Always Another Way

[SpiralPyramids]

Authors Note: Alright, so this story has an interesting history behind it. I started it back in 200... 5 or 6 I think. I came across it today and found myself actually enjoying it, as opposed to hating it as I do most of my writings. So you're going to notice a very distinct shift in writing style (I like to think it's improved, but that's just me). So, here it is, comments and critiques are always appreciated. And above all, I hope you enjoy it.

“No one cares.†A despondent Slippy paces the Loading Dock. Amanda followed him.

“That’s not true Slippy, I care.†She said, reaching out for his hand. She couldn’t catch it.

“I know you care, but I want to be as recognized as any of the other guys. They still laugh at me, make fun of me…†He sat, putting his head in his hands. Amanda sat next to him, hugging him gently.

“Recognition isn’t everything.†She said, rocking back and forth. “You can’t let this get you down…â€She said. At that precise moment, the Bay Doors slid open, revealing a conversing Falco and Katt. They walked in slowly, Katt giggling softly. Falco looked up and saw Slippy.

“Well, if it isn’t frog-face. Shouldn’t you be off in your pond somewhere?†He asked, laughing.

“Shut up…†Slippy said angrily.

“Aw… why should I? You gonna cry?†He laughed again.

“Shut up!†Slippy yelled. Amanda looked to hi, and shook her head.

Falco knelt down to face him. “Make me,†He punched him lightly in the chest. Slippy let all of his rage take over his mental being. He leapt forward, tackling Falco to the ground and beginning to wail on his face. Falco easily tossed Slippy off of him and jumped to his feet. “Geez, calm down Slip. What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?â€

“It’s all of you!!!!†He said, pointing angrily at Falco, tears in his eyes. “I’m just a joke to all of you. You don’t care, you never cared!!â€

“Slip that’s stupid.†Falco said. “If that was true, why would we risk our necks to save you from the thing on Titania a few years ago?â€

“So you could take my part of the Paycheck.†He said, wiping the tears from his eyes and jumping into his Bullfrog. “Come on Amanda.†He said, blasting out of the ship. Amanda looked stunned for a few seconds, but jumped into her Bullfrog and blasted off after him. Falco chuckled slightly and walked away, talking with Katt again.

Fen heard the door to his shop open in the distance. He paid it no attention and turned back to his work. Before him stood an unfinished compact vehicle; most of its armor was still missing, the paintjob was only half done and there were still various parts scattered about on the ground. He heard footsteps behind him. He wiped his hands on his red hunting vest and continued to work.

“May I help you?†He asked.

“I’d at least expect a hello from an old friend.†Slippy grinned. Fen didn’t turn around.

“Oh, Slippy, you should have said you were coming…†he said. “What do you think of her so far?â€

Slippy ignored the question. “I need parts from you. I need a…â€

Fen laughed. “What makes you think I’ll give them to you? Especially since you took my idea for the Demon Sniper.â€

“That didn’t even go anywhere. They said it was too powerful!â€

“But I still seem to remember you saying ‘Oh, so what if the torpedoes have lights on them, it wouldn’t be any help.’†The bobcat sighed.

“Just… cut it out. Are you going to help me or not?â€

“What do you need help for anyway?†He asked, grunting as he tightened a bolt.

“I need parts for weapons, parts that can be mass produced.†He said,

Fen sighed, brushing off his khaki cargo shorts. “Mass produced. Why?†He asked.

“Just because.†He said.

“No, not unless you give me a reason.â€

Slippy chuckled. “See… the thing about that is you don’t have a choice.†Fen heard various blasters activate and begin to charge. Fen stood and turned to look at them.

“Funny, I don’t recognize any of these guys…†He said, removing the goggles from his head and wiping his face.

“They follow my orders. If you don’t give me what I want, I’ll have them shoot you.†Slippy said. Fen shook his head.

“Seems you’ve changed again, old friend.†He grinned. He walked forward two steps, then laughed. “Alright, fine. I’ll give you your parts, just… come back to the storage room.†He said, walking ahead. Slippy grinned to himself as they followed behind him. Fen grinned to himself. “You really have changed Slippy.†He stopped. In one swift movement, he attacked one of Slippy’s guards and commandeered his Blaster. He shot one of the guards and rolled to the left to dodge the other two’s fire. He shot at another and began to run for his docking garage.

“Get him!!!†Slippy fumed. The remaining 4 guards rushed after him, firing rapidly and randomly. Fen began to run from side to side in a snaking motion to avoid the oncoming Blaster fire. Within seconds he reached the garage, closing and sealing the entrance behind him. He heard furious banging on the door. Fen sighed.

“What does he want weapon parts for…†Fen thought. He heard a hard bang on the door and jumped slightly. The door was close to flying off its hinges at another bang. “I’ve got to get out of here…†He said. He ran to the other side of the garage and slammed his paw down on a button. The door to the garage opened, letting in the harsh Titania winds fly in. He dashed over to one of his self made vehicles named “Psychoslider.†It was low to the ground with 3 hoverpads underneath, very light armor, 1 seat, and two Gauss Cannons. It looked similar to a Hover Bike, but much more detailed. He jumped on his craft and sped out of the garage and into the dangerous Titanian exterior. Slippy’s subordinates broke the door down as he made his escape.

“BLAST IT!!!!†Slippy kicked a wall several times. He sighed, resting his head on the wall. “Alright, whatever. Gather what you can and meet me back on the ship.†He grumbled, walking back through the Blaster scorched shop and to his Bullfrog stationed out front. Amanda met him before he could climb in.

“How’d it go?†She asked him, giving him a hug.

“Awful. He got away, so Starfox is probably going to find out we’re up to something. We’ve found what we’re looking for though, so I guess that’s a plus…†He droned. She smiled, kissing his cheek.

“Well then, let’s load them up and get out of here.†She said. “I hate this place…â€

Fen continued to drive through the outskirts of Titania. He looked over his shoulder once to make sure he wasn’t being followed. He slowed to a stop and sighed. “Geez… what am I to do now…†He laid back on his PsychoSlider. “This is crazy. I’ve got to get out of here, but I’ve no way to…†He sighed again. He kicked the sand. “This bites…†He said. He mounted PsychoSlider again and sped off into the distance. “I guess I could catch a commercial flight…†He thought. “But that would completely deplete my funds. I really do hate you Slippy.†He slid to the left and rushed off towards the nearest airfield according to knowledge.

[SpiralPyramids]

Author's Note: Here's the next part

“Know what’s so great about having the whole ship to ourselves?†Krystal asked Fox as they walked through the Greatfox corridors. Falco was away with Katt and Lucy was visiting Peppy on Corneria. Fox looked over to her, giving a small grin.

“What?†He asked her. She stopped and put her arms around his neck.

“That we have the whole ship to ourselves.†She giggled. Fox gave a soft chuckle and moved closer to kiss her. Before they could connect, Fox’s comm. rang in his ears.

“AAAGH!!!†He exclaimed, putting a hand to his ear. “Blast it…†He said, turning away from her. She gave a soft sigh and looked down. “What is it ROB,†He asked in an annoyed voice.

“Your presence is requested by General Peppy. Low priority.†Rob replied in his systematic monotone voice. Fox sighed.

“Don’t worry,†She smiled, kissing his cheek. “We’ll just have to continue later.†She grabbed his hand and ran off for the Main Communications Deck.

“It’s about time Fox.†Peppy called at the sight of Fox. “I beckoned you here 15 minutes ago.â€

“You know how big this ship is Peppy.†Fox smirked.

Peppy groaned. “Guess I know Pepper’s pain now… Anyway, we just received a minor priority distress call from a transport ship a few hundred kilometers outside Fortunan Airspace. They’re most likely just out of fuel or collided with some space junk; you know how they are. We just need you to get them to Fortuna for whatever it is they need. Understood?†He asked.

“Yes sir.†They said, nodding.

“Peppy out.†Peppy closed the video feed. Fox sighed.

“Another stupid search-and-tow mission. I’m so sick of these!!!!†He exclaimed. Krystal laughed.

“Complaining’s not going to get the job done. Come on, race ya to the hanger.†She laughed playfully, dashing away and out of Fox’s sight. Fox laughed as well, running of towards the docking bay. Krystal jumped into her Cloudrunner and Fox into the Arwing II. The bay doors opened with a loud whoosh, sucking all of the air out from around their ships. They both initiated the systems check at looked into each other’s cockpits.

“Let’s ride,†He said, blasting off into the black void of space, Krystal on his left wing.

“I’ve got them on radar. 400 kilometers and closing.†Krystal said to Fox. He nodded, opening his wings to fly manually.

“Let’s get this over… with…†He peered into the distance. “What the… Krys-

“ He heard a moan of pain from Krystal’s cockpit. “Krystal?! What happened?!â€

“So much… pain… suffering… death,†She was close to tears, “Ah… so many… lives…†She held her head in pain, shaking it back and forth. “Please… stop…†She whined slightly, massaging her temples.

Fox looked ahead again, dread in his eyes.

“Krystal, we need to help those people. Can you hear me?†He asked her. She nodded gingerly. “Then come on, the sooner we get there the sooner we can get out of here.†He said to her. She merely nodded again. He pushed forward on the thrust and blasted off towards the hunk of space wreckage. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the transport recognized in their mission briefing. They landed in what was left of the docking bay and jumped out of their respective Arwings. Fox immediately equipped his Blaster as did Krystal.

“You think anything is still here?†She asked him.

“I doubt it…†He said. He kicked a door open that led to the common seating area. It was a massacre. Bodies lay scattered about the area covered in various blaster wounds. It was a horrific sight. Fox sighed and put his hand on his head. Krystal turned to him, wrapping her arms about him. He returned her embrace, but she immediately pulled away.

“Wait…†She said, looking about the room. “Someone is still alive. I hear them…†She said, leaping over the seats. She glided down the aisles until she came to a seat near the back. There sat a bobcat. A red vest sat next to him. His black turtleneck was splattered with stains of blood. He was unconscious, but Krystal could hear his every thought. “It’s him.†She said, looking up to Fox.

He put his hand on his chin. “We can’t treat him here; we’ll have to get him back to the Great Fox.†Fox said. Krystal nodded to him as he picked the bobcat up, hoisting him over his shoulder. Krystal opened a comm. channel to ROB.

“ROB, we need you to get here ASAP. Be sure the medical wing is ready for use.†She said.

“Understood.†He replied monotone, closing the comm. link.

“He should be here pretty soon.†She said. “Let’s get to the docking bay and try to meet him at the halfway point.†She said. Fox nodded, both making their way back to the docking bay. “I’ll take him, I have more room in the Cloudrunner.†She said.

“Alright.†Fox said, hoisting him up into Krystal’s Cloudrunner and resting his back against her seat. “He should be okay until we get back to the Greatfox.†He said. Krystal jumped up after him. They skipped the systems check and blasted off once again into the black abyss.

[SpiralPyramids]

Roughly 27 minutes later they arrived at the Greatfox. Krystal took it upon herself to remove the body from her ship at Fox’s protest. He was carried to the medical ward where a bed awaited him. Krystal laid him on top of the covers as fox ran a scan of his internal bodily structure. It showed various broken bones and points of minor hemorrhaging. They began to utilize the various items and equipment around them in an attempt to improve his condition. They determined that his broken bones would mend and his organs would heal completely. After running a few more tests they decided he was in good condition. Krystal sighed.

“He was a real piece of work.†She said. “But at least he’ll be okay.â€

“I’m still rather curious though… it’s rare that a band of space marauders would just blatantly attack a Transport Ship like that. And there had to have been thousands of transports flying at that time; why’d they pick that ship, and why so close to a Cornerian outpost?â€

“Who knows now-a-days?†She asked him. “Everyone is still settling from the Anglar Incident…â€

“Yeah, but they still leave the transports alone most of the time. And how is it this guy…†He stopped at the sound of a groan. They both turned to look at the bobcat.

“Do you think he’s waking up?†She asked, walking over to him. “Maybe he knows why that particular ship was attacked?â€

“Or maybe he’s one of the marauders…†Fox grumbled cautiously. She looked back at him.

“Would they really have left him there like that?â€

“If he was a hindrance to their objective, then yeah.†He shook his head. “They’re ruthless, and don’t care about anyone but-†The bobcat turned over and gave a painful grunt. He opened his eyes slowly, only seeing the wall.

“Where… where am I…†He thought turning over. He saw Fox and Krystal and immediately panicked. “Stay away!!†He yelled.

“What? Hey, wait, calm down.†Krystal said, walking over to him. He held his hands out in front of him.

“I don’t want to hurt you. Leave me be pawns of Andrew.†He snarled.

“Pawns of what? What the heck are you talking about?†Fox inquired.

“I know what’s going on here. Don’t try and hide it from me.†He snarled again.

“Andrew is dead. He’s been dead for years now. How could you not know that?†Fox asked again.

“Shut up! You lie. I’m not-“ He was interrupted mid-sentence by a voice calling to him in his head.

“Don’t be afraid, we’re not going to hurt you. We’re trying to help…†It said in a soothing tone.

“No…†He said aloud, clutching his ears and closing his eyes.

“Calm down. You’re overreacting. Everything will be okay.†The voice said again. He glared up at Krystal.

“Stop it…†he growled up at her.

“Just settle down…â€

“I said stop it!â€

“No one’s going to-†She was stopped in the middle of her thought as the bobcat tackled her. He immediately jumped up and tried to run for the door. Fox caught him by the arm and slung him to the ground. The bobcat felt a large pain on the inside and groaned.

“Now listen. All we’re doing is trying to help. You can either stop acting like a jerk or you can find my boot in your face.†Fox said threateningly. The bobcat sighed, just lying there.

“How could you Fox?†The bobcat said.

“How could I what?†He replied annoyed.

“There were innocent people on the ship. How could you order a strike raid on a lowly transport ship.

“What are you talking about? I did no such thing.†Fox said indignantly.

“I heard it from Slippy. He told me before he ordered his subordinates to kill everyone on the ship.†He sighed.

“What?!!†Both Krystal and Fox said in a shocked tone. “Why?! Where is he?!â€

“I don’t know. I blacked out before he left. He looked angry though, completely ticked off.â€

â€Believe me… uh…†Fox paused.

“Fen. Fen Darrison,†He said.

“Right. Believe me Fen, I didn’t order that raid. Slippy left us a few months ago. We haven’t heard from him since.†Fox said, letting Fen up. Fox rubbed the back of his head ruefully. “Look, sorry for the throwdown. You kinda startled me.â€

“Yeah, I guess I apologize too.†Fen said, standing up. “To you too.†He said, turning to Krystal.

“It’s okay.†She said, smiling. “You’re welcome to stay here with us until you heal.†She said,

“Yeah, okay.†He said, holding his stomach. Before anyone could move, he held up his hand. “Don’t worry, I’m fine.†He said. “Do you guys have anything that needs fixing?†He asked.

“What?†Fox asked.

“I consider myself a mechanic, a very dedicated mechanic. I need to fix or build something. So…â€

“I… don’t think we need anything fixed. But there are a few spare parts in the Repair Area. You could go take a look I guess.â€

Fen nodded. “Alright, perfect. Just let me get my stuff back on.†He said, chuckling. Fox nodded and took Krystal under his arm as they walked out. Krystal caught a spare thought from Fen. She blushed slightly, giving a soft giggle.

Fen found himself lost among the random bits and pieces of unfinished work in the area. He was close to tears. “So… beautiful…†He said, making his way over to a table. He looked back towards the door, then grinned deviously. “I don’t know what to make… maybe I should ask Fox if he needs anything…†He said, walking towards the door. It slid open at his presence. As he walked, he crossed paths with a blue falcon who grabbed him before he could get away.

“Who the heck are you?†He asked daringly.

“I-I’m a guest here. Why?†He asked.

“Cause Fox never said anything about a guest.†Falco said, lifting him off his feet by his shirt. He glared at him, but couldn’t keep a straight face. He set him on the ground, laughing. “I’m just kidding.†He hit Fen’s shoulder playfully. “Fox told me all about what happened. So you were the last person to see Slippy huh?†He inquired.

Fen laughed nervously. “Yeah, I guess.†He shrugged.

“I’ve also heard that you were a mechanic of sorts. Think you could look at something for me real quick?†He asked.

“Uh… yeah, s-sure.†He said, following behind Falco. Falco lead him to the docking bay, then up to his Sky Claw.

“On our way back from Zoness, Katt and I heard some kind of rattling coming from inside the ship, and I couldn’t seem to keep a steady stream of power to the engines…â€

“Katt?†Fen asked.

“Yeah, you’ll meet her soon. Anyway, I would have tried to fix it myself, but I would’ve screwed with something that wasn’t meant to be screwed with.†He chuckled, shaking his head. “So?â€

“I’ll take a look.†Fen said. He climbed up to the cockpit of the Sky Claw, then made his way over to the wing. He knocked on the panel of the right cannon where the emblem was located.

“Be careful!†Falco said. “Don’t hurt her.â€

Fen scoffed slightly. “I know what I’m doing. I’ve just never seen this aircraft model before.†He said. He felt around on his tool belt to find a power-screwdriver, one who’s head turned on its own. He placed it in the grooves of one screw to loosen it from its holding place as he did with several more. The panel was peeled off by Fen’s hands and placed on the wing gingerly. Fen began to look through the various wires he saw with a small flashlight. “I don’t see anything…†He said, placing the panel back in its place. He moved back to the cockpit and ran his hand over the area next to the cockpit’s viewport. He began to work at another panel, this time with a ray cutter. Falco winced when he heard the cutter skim across the shell of his Sky Claw. Fen cut out a small square-ish shape out of the ships hull. He carefully removed the heated metal and found the problem.

“What is it?†Falco asked.

“When’s the last time you’ve had your ship purified?†He asked.

“Purified? What do you mean?â€

“Arwings run on a type of energy similar to plasma and liquid nitrogen. The plasma powers your ship’s engines and cannons while the nitrogen keeps your ship from overheating when you do things like charge a laser blast or boost. These elements mix often in Arwings, and when they do they leave a little solid residue on the insides of the cylinders that carry them throughout your ship. So once every… 2 years I’d say, you want to get your pipes cleaned. All you need to do is introduce a little fella we all know as oxygen and everything will be alright,†Fen grinned.

“Well, how exactly do we do that?†Falco asked.

“Ah ha! That’s the question now isn’t it?†Fen grinned. “You just need a laser-cutting tool.†He continued to hold the ray cutter, “and a powerful sealant,†He pulled a small test-tube of something from his belt. “Just use your cutter to open a small hole in the cylinder,†He performed the step he just mentioned. The hole was small enough that nothing came gushing out. “Let it sit for about 10 seconds,†He waited, looking about, “Then seal,†he poured the sealant over the open cylinder. The liquid hardened almost immediately.

“That’s it?†Falco asked.

“Yeah, you can even give it a try if you want. It might perform better.†He smirked. Falco almost leapt up to the cockpit without the use of a ladder. Fen stood out of the way so he wouldn’t get knocked over. Falco started the ship’s engines without a systems check… and without letting Fen jump off. The ship lifted into the air and Fen almost fell over. “Hey!! Hold on!!†He beat on Falco’s cockpit.

Falco wasn’t paying attention. “That must have been the problem. She’s making music again; oh such beautiful music.†He laughed cheerfully. He looked out of his cockpit and saw Fen clawing at hull, trying to hold on and make sure he didn’t fall off. “Oh,†He said, chuckling slightly. He gently put the ship back down and disengaged all of the internal systems. Fen hadn’t let go of the hull, he couldn’t move. Falco stepped out and peeled him off the hull. Fen was frozen stiff. Falco took it upon himself to carry him down to the lower area of the docking bay. He set him down. His hearts was beating a mile a minute. “Heh… sorry bud,†he said.

“It… is… okay…†He said in breathy gasps. Falco helped him up.

“Uh… I gotta get going. I guess I’ll see you around†He said, walking off and waving behind him.

Fen was still shaking slightly. “That… sucked…â€

[SpiralPyramids]

Fen continued to search for Fox throughout the ship for Fox. He was rather pleased with himself; he’d finally fixed something on the ship and even taught someone something about their ship. He laughed to himself. He walked until he saw an air lift before him. He carefully entered and looked at the wall. He looked at all of the buttons on the side of the door. He saw one labeled “Holo-Simulator.â€

“Sounds interesting…†He said, trying to push the button. He couldn’t press the button for it did not exist. “What the…†He tried pressing it again, but ended up just jabbing his finger. “Blast it!†He held his finger. He thought a second. “Maybe its voice activated…†He thought. He cleared his throat. “Training room.†He said nothing. “Computer, training room.†Still nothing. “Training room please? Computer, execute, training room protocol. Execute Command, Training Room floor.†Still no response. “Dang it. Go to Training Bridge!†He said, stomping on the lift. He fell off his feet as the elevator plummeted at least what seemed like 12 floors. As the elevator stopped he fell roughly to the floor. “Ouch…†He said, standing. He wobbled slightly and fell out of the elevator. The sound of laser blasts and metal clinking together caught his ear. He jumped up rather quickly and ran down the hall. He turned left and found a bullet-proof glass in front of him. He peered through and saw Fox and Krystal inside what seemed to be a simulator. He saw waves upon waves of enemies trying to attack the two. He saw blaster’s blazing and shots flying about the area. He figured the bug-like creatures to be Fox and Krystal’s adversaries, and they seemed to be loosing horribly. After about 47 seconds, Fen calculated the average Aparoid destruction rate to be 27 every 10 seconds. He whined slightly as he saw the last Aparoid detonate and the program terminate. They turned to look at the viewport.

“Sup?!†Fox called out to him. He jumped slightly. He didn’t think he could be seen, more could hear Fox’s voice. Even the blasters were muffled by the thickness of the glass before him. Fox motioned for him to join them in the room. He walked along side the viewport, looking for a door. It didn’t take him long to run his paw along it, and for it to slide open. He jumped slightly again.

“My nerves must not have settled from that ordeal earlier…†He thought. He walked in cautiously. “That was rather impressive. I’ve never seen anyone shoot like that…†He said to the two.

“Really?†Krystal said. “We all shoot like that, or at least similar to that.†She said.

“Can you shoot?†Fox asked.

“Me?†Fen asked. “Well… I mean, I can, but I prefer melee combat. In my perspective, in requires much more concentration and style.â€

Fox and Krystal looked at each other then grinned. “You think you’re pretty good?†Fox asked Fen.

“Uh… I guess.†He said, shrugging. “I had a sword once, but I left it at my garage. Slippy probably has it.â€

“What do you say to a little sparring session?†Fox added again.

“What? Oh, I couldn’t. I wouldn’t want to hurt one of you guys.†Fen put his paws up defensively.

“Come on, it’ll be fun.†Fox said.

“I… I can’t. Not after you guys let me stay here…†He said. Fox just asked again. Fen sighed. “Alright, I guess.â€

Fox and Krystal both laughed. “Alright then, Krystal, you’re up.†He said, giving her a small kiss before walking out.

“Miss… Miss Krystal. No, I couldn’t possibly… I can’t hit a girl!†He said.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.†Fox said. He tossed Krystal her staff and Fen one that was similar to hers, just not as decorated.

“Is this bamboo?†He asked Fox. Fox chuckled, initiating a random backdrop image. It was somewhere on Fortuna.

Krystal smiled to him. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. You just fight to the best of your abilities, ‘kay?†She asked him, giving him a small wink.

“I… I guess.†He said, examining his staff. He spun it once on one paw then once on the other paw. He hit the head of it on the ground. “Alright, all seems to be in order.†He said, still a little nervous. “Ready when you are.†He said.

Krystal eyed him suspiciously. “Don’t you take some kind of stance or something?†She asked. “You just stand like you normally do?â€

“Um… no, I don’t have a stance. I feel the drawback time needed to take a stance is too great.†He said.

“Alright then,†She said, grinning. She rushed him, but he stood there, waiting for her first attack. She followed through with an overhead strike which he confidently sidestepped. With little to no lag in her attack, she swung vertically to attack him and he stepped back to dodge. She followed through with an attempted roundhouse, which Fen blocked with a grab of his paw.

“Miss Krystal, you’re not trying.†He said, looking down at her. She growled slightly, pushing her foot forward and causing him to hit himself in the face. “Ack!†He said nasally, backing away some. She fell forward on two feet and leapt towards him. He was still holding his nose, so he didn’t see her advance. She launched another overhead attack towards him, which connected with his left shoulder. He stood there, the pain coursing through his shoulder. He grunted slightly. “Ouch…†He said.

Krystal smirked at him. She brought her staff back for another attack but he ducked under it. He brought his own staff up and attempted an attack to her mid. She turned so it would miss and attempted an open palmed strike to his abdomen. He caught her paw, soon realizing they were semi-intertwined. Fen let go and pushed away. He turned his eyes downward.

Krystal looked at him and smirked.

“Keep your thoughts on the battle,†She said, coming in for a diagonal strike. Fen stepped on the staff when he sidestepped her attack. He jumped up, finding a perfect opportunity to deliver a devastating blow to her face. He couldn’t take the advantage and merely made his way to the other side of her. He gave her a push from behind. Krystal looked surprised when he didn’t take the chance to finish the battle. She turned to him. “Why didn’t you attack?†She asked.

“I’m having fun.†He smiled.

“You and I both know that’s not what it is.†She said. She grabbed the lowest part of her staff and swung at him with great strength. He brought his own staff vertical to hers to block. She quickly parried and delivered a strike with the butt of her staff to his stomach.

“Ack!†He exclaimed again. She struck him across the side of his face and followed through with a powerful roundhouse. Fen fell back on his paws, giving a slight cough. Krystal laughed slightly.

“You okay?†She asked him.

“Yeah, fine.†He said, jumping up. He shook his head to clear it. “Ready again.†He said.

“Alright…†She said apprehensively. She ran towards him, feigning an attack and going for his knees he jumped back, mentally analyzing her attacks now. She struck at him again in a stabbing motion. He dodged this, as well as her other stabbing attacks. She struck low again then attempted a high kick but he caught her foot with his paw.

“I think I’ve figured this out…†He said. He suddenly let go of her foot and jumped back. Krystal quickly regained her balance. She growled some, dashing towards him with another furious flurry of attacks. Fen blocked one the followed through with his own back-paw punch. When he had realized what he’d done, he was overcome with grief. “Oh god, I’m so sorry…†He said, rushing over to her.

“No no, it’s okay.†She said, smiling to him. “It’s fine. This is what sparring is all about, duh!†She said. Fen laughed.

“Okay then.†He said, nodding to her. He prepared himself for another attack but was interrupted by a blaring voice over the intercom.

“We’ve got a call guys. Let’s go!†Fox said. Krystal turned to face Fen.

“We’ll finish this later,†She chuckled, running out to Fox. Fen ran after her.

“Hey wait!! Where are we going?†He yelled after them as he caught up.

“The bridge.†Fox said simply, hopping into the elevator. Fen was somewhat reluctant to step into the lift again.

“Computer, to the bridge, priority one.†Fox commanded. Fen braced himself on the rail, but the elevator ascended at a steady pace. Fen was shocked.

“How’d you do that?†Fen asked.

“It recognizes my voice and my preference in speed. Did it nearly kill you when you used it?†He asked.

“Yes…†He breathed.

Fox laughed. “I’ll get that fixed.†He said. Fen nodded.

“No bother, I’ll do it when I get the chance.†He said. Fox nodded.

“It’s great to have another mechanic onboard.†He said. The airlift stopped at the second to topmost deck, also known as the bridge. It was an amazing sight for Fen. Various monitors and consoles could be found placed around the deck. He took all of this in, restraining the urge to dash off and press a random button.

“It’s beautiful…†He said in a distant voice. Fox and Krystal both eyed him strangely.

“Well… it’s never been called beautiful before,†Falco entered behind the three, Katt underneath his arms. “I guess it’s nice though.â€

“Nice doesn’t describe it…†He said. Fox and Krystal both chuckled. Fox dragged Fen over to the largest video-feed screen in the area. Fen gaped at it. “It’s huge…â€

Fox grinned. “ROB, show the video-stream from Zoness.†He said.

“Acknowledged.†ROB said. Fen looked around for the source of the voice.

“Was that another computer?†He asked still looking around.

“Nope.†Krystal said. Fen continued to look, which caused him to jump when he heard a voice behind him.

“Starfox! Your assistance is requested here. We don’t know what attacked us, but whatever it was completely escaped our radars. They’re tearing our base apart. Please-" The transmission was lost.

“The message was recorded 1 hour prior to this airing. Action command requested.†ROB said. Fen continued to look for the voice.

“Set a course for Zoness. It may just be Slippy. Zoness is closest to home for him.†Fox said. “We’ll most likely arrive in 30 minutes. I want everyone ready to depart before then.†Fox said. The team gave a nod of the head in understanding. “Move out team.†He said.

Once everyone had cleared the room, Fen walked up to Fox. “Um…. What am I to fly, uh, sir?†He asked. Fox laughed.

“It’s just Fox, alright. And until we can get you your own ship, you’ll have to use one of the older models, one from the Lylat Wars era.†Fox said. Fen’s eyes went wide.

“Really?†He asked excitedly. Fox eyed him strangely then chuckled.

“You’re a strange guy Fen,†he chuckled again, leading him to the lift again. They rose to the topmost deck of the Great Fox, the docking bay. Beyond the 4 ships currently docked in the bay, there was another door, thought to be locked forever. Fox approached the door, scanning his paw and watching as the door dropped before the two. The room was pitch black, but their footsteps echoed throughout the bay. Fen looked around nervously as the door whooshed back in place behind them.

“Uh… where are we?†He asked, disliking loosing his sense of sight. Fox grinned to himself.

“Computer, show aircraft model 004357.†He said. Suddenly, a whirring of gears and hydraulics could be heard. One light began to shine in the room as a spinning platform rose before them. On it was an Arwing of a very old model. Its surface was scratched and scorched, it was missing armor around the cockpit, the paint was peeling in certain places and the cockpit viewport was horribly grimy.

“It’s beautiful… can I fix it up?†Fen asked hopefully.

“Uh… yeah, sure.†Fox said. “Do you like it?†He asked. By this time, Fen was already hugging the fragmented Arwing.

“I love it…†He said dreamily. “I need parts…†He said, still rather distant.

“Well, that’s the biggest problem. We don’t have any spare parts lying around, ones that would be compatible with the Arwing…â€

“Oh that’s fine, really. I’ll just try and fix it internally for the time being till we come across a space junker.†Fen said, not taking his eyes off the Arwing. He ran his paw over the hull. “Just give me 20 minutes with her.â€

Fox chuckled. “All right. Don’t forget, we’re out of here in 30,†He said, walking off.

“Yeah…†Fen said, reaching in one of his pockets and finding a laser cutting tool and wrench. He slid underneath the Arwing and began to work.

25 minutes had passed. Fen sealed up a hole he created in the Arwing’s hull. His face was covered with dirt and grime from the Arwing’s ancient components. He tried to wipe his face, but figured he’d just wait to wash upon his return. He walked out of the mini-garage to find Fox again. Instead he found Falco talking silently with Katt. He walked up to the two. “Hey Falco!!†He yelled up to Falco, who was sitting with Katt on top of the Katt’s Paw.

Falco almost fell backwards in surprise. He had an angry look on his face when he looked around, but at his realization that it was Fen, his frown disappeared. “Oh, it’s you. What’s ‘at?†He asked.“Uh, how… how do I get out of you guy’s secondary hangar?†He asked. Falco laughed.

“You don’t, it’s a trophy room pretty much.†He said. Fen looked dejected, but Falco laughed. “I’m just kidding. Once you’re done, just call it up on this side of the hangar.†Fen gave him another confused look. “Use the transfer pad over there, and use the call number of your vehicle.â€

Fen nodded. “I think I get it.†He said. He walked towards the middle of the docking bay to where the transfer pad was set. He looked at the keypad on the control panel before him. He slowly and carefully entered the vehicle call number as he remembered Fox yelling it out. The pad before him let out a loud whoosh, causing Fen to jump. The platform spun as it descended, leaving a mysterious, gaping hole. After a few seconds, Fen’s slightly repaired Arwing arose before him.

“Wow…†He heard a voice behind him. He turned around to see a black cat standing behind him, red bandana on her head. “You sure do work quickly, a lot quicker than Slippy…†She said.

“It’s not done, but it can fly pretty well. The lasers are horribly weak and the shields are below par, but it should fly okay.†He said. He turned around to face her, a questioning look coming over his face. The cat laughed.

“Katt Monre.†She said, extending a paw for him to shake. He took it and shook as well.

“Fen Darrison,†He said, smiling. She returned his smile. Suddenly, Fox’s voice boomed throughout the hangar.

“We’ll be arriving in 3 minutes people. Let’s get it moving!!†He yelled. Falco let out a sarcastic whoop as he climbed up to his Sky Claw. Katt laughed slightly as she jumped up to her Cat’s Paw aircraft. Fox leapt into the Arwing II and Krystal into the Cloudrunner. Fen worked his way into his own Arwing as he sat and waited for Fox’s signal to leave. He heard Fox come over the comm..

“Alright team, I analyzed the situation on Zoness with ROB a few minutes ago. We could not determine who it is who is laying waste to Zoness; all we need to do is stop whoever the heck it is that’s doing this. Nothing fancy this time around guys, Falco, Fen, I’ll leave it to you two to board the enemy capital ship. Katt, Krystal, and I will take care of things on the outside. Understood?†He asked.

“Yeah,†Falco said.

“Roger,†Katt said.

“Read ya,†Krystal said.

“Yes sir,†Fen replied. The team began to run a systems check before they left the Greatfox hangar. Fen’s analysis came back negative, showing all internal systems reading in the read. He sighed. “Just give me time, okay?†He asked the Arwing. The team sat, awaiting Fox’s orders to launch.

“Alright team, let’s roll,†He said, a small grin coming across his face. Falco let out a deafening whoop as the 5 ships jetted out of the docking bay.

No one expected what happened next…

[Cavemonkynick]

Very nice. I cant wait to read more:)

[FoxMotoX]

I like it. I especially like the dialogue. Although I just dont Slippy doing something like that lol

[SpiralPyramids]

Author's Note: Here's the update after the 6 year hiatus

They all knew that Zoness was little more than a sea of toxic waste after the war with Andross. But none of them expected it to burn like it did. At departure, the team figured it was nothing more than a raiding party picking the bones of Lylat's last big galaxy wide war. Vultures, living off of what little they possibly could. No, this was a tactical strike. Zoness's few defenses were ripped to shreds, then the planet was ripe for the taking. On approach they could only see a few spots of burning flames and sparks of laser fire. But as they broke the toxic atmosphere there was much more than that. Fen and Falco's mission was to board the enemy mothership. Now the question was: Which one?

And how could all of this go so undetected?

“My... word...†Fox breathed through his comm. as they approached. There was a hail of ammunition hurled through the air.

Directly at them.

“Look alive people! We're in for a fight! Weapons free!†He called as each craft barreled out of the way of the oncoming fire to deflect, in which all were successful. All except Fen.

Fen's ship let out a wail of distress at being razed by the hail of enemy fire. Ground troops on the platforms separating the walkers from the swimmers, aircraft big and small, motherships with enormous guns all training their eyes on the 5 foreign invaders. He dodged and dipped as much as he could, but his ship wasn't going to make it. He needed a new one and fast. He hailed Falco through the Comm., and was received by a tense and frustrated avian.

“I'm a little busy newbie!†Fen witnessed a stream of debris fly over Falco's head outside the cockpit. The sight made Fen squirm a bit.

“How much do you trust me by this point?†Fen inquired as he barrelled from another hail of fire and heard his ship scream for his attention. Fen winced as his display marked shields as nearly depleted and armor quickly dropping to dangerous levels. This was the worst idea he'd ever found himself conjuring, and was quite sure he'd pay the ultimate penalty for it.

“What? What are you talking about?†Falco replied, laying on the trigger and destroying another pair of fighters that sought to destroy him first.

“Fall in behind me, I'm going to launch this ship into the hangar of one of the Mother's, ejecting before impact, and grab on to your ship!â€

“Kid you're insane! There's no way you're going to be able to-â€

“Am I to take this as you not trusting me? No? Then line up and get ready to pull the wildest stunt you'll ever pull in your life!†Fen pulled up hard on the control column to avoid a volley of missiles launched directly at him. It was clear to see the ground troops identified his craft as the inferior one. He laid on the thrusters and found himself zooming towards one of the larger carriers as it dropped more and more fighters to replace the ones Starfox permanently retired. “Come on Falco come on...†He whispered to himself as the Sky Claw barreled and whisked it's way up to behind him.

“I hope you know what you're doing kid.†Falco's voice warned over Fen's comm. Fen missed the message as he prepared for his drop. He searched for the two electromagnets strapped to his belt, and cursed when he realized the older model of Arwing hadn't an emergency weapons cache beneath the seat. It was a long shot, but disappointing none the less. He secured the rest of his belongings on his person and disabled the ejector mechanic on his seat. He couldn't believe he was doing this. He was a mechanic, not some sort of stuntman. Nor was he some sort of ace pilot. Even if he got into another-

His ship was buffeted by artillery from the mothership. If he was going to do this, it would have to happen now. “Falco, drop altitude and flip onto your back, I'll be joining you in-†The comm. Link went dead, and Falco feared the worst, though he still performed what he'd feared were Fen's last words.

“Crazy kid...†Falco said solemnly as he watched the hatch from the older Arwing fly off, but the seat not eject. His last sight before dropping and flipping over was that of the Arwing U-Turning into the hangar as it was exploding. But even on his back his cockpit was illuminated by the brilliant blue light that followed. It much resembled that of a smart bomb detonating, but multiplied by a factor of three or four. Following that, the mothership seemed to split in half in another brilliant explosion that lit up the sky, and the bits of the ship still intact floated off on what little power remained before plunging nose first into another. Falco was rocked from his staring contest with the falling debris by a clunk on the bottom half of his ship.

“If you want to live then get us out of here! We got another ship to take down!†Falco could barely make out Fen's words over the loud whooshing noise in his comm. Falco held off his exhalation of relief and exclamation of joy as he expertly wobbled and weaved through the mass of burning debris falling from the sky he rocketed upwards and out of danger. “Don't get cocky yet pal! Fire your smart bomb into the hull of that one over there, the one who's hull was breached by the other half of the ship we just got! Then get behind that one and raze the hangar! We'll take that one down from the inside!†Fen yelled.

“I gotcha buddy!†Falco grinned visibly at the sound of little clinks moving from his belly to an area just beside the cockpit. It was rather humorous to see the bobcat with closed eyes, flapping ears and gums, and ruffled fur. Fen himself wasn't sure just how long he'd be able to hold on. In fact, his body was close to giving out of his accord, but the overwhelming fear of death was keeping him alive for the moment. Falco did as he was instructed and launched the Smart Bomb. Like before, the ship exploded in a brilliant blue flash, then exploded as normal and broke in two, though this time no other Mothership was nearby to take a hit. Falco barreled to the side to avoid an oncoming missile, then thrusted off towards the rear of another Mothership. He was sure this bobcat had to have some sort of idea, cause they were getting nowhere, fast. He flew behind and hoverred, luckily out of range of the ship's turrets. He did as he was asked and razed the hangar with his ship's lasers, scorching the metal and burning many pilots to a crisp. Once the hangar personnel had been dealt with, he flew in and landed. Fen rolled off the ship, leaving his electromagnets behind and proceeding to empty the contents of his stomach.

“Oh no... that wasn't-†He vomited again, falling on his paws and knees. Falco moved quickly to acquire more instruments for their conquest. Fen fell to a sitting position and put his head between his legs.

“You alright kid?â€

“Stop... stop calling me that.†Fen waved his paw in mock intimidation towards his co-pilot. “I'll be fine. We haven't heard from the others because your codex frequencies have been blocked.â€

“I wasn't even going to ask...â€

“But you were going to try and get in contact with...†Fen gagged a little, but swallowed what little may have come up. “Fox. I'm telling you it wouldn't work. What do you think we should do my avian friend?â€

“Ram this ship into another, best thing right?â€

“No no, not at all. Not yet at least. We can get-†Falco dove over Fen and dragged him into cover as the ground upon which they previously occupied was rocketed with all manners of automatic fire. “Of course they didn't have any of the big weapons in here, they couldn't have expected-†He gave a grunt as a blaster was shoved into his gut. He retched a little once more, but began to gain his equillibrium.

“Less talking, more shooting!†Falco called as he popped up from behind their cover of wrecked aircraft parts and fired on two of their aggressors. But they just kept coming. “How many of these guys are there going to be?!â€

“It's going to be nigh endless Falco.†Fen breathed, trying to steady himself enough to shoot. “But we're going to have to bring them down. We'll be able to end this pretty soon if I can get to the bridge and get us some backup. For now-†Fen popped up and fired off three shots, none of which found a target separate from the hangar walls. “We just have to hope we can kill the guy with the gattling gun on his way down here. The weak point will be his wrists-†Fen was cut off by the sound of their cover being rattled by more automatic fire.

“I'm starting to think this was a bad idea!†Falco yelled as he downed a few more.

“Get a grenade in there.†Fen grabbed a stray pipe about as tall as he was and tested it's weight.

“What are you-â€

“Still don't trust me?†Fen grinned at the falcon as he dashed from behind cover, running a serpentine through the wreckage. Falco did as was asked of him and tossed a grenade in, and for good measure tossed another one. The portal from which the armed men poured was far enough that as the grenade landed it exploded, as did several of their assailants. The second landed right at the door as it whooshed open and killed another 4 of the armed men. “Their ranks should be thinning out by now...†Fen thought to himself as he made his way to the door. Three more men came out blasters charged to fire, but found Fen right in their face and their guns pointing at unfavorable directions. The blast went out in different directions and they were swept off their feet. As another tried to enter through the door Fen kicked him squarely in the chest before he could fire a single shot, and threw him back into 5 more guards advancing on him. He quickly used the pipe to knock out the three he'd just disabled and called for Falco to advance from the debris. Falco advanced quickly, his blaster still raised and ready to fire. As the door slid open he let loose a hail of blaster fire to slay those on the other side.

“Did you really have to use that pipe? Why not just take that blaster?†Falco inquired as he discarded his blaster for one of the fallen's machine gun. Fen did the same.

“Because even at this range, chances were much higher that I would have missed instead.†Fen grinned and took a deep breath as they positioned themselves on either side of the door. “We've thinned them out pretty well I think. They're not going to send another detachment this way I don't think, they'd end up sacrificing staff needed elsewhere in that case, and there's no way they can spare personnel on a carrier this large.â€

“What happened to that gattling gun you said was on it's way?†Falco asked as the door whooshed open once more. Fen instinctively knocked the barrel of the gun upwards as it protruded from beneath the threshold, then thrust forward with the pipe. He brought a downward swing to the wrist holding the front of the gun, then ran forth and jammed the pipe into the assailant's throat. With his last exhalation of breath the assailant fell onto his back.

“There it is.†Fen heaved the heavy weapon and motioned for Falco to come along.

The pair found themselves pinned down in the hallway directly before the bridge of the ship, which had been shut and electronically sealed from the other side. Those trapped on the inside of the bridge were mere button pushers as far as the two were concerned, and not much of a threat. The current threat were the last dregs of the ship's brute force making their way to Fen and Falco's location. Luckily for the two, they'd found themselves in an excellent position to funnel the rest of said forces into a constant stream of fire. Even Fen found himself wracking up an impressive number of enemies actually hit.

“So tell me this Fen.†Falco began as he he fired upon another failed assault. Fen peeked out from cover and fired once before going back into hiding.

“Yeah?â€

“Where do you think these guys came from? I mean, we know Slippy's gone all crazy on us and stuff, but you think he could have shored up the numbers to staff this many Motherships so quickly? How many mercenaries... hold on.†Falco peeked from behind cover and let loose a hail of machine gun fire behind an almost primal cry of force. Fen considered doing the same, but figured Falco was a lot more in control than his cry would have suggested, and if Fen were to attempt to mimic his actions, only make a fool of himself. “How many mercenaries could he afford to employ anyway?

“I didn't want to tell you this, but-†Fen held the machine gun out from cover and sprayed the hallway with ammunition. “He's probably using dregs of Andross's army. I couldn't imagine they'd be that hard to rile up after their crushing defeat at YOUR hands after all. Besides that, it'd be wise to check your accounts if we get out of this. If Slippy's as savvy as I am... You think you could keep them off me for 30 seconds or so?â€

“Depends.†Falco fired on another trio trying to break through their defenses. “These guys aren't very smart are- Is it '30 seconds' or is it 'so'?â€

Fen was already back at the door, fiddling with the holographic display resembling a keypad. He entered a few seemingly random strings of numbers and a spherical display replaced the keypad. Every inch seemed to be covered in some sort of spiky protrusion, half of the sphere was white, one third of it yellow, and the other third a pulsing red. “They destroyed the... not as clever as you think you...†The sphere seemed to react to his paws, and he spun it vertically, horizontally, diagonally, each time expertly pushing in on one of the protrusions.

“You're running on 'so' kid!†Falco called back, chucking the empty machine gun into the growing horde of troops and switching to his blaster to thin out their ranks.

“It's open! Let's go Falco!†Fen cried back frantically as he jabbed the last few protrusions from the glowing sphere to watch it fizzle into holographic static and disappear. The wide and thick doors slid open slowly to reveal the bridge of the enormous craft. Falco leaped inside and Fen followed close behind him. From the inside, Fen did the same as he did on the outside to close the doors once more.

Falco stood silent, beak agape, until a few words could squeak from it. “Fen... there's no crew here...â€

“What?†Fen asked as the holographic display exploded before him like on the other side of the door. He whipped around, then proceeded to scratch his ears. “Well my blue feathered friend... you're right. There is no crew... it's all automated...†Fen moved to investigate the various unmanned stations of the enormous mothership. “Hmm...†He sat at one terminal and began to waltz his fingers over the keys present before the monitor.

“What are you doing?†Falco asked as he looked intently over Fen's shoulder.

“Checking to see if... huh...†He sat back and scratched his chin. Though he found himself a bit stressed once more, it was nice to be back at a place he was well acquainted with. He struck a sequence of keys and an overview of the battle outside appeared on his screen. “Well the good news is Team Starfox hasn't emptied it's roster so to speak...†Fen said, uneasily trying to lighten the tension. When he received a less than gracious glare from his teammate, he turned back to the screen and traced a claw over it. “These larger shapes represent the carriers scattered about in the air. The tinier shapes within the larger represents the other biological presences in said ships. What do you notice about the bridges of these craft?â€

Falco's eyes darted over the screen. He already knew the answer, and was only trying to confirm it. “Empty...â€

“Empty.†Fen repeated. “Came empty, gonna leave empty, plus some cargo. The question now becomes... Hey can you get over to the Communications Panel and hail the Great Fox? These connections shouldn't be blocked by whomever it is blocking ours.â€

“I gotcha.†Falco replied as he dashed across the room and hopped into the communications chair. Before too long, an image of ROB popped up in the middle of the room as a holographic display. “ROB-â€

“Communications down with Team Starfox, Great Fox under heavy fire. Request command input, as my decisions have been rendered inefficient in solving the issue.â€

“That... complicates things...â€

[Guest BlueRaccoon]

This is some pretty good work. I like how you turned Slippy into a bad guy. That's a very interesting angle to work on. And the battle sequences were pretty cool. I could imagine this entire story as a video game. The only big problem I have with it is that there are a few grammatical errors that take away from the enjoyment of the story. I'll give you two examples:

"In my perspective, in requires much more concentration and style.â€

Fen continued to search for Fox throughout the ship for Fox.

These are just a couple. Maybe you could review your story and check some of these. The parts that don't have any grammatical errors are really good. I especially liked the dialogue. This is a really well thought out story so far.