Disclaimer: Bucky 'O Hare created by Larry Hama, Star Fox is copyrighted by Nintendo.
Fox McCloud was enjoying the breeze after barely having made it out of an intensive operation on Fichina's surface. Wing riding on top of his companion's Arwing, Fox finally allowed himself a breather before their next mission began. Riding next to him were his newest companions, Bucky O'Hare and Dead-Eye Duck, the ladder also enjoying the fresh air from atop a wing.
It seemed like they were finally looking up for them, but a sudden message interrupted them. "Fox, those bots seemed suspicious, so I checked 'em out... and they were aparoids!" Slippy revealed, his voice full of concern. "What! Are you sure?!" Fox asked in utter disbelief, not wanting to consider the implications this could have.
"Yeah! Aparoids must be able to take over other machines!" Slippy confirmed much to Fox's displeasure, the sentries had proven to be formidable foes, if more of their technology could be turned against them, there's no telling what could happen. "Are you serious?!" Falco added from his seat, having come to the same realization as Fox.
"Yep, it's true!" a mysterious voice reassured from the radio, "And the one who's pulling the strings is me... Pigma! Wah, ha, ha, ha!" the evil swine revealed himself, laughing in a nasty, scummy manner. "Huh? Pigma!" Fox exclaimed firmly; teeth gritted as he tried to look for the source of the transmission.
"So, that's Pigma! Ugh, even his voice sounds scummy!" Dead-Eye commented, looking repulsed by the mere sound of the traitorous swine. "Yes! It is I, the great Pigma Dengar!" he great out once more, seemingly hearing the jab, "I see you've brought some new friends. Great, I have a little surprise for you!" he announced, his ship revealing itself, as a dark purple-blue beam came from the sky and fell on an engineering section of the CCC. "Up and at 'em, big fella!" he ordered, as a section of engineering freed itself from the ground and began approaching them with two slender, powerful legs.
"What the-? That's part of the engineering, isn't it?!" Fox cried out surprised, witnessing the large structure stumbling towards them. "It's been infected by the aparoids!" Slippy cried frighteningly, for once not pleased that his theory had been proven right. "You dirty swine!" Falco cried out, outraged, and gave chase. "I wouldn't bother with me right now. That thing looks like it means business! Ah ha ha!" Pigma interrupted smugly, knowing more than he let on and confident in his schemes.
As if on cue, ROB's voice came through the comms system, "Danger! Danger! Climate control center generator reaching critical overload." he said in alarm. "Deal with Pigma later! Without the climate control center, we'll never stop the blizzards again!" Peppy urged them from his station, knowing that they couldn't afford to do both, it would seem Pigma would be free one more day. "...Got it." Fox replied hesitantly, knowing he didn't have much of a choice, eyes narrowing as he glared at the flying ship. "Hraa, heh, heh, heh! Hoo, ha, ha, ha, ha!" Pigma laughed in triumph, nearly choking in his sick enjoyment.
"Wait, go after him! We'll handle the generator, just go!" Bucky cried out from his cockpit, his voice filling with determination. Fox stood there thinking for a second, "Are you sure?" he asked, apprehensive about leaving them on their own. "Positive! Now go!" he cried out turning towards the generator, Dead-Eye grinning as he held on to his cannon.
"Well, you heard them Falco, step on it!" he told his partner, now his turn to grin. "Don't have to tell me twice, hold on!" Falco said back, accelerating his Arwing towards the fleeting form of Pigma's ship.
Meanwhile, Bucky contacted Peppy on the ship, "Peppy, I've sent Fox and Falco towards Pigma, me and Dead-Eye will handle the generator. What do we have to do?" he asked steadfastly, as he continued making his way towards it. "Understood Bucky. You'll have to disable the generator before it has the chance to overload!" Peppy explained calmly, inwardly unsure about the situation but confident in his new friends' skills.
"Wait! Did you say the climate control center's overloading? Does that mean there's gonna be an explosion?! YIKES!" Slippy panicked out loud, now realizing just how high the stakes had gotten. "Yes. If you don't destroy the targets, this planet is doomed. You've got to destroy them and stop the explosion!" Peppy explained with severity, noting just how important this mission had become. "There's no way we're letting that explode!" Dead-Eye exclaimed with resolute, readying for the battle ahead.
"Shield analysis complete. Bringing it up on the monitor." Slippy's voice said through the comms, sending the two aniverse inhabitants the schematics to the aparoid menace before them. "Watch for the hatch to open! That's your chance!" Krystal explained, guiding the pair as they neared their target. Nodding from his cockpit, Bucky locked in and fired into the infected engineering section, getting its attention. He continued the onslaught before the section opened up it's mouth-like hatch and released a flurry of aparoids into the air. "Oh my gosh! It's spitting out bad guys!" Slippy pointed out in a panicked voice. "We noticed! I'll deal with them. Bucky, focus on the big one!" Dead-Eye replied, firing on the incoming swarm.
"Watch out! It's charging up energy!" Peppy warned as Bucky dodged left and right, desperately trying to get his crosshairs centered on the opening hatch before it could fire. "Bucky! Look out!" Krystal cried out, concerned for her new friends as the infected section fired straight towards them. "Hold on!" cried Bucky, as he just barely rolled out of the way of the beam.
"You boys, ok?" Peppy asked concerned, watching intently through the monitors as he tried to help. "We're fine, old-timer! But one more blast like that and I'm roasted duck!" Dead-Eye responded, dusting himself down from the close encounter. "We can't get a clear shot. They're too many drones in the way!" Bucky said through his radio, unsure how to proceed. "We don't have much time!" Peppy reminded them, mumbling as he tried to figure out a way to help. Next to him, Krystal glared at the screen, "That vile Pigma! He won't get away with this!" she said under her breath, turning to march back to the hanger bay and rejoin the fight.
Meanwhile, Falco and Fox were still in hot pursuit, managing to catch up with Pigma's ship. "Give it up, Pigma! You're not getting away this time!" Falco yelled out, punching the acceleration as he near the yellowbelly's yellow ship. "Augh! You guys just don't know when to quit!" groaned Dengar as his pursuers approached. "Well, let's see how they like this!" he announced to himself, nasally laughing as he pressed a button, causing the core to glow and spraying some sparkly objects that would cause anything to become infected by the Aparoids instantly; but that wasn't all it did.
Seeing this, Falco halted before he could reach it, "What is that stuff! Slip-up, I need an analysis!" he called out, trying to go around the stuff before continuing the chase. But it was not to be, as soon after, a swarm of aparoids appeared, presumably from the batch the generator had spewed up. "Gah! Where did you all come from!" he said in surprise as the swarm quickly set off upon him.
"Fox! Get them off me!" he said aggravatedly, as he began opening fire on them to no avail. "But Pigma... Fine, I'm on it!" he replied quickly, sending more aparoids to a fiery end below. All the while, Pigma ship had zoomed out of the horizon, doing what he did best, running away at top speed. Fox looked on hopelessly, before focusing on the enemies around him. With a piercing scream, he blasted the incoming bugs down, the skies raining fire all around him as he let his frustration loose.
Meanwhile, Bucky and Dead-Eye weren't having an easier time, the aparoid swarmed seemingly multiplied around them. Falco: "It's not holding anything back!" Dead-Eye grunted as he blasted two more shots into the swarm, sending two more bugs down. But it wasn't enough to make a dent in their numbers. Quickly checking his ammo, the Indignation's gunner came to a startling realization, "We're running low on ammo here!" he cried to his partner, letting him know that they had to finish this quickly.
Fortunately, help was on his way as up in the Great Fox Krystal and the others were boarding their craft. "Bucky, Dead-Eye, hold on! We're coming to help!" she quickly called through the comms, as she and Slippy got on their respective Arwings. "We barely had time to refuel, let alone fix anything! I'm not sure how much of us we can be?" he told her worriedly, not liking their odds. "I know Slippy, but we don't have a choice. They're getting torn out there!" she responded, pointing towards the outside of the hanging bay.
"Right! Let's do this!" Slippy cried out, channeling every ounce of courage in his body. "Slippy! Krystal! This is Falco, do you read me!" a voice came through their radio, answering their unsaid prayers. "Falco, this is Krystal. We read you. We're heading down to help Bucky and Dead-Eye, over." She said seriously, letting them know this was not for debate. "Copy that Krystal, we'll head there immediately. Stay safe!" Fox's voice said through the comms, letting her know he supported her. With a nod, she signaled Slippy to follow as the two rushed toward the planet below.
Back on the battlefield, Bucky was busy focusing on outmaneuvering the approaching swarm, desperately trying to aim at the hatch. "The hatch is open! Now's your chance!" Peppy reminded them, as he tried to change the aparoids off him. "You've got to utilize your brakes!" the old hare recommended sagely, offering as much assistance as he could. Taking that to hear, Bucky suddenly stopped mid-drift, managing to fling off some of the pursuing sentries while managing to land a shot at the generator.
"That's it! It's working!" Dead-Eye said as the infected machine started sparking slightly, before returning to its task. "One more shot should do it! Move it, boys!" Peppy told them, as the duo was quick to get back into action, unfortunately so were the aparoids. As the corrupted Climate Control Engineering piece returned to spewing out more troops to attack. Fortunately, they wouldn't have to deal with this batch alone.
"Heads up!" a voice cried, as the incoming aparoids burst into flames. Rounding up for another volley, Falco and Fox had arrived to help with the others not far behind. "Hey guys! Having trouble with that chunk of engineering?" Falco asked them sarcastically through their comm. Rolling his eyes with a huff, Bucky responded, "Just a bit. We've isolated a weak point, but the lasers aren't doing any good. And, when it exposes the weak spot, it fires a powerful beam at us." He explained, his voice switched to a serious tone.
While the others continued cutting the number of aparoids done, Fox was trying to find a solution to the situation. "We should try using the Novas. They should work. Does anybody have any?" he said as he fired another shot into the sky, vaping another airborne aparoid. "Negative Fox, we're all out of..." Krystal became before Bucky jumped in. "We have two, but I'm not so sure we can land a clear hit!" he said, fruitlessly trying to lock on the engineering section.
"Just leave that to us! Slippy, you and Krystal keep that thing distracted. Me and Falco will cover you with the cannon." Fox said, taking charge of the group before they disbanded to their assigned tasks. Making quick work of the incoming aparoids, Krystal made an interesting discovery, "It looks like the hatch opens after you defeat some enemies!" she said, noting the infected section beginning to open its hatch, releasing more sentries upon them. "Fox! Cover me while I lock on the hatch!" Bucky cried, dodging left and right, desperately trying to get his crosshairs centered on the opening of the hatch.
"Gotcha. Falco, bring the Arwing around. Take us to where they are." Fox said, tightening his grib, while Falco turned to look at him. "Ok. Just keep me covered, Fox. You know, with you on the wing, I can hardly manoeuver at all." he replied, trusting his wingman to watch his back. "You got it. Trust me, Falco." Fox said, firing just ahead of Bucky's ship, blasting the aparoids that blocked his line of sights as Bucky continued to maneuver to get a lock on.
"The hatch is open!" Slippy cried out, as Fox continued firing at the chunk of engineering. "Bucky! You must get bombs inside that thing!" Peppy urged him on, Bucky taking a deep breath as his thumb settled over the bomb launcher, and he pressed the button. The bomb went straight for the target but impacted another airborne aparoid before it reached the core, the blast did damage the unit badly, but not enough!
"Darn it!" Bucky said in frustration as he pounded his HUD with his fist. "Fox you've got to hit all of 'em. I've only got one more nova left." Bill said as he threw his Arwing into a kick spin, hurtling it away from the menacing engineering section as he fell back for another attack run. "Got it! Go for it." Fox repleid, squeezing the trigger on his cannon, moving it in a sweeping motion, taking out countless numbers of aparoids as Bucky came closer to the leviathan enemy. Fox moved his aim closer to the engineering as it opened its hatch, and blasted hundreds of aparoids as they came out.
But time was running out, "What's going on? The generator won't wait!" Peppy reminded them, the clock ticking as the Climate Center neared its limits. "Hurry Bucky!" Krystal cried out, helpless but to watch as her friends neared closer and closer to the infected structure. "This is gonna be bad! We don't have much time!" Slippy cried as well; eyes fixed on the generator's read-out.
"Dang! We're not gonna make it, are we?!" Dead-Eye asked, looking towards his captain with solemn eyes. Bucky refused to answer, narrowing his eyes as he neared the threshold, hands locked on the controls. "Boys, you're running out of time!" Peppy yelled as they neared the end of their rope. Bucky finally turned to his partner, locking eyes as the two nodded, knowing what they had to do. Steeling their selves, Bucky hit the launcher and closed his eyes as the nova bomb hurtled towards the open hatch.
Fox held his breath as he watched the bright red light streak through the sky before a mighty explosion engulfed the place. Opening his eyes, Fox saw everyone cheering as the once gigantic fragment of mechanics was enveloped in a colossal explosion and the remaining, much smaller, aparoids began to retreat away from Fichina.
But what he couldn't see were any sign of Bucky and Dead-Eye anywhere. Solemnly, he reached towards his wrist comm to report, "This is Fox. The climate control center generator is undamaged." he said, clearly and concisely. "Great news Fox! Where are the others?" Peppy asked, sounding glad and relaxed for a change. "Krystal and Slippy are unharmed, but there seems to be no sign of...' he began, before out from the fire and smoke, Bucky and Dead-Eye's Arwing appeared. It was worst for ware, but still in the air, as its pilots gingerly maneuvered it towards the Control Center. "Scratch that, Peppy! Everyone is safe and accounted for!" Fox announced excitedly, a feeling matched by everyone in the control room, many letting loose hold breaths at the good news.
"Looks like all the aparoids are gone, too..." Slippy added gladly, as he and Krystal had made quick work of the retreating forces. "Nicely done, boys." Krystal congratulated them, glad to see everyone had made it out of it in one piece. "Guess so. Still... Getting attacked by your allies... Man, that's just crazy!" Falco said in contemplation. "Machines are machines, after all... Those without strong wills can be easily turned to evil." Peppy told them sagely, making them pause.
"Those without strong wills... Allies or enemies..." Fox thought in a hushed tone, his mind wandering as Falco landed the Arwing near the Climate Control Center. "What is it, Fox?" Krystal asked concerned, having noticed his expression. "Nothing. That just sounds like someone I know, that's all..." Fox said as he sat down on the wing, looking at the stars before walking over to Bucky's Arwing.
Getting closer, he could now see the extent of the damage, the exterior was smouldering, steam flowing from its surface. Yet the craft appeared relatively intact otherwise, and so were its occupants. Bucky merely seemed to have been covered with soot, probably from a faulty filter, and a little bit up from the turbulence. Dead-Eye got the short end of the stick, his outfit was wrecked, only his lower sleeves remaining intact, and he was completely covered with scorch marks, though thankfully not burned. Seemed the frigid temperatures of the planet spared them from the worst of the explosion, nothing they could fic back onboard the Great Fox.
"You crazy old coot!" Falco cried out next to him, walking over to grab Dead-Eyes hand. "You did good out there!" he told him, shaking his hand with a smile, impressed with the old bird, no easy feat for Star Fox's ace pilot. Fox rolled his eyes at his antics, before following suit and greeting Bucky. "Great flying out there! Cutting it a little close though?" he told him with a friendly demeanour. "What can I say? Wherever I go, something always blows up." Bucky responded jokingly, not allowing the experience to sour his mood. He had been in tight spots before; it came with the territory.
"Just don't make it a habit. That's my job!" Fox told him with a smirk, patting him on the back. Both leaders shared a laugh, while in the distance their friends arrived. Wasting no time, Slippy ran towards the Arwing, checking it over to see if it was flight-worthy. "Nothing to bad, just some heat damage and some wear and tear. Should be good enough to make it back to the Fox at least!" he told them, coming out from under the starship. "Well, that's good to hear. So, unless anyone has something else to attend to, how about we get out of here!" he asked coyly, gesturing towards the sky.
"Fox, me boy! I thought you've never asked!" Dead-Eye said, him and Bucky getting on the Landmaster and driving back towards their ship, while Fox jumped in to his Arwing and hit the startup. He pointed the nose up and punched the throttle, soon the Great Fox loomed above them, growing larger by the minute as Fox accelerated towards it at top speed, the others right behind them.
Fox relaxed his grip on the control as each of his teammates landed safely, Bucky sliding the Croaker into the furthest spot to the right. Fox followed him in, shut down his ship, and opened the canopy. "All ships home safely!" Fox announced with glee, before taking in a big gulp of air as he jumped down off the wing and walked over to the entrance, where Peppy and the others awaited.
"The climate control center's still working. Nice job." Peppy congratulated them, happy to see them all back safe and sound. "Hey, it was a team effort!" Fox said, nodding over toward the others, especially their newest members. "Yes, I'm quite aware of their efforts," Peppy responded with joy before a large crowd rushed by him.
"Bucky! Are you ok? What happened out there? Ore you fine too, Dead-Eye? Did we get them?" were some of the many questions that suddenly bombarded the duo as their friends surrounded them. "Alright guys, settle down! We'll explain everything." Bucky tried in vain to restore the peace, when he felt a sudden hit at the shoulder. "Welcome back cottontail. I knew you could make it, just try not to make it a habit." Said the familiar brown vixen as she appeared beside him. "You're now the second fox to tell me that, Mimi." Bucky answered jokingly, smiling at his fellow captain. "Well, maybe that should tell you something, we are known for our cleverness you know!" she replied, feeling smug of herself.
"All right, everyone! Settle down, give them some space for goodness' sake! They just came back from the mission, let them take a breather!" Peppy's voice called out as the senior officer walked through the crowd, his fatherly voice having an air of authority. The rest of the group wisely gave the duo some space, and respectfully obeyed the older hare.
"Thanks for the save Peppy! You're a lifesaver!" Dead-Eye told him with gratitude. "Don't mention it, sonny! Now, go take a shower, you earned it!" Peppy told the mallard, who happily obliged. "Now, tell me. How are you doing Bucky?" he asked, turning to Bucky with concern. "Doing as fine as I can be right now. Dead-Eye took the brunt of the hit, I'm just happy that we made it out fine," he told them, breathing a sigh of relief. "Just wish we could have done more. Maybe you could've caught Pigma if we did," he concluded, feeling a little distraught.
"Hey, don't beat yourself over it. Both of you! Pigma is a slippery one! We'll track him down." Peppy reassured them. "But before we do, you good folk have been waiting around for too long, and given that we are in desperate need of a resupply..." he began, turning towards the other guests with a smile, " I think is about time we finally get to Corneria!" he announces as the crowd cheered happily.
Meanwhile, a lone yellow ship sat upon a field of asteroids in a distant part of space. Inside, an overweight pig slumbered after a long day of causing trouble. "Obey us... Obey us... Obey us... Obey... Snrrr... huh? Whazzat?" he mumbled monotonously, as he stirred in his sleep before suddenly jolting awake.
"Was I just talking in my sleep? N-No! I won't turn a profit by obeying them! I... I... obey..." Pigma trailed off, his eyes glowing pink.
Author's Note:
And with that, Fichina is finally over! Hopefully, the next arc won't take so long. The next few chapters will concentrate more on original content, before continuing with the main story. Because of this, they may take a little longer to update, hope you don't mind. Thank you all for your patience, our cast will be visiting Corneria soon, so if there's something you would like to see don't be afraid to leave a comment.
I look forward to seeing your reaction! Until next time!