Nexus Effect

Ch.124

“George! George! George of the Jungle, strong as he can be! Ah~! Watch out for that tree! Watch out for that-!” *BANG* Discord slammed directly into a giant tree in the Fortuna Rainforest.

“OO! Tree~!” Several smaller Discords in pithy tan explorer outfits hissed in chorus.

“Really?” A wolf asked as she approached the tiny Discords, her gear covering her whole body with goggles reflecting the chaos spirit’s image back at him, her voice garbled by the gas mask over her muzzle. “You’re quoting that movie? Is it not better to track our enemies?”

“Oh please, this is fun.” Discord huffed as he tossed a log and a local variety of elephant-like pink creature Discord thusly dubbed Shep burst from the trees, barking like a dog as he chased it.

“I still don’t understand how you brought me here.” The technological tracker growled as she looked at her tacpad, reviewing the data of the automated Venomian drones and turret emplacements she’d tracked down across the northern hemisphere of Fortuna with Discord’s help, then hacked to prepare them to help intercept the Aparoids, whenever they come.

“I wanted a hunting dog.” Discord chuckled before a primitive ape-like creature with compound eyes and a third jaw swung down on a vine and hooted at Discord. “No Ape, you and your friends and family are just fine lying low. When the invaders come, just hide.” Discord said with incredible severity before he looked to the sky. “Do it now. Get them to safety. They’ve come.”

[1001100 01101001 01101110 01100101]

“Aaaand...there!” I chirped in triumph as I sealed the access panel on the underside of the last of the Arwings. “I’ve updated each one with a hybrid of our Mass Effect tech with your G-Diffuser tech.”

While similar, G-Diffusion doesn’t even use Eezo! It’ll be even cheaper to produce than the non-Eezo environmental generators the Empire had before arriving in the Milky Way and with this new advancement, all sorts of possibilities will emerge! Especially since G-Diffusion could replace Mass Effect for artificial gravity and inertia elimination, leaving propulsion entirely to Mass Effect and drastically increasing-!

“Thanks for the help, Nora, Yola. With the projections we’ve simulated, this should both increase the shielding power of the Arwings and also further enhance their flight and maneuverability. I just wish I had more time to take Tali’s advice and start making these beauties more mechanically accessible.” Slippy sighed in a mixture of satisfaction of a job well-done and disappointment at not being able to do more. The short toad had surprisingly displayed little change to imbibing our miracle milk. At least he wasn’t so chubby now, just stout.

“Just work on one at a time. I’m sure you could even get away with just converting one of them for Space Dynamics to approve the design for production and pay you royalties like crazy.” Yola suggested to the short amphibian, who even after over a week of regularly drinking our milk, only came up to the bottom of our busts, which meant Slippy barely broke five feet.

“Hm, alright. I just don’t like being the only one besides you two who can maintain these ships. Mister Adams was almost apocalyptically furious when he realized with how unique I made them, that only I or someone who has had extensive experience with them could even troubleshoot something.” Slippy’s rather unfortunately abrasive relationship with CE Adams was due entirely to the brilliant little green guy ‘creating beautiful, untouchable abominations’ in a military setting where things are supposed to be standardized when possible for ease of maintenance.

He didn’t react this harshly when I created the Nomad, but that was because it was a prototype, these Arwings are far from prototypes. “Well, at least you-.” The ship suddenly began blaring an alarm klaxon and a red light flashed overhead.

“Warning! Warning! Aparoid detected! Aparoid detected!” ROB announced over the intercom and Slippy yelped before he scrambled to the hangar control console. He quickly selected specific Arwings in the storage gantries to place in the launch catapults.

“We’ll be heading out, okay Slippy? We’re the heavy combat support.” Yola informed him before sharing a nod with me and we shrunk down before transforming into our cuttleship alts-.

“W-wait! You need your pilots!” Slippy squeaked and I paused in midair next to my sister, blinking my cycloptic eye at him. “You can’t fight without a pilot or you’ll be considered a drone ship, which isn’t considered a priority by Cornerian military for preservation. They may not be here right now, but you shouldn’t give the government any precedence to declaring you as disposable assets.”

“What? Really?” We both asked in disappointment. It seems this universe doesn’t view synthetics in any form of equality. It’s likely Team Star Fox is a special case of open-minded individuals able to accept that they were people too at face value. Then again they live with a robot who is essentially their nanny. They probably consider him family despite him having no more emotions or self-thought than a toaster.

“Yes, so please wait until Penny and Urta are here to fly you.” Slippy said, essentially letting us know that the others were already aware of the situation involving ships needing pilots for legal reasons. Oh well, at least since they’re slimes we won’t have to size up for them to get inside of us. Yola and I shared shudders of anticipation at feeling so much goo sliding into us...

[1001100 01101001 01101110 01100101]

“Hunter...am I getting fat?” Hunter did a spit-take to the side, his beer spraying over the pier at Juneau’s random and rather touchy question. He wasn’t paying attention to her body, because he was trying not to fall into a relationship with someone when he’s on a vacation, but with all the gorging on fish, shellfish, restaurant fare...Juneau was a bit heavier in the chest, butt and thighs than he remembered.

“Uh...that’s not a question you ask a friend of the opposite gender.” Hunter deflected and she sighed with her ears wilting back on her head.

“So I have gained weight. I was ignoring my clothes getting tighter because I didn’t think seafood was as fattening as red meat. Guess I’m the fool there.” Juneau pouted as she pulled on the front of her tank top, that was hugging her F-cup breasts tightly and also drawing his attention lower to her slight paunch of a stomach. “Guess I better cut back on fishing and crabbing with you if pigging out on them is making me gain so much weight so fast.”

“Oh, okay.” Hunter’s ears fell flat that he might not see her that much often. Then he had an idea that perked his ears. “Say, why don’t we go swimming, surfing, diving or other active things? There’s more to this place than fishing and feasting.”

“That sounds like what I usually get up to, this was supposed to be a vacation. It isn’t much of one if you just go back to what you usually do.” Juneau pouted and poked her stomach angrily. “I wish there was a quick way to get rid of this so I could just hang out with you.”

“But we’ll still be hanging out, just under different scenarios.” Hunter reasoned with her.

“I know...but we’ll have to go to one of the less-developed islands to do that. Hiking, climbing, surfing and all that isn’t the point of this resort. I don’t know about you, but my travel ticket was to this island only.” Juneau sighed in resignation, but Hunter wasn’t going to give up on spending time with her.

“Well then, go pack your bags. I’ll meet you outside your room in an hour.” Hunter stated and Juneau blinked up at him as he got up and left the pier.

“Uh...I never told you where I was staying.” Juneau said as she hurriedly ran up to him.

“At the Fresh Pheasant Hotel and Casino, room 626 on the sixth floor. I’m telepathic, June.” Juneau blushed at forgetting his abilities, having casually accepted he was able to speak into her mind and didn’t consider he could read her thoughts. He blushed too when her thoughts took a right turn into a ditch and she imagined him controlling her, having his naughty way-. “June, I don’t do those sorts of things.”

“Eep! D-don’t look at that!” Juneau flushed so hotly her white fur on her face turned tomato red.

“Y-You were the one you thought of it!” Hunter countered as he, too, blushed deeply.

“Of course I did! You’re ho-uh, fuck...I just ruined it…” Juneau wilted and whimpered with tears in her eyes, thoughts that she just ruined their friendship with her attraction to him filling her mind and Hunter frantically waved his hands.

“No you didn’t. I don’t hate you, June. Banish the thoughts and doubts.” Hunter assured her, bringing her close and wiped the tears away. “So, you were developing some feelings for me?”

“Hunter, you’re handsome, sexy, you actually have a brain and treat me with respect. Do you know how hard it is to find a guy who can think with more than his dick in northern Katina? Or even one who isn’t a current or ex-military jarhead who doesn’t have anything more interesting than they know how to shoot a gun or fly a fighter? You’re mysterious, complex and you’re exotic.” Juneau proclaimed, each point making Hunter’s humble ego strain against the tight lid he kept on it.

“I…” He couldn’t really think of something to say, but he hugged her tightly against his chest, even enfolding his wings around her. This ceased when several people hooted and hollered at them and they both flushed hotly before they joined hands and fled from the cat-calling onlookers in embarrassment. “Good thing the others weren’t here, but I’m guessing the bunny, fox and parrot have a thing for them as well.”

They ended up in front of the Fresh Pheasant and Juneau bit her lip, looking up into his eyes. His heart pounding, Hunter gulped and nodded, letting her guide him inside past security, upstairs to her room and then they were in her rented hotel room. “S-so...how are we getting out of this overcrowded city to go on an adventure?” Juneau nervously asked and Hunter felt a mixture of relief and disappointment that this wasn’t heading where he thought it was. So much for her being the one with her head in the gutter.

“These big wings of mine aren’t vestigial. I can fly us there. I’ll have to carry you, but otherwise it’s no problem.” Hunter informed her and she had a sudden fantasy of being carried like a princess and looking down at the world from his arms as the wind buffeted them. Hunter smiled at the rather achievable and soon-to-happen scene as she quickly went about packing her bag.

[1001100 01101001 01101110 01100101]

It was over. “Read me the butcher’s bill.” Oikonny requested tiredly, bags under his eyes at having not slept a wink in days, unwilling to leave the command/pilot chair of the Great Ape since what he would call henceforth the Anglar Uprising began.

“Lord Oikonny, we’ve lost nearly half the fleet. 2 dreadnoughts, 5 battle cruisers, 15 frigates, 27 gunships, 15,000 give or take drone fighters. 3,125 souls confirmed dead, another 796 wounded.” Grimly intoned one of the bridge commanders and Oikonny seethed. “We would have lost so much more if not for Star Wolf’s aid, those losses might even have included us.”

“...Everyone. Set the drones to search and rescue, tend to our wounded and rest. Venom is ours, but with great cost. After we’ve cleaned up, we’re heading down to begin rebuilding.” Oikonny announced and his crew promptly began arranging for the drones to do their jobs. With that, he stood from his seat, wobbled on his legs and then trudged out of the bridge.

“You look like shit andrew.” Wolf O’Donnell commented and Oikonny glared at the wizened middle-aged wolf who was leaning against the wall just outside of the bridge.

“You don’t look so good yourself, Wolf.” Oikonny snarled and continued on his journey to his much-desired bed. “You can take your pick of the spoils of war, feel free to bring your goons to loot to your heart’s content.”

“That’s not why I’m here andrew.” Wolf said, causing Oikonny to look at the space pirate mercenary warily. “You just achieved what everyone thought impossible. You’ve seized Venom back from Cornerian control while also putting down a threat to the system’s safety and prosperity. You’ve proven you’re not just some pretender with an over-inflated ego.”

“Gee, thanks.” Oikonny snarled, wondering if Wolf was going to get to the point. It wasn’t like him to beat around the bush like this.

“I’m going to ask if I could move Sargasso here and use Venom as a new staging area considering it’s closer to Lylat and thus it’s faster going anywhere in the system from here.” Wolf brought up and Oikonny blinked at the request of what was essentially an offer of alliance between Venom and the Star Wolf Pirates.

“I would be a fool to say no to that, Wolf. Having something resembling a proper defense force with us so diminished will make keeping Venom much easier. Why put yourself at risk though? You won’t have so much to gain with putting your assets in the line of fire.” Oikonny didn’t want fair-weather friends in such a dangerous scenario. He wanted to be sure Wolf’s crew wouldn’t just flee with their tails between their legs when things got difficult.

“Andrew, there’s enough scrap around here to work with that I couldn’t keep my junkers off them if I tried. There’s a lot of money to be had in reclaimed parts and materials. So long as we get first dibs on the scrap of Area 6, I’m sure my crew won’t be eager to ignore their new income resources.” Wolf insisted and Oikonny hummed in consideration, which was interrupted by a wooden clattering as a mask of a feminine wolf with the same scars and cybernetics as Wolf appeared as if from nowhere to fall to the floor.

“Um...I wasn’t aware you were vain, Wolf.” Oikonny commented and Wolf grunted in disgust at the idea before he picked it up and blinked his organic eye at it in shock.

“Well...I have something to show the others. I’ll assume you’re alright with my crew moving base?” Wolf asked and Oikonny blinked before he nodded tiredly. “Glad to do business with you andrew. Just don’t fuck it up like those prissy presidents did with their authoritarian bullshit.”

“Unlike Uncle Andross, I plan on the Venomian Empire to actually provide the freedoms that Corneria espouses. That said, just don’t go assaulting defenseless people and we’ll be fine with each other.” Oikonny warned the old pirate, who snorted.

“If they can’t fight back, there’s no point to it.” Wolf smirked cruelly and with that, Oikonny was left to his devices, so he staggered to his room and flopped face-first into bed.

[1001100 01101001 01101110 01100101]

“Finally! What took you?!” I yelped as Penny poured into me and I willfully fought off the debilitating spasms of the light orgasms she was causing me by sliding up through every nook and cranny in my opening to enter me since I was still barely bigger than a person, same for Yola, in order to have enough space for the others to get into their Arwings. I watched Yola suffering a similar situation with Urta entering her and I was incredibly turned on by all this.

“Sorry! I was having a lengthy conversation with Krystal and Urta about how to best bring out the most pleasure during sex in Krystal’s room, which is on the opposite end of the Great Fox from the hangar.” Penny apologized as she reformed at a to-scale size within me thanks to the spatial distortion my insides have compared to the outsides.

“Unf! W-whatever, just get in my pilot seat and let’s go!” I huffed before I entered the gleeful state of having someone piloting me and Penny flew me out into space before I grew to my full size, easily dwarfing the Great Fox with my navy blue cuttleship chassis, Yola shortly doing the same with her own maroon red cuttleship form.

I coulds see various laser flashes down on the northern hemisphere of Fortuna, as well in the orbit above it. I zoomed my sensors in and witnessed the moth-like Aparoids harassing the Star Fox team. Thanks to the foreknowledge we provided, they were able to easily handle individual Aparoids, but the sheer numbers of the massive mechanical moth monstrosities made managing matters much more difficult than a single ‘boss’ enemy.

“Are you ready to put some moths to flame?” Urta asked over our comms and I joined Yola in cheering in the affirmative moments before the EDI appeared behind us and she along with the Great Fox moved to flank us in formation to join Team Star Fox in the battle. “Let’s blast their outer formation to draw attention away from our fighters.”

“You got it!” I chirped and began charging my laser cannon as I calculated a path to sweep the beam through. Once I felt I had a good enough targeting vector, I fired my cannon with its distinctive *Bweem~!* noise that I could only hear because it was attached to me. I swept it through the outside layer of the cloud of Aparoids away from Star Fox and Fortuna. It was so satisfying to see the blast melt through enemies and Yola’s own red beam to follow suit.

“Wow, that’s awesome! I didn’t expect your boasting to be underplaying how powerful your main weapons are!” Sunset Shimmer gushed in excitement and I felt pride swell in my Spark. The best thing is, despite how powerful our lasers are, they also have a limited range. The light diffuses over distance and gets weaker unlike projectile weapons which only get deadlier. I say this is great because the trade-off of distance for hit-scan within that range to overwhelming power that will only get stronger if it misses is well worth it.

“Those blasts were easily as powerful as the Gorgon Cannon back in the Lylat Wars!” Peppy exclaimed from the Great Fox in shock and awe.

“It’s great that you have that firepower, but you’ve just drawn the majority of them your way!” Fox pointed out and I felt a bit sheepish at the cloud of enemies moving to intercept us. “Arwing team; we’ll be more useful on the ground. Heavy fire support; have at them, retreat if you get swarmed.” Fox ordered before he led his team of six Arwings down towards Fortuna to aid the automated defenses in fending off the Aparoids.

“I am so glad Garrus is on my guns right now. Firing!” EDI announced as her own, smaller laser cannon and her twin railguns joined in along with the Great Fox’s twin laser cannons, firing into the oncoming swarm while Yola and I prepared to sweep our beams through them.

Even with us cutting through the swarm with our lasers, the cloud of alien bug-robot-parasites reached us fairly quickly. Penny weaved me through a cluster and my main cannon melted more Aparoids while I used my tentacles to grapple and crush those that got too close.

This was unlike any other time I’d been in combat. Before, I could default to a cold and tactical mindset, become a precision killing machine. This time I was mostly guided by Penny, who channeled raw fury through me to the point I felt her wrath as my own.

I took dents, I retaliated with crushing force. I had my hull super-heated with vibrating force from their pulse blasts, I melted them with my laser. I gave far more than I got, but the Great Fox and EDI had to pull away at speed far too soon for comfort, leaving Yola and I stuck in the midst of moths until they could turn back around and begin bombarding our assailants.

“G-guh! Ah!” I screamed in pain when one of the Aparoid’s latched onto my underbelly and fucking bit me! “It burns! It burns~!” I screamed and in a panic did a short burst M.E.H jump away from Fortuna, shuddering and curling in on myself as the pain spread.

“Nora! Oh Gods, Nora! What can I do?!” Penny pleaded to someone as I began to fade to the familiar pain. “R-right. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” That hasn’t worked in a while...oo~, shiny bugs crawling all inside me… “How about this? Knowledge is my domain, those who have minds are my wards.”

[Admin Reboot Override accepted. Welcome, Hermais.]