lexington /spanspan class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"going underneath to fire its heavier laser cannons and missiles at the underbellies of the picket ships; Cornerian fighters, Arwings, Alphas, and Thunderbolts making short work of the fighter and battle pods that were being sent futilely out to repel the attackers. This was not a battle, it was a slaughter, and one that helped to boost the morale of the defenders: If they could easily best these ships, then how hard would it be to repel them from Lylat, or from Lycas? Soon, the picket ships were dead hulks in space, their fighters little more than floating detritus in the vacuum of the cosmos. The fighters were recalled to their respective carriers as they ventured forth into the asteroid belt and beyond. The ships with the greatest sensor range took the lead of the ensemble force and painted a picture of the Lylat system and sent it to the rest of the fleet. It was found that peculiar signal beams were emanating from the planet known as Titania. The Sol ships started their warp folds while the Cornerians formed warp rings directly in front of them. In moments, they traveled millions of miles across space to the rusty-colored planet, Taking a position just outside of its orbit, two of the Northampton-class ships edged closer to scan the planet and beyond. They found the signal beams coming from the dark side of the celestial body, and relayed the information to the fleet as they followed the signal beams, the fleet following them. What they found was something that caused the spirits within the Cornerians to falter: They looked upon the Zentraedi fleet, all thirty ships, ranging from a command ship more than twice the size of any ship in their fleet, to carriers that utterly dwarfed them. Aboard the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Lexington/spanspan class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" and Great Fox, the order was given and both ships sent out their fighters, followed by the rest of the fleet's squadrons as hundreds of fighters headed for almost certain death as the combined fleet dispersed as the Zen armada unleashed a torrent of interceptor craft numbering in the thousands upon them, the gunships taking positions in front to intercept the fighters and cruisers, the command ship taking center place as the larger carriers flanked it like gigantic barriers. Amidst the brilliant light show of death-dealing rays and blasts of exploding warheads, two squadrons fought through wave upon wave upon wave upon wave of fighter and battle pods just to reach the Zentraedi ships. Van piloted his beleaguered craft through the hellish bombardment, finding no solace when he reached the fleet itself as they tried to burn him down with their heavy particle guns and missile emplacements. He was joined by his fellow Black Knights on either side of him, while he caught sight of four familiar-looking angular fighters that fought hard to join them. The Arwings flew up next to the Alphas as they headed closer to the fleet, Fox breaking the radio chatter to reach Van. /spanspan class="c4" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""You guys have a plan?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c4" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""Our fleet isn't going to last long if we don't do something. Our plan is to make things easier for them by degunning the Zentraedi ships as much as we can, leaving only the fighters to deal with."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""That's an awful lot of guns to take down," /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Falco replied./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""They got numbers, but we got better warriors and weapons," /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Van responded with a toothy grin./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""If we can take down at least a third of their gun emplacements, it'll help us out a lot. The Lexington is going to back us up as we go forward," /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Quint added./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""They got my vote, Fox!" /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Slippy replied./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""Plenty for everyone if you want to join," /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Jack added./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c4" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""Alright, how about we split up into smaller groups and spread out?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""Works for me! Jack, take Slippy with you and head for port. Quint, take Falco and head Starboard. I'm heading straight ahead for the capital ship!" /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Van gunned his Alpha forward, flanked on either side by Fox and Krystal. A wave of enemy fighters formed in front of them, and Van answered with a hail of missiles that punched a hole in the center of the line while evading laser fire and missile clusters. Reaching the command ship, Van configured his Alpha to Battloid mode and strafed along its surface, blasting away at the firing guns while Fox and Krystal followed suite with laser fire and charged shots, but with over a hundred emplacements the task seemed a daunting one, and one would think it be nearly impossible as Regault battle pods descended upon the command ship to drive away the pests bothering the spatial leviathan. Van saw them and promptly gunned down several with his gun pod, trying to save as many missiles as possible, while Fox and Krystal continued their dual war path on the ship itself, gunning down and destroying battle pods, beam cannons, and missile boxes alike./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" Jack and Slippy strafed along the hull of one of the gun ships, blasting apart the beam cannons and missile launchers while taking pot shots at fighter and battle pods that arrived to drive them off. Slippy dodged and juked desperately as he unloaded his bombs and charged shots on the ships, destroying parts of the alien hulls as well as their weaponry, sucking alien bodies out into space. Jack fired swarms of missiles at cannons, missile launchers, and enemy fighters alike and watched the multiple explosions with satisfaction, switching between Guardian and Battloid to better deal with the situation. Soon, the foremost gunships had ceased their firing, having only their fighter squadrons to fight with, and they were too busy dealing with the ensemble fleet to be of much use, the Zentraedi guard fighters getting outflanked and outmaneuvered by their Sol and Cornerian counterparts as more fighters pierced the defensive line, taking advantage of the opening that was made./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" Quint and Falco circled around the heart of the Zentraedi armada, targeting the weapons of the titanic carriers as they unleashed the torrents of interceptor craft. Both pilots evaded the fighters and kept on blasting at the laser cannons and missile boxes, degunning the spatial behemoths as they tried, in vain, to get a bead on the smaller craft. Soon, they were joined by Cornerian and Thunderbolt fighters. Though they were outnumbered, they fought hard for every one they lost, ten Zentraedi fighters followed after them, the vacuum of space being littered with debris and broken bodies. The nimble Cornerian fighters dodged and juked between particle beams as they downed fighter and battle pods, while the variable Thunderbolts engaged in dogfights that downed many an enemy fighter, while taking pot shots at the Zentraedi ships. However, the combined forces of both Sol and Corneria were starting to feel the brunt of having fewer numbers as the sheer number of fighters began to overwhelm their defenses. Already, one of the Northampton frigates went down a fiery death as three Cornerian cruisers were engulfed in flames, their fighters torn apart from the proximity of the explosions. On board the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Lexington/spanspan class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';", Michael was in constant communication with the commanders of the Sol ships, as well as the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Great Fox/spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';". He saw the destruction of the Northampton and cursed loudly. "What's out status?!"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""All fighters are engaged in dog fights. We've lost 70% of our drones already, and the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Hood /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"reports they've lost half of their squadrons!"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""We're taking heavy fire from enemy Fighter and Battle pods! Our deflective plating is starting to lose its integrity!"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""The Cornerian forces are starting to scatter! They won't last long at this rate!"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Neither will we! Damn, if this isn't the worst…"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Captain, we're getting a warp fold signature!"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""From where?"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Aft, sir! A ship is now warping in. IFF signal is being sent, it's the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Megalord/spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"!"/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""It's about goddamned time!" Michael replied with a smirk as relief coursed through him like a stream. Miles from the battlefield, another ship was folding in. This one was enormous, even by Zentraedi standards, as it was the size of a city and rivaled the flagship of the Zen armada. It was angular and rectangular in shape, sporting a long bow that seemed to be split in the middle, and along the sides of the titanic boosters was an ARMD connected to it seemingly by the underside of their hulls. The boosters roared with power as they drove the behemoth of a vessel towards the spatial killingfield above the planet, weapons primed and ready. The ship was bristling with weaponry, and it had already sent out several squadrons of unmanned drones and Thunderbolt fighters while Destroids lined the hull to add to the ship's armament. On the bridge, the captain sported a smirk under his aviators and cap. Nathan Corson practically reclined in the captain's seat as the bridge was alive with activity as the bridge officers relayed orders to the squadron leaders and executed commands given to them./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Relay this to the Cornerian and Earth ships. Have them fall back and reform at the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Megalord/spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';". I have a surprise for the Zentraedi, and I don't want any of ours at the splash zone."/span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Yes captain," the communications officer replied as she relayed the message to the other ships. At the speed of light, the ships had received the orders and acted appropriately: The fighters were recalled back to their mother ships, those that didn't have one bunked u as best they could on other ships, and the ships themselves fell back from the Zentraedi armada to reform around the newly arrived /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Megalord, /spanspan class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"several squadrons' worth of fighters still active, including the Black Knights and Star Fox teams. The /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Great Fox /spanspan class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"and /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Lexington /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"formed up on either side of the titanic ship, while Fox and his team waited in their Arwings as they watched what was happening with great interest./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""So this is the /spanspan class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Megalord/spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"? I didn't think the humans could build something so massive," /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Slippy commented./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""Apparently this is the second one, meaning they have at least one another lying around. I wouldn't be surprised if they have more somewhere out there." /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Peppy added./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""But even still, it's only just one ship. What makes them think it can wipe out an enemy fleet?" /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Krystal asked./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" Van and the other Black Knights focused on the oncoming enemy. The Zen armada focused its attention almost solely on the new ship, as though they recognized it, and it was almost certain that they did, for they unleashed the reserves of fighter and battle pods and the ships rocketed towards it, weapons blazing. Corson gave the order, and the ship underwent a fantastic change: The boosters extended as the bow split at the middle, while the ARMDs left the sides of the boosters and were actually attached at the base to the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Megalord/spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';", looking like a pair of titanic limbs. In fact, the ship turned itself upwards to where the split bow pointed up and the boosters pointed down as it took on a vaguely humanoid shape with the boosters looking like legs and the ARMDs the arms and hands. The bridge repositioned itself to where it was between the pylons that used to be the bow. In moments, the fantastic transformation was over as the Zen fleet continued to bear down on the ship while the Cornerians were stunned in utter fascination at the sight./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;""You gotta be kidding, their ship is a /spanspan class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"robot too/spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"!?" /spanspan class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"Falco seemingly asked the question that was on his teammates' minds. On the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Megalord's /spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"bridge, Nathan never lost his smug smile as he gave the order./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Aim and fire the Reflex Cannon on my order. Let's wipe them out in one shot!" On the order, the pylons shifted their position to face forward as the ship pushed ahead of the combined fleet, Destroids and guns firing at oncoming enemy fighters while the twin pylons charged and glowed with energy. As the enemy ships neared, the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Megalord /spanspan class="c5" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"unleashed its main weapon. From the pylons came a beam of energy that seemed big enough to engulf the ship firing it completely. The beam swallowed the fighters while it streaked to the main Zen fleet. Those that were not directly hit by the beam were torn apart by its sheer force, while those that were engulfed were atomized to nothing, including the seemingly invincible command ship. When the beam died, less than a third of the Zen fleet remained, and even less that were left unscarred from the attack. The enemy fighters were all but decimated by the attack as debris and detritus floated in the vacuum of the cosmos while the survivors retreated from Titania's orbit. Having lost their leadership, they apparently weighed their options and decided survival was the most prudent course. However, the combined Cornerian and Terran forces were far more jovial at seeing the Zentraedi retreat from the Lylat system, and were awed by the awesome power of the SDF-2. Even Michael felt himself sag into his seat in relief as the bridge around him erupted into a cheer at the sight, a slight smile on his features. The Black Knights were recalled back to the /spanspan class="c5 c6" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic;"Lexington/spanspan class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';", but not before one of them flew up alongside one of the Arwings for a moment, then returned to the hangar. Van jumped out out of the cockpit and headed for the showers almost immediately, but was stopped short by Jack who grabbed him by the shoulder./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""I saw that back there. What are you up to?" he asked with a slight smirk. Van brushed his hand off./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""Nothing much, just relaying a message to a friend. You could call it a...date." Jack was confused for a moment as Van walked on, then it clicked in his brain./span/p
p class="c2 c3" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15; height: 11pt;" /p
p class="c2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; padding-top: 0pt; padding-bottom: 0pt; line-height: 1.15;"span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';""You're going on a date!?"/span/p