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Star Fox Origin


Prince Elite

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Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls. Lord, Ladies, Administrators and Moderators and everyone else in between. I present to you the first portion and hopefully the start of a great fan-fiction. More will be released in due season. The story is set roughly a year after the events of Star Fox: Assault. Due to the ambiguousness of the Command canonicity (try saying that 5 time fast) these events will not be featured. This book does not require extreme knowledge of the Lylat Wars history. So sit back, relax and enjoy.

Please defer any criticisms to my PM and be constructive. Hateful, abusive or inane criticisms will be ignored. Note: The transfer between Word and this page did not include the paragraphs. So bear with me.

Star Fox Origin

The cold dark of space seemed rather calm. The glow of Sector X and Solar shone through the gloom. But for the fact that the second-most renowned pilot in the galaxy and his team were preparing an ambush, it would have made a peaceful place to visit.

Without taking his eyes off a particular spot, a grey canine activated his com from the cockpit of his Wolfen.

“The convoy should be here any minute now. Are we all ready?â€

“Everything looks clear from here,†said a green lizard-like creature.

“All systems are green,†replied a built feline.

A clattering sounded through the com mere seconds after the feline had spoken.

“Darius, what was that?†asked the canine.

“Dropped my music player,†replied a brown haired vulpine.

“Oh for heaven sakes, you brought that thing with you?†spat the green lizard.

“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed, didn’t they Leon?†replied Darius quickly.

“Silence!†called the vulpine. “We don’t need an argument here. Let’s get this job done and then we can all go home. Got it boys?â€

“Alright boss,†replied Darius.

“You didn’t report in,†said the feline.

“Okay alright, I’m being attacked on two sides here sheesh,†said Darius in a mock-hurt tone. “My weapons, engines and com system are all functional. The Ion battery is online and ready for firing at your command, your eminence.â€

Deciding that his last remark wasn’t a mark of disrespect worth bringing up, the canine cleared his throat.

“Now let’s get down to business,†he said in a serious tone. “The pirates will be moving along this route delivering a shipment of high-grade fuel. These fuel shipments are a driving force in the piracy around our area. So we are going to take it.â€

“Oh joy,†said Darius in mock-surprise.

“Panther and I will ambush the left side of the convoy and draw out their snub fighters,†said the canine, ignoring Darius’ comment. “Leon will provide covering fire from ahead and force the convoy right.â€

“At which point I, waiting for the turn will fire the Ion beam into the fuel freighter making it totally useless,†chimed in Darius. “Then mop up any other fighters while you three triangulate on my location. Isn’t that right, Wolf?â€

“Quite right old chap,†replied Wolf in an exaggerated accent.

“The convoy is incoming,†said Panther sharply. “The scan figures two minutes until arrival.â€

“Everyone into positions, now,†ordered Wolf.

It didn’t take long for the brown vulpine to glide his Arwing to the spot. After switching on a metallic device, he turned his attention to the approaching convoy and counted silently in his head.

“Alright boys, this is it,†said Wolf quietly.

A loud explosion rocked one of the ships as a nova bomb impacted on its hull. A stream of oxygen burst through the fault and reacted violently with the lick of flame, causing the ship to be engulfed in a magnificent fireball.

“Ship 3 is down, all fighters search and destroy,†crackled a voice through Darius’ small device. “All fighters defend the convoy!â€

No sooner than the words had been uttered did two fighters explode in blaze of laser fire.

“Two marks left of the convoy, get in there morons!â€

Another explosion rocked a large ship at the head of the convoy and the com went silent.

A fighter soared past Darius’ Arwing and missed it by a small distance. The Arwing rattled slightly causing the brown vulpine to check his instruments. As confident as he was in his fighter’s stealth abilities, he was more than a little on edge.

“It looks like they’ve decided to make a break for it Darius,†said Wolf over the comlink.

“Oh good,†replied Darius as he readied his fighter’s Ion blaster. “My first catch for the evening.â€

“Just get it done,†said Wolf.

Gliding his ship forward, the brown vulpine waited and watched as the battle raged around him. He was quite impressed by his team-mates methods of tactical provocation and was anxious to show them that he was skilled enough to be in their league.

“Here they are guys,†said Darius as he charged his Ion blaster.

Taking a moment to breathe, the vulpine expertly aimed and fired. A large beam struck a ship in the middle of the convoy, stopping its engines stone dead.

“That’s done it,†said Darius with an air of smugness.

“Good work Darius,†replied Panther. “Now could you give me a hand with this annoying thing following me?â€

Giving a quick acknowledgement, Darius through spaced and began to target his quarry. The enemy fighter dodged a laser beam and u-turned in time to fire a stream of laser at the brown vulpine.

“Nice try,†said Darius smugly as he easily avoided the laser-fire. “Try this on for size, won’t you?â€

Making an unusual swerve to track his quarry, the vulpine aimed and fired a concentrated beam which hit the enemy fighter head on.

“Kaboom,†exclaimed Darius.

“There’s only one warship left,†uttered Leon quickly. “Its shields are strong.â€

“Nova bombs in ten seconds everyone,†ordered Wolf.

Avoiding a spurt of fire Darius turned his ship and locked onto a direct line with the enemy warship.

“Three, two, one!†exclaimed Wolf.

The loudest explosion of all occurred when the four bombs detonated on impact causing the ship to explode into small burning fragments.

“That got him,†said Panther.

Letting go of the breath he wasn’t aware he’d been holding, Darius eased back and surveyed the destruction he had helped create. Fragments of metal lay strewn around the one ship left intact. The freighter still showed no signs of power.

“I’m calling in the extraction team now,†declared Wolf. “They’ll take it away and we can all have an early breakfast.â€

“Good,†replied Darius eagerly. “I’m starving.â€

Forming up with his teammates, the brown vulpine looked again at the wreckage. Though their battle had been short, it had also been fierce and Darius was confident he had proven his skills to the others by his display.

“The extraction team is here,†noted Leon.

“Excellent,†replied Wolf. “Let’s get that freighter and get out of here.â€

***

With a snap-hiss, the turbo-lift door opened and a small collection of people walked out. Only the brown vulpine remained. Checking that a wad of bills was still in his pocket, he pressed a button and the lift began moving again.

“Penthouse Apartment, authorization required for access,†said a cool female voice.

Holding his card up to the panel-sensor, the doors opened with a hiss and Darius entered his apartment. It was a handsome apartment with fine furnishings and a private terrace overlooking the city, as well as several bedrooms.

“What a day,†he muttered to himself as he sidled into his bedroom.

Placing the cash on his bedside table, Darius activated his message bank.

“You have two messages,†said a mechanical voice.

“Oh joy,†muttered Darius.

“Hey stranger,†said a flirty female voice. “I haven’t been able to reach you in days. Is something wrong? Call me when you can. Bye.â€

“Because I’m really going to do that, Jennifer,†uttered Darius.

“Message two,†said the mechanical voice.

“Darius, I have another job for you,†said Wolf’s voice. “I’ll give you the particulars tomorrow at breakfast. 9 o’clock at Easts.â€

“No rest for the wicked it seems,†muttered Darius as he turned off the message bank.

Picking up an acoustic guitar, the brown vulpine strummed a tune while looking at the city from his window.

***

A sharp whistle caught Darius’ attention as he sauntered into the club. Seeing his benefactor at a table, the vulpine approached him and sat in the opposite chair.

“Good job yesterday,†said Wolf after sipping from a coffee cup. “Our spy in the pirate network told me that their organization isn’t faring well with their shipment being raided. No doubt they’ll spend some time finding new trade routes so we won’t be hearing from them in a while.â€

“That’s too bad. I’m spoiling for a fight,†said Darius with a grin.

“You’ll get one,†replied Wolf casually. “There’s a…â€

He broke off as a vulpine waitress approached their table.

“Can I get you anything?†she asked while looking at Darius.

“Just a coffee please,†he replied.

The waitress left with a nod and Wolf cleared his throat.

“There’s a prisoner being transferred from Katina to Corneria today,†the grey canine. “His name is Michael Hager. He’s a drug runner and middleman to several low key gangs. He’s standing trial within the week and probably will spend the rest of his life in prison.â€

“That’s a pretty poor way to start the day,†said Darius.

“However this is a problem for me,†said Wolf in a quiet voice.

“Oh this is always the good part,†muttered the brown vulpine.

“I used Hager once about a year ago,†continued Wolf. “He’s a snivelling coward and has no sense of honour at all, but he was useful at the time. He most likely will try to gain a plea bargain in exchange for a pardon or mitigation of his sentence. This’ll be bad for us all, so I need you to deal with him.â€

“What method did you have in mind?†asked Darius.

“I don’t have time to think of methods, you’re the expert around here,†shot Wolf. “Drop him in the Aquas Ocean, that’ll do the trick. You just need to make sure you get him out of prison and take care of him without anyone seeing you. It has to look like he just vanished into thin air.â€

“No problem,†drawled Darius. “How much am I getting for this job?â€

“Now really Darius,†replied the grey canine. “Is money all that interests you?â€

“No, there are other things too,†said Darius as the waitress returned and placed a steaming cup of coffee on the table.

“What would that be?†asked Wolf.

“Women and guitars,†replied Darius with a grin as he watched the waitress walking away.

“Oh lord, you’re worse than Pigma,†said Wolf edgily.

“Is that so?†asked the brown vulpine, looking Wolf in the eyes.

“No actually, I’m wrong,†replied Wolf. “Pigma was stupid and greedy. You actually can get a job done.â€

“I feel honoured,†muttered Darius after taking a sip of coffee. “What’s the pay rate for this one?â€

“15 grand,†replied the grey canine.

“How about we say 20 instead?†said Darius. “I’m the one sticking my neck out after all.â€

Taking another sip of his coffee, Darius began to feel slightly concerned. His benefactor had a cold glint in his eye which usually marked imminent misery for those who saw it. Wolf wasn’t a man to discuss terms with someone he thought was beneath him and Darius was well aware of it. The vulpine doubted Wolf would go so far as to shoot him or harm him, but he was slightly concerned that his benefactor might simply take away his offer out of spite, and he needed the money.

“Fine,†said Wolf quietly. “His trial’s two days from tomorrow so you have until then to take care of him. If you fail, you’d better have a place to hide.â€

“I couldn’t hide from you Wolf,†replied Darius jovially. “You know where my hiding spots are.â€

“Whatever,†said the grey canine in an annoyed tone. “Just get it done.â€

Watching his benefactor leave, Darius sipped more of his coffee as the waitress came back.

“Your friend looked annoyed,†she said as she collected Wolf’s empty cup.

“Yeah, he does that,†replied Darius. “I guess I didn’t help either.â€

“Aw, did you do something naughty?†the waitress asked with a flirty smile.

“No, but I might as well,†the vulpine with a grin. “What’s your name?â€

“Tamika,†replied the waitress.

“Nice name,†commented Darius. “When does your shift end?â€

“At three,†replied the waitress, the smile still on her face.

***

“Primary systems functional,†stated a cool accented voice from the cockpit of the black arwing.

“Thanks Ivy,†said Darius as he placed a vicious looking instrument in a box. “So we have grenades, ammo, small guns, big guns and the Box of Doom. Is there anything else we need?â€

“You appear to be fully armed,†said Ivy. “I suggest we depart, sir. If we keep stalling we’ll miss our deadline.â€

“True,†muttered the vulpine.

After placing the box in a small cargo container and entering the cockpit, Darius ignited the arwing’s engines and guided the vessel out of the hangar.

“Beginning warp zone procedures now,†stated Ivy. “Is there any particular song you’d like to listen to, sir?â€

“There’s a thought,†muttered Darius after a while. “I think we’ll start with 2-28 today.â€

“Beginning playback,†replied Ivy.

As he piloted the ship and listened to the pop-rock song filtering through the speakers, a calm stillness entered the vulpine’s mind. All his troubles, the past which haunted him he knew he was free in the coldness of space.

“Entering warp zone now,†stated Ivy.

A wash of dazzling lights lit up the screen as the ship entered the wondrous warp zone. Watching the fantastic shapes and lights with a keen eye, it took thirty seconds for Darius to realize his com was signalling.

“You have reached the private offices of the mason’s guild,†said Darius in an exaggerated accent. “For a free-â€

“Damn it Darius, when are you going to change that stupid code,†snarled the vicious voice of Wolf.

“What’s wrong with it?†asked Darius mockingly.

“Never mind the sarcasm, this isn’t a social call,†declared Wolf. “It looks like our fish has decided to play his hand early. His trial’s been moved up to tomorrow, so you’ll need to make your move by then. How close do you think you are?â€

“Everything’s going according to plan,†lied Darius. “I’ll go in tonight when they change the guards. They’ll be distracted so getting in won’t be a problem.â€

“Good job,†commented Wolf not-unkindly. “Make sure this fish won’t ever be caught again.â€

Breathing in relief, the vulpine refocused his attention on the lights of the warp zone.

“Sir, we’re approaching minimal exit distance,†said Ivy.

“I was enjoying the lights too,†muttered Darius.

Leaving the glittering realm, Darius guided his ship down to the planet surface.

“Ivy I think we should engage the stealth systems now,†said the vulpine casually.

“Stealth system activated,†she replied. “Have any surprises in store for the population?â€

“I just don’t want to leave anything to chance,†murmured Darius as he watched the area on radar, a building catching his eye. “Hey look, there’s the gold depository that was broken into last year.â€

“Why did you rob it, sir?†asked Ivy with a curious tone.

“They were asking for it, and I only took one bar,†Darius replied with a grin.

After ten minutes of searching, the brown vulpine hid his arwing several miles from the city centre.

***

The chill of the wintertime Cornerian air did nothing to break the concentration of the lurking figure cloaked in shadow. Darius’ cold azure eyes pierced the gloom of night, his sight skilfully examining the prison exterior.

“Looks like they’ve doubled patrols Ivy,†he muttered. “They’ve left some spots here and there I think I can use. Not the greatest layout I’ve seen, but not bad.â€

“Noted sir,†affirmed Ivy through his earpiece.

“Bring the ship around on my signal,†ordered Darius. “Radio silence is commencing now.â€

Activating a metal device on his belt, the brown vulpine crossed the street and walked directly to the front gate guardpost. Walking past the two gate guards without incident, Darius quietly opened the gatehouse door and found the gate switch. Neither of the two guards seemed to care that a heavily armed vulpine had casually passed them, but they did notice the gate sliding open.

“I don’t see anything,†said one of the guards with his blaster drawn.

“Neither do I,†replied the other guard.

Looking around the older of the two guards looked suspiciously at the gatehouse, his eyes hovering right over where Darius was standing.

“Check the gatehouse,†he ordered.

Testing his stealth generator and seeing a positive reading, the brown vulpine slowly backed as close to the wall as he could. Holding his breath, the brown vulpine watched as the guard entered the guardhouse, just feet from where Darius was standing.

“There’s nothing here, it was probably an error,†called the guard loudly.

“I’m not taking any chances,†said his fellow from outside. “Check the computer for errors so we don’t have this problem again.â€

Grabbing a chair from near a small desk, the guard sat down and brought up a program on the computer. Sensing his opportunity, Darius slowly and quietly stepped out of the gatehouse and towards the gate.

“Close the gate idiot!†ordered the older guard.

“Sorry!†called out the other.

Alarmed, Darius quickened his pace slightly and passed through the gate with seconds to spare before it shut. Moving quickly towards the side of the building and taking cover behind a large durasteel bin, the vulpine checked his stealth field generator. The reading showed he had little more than ten minutes of power left.

“Gotta move,†he thought to himself.

Finding a service door, Darius took a device off his belt and held it up to the door. The sensor light glowed green and the door slid open. Moving in quickly, Darius hid in a nearby laundry room and switched off his stealth generator.

“Who said you can’t just walk into a prison?†he asked himself inwardly.

Grinning at the thought, the vulpine looked around the room and spotted a set of uniforms on a drying rack. They were damp to Darius’ touch, but he decided to don one anyway. After suiting up and putting on his hat, the vulpine left the room and started to move. Walking unobtrusively past a guard patrol, Darius headed into an empty guardhouse without incident.

“No welcoming committee? That’s just not proper,†commented Darius with a grin.

Locking the door, the vulpine brought out his comlink from his pocket.

“Ivy, can you hear me?†he asked.

“Yes sir,†the cool feminine voice replied.

“I have a computer in this room, I need you to access the network its connected to and get it under your control,†ordered Darius.

“I will begin once you’ve given me the data,†she replied.

Pressing his device to the computer’s fingerpad, the vulpine clicked an attachment to one of the slots and waited.

“I have gained control over the prison network,†Ivy stated. “What do you need me to do, sir?â€

“Find me the cell for Michael Hager,†replied Darius. “It would also seem some unfortunate person forgot to turn the cameras back on after polishing the lenses.â€

“They wouldn’t turn off the cameras for a simple clean, sir,†Ivy stated.

“Then they picked a very bad day to start,†commented Darius. “Switch them off and delete all of today’s footage. Do make sure to delete any traces of us too.â€

“Very good sir,†the female voice replied.

After a few moments, Darius’ earpiece crackled with sound again.

“It’s done sir, the cameras have been deactivated and all footage from today has been deleted,†stated Ivy.

“What about Hager’s cell?†asked the vulpine.

“Block 13, cell 13,†she replied.

“Piece of cake,†declared Darius. “Thanks Ivy, you’re the best.â€

“You’re welcome sir,†she replied in a proud voice.

Switching off his comlink, Darius slinked out of the room and headed towards the cellblocks. Moving past another guard coming out of the restroom, the vulpine observed a red five written on one of the walls.

“Block five,†he thought inwardly.

Walking past yet another guard, Darius turned to enter the cellblock.

“Excuse me,†called a voice behind him.

Freezing in place and his heart beating slightly faster, the brown vulpine turned around to see a grizzled canine leering at him.

“Yes?†he asked trying to sound confident.

“Yes?†the canine asked in an annoyed tone.

“Yes Sergeant,†added Darius hastily after spotting the guard’s shoulder boards which bore the insignia of his rank.

“That’s better… Taylor,†declared the sergeant after seeing Darius’ embroidered name patch. “The state of your uniform is unacceptable.â€

“I’m sorry Sergeant, I forgot about it and didn’t have time to have it dried properly,†invented Darius quickly.

“Well you won’t make the mistake twice,†said the sergeant leering over him. “You’re on report Taylor; now get back to your duties.â€

“Yes Sergeant,†affirmed Darius.

The grizzled canine nodded and walked away in the other direction.

“Drop dead while you’re at it,†muttered Darius, holding up the sergeant’s key card.

Grinning, the vulpine proceeded up the blocks until he eventually reached cellblock 13. Moving along quietly, he found cell 13 and used the key card on the access panel. The cell door slid open allowing Darius to enter.

“Charming,†he muttered while he looked around the cell. “If I ever get locked up, I’ll be escaping rather than rotting.â€

Crouching near the sleeping prisoner, he placed his palm on the feline’s mouth. The man woke with a start and gave a muffled grunt, however he stopped dead when he saw the blaster Darius was pointing at his forehead.

“Michael Hager?†asked Darius.

The man nodded slowly, Darius could see the fear all over his face.

“I’m an associate of Wolf O’Donnell,†the vulpine said quickly but calmly. “He sent me to rescue you. I’m going to take away my hand, scream and I’ll be forced to silence you, okay?â€

Lowering his hand at Hager’s nod, Darius put away his blaster.

“Wolf sent you to save me? Who are you?†asked the feline.

“Jeff Cartwright,†lied Darius. “We don’t have long to escape so let’s get out while we can, shall we?â€

“Alright,†replied Hager simply.

Moving forward, Darius affixed a stealth generator to Hager’s uniform.

“What are you doing?†he demanded.

“This is a personal stealth generator,†Darius explained. “It casts a cover of invisibility for fifteen minutes. My other one is empty, so shut up and follow me closely.â€

With a nod from the feline, Darius activated the generator and Hager vanished. Moving out the door, the vulpine walked determinedly past the cellblocks. Meeting no trouble, it seemed almost too easy to him. He had broken into dozens of high security buildings, banks, government buildings and rebel bases, but he rarely took prisoners. Though the circumstances were slightly different, calmness took root in Darius’ mind. He knew he would have no trouble finishing his goal now.

“How far away are we?†asked Hager quietly

“We’re close,†answered Darius quickly. “Now shut up.â€

Retracing his steps back to the door he came in through, Darius found it and opened it with his device. Stepping outside, he heard a sigh of relief from the invisible Hager.

“It’s not over yet Hager,†said Darius. “We still have to get through the gate.â€

“Then what are we waiting for?†asked Hager enthusiastically.

Walking forward carefully, Darius walked the long walk towards the front gate. A spotlight hovered over him for a second, and a flicker of anxiety sparked within him. It was soon apparent that nobody thought anything of a guard walking around the compound as the light soon passed over him.

“Open up,†said Darius as he knocked on the gatehouse window.

“Going home for the night?†asked the younger guard as he opened the door.

“Yeah, and I’d rather get there quickly,†replied Darius in the perfect tone of a busy worker.

Moving into the gatehouse, Darius walked with a clunky gait to cover the sound of Hager’s footsteps, fortunately the guard didn’t seem to notice and the two were soon well clear of the prison.

“We did it,†said the now visible Hager. “We bloody well pulled it off!â€

“I did it you mean,†Darius reminded him.

“Well yes… of course,†said Hager meekly.

Taking off his hat and running his fingers through his hair, the brown vulpine sighed and started walking.

“So where are we going now?†asked Hager.

“We’ll walk this way for two or so and then I’ll call in my ship,†answered Darius. “Then I’ll call in my ship. One scheduled stop and then on to Sargasso.â€

“Wow,†said Hager quietly. “Wolf sure thought of everything didn’t he?â€

“Yes he did,†replied Darius with a grim smile.

After two miles of walking, the brown vulpine took out his comlink.

“Ivy do you read me?†he asked.

“Yes sir,†she replied. “Was your operation successful?â€

“Yes it was,†answered Darius. “Bring the ship over to this signal.â€

“Understood sir,†replied Ivy.

“Who’s Ivy?†asked Hager as the vulpine put away his comlink.

“The on-board computer on my ship,†answered Darius. “Self-aware intelligence, quite a nice bit of technology involved.â€

“You have a self-aware computer controlling your ship?†asked a surprised Hager.

“Yes,†replied Darius simply.

“Isn’t that dangerous? She could take the ship and run, or worse,†said the feline.

“I don’t have any reason not to trust her,†replied Darius. “She’s been completely loyal, heck she’s almost like my wife if I ever had one.â€

“I figured,†said Hager. “I don’t see you as the marriage type.â€

“You probably didn’t see that you were going to die in less than three hours, but here we are,†thought Darius savagely.

“I’m on approach now sir,†said Ivy over the comlink.

“Use the stealth generator, I don’t want to anyone to see us,†replied Darius.

“Understood,†affirmed Ivy.

The noise of engines sounded through the clearing and the grass rippled.

“That’s our ride,†said Darius as he climbed the invisible steps and opened the cockpit.

“Wait a minute, where am I supposed to sit?†asked Hager.

Grabbing a small needle from a compartment in the cockpit, Darius stepped down from the fighter.

“What do you mean?†asked the vulpine, concealing the needle in his hand.

“I mean, you only have one seat,†said the feline. “Just where am I supposed to sit?â€

“In the landing gear of course,†said Darius quietly.

The pilot’s chair was did in fact have a smaller adjustable seat built into the back, but Hager wouldn’t have the luxury of sitting in it, he would have to make do with Darius’ alternative arrangement. The vulpine struck before Hager could even respond. After ramming the needle into his neck, Darius injected the liquid inside and the feline went limp.

“Does that answer your question?†asked Darius sarcastically.

After placing the feline on the front landing gear ramp and placed a breath mask on his mouth. Darius bound him with a heavy leg chain and made sure he wouldn’t be crushed when the landing gear retracted. Satisfied with his work, the brown vulpine entered his ship and closed the canopy.

“Welcome back sir,†said Ivy.

“Did you miss me?†asked Darius with a smile.

“As in, did I find a sudden longing for your presence?†she asked curiously.

“Well yes, but…. forget it,†said Darius wearily. “Let’s get flying.â€

Setting the ship to hover, the vulpine closed the landing gear.

“Ivy, are the landing gear seals functioning?†he asked.

“Yes sir,†she replied.

“You won’t enjoy this trip Hager,†commented Darius as he flew the ship towards the sky.

Leaving the planet’s gravitational influence, the vulpine reclined back in his seat

“Ivy my dear, could you please take over?†he asked sweetly.

“Of course sir, we’re approaching the warp zone now,†she stated. “Is there any music request you would like?â€

“No thanks,†replied Darius. “I just need a short rest.â€

“Very well sir,†said Ivy quietly.

Closing his eyes and listening to the sound of the ship, an image of a lime-green underwear clad vulpine entered his mind.

“Ah Tamika,†he said with a smile.

An odd sound caused Darius’ ears to prick up and he was prepared to gamble a hefty amount that Ivy had just sighed at him.

Shaking the thought off his mind, Darius waited with his eyes closed until he heard the familiar sound of the end of the warp zone.

“Good job Ivy,†said the vulpine as he looked over the ocean world of Aquas.

“Thank you….â€

Ivy broke off as the sound of clanging echoed from the landing gear compartment.

“Oh damn,†said Darius. “The dose must have been too small. He’s awake.â€

“How does this affect your mission sir?†asked Ivy.

“It doesn’t,†replied Darius. “It just means Hager is going to be very scared, very soon.â€

Reaching out to open the landing gear, the vulpine hesitated.

“Is something wrong, sir?†asked Ivy.

“No, it’s just I’m...†started Darius.

“You are…?†asked Ivy.

“I’m sorry is all,†replied Darius as he pressed the button.

The sound of screaming rent the air and quickly faded. Rubbing a hand through his hair, Darius turned his ship around and glided away from Aquas.

“To Sargasso my dear,†said the vulpine.

“Yes sir,†replied Ivy.

No pleasant image came to mind after Darius closed his eyes.

***

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Not for the first, or indeed the hundredth time did the brown vulpine collapse in the gym. His immense training regimen was enough to push the average person over the edge, but Darius was a strong-minded man. Proud and determined, he shakily stood up off the ground and began pummelling the punching bag again.

“Just stop Darius,†called a green avian as he lifted a set of dumbbells.

“Why?†replied an exhausted Darius, wildly striking the bag.

“It’s pathetic,†declared the avian in a superior tone. “So just drop it.â€

“No thanks Jack,†replied Darius, getting more annoyed by the second.

The feud between Darius and Jack Bower was well known to all the patrons of Sargasso’s MMA Super-Fight House. Bower had been a former MMA champion in his youth and was several years in retirement. Though still in his thirties, a humiliating first round submission loss led to him losing his belt and started him on a losing streak of four matches which hastened his move to hang up his gloves. Complacent and arrogant, he was everything Darius detested which led to their ongoing clashes. Many had called for the two to fight but the brown vulpine had never received medical clearance for it and wasn’t willing to risk serious injury with his medical conditions.

Delivering a roundhouse kick to the bag, the vulpine followed his move up with a high-thrust kick which caused the stand to topple over. Ignoring the shouts of protest from the other patrons, the vulpine picked up the bag with a sigh.

“That’s enough,†said Bower as he caught Darius’ strike attempt on the bag.

Hot fury boiling inside him, the brown vulpine’s cold azure eyes met with the avian’s grey ones.

“Let go of my arm,†ordered Darius.

“I don’t think so,†replied Bower as he began to push the vulpine away.

“You’re in for it now,†thought Darius.

Reaching forward, the vulpine expertly broke the hold and cracked Bower on the beak for good measure.

Howling in pain, the avian’s face contorted and he aimed a strike for Darius’ chin which the vulpine only just managed to avoid.

“HEY!†shouted the gym owner from the front desk. “STOP THAT OR I CALL THE CITY GUARD RIGHT NOW!â€

“Do it,†thought Darius smugly.

“I think it’s best if you leave Darius,†said the owner tentatively.

“I’m not getting kicked out because of this idiot,†the vulpine replied savagely, pointing at Bower.

“I will call the guard,†said the owner in an almost pleading tone.

“No Ryan, there’s no need,†declared Bower. “Call for a referee instead.â€

“Huh?†asked the owner.

“I have a simple idea that will settle all of this,†stated Bower. “Us two, we fight in the ring under Super-Fight rules. Loser has to leave the gym permanently.â€

The reaction was immediate, half the patrons had already seconded the idea and more were clamouring in with agreement. Some were even placing bets.

“I’m afraid… that’s impossible,†said Ryan fearfully. “Darius isn’t medically able to compete.â€

“You can take care of that,†said Bower. “You can keep half the winner’s purse; call it my gift to you.â€

“But I-†started Ryan.

“Everyone here wants to see it Ryan,†said the green avian much to the patrons’ approval. “I’m sure Darius does too.â€

At these words, the gym patrons turned to look at Darius who had remained silent the whole time.

“Let’s do it,†said Darius simply.

With a cheer from the gym and much chanting, the owner nodded.

Several hours passed before the fight was ready to start. As an official fight, it had to be organized with the Sargasso Athletics Commission which involved a pile of documents to be signed and a pre-fight test. Darius conveniently never was asked to take a test however and spent his time in the shower room. As the fight drew near, he could hear people entering the gym en-masse.

“Good luck, Darius,†said one of the gym members as he left the shower room.

Giving a feeble reply, the vulpine paced across the room.

“Keep it quick, but not stupid,†he told himself. “Don’t get caught up with anything too fancy, just win the match and get out.â€

Entering a cubicle with his bag, Darius changed his clothes and put on a set of MMA gloves.

***

“Ladies and gentlemen,†called Ryan in an announcing voice. “Tonight we bring you a very special Light-Heavyweight Super-Fight. Two ring warriors prepare to do battle inside the steel. This match has been sanctioned by the Sargasso Athletics Commission with their representatives overseeing this match.â€

Staring directly at the tall Bower from across the cage, Darius paid no attention as the gym owner rattled off the official details, such as names of the judges and who was the ringside doctor for the event. Only once they were dealt with did his attention focus elsewhere.

“Introducing the first competitor,†called Ryan. “In the corner to my left, standing six foot tall and weighing 200 pounds. He is an elite member of the Super-Fight house, Darius Angel!â€

A collection of cheers emanated from the crowd. Darius guessed about a hundred people were in attendance and slightly less than half were on his side.

“I’ll show the doubters,†thought Darius inwardly.

“The competitor to my right stands at 6 foot 5 inches tall and weighs 205 pounds,†announced Ryan. “He is a former Light-Heavyweight Champion, “Mack†Jack Bower!â€

More cheers came from the crowd, more than Darius had received.

After reluctantly touching his gloves with Bower’s, Darius waited for the referee’s signal to begin, not taking his focus away from his much taller adversary.

“Fight!†called the referee.

Moving forward tentatively, Darius landed a kick on the side of Bower’s thigh and seeing his opponent stumble, the brown vulpine dived in for a takedown.

But Bower was ready for him and sprawled, forcing Darius to the mat. Moving quickly, Bower underhooked Darius’ arm and turned him over.

“Get out of this,†thought an alarmed Darius.

Removing his trapped arm, the vulpine stood up and clinched with his green feathered foe. Failing a suplex attempt, Darius dropped down into a guard and tried to bring his legs up for a triangle choke. Bower blocked the attempt, hugged Darius’ left leg with his arm and dropped down. Knowing his opponent would try for an ankle lock, Darius quickly pulled his foot back and managed to loosen Bower’s grip enough to slip out. To Bower’s surprise however, Darius circled and dived on top of him. Raising his arm to defend against a flurry of punches, the green avian decided to try something tricky and attempted an omoplata. Darius saw it coming and managed to block the attempt, but erred slightly and it gave the chance for Bower to raise his knees and apply a butterfly guard.

“Damn you,†thought Darius.

Grabbing Bower’s left ankle, the vulpine tried to prise his opponent’s legs apart for a heel hook and caught a glint of triumph in Bower’s expression. Far too late Darius realized he had fallen into a trap and felt his throat constricting as Bower applied a painful triangle choke.

With every fibre of his immediate being calling for him to tapout, Darius raised his hand.

“No!†called a voice in his head. “You cannot lose like this.â€

With the roar of the crowd softening and his vision going grey, Darius grabbed onto what he could of Bower’s thighs and with all of his might, he lifted him up and slammed him into the mat. The impact forced Bower to loosen up and it was enough for Darius to slip out. Immediately diving on top of Bower, Darius punched his face a few times to buy himself enough time to recover from Bower’s hold. But Bower was a step ahead and managed to roll Darius over and gain a dominant position. Hugging Darius’ leg again, Bower smiled smugly as the crowd roared. They could sense the end was close, Darius still hadn’t recovered from his near-blackout and Bower looked to have the vulpine’s number. Tightening his hug on Darius’ leg brought a spark of hope to the vulpine’s mind. He knew what was about to happen and tensed his legs, ready to capitalize on the mistake his opponent was about to make.

It was all over in a matter of seconds, to Darius he could almost see it in slow motion with every harrowing moment crawling by. But to the crowd all they saw was Bower drop on his back with Darius’ leg firmly trapped and the seemingly helpless Darius stand up and deliver a punch to the avian’s chin that knocked him out cold.

Stepping away from his unconscious opponent, Darius raised his arm in victory. He was exhausted and hurting but he had won.

“Ladies and gentlemen,†called a surprised sounding Ryan. “At 4 minutes and 5 seconds of the first round the fight has ended with a knockout victory. The winner of this fight is Darius Angel!â€

Raising his arms in victory to the cheers of the crowd and seeing more than a few confused faces, the vulpine sidled over and climbed up the cage. After calling for a microphone the vulpine cleared his throat and began to speak.

“I guess you weren’t expecting that,†said Darius as he sat on the steel. “Just so you don’t go home tonight wondering what happened. When he tried to use the heel hook, the moron didn’t remember to separate my legs. So standing up was easy. They say one mistake can end a fight, it’s damn true.â€

Exiting the cage, Darius walked towards the shower room with two things in mind. He wanted a wash, and to get to his home and sleep.

***

Waking up to the sound of his bedside comlink, the brown vulpine groaned and answered it.

“What is it?†he asked.

“Darius, I need your help now!†said a light male voice with a tone of urgency.

“Why, what is it?†asked Darius sleepily.

“I’ll give you the details once you’re in the air,†said the voice. “Get your gear, do whatever it is you do and head to the coordinates I’m sending you now. Once you’re airborne, call me. I’ll give you the details.â€

“Alright Bill, I’m on it,†affirmed Darius.

***

Taking off from his private hangar, Darius yawned and shook his head to wake himself up.

“Should I fly sir, given that you’re tired?†asked Ivy.

“Yes, for now at least,†replied the vulpine. “I need to make a call.â€

Entering a number on his comlink, Darius waited as the line connected.

“Darius are you in the air?†asked Bill.

“Of course, now what is going on?†replied Darius.

“We sent a team to Planet Mavis two days ago after seeing suspicious activity,†said the light voice. “Our team was attacked and most were killed by a pirate force, we suspect. The team leader was forced to the planet surface with power failure and we initially believed him to have died in the crash. However we know he did at least survive the crash because he managed to send a distress signal. That was two hours ago.â€

“So why are you calling me just now?†asked Darius.

“Well, we figured we could send a large armed force in, but they have more troops than we initially thought,†replied Bill. “We couldn’t send anything big enough to counter them quickly and we need the team leader alive. So-â€

“So you need me to sneak in and take him away,†supplied the vulpine. “So just who am I meant to be rescuing?â€

“A V.I.P called Fox McCloud,†answered Bill in a serious tone.

“THE Fox McCloud?†asked Darius after a pause.

“Yes, we need him alive,†said the light voice.

“Alright then,†said Darius with a grin. “So let’s discuss payment, what will I be earning for this assignment?â€

“I’m authorized to offer you double the usual rate,†answered Bill.

“Consider him rescued, Colonel,†said the vulpine. “I’m about to enter the warp zone so I’ll have to cut communications here.â€

“Alright then,†affirmed Bill. “Good luck Lieutenant.â€

The communication stopped as the arwing entered the warp zone.

***

“Everything looks clear, sir,â€

“Too clear Jon, didn’t the intel indicate a heavy convoy here?â€

“Our instruments are showing nothing,â€

“Jon, Barrar, let’s orbit the planet and go home.â€

The three fighters glided silently around the planet. Trying not to show it to his wingmates, the leader was worried. He, the great Fox McCloud who had saved the Lylat System on more than two occasions knew when something was wrong, and alarm bells were ringing in his mind. He was tempted to call in for more backup but knew that it would never be approved. His mission was to investigate a suspected hostile presence around the planet Mavis and come back with the findings. If as the Intel indicated, the planet was being used as a staging point for an invasion, he could not simply risk the operation all for a nagging feeling.

“Sir, I’m seeing some enemy fighters at our 9 o’clock,â€

“Have we been spotted, Barrar?â€

“No sir, we’re outside scanner range and our stealth fields are operative,â€

“Let’s continue, but be cautious. Stay outside range and don’t do anything stupid. Let’s finish our job and get out,â€

It took minutes before the trio came across something else in their search. Before their eyes they could see a large space construct, many freighters and snub fighters surrounded the base. It looked eerie against the gold-brown glow of Mavis.

“What is that?â€

“It’s a fuelling station.â€

“So the Intel report was correct after all,†thought Fox inwardly.

“Sir, should we report back to HQ?â€

After several seconds and the realisation that his wing mates couldn’t see him nod, the green eyed vulpine responded.

“Yes, get ready to warp jump, we’ve got enough -â€

The rest of his sentence was cut off by the sound of two loud explosions and the sound of his wingmate screaming.

“JON!!! NO!â€

Another explosion appeared on Fox’s sensors and his wing mate’s screams were silenced. The only thing stopping Fox from suffering the same fate was that on instinct, he had put the arwing into full thrust the moment he heard the sounds.

Making a rapid adjustment on his nav-computer, the green eyed vulpine changed his com signal over.

“HQ this is Agent Nimbus, the mission is compromised. Jon and Barrar are dead and I’ve come under attack, preparing to leave the mission zone now!â€

Narrowly avoiding a stream of fire, Fox manoeuvred his arwing around and returned fire, skilfully dispatching three of his ten pursuers in the space of seconds and killed two more shortly after. It soon became apparent to the snub fighters that they were dealing with an expert. Half of their squad had been taken out with seemingly minimal effort and those who remained were hesitant to try and fight back. Their squad leader picked up a com from inside his fighter.

Seeing his oppressors scatter, Fox took the time to continue to the warp zone. The green eyed vulpine felt a small sense of relief and familiarity. Now that the element of surprise was gone, his enemies would have to deal with him at full readiness. Fox was confident that he could outfight any fighter who crossed him and it was the sight of his enemies retreating on his scanner that both gave Fox a sense of triumph and caused his downfall.

A loud sound echoed through space and Fox immediately knew his chance to escape was dashed. The Arwing shook violently and a loud beeping signalled on his nav-computer. After a quick calculation the green eyed vulpine observed that his left wing had been taken off completely and the shot from the battle-cruisers had damaged both his engine systems.

“HQ this is Nimbus!†said Fox loudly on the com. “I’ve been hit, engines are damaged and failing, I’m going to try and land on the planet-â€

The damaged arwing’s com system failed and Fox cursed as the imposing view of Mavis came into view. With his nerves tingling and his ship slowly losing control, the green eyed vulpine directed as best as he could towards a large gorge and prayed silently that he would survive the landing. Soon he was feet from ground level and very shortly after he blanked out.

***

Getting past the fighter patrols and defence system was a piece of cake in Darius’ opinion. Their layout and readiness was respectable but susceptible at the same time. The blue eyed vulpine estimated 12 cruisers and over 100 snub fighters, all of which failed to notice the black Arwing sneak past all of them. Soon enough he was hovering above the last known location of his V.I.P.

“Amateurs,†said Darius quietly as he landed.

“Do you have a plan, sir?†asked Ivy.

“Well first I’m going to find McCloud and then I’ll call you to pick us up,†said the blue eyed vulpine calmly. “If the plan changes, I’ll let you know.â€

“Take care, sir,†replied Ivy.

Grabbing a long black trench-coat from the back of the cockpit, Darius stepped out from the ship. Checking the late afternoon skyline he could see a slight wisp of smoke on the horizon, faint but noticeable. Putting on the trench-coat, the blue eyed vulpine examined his surroundings and began his journey to his target.

“Amateurs,†he repeated again.

***

Gripping a rock tightly, Fox stared around from his cover and winced as his arm throbbed. He could remember the events before his crash, but what happened immediately after was a blur and fuzzy. He remembered scrambling wearily from the heap of metal that was his beloved Arwing and stumbling over to a patch of trees nearby. He must have fallen unconscious because he woke up in darkness

After removing a shard of metal from his arm, he had wrapped it in his aid-kit and stumbled over to a cave in the rock face. He had been there ever since. The green eyed vulpine hoped beyond hope that someone would be sent to save him. He had no weapons, no communications, no supplies and no way off the planet. He decided early that he couldn’t risk leaving his transport, nor could he put out the source of smoke that was trailing from it. It did occur to him that someone hostile might find him by it, but with no way to contact his allies, the smoke would be the only way any help would find him.

“Bill won’t let me down,†he repeated to himself for the umpteenth time.

Checking his arm again, a wave of despair set into his mind. A dark though washed over him that maybe nobody would be sent. His enemies would be ready for an attack and the higher-ups of the Military Command might not be willing to take the risk for one man, even if it was Fox McCloud.

Gripping onto the stone once more, the green eyed vulpine firmly pushed the thought out of his mind. He had to have faith that his friend would save him.

A shuffling outside the cave brought him to snap still. Making no noise, he turned his head slightly to see three indistinct figures surrounding his wrecked Arwing.

“Nobody’s inside sir,†said one of the figures in a husky voice.

“Well they won’t get very far; they’re bound to be injured after the crash. We’ll find them,†replied the tallest of the three.

In the faint moonlight, Fox could see the speaker was dressed in a more elegant fashion than his two comrades. Obviously he was an officer or held some importance in their hierarchy.

“Check the foliage and caves just in case,†said the officer.

His heart skipping a beat and his body seemingly freezing, the green eyed vulpine watched in horror, paralysed as one of the trio approached the cave opening. In just seconds Fox would surely be seen and then he would be dead. He couldn’t run or risk giving away his position and he had no way to fight back either. His quarry carried a pistol in his hand and was getting closer.

Knowing he only had one slim chance; Fox raised the rock surreptitiously and readied to throw it. He could knock the blaster from his quarry’s hand and maybe he’d have the chance to seize it. But then what? Even if he could dispatch the first of the trio, the others would surely be onto him and their numbers would tell.

“I guess this is it,†he thought inwardly.

As the matted, pistol-carrier entered the mouth of the cave a movement caught Fox’s eye. It was not the double-take of his quarry or the snarl that reached his face, but the figure that seemingly materialised from the scrub and tree outside the cave that had Fox’s attention.

With blinding speed, the figure drew a long barrelled blaster and fired. Fox watched as his quarry fell dead, heard a shout and saw the newcomer in the scrub peel off two more shots. All went silent and the newcomer knelt lowered his weapon.

“You can come out now,†he called out in a northern accent.

After a few seconds, Fox decided that he should comply with the newcomer’s wishes. After all, if he wanted him dead, why did he just save his life? Stepping out of the cave, the green eyed vulpine walked forward and soon in front of his saviour. He was young, Fox saw and he wore a long black trench-coat over his clothes, he also appeared to have a hunch.

“Fox McCloud I presume?†asked the vulpine.

“Yes, who are you?†replied Fox.

“Darius Angel,†said the vulpine. “The Colonel sent me to rescue you.â€

“The Colonel… Colonel Grey by any chance?†asked Fox, his nerves still tingling.

“That’s the one,†replied Darius. “As much as it is nice to chat though, we really need to get leaving. So take this, be quiet and follow me.â€

Holding out a blaster, Fox took it with his uninjured hand and tested it experimentally.

“You’re a lefty?†asked Darius in a curious tone.

“No, my right arm is injured,†replied Fox.

Running his fingers through his long hair, Darius sighed.

“We’ll be extra careful to avoid a fight then,†he said in a final tone.

Signalling Fox to follow, Darius began tracing his steps back to his ship. Following his rescuer quietly, Fox didn’t know whether to be relieved or anxious. His companion had certainly proved his skill with a blaster and Fox soon found he was more than adept at stealth. His footing was quiet and light and if he managed to get through the planet defences and land unnoticed, then he was truly a master. But all the same, Fox was conscious of the fact that they only numbered two, and dozens if not hundreds could be pursuing them. He told himself firmly to trust in his companion and not focus on the negative. His thinking however distracted him and he only just stopped himself from colliding with his companion, who had stopped.

“What is it?†whispered Fox.

“Marks ahead, lots of them,†replied Darius in equal whisper.

Giving him the signal to wait, the long haired vulpine lay down on the ground and then crept slowly towards the cover of a large boulder on the path, a good place to see but not be seen.

After a minute, he returned and his expression was stern.

“There’s no way of sneaking by,†he said crossly.

“How many?†whispered Fox.

“10, all armed with automatic blasters,†replied Darius.

Fox’s eyebrows widened and his nerves started tingling once more.

“I think we can take them by surprise,†said the long haired vulpine. “Only we’d make one hell of a noise and any other patrols nearby are sure to hear us.â€

“So what do we do?†asked the green eyed vulpine.

“We do that and run like hell to my ship,†replied Darius casually.

“Where is it?†asked Fox.

Pointing to a valley down the mountainside, the vulpine looked at Fox.

“It’ll be there, running down the whole mountain will take too long and will be too dangerous,†he said in a serious tone. “So we’re going to take a shortcut down the mountainside and run like hell from there, cool?â€

Seeing a flaw in his plan but not voicing it, Fox nodded and motioned for his companion to continue.

“I’m going to lob a grenade over there, it’ll loosen them up enough for us to take charge,†he declared. “Don’t get killed.â€

Moving quietly across the path, Darius picked out a grenade from his belt and readied himself for battle.

***

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“It’s freezing,†commented a low level trooper.

“Quiet!†ordered the squad leader. “Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut. Capturing that pilot is our priority.â€

“Captain, with all due respect, he’s probably been found already,†said a brave trooper.

“Oh?†replied the captain sarcastically. “Then why hasn’t there been any report of his capture? Bryant’s team hasn’t reported in yet, please explain.â€

“With the reward that’s been posted for him, Bryant probably already found him and is dragging him back as we speak,†said the trooper. “He didn’t say anything so he would have no opposition.â€

The captain took the point into consideration, his superiors didn’t care who brought in prisoners and infighting between squads over slaves and prizes was not uncommon. Whoever brought in the prize got the gold and cutting communication to avoid a fight sounded exactly like something his squad rival would do.

The Mavis army was in effect, divisions of warriors rather than soldiers. They may carry military titles but the squads relied on collection money and occasional pillage for payment rather than wages from their leader. The system was simple, in exchange for adherence to the Mavin code and taxes to their ruler, the squads were entitled to conduct raids on the planet’s populace at will. Though profitable, government bounties were better than raids so everyone usually at least tried to capture the target, keeping quiet about victory was certainly something to think about.

Deciding his subordinate might be right, the captain began to speak.

“That may be true, but we’ll guard this pass until daylight,†he said. “Then we’ll-â€

He broke off as a metallic clink caught his attention, seeing the offending object he opened his mouth to shout a warning but never got the chance before the device exploded.

The grenade killed 4 members of the squad and injured another. Those who remained drew their weapons and were immediately set upon by blaster fire. Two unlucky squad members who chose not to take cover fell quickly and another took a shot to the shoulder.

Looking over at the body of his dead captain, the trooper realised that he was now in charge of the squad. Pinned under fire and seeing his wounded squad-mates, he came to a decision.

“STOP, STOP WE SURRENDER!!!†he said loudly.

His men looked at him in disbelief and he winked slowly at them before standing up with his hands raised.

“Order your men to stand up with their hands raised,†called a voice in the dark. “If anyone has a weapon in their hand or draws one, I will kill you all.â€

At their new commander’s nod, they all did as they were ordered.

Looking out in the dark, he could just make out a figure he had not seen before.

“What do you plan to do?†asked the squad leader.

***

Darius, with his gun raised pondered the question he had just been asked. He had not intended to take prisoners and his options were few. Beckoning Fox over, the long haired vulpine turned his head slightly.

“What should we do with them?†asked Darius.

“I-I’m not sure, we don’t have much time,†replied Fox nervously.

Seeing an expression steal over Darius’ face, Fox watched as the long-haired vulpine walked towards the captives.

“You, stand up,†ordered Darius as he pointed to a low level troop.

The trooper nervously stood and the long haired vulpine took a metallic device from the captive’s belt.

“Standard C-Class concussion grenade,†said Darius expertly. “Good, now what I want-â€

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flicker of movement from the squad leader’s hand. Faster than the eye could see, Darius snapped off two shots, one knocked the knife out of the leader’s hand and the other buried itself into his flesh.

“You’re lucky I didn’t aim for your head,†he said savagely, ignoring the man’s screams of pain. “Now you’re going to all sit quietly and I’m going to use this concussion grenade on you. You’ll only be knocked out. Anyone moves and this time, they’re dead. Even if you kill me, my partner is waiting and he’s an expert shot too.â€

Having seen the reward for deception, no members of the squad were eager to test their captor’s threat and made no effort to resist, soon enough they all heard the metallic clink of the grenade landing in the centre of their group, and then they all heard nothing.

Leading Fox through the pass the long-haired vulpine took off his trench-coat and handed it to his companion.

“What’s this for?†asked Fox incredulously.

“We’re going to make a rapid-descent abseil and covering a jetpack isn’t the greatest idea,†replied Darius quickly.

As his companion spoke, Fox noticed the hunch he thought he saw earlier was in fact a medium sized jetpack.

“That thing can support both of us?†asked Fox as he put on the trench-coat.

“It’s got a high-powered engine,†replied Darius quickly. “It might not be a pleasant fly but it’ll work.â€

In the distance they could hear the sounds of running and indistinct voices.

“Time to go,†declared Darius.

Moving towards the edge of the cliff, the long haired vulpine brought out a pair of electro-binders and strapped it to both his and Fox’s wrist quickly.

“W-what’s that for?!†demanded Fox.

“Backup, just in case,†said Darius quickly. “Do you trust me?â€

“Erm… I…â€

“Good,†said Darius.

Grabbing both of Fox’s hands, Darius ran and jumped off the cliff, his companion in tow. After several seconds and feeling Fox’s hands trembling, the long-haired vulpine pulled squeezed his hand. The jetpack responded to the squeeze of Darius’ glove and their descent slowed considerably. As the ground loomed before them, the thought of miscalculation entered Darius’ mind. He now understood that he had triggered the jetpack too late. Exhaling quickly, Darius waited for the collision.

The fall wasn’t particularly hard or soft. His body ached and he was winded, but miraculously he was alive. Getting to his feet slowly, he unbound his companion.

“A-are you ok, Fox?†he asked after a cough.

“I-I’m alive if that’s what you’re asking,†replied Fox as he shakily got to his feet.

Looking up the cliff-face quickly, Darius nodded.

“Wasn’t the best landing in the galaxy, but it will do,†he said as he helped Fox to his feet. “Let’s get out of here.â€

Wearily, the two vulpines jogged as best as they could through the valley. Eventually Darius stopped and held up his hand.

“Why are we stopping?†asked Fox.

“Because we’re here,†replied Darius simply. “Ivy, open the canopy please and disengage the stealth system.â€

Fox watched in awe as a black arwing seemingly materialised in front of his eyes. Darius quickly moved up to the cockpit and pressed several buttons on the control panel. As he watched his companion work, he noticed a problem.

“Where am I-?â€

“You’ll sit behind me, get up and press the silver button on the side of the seat,†interjected Darius quickly.

Doing as he was told, Fox walked up the steps and pressed the button. A pad roughly the width of the chair dropped out behind the back of Darius’ chair.

“Pull it forward, sit down and strap yourself in,†instructed Darius. “We’re leaving in less than 20 seconds.â€

After finishing his task, the green-eyed vulpine sat comfortably in the back of the arwing.

“Ivy, close the canopy, fire the burners and activate the stealth system,†said Darius eagerly.

Watching through a mirror hanging on the back wall of the cockpit, Fox watched as Darius expertly soared through the skies of Mavis. Soon enough they had reached the defensive screen.

“Do you think you can get through without attention?†asked Fox.

“I got in without attention didn’t I?†replied Darius confidently.

Nodding his understanding, Fox watched in awe as they slipped through the blockade. He was just about to ask about his stealth system when a passing fighter exploded to their left.

“Sir, E.M.P discharge hit, our stealth system is inoperative,†said Ivy in alarm.

“Not good,†said Darius as he put the ship into full thrust, miraculously the ship responded and soared forward.

“How are we still going?†asked Fox incredulously.

“E.M.P shielding,†replied Darius quickly. “The more pressing question is, can we get away from the marks?â€

“Where and how many?†asked Fox.

“Right behind us, dozens of them and I do believe they’re firing,†replied Darius calmly.

Laser fire lashed around the ship and Darius dived. From what Fox could see of the scanner, there were at least a good 20 snub fighters behind them and scores more in the distance.

Rocketing to the side to avoid streams of fire, the long haired vulpine pressed several buttons on the control panel.

“We’re near the warp point,†he declared.

“You realize they’re blocking it right?†asked Fox incredulously.

“Don’t worry, I have a surprise for them,†replied the long haired vulpine.

Flipping a switch on the control yoke, Darius held his finger over a blue button before sighing.

“What’s wrong?†asked Fox in a concerned tone.

“I forgot the music,†he said quickly. “Ivy could you put on track 7-10?â€

A snappy western song began to play over the com system and a smile stole over Darius face. The green eyed vulpine watched incredulously as his companion began to sing quietly. Fox concluded that his companion was either incredibly confident in his abilities, or he didn’t have it all together in his brain.

As the snub fighters drew closer behind them, Darius pressed the button and after a few seconds, a brilliant blue charge exploded behind them.

“That did the trick,†said Darius while the instrumental played. “More than half the marks are down and I’ll mop up the ones blocking the way.â€

A stream of laser fire shot from the black arwing’s cannons. After two marks fell and with the confronting realisation that more than half their forces were defeated, the remaining snub fighters dived out of the black arwing’s way.

“Warp in 15 seconds,†said Darius casually.

A thought stirred in Fox’s mind and was followed by alarm.

“Darius, the cruisers!†he blurted quickly.

Indeed, it was Fox’s warning that saved the fighter as one of the cruisers fired. The shot only just missed them as Darius put the arwing into a somersault. More cruiser fire erupted around them as they came out of the manoeuvre, and somehow they hadn’t been hit yet.

“We can’t make the jump,†said Fox in a desperate tone. “They’ll pepper the path if we try.â€

“Not if we go turbo,†declared Darius.

“Turbo!?†asked Fox with a bemused expression.

“Yes, let’s go into turbo,†said the long haired vulpine.

Pressing a white button on the control panel, Fox felt a lurch as the fighter’s speed increased five-fold. The marks and cruisers disappeared off the scanner and soon enough they entered the white and lights of the warp zone.

“That’s turbo,†declared Darius as he turned off the music.

***

Colonel Bill Grey paced around his office on board the star cruiser Sojurn. He had received no communication or inkling that his agent had been successful and was silently praying for some news on the subject. The problem he found was that secrecy was essential to Darius’ mission. They couldn’t risk sending a communication in case it was intercepted and he knew a return message was a risk too. All he could do was wait, hope and remember the fact that his agent had never let him down before.

“Darius will succeed, he always does,†said Bill to himself. “He’ll save Fox.â€

Deciding that he needed to stay calm, he pressed a button on his desk. His aide entered the room shortly after.

“Can I help you, Colonel?†he asked.

“Yes Sebastian, could you please send for a cup of tea and some biscuits?†asked Bill.

“Yes sir,†replied the aide as he saluted and left the room.

Taking a seat and staring out the viewing screen, Bill watched the distant stars and silently prayed for Fox’s safe return. They had been friends since childhood and had flown together many times. If Darius failed and Fox was killed, the galaxy would lose its greatest hero and he would lose one of his best friends.

“That won’t happen,†he told himself despite the blackness of his thoughts. “It can’t happen.â€

The door opened a minute later and the aide entered with a tray.

“The desk is fine, Sebastian,†said Bill wearily, noticing his aide trying to find a spot.

Placing it down on the desk, Sebastian stood upright.

“Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?†he asked.

“No, thank you Sebastian that will be all,†replied Bill. “See to it that I’m not disturbed.â€

The aide saluted and left the room, leaving Bill to sip his cup of tea.

“Not bad,†he commented after a few sips.

The door opened and Bill’s aide walked in again. Raising an eyebrow, Bill sat upright in his chair. His look was not inviting.

“Forgive the intrusion sir, but we have received an external communication,†said the aide quickly.

“From Headquarters?†asked Bill.

“No sir, from Lieutenant Angel,†replied the aide. “He’s asked permission to dock.â€

Sitting bolt upright in his chair, it took him five seconds to realize he hadn’t given an order.

“Yes Sebastian,†he said quickly. “Permission granted.â€

The aide saluted and turned to leave before Bill got out of his chair and followed him.

***

Gliding the arwing into the hangar, the long haired vulpine powered down the ship and paused to think. He was tired and he was tempted to fall asleep inside his ship and let someone else bring Fox to Bill. But he knew that it wouldn’t look very good on his performance review and opened the canopy. As technicians surrounded the ship to refuel and clean it, Darius climbed onto the ladder that had been placed near the side of his ship. Seeing that his V.I.P was asleep, the long haired vulpine tapped him on the shoulder firmly.

“Whuzgoingon?†asked Fox tiredly.

“We’re here,†replied Darius simply.

Yawning, the green vulpine looked at his rescuers eyes. There was something unique and yet, familiar about them. The colour was a rich azure which was unusual but Fox felt that somehow he had seen them before. Shrugging the feeling off as exhausted thought, the green eyed vulpine followed his companion down the ladder.

“Fox!†called a voice from the rampway to the turbolifts.

Turning around, he saw his friend and former squad-mate approach him. As he drew near, Fox smiled at his friend’s excitement. Darius held up his arm to block the two friends and looked Bill in eye.

“His arm’s injured,†he said simply.

Nodding his understanding, Bill ordered a technician to escort Fox to the medbay before turning to face Darius.

“Let’s go to my office,†said Bill. “I need a full report.â€

“Fine by me,†replied the blue eyed vulpine.

***

Fox awoke several hours later with a start. At first all he could see was darkness and his heat beat wildly with panic before he remembered he wasn’t on Mavis. Calming down, he lay back down on the bed when a medic approached him. After a medical check and assuring the medic three times that he was fine, he was finally given permission to leave the medbay. After dressing into his civilian clothes, he noticed Darius’ trench-coat on a chair near him. Picking it up, the green eyed vulpine left the medbay and decided to see his old friend.

After being cleared by a wispy looking aide, Fox was shown into Bill’s office. It was sparse, yet handsome. The décor of a disciplined yet important officer, within seconds he noticed his rescuer lying asleep on a long couch along the wall. Shaking his head slightly, Fox sat down on an armchair and waited for Bill to arrive, the aide had told him that his friend was in a conference.

“Fox,†said Bill as he entered through a side door. “How’s the arm?â€

“Much better now that there isn’t a bit of metal stuck in it,†replied Fox with a grin.

“Good,†said the brown canine as he shook Fox’s hand.

A loud snore from the couch caught Fox’s attention.

“What’s with Mister Personality over there?†he asked quietly.

“He fell asleep on the couch and I wasn’t about to wake him up,†replied Bill. “Darius can get vicious sometimes.â€

“I bet,†agreed Fox.

Though his time with Darius could be counted in the hours, he had determined several things about the northerner. He was obviously very skilled in combat and stealth, and his easy-going nature seemed to suggest a great self-confidence. Fox privately thought that he was a man he would be glad to have as an ally and would dread to have as an enemy.

“I’ve told Headquarters Darius’ version of the story,†said Bill in a professional tone. “They also want your version of events too. But I told them it would have to wait until you were recovered. The general staff can get very pushy sometimes.â€

Fox grinned, but felt sympathy and gratefulness towards his friend. He had been physically and emotionally drained before he woke up and delivering a full-length report to a collection of military leaders was not something done lightly.

“I’ll do it myself,†offered Bill. “You just need to tell me what happened.â€

Nodding, Fox began retelling the events of his mission. How he had been set upon unawares, how his wingmates perished and he crashed. How he hid and was half an inch from death before Darius had showed up, and the rest of the story. After ten minutes, he felt like a great weight had been taken off his shoulders.

“I think they’ll be satisfied with that,†said Bill after Fox had finished his recitation. “I’ve arranged a room for you on the ship. The Sojurn will be returning to Corneria in two days, so you’ll be home soon enough.â€

Nodding his understanding, Fox stifled a yawn.

“You should probably get some sleep,†said Bill.

“Good idea,†replied Fox.

Though he had slept for a few hours already, it was not enough to satisfy his exhausted body completely. He still felt ragged and at the same time, he was hungry.

“Maybe I could get some food too?†asked Fox wearily.

“Of course,†replied Bill. “I’ll have some food sent up from the service kitchen. Your room is on the southern section of the ship, executive room 4. If you need anything, call me on the com.â€

Too tired to talk, Fox nodded and turned to leave. As he reached the door, he remembered his burden. Walking towards the couch, the green eyed vulpine draped the trench-coat over the sleeping Darius before leaving.

***

***

Staring out of canopy, the blue eyed vulpine watched the isolated figure on the walkway. After a brief medical check and a meal, Darius had decided it was time to leave the Sojurn and head back home, reward in hand. Peering back to check that the briefcase he had just placed was still there. The blue eyed vulpine primed the black arwing’s engines.

“Ivy, begin the flight check,†he said quietly.

“Checking now sir,†replied the cool feminine voice. “All systems green.â€

“Then let’s get flying,†replied Darius.

Giving a two-fingered salute to his watcher, Darius guided the arwing out of the hangar bay and soared gracefully across open space.

“Ceremonial flying is terrible,†declared Darius as he put the fighter into full speed.

“Warp point approaching, sir,†said Ivy. “You also have a priority signal from Wolf O’Donnell.â€

“Oh good,†replied Darius. “Let’s hear what the old grey-fur has to say.â€

An image of Wolf appeared on the control panel. Quickly, Darius noticed his benefactor was in his Wolfen, and his expression was grim. Something told Darius that all was not well.

“Darius can you hear me?!†asked Wolf urgently.

“Yes, what’s wrong?†replied Darius hesitantly.

“Pirate raid, it’s massive!†exclaimed Wolf. “I need you back here NOW!â€

“How many marks?†asked the blue eyed vulpine.

“IT’S A WARZONE!†shouted Wolf. “WE NEED-â€

Darius noticed a bright light burst over the outside of Wolf’s fighter before the communication went dead, and a cold sinking feeling entered his heart.

“Activate turbo Ivy, and divert power to the engines,†said Darius quickly.

The ship lurched forward as the sudden influx of power caused the ship to shoot forward at a tremendous speed. The blue eyed vulpine stared ominously as the ship zoomed through the warp point. It seemed unthinkable that his boss had perished. Wolf O’Donnell was one of the finest pilots in the galaxy and Darius had seen first-hand the skills he possessed. The thought of him being gunned down and destroyed was ridiculous, absurd. Yet a sizeable part of Darius feared what he would find at the end of the warp zone. His relationship with his employer was tenuous. If he had to put it in his own words, Darius would say they were casual friends, at best. But a mutual respect existed between them and hesitation or not, Darius was not going to disabuse that respect.

Readjusting the power distribution and making sure his shields were functional, the blue eyed vulpine exited the warp zone.

Lights flashed around him, fighters soared all over and his com system crackled with dozens of signals. Surveying the battlefield, Darius noticed several cruisers battering the station.

“They’re on me!†declared a passing Sargasso pilot as he tried to shake off two pirates.

Putting his ship into full thrust, the blue eyed vulpine joined the fray of battle and bore down on the two fighters.

“Green-7,†said Darius through his com after checking the pilot’s ID signal. “Move to the right so I can get a clear shot.â€

Watching as the pilot veered right, Darius calculated quickly and fired a volley of blasts that tore into his targets and destroyed them.

“Thank you…erm, Azure Angel?†said the pilot uncertainly.

“That’s the one,†replied Darius quickly as he tore down more targets.

Most nav-computers on spacecraft were fitted with friend-or-foe systems to determine targets and the presence of allies. Each vessel was given a unique Identification tag as a means of quick identification in battle. Darius had coaxed his benefactor into letting him use his old military moniker. It seemed to Darius that Wolf had finally relented at last.

“Did someone say ‘Azure Angel?†asked a familiar deep voice.

“I’m here Panther,†replied Darius, some of his attitude returning. “Some party you’ve got going here.â€

“Look, Wolf is in tied down leading the attack on the cruisers,†said Panther quickly. “He’s still alive, but he hasn’t sent any signals, which means-â€

“His com system is down,†interjected Darius with relief in his heart. “You clean up the fighters and I’ll go watch Wolf’s back.â€

“Acknowledged,†replied Panther simply.

Soaring over to the cruisers and taking out several enemy fighters along the way. Darius quickly spotted his benefactor’s Wolfen being pursued by six fighters. He was flying erratically to shake his pursuers, but it also deprived Darius of a clear shot.

“Come on you idiot, stop moving,†growled the blue eyed vulpine.

Diving to avoid a shot, Darius decided on an unusual but pragmatic approach. He needed to get Wolf’s attention, and for that he needed something tricky.

“Ivy, divert most of the power to the shields,†uttered Darius as he retracted the fighter’s wings.

“Diversion complete,†replied Ivy. “What do you intend to do, sir?â€

“I’m going to try get close to Wolf,†said Darius. “If his scanner is still working, it’ll identify me as I pass. If I can I’ll try and get some fighters off his back too. I’ve retracted the wings so they don’t snap on the way through.â€

Urging his fighter forward at a slower but considerable rate, the blue eyed vulpine soared towards the opposing fighters and did something both brave and potentially foolish. Ramming head on into one of the fighters, Darius cringed as the scrape of metal rung through his ears. He loved his ship and causing her harm saddened him. But as Darius checked the scanner, he noticed his trick had served the purpose of distracting his enemies. Several fighters had peeled off in pursuit of him, and Wolf seemed to understand that he had help.

Curving through space, the blue eyed vulpine dramatically changed to a straight line, hoping his benefactor would recognize the tried and true formation trick. His unsaid question was answered when his pursuers were cut down before they could fire. With a quick control change, Darius u-turned and came head to head with Wolf’s quarry. Grinning, the blue eyed vulpine unleashed a barrage of fire that hit the ships dead on.

“We need those cruisers taken out now!†ordered Panther over the com. “The station’s shields can’t take much more.â€

“Understood,†replied Darius absent-mindedly as an idea hit him.

“Ivy, I need you to send a signal to Wolf’s personal comlink,†he said quickly.

“Yes sir,†she replied.

“Let’s just hope he brought it with him,†said Darius quietly as he listened to his com begin the hail.

After a few heart-wrenching seconds, the blue eyed vulpine’s worry turned to relief as the com crackled to life.

“I forgot about the comlink,†said Wolf.

“Doesn’t matter,†said Darius. “Panther says the station won’t last much longer unless we take out the cruisers quickly.â€

“I have a plan for that,†declared Wolf. “These model cruisers have a flaw in their missile bay. The bays are constantly open, but have an independent shielding system as protection.â€

“So we take down the shields and give them a present,†said Darius, seeing Wolf’s idea.

“But there’s one problem,†continued Wolf.

“I’ve got the only Ion cannon,†supplied the blue eyed vulpine. “So I’ll have to get through their perimeter cannons and batteries.â€

“You need to take out the lead cruiser first,†said Wolf. “It might cause enough havoc to give us the advantage.â€

“Call me if you need me," said Darius before ending the call.

Dodging a blast, the blue eyed vulpine dispatched its sender absent-mindedly, trying to think of how he would phrase his next order.

“This is Azure Angel,†began Darius. “I need a squad to converge on my position immediately for an attack.â€

As sounds of acknowledgement chimed in over his com, Darius formulated his plan. He would need to approach the lead cruiser gradually. He only had one shot before a recharge was needed and he couldn’t afford to wait around, that was an invitation for misery. Deciding his course of action, the blue eyed vulpine cleared his throat before speaking to the collection of snub fighters forming around him.

“Alright gentlemen,†he began. “We’re going to fly on the underside to the lead cruiser’s missile bay. When we get within range, you will fly off in random directions, which will hopefully give me enough time to fire my Ion cannon. It will cripple the ship’s shielding and then it’ll be finished. Do you have any reservations?â€

If there were any qualms from his squad mates, they weren’t voiced. All of his men remained silent, until one broke the silence.

“Let’s do it,†said the fighter to his left.

“Alright,†replied Darius as he started towards the cruisers.

As they drew closer, the blue eyed vulpine decided to voice his feelings in part.

“Try to avoid getting hit alright,†he said slowly.

As he heard the chorus of responses, a thin smile reached his lips. The loyalty and courage of his men made him proud but didn’t erase his hesitations. He found it difficult to order men to follow him to their potential ends. It was something he had always struggled with, even during his military career. He had served as second-in-command of his squad and participated in many missions. His squad was chosen often to lead fighter attacks with other wings, and though his personal wing-mates had survived unscathed, several others weren’t so lucky and the memory of their losses always stayed with him.

Doing his best to shake off the hesitation, the blue eyed vulpine readied his Ion cannon. He needed to concentrate and memories of the past wouldn’t help him, he told himself.

“We’re almost in range,†he said calmly. “This is it gentlemen.â€

***

Inside the Saran Storm, a junior officer approached his commander at the centre of the bridge.

“Yes Lieutenant?†asked the commander.

“Sir, our reports show that the station’s shielding has suffered immense damage,†replied the young lieutenant. “We estimate that it will be defenceless within ten minutes.â€

“What of our fighter units?â€

“Sir, the unit commanders report an even fight with the station’s defenders.â€

“Very well, it will-â€

“Commander, we have incoming marks from the north-east section of the ship,†called a navigator.

Moving to the viewing port, the commander spotted a squadron of snub fighters approaching.

“They’re in attack formation,†said the lieutenant disbelievingly.

“Shields up, and fire the perimeter cannons.†ordered the commander.

After a few seconds, a sense of satisfaction entered the commander’s mind, as he saw the fighter’s disperse. But his satisfaction soon changed as he heard a distressing report from a technician.

“Sir, our missile bay shield has been disabled!â€

“Fix it, NOW!†ordered the commander.

An odd sound brought the crew of the ship to a halt. To the commander it sounded like a weapons discharge. It took him just a second to realize the sound was occurring inside his ship.

“Everyone eva-â€

His last order was cut off as a brilliant shower of light flooded his eyes.

***

Darius watched as a small fireball erupted from underneath the missile bay and after a few seconds, a massive explosion destroyed the vessel completely.

“Sir, I’m analysing massive power reductions in the surrounding cruisers,†said someone on the com system.

“Probably the shockwave,†commented Darius. “All fire on the cruisers while we have the advantage.â€

As soon as the words left his mouth, the ships surrounding him began firing. Adding his own firepower to the volley, Darius watched as one of the cruisers failed, but quickly returned his attention to the fight. After several minutes it became fairly obvious to the invaders that they were fighting a losing battle. Their leader and heavy support had been neutralized and their other support was failing. Obviously someone important in another cruiser saw their disadvantage also, as Darius noticed a general alert on his com system.

“All units hold fire,†ordered Darius.

Very shortly after he spoke, an ominous silence flowed through space.

“They’ve sent a signal of truce,†said Darius. “They want to discuss their terms of surrender.â€

A roar of cheers and congratulations crackled throughout Darius’ com system. Switching it off, he sent another signal. He had another call to make.

***

The negotiations had taken far shorter than Darius had expected. After an agreement of civility and proper treatment, the surviving pirates had been processed and imprisoned, while their newly minted commander had been taken to a private room for interrogation. The blue eyed vulpine watched as the commander and an ominously calm Panther discussed terms and agreements. Though the commander was willing to surrender a lost cause, he seemed unshakably loyal to whomever he served and remained silent to Panther’s barrage of questions. Though he understood the pretence of civility Panther was employing, Darius wondered how the interrogation would proceed if he had been placed in charge.

“Anything useful?†asked a voice behind his shoulder.

“Nope,†replied the blue eyed vulpine, recognizing his benefactor’s voice. “This one’s good, too good. We may need to break him.â€

“I hate breakage,†declared Wolf as he moved closer to the two way mirror.

“Why are we being nice anyway?†asked Darius.

“Well let me put it this way,†began Wolf. “Do you ever get tired of feeling like a bad guy?â€

“No,†replied Darius after a pause.

“Neither do I,†replied Wolf. “I’m just wanted to try extending the branch. When you torture someone, you always need to keep them thinking you haven’t decided their fate. They think you’re going to kill them and they won’t budge. If they think you’ll let them live, they might withhold information, and take advantage of your good nature.â€

“So what do we do?†asked Darius.

“Tell Panther to take a break and then go show our guest your bad nature,†replied Wolf. “Even if you can’t get anything out of him, it’ll still fit into my plan.â€

Nodding, the blue eyed vulpine walked out of the room and tapped on the interrogation cell door. After a few seconds, the purpled furred feline opened the door.

“Yes?†asked Panther.

“Boss says to go on break,†replied Darius casually.

Sensing the unsaid statement, Panther nodded and left the room. Moving slowly, the blue eyed vulpine took Panther’s place at the chair.

“Who are you?†asked the prisoner.

“I’m a lieutenant, and so are you,†replied Darius after seeing the pirate’s insignia. “Our ranks should be sufficient for this talk.â€

“Talk?†asked the lieutenant.

“Yes, negotiations are officially off the table,†said Darius casually. “Your only real choice here is to tell me where your base of operations is or remain silent. If you chose the latter, life won’t be so pleasant for you. Do I make myself clear?â€

His tone was light and casual, but at the same time his demeanour suggested an edge to his words. It served the purpose of expressing himself as a man not to be underestimated. Seeing a flicker of doubt in his prisoner’s expression, Darius decided to offer the branch once more.

“Well Lieutenant, what is your answer?†asked the blue eyed vulpine.

“I cannot reveal that information,†replied the lieutenant immediately.

“Then it’s going to be a long night,†declared Darius.

***

Indeed, it had been a long night. Many hours had passed and the blue eyed vulpine only stopped his interrogation when he had exhausted his repertoire of torture skills. As he entered the turbo lift, his thoughts dwelled on his prisoner. A doctor had been sent to fix the damage, but Darius was sure the lieutenant would be in pain for days at least. As he pressed a button, his comlink signalled.

“He didn’t crack,†said Darius without preamble.

“It doesn’t matter,†replied Wolf through the comlink. “I have another to get what we need anyway. We’ll discuss it in my quarters.â€

Hanging up the comlink, Darius pressed another button on the panel and waited. It took a longer time than usual for him to reach Wolf’s estate. Maintenance teams and medics swarmed the streets tending to the wounded and establishing worksites around the damaged zones. Though the pirates’ efforts to destroy the station had failed, they had managed to damage it in some places. Civilians and soldiers alike had suffered during the battle and the hospitals were almost inundated with patients. Looking back on the street for a few seconds, Darius wondered how long it would be before the people of Sargasso would return to their normal lives.

After passing through security, the blue eyed vulpine entered his benefactor’s dining hall. In a space station, it was difficult making an estate that demonstrated who was in charge. Despite his difficulties with the exterior of his house, he had no such trouble with the interior. Designing his house to resemble a rich Cornerian mansion, the house was fitted with fine art and furnishings, quite a contrast to the gloomy look of the outside. The transformation never ceased to capture Darius’ attention every time he visited.

“Drink?†asked Wolf who sat in an armchair with a glass of wine.

“Only if it’s the good stuff,†replied Darius.

Taking a seat and the proffered wine, the blue eyed vulpine waited for his benefactor to speak.

“I received a report from the good doctor about our prisoner,†said Wolf after a minute of silence. “He says that our man is in terrible condition now, but surprisingly he suffered no lasting damage.â€

“I was trained by the best,†replied Darius with a grin. “But, how does it all fit into your plan?â€

As he finished the sentence, the blue eyed vulpine finished the meagre amount of wine. Gesturing for a refill, his benefactor shook his head.

“No more for now,†he said with a grin. “You’re going to be flying after all.â€

***

The feline’s face was decidedly grim; he had spent the whole day waiting for a victory report from his men that never arrived. After many hours past the deadline, he finally received word from his spy that his attack had fallen through. Not only did his attack on the Sargasso colony fail, but his attack force had been captured and the key officers were dead. A survivor eventually returned and was immediately brought in for a report.

Listening to the ramblings and explanations of the man before him, the feline snarled in contempt, deciding his fate. The man had left the battle against orders, but was at least providing a detailed report of the battle.

“It all seemed to be going as you had anticipated, General,†said the soldier carefully. “As the station’s shielding reached twelve per cent, it seemed all but assured that victory would be ours.â€

“What happened to change it then?†asked the general edgily.

“As I was guarding my assigned cruiser, I saw a group of fighters converge on the command ship,†said the soldier. “It looked like a probing attack, or some other move and it failed when the perimeter cannons dispersed the attack.â€

“Continue,†said the general interestedly.

“Most of the fighters peeled off but one remained, it was different to the others,†stated the soldier.

Intrigued, the general beckoned the man before him to continue.

“It was an arwing, General,†the soldier began. “After the fighters around it were driven off, the pilot fired an Ion blast and the command ship exploded shortly after.â€

“Damn, damn, damn, damn!†cursed the general. “What else can you tell me of this arwing?â€

“I managed to get a full scan of it before I was forced to flee sir,†said the soldier. “It will have all the information you require.â€

With a modicum of cool entering his mind, the general began to think.

“They’ve just paid for themselves,†uttered the general. “Chiswick, I want you to get this scan and find our pilot friend. Try capture him alive, but you can kill him if the situation calls for it.â€

A white furred canine in the corner of the room bowed before leaving. Turning to look back at the man before him, the general considered the situation. His desertion would merit an execution or a severe beating at the very least, but the man did provide something useful. Making his decision, the general nodded as if to confirm his own idea.

“Stand,†he ordered simply.

As the soldier stood, a flicker of fear expressed itself in his face.

“I should kill you for desertion, but I am inclined to be lenient in this instance,†said the general evenly.

Holding up his hand, he pointed his jewelled ring towards the soldier. Understanding the gesture, the man moved forward and kissed it. As soon as his lips touched the gold of the ring, he felt himself being lifted unceremoniously and his shirt tightened against his throat.

“A word of wisdom,†said the general as he held the man by the scruff of his neck. “If you ever betray me or my orders again, I will personally send you on a one way ticket to Fichina. Understood?â€

It was a personal favourite of the general to have condemned prisoners sent to the uninhabited regions of Fichina. As an ice planet, it served as an ideal method for a prisoner to truly suffer before he died. His men rightly feared such punishment and the general saw as the man in his grip paled at the threat.

“Y-Yes General Mercer,†said the soldier with an appropriate tone of grovelling.

Letting the man go, the general sat back down on his chair and stared as the soldier bowed and saluted before leaving the room.

“Now I must find this pilot,†said Mercer to himself.

***

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  • 3 months later...

While your appreciation of the fanfiction section is great, Snes1993, please do refrain from posting in threads older than two months. Locking this now; Elite, you can PM me if you want it reopened.

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