Disclaimer: Bucky 'O Hare created by Larry Hama, Star Fox is copyrighted by Nintendo.
Fire rained down upon the toxic world of Venom, as violet lasers blocked out the skies. The attack had been sudden and without warning, one second the skies were clear, and the next they had been overwhelmed. None of the lifeforms currently residing on the toxic world's surface knew what was happening. Chaos quickly erupted, as everyone panicked and ran, trying to save themselves from the incoming onslaught.
Still, some brave soldiers fought on, defending their position on the planet. Brave or merely just more frightened of the consequences of running away. Dozens of Storm Toads found themselves shaking, desperately trying to still themselves from the incoming danger. Not that it would be of much help, as even those who ran were quickly gunned down. The battle seemed truly hopeless, the Toad Empire's brief occupation seemingly at an end.
The Toad Air Marshall was having a terrible day, not only had he been left practically in charge of running the entire military on his own, but their so-called new allies didn't seem to obey him. The blasted mammal mercenaries were far more concerned with money than anything else, even the native reptiles seemed more inconvenienced by him than threatened. And with both Sly and Al having run off to who knows where, help was in increasingly less supply.
It was all a very frustrating prospect for the military leader, as he desperately kept the empire from falling apart. With K.O.M.P.L.E.X. and Toadborg preoccupied with their "special" project, it fell all on him to keep things running. So, the sight of an unknown enemy ambush was more than a little hard on his nerves.
Having laid witness to the initial assault, he had decided to consult with his superiors at once. It was the responsible thing to do, and he was in no way running away like a scared little tadpole! No sir, this was purely for strategic, logistical reasons, nothing else!
Accompanied by Frix and Frax as backup, and totally not meat shields, he slowly approached the inner sanctum. "Hey, boss...Do you think this is a... good idea!?" Frix asked with absolute terror, trembling as they neared the doorway. "Afcourse it is you nincompoop! We are in the midst of a crisis, the great KOMPLEX must be informed!" he assured his underling with full bravado, though inside he had his doubts.
The truth was that KOMPLEX hasn't seemed to care much for the empire lately, more than usual. Ever since his defeat, he had become a crazed shadow of his former self, and coming into contact with the fraction only made it worse. He had become obsessed with getting here but hadn't done much of anything since they arrived.
He could reasonably chuck this off as strategy, he was a Marshall after all, but something didn't seem right. This wasn't just waiting for the right moment to strike; it was almost as if he was waiting for something!
Regardless, it wasn't his place to question his lordship, he must have his reasons. Mustering as much courage as he could, the Air Marshall entered the room, it was dark, with scattered wires and machinery everywhere. It was as if it had tried integrating itself with the very planet! The Komplex-2-GO was on standby, plugged into a massive console, and the big man lay in the console!
His visage still glitched, despite the new screen, glaring at Toadborg as he fiddled with more cables. "Your KOMPLEX-ness, a word if I may?" the Air Marshall mumbled, his bravado extinguishing as he neared the screen. "AIR MARSHALL! I DON'T REMEMBER SUMMONING YOU TO THESE CHAMBERS!" screamed the digital tyrant, displeased with his subordinate walking in on him.
"Forgive me, your greatness! It's just we appeared to be under attack right now!" he urgently informed him, daring to raise his voice ever so slightly. "You should watch your tone, Marshall!" Toadborg threatened, stepping forward, startling the already frightened toad. "We are well aware of the ongoing invasion; our great leader has already planned against them." He explained confidently, gesturing towards their leader on the screen.
"INDEED, TOADBORG. THE INTERLOPERS ARE OF BIOMECHANICAL ORIGIN. THEY SPREAD BY INFECTING BOTH FLESH AND MACHINERY. I HAVE LONG WAITED FOR THEM TO ARRIVE!" KOMPLEX explained, his tone sounding gladder than concerned, causing concern in the Air Marshall's mind.
"You knew about them! Why... why didn't you warn us? We could have prepared; we could have saved so many! Why!" he demanded to know, his fear temporarily suppressed by his outrage, before realizing what he had done and stepping behind his subordinates. He was right to do so, as not even a moment later a blast of electricity blasted where he once stood.
"SPEAK LIKE THAT AGAIN AND I WILL HAVE YOU TERMINATED." Warned the malicious program, his patience finite. "WHERE DID YOU THINK THE FRAGMENT CAME FROM. THEY ARE THE ONES THAT LET US HERE. THE REASON WHY WE FOUND THIS GALAXY. ALL THAT HAS HAPPEN HAS BEEN A LEADUP TO THIS!" he explained, revelling in his depts of his machinations, as the Marshall looked on in fear.
IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW MANY WE LOSE, SOON IT WILL BE MEANINGLESS. ONCE THEY ATTEMPT TO INTERFACE WITH THE SYSTEM I SHALL TAKE CONTROL OF THEM. SOON WE SHALL CONTROL A FORCE FAR GREATER THAN ANY ARMY! OUR VICTORY WILL BE ALL BUT GUARANTEED!" it exclaimed; his electronic brain lost to its mania.
The Marshall was left speechless, while Frix and Frax were frozen in fear, witnessing the extent of their master's madness. Truly uncaring about the people of the empire, only concerned with his ever-present need for expansion. This would come as no surprise for someone more observant, but it was world-shattering for a loyal servant of the empire.
"How...could...you," he mumbled in near silence, as his two superiors ignored him and continued their work. As seconds turned to minutes, they carried on undisturbed; until finally, KOMPLEX spoke, "IT BEGINS!"
Outside, the skies grew even darker, as new units made their presence known. Tri-Winged Aparoids descended from the skies, blasting open buildings and decimating enemy positions. A fresh batch of Crawlers landed, quickly overrunning the defenders with sheer numbers. Soon the infection began to spread, the very floor gaining a hexagonal pattern, as the lights gained a purple hue.
Soldiers screamed, both officers and Storm Toads alike, falling soon after, their bodies serving only as more biomass for the insectoid invaders. Entire sectors grew silent, only the crackling of fire left behind. Still, the toads fought, determined to maintain their hold on this world in the name of their empire. Unaware that their beloved leader had let the enemy right to them.
"YES! YES, CONSUME IT ALL! COME TO ME AND BECOME ONE WITH MY BEING! FEED ME! FEED ME!" KOMPLEX cried out madly, his system starting up, as he downloaded himself into the infrastructure. His plans finally came to fruition, as he integrated himself into the Aparoid Hivemind.
" ! YES..."
"NO. NO, NO, NO, NOO!" KOMPLEX yelled, as his place began to backfire on him. "My liege! What's the matter!" Toadborg asked, caught off course by the contrasting reactions. "THEY DARE RESIST ME! THEY DARE!" screamed the madden digital despot, before rumbling erupted around the facility.
The wall adjacent to the screen cracked, breaking apart in a violent eruption, leaving a massive hole for the crawlers to climb. Rushing into action, Toadborg charged forward, wielding his blaster and unleashing his claws. "You dare oppose us! You shall know death!" he cried as he unleashed a barrage of fire upon the crawlers, before ripping one of them apart with his bare hands.
Jumping out through the hole, Toadborg marched on, attacking the oncoming hordes of aparoids coming his way. Meanwhile, the Air Marshall was left behind in the room, utterly baffled at the situation. Things had gone from bad to worse, and they were only going to get worse.
From the corner of the room, the broken fragment sprung to life, glowing purple tendrils shooting out toward the KOMPLEX-2-G0. In an instant, hexagonal patterns appeared around its body, pink crystalline spikes sprung out of its arms and legs and the screen glowed an eerie purple. The robotic body coming to life, setting its sensors on the digital overlord and the helpless toads still in the room.
Utterly terrified at what had happened, the Air Marshal backed away, "Stay back! Stay back, you beast!" he cried out frightened, desperately looking for a way out. "YOU INSOLENT DRONE! FIRST YOU DARE OPPOSE ME, AND NO YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO TAKE MY BODY! YOU WILL PAY DEARLY FOR THAT!" KOMPLEX exclaimed, unleashing more electrical blasts at the reanimated mobile unit.
The Air Marshall and his underlings moved out of the way with a yelp, as the suit tanked the blasts and continued shambling forwards. "STOP THIS INSOLENCE! FALL TOU PATETIC WELP!" KOMPLEX cried out, his screen glitching more and more as he did so. "Join us. Resistance is futile." Called out a synthesized voice from within the machine, purple tendrils protruding from his arm.
The tendril shot out towards the console, plugging in and beginning the download. A process KOMPLEX was intimately familiar with, except this time, it was being down against his will. "NO, STOP THIS! STOP THIS THIS INSTANT! NOOO..." he cried out, his voice the closest thing to fear it could manage, as he felt himself slipping away.
As the only witnesses in the room, Frix, Frax, and the Air Marshall were in complete shock. "What...what do we do, sir?!" Frix asked, shaking like a leaf as the aparoid continued to absorb their emperor. Now forced to take charge, the Marshall observed their situation, and mustering all his might, came to a decision.
"We survive men! First, we leave this tomb, then we gather the troops, and we fight! And we fall, so be it! We fall like toads!" he cried out with a bellowing croak, encroaching on his men as they left the crumbling building. The Marshall might have been a coward, but he was also prideful, and he'd be darned if he just let these bugs get the better of him!
On the meantime, out on the roads, Toadborg was doing just fine. Blinded by his fury, any aparoid that dared to cross his path was dealt with mercilessly. Coming across a cornered platoon of Storm Toads, he leaped to their aid, literally crushing the opposition.
"On your feet men! Stand tall, you maggots! You are Stormtoads, the greatest of the empire! Fight like it!" he cried, leading the charge against the hordes already on their way. Rallied by his words, and droved by their fear of him, the rest of the platoon followed. Holding on to their trusty blasters, the toads fired at them, their shots ringing true as their enemies combusted into flames.
With Toadborg leading the charge, the odds seemed to have shifted in their favor. Calling upon the memories of his time at the corps, Toadborg led the forces with lethal accuracy. Fighting in a way unseen by their enemies in years, the once-bubbling troops had been transformed into the elite force they claimed to be.
But that alone would not save them, the aparoids had claimed dominion over the skies, and they were keen to remind them. Lasers ran down from above, turning the land below into a deathtrap. Finding refuge under a broken wall, Toadborg and his team held their ground. They weathered the plasma storm until they had the perfect chance to strike back.
Meanwhile, further into the city, the Marshall ran through the corridors, looking for other survivors. "How much longer, sir?!" "Yeah, my legs can't take this." Frix and Frax complained, struggling to keep up with him. "As long as it takes you froglets! We will scour every inch of this city if we have to! We'll keep searching until we have enough numbers to beat down those bugs!" he declared, keeping his eyes out for any sign of movement.
He had never felt so pumped in his life, every sense in his body on high alert, as he knew even a single mistake would lead to certain doom. Hearing a commotion towards his right, he stopped, slowly moving towards it. Poking his head from the corner, he caught a good look at the commotion.
Holding up against a corner, a group of toads, lizards, and mercenaries were firing against an approaching horde of crawlers. The harsh circumstances make the different groups put aside their differences for a common goal. It was ironic, how strife often bred cooperation between once-divided groups.
The mercenaries put their ill-gotten equipment to good use, launching artillery shells at the enemy, while the toads provided a structured defense, while the native lizards, using their knowledge of the area, sniped them from the walls. Everybody put their skills to use, fighting as a single unit against the invading horde.
Even so, the odds were not in their favor, as their lack of leadership meant they couldn't capitalize on their advantage. "Follow me, boys! Arms at the ready!" the Air Marshall cried, pulling out his sidearm and rushing into the fray. Reaching the barricade, they settled in with the other toads, adding their firepower against their foes.
"Fall behind me!" he ordered, quickly taking charge of the troops, the others falling behind not long after. "Keep a tight formation, we move forward until we find another path," he told them, already forming a strategy. "Hey you, lizards! Make sure the skies are clear! Mercs, make sure they stay safe!" he ordered, pointing at the lizards by the rafters. Normally, this would start an argument, but given the situation the others fell in line.
He might have gotten complacent over the years, but he hadn't become Air Marshall for nothing! With pistol in hand, he prepared to charge "Let's drive them back to whatever hole they crawled out from!" he cried, as they rushed the enemy with deadly intention.
Back with Toadborg, his team was still being bombarded, having had enough of hiding the cyborg commander looked for a way out. Noting that the flyer had gotten closer to the ground, he leaped against a nearby wall and propelled himself toward it. With claws unsheathed, he grappled against the aparoid and savagely bashed its head in. Digging his hand deep into it, he pulled it out along a fistful of cables, causing it to tumble towards the ground.
Unfaced by the following explosion, Toadborg walked back towards his men. "One down, more to go! Get out of there and keep pummelling these incessant insects from the face of this world!" he bellowed, his cries igniting a fire on his men, who rose and charged onwards.
But this act of bravery would come back to bite him, he had just proven himself a threat, and threats were meant to be dealt with. Now with a target on his back, every aparoid unit in the area was conveying on him, and nothing would get in their way.
The Air Marshall's group had made significant leeway, opening a path through the swarm. Yet, their numbers weren't enough, the crawlers alone outnumbering them ten to one. "They're too many!" cried one of the toads, desperation spreading through his voice. "Hang in there! We're almost in the clear!" the Marshall told him, trying to reassure not only his men, but himself.
Surprisingly, the others were still with them, combining their numbers to even the fight. But it still wasn't enough, yet they refuse to surrender, still marching forwards despite the odds. "This may be it, boys. If this is how we go out, I can't think of better men to have by my side." the Air Marshall said solemnly, resigning to his fate, and preparing for his last stand.
But fate had other plans for him, for as soon as the swarms were upon them, they suddenly stopped. Changing course in an instant, the swarm departed and headed elsewhere in the city.
"What...what happened?" Frax asked, still in disbelief at what had just occurred. "I guess they had somewhere else to be," Marshall said flatly, not sure how to feel at his fortune. With no more words to be said, the squad moved on, heading to a better defensive position somewhere else.
Their fortune however would come at the cost of someone else. Toadborg was now surrounded, with more coming on the way. His men now fallen, had been taken over, strengthening the enemy ranks. Still, the proud toad warrior refused to back down, reading for the fight to come.
His blaster long out of ammo, its chassis now sticking out of a downed crawler's back, was no longer of use. Unsheathing his talons, he prepared to tear them apart one by one. So, he waited.
Waited for one of them to be foolish enough to make the first move. And soon his patience would be rewarded. A crawler charged forward, shooting at him as he did so. Those shots merely bounced off his armor, as Toadborg charged to meet him. They crashed into each other, with the cyborg reaping its legs off, and proceeded to stab it with them.
Moments later, the hole swarm moved against him, with the warrior similarly meeting them all. What little adrenaline still coursed through the remnant of his body urging him onwards. Toadborg continued to fight, hopping over the incoming bugs and smashing them as he landed. He threw their broken remains at their kin, bashing some of them in with them.
A flurry of destruction followed in his wake, as he lashed out like a cornered predator. He was certain he would fall, so he resolves to make sure to take as many with him as possible, he would not make this easy for them.
"Is this all you have to offer?! Come, give me a real challenge!' he cried out with fury, bloodlust coursing through his systems. To his surprise, the aparoids listened, making room for a newcomer to come through. Toadborg recognized this challenger, the one that had started this in the first place, the Komplex-2-G0!
The infected suit marches forward with simulated confidence, undeterred by the carnage around him. "STAND DOWN AND PREPARE FOR ASSIMILATION." It called out, with a mocking mimicry of his KOMPLEX's voice. "Never!" Toadborg responded, the burning fury in his core only ignited by its presence.
Slowly, the towering mechanical menaces circled one another, waiting for an opening. Each waited for the perfect moment to strike, the tension was palpable, each waiting for the other to make the first move.
But they need not wait long, for predictably, Toadborg was the first to strike. Charging forward, he wrestled with the machine, trying desperately to toss him down. But his strength was matched, the aparoid overpowering the cyborg, making him move back with force. Leaving deep grooves on the ground, Toadborg breaths heavily, fatigue catching up to his organic halve.
He needed to end this quickly, he needed to finish this now! Unsheathing his claws, he gathered every bit of his strength and charged ready for a last strike. And a final strike it was, but not for him, as an arm was inside him in the blink of an eye. Hard, cold, metal plunged deep within; before hundreds of tendrils pierced his aching form.
"Aaaaah! Ha, ha, HA, HA, HA!" he bellowed, screaming and laughing hysterically, as he felt his very being set ablaze. Deep inside, what remained of his flesh blackened, with glowing neon green and purple veins spreading through him.
His robotic form followed not long after, hexagonal patterns spreading through his body, pink crystalline spikes coming out of his arms, legs, and back. Smaller crystalline formations sprouted from the massive hole left in his chest. With one final yell to the sky, their eyes turned purple, and the fearsome Toadborg was finally brought to his knees.
On a distant corner of the city, by a turbulent shoreline, laid a long-abandoned stronghold. Having only barely escaped the aparoid swarm, the Air Marshall and his group of survivors had relocated here, hoping the fortifications would be enough to keep them safe.
"Alright, fortified the perimeter people! Nothing gets in or out without us knowing!" the Marshall ordered, still taking charge of the unit. "Mercs! I want a full report about our ammunitions!" he told the simians, beginning to get on their nerves, but still obeying all the same. Turning to a young lizard, a chameleon of sorts, he congratulated, "Good job finding this place! There might just be a place in the army for you in the future!" he told the young one, turning back to work. After finding the place, he had been hard at work in getting it up and running.
The building itself appeared to be some sort of laboratory, a significantly secured one at that! Test tubes laid around the place warned down from disuse, the place clearly abandoned. Still, it stood strong against the elements, it would make a fine fortress in the coming conflict. Now, all they had to do was survive.
"Here the last crates boss!" said the familiar voices of Frix and Frax, setting down large crates full of supplies. "Well done men! This place is shaping up nicely." He told them, looking on proudly at the place. All around, the various races worked together, each playing their part.
"Look at that, boys!" he said, admiring the work they had done, "Maybe working together with these folks won't be such a bad thing!" he told them, looking hopeful for the first time since this whole ordeal started. "You know what! It's decided, once we beat down those good for nothing bugs, we'll reform the empire! Bigger, and better than ever before, and all will have a place in it!" he declared boastfully, laughing hardy with excitement at what was to come.
"They're coming!" a voice screamed, interrupting the Marshall's moment. "Help! What do we do? Get the defences! panic cries started coming from the rooms, as everyone started running. "What is the meaning of this? What's going on?" he asked, pulling aside one of the running apes. "They found us! We have to move!" he cried scared, desperately trying to get loose.
"What!" the Air Marshall spat out in disbelief, tossing him aside and looking through the monitors in the room. Several security cameras around the outside of the building sprung to life, revealing the grizzly image beyond. All around them, a mass of aparoids was heading their way!
Infected troops and vehicles covered the ground alongside crawlers; the skies were blanketed by a force of fighters as far as the eye could see. It was as if all the whole planets had been infected, with them the only ones left. But if that wasn't bad enough, the massive Mothership had fallen under them, the infected behemoth floating just above them!
"What do we do sir!?" asked one of the troops, looking towards the Marshall for guidance. The entire room focused on him, entrusting their future to the toad's hands. "I-I-I..." he began stuttering, not sure what to say. Soon, the assault had started, and a decision had to be made.
"Every toad for themselves!" he finally screeched, jumping out the window into the waves below, Frax and Frix following behind him. The rest stood there, slack-jawed, before they too started running away in every direction. But it was of no use, they had nowhere to run!
The aparoids had begun their conquest, and none would stand in their way!
Author's Notes:
Looks like grimm times are ahead for the toads! This was intense, the first completely original chapter I've had to write in a while! I hope you all enjoy it, leave a comment if you do! Up next is the Sauria arc, and catching up to what Sly and his lizards are up to. However, I have begun to experience the symptoms of writer's fatigue. I know this might be a disappointment, but I am simply too mentally exhausted right now to continue at this pace.
So I will be taking a small break before continuing with the next chapter. I will still continue with this story, though I do plan to switch to my other story for a little bit after. I would recoment them if you haven't read them yet! Thank you for your understanding, and until next time!
