From Lylat, With Love

Chapters

I - And When the Day Breaks
II - Zoness
III - Far Too Loud
IV - White Gloves and Old Ways
V - Scouting and Survival
VI - A Fox Named Fox
VII - Onslaught
VIII - The Equestrian-Cornerian Coalition

I - And When the Day Breaks

The Great Fox loomed through the coldest and farthest reaches of the eternal vacuum that expanded infinitely in any given direction. Small fragments as well as large chunks of terrestrial matter floated aimlessly through the empty black sea. This matter would occasionally draw near the massive metal ship only to either bounce off harmlessly or be avoided all together.

From the bridge window that expanded across the nose of the vessel, an inconceivable amount of stars laid untouched by the cosmic will of the universe. The sight was breathtaking, but as always, the outer reaches of space were to be respected for what they were, a dangerous, active expansiveness very capable of making novice travelers disappear into its void forever.

The eyes of the ship’s captain did not turn away from the window for a single moment. His sharp canine wits were trained at every object that ventured near his vessel. The Great fox’s collision detectors automatically shifted the spacecraft out of the way of larger masses of terrestrial debris, so the need for such constant vigilance was not necessary, and yet years of space-borne skirmishes and battles had taught the captain to look passed the immediate, and into what may lie ahead.

It was a long while before his gaze was broken as he turned back to his seat in the center of the bridge. The bridge itself held an impressive cache of electronics ranging from navigation to ship maintenance to the primary and auxiliary defense systems. The vessel was also equipped with instruments to be used at varying altitudes. Sonar devices could be used to quickly map terrain when near the surface of a planet, but was utterly useless in space where the sound waves lacked a medium by which to travel. When moving through the vacuum of space, a field of particles could be projected from the ship. Upon moving into the field, an object’s size, speed, and trajectory could be determined based on the disturbances of the particles. From there, the automated systems onboard could identify it as either space debris or another vessel. Should it simply be a chuck of rock, the scanner would determine if it was large enough to cause damage upon impact with the hull, where it would then be avoided or ignored entirely. If the intruding mass was a ship, however, the particles would cling to it, allowing it to be tracked and monitored whilst in the field, and if necessary, dispatch by the colossal energy cannons mounted on the lower front portion of the Great Fox.

The system was relatively effective, but it did suffer from drawbacks. As of now, the maximum effective range was only 30 miles and extending the range any further resulted in a siphoning in the ship’s power. Pirate groups had, in some cases, been successful in building technology that repelled the collision of the particles with the ship, disguising it as an asteroid. More than once had the captain’s ship had been attacked by what had first only been “a piece of rock.”

As the commander of the vessel looked down at the terminals near his chair, he stared at his reflection bouncing off of the pristine surface. He didn’t look very much like the hero the Lylat System had made him out to be. His orange fur was matted in places and hadn’t been brushed, traces of sleep still rested in the corners of his eyes, and as he got comfortable in his favorite chair, his vigilance gave way to nothing more than an early morning listless yawn.

“ROB, estimate time to the Zoness orbital fueling station.”

“Zoness fueling station e.t.a. one hour and 45 minutes.”

The orange furred hero groaned lazily and rubbed the remaining sleep from his eyes while the robot he had spoken to continued his busy work at the consoles. ROB, despite being synthetic and incapable of displaying emotion, was a valued and well loved member of the crew. His insight and cold hard statistics had proved to be life-saving on numerous occasions, something that couldn’t be overlooked when every other bandit in the system was out to cleave your head from your shoulders and collect what would no doubt be a handsome reward.

“Fox, your morning coffee has been prepared,” the robot stated in a monotone voice. Fox happily accepted the cup and took a quick sip of the morning kickstarter. He relished in delight and within a few seconds, the entire beverage was gone, save for the few drops that had missed his mouth and instead meandered their way down his muzzle.

“You know, for someone who doesn’t drink any liquids at all, you make a mean cup of coffee,” he stated as he wiped the remnants from his lips.

“Practice,” came the robot’s quick reply.

The vulpine set his cup in one of the many holders and made his way off of the bridge. He sluggishly maneuvered through the white halls until he came across his own personal quarters. As he moved closer to the door, it opened automatically and granted him access to the room within. He was just about to enter when a familiar pitter patter on the sleek floors stopped him.

“Oh morning Fox! Up already?” the green toad asked while scratching his back and yawning simultaneously.

“Aw Slippy no, you’re gonna make me-” but it was too late. The infectious yawn spread to the fox, causing him to take in a large gulp of air. Once his head came back down, he looked over at Slippy, who only gave a cheesy smile in return.

“Yeah, I’m up.”

“Alright, well I’m gonna head to the bridge and start preparing for the refueling. The others should be awake soon. I’ll meet you down there!” he called as he waddled his way to the bridge. Slippy was an odd fellow and no doubt the goofiest of the group, but there was no better mechanic in all of Lylat than him. A close childhood friend of Fox’s and a master of the wrench, he could keep the Great Fox going with chewing gum and tape if necessary. His technical prowess was only matched by that of his father, Beltino, who developed an apoptosis based program that brought about the end to the Aparoid Invasion several years ago.

Fox stepped through his dimly lit room and opened the door leading to his personal bathroom. It wasn’t necessarily luxurious, but it served its purpose, which was enough for him. He stepped out of his nightclothes and cranked the nozzle of the shower over to the second hottest setting. With some minor adjustments, he was feeling the bliss of a piping hot shower within minutes. He doused his head in shampoo and scrubbed away whatever grime had accumulated there. He repeated the process with his fur, and made sure that he paid extra attention to his tail, as it always seemed to find a way to pick up unwanted dirt.

“All members please report to the bridge. A transmission from General Pepper has been received.”

Renewed by his warm shower, Fox leaped out of the bathroom and quickly dressed himself in appropriate attire. He left his room with haste and jogged through the hallways until he came to the bridge door. When he entered, he could see that the other three members of his team had already arrived.

“Well well Foxy, late to your own party?” came a cooled voice from across the room.

“Sorry, had to freshen up first. You should do the same,” replied Fox as he feigned a look of disgust.

“Ah later, I wanna see what the big cheese wants first.”

“Perhaps he’s going to talk about my retirement benefits,” said an old hare through an aged but genuine laugh.

“Not if Falco beats you to it. Bird-brain over there has to be pushing seventy,” Fox smirked.

“Whatever man! Peppy is like three-times as old as the sun!”

“I’m 52.”

“Do you see the dust falling off of his beard? Fox, quick! Get a broom!” The pheasant threw his head back and laughed while Peppy simply shook his head and sighed.

Peppy Hare was by far the most experienced of the crew having served with Fox’s father and one traitorous Pigma Dengar. After retiring from active flight duty, he remained on the Great Fox and served as an advisor to the team, but recently, he had been considering leaving the Great Fox entirely and taking up a position on the Cornerian Advisory Defense Commission back on Corneria. It had been an honor to have him on the team, and it would surely be difficult when he finally decided to take his leave.

Falco on the other hand had no intention of depriving himself of the trill of deep space voyage. While the off days bored him to no end, his quick maneuvers behind the controls of an Arwing had secured his position as the team’s ace pilot. With a cocky attitude and the skills to back it up, few fighters who went toe to toe with Falco in space or in the air came back in one piece.

“Alright boys, settle down. I do believe the general is waiting on us,” rang out the only feminine voice on the entire ship.

“Alright, you heard the lady. Best looks everyone. Krystal, would you mind connecting us through?”

“Of course.”

The newest addition to the team was undoubtedly the most beautiful. With flowing blue fur native of her mysterious home planet of Cerinia, she possessed abilities beyond that of the technology available to the Star Fox team and most of Lylat in general. With telepathic powers, she could sense the presence and thoughts of nearby beings if she focused hard enough. Weak willed opponents were at the greatest danger of falling into her web of thoughts. Her telepathy could evolve into empathic manipulation, allowing her to control the emotions felt by another. This ability, however, was still in its adolescent stages of development and was susceptible to backfire if the opponent in question was anything above basic-brained. She had been inducted into the team after her rescue from Sauria following the defense of the planet from the dreaded banished scientist, Andross.

The connection feed buzzed momentarily before the three dimensional holographic image of an aged war dog appeared. The general had seen countless victories and losses and it all remained imprinted on his face. His status was displayed for all to see as his uniform was decorated with numerous pins and ribbons of triumph and victory. He had been dutifully serving his homeworld for 35 years, and many believed that he would continue to do so until his dying day.

“General Pepper, I’m glad to see you.”

“Likewise Fox, what has it been, six months?”

“Seven,” the vulpine corrected lightheartedly. “Far too long to go without talking to a good friend.”

“Agreed. I assume the rest of the team is doing well? Peppy you old hare, how are you holding up?” the general teased.

“With all due respect general, you’re closer to a retirement home than I am,” Peppy chuckled. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Yes, well while it is a pleasure to see all of you, I’m afraid I’m going to have to cut further chatter short. There is a matter that I would like to discuss with you.”

“Name it Sir.”

The old hound nodded and his image was soon replaced with that of a map displaying a system that Fox was unable to identify. Something seemed slightly off, but before he could further analyze it, Pepper spoke up once again.

“Before you is the Meeza 581 D System. It consists of seven total planets, two of which are believed to be in the habitable zone, as well as an asteroid belt.”

“So were going on a colonizing mission?” Falco piped in.

The general shook his head. “No, rather, an investigative mission. There is an extremely unique anomaly here that deems further study.” The map switched to an overhead view, which in the same instant, had confirmed Fox’s suspicions.

“It’s not heliocentric.”

“Correct Fox. In this particular cluster, the star, Alpha Meeza, as well as one lunar satellite, revolves around the first of the two planets that fall into the shifting habitable zone, defying all laws of physics. The star’s gravitational pull is estimated to be 28 times that of the planet’s, so by all accounts the planets should travel in relatively elliptical orbits around the star, and yet this is still happening.”

“Incredible,” Slippy let out in awe.

“Star Fox,” the general started, his voice dropping into a serious and hortative tone, “The Cornerian Defense Force would like for you to travel to the system and visit that planet that the star is revolving around. We fear that there may be some remnants of Andross’s army attempting to manipulate celestial bodies. I don’t believe I need to tell you the consequences for life in this system should they learn to move the position of Lylat and Solar.”

“Understood Pepper, we’ll be refueling at the Zoness station within the hour. Afterword, we’ll make a jump to Meeza and check out this…freaky star problem.”

The hound dog nodded, but his face still remained ever serious. “Remember Fox, we’ve never experienced anything like this before. You will need to time your entry with great care. Too early or too late, and you may very well be batted by Alpha Meeza before you can even approach the planet. I wish the best for you Star Fox, and good luck.”

With that the transmission shut down, leaving an empty space where the display of holograms once stood. Fox turned back to team and smiled.

“Alright team, look alive. We’re approaching Zoness and we’ll be jumping soon. If you’re going to eat breakfast, now would be the time to do it.”

Falco and Slippy did not hesitate in trampling one another in a mad rush for the kitchen. Peppy simply shook his head, sighed, and began operating the navigational equipment to prepare for the voyage to Meeza 581 D. Only one member of the team stood in their original position. She seemed lost in thought, transfixed by the air in front of her.

“Krystal, is everything alright?” Fox asked as he placed a reassuring hand on Krystal’s shoulder. She placed her hand on top of his before turning to face him. She no longer looked transfixed, she looked distraught.

“Fox, that asteroid belt in the Meeza system. I- I believe those the remains of Cerinia.”

“W-what? How can you be sure?”

“I’m not,” she sighed. “The essence, it seems so familiar. I can’t be certain, not now, but Fox, if we get the chance, I would like to look into it. To know for certain.”

“Of course,” he gave a gentle nod. “Now, why don’t you go get some breakfast before Slippy and Falco leave you hungry,” he smiled.

“I think I might do just that.”

“Sister, does something trouble you? Thou have been silent for nearly one full day. We are concerned for thee.”

The regal white princess rose from her position on the balcony where she had spent a majority of her afternoon. Her prismatic and vibrantly beautiful mane flowed in a way that resisted even the wind itself. Her coat reflected the remaining rays of sunlight until it vanished from sight completely. The sky stood bare, ready for her sister to bring up her own cosmic entity.

“Yes Luna, I’m quite alright,” she smiled. “A day spent in thought is not one wasted. I believe we all should take a day every once in a while to listen rather than speak.” She took her sister into a tight embrace, one that was quickly returned. “I should leave you to your duties. If you are in need of anything, you need only ask.”

“Of course dear sister. May the night bring you dreams of peace while you sleep.”

As her sibling retreated back to the castle for her night’s rest, Luna used her magic to reveal what she personally believed to be the most beautiful object in the sky. Little by little the silver sliver gradually expanded into a full luminescent circle. She took a moment to bask in the faded moonlight before reluctantly returning to the inside of the castle to take her place on the Throne of the Night.

II - Zoness

“ROB, activate the tether receivers.”

“Tether receivers activating. Decreasing primary thrusters.”

The massive flagship approached the Zoness fueling station that currently blocked the view of the planet of the same name. Once a beautiful vacation retreat, Andross’ polluting during the Lylat Wars had transformed it into a polluted aquatic world. From space, the planet appeared to be striated with black and brown bands, remnants of the airborne pollution that had melted the ice caps and flooded the planet, leaving only a few islands and Cornerian bases above the ocean waves. While the surface had been cleaned to a phenomenal extent, the upper atmosphere had yet to be expunged of the filth.

The ship aligned itself with four gigantic prongs jetting out from the front of the station. As it drew closer, the prongs began to emit a low pulse of purple light, which gradually increased. When the flagship came within a few hundred meters of the entrance, the tether receivers on the ends of each wing of the Great Fox bonded with the senders of the station. From there, the ship was reeled in and passed through the decompression field. Finally, magnetic locks clamped down on the supports on the underside of the vessel.

“Docking successful. Disengaging tether receivers. Primary and auxiliary cannons offline. Particle cloud disabled. Low power in all systems.”

Fox flicked his tail back and forth as he watched the dock workers prepare for routine maintenance checks before they would begin refueling. Everyone had an objective in mind, a task that they had performed a thousand times that contributed to the overall result of a healthy vessel. The vulpine turned back to his group, all of which seemed preoccupied with tasks of their own.

“Alright guys, this is the first and only stop before we leave for Meeza. If you need anything, there’s a civilians’ market where you can get some pretty cheap stuff. We’ve got some time to kill, but we’ll be taking off again within the hour.”

Each of the crewmen sounded off in their own way before Falco rose from his chair and stretched out his back. With a quick wing, he scooped up his jacket and marched toward the bridge door, only to briefly turn around at the last minute.

“Foxy, I’m gonna grab some grub for the road. You’re comin’ with, no choice,” the pheasant declared.

“Why?”

“Because you spend too much time cooped up in here and fresh air is nice when there’s actually air to breathe.”

“I’ll go too,” Krystal spoke up. “Stretching out for a bit actually sounds like a fantastic idea.”

Fox sighed and turned to his attention to the rabbit at the navigation desk. “Peppy, would you mind holding down the fort until we get back?”

“Sure thing Fox. Just don’t take too long.”

“Right. Slips, you want anything?”

“Actually, yeah. If you can get ahold of a spare coupler, I’d really appreciate it.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

The three exited the bridge and marched down to the end of the hallway. They stepped in the elevator, which quickly closed and descended as Fox pressed the holographic ‘down’ arrow key on the panel mounted on the wall. When it reached the hanger floor, the orange vulpine took the lead and made his way into the loading bay. A handprint scanner successfully unlocked the massive door and upon yanking down on a red lever, it began to open.

“Why didn’t we just go out through the gangway? It’s quicker than coming all the way out here.”

“Gangway’s been having some issues lately, something to do with the keypad not responding to the doorway, I dunno. Slippy was supposed to check it out, but I don’t think he ever got around to it.”

“Lazy frog,” Falco muttered.

“What, and you’re not?” Krystal asked playfully.

“Hey, I’m trained in being lazy, alright? Mister ‘Help me! I fell in again!’ over there ain’t got nothin’ on me,” his voice mimicking that of the distressed frog’s with surprising accuracy. Fox forced himself to bury his muzzle in his hand to prevent an onslaught of chuckles from escaping.

“It’s no big deal,” Fox said, waving off his laughter. “Maybe the maintenance guys here’ll look at it. Shouldn’t be too hard to fix.”

By now the door had completely descended, allowing them to step out onto a catwalk and then onto the main walkway. All around them, workers furiously concentrated at whatever task they had been assigned to do. Fox’s team was well known from every angle of the Lylat system, and yet no one so much as gave him a passing glance.

The walkway was surrounded by several dozen machines that were set in pace with the rest of the facility. Throats of power hungry engines wheezed smoke from within their bowels. Ancient gears in dire need of replacement screeched in pain alongside their companions, while others moved with little or no complication at all. Further ahead lay the civilian center, a complex system of improvised living quarters and shops where one could rest while their ship underwent maintenance. Smaller decompression fields allowed fighter spacecraft to pass through to a separate docking area where they could be handled without interference from the crews working on larger vessels. The pilots of the fighter crafts were typically the ones inhabiting the living quarters, seeing as how they couldn’t stay in them while they were being refueled and repaired while the crews of the larger class ships could rest in their own living areas, so long as the ship was not in need of a massive repairs.

Fox continued his brisk walk as Falco and Krystal joined him at his side. The blue avian took great pleasure in mentally picking apart the flaws in the individual fighters that remained secured in holding locks on the first two bay levels. A second-rate G-diffuser system here, a chinsy frame there, nothing that could hold a candle to the aerial warlord that was the Arwing. Falco scoffed at the flyers before diverting his attention back to the path in front of him.

To Fox’s left, Krystal admired the intricate metalwork around her. She had never been inside one of the Lylatian fuel stations, as Fox typically had the Great Fox upgraded and suited for space flight on Corneria. Corneria’s space station offered refueling, but was used more for scientific research and large scale jumps, such as the one to the Aparoid Homeworld. It also doubled as an orbital defense station for the planet. Massive salvos of missiles could be launched from conduits located on the front and belly of the beast. Nevertheless, she had not once set foot inside of it, despite its close proximity to her adoptive homeworld.

The orange vulpine kept with his brisk pace while he allowed his mind to wonder. The non-heliocentric feature of the Meeza system unnerved him. For one it would make approaching the habitable planet, which Fox had simply taken to calling Meeza Prime, extremely dangerous. There was also the possibility of encountering Andross’ minions on the planet. With ample time and resources, the Star Fox team could be walking into what could be thousands of Venomian soldiers lying in wait, ready to burn the Great Fox out of the atmosphere at a moment’s notice. Fox probably would have come up with a plan of action for approaching the planet, if it weren’t for the barrel of a blaster being shoved into his back.

“None of you turn around. If you do, he dies.”

None of them did.

The culprit was female judging from the sound of her voice, and a young one at that. She had the blaster trained just to the left of Fox’s spine, an instantly fatal shot, should she choose to pull the trigger. It was only when she released of fit of giggles that Fox finally peeked over his shoulder.

“You’re so gullible Foxster.”

“Miyu?”

The lynx spun her blaster on the end of her claw and slipped it into the holster on her side. Her ear ring bounced in place as she tilted her head to the side, giving the three crewmen a smug grin.

“Oh you have GOT to be kidding me.” Falco tilted his head back in exasperation and threw his feathered hands over his face.

“Ouch dude, what did I do?”

The bird lowered his head and grumbled something under his breath, prompting the lynx to place a claw under his beak and lift it so that his face met hers.

“Nice. To. See. You. Falco.” she said in a mockingly slow voice.

“Hello Miyu,” he replied with a bored expression.

The lynx smiled and drew her attention to the blue vixen that she had yet to confront. She circled Krystal and traced her body up and down with the stare of a criminal investigator. When she completed her scan, she turned back to Fox and gave him a quick nudge with her elbow.

“Nice catch Foxster, you gonna introduce me to the bride to be?”

“She’s not-” Fox cut himself off, realizing an argument with the feline would be next to useless. “Krystal, this is my friend from the Academy, Miyu. Miyu, this is Krystal, our newest member of the team,” he gestured toward his teammate. Krystal politely smiled and was in the process of extending her hand when the sound of footsteps and a soft voice interrupted her.

“Miyu! Miyu, please don’t…oh no, you already did didn’t you? I’m so sorry everyone.”

“Oh hush Fay, they’re a-okay. Guys, you remember this puppy. Krystal, this is my partner-in-crime Fay. Best friend for 25 years and running.”

“For better or for worse,” the collie shrugged.

“Now that was just cold.”

The group shared a brief laugh before the orange vulpine finally gained enough composure to ask some questions. “So, what are you guys doing out here? I haven’t heard from either of you in ages.”

“Sorry about that, communications have been subpar for some time.”

“How come?”

“We were on Titania for the longest time, and the sandstorms were harsh on our comm. units.”

“Titania? But the whole planet is closed off to everyone but researchers and military personnel. How did you get the clearance to go there?” Fox inquired.

“Fay and I were part of one of those research teams. We were developing a way to extract large chunks of iron out of the soil for a colonization project on Fichina.”

“That is the ice planet, correct?” Krystal finally spoke up.

“You got it toots. The planet’s a friggin’ iceberg but its composition essentially makes it inhabitable. The teams are determining if they can use the extracted iron to boost the radius of the climate control center, and to build new ones.”

“Well, why are you all the way out in Zoness then?” Falco piped in.

“Fay and I left the research team about a year ago. We were contacted by some suits back on Corneria that said we could be of use. So now we’re intelligence officers working for some brass under Pepper. Pay’s good, but it ain’t an easy job. Intel don’t come cheap, and the guys who give it up aren’t always reliable. I’ve had to shoot my way out of more back ally deals then I care to remember.” She shrugged and adjusted the radio clipped to her side. “Now we’re out here to stop some idiot from launching a one manned attack on Zoness.”

Fox placed his finger under his muzzle and scratched. “You mean like a terrorist cell?”

“Eh, something like that. Guy wants to hit the air purification filters in the atmosphere of the planet; says that ‘Cornerians are a plague to the Lylat System’ or some garbage, I dunno. He’s a regular whack job and we’ll be sure to get this fool before he embarrasses himself. What about you guys? Got somewhere to be?”

“Actually yeah, we’re head to the Meeza System under Pepper’s orders. Something pretty strange is going down and he wants us to check it out. Came here to fuel up before we head out.”

Miyu’s cheerful and slightly cocky personality faded almost entirely. She turned back to Fay, who shared an identical expression. “Fox,” the lynx started, her voice suddenly sounding quiet and tired. “That system’s been off the grid for years now. It’s a deathtrap, a crazy house. If you don’t get snowballed by the damn sun, then you get to face whatever lives there, IF anything lives there. We don’t know if they’re hostile, friendly, organic, or mechanical. It’s mystery wrapped in an enigma burrito. We’ve tried to send vessels out there before. None of them have ever reached the core planet.”

“Wait, if this system is so hidden and mysterious, how do you know so much about it?” the group’s avian asked.

“Simple, we were gonna go there.”

“What?!”

Miyu nodded, but it was Fay with her soft voice that spoke up. “It was the very next assignment for our research team. We spent a good amount of time studying the dynamics of the system in preparation, weeks, months even, but we left with the Cornerian officials two weeks before departure. Miyu and I discussed the terms and salary for the job and decided to leave the team. They went ahead and left anyway. I suppose they didn’t see our roles as vitally critical to the exposition.”

“And what did this research team discover?” Fox asked, hoping to gain some pre-game info.

“That you can’t outrun a speeding ball of plasma.”

The canine lowered his muzzle and scratched the back of his head. “I see.”

“Look Foxster, if you want my advice, make a beeline for it.”

“Huh?”

“Jump straight for the planet. The saltbrains over at Corneria are always trying to take things slow with this place, and it’s gotten every one of them killed. Shoot for just above the atmosphere, then haul it to ground level.”

“That’s suicide!” Falco cut in. “What if we’re pulled in because was jump too close? What if we land directly on top of the sun?”

“Look that’s my advice, take it or leave it. I’m just saying that almost everyone that’s gone in has been barbequed.”

“’Almost everyone’?” Krystal asked, curious to know if there was more to be heard.

“There was an expedition about four years ago. A group of five researchers managed to navigate a path from their jump site to the second of the two habitable planets, the harsher of the two.”

“Why not the core planet?”

“Beats me. Maybe they had a ship malfunction or something; your guess is as good as mine. All I know is that the little information that we have comes from that expedition.”

“And the researchers?”

“Dead as far as we know. Communications with the ship stopped roughly three days after. And before you ask, no, we don’t know why. They just stopped picking up the phone.”

This new intel pulled heavily at Fox’s mind, but the advice he had received might very well be the only way to approach the planet. It was a stretch, but their options were limited.

“Miyu, I can’t thank you enough for this…”

“Don’t mention it Foxster, it’s my job. But seriously, I want you guys to be careful out there. Don’t do anything stupid and get yourselves killed. I gotta get back to looking for this crook, but you guys take care.”

“You got it.” Fox smiled and waved as Miyu and Fay said their goodbyes and began to walk off. They didn’t get very far before Fox stopped them. “Miyu, wait!”

The lynx halted and spun on her heels. “Sup?”

“You got an extra coupler?”

The cat checked her pockets and satchels on her person to no avail. She then walked over to one of the many supply carts littered around the facility and robbed it of one of its couplers. She walked back over to Fox, opened his hand, and forcefully placed the part into his open palm.

“There you go, good as new!” she said, taking her leave.

“Uhh. Thanks.”

The group of errand runners piled into the kitchen of the Great Fox with bags of supplies. They had hit a few of the market stores to stock up on food and some generic medical supplies. It would be enough to last them quite some time, especially with what was already onboard, and it never hurt to be prepared.

After depositing the goods, the crew reassembled on the bridge. Fox passed on his semi-stolen coupler to Slippy, who simply stated that he would be using it to repair the gangway. The captain took his seat in the center of the bridge and checked the status of his vessel, confirming that he had plenty of fuel. He could also see that several auxiliary systems had been charged, including their newly designed “Vampire Fangs”, deadly protrusions that could fold out from the underbelly of the ship and siphon fuel or inject poisonous gases into the hulls of other vessels.

“ROB, begin lift off procedures.”

“Activating…awaiting your commands.”

“Activate interior systems.”

“Interior systems online.”

“Deactivate exterior systems.”

"Exterior systems offline."

“Primary weapons on standby.”

“Standby engaged.”

“Secondary weapons on standby.”

“Standby engaged.”

“Two percent power reroute to asteroid defense turrets.”

“Rerouting power...Reroute successful. ”

“Activate primary defensive shielding.”

“Hull shield online.”

“Reset targeting systems.”

“Targets reset.”

“Restore full functionality to primary bridge systems.”

“Functionality restored.”

“Auto-engage remaining consoles”

“Engaged.”

"Laser artillery on standby.”

“Standby engaged.”

"Nova bombs on standby"

"Standby engaged."

“Disable vampire fangs.”

“Disabled.”

“Enable particle field.”

“Enabled.”

“Disconnect magnetic locks.”

“Disconnected. Pre-flight check completed. All systems are go.”

“Engage primary thrusters at five percent to 20 percent max at 1000 meters.”

The ship lurched forward as the thrusters safely propelled to ship out of the decompression field. Once it reached its distance of 1000 meters from the station, it jerked forward as it increased in speed and prepared for an immediate jump into hyperspace.

“Enable hyperspace systems.”

“Enabled, please enter the coordinates of the desired destination.”

Fox turned to his aged comrade sitting at the navigation controls a few feet away. “Peppy, would you do the honors?”

“My pleasure.” The hare nodded as he set his fingers to work.

“Wait, I forgot to mention, jump straight for the outer atmosphere of the core planet.”

The hare stopped his typing and gave Fox a look that spelled “insanity.”

“I received some advice from an old friend on this. It’s our safest bet to get into the system alive. Trust me Peppy, I wouldn’t ask this of you if I believed there was another way.”

The hare sighed and shook his head in the palm of his furry hand. “I promise that I’m going to retire after this.”

“Thanks old-timer.” Fox smiled and strapped himself into his seat while the others followed suit. Peppy adjusted the jump’s aim to put them as close to the planet as he could without crushing them under its gravity. When he was finished, he gave Fox a solid thumbs up and prepared for the nerve racking journey ahead.

“Coordinates set. All systems prepared for deep space jump.”

“Alright everyone, keep your wits about you. We don’t know what we’re up against, and we ought to be ready for anything, or anyone. Jumping begins on my mark.”

“Three.”

“Two.”

“One.”

“MARK!”

Author's Note

StarFox - Godspeed (Corneria)

III - Far Too Loud

Corporal Ivan Sinclair flicked his tail back and forth as he adjusted his position in his seat. The comms room was typically quiet at this time; one or two technicians would enter the room for routine maintenance or check-ups on various spacecrafts.

The coyote tapped his claws lightly against the keyboard while his left hand supported his bored head. To say he was tired was an understatement, he was fighting the urge to face plant into the dashboard and fall asleep. His job was slow to say the least, but even so he couldn’t complain. It was good, honest pay and without it, he’d be out on the streets. It was certainly more honest than his former work with a group of thieving pirates. He took a little pride in knowing that he didn’t actually take part in the killings that went on. Rather than plant a blade into someone’s back, Sinclair’s understanding of the trade market made him exceptionally useful at forging business ledgers. Electronic ones were a cinch; a few hours of computer cracking and the whole ledger could be forged and the money redirected. It was when his targets were smart enough to use book ledgers that things got dicey. Those up close and personal assignments often required a great deal of surveillance, and more often than not, a disguise or two. Alas, those days were far behind him, traded for a life of babysitting others, while they lived their lives to the fullest.

Sinclair tilted his chair back and observed the monitor in front of him. His dusty brown fur lay neatly groomed underneath his coat while his keen eyes traced over the screen. It was littered with color coded dots that represented the classes of the individual ships. Most were either white or green dots which were privately owned and trade ships respectively. Blue dots could be seen in bulks, indicating friendly military ships, while rare purple dots signaled high class flag ships. Red dots were self explanatory.

/Incoming Transmission: Cornerian Defense Fleet/

The coyote scrambled to collect himself and adjust his uniform. Once he was convinced he looked halfway decent, Sinclair accepted the transmission, causing the General’s face to appear onscreen.

“G-General Pepper sir!” he saluted.

“At ease corporal. I have an assignment in which I believe your expertise in surveillance might be of use.”

“Sir?”

“Please locate the vessel, The Great Fox.”

“McCloud’s ship?”

Pepper nodded. “The very same.”

The coyote wasted no time in entering in the ship’s personalized serial number. McCloud’s vessel appeared, along with information regarding the ship’s status and position.

“Alright, I’ve got it pulled up on the monitor. She’s currently departing from the Zoness Fueling Station. Looks like they’re about to jump through hyperspace,” said Sinclair, not bothering to take his eyes off of the hologram.

“Establish communications with the Great Fox at the earliest possible time. I’m assigning you to a specialized support group tasked with assisting Fox McCloud and his associates with his current objective.”

“May I ask what that is, sir?”

“I’m afraid my time is rather limited, however, the rest of your team will provide you with the details. They will explain everything from the purpose of your selection to McCloud’s ultimate destination.”

“When will I meet this team?”

“They are en route as we speak. They should arrive at the center within the hour.”

The dusty coyote took a moment to collect his thoughts. He wasn’t entirely sure why the general had selected him as opposed to a much more qualified member of the Cornerian surveillance analysts. It wasn’t a necessarily difficult job but there were definitely people with much more flashy credentials then he.

“Affirmative sir. I’ll establish a holding track on McCloud’s ship and keep him posted, but I’ll have to wait until the vessel exits hyperspace.”

The old war hound nodded. “Do so. Open a stable line of communication as soon as possible. The team’s well-being is paramount in this mission. We can’t afford to lose them.”

Sinclair gave his most top-notch salute, but is face and expression soon dropped, a notable mixture of worry and anxiousness.

“Something troubling you, son?” Pepper asked.

“N-no sir. I’ll contact McCloud immediately. It appears he has reentered normal space,” Sinclair replied.

“Alright, see to it then. Pepper out.”

The general’s image vanished and the digital map of Lylat reappeared. Sinclair silently opened a communications log with The Great Fox. At first, no link could be established; the line simply flickered on and off. Suddenly, the transmission successfully connected. What he heard on the other side however, was a maelstrom of chaos.

“Pull up! Pull up!”

“She’s not getting any juice! Systems are failing across the board!”

“Shields offline!”

“Reroute the power!”

“We have no power!”

“Fox, we’re plummeting!”

“Pull up!”

Twilight Sparkle clutched her groceries in a close telekinetic grip. The brown paper bag, full of foods of every kind, bounced as evenly as her gait across the pathway through town. Beside her, her faithful assistant walked jovially, holding a bright topaz gem in his claws.

“Can’t believe it was just sticking half way out of the ground like that!” Spike exclaimed, slowly licking his chops. The gem gleamed in the sunlight as he twisted his wrist back and forth.

“I still think you should have left it, Spike,” Twilight began. “Maybe there was a reason it was so far out of the ground. Maybe it belongs to someone.”

“Twi, no one in their right mind is going to leave a beauty like this out in the open. It does beg a question though; why was it sticking so far out?”

“I really don’t know Spike, I-” Twilight suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Something had caught her eye, something extraordinary.

“Spike,” she fixed her vision on the object in the sky. “Is- is that a shooting star?”

“What?” Spike squinted hard in the daylight, but sure enough there was a distant object that appeared to be sailing across the baby blue sky. “Huh, how ‘bout that.” His attention was quickly diverted back to the jewel in hand.

“It’s visible, even during the daylight hours. Remarkable.” She paused, gazing at the object thousands of feet in the air. That was when struck her like a bullet. The meteor was still visible.

“Something’s not right. It should have passed on by now.”

By now the meteor was discernibly larger. Twilight’s heart rate shot through the roof. It wasn’t getting farther away.

It was getting closer.

“Spike! Spike, we have to get out of here!” she shouted in a panic. She telekinetically grabbed her assistant’s tail and gave it a hearty tug, forcing him to drop the gemstone.

“No! My precious!” he hissed as he lurched with all his might. Thankfully Twilight gained the upperhoof, and drew him in. In a quick flash, the two bodies disappeared, no longer in the pathway of the falling U.F.O.

When they reappeared, Spike’s body took a short fall into the dirt of hillside not far out of town. The soil blanketed his tongue filling it with the bitter taste of sediment and plants.

“Plaeh! Plaeh!” The dragon repeated dragged his claws on his tongue in a futile attempt to rid himself of the taste. “What was that all about?”

No sooner than those words left his lips, Spike redirected his vision toward the sky. It was here that there that he spotted the deformed shape streaking down the sky. It left a trail of white smoke behind it as it gradually sped through the thick atmosphere. It wasn’t until about 30 seconds later that he and Twilight realized just how truly massive it was.

“What in the name of Celestia…”

Finally, in the most explosive landing she had ever seen, the U.F.O. slammed into Equestria’s brittle earth. The concussive blast from the landing knocked Twilight off of her hooves entirely. She stumbled, but eventually she was able to gain her ground. When she turned to look at the crash site, she wasn’t surprised to find that it had been completely shrouded in dust and dirt.

“Oh dear.”

The impact had tossed Fox from his position in his chair into a slightly crumpled heap on the ground. His skull and back ached and it felt like a rib or two had been broken, but he forced himself to stand all the way up. The room was spinning, and it wasn’t until he placed his hand on the nearby wall that he was able to stabilize himself. He coughed loudly to free his lungs of the dust and debris that had accumulated during the crash. As he scanned the room, he could see that most of the crew was no better off than he was.

When Fox attempted to call out to his team, his abdomen seized up and sent him into another round of coughing. Each cough felt like a seismic burst of pain. He caught a deep breath, and held it in. When he felt like his body had calmed down, he released his breath and turned to the recovering team.

“Is everyone alright?” he yelled across the bridge.

“I’m okay,” Krystal sounded off. Her blue hair dangled loosely in front of her face. Her suit had been ripped in some places, and the underlying fur and skin had been cut, fairly deep in some cases. Other than these lacerations, she seemed to be fine.

Peppy had himself braced against the grey console in front of him. His glasses had a small spider web-like crack along the left lens and his left hand was wrapped across his stomach. His old face flashed a series of pain filled expressions. “I’m-I’m alright! Just a little shaken up.”

As Fox panned over he could see Falco sitting down against one of the bridge walls breathing heavily. From what Fox could immediately see, Falco had sustained the most serious injuries. His right wing was broken and twisted in a painful fashion. Blood dribbled down his beak and under his right eye. His breathing intensified as he started talking. “I’ll live,” he tried to reset his wing, only to groan in pain and give up. “I think.”

“Running ship and crew diagnostics,” The metallic ring of ROB’s voice echoed over the sounds of electric sparks and creaking metal. “Scanning. Scanning. Scan complete. Hull integrity critical, vampire suction fangs offline, particle field offline, engine temperature critical, power at 6%, twin lasers and hanger bay have sustained moderate damage. Two of four available Arwings are disabled.”

ROB suddenly pivoted himself toward one of the relatively undamaged consoles and attached himself to it with a soft metallic clang.

“Checking crew lifelines, please wait.”

A few still moments passed before the robot spoke again.

“Status obtained:

“Fox McCloud: Alive.

“Peppy Hare: Alive.

“Falco Lombardi: Alive. Heavy injuries sustained. Medical attention is advised.

“Krystal McCloud: Alive.”

Fox could hear Falco chuckled from across the room, even through his heavy injuries. Fox simply rolled his eyes.

“Slippy Toad: Incapacitated. Critical injuries received. Warning, fatality is certain if medical attention is not provided.”

Fox’s heart skipped a beat.

“Slippy! Slippy!” he continued to yell.

By now Falco had already gotten up and begun digging through the debris to which the others quickly joined him. The pheasant realized his digging was too impaired with his wing and quickly remedied the issue. He grabbed it with is good wing and continuously yanked it until he and the others heard a sickening crack. Krystal put her hand over her mouth and gasped, slightly horrified at the scene. The wing had been put back into place, but the inside bones were still undoubtedly shattered. It hardly mattered. He continued to dig away at the rubble until he came across a little green hand.

“In here!” he shouted.

The team worked in unison to reveal their buried teammate. What they saw after was heart wrenching. Slippy face was cut in several directions as was his torso. Every time he took a shallow breath, blood would form near the corners of his mouth. It was safe to assume that at least one of Slippy’s lungs had been viciously punctured. If he didn’t get the help he needed, the little green mechanic would not make it.

Fox circled around to Slippy’s head. “Grab his feet; we need to get him to the clinic.”

Twilight slowly approached the wreckage of the crashed ship. The earth that had lain in its path had been viciously gouged out and removed. It was astounding that the vessel had managed to remain more or less intact. Large, hot metal plates flaked off of its body and sailed violently into the ground.

The machine, or whatever it was, was of absolutely monolithic proportions. Spanning hundreds of ponylengths both high and wide, the beastly amalgamation of hot metal and earthly remnants lurched forward slightly before setting into the dirt. To say it wasn’t of this world was an understatement. It didn’t even appear to be from this time period.

The lavender unicorn placed her hoof to her hand and rubbed it. The sound of the crash had been near deafening and her ears rung with noisy excitement. Physical stability on solid ground was something she took for granted. Not anymore.

Twilight peered down at Spike to see that he was also quite shaken from the impact. He put his tiny claws to his temples and rubbed them vigorously. Every so often he would peer at the beast, as if to make sure it wasn’t going to suddenly leave without saying goodbye.

“Twilight, please tell me you know what this is,” he muttered.

Twilight simply shook her head. She hadn’t seen anything like it. Whatever it was, it was uniquely designed. The end closest to her was much thicker than its nose and contributed to much of its girth. Its hind portion contained two large black tubes that seemed to leak a brilliant display of residual fire.

“Spike…take a letter.”

IV - White Gloves and Old Ways

If there was one thing Cornerians took seriously, it was cleanliness. The hallways of the Orbital Management Intelligence’s headquarters were nearly immaculate; such was the presence of the Cornerian military. The glossy and mirrored surfaces were rivaled only by that of the hospitals that dotted the earthbound landscape. The walls and floors shimmered with an alien glow. However, this peace was disturbed by several sets of footsteps parading down OMI’s otherwise barren walkways.

The group moved in strict unison, expertly navigating the length of the facility with ease. They simultaneously approached a large automatic door labeled “Communications Room”, and a split second later, the door’s center seal spun in place and released the locking mechanism and the pistons. It slid open, revealing another pristine piece of the station, one which was inhabited by a lone figure who occupied one of the far consoles. He worked feverishly, swearing under his breath and continuously wiping accumulated sweat from his brow.

The team approached Sinclair’s console, however, he paid them no amount of immediate recognition. It wasn’t until the team’s largest member cleared his throat that the coyote finally turned his head.

“You’re the squad, I presume,” said Sinclair.

“Well we sure as hell aren’t your housemaids,” said a female husky. An identical one stood silently next to her.

“I believe introductions are in order,” said a female leopard as she stepped forward. She clutched an interesting looking weapon at her side. A red beret adorned with a golden insignia sat atop her head. “My name is Laura Spots, WGS team leader and officer of the Interplanetary Relations Bureau.”

“WGS?” Sinclair asked skeptically. Of all of the acronyms he had become familiar with, this was not one of them.

“The White Glove Society. We are a team of specialized officers and elite soldiers handpicked to advise and protect General Pepper,” Laura clarified.

“Why have I not heard of this, White Glove Society before?”

“Because officially, we don’t exist. Our very nature is of the highest level of classification, and you have been entrusted by the general to keep this classified. Understood?”

He simply nodded.

Laura turned back to her team. She addressed the group’s largest member, a polar bear that stood several feet above Laura. His bright white coat stood in deep contrast to his black militarized tactical uniform. He scoffed loudly and glared down at Sinclair, causing him to shift uncomfortably in his seat.

“Don Hammer,” said Laura as she released the grip on her weapon and pointed to the brute. “He serves as the group’s primary assault man and as an incredible history in the field of explosives and demolition.

Hammer stepped forward, still keeping an iron cast glare down on Sinclair. He finally extended his large claw and broke out into a goofy grin.

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance Mr. Sinclair. May I call you Ivan?” the polar bear beamed. Sinclair took his paw and shook it, although his own brown paw disappeared into the bear’s gloved paw.

“Uh sure?” Sinclair said, slightly confused.

“Hammer, professionalism,” Laura cut him off.

“Ohp,” the bear straightened himself out and released Sinclair’s paw. “Sorry boss.”

Another figure stepped forward, this one, a ferret. He was dressed in a whitish-tan trench coat and a fedora of the same color. A light blue tie with white polka dots extended out of the collar of his coat. On his hands were the trademark set of white gloves that were worn by all members of the elite team.

“Shinji Thinwisker,” it was Sinclair himself that identified him.

“You got me,” he put his hands up in mock defense.

“You were a world famous journalist. You documented the Sargasso massacre two years ago, and the Aparoid invasion almost a year after that. The same invasion you were supposed to have died in.”

“Yeah well, when that many people die in an attack, it isn’t hard to add your name to the list and just disappear.”

“But why would you run away?” Sinclair asked.

“Pepper came a knockin’ and I answered. Do you know what my profession was before I quit?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“I was thoracic surgeon, specialized in pulmonary care. In other words, he wanted me for my medical expertise, not my reporting skill. I serve as the team’s chief medical officer.”

“Surgeon to reporter. Seems like a rather large career jump,” Sinclair stated.

“Yeah well, I have my reasons.”

“Alright, Shinji he doesn’t need your life story,” one of the huskies chimed in, the same one who had been the first to speak. The other husky stood quietly behind Hammer. Both of them were dressed in military battle uniforms, along with their clean white gloves. A pair of small, thinly framed rectangular glasses sat upon the bridge of the hiding husky’s nose. In addition, she had beautiful white hair that reached her shoulders and bangs that reached past her glasses. Her talkative counterpart also had white hair, but it had been pulled back in a simple ponytail.

“Name’s Mojave Greycoat, the girl hiding behind Hammer is my sister Maddie.”

“Hello,” Maddie said shyly.

“We’re the best damn sniper team this side of Lylat,” Mojave said affirmatively.

“A spotter-shooter team?” said Sinclair. “I thought with modern technology that sending a two man team was inefficient.”

“Not inefficient, undervalued.” Mojave corrected. “Never underestimate the value of a teammate. I provide vital information while Maddie is busy picking her targets.”

“Maddie is the shooter?” Sinclair asked, slightly drawn back.

“Yeah, got a problem with that?” Mojave said suspiciously.

“Nope, not at all.”

The final member made no real effort to make himself known. He stood quietly, and his identity and appearance were concealed behind his black tactical outfit and ballistic vest. His face was hidden behind a black gas mask with red reflective lenses that shielded his eyes. A black metal soldier’s helmet also adorned his head. The aggressive amount of black made his white gloves seem out of place.

“This is Boxcars,” Laura began. “He is the team’s special operations soldier. He’s quick, quiet, and deadly. He is a brilliant tactician, and if he comes off as cold and calculating, that’s because he is. His priority is the mission, something I’ve come to admire and something Pepper has recognized.”

“Boxcars? Is that a codename?” the corporal asked.

Boxcars remained silent.

“It’s the only name we know him by, and it’s all we need to know. He hasn’t told us, and we haven’t bothered to asked, simple as that,” Laura answered.

“I see,” Sinclair nodded. “But there’s one thing that escapes me.”

“Which is?” Laura prodded.

“I’m a surveillance agent. Why did Pepper send a ground team to assist me? I have all of the equipment I need here.”

“Really? Because it appears your communications system is failing.” Mojave said coyly.

“It’s not my equipment,” he retorted. “McCloud’s ship is suffering from a catastrophic failure in systems. I think his vessel might have crashed. And you still haven’t answered my question.”

The team remained silent. Eventually, Hammer’s booming voice invaded the room. “We’ve actually been assigned to remove you from this station. We were told that your technical expertise could come in handy.”

“Handy for what?”

“For following McCloud into the Meeza System. We’re going to tail McCloud as backup.”

“Oh no no no no no,” Sinclair retorted, waving his arms back and forth. “I’m a surveillance officer for OMI, nothing more. I would be next to useless in–”

“We know about your record Ivan.” Laura stated firmly. Sinclair winced. No one had used his first name in that tone in quite some time.

“This is a hell of an opportunity we’re offering you, Boy Scout,” said Shinji. “Take it or leave it but we’re asking you to join a prestigious group to do prestigious things. You might have to get your feet wet but that’s the name of the game. If you’re right about McCloud’s ship going down then he need us now more than ever. So, what’s it gonna be?”

Sinclair sat in silence for a moment. Shinji was right. An induction into the White Glove Society was looking more and more like a once in a lifetime opportunity. He wasn’t even aware of their existence before today, but then again, he didn’t keep tabs on Pepper’s personal life either. Before he could come to a mental decision, he felt a swift pair of limbs pull his arms behind his back and shove him forward. He caught a brief glimpse of Boxcars’ mask as he was continuously shoved forward.

“Hey, hey! What is this?!” Sinclair yelled.

“I think that’s his way of saying ‘you’re taking too long,’” Mojave smiled.

Boxcars shrugged.

Twilight could feel the heat of the buildup of magic next to her. Her coat of hair blew back, as the form of a large pony took the place of the heated ball of magic. Celestia’s regal appearance was usually meet with howls and hoots of praise and joy, but this time, she only stood next to her faithful student and a small dragon in silence. In the far distance, Ponyville could be heard in an uproar and a panic.

“Princess,” Twilight bowed. “I’m so glad you came. I wasn’t sure what to do. I’ve never seen anything like this…”

Celestia stood in silent awe. Despite being one of the single oldest creatures on Equestria, never once had she come across such a being. Made of neither flesh nor stone, it sat undisturbed since its abrupt landing. The dusty air had finally settled and rocks and earth that had been kicked up had finally come to a halt.

“And you say this fell out of the sky?” Celestia asked, not taking her eyes off of it.

“Yes princess, a couple of minutes before your arrival,” Twilight responded. “I assumed it was a shooting star at first, but now,” she ran a hoof through her hair, “I’m not sure what I’m looking at.”

The look on Celestia’s face intensified. Twilight rarely saw her mentor this serious. She was concerned, but ultimately knew that if anyone had an answer for this, it would be Celestia.

“Twilight, I want you to gather your friends and return here. I will call upon the Royal Guard to keep others at bay. No one else from Ponyville must approach this–this,” she paused, looking for the right word, “Thing, without my consent.”

“Of course,” Twilight started to walk away but soon found herself turning back to the princess. “Princess, d–do you think it’s here to harm us?”

Celestia said nothing at first. She stood tall in the shadow of the behemoth in front of them. Then, turning to look at her faithful student, she answered: “I can’t be sure my little pony, but I promise you that whatever happens, we will be ready for it.”

Fox slowly brought the cylindrical syringe down onto Slippy’s arm and pressed down until he heard a small hiss. On the monitor, a confirmation that nanomachines had been injected into his body appeared. Fox had given him Type A or temporary nanomachines. These nanomachines would enter his bloodstream and accelerate the healing processes in his body, forming clots and repairing tissues much faster than normal. When they had served their purpose, the nanomachines would deactivate and they would be passed out of the body through sweat, waste elimination, and breathing. There was another strand of nanomachines known as Type B or permanent nanomachines. Unlike Type As which were typically used for medicinal purposes, Type Bs augmented the body entirely, increasing muscle growth, providing real time accelerated healing, and increasing cognitive function. Type Bs were notorious for being unstable, however, and its effectiveness would vary depend on who was receiving them. Some experienced all of the benefits and no ill effects; others were killed moments after their injections. Fox kept several samples of Type B nanomachines on board for study, but they were not to be used by the crew members.

The monitor displayed the gradual progression of the nanomachines in Slippy’s body. They had reached his lungs and began collecting clotting factors in the bloodstream. It would still be a while before Slippy was back to full health; Type As didn’t provide healing at the rate that Type Bs did, but they did heal at a much safer level. It was impressive to see this technology at work, and how far Cornerians had come from their early days.

While observing the monitor, Fox heard a set of footsteps behind him. When he swiveled his head to check, he saw Krystal standing in the doorway. Her blue ears were low to her head and her normally joyful smile was replaced with an expression of worry. She approached her captain and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Fox, ROB has detected a large presence not far from our position. We believe it to be the primary life form on this planet; equine by the looks of it,” she said.

Fox stared at his friend’s inert body, but nodded in understanding. “Alright, I’m going to arm myself and try to scout out the area. If this planet’s composition is identical to that of Corneria, then we shouldn’t need any breathing apparatuses,” Fox concluded.

“Therein lies the second issue. The armory door was sealed shut during the crash, there doesn’t appear to be anyway to open it from the outside, not without special tools at least.”

Fox turned to Krystal and sighed. “Alright, we’ll make do with what we have until we can get into the armory. Head back up to the bridge and keep an eye on the equines. We’re in possibly hostile territory, and if we don’t move quickly, they’ll box us in before we can do anything.”

Krystal said nothing. Instead she looked down at Slippy. Without his hyperactive attitude roaming throughout the ship, everything seemed much more desolate. She put her free hand on Slippy’s arm and smiled.

“He looks up to you, you know,” she said.

“Yeah. Maybe he shouldn’t though. I made a stupid decision, jumping that close. I could have cost this crew their lives.”

“Hey,” Krystal cut him off, “The important thing is that we’re all here. We have a new task in front of us and we can’t get caught up in ifs and buts. This team respects you and we’ve been through enough trouble to know that things are not always going to go as planned. Keep your head up, you’re not going to find the light at the end of the tunnel if you’re too busy staring at the floor.” With these last words, the blue vixen turned and departed from the clinic.

Fox stood quietly, contemplating both Krystal’s words and the situation at hand. She was right, what was done was done and if his team was to make it home again, he would need to keep his wits about him. He made his way out of the clinic and marched down the hallways of the Great Fox. Some of the panels of the walls and ceiling had been knocked loose in the collision, but it was still navigable. He arrived at the door to his own personal quarters, which automatically slid open to let him inside.

The room was dark but it was easy to see that the walls were heavily decorated with rewards and antiques that belonged to both him and his late father, James. Plaques of recognition were lined next to trophies and other assorted nick-knacks and certificates. One particular item of his father’s that was mounted on the wall caught Fox’s attention. It was an outdated semi-automatic rifle, one that utilized ballistics technology rather than the plasma arsenal that had become more or less standard issue. Next to it on the shelf rested a box of ammunition for the weapon, .233 rounds. The rifle itself had a grey coat and a wide set rear end that provided stability and support when firing as well as a place to slide one’s thumb through a grove in the stock and comfortably grip the gun. The scope was optimized for several hundred yards, and the frame of the weapon was sleek and durable. Fox’s father was a fan of this much older technology. He always said it forced an individual to take into account so much more than simply pulling the trigger. With plasma, it was a nearly silent, fast firing shot. The shockwave of recoil that was experienced with each shot from a ballistic weapon made every pull of the trigger a wake up call on the battlefield.

Fox reached up and took the rifle down off the wall. It had been ages since his father had shown him how this type of tech worked, but with a moment of tinkering, he was able to free the empty magazine. He loaded it with ten rounds and then reinserted it back into the weapon. He slowly pulled back the slide until he heard a low “click”. Satisfied, he stuffed the remainder of the rounds into one of his satchels. He swung the rifle’s black strap over his shoulder and pulled it tightly.

“It’ll have to do.”

V - Scouting and Survival

Sinclair could feel his body being shoved forward while his arms remained restrained behind his back. Boxcars paid him no attention as they marched wordlessly toward the team’s flight vessel docked at the northern most section of the facility. His arms hadn’t been bound by anything other than Boxcars’ hands, but his iron grip was as good if not better than any set of handcuffs.

As they moved down the hallway, they began passing the crews’ quarters for the OMI station. A majority of the doors were locked, which made sense; it was almost two in the morning aboard the space station, and most of the crew had simply retired for the night. This didn’t stop Sinclair from trying to wiggle out of Boxcars’ grasp and yelling back at the group.

“Wait, wait! If you’re going to kidnap me at least let me grab something!”

“No can do Boy Scout. If McCloud’s situation is as dire you say it is, then we need to move fast,” Shinji replied.

“McCloud can wait. He’s held his own before and I doubt he’ll have trouble now. This will only take a second.”

Laura gave him an uneasy glance, but ultimately motioned for Boxcars to release him. Sinclair scurried into one of the adjacent rooms and disappeared behind the wall. He returned shortly after with a large black case. It was bulky and if it was placed upright, it matched the coyote in height.

“Wha’s that you there?” Hammer asked.

“A pet project of mine; I figured it’d be a waste to leave behind. Come on, I’m all set.”

Laura motioned for the team to continue on down the pathway. Sinclair couldn’t help but feel uneasy walking next to the group. Their air of professionalism was unlike anything he had seen, even within the ranks of the Cornerian Army. They obviously took right after the general in that sense.

The heavy case rested under the coyote’s right arm. He let his mind wonder. What was it about these individuals that had him so on edge? He chalked it up to the simple fact that he wasn’t as hardened as them. He knew conflict, and this was neither fresh nor frozen in his mind, but there was still a tightly packed air of mysticism surrounding the White Glove Society.

As they approached the end of the hallway an automatic door slid open to permit the group to pass. They continued down the hallway until they reached the sealed door for their spacecraft which then unsealed itself once Laura had input a code on her wrist communicator. Sinclair found himself rather unimpressed with the ship. He almost expected something of a floating palace, but it almost resembled a merchant’s ship more than anything. It was then that his eyes trailed back down to Laura, where he once again got a peak at her interesting weapon.

“Commander, could I trouble you to tell me about your weapon? I’ve never quite seen anything like it,” he said.

“This?” she held the gun up to her chest, “It’s a Clockwork Assault Rifle. State of the art precision rifle with its own individual ammo supply, however, the weapon can operate to fire either ballistic or laser projectiles. Only one exists, and you’re looking at it,” she said proudly whilst adjusting her sleek red beret.

The crew spread out within the ship leaving Sinclair to awkwardly stand alone. He rested his case alongside one of the walls and leaned on it. He couldn’t help but sit and watch as the White Gloves quickly began to set the ship up for departure. He didn’t want to admit it, but it felt good to be in action again. He didn’t expect the life of a goodie-two-shoes to be all that interesting, but anything was better than sitting back and watching everyone else have all the fun. He was so deep in thought that he didn’t notice Mojave approaching from his side.

“So, whatcha got there?” she asked skeptically.

“Like I said, pet project.”

“I mean specifically,” she prodded.

. “I’d rather not say.”

The look Mojave gave him that told him that she wasn’t going to take “no” for an answer. He sighed loudly and laid the case down horizontally on the floor. He deactivated the fingerprint lock and lifted the cover. He hoisted out a large black contraption that seemed to vaguely resemble a rifle. He propped his knee up and rested the barrel there.

“What is that?” Shinji asked.

“This is the P.E.M.A.C. or the Portable Electromagnetic Accelerator Cannon.”

“A Portable what now?” Mojave said raising an eyebrow.

“It’s a rail gun,” said Maddie shyly. The sudden attention from the others looking at her made her flinch, but she continued. “It harnesses electromagnetism to fire a solid projectile at high velocity for maximum damage output. Most models are found on Cornerian cruisers as frontline weaponry. May I ask how you were able to manage condensing the size? If not that’s alright, it’s no big deal…” she trailed off.

“Well,” Sinclair started, “It was primarily about finding materials that wouldn’t bend or succumb to incessant firing. I had to find a way to equalize the recoil without sacrificing firepower. Not as easy as it sounds.”

“It didn’t even sound easy. So how does it work?” Mojave asked.

“I can’t tell you that,” he answered.

“Tell m–”

“No,” He was surprised at the firmness in his voice but nonetheless maintained his ground. “This is the only prototype of this weapon in existence and it’s my most prized creation. The case is sealed with a biometric lock that only opens to my DNA. Any attempts to force the case open will trigger the explosives that line that case, destroying the weapon and killing anyone stupid enough to be standing nearby. The explosives will also detonate if I give a voice command, preventing me from being taken hostage and forced to open the case. This piece of technology could firmly tip ground battles in the favor of the Cornerians. It isn’t to be divulged to anyone, White Glove or not,” he finished.

“Alright cowboy I can take a hint, I was just curious,” Mojave said, raising her paws in mock defense. “Looks like we’re gearing up to take off anyway.”

“Everyone!” Laura’s voice boomed within the ship, “Get to your stations and prepare to trail the Great Fox. Sinclair, the coordinates if you may?”

Sinclair nodded and ran over to the navigation consoles. After some nimble button pressing he gave Laura the all clear.

“Right, let’s move out!”

Fox carefully opened one of the emergency hatches on the side of his ship. Sunlight quickly blocked his vision and he was forced to cover his eyes. The scanner that covered his right eye dimmed and quickly adjusted to the change in sunlight. He hoisted himself out of the hatch, careful to mind the hotspots that still burned on the Great Fox’s hull.

Fox tightened his gloves and activated his optical scanner. It quickly began processing information regarding the environment, including the status of his beloved mothership. He then turned and scanned the hillside. His scanner searched for heat signatures. Nothing. Then for electromagnetic fields. Again, nothing. Finally it began searching for the presence of a heartbeat. Fox could feel his own heart sink when he discovered the result.

There were little pulses ranging anywhere from fifty to one hundred. The scanner could sense their heartbeats through the hill itself, but the sheer amount of them was staggering. If this group was indeed hostile, Fox had neither the firepower nor the manpower to drive them all off. He opted for stealth and nimbly ran down the length of one of the Great Fox’s wings. Once he reached the edge, he clambered down and rolled into the dirt to absorb the impact. Without missing a beat, he quickly began to scale the wall of dirt created by the impact. His gloves sank into the warm dirt as he hoisted himself out of the large ditch. He quickly scanned the hilltop again for heartbeats. They were getting closer.

Fox tightened the strap on the rifle and made a beeline for the trees that had been unscathed by the impact. He ducked down into the bushes, careful not to snag his flight jacket on anything. Once he felt he had camouflaged himself rather effectively, Fox removed the rifle from around his back and shouldered it. It took him a moment to zero in the rifle’s scope and to set his sights on the hill. He allowed his scanner to calculate the distance between himself and the hill and promptly adjusted the sights. He waited in silence, mentally preparing himself for what he might see.

It was another minute before the first figure walked into view. As ROB had stated, it appeared to be an equine, and a rather tall one, but much of its finer details were hidden by the sun’s glare. Fox watched as the single equine became two, then four, then eight and so on. He saw what appeared to be a decent sized militaristic gathering behind the tall equine, who he had labeled as the commander. Fox kept his eye on that individual in particular, ready to eliminate him and scatter his forces if absolutely necessary.

From where Fox was positioned he could tell that there was chatter going on amongst the forces. He began remotely scanning them one by one. They were unmistakably equine, but some of them had features that made them look more like mythical creatures than anything, with some of them bearing pegasus-like wings or unicorn-like horns. The commander appeared to be a hybrid of the two, possessing both wings and a large horn. They stood on the outside field but ventured no closer to the Great Fox itself. Fox continued to scan them, and determined that their weapons consisted primarily of spears while others had what appeared to be crude crossbows. What disturbed Fox the most was the fact that the crossbows did not rest in the hooves of the equines, but remained suspended in mid-air next to them. Puzzled, Fox magnified the image and was able to catch a shimmer around the crossbow. It had a faint light blue hue around it, and when compared to its respective equine, especially around the horn, the aura matched. Fox deduced that some sort of advanced function located in their brains allowed them to possess pseudo-telekinetic abilities. He couldn’t help but be impressed.

“Are these Andross’ cronies?”

Fox watched as the commander turned to talk to one of his subordinates, although this one, a purple coated unicorn, did not appear to be part of the army. An adviser perhaps? Fox trained his sights on the newcomer, who seemed rather concerned. At that moment Fox witnessed one of the troops, who appeared slightly more decorated than the others, approach the commander and salute.

“Captain Shining Armor reporting ma’am!” The stallion barked in a hearty voice.

“Big brother!” Twilight found herself saying, but in the presence of Celestia and with the situation at hand, he did not respond.

“Shining Armor, as you can see the situation here is more complicated than originally anticipated. We are unaware what this object is capable of as well as its hostility to us. I would like you and your troops to keep constant surveillance over it and to seal off the area to all non-military or exempted ponies. All residents who approach the area are to be reassured and sent home, understood?” Celestia commanded in her regal tone.

“Yes ma’am!”

Shining Armor turned back to his battalion and began shouting orders, having some prepare to set up a checkpoint into the area while others were told to circumnavigate the crash site and form a perimeter. Twilight turned back toward the hill from which they had come. Her friends were racing toward her, and did not stop until they too were near the crater.

“Oh my word…” Applejack sputtered.

“It’s even m-more massive u-up close,” Fluttershy choked out.

“Whoooooooa,” Pinkie and Rainbow Dash announced in unison. Rarity remained in silent awe.

Before she could receive any objections, Rainbow Dash took to the sky above the object. She slowly scanned it, but never fully approached it. She stopped momentarily, and then quickly flew back to the group.

“Hey! It looks like there’s some writing on this thing!” she shouted.

“A message perhaps? What does it say?” asked Twilight.

“I dunno, the writing’s a bit faded and covered in dust.” She returned to her friends’ sides. “So any idea on what this thing is?”

“I’m afraid not,” Celestia answered. “It simply fell from the sky. We’re not sure of its intentions nor if it is a friend or foe. This unpredictability is what makes this situation so dangerous. We don’t know what to expect.”

“M-maybe we should just leave it be,” Fluttershy stuttered. “Live and let l-live and all that…right?” She feigned a smile.

“I’m inclined to agree with Fluttershy on this one,” Rarity spoke up. “If we have no idea what this thing is capable of then the last thing we want to do is cause some kind of aggravation.”

Rainbow Dash scoffed. “If we leave it alone how are we gonna find out why it’s here? We should investigate it!” she yelled. Suddenly, the object groaned loudly as it once again settled in the dirt. Dash’s face turned a ghostly pale white as she quickly darted backwards. “Yeah okay, maybe not.”

Celestia sighed loudly and turned to the girls. “I believe Rainbow Dash may have actually had a point. If this being does indeed turn out to be hostile, then this is something that must be determined sooner rather than later.” She closed her eyes and breathed heavily, allowing her to mentally prepare herself for whatever catastrophe that may be lying just around the corner. “I’m going to approach it.”

“Princess, I really don’t think–” Twilight began

“Twilight,” Celestia interrupted, albeit in a soothing tone. “I promise you that I will not succumb to any tragedy,” she smiled. “You need not worry about me.”

Celestia began her slow march toward the monolithic being. She held her composure as she neared closer and closer to the crater’s edge. Her horn began to glow a bright white in preparation for a simple teleportation spell when suddenly she heard a loud bang. Wildlife in the area screamed and hollered while the ground in front of her kicked up dirt which coated her immaculate white muzzle. She instinctively drew back and planted her hooves in the ground. She didn’t realize it at the time, but she was breathing very rapidly.

“Princess Celestia!” the girls shouted.

“Stay back girls!” she shouted. “Whatever that was it didn’t come directly from that thing. Something’s in the woods trying to prevent us from getting close!” As the princess looked out across the clearing, she noticed the guards had also noticed the noise. Some of them were even pointing with their spears in the suspected direction that the noise had generated from. Celestia studied the area very closely. Nothing seemed out of place or disturbed. She used a very slight amount of magic to boost her senses, she could neither hear nor see anything, however, with a tiny shift in the wind, she was able to pick up a very faint scent, but this scent was unmistakable. Whatever was hiding in that area, was from the beast.

“Something is over there!”

Fox relaxed as the chills of firing such a loud weapon subsided. He had successfully prevented the commander from closing in on the ship, but he had also sent the entire area into high alert. Soldiers posted in the area began to point to where they believed his shot had originated from however it wasn’t until he heard distant shouting followed by the direct approach of the soldiers that he knew that his area was now a hot-zone.

Fox slipped out of the bush and quickly ducked behind a tree. He peered around it to find the soldiers approaching more quickly than anticipated. With lightning reflexes, he darted from cover, but his pursuers had nonetheless caught sight of him. They spread out in formations, ready to take him down. One hurtled his spear with his telekinesis, which missed Fox’s head by mere inches. Fox slammed down on a button on his wrist communicator and continued heading deeper into the forest. He vaulted over a fallen log and quickly juked left, hoping to cost his pursuers a few extra seconds, but they remained hot on his heels. There was no way Fox would be able to draw his rifle in time to fire, but the reverse was not true for the soldiers. One drew his crossbow and fired off a shot. Guided by telekinesis, the arrow serpentined left and right until it dug itself violently into Fox’s left shoulder.

“Augh!” he grunted, fall down into the dirt. Within seconds the soldiers were on top of him. He wasn’t sure if it was a result of his translator or not, but their voices came through loud and clear.

“Stay right where you are!”

“Don’t even think about moving!”

One of the equines planted his hoof down onto Fox’s back, causing him to stifle a yelp. They dragged him to his feet and prepared to restrain him when they suddenly ceased their efforts. A progressively strong wind was pulling in and it wasn’t until the sleek frame of the Arwing aircraft came into view that they could see what was generating this wind.

Fox used the distraction to slam his elbow into one of his captor’s cheeks. He quickly spun around and drove his metal boot into the chest of another, knocking him on his flank. A third soldier attempted to skew Fox with a spear, but lucky for him, years of experience on the field allowed him to nimbly dodge the attack. He gripped the shaft of the spear and pulled, and with it the soldier, whom quickly collided with Fox’s palm. Using the brief moment of peace, Fox painfully removed the arrow from his shoulder as the Arwing finally touched ground. Covering his wound with his right paw, Fox scaled the side of the cockpit and nestled himself in the Arwing. He disengaged the autopilot and removed the ground pads. With a little push from Fox, the ship quickly ascended into the air and over the forest.

Fox’s victory was short lived as the aircraft’s radar began to pick up multiple signatures nearing his location. Peering out of the cockpit window, Fox could see a dozen troops aiming straight for his ship. He had no real intention to start a war with these folk if it wasn’t necessary, and especially if they weren’t connected with Andross, but Fox wasn’t about to allow himself to be killed. He pushed on the throttle and calibrated the opening of his wings. Swinging his ship in a wide circle, he turned back and faced the oncoming squad of soldiers.

“All-range mode!”

VI - A Fox Named Fox

Fox felt the controls fight back as he brought his Arwing into a nose dive. The oncoming soldiers dodged left and right, letting the ship sail between them. They regrouped behind it and began charging from the rear. They figured, with some luck, they’d strike a weak spot.

A pegasus coated in thick golden armor chased down the Arwing with astonishing speed. Fox pulled into a tight turn and circled the Great Fox. From the cockpit window he could see more guardsmen joining the fight. Seeking to throw off his pursuers, Fox yanked back on the flight controls, bringing the Arwing’s nose into the sky. As he ascended he was surprised to hear the comms interface being to beep. He quickly opened the chat channel to see Peppy face onscreen.

“Fo–” His voice was choppy, most likely due to the damaged equipment on the ship. “What’s y–r situ–ion? I’m –ring a lot of commotion.”

“Peppy!” he yelled whilst pulling the ship into a large summersault. “I’ve stirred up the locals a bit, but so far there doesn’t appear to be any of Andross’ tech here. I think they’re attacking out of fear,” he said as he dodged an incoming spear.

“In that case Fox, t– not to use lethal f–. We can’t afford a wa– with these –uys.”

“Easier said then done!” he yelled. One of the pegasi bravely clambered onto his wing, throwing off the Arwing’s weight. He was joined by others who also clutched onto the wings, and then again by even more soldiers. The Star Fox team was in possession of some of the best aircraft money could buy, and here they were, bringing it down with sheer weight alone. “They’re weighing my wings down! He said pulled back on the controls, at the moment, he needed to prevent a dive bomb straight into the ground, which wasn’t going to be easy with his tagalongs.

“Fox, do a barrel roll!” Peppy shouted over the intercom.

“Right!” Fox repeatedly tapped his controls hard to the side, forcing the Arwing into a tight twist. The pegasi released their grip, allowing Fox to pick up his lost speed. Bolts from the crossbows pinged uselessly off the tough hull, but Fox was careful nonetheless. Suddenly, his ship stopped moving all together. Gritting his canines, Fox jammed the throttle as far as it would go, but to no avail. He looked down to see the regal commander using telekinesis to manipulate his ship. Seeing no other option, Fox activated the ship’s thrusters, causing the entire vessel to being to lurch forward. The canine could feel his teeth rattle in his skull as he fought against the telekinetic current. Alarms began to sound off left and right. At this rate, the Arwing was going to be torn to shreds.

In a last ditch effort to save the aircraft, Fox deployed the ship’s emergency flares. Multiple flashes of light ignited in a dazzling display, but even after this bombardment of blinding lights, Fox’s Arwing was still locked in place. He could feel the aircraft slowly descend against his will. For a brief moment, Fox considered firing off a few rounds from the Arwing’s cannons, but rather than attack, he set off the ship’s boosters once again. Little by little it began to move forward. The commander was fighting back with the fury of a black hole, but even Fox could tell the strain was immense. Then, without warning, the adviser began to also tug away at the ship. Fox barred his teeth once again as the G-Diffuser engine within the ship began to overheat. Sparks began flying to and fro within the cockpit. Then, having reached its limit, a section of the Arwing’s left wing caught fire and soon after, tore off of the ship with a small explosion. Fox suddenly felt the aircraft plummet to the ground. Wanted to avoid becoming one with the soil, Fox pulled furiously on the ejection lever.

It wouldn’t budge.

Taking both paws off of the controls, Fox continued tugging at the lever with all his might, but it refused to give. The equines must have released their grip, because Fox was plummeting straight to the ground.

Despite having lost a wing, Fox knew he still had a measure of control over the ship. He redirected the power from the left side of the craft to the hovering rockets underneath the Arwing’s base, but it wasn’t enough. With the ground quickly approaching, he made the last minute decision to redirect power from all available sources and divert them to the underside boosters.

With the remaining percentage of power focused on slowing Fox’s fall, he was completely vulnerable to attack. One of the golden-clad pegasi curled a spear around his hoof and let loose a war cry. With a shocking amount of strength, he hurtled the spear through the air. It stuck violently into the ship’s remaining wing, damaging it severely. The vulpine winced as the power within the vessel started fading rapidly. He was helpless as the ship continued its plummet into the dusty ground. Finally, with an earth shattering impact, Fox’s Arwing collided with the forest floor, sending broken pieces of the ship into the air, while McCloud himself went down with the cockpit. He was helpless as his furry head smacked into the console, sending him spiraling into the darkest recesses of the vulpine’s own mind…

Gather round and you will hear

A tale of derring-do and fear

A tale of one who was never cowed

The story of our brave Fox McCloud.

From Corneria they journeyed long

To fight injustice and right the wrong.

Falco strong and Peppy wise

Slippy fixed their warp field drives.

Fox was brave and smart and shrewd

Planning raids with weapons crude.

The lizards tried

But couldn’t run,

Fox always caught

The evil scum.

Then came a call for a mission dark

To conquer Venom would be no lark.

In Arwings they challenged Andross’ might

And sent him spinning into endless night!

And now our heroes are coming home!

The first thing to come back to the canine was his sense of smell. The air was damp and cool but Fox could sense the age of the room as well. Dust littered most if not all of the surfaces and upon just barely lifting his eyelids open, Fox could faintly see a ray of sunlight peaking through a small window protected by thick iron bars. Little streams of water meandered down the stone walls, walls which he was chained to.

Fox sighed and tugged lightly at the chains. Sure enough they were secured tightly into the wall, too tightly to break free using brute force. He quickly checked his body to see what items in particular had been taken off of him. The rifle was gone but his still had his wrist communicator which was securely locked on his wrist, although, because of how his paws were chained, it could not be reached. His optical scanner headset had been removed as well, leaving him with little more than the clothes on his back.

Although the guards had bound his paws, his boots and feet remained free. He dragged them across the stony floor in contemplation. Was he to be executed or tried? Perhaps they would experiment on him to get a closer look at his freakish alien DNA. Fox found himself rolling his eyes. He got himself into this mess, he could get himself out.

Carefully slipping out of his boots Fox used his upper body strength to raise his feet up to the locks on his paws. He gritted his teeth at the pain in his shoulder, but nonetheless he stuck one of his claws in the lock and began twisting it around, hoping for some kind of reaction. Suddenly, he heard a satisfying pop as the wrist brace unlocked itself, allowing his left arm to swing free. This made repeating the process on his right brace a cinch, and within seconds, he was free to roam around the room.

Fox slipped his boots back on and toggled the sender on his wrist communicator. To his surprise, the Great Fox was still within range. He wasn’t in the position for extended conversation, so he selected the record function. A message to his team should do just fine.

“Guys,” he began in a hushed tone, “I’ve been captured by the locals here; I’m being held in some kind of prison. Listen, no matter what, I want you to stay in the Great Fox. I made a stupid mistake and they might label you as hostile. I’m going to try to get in contact with their commander and try to convince him that we’re not enemies, although, I’m not sure busting out of jail is really going to help my cause.” He shook his head. “Regardless I want you guys to do what you can to start repairs on our ship. With any luck, we’ll get out of here in one piece. Fox out.”

Fox stopped the message and passed it on to the Great Fox’s receiver. It was up to him to get a hold of leader of the equines. He could stay in the cell and simply hope he was brought to their leader, but there was also the chance that they would just outright execute him. And after the fiasco that had recently ensued, saying “I meant you no harm” would make him look like little more than a helpless prisoner begging for his life.

The alternative would be to seek out the commander himself, but this too presented its own unique set of issues. Escaping from a holding cell was a poor way to show none-hostility. There existed a very real possibility that they would just kill him on sight, rather than give him a moment to explain himself at all.

Fox decided on the lesser of two evils and sat down against the wall of the room, waiting for the guards to come in. He looked at his freed wrists, and considered putting the locks back on for show, but once he glanced back up at the rusty chains, he scoffed under his breath.

“To hell with that,” he muttered.

Seconds melted into minutes, and minutes into hours as Fox sat alone in the cold cell. The boredom was mind numbing above other things, but Fox continuously told himself that it was better than causing more of a racket than he already had. He began whistling a tune to himself. It was an oceanic tune that had been taught to him by a friend of his father. He was a respected fisherman on Zoness before Andross’ initial invasion in the Lylat Wars and provided the means to craft delicate cuisines for vacationers on the planet, but took up a wildlife protection project on both Zoness and Aquas after the planets received heavy pollution following the war. Fox couldn’t help but imagine where this friend was now. It had been years since he had seen him and anyone who traveled the Lylat system long enough knew that unpredictability was an unfortunate fact of life. He could only hope he was doing alright.

With no amount of graciousness, the door to the cell swung open. Two guards stepped into the room to find Fox sitting on the wall under his shackles. They seemed more irritated then surprised but walked over to him anyway.

“Can you understand us?” said the larger of the two guards. He maintained a serious expression while his partner seemed more contemplative and curious.

“Yes,” Fox answered.

“Then you are to come with us,” he said, turning back to the door. He motioned with his head to his partner who quickly urged Fox onto his feet with his spear. “Make no attempts to escape, or there will be consequences.”

“I understand.”

Fox followed the brutish stallion out of the cell and down a dark and moldy corridor. They ascended a set of stone stairs and passed through another wooden door. What was on the other side was a stark contrast to the prison area. The hallways and floors were covered with beautiful tapestries, banners, and carpets. Huge stain glass windows depicted various events, most likely the history of the equines. Fox must have been staring too long, because the guard behind him shoved him with the side of his spear.

“Keep moving.”

Fox continued down the large hall until they stopped before a large set of double doors. The architecture of the building reminded him of the underwater buildings of Aquas; old, ancient even, but breathtakingly beautiful. The large guard pressed his hoof against the massive door and opened it, revealing a grand throne room on the other side. More stain glass windows adorned the walls, and the threading in the carpet was composed of what Fox could have only guessed was pure silk. At the far end of the room, he could see two seated figures, one of which the vulpine had apparently misinterpreted as their commander. It was obvious that the status held by this figure was of much greater importance.

When Fox finally stood before the two hybrid equines, the guards departed from his side.

“Ahh, you must be our visiter,” spoke the dark blue hybrid. “I am Princess Luna, and this is my older sister Princess Celestia. You are the alien who attacked our ponies, correct?” She eyed him.

Fox bowed out of respect and then leaned back up. “Princesses, my apologies for the events that unfolded recently. I’m aware that I haven’t made a good case for myself, but I assure you that we don’t mean harm to you and your ponies.”

“Yet you attack my sister?”

“Luna please.”

Luna was silent.

“It wasn’t my intention to attack you, but I needed to draw your attention away from my mothership.”

“Mothership?” Celestia asked.

“The large thing in the crater.” Both princesses looked at each other and mouthed an “oh”.

Celestia turned back to him. “What is your name traveler?” she asked with a curious face.

“Fox McCloud,” he responded.

“A fox named Fox?” Celestia chuckled. “How is it that you stand on two legs, Fox? The foxes of this world are all animals who live in the forest. All of which walk on four legs, and certainly do not clothe themselves.”

Fox looked puzzled but answered anyway. “I– was born this way. I can tell you that most individuals from my homeworld are bipedal.”

Celestia thought for a moment and decided to change her direction of questioning. “And what is your purpose here in Equestria, Fox?”

Fox hesitated. “I’m–I’m not sure if I can really divulge the details of my mission.”

Luna spoke up. “You say you are of a friendly nature, yes? Would this not be a way to prove it to us?”

The vulpine put his paw behind his head and scratched; a habit of his when he was either nervous or deep thought.

“I suppose you’re right,” he nodded. “We’ve been in pursuit of the remnants of a notorious criminal’s army. After he was supposedly killed in a confrontation with my team, scouting parties have been sent out to search for any stragglers. We figured that due to the odd nature of this planet’s sun that he might have begun some type of experiment here.”

The princesses turned to one another with a quizzical look. “I can assure you that I’m the only one in control of the sun here.” Celestia smiled.

Fox raised an eyebrow. “Pardon?”

“Indeed, I raise the sun in the morning and my dear sister raises the moon at night.”

Fox took a moment to let things sink in. At this point, he was just praying they were delusional.

“You mean to tell me that you’re the one in control of the sun?” Fox stated, not aware of the fact that his jaw hung slightly open.

“Yes, why does this concern you, young one?”

Fox ran his claws through the fur on his head. “Princess, are you aware that nearly a hundred of our kind have been killed by your sun?”

Celestia went wide eyed. Her mouth opened but no words came out. She turned to her sister, who bore much of the same look.

“Is–is what you tell me the truth, Fox McCloud?” Celestia asked, the look of a troubled pony never leaving her face.

“Yes, it is the same reason we were nearly killed on approach. In fact, we’re the first to make it through in a very long time,” he answered.

“B–but, I do not understand. How could I be–” The look of terror on her face grew larger by the minute.

“Princess, I’m sure it wasn’t your intention to harm these people. You were just, going about your daily life. How could you have known?” Fox tried to reconcile the trauma he might have caused, but he was aware that this sympathy might be good for his team. If he could get them to feel sorry for them, then he could possibly establish friendly relations quicker. It was worth the shot.

Luna, who had still been in shock herself, turned to Fox. “You are certain you are the only ones to reach here?” she asked.

“I’m quite certain, why?”

“As Guardian of the Night I have noticed several meteors fall from the sky within the last lunar cycle. Not unlike the one you came down in. However these meteors fell far enough away that we thought nothing of it. Yours is the closest we’ve ever seen. Do you think they were your comrades perhaps?”

Fox clenched his fists and gritted his sharp teeth. “No, but I have a pretty good idea of what they were…”

Author's Note

The song that is sung when Fox is unconscious is from the 1992 Star Fox Comic: Act 9: Here Comes the Son. The lyrics to the song as they were originally written can be found here.

http://arwinglanding.net/gallery/displayimage.php?album=1&pos=101

http://arwinglanding.net/gallery/displayimage.php?album=1&pos=102

http://arwinglanding.net/gallery/displayimage.php?album=1&pos=103

VII - Onslaught

Despite having experienced it many times before, Sinclair had never truly gotten used to the feeling of exiting hyperspace. His body lurched forward, and an all too familiar wave of nausea greeted him. The others did not appear to be has heavily affected as he had been, and regained their composer rather quickly.

Sinclair had taken the initiative to jump the group quite some distance from the core planet. In turn, they were a considerable distance away from the system’s main threat. He took a claw and wiped some of the excess spit from the corner of his mouth and sat up. He glanced over at Laura, who was staring intensely out of the bridge window. Her spotted tail danced back and forth curiously as she gazed out into the vast system. Sinclair cleared his throat and walked over to her.

“Something on your mind, ma’am?” he prodded.

Laura’s blonde bangs dangled precariously in front of her face, prompting her to brush them out of the way. “The infamy of this system precedes its beauty. It’s a shame really.”

“People don’t tend to see beauty in something so dangerous.”

“Perhaps not, but it is of no concern to us,” she said turning away from the window. “We don’t dabble in beauty I’m afraid.” She tightened the holster on her rifle and adjusted her beret.

“So now what?” Sinclair began, “We just wait until the sun gives us an opening and hope for the best? I’m sure you’ve seen how well that’s turned out in the past.”

“The core planet isn’t of interest as of right now,” she said flatly.

Sinclair furrowed his brow. “What do you mean? That’s where McCloud is, correct?”

Laura sighed and turned to face him. “We’re in position to take advantage of an opportunity objective.”

“Opportunity objective? I-I don’t understand. The whole point of this little expedition was to assist Fox—”

Laura raised her hand to silence him before speaking. “I did not lie to you; I simply did not tell you the whole truth. We will assist McCloud, but given that the outer planet is so near, we’re in position to complete a rather important task.”

“And that is?”

“The retrieval of a cache of information of a decrepit research spacecraft. It is the only known Cornerian vessel other than McCloud’s to have safely landed in the system at any point in time. The information recorded on those data banks is considered A-Class, and it must be retrieved.”

Sinclair fidgeted in place. “But it doesn’t make any sense. Why didn’t you tell me about this from the get-go?”

“There was no guarantee that the conditions of the system would have allowed for safe passage to the planet. In addition to that, we needed you on board with the program and we figured the appealing aspect of rescuing a national hero might do the trick and make you more cooperative, although it quickly became apparent that that wouldn’t be the case.”

“Yeah well that national hero is still out there! McCloud’s last transmission was very urgent. We can’t ignore the fact that he and his team might be in serious danger!”

“Actually, Boy Scout,” Shinji spoke from the side, operating one of the consoles, “according to Corneria’s gridded networks, I’m receiving numerous positive lifelines from within the Great Fox; it looks like his crew is doing fine.”

“But for how long? Positive lifelines don’t mean ‘not in trouble.’”

“Enough,” Laura spoke firmly.

Sinclair’s ears instinctively flattened against his head.

“Pepper hasn’t abandoned Fox and neither have we,” she spoke. “He’s a strong warrior, and he’s more than capable of handling a rough challenge. But this information could be vital in confirming or denying Andross’ presence in the system.”

“Andross?”

“That’s right. Communications with this vessel were lost but it wasn’t the result of equipment failure. The crew itself simply quit responding.”

“And you think this is connected to him somehow?”

“Precisely. We believe outside interference was involved. The crew had ample food supplies before departing, which rules out starvation, and the ship’s information systems were still active for quite some time, ruling out an explosion or other instant kill factor. Normally we would retrieve this information remotely and safely from our networks on Corneria, but the data banks were locked down from within the ship approximately six hours after the initial data broadcast on their third day on the planet; the crew had stopped answering to us half an hour prior.”

Sinclair gritted his teeth and looked down. “And that’s why you need me.”

“Correct,” she nodded. “I’m told you have superior knowledge with digital safecracking and the like.”

“Well, yeah I suppose,” he replied uneasily.

“Uh—guys? I hate to be the party pooper here but if we don’t get a move on, we’re gonna miss our window of opportunity. We’re on a crazy short clock right now,” Mojave pointed out.

“She’s right, Ma’am,” Hammer confirmed. “According to our celestial charts, the star will be intersecting our intended path soon. We need to get going.”

“Alright, set pre-orbital thrusters at max for nine hundred seconds,” Laura hollered to her team. She sat in the captain’s chair and let her spotted tail slip through the gap in the back. With a flick of her wrist she brought up a display console that quickly analyzed the surrounding area. As she plotted their course of travel, something caught her eye.

“Mojave, I need you on the port side turret. We’ve got something headed our way.”

Without a word, the husky maneuvered her slender body into the seat of the turret. She adjusted the screening and zoomed in closely at the area of space in question.

“Asteroids! We got asteroids coming in hot!”

Without waiting for approval, Mojave disengaged the turret’s safety and immediately began blasting the rocks with bright blots of plasma. One after another the rocks exploded into tinier pieces and to dust from there. “There’s too many here! I can’t get ‘em all!”

“Shinji, get us moving!” Laura commanded.

“Right! Maddie, Boxcars, disengage hyperspace mechanisms and get those thrusters burning! Hammer, you’re on starboard side turret duty. Sinclair, get ready to set us into orbit once we’ve cleared the danger zone.”

“Got it.” Maddie replied softly but with a surefire heart.

Boxcars nodded.

Hammer and Sinclair didn’t reply but instead immediately set out to their designated areas. Shinji took the pilot’s seat and was guiding the ship the instant the thrusters kicked in.

“More rocks coming in from the right!” Hammer shouted.

The two White Gloves continued fending off the onslaught of asteroids as their pilot steered the ship to the best of his ability. By now the ship’s automated defense cannons had begun to fire weak, sporadic shots into the mix.

“Keep it steady!” Mojave exclaimed through the chaos.

“Trying my damndest here! Where the hell are all these rocks coming from anyway?”

“Doesn’t matter,” the husky’s voice rang out between muffled blasts, “if we don’t get out soon, we are most definitely going to die.”

“We gave up helping McCloud for this?” Sinclair managed to say as he stabilized his body against one of the many consoles on the bridge. The groans of the ship’s hull sung throughout the room as blazing rocks that managed to escape the hail of turretfire skid violently across its surface. Laura removed herself from her seat and hastily joined Shinji at the ship’s controls.

“We didn’t give up on him. I trust in Fox’s abilities and you should do the same. His successful entry into the core planet gives us the once in a lifetime opportunity to cover both planets at once. We need this intelligence. If Andross is in this system and he goes unchecked, he could end up completely taking over Lylat.”

Another asteroid clipped the ship.

Sinclair was nearly tossed from his feet as his lower body jutted into a nearby console. He violently coughed and regained his footing. “What’s with this ship? Don’t you guys have better automated asteroid defense systems onboard?”

“No, just the turrets,” came Maddie’s breathily reply. “We had better ones but we had to sacrifice quite a bit—”

“Guys! Less small talk, more getting this thing ready to break atmosphere! It’s gonna be too dangerous to stay in orbit,” Shinji yelled over his shoulder. “We’re gonna be going planetside right off the bat.”

Laura’s nimble claws danced over the controls for the thrusters. She diverted power from the rear lighting of the ship and went to work disabling other unnecessary utilities. She squeezed every ounce of power into pushing the rickety ship through the barrage of rocks. Shinji worked beside her to steer the ship true, while the rest of the team did what they could to offer support to their struggling comrades.

Mojave liked her chops and adjusted her angle to place in a few more shots. She was careful to mind the gun’s barrel temperature, lest she overheat it and cause the system to temporarily stop functioning. On the opposite side of the ship, Hammer was strategically placing shots into groups of asteroids in an attempt to eliminate dense clusters at once.

“Yah haha!” He charged a plasma shot and sent it down range. The searing heat from the blast vaporized the cosmic missile into little more than space dust. He swiveled the gun a few degrees to the left and fired off two bolts in quick succession, scoring two more direct hits. He refrained from firing for a few seconds, letting the auto cannons fill in the gap, and quickly resumed once he was confident the weapon had had enough of a break.

The planet was rapidly approaching, but so too were the asteroids. They increased in number and speed and what were once tiny “tinks” became significantly more frightening “thuds.” Within several seconds, the planet completely engulfed the view of the bridge, prompting the onboard computer to quickly process the conditions of the atmosphere and to display a red dotted line for the current path of travel.

Laura zeroed in on her target with an intense stare. “The path is up. Activate the blast shields on my mark.

“Three.”

The carnivorous cannonfire roared throughout the confines of the metallic bridge.

“Two.”

The rapid shivering of the vessel had transferred to Sinclair’s frame. He could feel his teeth rattle inside his skull.

“One.”

A brilliant menagerie of gold and yellow colors began to engulf the front of the bridge window. Within seconds the view became obscured and all that remained was an extraordinary twist of flame and light.

“Mark!”

Boxcars reached for a reach lever on the wall and yanked it down. Two metallic panes quickly extended from the exterior of the bridge window. It only took a moment for the set of panels to clash together in the center. Bolts on the inter-framework of the left pane hissed, allowing passage for the locking pins of the right panes to fit securely into place. With a final twist, the locking mechanism whined and then ceased to make noise altogether.

The closing of the blast shields had prompted Laura to open the Exterior Surveillance System uplink on the front of the hull. The interior of the window was replaced by a static-filled holographic screen that roughly displayed the current path of the ship. Unfortunately for the team, the incessant weapon fire coupled with both the assault of the asteroids and the heat of entry meant that what did come into view was choppy and nearly lost amongst the cloud of static.

Sinclair clambered down into a nearby seat and his teammates followed suit. Hammer and Mojave we’re forced to give up their fight against the asteroids and brace themselves in the gunners’ seats. Drops of sweat meandered down the bridge of the coyote’s nose as the violent shaking of the ship grew increasingly intense. He curled his hands around the armrests, causing his nails to repeatedly tap against the cold metal.

To his right, Sinclair watched Maddie and Boxcars secure their bodies with harnesses attached to the wall seats. The sniper kept a brave face on despite her meager appearance; however, the adjacent figure in black was completely cloaked by his outfit, giving him a listless and empty stare that remained concealed by his thick helmet and the reflective red lenses of his angular gas mask. Sinclair’s fascination with the soldier was broken as the ship lurched forward.

Shinji grunted as he and his commanding officer worked in harmonious unison to guide the ship toward the icy surface of the planet. The barrage of asteroids had come to a halt, leaving the sole challenge of successfully piloting the spacecraft to the surface.

Despite the blast shields being in effect, the sound of the older model spacecraft fighting the urge to break apart haunted the ears of all who sat in her metallic bridge. The fiery shout of the planet’s atmosphere curled dangerously around the hull, coating it in a thick blanket of red and orange. Sinclair could only sit and endure the force pushing brutally against his chest. Warning alarms blared loudly in a cacophony of praise of the team’s commendable yet futile attempt to escape the hazards that had so suddenly fallen upon them.

The entire vessel was soon swallowed up by the dense frigid clouds of the pale sky.

“Guys, I’ve been captured by the locals here; I’m being held in some kind of prison. Listen, no matter what, I want you to stay in the Great Fox. I made a stupid mistake and they might label you as hostile. I’m going to try to get in contact with their commander and try to convince him that we’re not enemies, although, I’m not sure busting out of jail is really going to help my cause. Regardless I want you guys to do what you can to start repairs on our ship. With any luck, we’ll get out of here in one piece. Fox out.”

It hadn’t been the first time that message had rung throughout the ship, and if the anxious expression on Krystal’s face was any indicator, it wouldn’t be the last. Her blue tail swished lively back and forth. Her sharp nails clinked lightly against the armrest of her chair, prompting Peppy to walk over by her side and place an old hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sure he’s doing fine.”

The vixen let out a sigh and shook her head. “It was foolish of me to let him go alone. I should have stopped him here on the ship.”

Peppy couldn’t help but chuckle as he sat down on the floor next to Krystal’s chair.

“What’s so funny?” Krystal asked. She was genuinely curious, but given the nature of her mood the words left her lips in a slightly harsher tone than she wanted.

“Do you know what one of the first things Fox said was when he set foot on Sauria?”

Krystal shook her head.

“Pepper had contacted Fox about his mission objective and some of the first words out of his mouth were ‘but why couldn’t I bring my blaster with me?’”

Krystal put her hand to her mouth and giggled lightly. “That certainly sounds like something he would say.” She could mentally picture Fox pouting like a kit while the general shook his finger back and forth disapprovingly.

Peppy smirked and adjusted himself. “Fox has bravado that few can match. He’ll dive head first into whatever he has to, so long has he thinks some good will come of it. But that can make him reckless at times. He’s still young in the head, so to speak. But if there’s one thing I’m certain of, it’s that he wouldn’t leave his crew behind.”

The vixen was silent as she absorbed the hare’s words. It was remarkable how well Peppy played the role of the wise old mentor. Fox would sometimes spend hours telling her of the rabbit’s accomplishments, much to his chagrin.

“I—I just wish I could know for certain that he was safe. I could at least rest a little easier then.”

Peppy scratched his hairy chin in deep thought for a moment. “Do you think you could reach him with your telepathy?”

“I could try again but I didn’t get anything last time I did.”

“Why don’t you give it another go?”

Krystal nodded and closed her eyes. She brought her hands together and inhaled deeply.

“Madt khudjvoh, Fox McCloud!”

Krystal allowed her mental energy to disperse around her. She immediately let out a small whine, having felt the effects of fatigue catching up with her. Nevertheless, she powered through the pain. Her telepathic mind began searching for Fox in the immediate area around the ship, then into the nearby forest, and finally as far as the nearest town. As she tried to push beyond the town, her strength quickly depressed, obfuscating anything further.

With a final gasp, Krystal’s mind returned unto itself. She placed her hand on her forehead and grunted, slumping down in her seat. “I can’t. I’m too exhausted,” she panted. She closed her eyes and started rubbing her head. “I-I just need to rest. Just for a bit.”

Peppy sighed and hoisted himself up from his spot on the floor. The old hare pushed his glasses up and glanced down to his left. Krystal had already placed her head on the palm of her hand and begun dozing off. Her eyelids fluttered momentarily before finally sealing themselves down, only to shoot open again at the sound of a masculine voice thinly cloaked in static.

“Is anyone there?”

Krystal fumbled with the receiver for only a moment before she locked onto his signal.

“Yes, Fox! We’re here! Thank goodness you’re alright.”

Rather than acknowledge Krystal’s immediate concern for his safety, Fox spoke in an edgy voice.

“Guys, I think I have some bad news.”

Author's Note

Too be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of this chapter, so in the future it may or may not be written.

I apologize for the delay but school had been a bit of a killer lately and it's consumed a lot of my time, so I've been very tired lately (Although I'm always tired when I write).

On an unrelated side note: 100+ followers! You guys are awesome, to show my appreciation. Enjoy these Swirls:

http://seasonedtotaste.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/img_5445.jpg

VIII - The Equestrian-Cornerian Coalition

Twilight Sparkle shifted uncomfortably as she watched the strange visitor converse with the two princesses in the throne room. She had positioned herself behind one of the side doors in an attempt to overhear the conversation, but alas, the vast distance between them prevented her from picking anything up. Her friends stood besides her, waiting patiently for her to update them on the situation.

Relinquishing her eavesdropping pursuits, Twilight backed out of the door and closed it softly. She began lightly rubbing her horn, still exhausted from the debacle with the flying thing. Never had her telekinetic magic had this much of a strain on her, not even during the incident with the Ursa Minor. The bear may have been heavy but he didn’t put up a fight. Not like this one, anyway.

Rarity stepped forward and peered curiously at her friend. “Twilight, darling are you alright?” Twilight responded with a simple nod and a smile.

“I’m fine, but I can’t hear what the princesses are talking about,” she pouted. “And I’d really like to study this creature more. The way he moves and dresses, it’s all so—alien.”

The beat of Rainbow Dash’s wings picked up as she quickly closed in the distance between her and her friends. “Uh hello? That’s because he is an alien! I mean, he only fell from space! I say we put him back in a cell; let the princesses deal with him.”

“The thing that baffles me is the uncanny resemblance to a typical red fox found here on Equestria. If he had removed his clothes and walked on all fours, I doubt anypony would have given him a second glance,” Twilight concluded.

“So he’s a forest critter, big deal, doesn’t change the fact that he could be really dangerous,” Rainbow Dash huffed.

Applejack nodded. “Rainbow Dash is right, sugarcube. It took a lot of royal guards to bring him out of the sky. To be honest, I think if he wanted to escape right now, he could.”

“Peeshaw,” Pinkie through her hoof out in dismissal. “The princesses are totally on top of this. I just can’t wait to meet his friends!”

Applejack blinked at that. “Uh, friends?”

“Well yeah, who would ride in a huuuuge spaceship like that all by themselves?”

Twilight scratched her chin with her hoof. “That’s actually a good point. We could be looking at a multitude of visitors here.”

Fluttershy, who had been quiet up to this point, finally spoke. “But, if there was more than one, why didn’t they help their friend? That seems awfully harsh to just abandon a friend like that.”

“Maybe he was a lookout?” Applejack offered.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “If he was a lookout then why would he make his presence known to us? The point of a lookout is to observe, not get into fights.” Rainbow’s eyes slowly became more downcast. “Do you think—maybe—he could be a, ya know…”

“A what?” Applejack prodded.

Rainbow gulped. “An assassin?”

This time it was Rarity who interjected. “If he’s an assassin he’s an awfully bad one. Any of our ponies that go into a scrap walked away with a few cuts and bruises at the most. Why would he just let them get away?”

Twilight’s eyes suddenly lit up with understanding.

“Because he isn’t an assassin, or a lookout.”

The girls turned to her.

“He was a distraction.”

Rainbow Dash made a face. “Come again?”

“A distraction! Think about it, he only revealed himself when we got too close to the ship-thingy. He drew as much attention away from it as possible. It didn’t have anything to do with hurting anypony.”

Fluttershy gave a weary look, “B-But a couple of stallions were injured…”

Twilight puffed her chest out slightly and sighed. “True, but given the circumstances, I think they should be counting themselves lucky. It’s obvious this creature possesses technology we’ve never even come close to seeing, and I’m almost certain that at least a portion of it possesses a degree of lethality.” She adjusted her bangs and continued, “Right now my goal is to get in closer and study this fox. I have to know more about him! Where is he from? How do we speak the same language? What are his dietary habits?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Yeesh, have the guy complete a survey why don’t cha?”

“That’s an excellent idea!”

“No, I was—ugh—look, I say we just go up to this guy and demand to know why he’s here. Twilight, don’t you have some kind of truth-telling spell you can use? We can just force the answers out!”

Applejack raised her brow at that. “What happened to ‘letting the princesses handle it?’”

“W-Well, this would be quicker! I’m not saying we torture him, just ya know, speed up the process a little. They’ve been talking for ages.”

“And for good reason,” Twilight nodded. “I just wish I could get in there myself. Who knows the wealth of information that creature holds. It could be limitless…”

“Aggh!”

The tension flowing through McCloud’s body only served to aggravate his shoulder wound. He pressed his claw against shoulder and fell onto a single knee.

Celestia, witnessing Fox collapse before her, was pulled from her emotions and back into reality. She removed herself from her throne and placed herself under Fox’s shoulder to provide balance.

“Luna, fetch a medical mare at once!”

“Of course, my sister!”

Luna took off in a sprint toward the main doors; Celestia and her guards stayed with Fox. Two of Celestia’s personal guards ran over to her side, taking her place as Fox’s support.

“Thank you, Princess,” Fox managed to say.

“Try not to move around. We’ll have somepony take a look at that wound.”

Fox hung his head and coughed. His tight flight vest had been keeping pressure on the wound and preventing excessive bleeding, but he had ignored it for too long. Each cough seem to jerk his body just enough to cause flashing streaks of pain to run through his shoulder blades.

It wasn’t long before Luna galloped back into the throne room with a petite white mare beside her. From the side of the throne room, a group of ponies were making their own way to the scene.

“Princess, what’s going on?”

Celestia turned her head toward her faithful student and sighed.

“He’s injured, badly it seems. One of our doctors is going to have a look at him.”

“Will he be–”

A coughing fit from within Fox interrupted Fluttershy’s question. She turned to see him bar his teeth as he began removing his flight vest so the doctor could get a better look at him. She couldn’t help but pity him.

“Twilight...”

Twilight turned her head back to her mentor. “Yes, Princess?”

Before the Princess could speak, Fox words bound themselves tightly around her tongue. Could she really have been responsible for demise of so many innocent souls? Could Fox have manipulated the situation and played on her emotions for his own benefit? Of course, she didn’t know him well enough to take his word as absolute, but the horrific possibility dangled before her, taunting her with a grove of unanswered questions and anxious thoughts.

“It’s nothing.”

The doctor backed away from Fox and approached Celestia only after a respectful bow. “It’s a pretty deep wound but it isn’t fatal. I would like to take him back to my clinic just to be sure.”

Celestia nodded, “Fox, we’ll have you escorted there with two of my guards. I hope you understand.”

“Yeah, I get it. Still kind of shaky on the trust front and whatnot. I understand.”

With that the doctor and guardsponies, helped Fox to his feet and toward the door. The massive door closed behind him and the light in the room dimmed, leaving the royal sisters with their loyal subjects, and leaving Fox in the care of the ponies dragging him along.

The trip to the clinic was one of silence, save for the pitter patter of hoof and footsteps on the glossy floor. His suspicions confirmed, Fox was forced to walk at a rather awkward lip to compensate both for the pain in his shoulder and for the height difference between himself and his support. The intimidating yet artistic tapestry still loomed overhead, giving homage to a genre of civilization Fox had only read about. It was eerie to say the least.

The clinic was upon him faster than expected and before he knew it, he was walking into a white, sterile room lined with several beds and, by Cornerian standards, some rather outdated medical equipment. Fox sat down at the edge of one of the beds, relieved to be off of his feet. It was only then that the guards left the room, but from where he was sitting, Fox could see that they were still just on the outside of the door.

“Remove your shirt please.”

Fox obeyed and carefully began unbuttoning the shirt and removing it from his right shoulder. When it came to undressing the left side, he slowly peeled the shirt off of the bloody wound, making him grunt in pain in the process. When he was clear of the wound, he was free to slip the rest of his arm out by pulling on the sleeve with his other hand.

The doctor had her back to Fox as she gathered some equipment. She searched around, gathering stitching equipment and gauze; however, she was unsuccessful in finding any disinfectant.

“I need find something to clean you wounds out with. I’ll be back in a few minutes, the guards are outside if you need something.”

Without giving Fox a chance to respond, the doctor had left the door and shut it behind her.

Deciding to capitalize on the time that had been allotted to him, Fox activated the transceiver on his communicator and waited until a connection had been established with the Great Fox. Once he had a positive connection, he decreased the volume and started the broadcast.

“Is anyone there?” he spoke in a hushed tone.

There was silence for a moment before Krystal picked up on the other end.

“Yes Fox! We’re here! Thank goodness you’re alright!”

It was like silk on his ears to hear Krystal’s voice again, but rather than dwell on it, Fox continued his message.

“Guys, I think I have some bad news.”

“Bad news?”

“There’s a possibility that we weren’t the first ones to land here.”

There was a brief moment of silence, save for the electronic background noise.

“B-But, that’s impossible! The Cornerian registry says that every ship that’s ever passed through here has been destroyed. There are no records of anyone having made it to the surface of this planet.”

Fox shook his head, “That’s just it. We only have a registry of Cornerian vessels. It’s possible someone could have slipped in if their ship wasn’t linked to the central mainframe back on Corneria.

“But, if it wasn’t a Cornerian vessel th— wait. Fox, are you insinuating that Wolf is here as well?”

“That’s a frightening possibility.”

“B-but how? How could he have slipped under the radar so easily?”

“That’s what he and his team are known far,” he paused to listen for any intrusive noises before continuing, “Popping up at inconvenient times and making the situation more difficult on our behalf.”

There was a moment of silence before Krystal exhaled sharply. “The situation really is becoming more complicated by the minute.”

“At the moment it’s just speculation, but I’ll keep you and the rest of the team informed as things go on. Speaking of which, how is Slippy doing?”

“Better. He’s awake and talking now, but he’s still in a bit of pain. It will be a while before he’s up and walking around again, but what about you? Where are you?”

“Right now? I’m in a clinic. I got a little roughed up and they’re patching me up, thankfully. Things seem more or less quiet at the moment.” He paused for a moment to lean in closer to the speaker. “Listen, I want you to see if you can start mapping out the immediate countryside and surrounding areas. It would pay to know a little about the topography of this place.”

Fox could hear an audible sigh on the other end. “Fox, keeping us locked away in the ship for days on end isn’t going to solve our crisis. We’re your teammates, and you can rely on us for support. Besides, being hidden away isn’t going to help us remain on good terms with these folks. We need to be upfront and honest, especially if they can help us locate the remnants of Andross’ and Oikonny’s armada.”

There was little denying the fact that tackling this operation solely on his own was suicidal, if not insulting to his teammates and their abilities. But there was a twisting urge in his gut telling him that he was right, and that bringing his teammates into the mix would only serve to complicate existing issues, and to birth entirely new ones. However, even as this instinct spoke loud and clear, he forced it down, choosing instead to follow Krystal’s lead. After all, Andross’ army would all but steamroll him over in his current state.

“Alright, I’ll talk to the princess and see about getting you guys some transportation here. In the meantime it’s still probably best if we have those maps ready, at least then we won’t be treading around so blindly.”

“I’ll see what Peppy and I can do. Please take care of yourself Fox. I’d rather you not be in a clinic if you can help it.”

Fox chuckled and nodded affirmatively, although he was aware that she couldn’t see it. “I’ll do my best.”

The ringing came first.

An intense blur was next to follow, covering all that could and could not be seen. Next came both the taste and the smell; a thick toxic smoke and the taste of liquid metal. Then, in a grand finale, came the shockwave of numbness followed by islands of pain throughout his body. Pain was good; it meant he was alive.

With all of the willpower he could muster, Sinclair wiped away the tears that had accumulated in his eyes. His hazy vision cleared away, leaving him with enough input to determine that he was still strapped to his seat, although at a slightly more dramatic angle. Around him, his team was slowly coming to, with Boxcars and Laura aiding in whatever way they could.

Sinclair blindly grappled the lock on his harness and flipped the release switch, causing him to take a short plummet to the ground. He bounced slightly off of the metal flooring and rolled once before he caught himself against a rusty metal grate. The pain in his cheek worsened and he could feel a warm trickle of blood make its way down the corner of his mouth.

“It everyone alright?”

Even with a slight ringing in his ears Sinclair could hear his commander’s voice shine through loud and clear. One by one the team sounded off, except for Boxcars, who opted for a thumbs up.

In between coughing fits, Laura made her way to the ship’s control station and brought up the ship’s damage interface. She began fiercely typing away at the console, establishing a diagnostic where she could. To his surprise, he caught his commander smirking at the holographic monitor.

“It seems there was more damage done to us then to the ship.”

Shinji, who had been almost humorously wedged in between two consoles, groaned loudly. “Yeah, I can attest to that…”

“Hull integrity is at seventy-three percent. The blast shielding seems to have absorbed most of the damage. That’s surprising, actually.”

Sinclair moved himself into a position that made it slightly easier to speak. “Yeah, we didn’t exactly land softly. It’s a wonder we’re not all dead.” To his left, a pipe loudly released a puff of steam, causing him backpedal in surprise.

Of all the team members who had been casted about in the wreckage, Mojave was the one who had gotten the worst of it. Her turret station had collapsed around her, leaving her partially ensnared by metal framework that had originally lined portions of the inner walling.

“Gaah! A hand would be appreciated, guys!”

Hammer, being the only one with enough girth to lift the mess, grabbed the beams directly on top of Mojave and pulled up. The metal screeched in protest, but was finally lifted up far enough to allow the husky to crawl out from underneath. Her curly tail brushed along the floor, and she quickly hopped to her feet as Hammer let the rest of the wreckage fall back down.

“I hate this mission already,” she mumbled. “Whooo boy, I can’t feel my crotch.”

Hammer smiled awkwardly and shrugged. “Not much I can do there.”

Maddie, who was still latched to her wall seat, peered down at the drop she would have to take to reach the ground. Closing her eyes, she released the safety switch and took the short fall. Immediately upon landing, she used her boots to lock herself in place, preventing her from sliding any further across the floor. It had made Sinclair’s whole ordeal look rather foolish.

Despite the commotion going on behind her, Laura didn’t take her eyes off of the screen for a moment. Her tail twitched slightly and her claws danced lightly over the projected keyboard. She began replacing damaged programs and cooling the system’s core, which had nearly overheated during reentry. She released the locks on the blast shield and placed in a command to draw them back.

Slowly but surely the doors creaked back, revealing a vast ocean of snow on the other side. Despite the entire bottom portion of the ship being buried within it, she could see the white field expanding for miles, contrasted only by the dismal grey sky and the few mountains that lay scattered throughout.

“By the stars,” Laura mumbled, “It’s so vast…”

Sinclair, who had been clutching his side, turned and stared into the vast emptiness of the white wasteland before him. “It’s almost as bad as Fichina.”

Laura placed her hands down and leaned against the console. “I’d venture to say that it’s even worse than Fichina. At least Fichina has a climate control center. But this,” she swept her hand in front of her, “is all untamed.”

Hammer gazed intently out of the window. “Well, this explains our landing.”

Sinclair blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Judging by the depth of the snow, I’d say this part of the planet has been in a heavy winter for a very long time. The snow fall is so thick and compact that, in conjunction with our blast shield, the landing was softened.” The white bear shrugged. “Call it a polar bear’s intuition, but I’d venture a guess to say that the snow saved our lives.”

Mojave scrunched her face. “That’s quite the weather report.”

“Ain’t it?” he smiled.

Shinji removed himself from between the two consoles and rubbed his sore back. “It’ll be a bit before I can melt the surrounding snow and get us airborne again. How are the NAV systems doing?”

Sinclair slipped over to the navigation controls. “I’m bringing them online now.”

The console hummed to life and displayed a three dimensional map of the surrounding area in a vivid holographic form. The display flickered several times before finally maintaining its bright illusion.

“Alright,” Laura cleared her throat, “Scans show that the snow surrounding us is quite thick, but we seem to be resting on top of a frozen lake. Now this lake’s probably been frozen for a long time, but that doesn’t mean that our impact didn’t cause damage to the ice below. We need to get off of the surface of the lake as soon as possible, or we’ll lose this ship for good.”

Shinji cocked an eyebrow. “How long do you think we’ve got?”

“I haven’t the slightest clue. But the sooner we get moving, the better.”

“Um, Commander? What is that?” Maddie quietly asked as she pointed to a small red position on the map. It was several miles northwest of their position, tucked neatly in the valley between two great snow-capped mountains.

“Sinclair, can you get a fix on that location?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Sinclair’s fingers danced to and fro across the console while the map furiously zeroed in on the location. Unsurprisingly, the large mountains began to interfere the closer he got.

“It looks like some kind of heat signature, but these damn mountains won’t let me see much more than that. Could be a geothermal hotspot.”

Maddie blinked at that. “This far into the arctic?”

“To be honest with you I have no idea what it is. I gave up on the concept of logic when a star started revolving around a planet,” he huffed.

Laura narrowed her eyes. “It would be a stretch, but this might be our missing research vessel.”

Hammer gave his commander a quizzical look. “But, it’s been forever since that ship was active…”

“Most research vessels are Dreadnaught class ships. This is not only to protect the possibly volatile research on board, but the minds behind it. In other words, that ship had powerful internal and external systems…and a powerful core.”

“You think it could still be operational?”

“Maybe. Like I said, it’s a stretch. It would be amazingly coincidental for us to land anywhere near the ship’s position. Still, we won’t know for certain until we go over there and check it out.”

The bridge thundered has the beastly polar bear took a step forward and put on the bravest face he could muster. “I’ll go ma’am. I got the thickest coat out of all of ya. It’s only fittin’ that I should be the one to go.”

“Well you can’t go alone!” Shinji took a few steps toward the white giant. His eyes shimmered halfway between a plea and confusion. “You might be able to brave the cold but you haven’t the faintest idea what lies out there. The last thing I want it Andross’ goons sending us a fur coat!”

“We’ll go.” The husky sisters' voices echoed in unison throughout the bridge. Maddie stared curiously out of the window.

"We’re built for the cold,” Mojave said as she tucked her blaster into its holster. “Maybe not to the same degree as Cotton Ball over here, but we work well as a pair. We’ll be fine on our own.”

Shinji turned to his commander, “Ma’am?”

“There’s little sense in sitting on our tails and waiting for us to end up like the crew of that ship. Girls, I want you to scout out the heat signature and to report back with your findings. The rest of us will get to work on unburying the ship.” Her expression burned with all the fires of determination as she tightened her gun’s strap and adjusted her uniform.

“I won’t let some damned icebox be the end of us.”

“And you say there are four more of you? Seems like a rather flashy entrance for only five alie- oh, um Cornerians, as it were.” Celestia couldn’t help but giggle.

Fox shrugged. “Most members of the military end up in much larger squads by the time they’re out of the academy.” He rubbed his now clean and bandaged shoulder. “I didn’t stick around long enough for the academy to throw me in a squad of my own.”

“Oh? And why’s that?”

“Ahhm.” Fox cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his head. “Unfortunate personal reasons, I’m afraid.” He shook his head. “But it doesn’t really matter. I’m with the people I care the most for. So long as I’m with them, I can honestly say that I don’t regret the decisions I’ve made.”

Luna smiled. “Their friendship sounds quite important thee- errm ‘you.’”

Fox nodded. “Believe me it is. I’d do anything for them, which is why I’m asking for your help, and the help of your ponies. We don’t know much of anything about your land, much less those who inhabit it.” Standing proud and strong before the regal sisters, Fox commanded the most crisp salute he could muster with an injured shoulder. “Ma’am, the Star Fox team would like to formally request your aide, and the aide of you citizens, in hunting the interstellar criminal, Andross.”

Celestia rose from her throne and gazed keenly at the mercenary before chuckling inwardly. “Really, Fox there’s hardly a need for such formality. If this criminal is as dangerous as you say he is then I believe it is in the interest of both parties to deal with him as soon as possible. However, I would like to discuss the matter with my sister first before I make such a decision.”

Fox nodded. “Please, take all the time you need.”

Celestia turned to her sister and placed her under her wing as they took a few steps toward the side of the room. When they were convinced they were out of earshot, they faced one another.

“Perhaps we should take his word on this, dear sister. The consequences of not doing so may very well be much more drastic than the alternative.”

“My only concern is that I fear we have not seen all that he is capable of. Subduing him took the combined efforts of myself, Twilight, and a hooful of guardsponies, but to take down five of them? I don’t think we’ll get that lucky twice. Not without serious casualties, anyway.”

“They do not look like they are in much of a position to be fighting right now. Fox is not in fantastic shape, and I do not believe I am making a wild assumption by saying that it is possible that some of the others may not be doing so well themselves.”

Celestia brought a hoof up to her tired head. “This has all happened rather quickly, hasn’t it?”

“Indeed, it has.”

Celestia peered over her shoulder and stole a glance at Fox.

“To be honest with you Luna, it’s the truth I fear most at the moment,” she shuddered.

The younger princess sighed and stared solemnly at her sibling. “Sister, you cannot be faulted for actions you neither knew about nor intended to be committed. You are a beacon of hope for your ponies and for this kingdom.” Luna placed a hoof over her sister’s shoulder. “But most of all, you are an inspiration for me. Never forget this for as long as we rule—no—for as long we live.”

Celestia’s shuddered. “Thank you, Luna. I appreciate your concern.”

Luna nuzzled her sister neck and smiled. “Of course dearest sister. Tis what we are here for.”

“Are we all set to go?”

Mojave tightened the thermal coat along her slender body. It was a good fit, and there wasn’t an abundance of excess cloth hanging down. She threw the hood lined with synthetic fur over her head and finally zipped the thick coat shut. Beside her, Boxcars assisted Maddie in strapping her gear to her body.

“I-I believe so.”

“Good.” She secured her blaster to her leg and double checked that she had packed her scanner in with her other equipment. “Once we get out there, we’ll be at nature’s nonexistent mercy.”

Maddie placed her sniper rifle inside of a protective case and sealed it shut. The durable fibers of the case would protect it against the icy elements. All she would have to worry about was being an efficient operator.

Confident that they had done all they could to ensure their safety and success, the girls proceeded to ascend the maintenance ladder at the back of the bridge. After receiving confirmation that the outside world was safe to traverse, Maddie twisted the manual release valve and heaved the hatch open. She was immediately bombarded with frigid winds, and a snake of icy air descended into the starship, causing the majority of the crew to shiver momentarily.

Despite their coverings, the girls felt every spike of pain that came with taking a blast of cold air to the face. Maddie crawled out of the maintenance hatch and jumped onto the thickly compacted snow surrounding the vessel. Her sister followed close behind, careful not to injure herself as she climbed out of the pit.

Once they had established their footing, the girls switched on their headsets, which doubled as warmers for their ears. After a few seconds of silence, Sinclair’s voice, buzzed through.

“Maddie? Mojave? Do you read me?”

“Loud and clear,” Mojave replied. She jiggled the headset around, unsatisfied with how it fit over her ears. “You sure these headsets won’t break down on us? They seem kind of…sketchy.”

“It’s older tech, but it’s extremely durable stuff. Apparently this ship was serviced in the Venom cleanup after the war with Andross before it was retired as a merchant vessel. Most of the equipment onboard, including these headsets, were built to withstand conditions as harsh as Venom. Believe me when I say that you’ll die long before this stuff will crap out on you.”

“Thank you for the history lesson, Sinclair, but a simple ‘yes’ would have been fine.”

On the other end, Sinclair frowned, but remained silent.

“Oh come on hotshot, I was only teasin’ ya.”

“I see…”

The chatter ceased as the girls began their trek toward the valley of the mountains in the distance. Their view was occasionally blocked by a thick gust of wind, carrying with it an intense payload of snow.

With only the periodic howling of the wind and the crunches of their footsteps to comfort them, the scouting sisters walked in agonizing silence. The mountains loomed eerily in the distance. Their snow-capped peaks pierced the grey sky, but they offered little to no contrast to the dismal environment.

Twenty minutes had passed, and yet the mountains only seemed to be marginally closer. Surprisingly enough, it was Maddie who broke the silence.

“Um, Sinclair?”

“Yes?”

“Could you… could you tell me about yourself?” she almost mumbled.

“Um…” Unsure of how else to approach the question, he resolved to simply accept it. “Sure I guess. Why did you want to know though? I thought the team already read my file.”

“Well, to be honest, I’m hoping that the distraction will keep my mind off of the cold. And…I’m sure there’s some things that the file didn’t cover.”

“Hm, I see. Well, I was born on Papetoon—”

“McCloud and Sinclair share a birth planet! That’s actually kind of awesome.” Mojave interrupted.

“Ahem, yes well, unlike McCloud I was raised on Papetoon as well. It wasn’t until I was fifteen that my parents and I left for Macbeth.”

“Why did you leave?” asked Maddie.

“To find work, mostly. Being so far out in the Lylat system, trade is often the only business people can get into.” Sinclair sighed loudly, “Even then it seems like more money goes into the government’s pocket than into yours. So, after my mom and dad raised enough money they took us to find factory work on Macbeth. Man, I remember throwing the biggest temper tantrum over having to move,” he chuckled.

“Aww did you cry?” Mojave quipped.

“No, but we did find work. We had better wages and a more comfortable living space. I was even able to get a job building spare parts for the factory machines. I suppose you could say we were doing pretty well for ourselves.”

“So, what changed?”

“What else? Macbeth was one of the first targets for Andross’ invasion. Fortunately, Macbeth has one of the best early detection systems in Lylat, next to the military planets. Mass evacuation of the civilian population was top priority, but…”

Maddie frowned. “There weren’t enough ships.”

“Precisely. Macbeth’s got ships, but to evacuate an entire mining and production colony at a moment’s notice? It was obvious that some people were going to get left behind.”

Maddie looked up from her sloshing feet and gauged the distance between herself and the mountains. They had gotten closer, but there was still quite a ways to go.

“Did you get off the planet?”

“I did, actually. It was probably just dumb luck, but we happened to get a spot on one of the escape vessels. They took us back to Corneria, and from there my father joined the Cornerian Defense Force. Mind you, my father had never held a gun a day in his life up until that point. ‘It’s for the good of our family,’ he would always chant. I might have believed the damn fool if he’d actually worn his uniform properly.”

There was a long pause before Sinclair continued.

“Mom was in pretty bad shape when she got the news that dad was gone. I wouldn’t say that I was any better, just more distracted. I was too busy being scared for the impending financial disaster to be worried about much else. Eventually, I fell in with a group of pirates that actually operated out of Corneria. It was a neat little operation, if scary at times, but it isn’t something I’ll be going back to.”

Mojave furrowed her brow. “Why didn’t you just join up with the Cornerian Army? Even if you weren’t a fighter there are obviously other options.”

“Because I absolutely despised the Cornerian Army, and everyone in it.”

Mojave flinched at that. Maddie bit her lip as she continued trudging through the snow.

“I guess, given all that happened, I was looking for someone to blame other than myself. I hated Andross, I hated the Cornerians, and unknowingly, I hated myself. I spent years with that crew, honing most of what I had been taught from people who had spent years doing the same thing. Eventually, I got my act together for my mother’s sake. By then she had been working on environmental projects for some time. I buried my feelings and ditched the people I had come to know as my friends. I’ve been with Corneria’s surveillance team ever since.”

“When did you find time to work on the rail gun?” Maddie asked, changing the subject.

“Oh that? Well it was originally going to serve as a buster type weapon to get us through thick plated blast doors. When I left I made sure I took the weapon as a fallback in terms of design sales if I couldn’t find employment with the Army.”

“The pirates just let you leave with it?”

“Of course not, they wanted my head on a silver platter. That was part of the reason I bit my tongue and joined the Cornerians. I needed protection.”

Mojave smirked. “I guessing you misplaced your criminal record when you enlisted.”

“Apparently not well enough.”

A long silence followed as the girls slowly began to near their destination. The mountains stood as towering beasts compared to the random spears of ice that jutted from the snow. Maddie averted her gaze.

“So, is Ivan Sinclair your real na—”

“Get down!”

Mojave shoved her younger sister into the snow and fell beside her. Through the angry rage of the winter winds, they could just barely make out several silhouettes briskly jogging toward them.

“Sinclair, I have four—no—five unidentified figures headed our way. Can you confirm?” Mojave managed to say in a hushed tone.

“Uh…” Panicked typing sounds could be heard as Sinclair fought to focus the aged equipment through both the miniature blizzard and the interference of the mountains. “I-I’m not getting—wait! I’ve got them! I can confirm; you five unidentified figures approaching from your northwest.”

Maddie’s muzzle was pressed against the snow, and in the distance, she could hear the figures speaking loudly. Coupled with the fact that they were moving at a brisk pace, it was likely they were on their way to investigate the crash site.

“D-Do you think they saw us?” she mumbled.

“Hard to say,” her sister replied. “All I know is that we’re outnumbered, but hopefully not outgunned.”

“We should inch back. We can set up behind the snow mounds and wait in the cover of the blizzard. Maybe they’ll think there are more of us than there actually are?”

“Whatever we do, we have to do it fast. They’ll be right on top of us soon.”

Maddie quickly began to push herself backwards, accidently allowing snow to travel up her jacket and shirt. She shivered, but nonetheless silently splintered off from her sister as the two put distance between one another. The approaching group was packed tightly together, meaning that as long as the girls had enough room between them, they could surround their targets with ease.

Mojave could hear the quickly-paced rhythm of her heart as she listened to the voices grow ever closer. She panted slightly, and only when she had zeroed back in on her surroundings did she become aware of Sinclair’s voice in her ear.

“-ys, you’re pretty outnumbered here.” His breathing came across as more panicked than hers. “At this rate, you’ll be cornered between the group and the openness of the snow fields.”

“That’s the thing about us cornered dogs, Sin…” Mojave removed the clasp covering her holster and withdrew her blaster, bringing it up to her chest. “We bite…

“Hard.”