StarFox Fan Fiction ❯ Star Fox Recruits ❯ Time Trobules: Part One ( Chapter 15 )

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

 

“After them… Go!” ordered Fox as we all chased a swarm of Andross' crafts across space. “Why can't they even do this the easy way?” I complained.

 

We were barley able to shoot down even a few of the ships, as they just seemed to be zooming faster and faster away from us. “You're not crawling away form us!” Falco roared.

 

“Come back here…!” thundered Erin

 

Our six Arwings, with the Great-Fox bringing up the rear, we continued to chase the enemy fleet onward. “Hey, guys… take it easy.” Slippy called. “Don't go so fast… we can barely keep up with you guys.”

 

Neither of us slowed down at all as we were much too focused on catching those enemies. Suddenly, we could see a green field of sparkling gases up ahead. “There they go…” Donny called, “Let's get them!”

 

“Guys… wait!” cried Peppy. “We don't what that cloud-thing is!”

 

“Warning…! Warning…!” cried ROB “Sensors detect high efficiency of wave-motion within the field ahead of us. Advise all Arwings to return to the ship immediately.”

 

“Fox…?” Peppy called into the radio.

 

“We heard that Peppy, and we're heading back now.” Fox answered.

 

“Aw, man… just when things were starting to get interesting.” some of us complained, but regardless we returned to the ship as ordered.

 

Once safely aboard we all dashed to the bridge, but it wasn't easy as the ship was beginning to tumble and rock about hard. “What's going on?” Fox asked.

 

Peppy and Slippy had already located the problem. “We've been chasing those enemy ships for so long... the thrusters are malfunctioning.” Peppy said, “We're still gaining speed.”

 

He was right…

 

The ship was already going faster and faster, right into the danger levels, and we were still heading towards the green-field ahead of us. “The controls aren't responding!” cried Slippy.

 

“Try the emergency override…!” I said.

 

“It's no use…” cried Krystal, “They're going haywire.”

 

ROB then began to flail his arms madly, “Warning…! Warning…! Speed-indicators determine we were approaching the speed of light.”

 

“Everybody, hang on tight!” cried Fox.

 

SWOOSH… we flew right through the green-field right along with the fleet of enemy ships. They began to break up and explode within the field's energy, but the Great-Fox was rocking about and tumbling like a washing-machine with all of us tumbling about and screaming inside.

 

Some of the control-units began to short out and blow sparks everywhere. POW!

 

“Whoa…! HIT THE CIRCUIT-BREAKER!!” I shouted. Falco rushed over and powered down the systems to cease the sparking, but the ship was still out of control, and the steering-equipment needed to be fixed and fast before we would begin to break-up.

 

Fox, Slippy and Donny already opened the hatch to the wire-circuits, “Quick, get me a chopper-cable!” he shouted as he got on his work-gloves. Even with all the tumbling and shaking, they managed to get the wires hooked up, “Erin… change systems!” cried Slippy.

 

“Right!” and Erin pulled on the steering controls which leveled the ship off as we emerged from the green-field. “It's okay now… we're going to be alright.” replied Erin.

 

All of us sighed in heavy relief…

 

…

 

However, General Pepper had lost contact with us entirely. “Great-Fox, come in!” he called again, “Fox… are you there…?”

 

…

 

Not only that, but Andross had lost the signal form his own fleet. “This is intolerable.” he growled. “They were supposed to have returned and brought me back more energy.”

 

Meanwhile…

 

Realizing that we were no longer in the Lylat-System… we tried once again to contact Corneria, but it just didn't work. “I don't understand it…” Peppy said, “The Radio's in perfect working condition.”

 

“Maybe we're just too far away for the signal to get anywhere…” Slippy suggested.

 

“Affirmative…” ROB said, “Now that we are free from the stress… I have been able o compute that we have been thrown approximately four-thousand light-years from our system. Location, unknown…”

 

Falco sighed, “Well so much for him being of any help.”

 

“Four-thousand light-years…?” cried Krystal “That's so incredibly far.”

 

“Yeah… but to where?” asked Erin.

 

Suddenly the others all noticed Donny and I were staring at the view-port gazing out into space. “Could it… could it be…?” I asked.

 

“It sure looks that way…” added Donny.

 

“What's the matter, guys…?” Erin asked as she came over to join us. “Just take a look down there…!” I told her.

 

Erin looked out and saw a familiar looking planet… one which was all so familiar to us. “Earth…!” we all said in awe together.

 

The Star-Fox team did many scans on the planet we were approaching. “You guy's sure that's your home planet?” Falco asked. “It doesn't look like much to me.”

 

We all shot him a straight look, and he kept his beak shut.

 

Donny, Erin, and I didn't know what to feel anymore. After a year we finally found our home again, but did this mean we'd be leaving the Star-Fox team… after all that we've been through… not to mention Andross was still out there…?

 

“Well… we could go down there and explain.” Fox said, “Maybe people would understand why you've been gone.”

 

Fox had a point, and besides… it was mankind's fondest wish to meet peaceful life forms from other worlds… and it would be nice to show them a little of our world. “I say we go for it…” Erin said.

 

Donny and I agreed, and we immediately set course. It wasn't long before the Great-Fox itself actually landed on the dark side of Earth where it would soon be dawn. We decided it would be best that way, instead of using the Arwings.

 

The ramp was lowered allowing us to depart the ship. “Dude… you smell that…?” Donny asked.

 

We all took a huge whiff of the fresh air. We could smell, “Pine trees…”

 

“Apple fields…”

 

“Even a saw-mill...”

 

There was no doubt about it… we had finally come home. Yet, something didn't feel quite right though. There were hardly any lights lit in town, and we could really see anything of our modern technology.

 

“What date do you think it is…?” Erin asked.

 

“Well… if I checked my Earth calendar right…” I said, “I'd say that this is probably March 21st, in the Earth year 2051. I think this could be a weekend.”

 

Just then, Fox called in on the communicators, “Hey you guys, is it safe for us to come out yet?” he asked us for what had to be the third time.

 

“We told you Fox… you guys should stay on the ship until we find someone and make it clear of what's going on.” Donny told him. “Just be patient.” and we closed him off.

 

Then we decided to split up and look around; check out where we were. Strangely, there was no one around. That was slightly to be expected for as I had mentioned “This could be a weekend.”

 

“Hey… what's that?” Erin wondered as she peeked through what was in fact an office window, in the saw-mill we were exploring. “Is this supposed to be an office…?”

 

Everything looked so strange…

 

All the documents were on paper, instead of electronic-notepads.

 

There was an old-fashioned type-writer instead of one of those instant speech writers.

 

As for the telephone… not only was it not a video-phone, but it was tall, and black. Sort of like phones we only studied about in history class. “The line's dead… The lights don't work either.”

 

She carried on with her exploration…

 

…

 

Donny and I were walked past the piles of freshly cut lumber. “Hello…!” I called. “Hello…!” It was no use… nobody was around. This was starting to feel stranger and stranger. So far, we found no familiar faces and none of the modern technology from our home town.

 

Suddenly… something caught my eye. “Hey, Donny, look at that.”

 

We approached what appeared to be a car, but not just any car. One of those roller-types… One with wheels instead of hover-engines and. “The last time I saw a car like this… it was in a museum.” Donny said.

 

We then gazed down at the licence-plate. “Look at that date…” I said.

 

“50…?” Donny asked. “They can't be making cars like this in our era. It's got to be from 1950, but how it got here is beyond me.”

 

The doors of the car were unlocked, so I climbed in and turned on the radio.

 

"This is the emergency broadcast news station-Q. Standby for further details on the breaking story that has struck our nation."

 

"At 2:15 am this morning... an unidentifiable flying object was seen in the skies above lake superior. While at the same time all power within 200 miles around station Q have failed"

 

"Reports have come in that the vehicle that does not operate by propeller or steering rudders... has touched down in the parking area near a saw-mill in Manatou-Junction."

 

"All persons bearing fire arms are asked to report at once to the home of Captain Joseph Craigmire... to establish a union of protection"

 

"It is believed... that the occupants of the vehicle that landed are dangerous emissaries of a world not our own... All citizens are asked to be cautious."

 

“What the hell…?” Donny scoffed.

 

“You are listening to emergency broadcast station-Q. The time is now Saturday, March 21st, 1950. Please standby.”

 

My eyes widened slightly and my lips curled to a sneer as I turned off the radio and hopped out of the car. “Could you believe that…?” Donny asked. “Emissaries of a world not their own…?”

 

“I also heard the date. The year, 1950… The same as on that licence-plate” I said. “This car is new to them… and we're one-hundred years out of our time.”

 

Donny was quite amazed by all this, “I have no idea what it means to us though.”

 

“I know what it means to them…” I replied. “They think we're aliens.”

 

Donny and I both decided to head back to the ship and talk it over with the others… unaware that two men armed with a pistol and a shot-gun were sneaking up on us from behind us, and taking aim as we walked up the ramp.

 

“Hold it Harley…” one of them said. “You realize if you start shootin' at them fellers now, you'll be havin' a whole sloop of them pilin' out of that there blimp.”

 

“Ya' think so, Rover…?” asked the other man….

 

“I know so…” replied Rover. “I heard in the stories… that they ain't nothin' but electric-shadows, and there vehicle they got there… that's what blew out all our power when they came in. Ya' put your hand on it, and you'll be gettin' a great big shock of energy.”

 

“And dig this… in the story; they called `em… Voltones. That's what they are I'd reckon.”

 

Just then, the two men could see someone else coming, and they ducked down behind the woodpiles. It was Erin who came along. She still had no idea of what was going on. “Where is everyone…?” she wondered.

 

Then suddenly, the two men popped up from behind the wood, “All right, hold it right there!” Rover growled as he aimed his pistol. “Get you're hands up where I can see `em... Or you lookin' to be shot…?”

 

Erin was most confused, and tried to explain she wasn't trespassing, and that she just came home. The two men simply brushed it off assuming she was just lying. “Hey, lets see how tough you really are, youngin'” snapped Harley as he prodded her hard with his gun.

 

“Ow! Hey knock it off…!”

 

Harley suddenly began to notice, “Say… you ain't any electric-shadow.”

 

Erin took off her shades. “Of course not… I'm a human.” she told the men. “That's just our spaceship over there.”

 

“Keep' em up!” snarled Rover, “You Voltones know how to spin a good yarn, but don't fool me. Now you turn yourself around and start marchin'!”

 

Erin could see that this wasn't going very well so she tried to explain, “Look I know we've been away for a long time without explanation… but you must've heard about me… Erin McClain. My brothers and I are the X-team; the greatest video-gamers in the world.”

 

Rover chuckled, “Haw-Haw…! Video-games? I don't know what you're trying to pull missy, but there ain't no such thing as a video game. Least ways not around here.”

 

“What…?” Erin snapped. “But, there were many of them… even way back in 1982 when they first came out.”

 

Rover laughed again, “That there's a good one. 1982 ain't for another oh… thirty-two years.”

 

Erin gasped at the sound of those words. If 1982 was another thirty-two years away, then hat meant that this was 1950. Then she remembered the green sparkling field we ran into out in space… and realized we must've passed through a time-warp. “We're a-hundred years in the past.”

 

“I said move it!” snarled Rover.

 

“Now wait a sec here, Rover…” said Harley, “Maybe she's tellin' the dang truth.”

 

Just then, ROB came over, “All personal are to return to the Great-Fox immediately.” He said, “I repeat… All personal are to return to the Great-Fox immediately.”

 

Harley and Rover were quivering in the shoes. “Stay where ya' are… I ain't afraid of no electric-shadow.” cried Rover.

 

“No… don't shoot.” cried Erin, “He might blast you.”

 

BANG! Rover fired his pistol which cut a huge dent in ROB'S shoulder. ROB then fired his stun-beams from his eyes which temporarily confused the men. “I suggest we make our escape before those jokers get me really riled up!”

 

ROB and Erin began to dash towards the ship as the men came to their senses and began to shoot their guns endlessly. Rover even shot at the ship and blew out one of the main rocket-thrusters.

 

Fox and I rushed down the ramp; Fox with his blaster, and me with my staff set on the fire element. “Fire at the lumber-wood. That should scare them off.” I said.

 

We blasted our weapons causing the lumber to catch fire, and the two men to run away scared. I quickly doused the flames with the ice-element before the fire spread. “My sensors detect the hostiles are in full retreat.” said ROB.

 

“Hostiles is right.” snapped Fox. “And I thought you said this planet was supposed to be peaceful.”

 

…

 

Once safely back inside, we all held an immediate meeting as to decide what was to be done about the situation. Knowing how the people of this day and age acted towards extraterrestrial-life meant that Fox and his friends would defiantly be unwelcome by everyone…

 

As for me and my siblings, even though this was our home planet… it was still not the world we knew and loved.

 

“Yes I realize it would be tempting to stay, and try to reason with them and show them we're not monsters…” I said. “But no one… not a single person on this entire planet is going to believe for one minute that our presence is a century in the future. Why they'd shun us… or worse they'd put us in some institution and have our heads examined.”

 

Krystal suggested that maybe we could try and live a-part with them. “You all lived on your own before… couldn't you perhaps make your own lives?”

 

Neither of us agreed with that. “Make our own lives…? On top of some isolated mountain? Cut off from society and with no hope of survival into our own time?” asked Erin.

 

“I'm with that…” Donny said, “Beside… what about Andross? You know… if you guys go back without us, he just might be able to crush you.”

 

It was decided… we would all be leaving. Slippy had done some calculations and he determined that the green wormhole was still out there, which meant we would still be able to get back, “But the main thrusters are completely shot. They'll take at least half a day to repair… or we can't even get off the ground.”

 

“Well let's get going…” Falco said. “This place is starting to give me the creeps. The sooner we get out of here the better.”

 

Even Fox agreed with Falco there, “I want to get our of here by 3 pm. That's twelve hours away.”

 

Meanwhile…

 

Andross was really confused as to what happened to his fleet of ships, as well as where had we disappeared too, finally he found the green-field on his monitors, and determined that it was a wormhole; a gateway through time and space.

 

He established that we must've fallen in and were now some place in another time. This gave him a sinister idea. “Close it…!” he ordered his minions. “Build a device to close that wormhole. I'll not have the Star-Fox team, nor the X-team to return and ruin my plans again.”

 

Decided to obey their master, before he would give them the same fate a Tobor had, they already set to work building powerful machines that would enable them to close the wormhole straight from Venom.

 

If we didn't get back in time… we would pretty much be history!

 

TO BE CONTINUED…