StarFox Fan Fiction ❯ The Shards of a Broken Krystal ❯ Dogfights in the Skies of Katina ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: Surprise. I don't own the Star Fox series or any of its characters. I do, however, own the story. Keep that in mind before you steal it.

 

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The Shards of a Broken Krystal - by Staindgrey

 

Chapter V - Dogfights in the Skies of Katina

 

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There he was, in the flesh, standing right before his very eyes. He must have been dreaming, but even if he was, he didn't really care. There was his father, still in one piece, with a confident smirk that said it all: “I survived, and I'm here to stay.”

 

The elder fox looked quite young for his age of fifty-two, minus the graying hairs found speckled along the edges of his russet fur. He had the stature of a man at his peak- chest out, chin up, and smile resolute. His opaque, black sunglasses gave him the aura of an action movie hero ready to whip out a pair of pistols and blow things up at random. He much resembled his son in his reynard features, with oversized tan ears and spots of white fur on his muzzle, crown, and the end of his bushy tail. He wore the same uniform of his old Star Fox days, which consisted of a green commando uniform with a khaki jacket, gray shin-high boots, and a flaring red handkerchief stuffed neatly at his chest. His gloved hands were resting atop the inner parts of his elbows within his tightly crossed arms, the graying tan fur of his forearms fully exposed from his rolled up jacket sleeves. Fox took every detail of him as if he were examining a priceless piece of art, every moment of it feeling like a much needed breath of fresh air.

 

“Dad... I can't believe it's you,” he admitted, his voice lost in a dreamy state.

 

“Well, believe it,” James replied with a cool tone. “Sorry to have left you guessing for so long.”

 

“But where have you been?” And thus, the interrogation began. Fox began to spew out questions like a broken fire hydrant spraying out water, leaving James no room for an answer in between. “What have you been doing? How'd you survive? I thought you were dead... What happened to your Ar-”

 

“Whoa, whoa,” James finally interrupted, holding out his hands in a “stop” gesture. “Chill, Fox. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. I'll answer all your questions. But first...” His hands dropped to his stomach as he dropped his tough guy veneer for a moment. “...ya got anything to eat?”

 

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Krystal at last landed on solid ground after traveling the length of the Lylat System with a self-torturing mindset. The thought of leaving Fox and the life she had tried so hard to gain was tormenting her, but did she really have any other choice? As she opened the cockpit window and beheld the beauty of Thorntail Hollow, for a moment all the feelings plaguing her seemed to vanish, and the quiet rush of the breeze in her fur and the gentle running of the nearby creek were all that filled her mind. She took in the planet's beauty for all it was worth, examining every bit of it down to each subtle blade of luscious green grass. The large leaves of the even larger trees swayed with the wind and the land was covered with Nodosauruses, or Thorntails, as they were known on Sauria. They were rather large, four-legged reptiles with a hard, scaly back that extended into a long, bony tail. Their mouths resembled the beaks of birds, but were hard as rock. Their small, red eyes looked peaceful and calm, nothing at all like some of the other dinosaurs inhabiting the planet. The Thorntail dinosaurs were all looking at her with joyful smiles as they made their way towards her Arwing, watching the blue vixen as she hopped out and once again felt the wonderful sensation of solid ground beneath her feet. She took in a much-needed breath of fresh air, and then waved her hand in a kind gesture, shouting, “Xa kxoho!” in their native language.

 

“Xocce, Krystal!” one Thorntail shouted back, returning the greeting. “Nxuk rhadwj oei xoho?”

 

Krystal hadn't been to Sauria for awhile; she knew she was a little rough around the edges with her Saurian. But she still registered the dinosaur's words as What brings you here? She replied, “A um ceebadw veh u fcuso ke jkuo veh unxaco.” I am looking for a place to stay for awhile. She spoke slowly without a lot of jazz in her words; the elder Thorntail before her could tell she was out of practice.

 

“Ak'j rood u cedw kamo,” he said with a hoarse laugh. “Ev seihjo oei sud jkuo veh uj cedw uj oei nudk.” Krystal only got bits and pieces of what he was saying, but she was pleased to hear the part of stay as long as you like. She bowed her head in customary fashion and answered with a standard Saurian thank you.

 

“Kxudbj.”

 

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“Mmmm!” The old fox purred like a kitten as he practically inhaled the leftovers in front of him. It was obvious he hadn't eaten in sometime, since Fox couldn't stomach last week's dinner quite as easily. Fox took a couple small bites of his portion then let it sit, patiently waiting for his father to start using his mouth for talking rather than stuffing it full of food. He watched as James just about threw an entire chicken leg into the mouth, taking more than half of its meat in one quick bite. “This is good eatin'!” the elder fox said with what resembled a smile over his puffed up cheeks.

 

I guess Mom never really taught him manners... Fox mused. “How long has it been since you've eaten, Dad?” Fox had a sarcastic tone in his voice, but he was really using the inquiry as a lead-in to the real questions he wanted answers; he had to get the vacuum to talk somehow.

 

James scoffed down another bite then, with his hand already in motion to pull in another hunk of food, replied, “I don't know. Probably... a week, I guess.”

 

“Wow, what have you been doing that kept you from eating anything? Floating around space in that tin can of yours?” Fox chuckled a little at his own joke; James seemed to be overcome by an aura of seriousness.

 

“The Wyvern is no `tin can', Fox. That thing has saved my life more times than I can remember. I owe my life to that baby.”

 

“Alright, alright, sorry...” Fox said, his ears lowering in cowardice towards his father's sudden stern words. James immediately shook off his harsh tone and replaced it with a fatherly smile, though he wasted no time in once again drowning his throat with chicken meat. Fox continued, “So... what brings you here now, of all times? And what happened to you? Your Arwing's a mess!”

 

“Confidential stuff,” he muttered with an overly full mouth. Fox gave him the `oh, right' look and let it go.

 

“Well then what have you been doing for the past few years? I mean, I never heard from you or anything after you saved me at Venom...”

 

James finally put down his food and looked directly at his son through his thick, black glasses. He had suddenly turned back into a martial state, taking his napkin and lightly wiping the remnants of food from his mouth before answering. “Ever since I escaped Venom, I've been doing solo reconnaissance work for the military under different aliases; I didn't want anybody to know I was actually still alive. As of late, though, I've been in the Solar System competing in the F-Zero series for some leisure. A man's gotta retire from real work sometime in his life.”

 

“But why?” Even more pleading than his tone of voice were Fox's heartthrob eyes; they were the eyes of a boy lost from his father for over a decade. “Why did you have to keep your identity a secret? I thought you were dead!”

 

“And, with the kinda work I was been doing, I was damn close to it,” he mused. “I figured that nobody, especially my own son, deserves to feel the heartbreak of losing a father twice, let alone once. If you thought I was dead once before, then I might as well stay that way.” His features softened as he began to fall into a dreamy state while he continued, “You've grown and matured without me, son. You're a man now.”

 

“Yeah, but... being a man doesn't mean I don't care for my own father...” Fox couldn't cry in front of his back-from-the-dead father, but he sure felt like doing so right about now. He wanted more than anything to just reach out for him, wrapping his aging body with his own two arms and never, ever letting go. At the same time, he wanted to lash out at him, striking him in the noggin with all the force he could muster for leaving him for so many years. Regardless, though, he was back; he was really back. Fox's heart swelled to twice its size at the thought of those words: He's back.

 

“Well, I never doubted that you still cared about your old man,” James commented with a chuckle, “but some things are just too hard for some people to bear. I wasn't sure if you'd ever be able to handle my sudden return from the dead, but, as far as I can tell, you seem to be taking it pretty well, heh.” James chugged the last of his root beer and wiped the bit of liquid off of his fur-covered lips, then practically slammed the glass bottle against the table. “Man, this is a nice place you've got here; hell of a lot better than our old Great Fox.”

 

“Well, we had to replace it... again.” Fox rolled his eyes at his own comment. “Although, after purchasing it, we've been short on money for its upkeep. Slip usually took care of things pretty well, but right now he's gone...”

 

“Where's he?” James questioned.

 

“He's staying with his bedridden father, Beltino.”

 

“Beltino Toad?”

 

“The same.”

 

“Wow, he's gotta be getting up there in years. He's the one who made the first Arwing type that I pilot. The man's a genius.” James propped his feet up onto another chair to get himself more comfortable, then continued, “So where's the rest of your team? You do have one, don't you?”

 

Fox suddenly gave the impression of a little kid trying to prove he's all grown up. “Yes, Dad, I have a team. But, just yesterday, actually, they've parted ways for a little while. What timing, huh? You didn't even get to see them.”

 

“Who are they?” James persisted. “Peppy one of `em?”

 

“Well, he was in fact just sworn in as the new Supreme General of the Cornerian Army yesterday.”

 

“Peppy?” James had the look of a confused pup. “He replaced General Pepper? Get out.”

 

“No joke. Maybe we can go meet him whenever we get a chance.”

 

“Well, why not now? Where are we heading, anyway?”

 

Fox's expression was suddenly eclipsed with a looming sense of fear, like the sun being overshadowed by a storm cloud just before the rain. “Sauria.”

 

“Sauria?” James looked at his son like he was mad. “That lonely little planet out on the edge of Lylat that keeps getting left off of maps `cause it's so prehistoric?”

 

“Yeah,” Fox said, emotionless.

 

“What the hell are you going there for?” Fox didn't say anything. Instead, his gaze hit the floor, just like his heart did once it was reminded of her... Krystal... James looked his son over, then, with a knowing look behind his sunglasses, he said, “It's a girl, isn't it?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“A girl. You're chasing a girl all the way to Sauria. Am I right?” A smirk couldn't help but crawl across the elder fox's face as he watched the younger one's expression while he failed to find something to say in response. James chuckled a little. “I'm right. So, is she cute? Nice? Is she weird at all?”

 

“Dad, enough!” Fox blurted out, a blush finding its way beneath his tan fur. “Yeah, we're going after one of my teammates, and, yes, she's a girl.”

 

“So, is this about love? Or is it strictly professional?” He threw in a pair of fingered quotation marks to add a sarcastic effect to his last two words.

 

“It's... uh...”

 

“Aww, Fox is in love,” James interrupted, proving that even after a decade's absence, he could still read his own kin like a book. “So, is she pretty? Have you done anything yet? I need details!”

 

“Dad!!”

 

Suddenly, Fox's communicator gave a beep for an incoming call. Saved by the bell. Fox hurriedly pressed the button on his wrist to hear Rob's familiar, mechanized voice. “Two unknown vehicles are heading towards Great Fox at high speeds.”

 

“What are they?” Fox asked.

 

“They are not at a close enough range to tell, and they have not yet sent communications. But their small size and speed suggest that they may be Wolfens.”

 

“Wolfens...” Fox repeated, rubbing the fur beneath his muzzle in thought.

 

“Star Wolf?” James pulled his legs off of his footrest and pushed his own chair back as he asked the question.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Pigma...” James growled under his breath.

 

Fox quickly rid his father of the thought. “No, Pigma died a year ago. It's just Wolf, Leon, and this new guy, Panther Caroso. But, there's only two of `em...”

 

“Doesn't matter if there's two or three of them; they still have the upper hand,” James said as he stood to his feet beside the table. “I'm coming with you.”

 

“No way, Dad.” Fox took no time in shutting him down. “Your Arwing's in no condition to fly, let alone fight a Wolfen.”

 

“Then I'll take one of yours.”

 

“No. The control system is far different than what you're used to. They've changed the entire system with the new Arwing model. You'd be a sitting duck.”

 

“Fox, c'mon, have a little faith in your old man-”

 

“I lost you once, I'm not about to lose you again.” Fox's voice was both morose and powerful at the same time. “I can handle them both on my own; I've done it before. Besides, it may not even be Star Wolf at all. We still don't know.” Without waiting for a response, he started for the kitchen's exit, calling back, “You can head to the briefing room if you want to watch your son in action. Rob'll bring it up on screen for ya. But stay put, Dad. I mean it!” And with that, the door closed, leaving a speechless, over-the-hill fox, a plate full of chicken bones, and utter silence in the room behind him.

 

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“How do we know that guy wasn't setting us up?”

 

Wolf had just about had it with Leon's constant speculation. He already knew the whole thing was fishy, and he had is own doubts, but they didn't have too much of a choice; they needed the cash. He still couldn't shake the feeling that he knew the guy who employed them... His voice and scent were so utterly familiar, but Wolf never could place where from...

 

“He could very well be setting us up, but quite frankly, I don't care,” Wolf growled towards the screen on which Leon's face was painted. “Now, unless you're turning chicken on me, get ready. I can see Great Fox from here.” Leon gave a small grunt in response, but continued following his leader at his wing.

 

“The way they're leaving Corneria to come greet us... it seems as if they know we're coming.”

 

“Or they could be heading for Sauria where Krystal went. Think, bonehead.” Leon looked as if he was about to retaliate, but Wolf quickly hushed him, “Now shut up. The docking bay's opening up.”

 

Both fighter pilots watched with anticipation as the door as the rear of Great Fox slowly opened. They weren't sure how many Arwings would come out, but they were each hoping it wouldn't be over two. If what their employer said was true, then both Slippy and Falco were gone, and now Krystal too. That left the pup and no one else. Wolf liked those odds.

 

Sure enough, a solo Arwing came out, letting the door close behind it to confirm it was the only one. A sneer crossed Wolf's shaggy face from ear to oversized ear as he watched the winged ship come nearer. Suddenly, Fox's face came onscreen, a look of sheer determination overcoming his features. “What do you want, Wolf?”

 

“We've got a score to settle, pup. Don't think I've forgotten about our little mishap at Sargasso a year ago.”

 

“Wolf, I don't have time for this. You can settle your score with me some other time. Right now, I've gotta-”

 

“Save your damsel in distress,” he disrupted. “We met her on her way to Sauria.”

 

“You what?”

 

“That doesn't matter now, and unless you can survive fighting both of us, it won't matter later, either.” Wolf's murderous smirk only widened as he came within firing range of the approaching Arwing. “This time, you die, pup!”

 

Fox knew now that this fight couldn't be avoided. Even after helping him destroy the Aparoid Homeworld, Wolf was still as bitter as ever towards him. He had hoped that, after working together, they had at last mended their differences, but apparently that was far from the truth. Wolf was hell-bent on finally beating Fox after losing to him time and time again, and now was his chance to do so. Whether he was in it for revenge or for money, Fox had no idea, but it really didn't matter either way- he had to beat both of these guys, alone.

 

Fox wasted no time in activating his boost to slice right through the duo. He pulled his controls to the right, slanting his ship skillfully through the two Wolfens with just enough room to spare. He then reverted back to the left, letting go of his boost to allow for a tighter turn. Wolf and Leon reacted as quickly as ever, one turning violently to the right, the other to the left in the same fashion. Fox was now approaching Wolf head-on with Leon closing in on his left. He fired with his twin blasters at his impending target, the two bright blue beams shining like shooting stars in the blackness of space. Wolf quickly barrel-rolled to his left, deflecting the beams with the temporary shield the maneuver produced. Leon used this opportunity to sneak in a hit on Fox's Arwing, but alas, the shot missed its target. Fox enabled the boost once again, pulling back hard on the controls to swing into a back flip right over Leon's Wolfen. As he came back around, he veered his ship to the left, giving chase to Leon's backside. He fired a couple shots and watched with pride as they found their target, igniting a few sparks at its tail. Leon then spun away to the right, deflecting the few still approaching blasts with the barrel roll.

 

“Stupid fox...” Leon muttered. He tried to use his ship's greater maneuverability to get behind the enemy ship, but Fox was still somehow on his tail. Leon gave an annoyed huff then ignited his boost to pull away from his predator. As Fox gave chase, Wolf snuck in behind him and locked on with a charged blast. Fox felt the hard crash as the ball of energy collided with his right wing, then quickly made a sharp right turn to get out of harm's way. Wolf decided to wait before chasing his prey as he turned his ship to the left, coming back around to face the Star Fox leader. Fox watched his radar intently and saw what Wolf was doing. Seeing Leon circle around in the same fashion, Fox cut his turn short and veered back to his left, moving steadfastly away from his two opponents. As the two Wolfens came together behind him, Fox wasted no time in activating his boost once again and pulling back on his controls, bringing his ship up and over the attacking ships. Instead of completing the predictable loop, however, he sharply flipped his Arwing back around, then used the rest of his boost to plunge forward and away from the danger below.

 

Wolf sneered once again as he watched his rival's skills from his cockpit window, then signaled for Leon over the communicator. “Leon, fly ahead and leave the pup to me. Once you're out of sight, turn around and come back, then take him by surprise.” Leon simply nodded in confirmation, the proceeded to boost ahead. Wolf then turned around with the same tactic Fox had used, flipping his vehicle backwards then boosting forward as he regained his balance. As he did, Fox was already turning back around with a charge beam ready at the nose of his Arwing. The bright, red ball shined like a mini sun as it launched from its spot, directed at the approaching Wolfen. “Don't think I'll fall that easily!” Wolf yelled into his comm. link as barrel-rolled out of the way. He let his ship fall to the left, then brought it back up to the right in a spinning fashion, hoping to catch Fox off guard. However, when he came back up in attacking position, there was no Arwing to be found.

 

“I didn't,” Fox replied mockingly. He had pulled his Arwing into another flip just as he had fired the charged blast, hoping that the attack would distract Wolf momentarily. His scheme had worked, and he came back around above Wolf's ship, leaving him vulnerable for an instant. Fox took his chance and fired, making contact with three consecutive shots before Wolf boosted under him to escape.

 

“Damn it,” the wolf grunted as he pulled his ship back towards his adversary. I can't let myself fall for stupid tricks like that... This is my chance! Wolf pushed his vehicle to its top speed as he pulled up to Fox's rear, letting him have a few blasts in return. A couple connected, but Fox quickly barrel-rolled out of the way once again. His shields were still up, but he couldn't let many more shots hit him before they started making full contact. Using his Arwing's superior braking ability, he slammed on the G-Diffusers and let Wolf fly past over him, then quickly returned to his normal speed as he turned away from his opponent.

 

There's got to be a way I can beat him... Fox thought as adrenaline continued to pump through him. But how- He suddenly caught a glimpse of a fast approaching vehicle coming from his right on radar. “What the-?” He boosted forward out of the way, but still caught a mass of laser blasts on his right wing. He grunted heavily as he felt the ship shake, but continued moving forward with his boost before once again braking and turning out to his right.

 

“Heh heh, didn't forget about me, did you?” Leon said sinisterly on Fox's screen as he flew past. Fox already began to beat himself up over forgetting that he was fighting two people, not just Wolf; that could prove costly in just a few minutes. He hastily checked his shield gage and noticed that the right wing was already taking damage, since that was the only spot they'd been able to hit. He, on the other hand, had barely touched either of them. This isn't good... his mind agonized.

 

Before him was the bright, white planet of Katina. Its overabundance of clouds gave it its pallid appearance, as Fox had learned first hand back in his days at the academy. He remembered when he and Bill had been stationed there for flight training. The planet was practically deserted, save a few hundred military outposts stationed all over its surface. Fox began to wonder how many of those bases were battle-ready with these times of peace; probably not many. But if he was going to shake Star Wolf, he'd have to try...

 

“Yaaaaaahoooooooo!!!” Fox heard over his comm. link. He knew the voice, though he'd never heard him yell like that.

 

“...Dad?!” The image of James McCloud's mug came onto Fox's display screen, his sunglasses still on and his smirk like that of an action movie hero. Fox glanced outside his cockpit window and saw a brand new Generation 4 Arwing flying steadfastly towards them at full speed. “Dad! Get out of here! You have no idea how to pilot-”

 

“I can handle it fine, Fox,” James cut in, “Stop worrying about me and start protecting your own hide better.”

 

“James McCloud...?” Wolf said, almost mesmerized. He thought he was dead, as did his teammate, Leon. But an alarm seemed to go off in his head like a violent warning; he was beginning to piece things together now...

 

“James McCloud?” Leon repeated, “That's impossible! I watched you die!”

 

“No, you watched me crash, not die,” James shot back with a grin. “Now, it's payback time, Star Wolf.”

 

“This has to be a trick!” Leon exclaimed in an unbecoming sense of fear.

 

“It's no trick, Leon.” Wolf's voice was forceful, but strangely quiet. He usually barked at Leon's outbursts, but he had all of a sudden become distant. He knew something Leon didn't, and the chameleon caught the hint well. “You take James, I've got the pup. Don't let me down.”

 

“Got it,” Leon answered, pulling his vehicle away from the younger Fox and towards the older one. “I'll make sure you die this time!!”

 

“Stop talking and start firing,” James retorted. This boiled Leon's cold blood even more as he sent his Wolfen screaming towards him, lasers flying in bunches towards their target. James's Arwing barrel-rolled out of the way easily and flew just past Leon's speeding Wolfen, further illustrating the elder fox's uncanny confidence.

 

“You handle that thing pretty well,” Leon thought aloud as he took as sharp of a turn as he could back towards the Arwing.

 

“Why, thank you,” James expressed his sarcastic gratitude. “You don't.” As Leon once again failed to suppress his vivid anger, James turned sharply in the opposite direction from which Leon was coming, then used the new Arwing's impressive boost speed to launch himself back behind the Wolfen. Within an instant, Leon was rained on with laser blasts, and he had taken a number of hits before he was able to roll out of the way. As he turned, James followed, not letting him out of his target range for a moment. Leon quickly jutted his ship back to the left, then just as speedily swerved to his right again. The maneuver barely caught the elder McCloud off guard as he was able to stay behind him and continue his barrage of shots.

 

“Gah!! How are you still behind me??” Leon boosted upwards into a back flip, and James continued to follow on his tail. James somehow had a master of the mechanics of the brand new ship, which confused Fox to no end as he watched. His thoughts were cut off, however, by the low, gruff voice of Wolf.

 

“Did you set us up?” he asked bluntly.

 

“What?” Fox had no clue what he was talking about. `Set him up'? He was trying to avoid this battle in the first place!

 

“I said, did you set us up!” Anger was taking over his tone now, as he pushed violently on his controls to hurl his craft towards the opposing Arwing. Fox hurriedly pulled up, dodging the onslaught of laser blasts that came towards him. He then pushed back down on the controls, sending his Arwing in a downward flip that brought him back to facing Katina just ahead. Wolf circled in behind him like a bird of prey, then took aim and began firing once again. A couple blasts struck Fox's right wing, furthering the damage done to it. Fox could feel his craft slanting to the right now without even weight on both sides, and it was only a matter of time before the wing snapped off. He barrel-rolled to the right, then avoided any other laser contact by steering back to the left and boosting away from Wolf and towards Katina.

 

“Dad! We've got to head for Katina! Get moving!”

 

“Right,” was his only reply. Leon had finally escaped him and was trying to get behind his craft, but James was, so far, able to avoid him. James twirled his ship like a figure skater as he turned back towards Katina, activating his boost to try and escape Leon's Wolfen.

 

The four fighters continued into Katina's atmosphere, each one too far to make contact with the one ahead of them. Red flames began to consume their shielding as they plummeted towards the planet's surface, though their G-Diffusers were able to scale down the heat enough to keep them and their ships safe. Fox beheld the pinkish red crust that brought back so many memories of his days with the academy, before he left prematurely to replace his father in action...

 

His thoughts snapped back to reality as he realized he was coming dangerously close to the ground. He adjusted the output of his G-Diffusers to full power and felt the jar of his ship's sudden stop, then pulled up against the planet's gravity to a higher point in the sky. Below him in the distance, he saw the outpost he had seen Bill at just short of a decade ago. It had been so long; he wondered if he was still there. Bill... C'mon man...

 

Fox was shaken out of his wandering thoughts as he felt the jar of shots connecting at his back. The shaking was soon followed by a small explosion sound as his wing finally disconnected, falling helplessly towards the ground below. Fox gripped his controls for dear life and rolled towards his right to avoid any more direct hits. Wolf tried to follow, though his Wolfen couldn't pull off the same sharp turn that the Arwing could. Once he again noticed this, he fell back and swerved to the left as tightly as he could, hoping to catch the injured vehicle in the turnaround. “I've got you now, pup...”

 

“Wolf!” Leon exclaimed, “Behind you!”

 

“Wha-” Suddenly, a direct hit from a charge beam sent Wolf's head forward and crashing into his ship's steering column. He pulled back instantaneously and tried to steer out of the way of whoever was behind him, but continued to feel the violent blasts make full contact against his wavering shields. Finally, the attacker dispersed as he was chased off by O'Donnell's teammate.

 

“You won't win by using any sneak attacks here, James!” Leon spat out.

 

“You're accusing me of a sneak attack?” James chuckled confidently, but his tone soon after turned to that of a murderer. “Don't make me laugh.” He fired once again at Leon's Wolfen, refusing to let him escape for as long as he possibly could. Leon barrel-rolled this way and that, but he still couldn't seem to shake the guy.

 

How did he get this good? Leon's mind tried to come up with any reason at all to explain the elder fox's sheer mastery of flying, but none would come. Meanwhile, Wolf and Fox were thinking the same thing.

 

“You set us up, didn't you?” Wolf repeated, snarling through the radio towards Fox.

 

“What? I have no idea what you're talking about!”

 

“Stop lying, you backstabbing bastard!!” Wolf charged another blast and sent it flying towards the Arwing before him, making full contact on its upper backside. Fox grunted loudly as the force of the explosion shook him, but regained control of his ship just quickly enough to avoid getting hit again. He slammed on the boost and catapulted his Arwing forward out of harm's way, then used the uneven air resistance of his shattered wing to turn even more sharply to the right, coming back for an almost head-on collision with Wolf. Without hesitation, he fired his only nova bomb, hoping to make at least some contact with the unexpecting Star Wolf leader. Wolf glided to the side easily, however, as he was expecting such a maneuver from the flight school-trained pilot. That was basics: your wing falls off, turn that way.

 

“Face it, pup, you're no match against me,” he growled, “And just because Daddy's here to save you doesn't mean I can't take him down too. I just can't believe you'd ambush me without your whole team.”

 

“Ambush you? You ambushed us, Wolf!” Fox was still caught completely off guard by Wolf's accusations, but his rival never hinted at letting them down. What in the world is he talking about...? he wondered.

 

“Don't mock me!” Wolf flipped backwards right behind Fox and began barraging him with laser blasts, all of which were making full contact with no shielding left to bar them. Fox tried to veer out of the way, but the assault was too much. He could hardly handle the ship's controls anymore. The damage alarm began to blare inside the cockpit and ring inside his oversized ears like the knells of a funeral bell. Was this the end...?

 

Suddenly, the barrage halted as Wolf pulled away. Fox had no idea what had happened, but he was sure it had been his father coming to his rescue again. Before he could thank him, however, a familiar face came on his communicator screen with a bright, shaggy haired smile and that same stupid yellow arrow helmet. “You okay, Fox?”

 

“Bill!!” Fox was overcome with joy, though he wasn't sure if it was more from seeing his old pal again or the fact that his life had been spared. “Is that you?”

“Yep, saving your hide, as always,” he replied with a hint of cockiness. He cut their reunion short, however, as he began to give orders to his fleet. “Red Squadron, attack the Wolfen at twelve o'clock. Blue Squadron, go for the one at two o'clock.”

 

“Sir!” each of the squadron commanders responded posthaste.

 

Wolf and Leon each beheld the horde of Cornerian Army fighters coming towards them, and both of them knew what was to happen. “Leon, let's get out of here.”

 

“Right.” For once, Leon agreed with something Wolf said. Wolf wasn't about to leave without some last words, however.

 

“Fox, watch your hide. I'll be back to finish this battle sooner than you think. And James...” he paused a moment, like he was determining whether he should leave him with some witty line or just flick him off. “...you can kiss my ass.” With that, he and Leon activated their hyperspeed modules, something Fox only wished the Arwing had been equipped with, and escaped the planet in the blink of an eye. Fox was relieved to have them gone, but something about the way Wolf acted still sent tingles of fear down his spine.

 

“Tch, cowards...” Bill muttered. “Both squadrons, back to the station. There's nothing left here. And Fox, you guys can come in for repairs.”

 

“Thanks, Bill,” Fox replied. He then looked out towards the Arwing formerly piloted by Slippy with a questioning glare. Dad, how did you get so good? Is there something else you're not telling me...? For the moment, he shook off the feeling and followed Bill's commander ship back towards his base, James at his wing. The elder fox's face then came on his screen, a happy smile finding its way across his auburn face.

 

“You did good out there, son,” he said with a thumbs-up. Fox couldn't help but feel an explosion of pride within him; he had never been complimented by his dad after a battle. Whatever doubts he had, they were now gone. That was his father, the great James McCloud, leader of the original Star Fox team. No doubt about it- he was the best of the best.

 

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