Chapter I

"And so...it begins."

 The CSS SunHawk stood out like a sore thumb from all its other comrade ships that were huddled around it.  Even the Great Fox was different, for it was not the sole class of its kind in the task force.  The eye always went to the SunHawk first.  It was so massive, and so colorful in the hull.  It probably would be terrible at camouflage, unless you hid it in the glare of the son, which could hide anything.  The orange stripes running down its hull from stern to bow.  The flat arrow head like shape to it and the beak like conning tower at its aft section.  All of it looked like what it was.  A massive war machine.

 Training for this upcoming fight had gone on for the last two days now.  Five times, Fara Phoenix has taken the powerful KitHawk attack ship out in training, learning how to fly the sleek space faring bird of prey.  They were right.  It did fly more like a fighter then a capitol ship.  The more Fara got at its helm, the more she grew accustomed to it.  It was fast.  So very fast, out running the Arwings of the fleet.  She actually got the chance to kick in their afterburners and leave the rest of Star Fox in the dust one time.  This made the KitHawk's current commander, Leo Grant, laugh with delight.

 The first two times, Allison Dallas herself took an Arwing out and remained on Fara's wing, guiding her actions as they went along.  Now, after two days of training on how to fly this thing, Fara found herself to be ready.  Everyone found themselves to be ready.

 Captain Dallas decreed that everyone was to get sleep before this upcoming assault on Dark Star space station.  It was directly ahead of them, and they were pumped and primed for the Cornerian fleet to reap the whirl wind with them.  It was confirmed as well.  Star Wolf was there and guarding the station.  Dallas knew almost nothing about Star Wolf herself.  They were set to counter the Star Fox team for Andross, which they exceedingly failed at.  Good.  They would definitely need Fox and his comrades for this fight.

 Dallas never forgot that this was Fox's attack from the start.  But they couldn't go in there alone now.  Dark Star was too strong now for just four pilots to lay siege to it.  No matter how good they were.  Fox and his friends would have gone in there and laid the siege anyway even if they didn't help.  The might have died while trying, but they would have done it.

 Dark Star was no core base.  It was a space station that had no vents to fly through.  It had to be hit on the outside.  For this, the SunHawk would be finally tested.  It proved itself many times when confronting enemy ships on the defensive when the odds looked hopeless.  Now it was time to take the fight to them for a change.

 That was what was going to happen.  Dallas knew that this attack was going to be costly in the long run.  But it would be very well worth it if they could sack that station.  She sat in her chair on the bridge and watched Fara Phoenix's final training run.  Allison knew that she was as ready as ever.  It would be interesting to see her operate in that thing during the battle.

 Calmly she sat back in her chair and watched, a golden medallion on her hands.  The one which belonged to her father.  Allison sighed with grief.  Her father died just two days ago, and not once did she stop missing him.  She knew it would be inhumane to do such a thing.  She loved her father, Alan Dallas, and she would always miss him.

 In twenty four hours, they would head out and start busting some heads.  Midnight tomorrow night, the fire would be spawned.

****

 He opened his eyes suddenly, the nightmare crushing his sleep like a cracker under the foot.  Breathing heavily and nervously, Maurine lifted his head off the pillow to get reacquainted with his environment.  It was not his room, which he soon realized.  He didn't have a room.  He had a cubby hole in a wall just as all enlisted personnel did.  Maurine sighed and laid his head back onto the pillow.

 He glanced down.  Snuggled next to him, snoozing in peace while her head rested on his shoulder, was Kesh.  She was tired as he was.  For both of them, it had been a...rough night.  Good, he could sense her dreams, and they were all pleasant.  Nothing to disturb her sleep.

 When Kesh found out that her manipulating captor had been dealt with, she wanted to celebrate with her love by giving the two of them exactly what they wanted.  A night, just the two of them, alone together.

 He so much wanted to stay here with Kesh, but with the attack on Dark Star fast approaching, he would have to get his security teams ready for possible boarding parties.  He checked the clock next to the bed.  Five thirty in the morning.  The time to get up was right now.  He gently lifted Kesh's head and took his arm out from underneath it, and just as gently laid it back down on the pillow.  He went on to get dressed for the day.

****

 It was twenty 'til six when Maurine entered the small mess hall for the on ship security personnel.  Three men sat a table and were just finishing bowls of cereal as he walked in.  The were talking about nothing in particular.  New lines of weapons straight off the market, new hover cars being developed, and a few women they see around the ship now and then.

 Maurine paid them no mind.  He walked to his locker and strapped his phaser belt on and put his heavy phaser in its holster.  He looked into his locker mirror and asked himself, what now?  Marriage?  Or would this be just for a small while?  He hoped that they stayed together, but the thought of marrying her did frighten him a little.  Still, this was not enough to darken his mood.  Nothing was.

 "Hey Chief," said one of the men at the table.  "You look more cheerful then usual this morning.  What happened, d'ya bust a few scrap heads or see a good score on an arrest record or what?"

 "You nimrod," said one of his companions.  "Haven't you heard.  We caught the traitor hiding out on our ship.  They say he died somehow during the search for him.  Probably spaced himself or something.  It doesn't matter anyway.  He's gone, and good riddens to him."

 Maurine shut his locker door and walked over to the table.  "You guys never did have a clue did you?  Eat up quick, we have a lot of work ahead of us today.  I want you rigged, prepped, and ready to rock 'n roll at O six hundred on the mark."

 "You got it boss."  The three of them started to eat more quickly and Maurine headed towards the door, ignoring their thoughts about him.  He got to the door and the overhead PA system sounded.

 Chief Maurine, report to the bridge at once.  It was Grant, and he sounded serious right now.  It might be a Venomian attack but the condition red lights were still dead.  It was something different.

 "Remember, on your patrols at six sharp.  No later."

****

 The speed transport shuttle just came into the fleet's view a few minutes ago.  When it arrived, it sent a message intended for the SunHawk to the ship closest to it, the Instigator, which then relayed the message back to SunHawk and to the eyes of Captain Dallas.  She took the message as an annoyance, knowing that they were going to have company that they should have seen more of, but would not be glad to see him turn around and head out now.

 Dallas sat glumly in her chair as she watched her tac screen.  A wing of Arwings had gone out to meet the approaching shuttle to escort it in.  She wondered when he was ever going to return, hoping that he would over look them and move on to the next item on his obviously precedent agenda.  Dallas also knew that he was going to speak up about some things she didn't want to talk about.  For one thing, the subject about Conner would be raised, but he was too invaluable to the ship to worry about losing.  The other thing Dallas did not want to hear about was her confrontation with the War Ministry back home.  The last time she faced the counsel, she lost her command to get the ship here.  Lost it when the war ended that is.

 The bridge door opened and Maurine walked in.  He approached Dallas and looked to the screen, the escorted shuttle coming in closer.  "Visitors, Captain?"

 Reluctantly, Dallas got to her feet.  "Give the shuttle clearance to land once they get in range."

 "Yes Captain."

 "Come one Maurine.  We have a wart to go greet."  Maurine did not like the way she said that.  Someone was coming for dinner.

****

 Major Drover Amerce.  The once thought to be political officer of the SunHawk, stepped aboard the ship for the second time in his career.  He said he only had to come on board when certain political issues were risen.  This attack was very much important to the Ministry and Priority One back home.  He was sent here to observe and make sure a few interests were kept in mind.

 The scarred mix breed dog limped down the ramp towards the meeting party.  Maurine frowned a bit when he saw Amerce.  The last time he was here, he tried to hit on Kesh just before she went out of control.  If they hadn't already caught him, Maurine would have suspected him as the controller.  Captain Dallas stepped forward and saluted the officer.

 "Welcome back, Major," she said.  "I was wondering when you were going to come back.  I was wondering if too."

 "I've been busy back home," he said back to her.  "You've stirred up quiet a ruckus with this Captain.  Right now the Ministry are not looking at you with very uplifting views.  You're a loved one in the rest of the military though.  What ever it was you did with the Ministry, Admiral Starky spread it throughout he upper cabinet, and they almost had someone erect a statue of you."

 "I'm flattered.  All I did was make hem see things my way, which was the more logical way in the long run.  They decided to be smart for a change.  It would be even smarter if we were able to run this military on our own without their 'guidance'."

 The two of them started to walk out of the docking bay together, Maurine close in behind them.  "You must realize Captain that the Ministry is still debating on whether or not to let this attack actually commence.  They are also debating on what to do with you in the long run."

 "Really," said Dallas, a little surprised.  "The last I checked, I was scheduled to be relieved once the war ended.  They didn't want me going with this ship behind its wheel while the gravity drive was being tested.  And as far as this attack goes, they have-" she checked her watch, just to be smart.  "A little over twenty seven hours to say no if they want us to turn around.  If no word is received by then, then this task force rolls forward on schedule as planned.  I'm not about to catch myself telling our forces that they readied themselves for nothing and we are letting some of our finest warriors face overwhelming numbers against.  No, we go as planned."

 "That's fine by me, Captain.  I just hope you can keep the interests of a few peoples in tow while you are going through with it."

 "I can manage my ship well enough.  And I can take care of this task force while doing that too all in the heat of combat.  The only thing I want from you is to stay out of the way and not make a pest of yourself while we do our jobs.  Is that satisfactory?"

 The mutt nodded his head to her, no emotion in his eyes.  The three of them moved on through the bay and into the corridors.  >From there, Amerce said nothing else all the way back to his quarters.

****

 There was no way around it.  Pandora needed a way to test the authenticity of her new comrades.  Their ship, which they humbly named with a title as catchy as their own, was the Cat Claw Deviator.  It was not much of a mover and its speed was high enough for a quick getaway.  That much was good enough.  It seemed to Pandora that they stripped it down to hold only enough fuel to jump from one planet to the next.  Their amount of armaments was a joke.

 Three standard laser turrets and one very light home made deflector shield generator.  The heat sink for the laser systems was almost run down.  No missile systems of any kind, and a targeting system that barely functioned.  Their only real defense was through fighters, and they all really cooked.  It was a good thing there was only three though, for the Deviator's only docking bay could hold only three plus one light to medium shuttle, which they didn't have.  However, the ship did have a small low powered cloaking device which barely hid the ship.  Any high tech sensor system would pick them up easily.

 After she made these observations, Pandora promised the Blood Stone Raider leader, Ravaan Carnovage that her ideas for modifying their ship was bring great benefits for it and them.  A more powerful drive system, some stronger weapons and a tougher hull and deflector shield.  It might lose in maneuverability in speed, but only until they got a more decent engine on it.  They would be able to adapt to the lower and less consuming fuel on the market now.  But the main thing was the possibility of the newest and deadliest weapon in this star system or the next.

 Ravaan listened to all of this as Pandora ran through it with him.  The two of them met alone to discuss these things often.  They talked about how they would proceed and the funds needed for all of these new nicnacs being given to their ship.  The German Shepherd dog listened with interest as Pandora gave him the entire low down on her most immediate plans for the Raiders.  The first priority was for them to get a shuttle.  What was the best way to do that?  Steal it of course.  Then Pandora would make an errand to Corneria.  >From there, they would go along with the modifications to the Deviator.  Ravaan liked everything he heard.

 "And you already have all of the money to support all of this.  I am impressed.  About this new weapon though.  What exactly is new about it?" he said while taking a drag on a cigarette.

 "That you will see soon enough.  It's too technical to explain right now.  But, I guarantee that it will impress you more then anything I can give you right now.  Of course, we will have to find a place to hide the ship while we work on it.  But don't worry.  I've taken care of that too."

 Ravaan smiled.  "Do you think of everything?  I think it was a good decision to sign on with you Ms. Freelancer."

 "Actually it's Mrs. Freelancer, but my husband and I have been separated for some time now.  I don't know where he is to send divorce papers, and quiet frankly I don't really care either.  Anyway, call me Pandora.  It sounds better then Freelancer anyway, Ravaan."  Ravaan nodded to her.  After a while of looking, she smiled at him.  "You know some- thing," she said.  "You're kinda cute."

 She got up and turned around, leaving Ravaan alone to thinking about what was to come.  Cute was not a word strong enough of what he thought of her.  Even with her strange two colored eyes, he was still strongly attracted to her.  They just made her all the more sexy.

****

 Kesh was smiling deeply as she stepped out of her quarters, her hair combed and brushed beautifully and her uniform as sharp as ever.  She walked down the hall with a bright shining air around her, cheerful to everyone.  She even said hello to those she normally found distasteful.  Everyone on board wondered what could take her out of her rainy day like mood and become so warm to everyone.

 She took her time as she moved through the halls.  The night with Robert probably cured her ailments of having no emotions.  For the first time in a real long while, she was truly happy.  Kesh had plans for herself and her new lover after this infernal strike was complete.  But that would come later.  Even with the stench of war and the fears of battle were stuck in the air like a roosting pestilence, Kesh was able to push out these things and remain cheerful.  A lot of people thought she was nuts, or uncaring.

 The fact was, the truth was the exact opposite of this.  She did care very much, and she was going to put all of her powers into the assured victory of this assault.  However, when she had one moment of happiness which she had not felt since her childhood, she pushed seriousness aside and let those feelings accumulate inside of her.

 Kesh entered the Solar Rave where she ate breakfast every morning.  Not many people here today.  Probably because of what happened two days ago where Captain Dallas's father was murdered.  The place of a catastrophe had nothing to do with its happening.  It could have happened in the halls, or on the bridge, or in the engine room, or even sickbay, a shuttle bay, fighter bay, or somebody's quarters.  Even in the barracks for the ground troops, it could have happened.  But it didn't.

 Speaking of ground troopers, some of them were filing into the Solar Rave.  They had been in training for over thirty hours running to lie siege to the station.  Kesh knew that something like this was unnecessary since there was nothing on the station which could be used by them.  Yet, it might be needed, but Kesh was sure that Captain Dallas would not give them time.

 Kesh watched the ground troopers sit at the table and begin their breakfast.  After a short time, she sat at her normal spot on the bar.

 "The usual Lieutenant?" asked the current grill man.

 "No I am not hungry, thank you.  Just ice water will do nicely."  The cook nodded to her and at once fetched her request.  Within a few seconds, Kesh's glass was set before her.  Her time was short, so she would have to drink it quickly, but all she did was look at it, watching beads of sweat form around its base.

 Behind her, Major Amerce appeared at the door and looked into the establishment with great disappointment.  No real style like the night clubs or taverns back home.  Who thought that a place like this could be thought as someplace fun?  He grimaced in disgust at its plain looks, and started to look around at the people present.  Amerce stopped and grinned happily when he spotted Kesh sitting at the bar, a plain glass of ice water in front of her.  The dog stepped down and went to the bar, sitting fairly close to Kesh.

 She did not notice at first.  Maybe she was just too happy to notice.  Maybe she would in time, and if she did not, then Amerce would talk to her anyway.  The bar keep walked up to him.  "What it'll it be, Major?" he asked.

 "Ale."

 "Sorry, sir.  No can do with alcohol or even synthahol.  Captain's orders."

 "What?" argued Amerce.  "Are you denying me my ordered drink.  What's the difference in having synthahol now or any time."

 "Even synthahol can have some intoxicating effects," replied Kesh.  She took a sip of her ice water.  "Captain Dallas decreed that drinks like that can only be served for two hours after a shift change.  If you want a drink, Major, the new shift begins in seventeen minutes and twenty eight seconds.  Wait around if you like."  Kesh began to stand up to leave the bar.

 "Wait a minute," said Amerce.  Kesh stopped and looked at him with no expression.  "You do remember me, don't you Lieutenant?"

 "Of course.  I remember everyone I meet while on duty, especially if it pertains to it.  Tell me major.  What will be the political effects back home if this mission succeeds?  And will they be any different if the mission fails or if it never goes through at all?"

 Amerce thought for a moment and then shrugged his shoulders.  "Even I can't tell what a man who sits behind a desk thinks.  Their psychological aspects are just as alien to me as they are to you or anyone else who serves here.  I was in battle too you know.  How do you think I got this?" he said, pointing to the burn scar on his cheek.  "Or this."  The battered leg.

 She looked at him for a moment very coolly.  After a minute, she looked at the burn on his cheek.  After a few seconds of careful observation, she spoke up.  "You got the burn from a type of battery acid, some sort of chemical used to power a hover truck.  Judging from the patterns on the wound, it was grade V battery acid which is not used by the military.  You got the burn on your own time Major."

 Amerce was shocked.  "You...you could tell that just by looking at this scar?"  She nodded to him, her self pride was extremely blatant.  Amerce laughed.  "Incredible.  You are a remarkable woman Lieutenant Serene.  I would like to ask you out to dinner."

 Kesh smiled at him again and started for the door.  "Sorry Major, but you are a little behind schedule.  I am already spoken for."  Panicked in losing, Amerce ran forward and stepped in front of her path.  "Excuse me Major but I have duties to attend to," she argued.

 "Who?  Who are you seeing now?" he asked, a little annoyed.  "Not that telepathic bum who Dallas signed on as a security chief."

 "Yes it is that 'bum' is you so put it.  What of it?"  She was getting angry now.

 Amerce shook his head like he had just heard the joke with the lamest punchline of all time.  To him, this was a joke.  "Please, Lieutenant.  I am a rich man.  Half of my fortune has come from inheritance, the other half from hard work.  When I retire, I'll be living off of green and pride.  What does your current boy friend have now besides the ability to read minds?  When he retires, how will you make a living?  Is he going to perform in a circus and read minds for little children.  And what will you do?  Live in a shack of wood and plastic and clay?  If you go with me, you'll live in a house big enough for a family of seven.  You are very beautiful Ms. Serene."  He reached up and placed a hand on her slender shoulder.  She glared back at him.  "You have a body I have not seen in a long time.  I would hate to think that something as rare as you would go to waste by walking down the wrong road."

 She nodded her head.  "You are right.  I do see something wasting away right now.  And it is my time by letting myself listen to, with all due respect, a bag of hot air like your- self."  She stepped around him and got to the door.  "Good day Major.  I would appreciate it if you would stay the hell away from me from now on.  One more thing.  You came one small step from sexual harassment there.  I could very well report you.  If you say anything aside from hello or good day to me, I may very well do so."  She left.

 Amerce was left behind steaming mad, almost growling as he watched her go.  Behind him, the barkeep did everything he could to keep from laughing.  "You'll regret that," hissed the mutt still staring at the door where Kesh was standing.

****

 "Are you sure that you have nothing against this?" asked Fox.  He watched Fara as she packed her bag up.  "You don't have to sleep over there for the night just for a mission that launches tomorrow night.  I was hoping we could do something together."

 Fara dropped her duffel bag and looked at Fox.  She stood their staring at him lovingly for a while, and then shook her head.  "No.  I want to be prepared for this.  I want a clear head for tomorrow night.  I can't do that by putting myself through a night with no sleep.  If I spend the night with you, I'll only end up worrying about you more then I am now when the time comes."

 Fax laughed at her remark, but only moderately.  He calmed down and looked at Fara, who was not taking his humor very well.  "I'm sorry.  But after all the times I went out, and all the times I put myself in danger against Venom, you never got really worried.  And you're concerned about me now?"

 "That's right.  I know that this one is different and it will have a different outcome then usual.  I don't how I know that.  I just do.  I'm not a telepath like Peppy or the SunHawk's chief of security, but I have learned to heed the calls of bad feelings.  Right now, I have nothing but doubts about your part in this."

 "Why?" asked Fox.  "There's nothing out there that we can't handle."

 "Star Wolf is there Fox.  It has been confirmed.  When they see you coming in as a decoy, then they are going to come after you with everything they have.  So are many of the others, including some of those guard dog ships.  As soon as you show your faces, there will be no guarantee that all of you may return home."

 Fox stopped, and looked down to the floor.  She was right.  He and his friends had became hated enough to be the most hunted beings in the Lylat System as far as the actions of the Venomians go.  Only when they took a time out on Corneria for Peppy's arm to heal did they stay out of the fight.  Now they were back in.  When Wolf and his cronies see them coming, it won't be just them to come and pick a fight.  Fox sighed, for the first time he was actually worried about a mission.

 Smiling when she saw this face on him, she reached up and placed her hand on his cheek.  "You'll do fine.  You always have, and you always will too.  There isn't a Venomian alive who can get the best of any of you guys."

 "What about you?" asked Fox.  "Going off in a pint sized ship to take down a mine field where you don't know how it's going to react to that ship.  I don't know who's in more danger.  You or me."

 Fara shook her head.  "We're all in danger when we go through with this Fox.  It's all mortal danger too.  I think that a few of our people will die when we come out of this.  If we come out of this.  And I won't lie when the possibility that the person who dies might be you or me, or Peppy, or Falco, or Slippy."

 "We just don't know," finished Fox.  He reached out and took Fara in his arms.  Please God, he thought.  Don't let it be her.  Take me before you decide to take her.  They kissed and then separated, Fara going to the Great Fox's only shuttle.  "Fara!"  She turned around to his call.  "I still owe you an engagement ring."

 Fara smiled at him, but said nothing.  She just turned around and got in the shuttle.  As she manned and prepped the controls, she looked out the window at Fox.  He waved goodbye to her and she waved back, and then blew him a kiss.  Fox left before the bay force field dropped, and Fara began the launch sequence.  As her shuttle flew out of the bay, she prayed.

 "He still has his whole life ahead of him.  He's a new adult in this world.  Don't let anything happen to him.  I beg you."
 
 
 

Chapter II

"Time?  Time is on my side.  Time is my side."

 From the bridge of the Blood Stone Raider attack ship, the Deviator, Pandora looked at the readings of the ship just inside their detection range.  They were traveling under cloak now, and the current target could was unaware of them.

 Pandora smiled as she saw the small white shuttle move along home, out to Sector Y.  They just identified it as a Cornieran tour shuttle, five people on board.  Pandora cared not about lives in the way.  If they stayed there, she would kill them, simple as pie, and toss them out of the way like old potatoes, which was what they were to her.

 The death of people.  It was a small price to pay.  Even if the death was only one person, or if it was measured in the billions.  If the victim was thin or fat, moist or flush, tall or short, old or young, stupid or genius, rich or poor, or of any other animal.  It was all the same.  Pandora knew to herself that the people who were lost in her quest was such a pricetag that said, take me I'm worth it!  The death of innocents in the billions was a small price to pay to control time itself, which she swore to gain.

 "The target is within range," announced Emil.  "Do you want me to give a green light to Ravaan and Boris?"

 With a toothy grin, Pandora nodded.  Emil sent the word to the two pilots.  Within seconds, two fighters were launched from the tiny ship fighter bay, already screaming forward.  The collie watched as the two Shredder class fighters, very expensive fighters for the Venom empire and not that good when compared to others he had that were cheaper.  So, he submitted them to these guys after some move they pulled on the Cornerians a while back.  Pandora remembered Ravaan telling her, but she couldn't place it.  Not that it mattered anyway.

 The fightes resembled wristblades sort of, the same shape.  The cockpit between the two forward arms that looked like knives.  The were like twinkling stars in the distance as they flew off to intercept the shuttle out there.

 "Tell me, my friends, what is it you plan to do with your money?" asked Pandora.

 "I plan to retire from service, live on Corneria after Andross wins the war," answered Ash, turning around in his chair.  "I won't have to work again, which sounds so sweet.  Andross can keep his silly victory.  I'll be sitting on a beach earning twenty percent interest with every hour."

 "That's funny," said Emil, grinning evily.  "I thought you were going to start a game shop or computer store, or any other laim and dorky thing."

 "Better then what you would do," retorted Ash.  "Spend all your money on Borin.  The bomber who needs a shrink.  You need one too, I hope you know.  How you killed that poor realestates broker on Titania a few months back, just because he was getting on our friggen nerves, you wasted him.  I was going to give you twenty-hour psyichiatric service without fear of fee."

 Emil made no retort.  Pandora found out that their constant badgering each other was just teasing between friends.  They were not the closest, but they were buddies though.  "What about Taurence?" she asked.  "What does he plan to do with the money?"

 Emil laughed.  "Taurence?  I wouldn't be surprised if he turns down the money all out.  No one knows what he really wants.  Not even Ravaan does.  He tried to Join both Cornerian Defense and the Venomian Military but was booted out because he was too big.  Make too heafty a target on the ground and couldn't fit into any fighter.  Anywone who's eight feet tall and shoulders four and a half feet wide couldn't fit in a shoulder.  Even if he could, with arms as big as his, he couldn't use the controls.  All he does is level our opponents when they get in the way.

 "No one, not a stinking soul in all of the Lylat System could survive if they were caught on the recieving end of one of his charges.  No one.  He runs the forty yard dash in just under four point five.  Imagine that speed and that amount of mass, and horns that were practical metal, being rolled into one.  Scary thought, it really is.  Really.  I saw it happen.  When we raided the colony on Zonness a few months ago, a tiger got into a fight with him.  Big tiger too.  Seven foot tall. Taurence came out beaten and clawed up pretty bad, but he still won the fight.  One punch to that poor kitten's nose took away the senses.  Taurence got some distance, did that little hoof scrapping thing of his, and charged.  That big metal head of his made so they were cleaning the striped kitty's broken body up for a long while afterwards.  He is an asset."

 "But, I guess Taurence doesn't want anything really," said Ash  "He feals that we're the only family he has, so we do what we can for him.  With that, he feels we owe him with his undying service and loyalty.  That's Taurence.  He's second commander of our team, and a good leader, but he'd follow Ravaan into a pit of spike if want to."

 "You guys sound devoted to each other," noticed Pandora.  "Impressive."  She sat down in Ravaan's command chair, the comfortable plush seating making her feal warm.  Pandora writhed inside with fire as she sat in the chair.  The rest of the Raiders knew that she had taken a small liking to their semi-illustrious leader.

 "What about you?" asked Ash.  "What do hope to gain out of all of this?"

 Pandora looked at him, smiling with a warm and welcoming complexion.  "A long time ago, I lost my only daughter to an unfortunate accident in a science lab.  If we are totally successful, then I hope to bring her back.  That is just one of my many goals with this operation."

 "Well if your daughter is dead, then how're you going to get her back?" asked Emil.  She typed in a command and the ship started to move.  "What are you going to do, avert history and bring her back so you can live a better life from here on?"

 Pandora deepened her smile.  "Precisely."

 Emil and Ash looked at each other, then to Pandora, and then to each other again, shrugging their shoulders.

 "Don't you see.  How mighty do you think a person would be if they gained the ability to control and manipulate time itself at their very whim?"  She walked over to Ash and put her arm around him.  "They'd be a god.  Right?  To have the ability to move the most prominant universal, well beyond universal river to what they wanted it.  To alter time to make it for better or worse.  They could slow it down and speed it up whenever they needed to feel most comfortable with it.  To travel back and visit your earliest ancestors.  To go forward and witness your grand children take their first baby step.  And, what I seek most, to go back in time and save a person at the moment they are supposed to die.

 "All of these things, all these wonders are what it means to be the true master of the clock.  What the clock represents.  They say that time is the predator stalking us all our lives.  Well, I will make it the dog at the end of my leash."  She smiled, looking up to the Deviator's windows to the outside.

 "It's one of those ultimate universal variables.  Sure it has a constant rate for the most part, and the travel through time is said to be impossible because of the mass required for the energies needed would be too overwhelming.  I know.  There is a species out on the other side of the galactic core that call it the Theory of Relativity.  Well, theories can be broken by things not yet understood by your standards.  I will break them, and I will take my rightful place.

 "I am the daughter of Father Time himself.  He just doesn't know it yet.  When he does, after I fulfil my duties here, I'll be on the highway to my greatest achievement."  She hugged Ash more tightly, giggling playfully.  "It'll be fun.  Of course, the fact that we'll have to kill lots and lots...of people, to achieve this goal, is in fact a price that is worth the prize.  It's all business to achieve a personal goal in life.  I mean, why should the lives of the innocents should stand in the way of one woman's ultimate dream, fantasy to become reality?  It's a destiny!  A destiny!  Do you here me?  My destiny!"

 Pandora stopped her loud nutty ranting, looking bewildered and confused all of a sudden, but then smiled again at the two of them.  She got up and circled around the chair a few times, looking delirious and bewildered, talking silently to herself.  Then she stopped, and looked up.

 "You know this place is really dead," Pandora complained.  "Let's get some tunes in this joint and liven it up a little bit!"  Taurence heard the loud and duranged sounding cries and rants from Pandora, and walked in to see her in a phase.  Even he was taken by surprise.

 "Aw, here's your second in command.  Mr. Black, would you be so kind to go look for some musical tunes and put them on the speakers.  Anything like opera, balett, soft classical, even jazz trumpet.  Just make sure it has no words in it except choir music."  Taurence stood there for a moment, taken by surprise by her wierd actions.  He looked at Emil and Ash, he motioned to him to just cooperate.

 In a few minutes, the Deviator was hovering over a small shuttle and pulling it into its fighter bay.  On board, ringing through all the speakers, was an old gothic choir singing opera music.  Emil and Ash were both suffering at such music they hated.  Taurence remained indifferent about it, but he didn't like it either.

 Pandora sat in the command chair, her eyes closed, taking in the soft melodies without making a sound at all.  She was only moving and bowing her head, keeping in touch with the music.  She looked more beautiful here, but it was from this scene she put on, now calm from the sounds of the music.

 In the middle of it, she started to sing her own song right in the middle of the opera music.  Some song about time being on her side, which hearing it sung by her caused Emil and Ash to swallow nervously.  The were afraid.

 It was a little while before Boris and Ravaan docked the Shredders into the bay, where Emil was waiting for them.  Boris walked up and kissed her on the cheek, and was then on his way.  Emil stood before Ravaan as he came forward.

 "We have to talk," she said to him sternly.  She led him into a storage room and shut and locked the door behind them, making sure they couldn't be disturbed.  "Talk in private."

 He looked her, thinking that this might be interesting.  "About what?" he asked, taking off his flight helmet.

 "About our current employer.  Pandora."

 Ravaan smiled warmly at the sound of her name, his heart racening.  "Yeah.  She's something, isn't she?" he asked.

 "Put your hormones on neutral for a moment and listen to me.  I was thinking that we may have to reconsider this deal."

 He looked at her coldly, and saw total seriousness in her brown eyes.  "Ha!" he yelled out.  "You're mad!  I guess those Cornerian Specter training procedures made you blind to the fact that we could use the amounts of money she's giving us.  If you really think I'm going to pull out of this now then you really are mad."

 Emil shook her head.  "No, I'm not mad.  Pandora is mad."

 "What do you mean?"

 She stepped closer to him, afraid that she might be heard.  "Pandora Freelancer is insane."

 Ravaan shook his head and gestured for her to be silent, smiling ammused like.  "Sure, she seems a little wierd now and then.  That's no reason to judge her at having lost her mind."

 "She was in the bridge while you were gone, sitting in your chair, ranting and raving about controling time and such.  She is nuts, Ravaan.  She hasn't only lost her mind.  Her mind is like a boat sent up a river that lost its paddles a long time ago and has started down the lonely river, which she's also been traveling for a long time.  Right now, that boat is starting to spring leaks.

 "At this time, we're all passengers on this boat heading for a place we don't want to go.  It is called 'over the edge.'  When Pandora snaps, and she will sooner or later, then that boat is going to sink with all of us in it, and then we'll go over that edge, marking our death because of her craziness."

 Ravaan walked around the room, his patience quickly dwindling down.  "What do you want me to do?" he asked angrily.  "Put her on some planet nearbye and leave her there, give her a little apology that things didn't work out and a parting hug and kiss.  She might blow her top then even more.  Besides, this is worth the money.  And it's not like we've never done crazy things either.  We've murdered innocent lives to get money, and we left others out in the cold to suffer their way to death.  We have no right to ridicule her.  You of all people don't."

 "Ravaan, we may be sick and demented people in what we do, but we are not insane.  Pandora is insane.  If you want to follow her into that dark place, be my guest.  But when she breaks, the whirlpool she creates to drag you down into her insanity is going to be big and there is no way you'll pull yourself out.  So you go ahead and be all gentleman like and nice with her and maybe she will crawl into bed with you.  Who knows?  But the moment I see that boat start to break, I'm bailing out and heading for shore.  At least I am."

 Emil tried to open the door, but forgot it was locked.  Angrily and without patience, she spun kicked the door and broke the lock, also damaging the door some from her foot.  The lock was a solid metal alloy and resistant to force.  But very little is resistant to Emil's kicks.  "You see this lock.  It doesn't even begin to compare what is going to be left of us once this woman snaps."

 She stormed out, leaving Ravaan alone.  He stood there for a moment, thinking about what she said. He was thinking that it be safer for all of them if Pandora was cut loose of their company.  No one ever got rich without living a little dangerously.  Besides, insanity added a little spice to a romatic pursuit.

 He walked out of the room, smiling to himself.

****

 Seven hours and it would begin.  Seven hours from now, the bloodshed would start and it will not stop until it is over.  This was a known fact.  Once the battle started, once they were all committed to this fight, then it would play through until one side lost everything.  Neither side could retreat for this.  The Venomians had no where to retreat to if they wanted to keep their station.  If the Cornerians retreated, it would be impossible to convince Priority One or the War Ministry to authorize a follow up attack.  Even if they did, the station's defenses would be beefed up so much a comet storm would be pointless.

 Captain Dallas thought about these things, and sighed because of them.  The grief stricken woman husky looked to the light of Solar in the distance.  The observatory was off limits on times of alert such as this.  Since she was the captain, these restrictions meant little as long as they were safe.  She knew that she should be setting an example for the crew, but Dallas needed a spot to think, and to be alone.

 She had stopped weeping for her father.  Dallas had cried all the tears she could because of her father's death three days ago.  For the time being, she had ran dry.  Now, she was weeping over her thoughts, for they were a venomous truth that hung over her.  A blanket doom that was being tied around her head, blinding and suffocating her.  These next seven hours were going to be the longest of their lives.

 "Captain?"  Dallas turned her head to the newcomer.  Kite McCane stepped in out of the shadows and stood next to Captain Dallas.  She smiled at his company, but made no words of conversation.  She only smiled as she looked on towards Solar, a ship starting to block their view of its light.

 "I never knew which was brighter.  Our sun during a clear evening in the fall, or Solar on any day.  Which was is more beautiful is just as big of a mystery."

 "You take what you get, and you make the most of it," responded Allison.  She sighed, rearing her head to remember back.  "Tell me Kite, what is it that you miss the most about home?"

 At first, Kite was surprised.  That was perhaps the first time Captain Dallas called him by his first name.  After a minute of thinking about the question and then answered.  "Perhaps the greatest thrill of my life is to fly.  There is one thing about flying and having wings.  They are not nearly as thrilling unless you can feel the wind in your hair while you glide through it.  I miss the free sky, below the stars but above the ground.  I miss the wind.  Real wind and not the phony stuff in the arboretum.  It's what I grew up around to cherish.  The sky.  What about you?"

 Dallas shook her head.  "I miss nothing.  The reason I miss nothing is because I am already home."

 "You mean the SunHawk?" asked Kite.

 "Well, that too.  I mean my home as in the entire Lylat System.  All of it is my home, and it always will be my home.  All the planets of this system are rooms to the house that live in.  Corneria, Titania, Aquas, Raiden, Papetoon, even Venom and Katina.  My yard, my world is all of space.  The entire cosmos is my playground.  You cherish the skies that lie underneath the stars because you want the four winds.  I cherish the darkness of space because it is the last place left for us to go if we wish to go forward.  That's what I look forward to.  Leaving this star system and exploring new worlds.  Leaving home for the first time to learn."

 Kite smiled at the thought of these things.  They would be going out into the stars after the war was over.  If it ever really ended.  "Well Captain," he said to her.  "We'll finish this upcoming fight and take all our worries out of our sleep, then we both can dream about our missed wishes again."

 "If only it were that easy," whispered Dallas after a pause.

 "What do ya mean?"

 "I've been giving it a lot of thought Kite.  Going in and seeing the formulas and physics of this attack as a whole.  Using them to fish out our chances of success.  If they went by these things totally, then God would be looking down on us with a very grim frown.  It's all a matter of mathematics really.

 "They outnumber us over two to one.  We have seven ships in this task force, and about three of those are old and outdated.  They have thirteen ships right at the top of the line guarding that station like its their own pup den.  They have over six hundred percent as much fighters as we do.  Maybe because they don't spend as much time on their manufacturing for fighters as we do.  They pour them out by the hundreds every year.  We get about thirty a month if we're lucky.  That mine field is packed with both anti-fighter and anti-ship power.  If we can't open a hole big enough, then we may lose before the fight even begins.  Above all is the station itself is what scares me the most.

 "I know Andross is hiding something in that station.  Something downright important to him.  If it is important to him, then it can only mean a tool of destruction that he crafted.  That station has over six thousand torpedoes and missiles stored away in her ordinance bays.  Their warheads may include everything from minor firebombs to nuclear fusion warheads.  You know how we came out of every fight thus far with little or no damage to our ship.  That's going to change tonight.  We are going to get pasted once we go in there.  No matter if we win or lose, this ship is going to go out broken in some places.  And we will lose at least one or two of our own, that is if we win, and that's pushing it.

 "As soon as our ships and fighters go in there, they are going to placed under fire by long range missile turrets with high yield warheads.  Bombs that can damage five kilometers out.  They can probably kill at one.  Once we get to them, the biggest dogfight and ship engagement any of us have ever seen in our time is going to erupt before our eyes.  People are going to die by the tens of thousands in about eight or nine hours.  We may and might lose friends.  I just hope it is quick if they are lost.  So it is mathematical after all.  The whole ugly damned truth of it."

 Kite stood there and listened to his captain.  She was grieved by the death of her father, Kite knew that for sure.  He was when he lost his dad, and when James McCloud died, Fox went ballistic.  But Dallas was right.  Mathematics did bring a dark hood over their eyes.  Thank God that they had Star Fox here, people who take the math and piss on it before every battle where it said that they had no prayer either.  It was not always to be relied upon.

 "Good night Captain," said Kite, saluting

 "Good night Lieutenant," said Dallas, returning the salute.  "Dream about us winning tonight."

 "I will sir."

 He turned around and left Dallas in the dark of the observatory.  She would have to go sleep soon too.  No way in hell she was going to be caught in this trap yawning.  She could not help but think about it though.  The cold and horrible mathematics of such a situation.  Dallas hated them.

 After a minute, she left the room and headed down the hall.  A new tool was going to be used to help their approach vector remain a little covert.  Kesh and Slippy and a few others came up with it a few hours ago.  It wasn't sure whether it would work or not, but it was worth a try.  They could use any help right now.
 
 

Chapter III

"I do not command just a starship.  I command a force of nature crafted into a vessel that can bring its rage down on those who threaten our homes and our very lives.  And I will continue to fight as its captain until Andross' threat is broken or my ashes are cast into the cold voids of space."

 The flagship of the Venomian task force guarding Dark Star station was the Judicator.  It was a Citadel class heavy carrier, one of the most advanced ships in the Venomian star fleet.  In its hull was over seven hundred fighters and bombers of different assorted classes.  It's sleek jet black hull furnished the face of Andross on its hull like all Venomian ships did, a beacon for their loyalty to the Venomian cause.

 The Judicator in combat itself was no slouch either.  It had a wide assortment of gun batteries.  About twenty laser turrets of different varieties, interceptor guns, and heavy plasma sphere cannons.  It also had a few particle beam cannons, which were Venom's only solid beam assortment.  Not as powerful as the Cornerian Talon, but it was effective.  The Judicator did have the honor of having the most broad number of fighters in the entire Lylat system.  It had a class three energy shield, end some sort of stealth ability for moderate silent running.  Not strong enough to beet Cornerian perimeter bugs on the frontier, but it couldn't be tracked either.  It left warheads to the fighters.

 On the bridge of the Judicator, the ships commanding officer, Grand Praetor Anton Brimstone, was a medium sized billy goat who dressed in the most exuberant dress uniform possible.  A neatly cut reddish uniform, metal brass buttons shining, a pearl handled cutlass at his belt which he had no clue how to use, and an assortment of medals and decorations.  He had been a member of the military for almost thirty five years, and was not at all considering retirement.  He felt he could not afford to do that just yet.

 Brimstone glanced around the bridge calmly from his command chair that almost was a throne.  A place for a powerful person to be while on a ship, and no one could sit in it besides him.  Not even if they had the conn.  If anyone was caught sitting in that chair, they would be spaced at once.

 For the time being, all was quiet.  But Brimstone knew that that would change and soon.  The Cornerian fleet was out there.  And the SunHawk was with them.  That one ship had the entire Venom Empire in an uproar, especially Andross.  Brimstone figured it was just jealousy that the Cornerians were able to construct a better conventional war machine then they were.  Not a single ship in the Venom fleet could even touch the level of power that the SunHawk operated at.  But even a mega warship was susceptible to devestator mines.  If they came through, they were going to lose enough in that mine belt to screw themselves before the real deal began.  Brimstone just hoped that there was enough left of the SunHawk or any other ship for him to get a piece of it.  Still he was nervous.  Star Fox might be out there too.  But Star Wolf was guarding the area too, which lifted some of Brimstone's worries about that aspect.

 If anything, Brimstone was probably the most relaxed person in the fleet.  Sure, he knew the repercussions of losing this station and what it meant to them as far as the war goes.  The spy gear on Dark Star kept a watchful eye over this entire sector.  All the way to MacBeth was monitored by this area.  Nothing got through this area without being seen.  It's how they saw the Cornerians coming four days ago.  Plus, many of Andross' best and most powerful biological data was being stored here.  If they lost it, Brimstone knew that the emperor would not waste time by imprisoning the ones responsible.

 Yet, the middle aged goat remained focused.  Panicking and worrying your stomach into a knot accomplished nothing.  They had to remain clear headed if they decided to come.  And they might be coming now.  All telemetry on the enemy position ended about an hour ago, which means they could not track their movements.  The surveillance gear on Dark Star was useless since they couldn't track this close to them.  They would just have to wait until the readings returned to see what was going on.

 "Still nothing?" asked Brimstone.  He looked down at the radar screen himself and saw that nothing was on it save the readings of their own ships.  "Not even an echo?"

 "No Grand Praetor, there is nothing.  Still no readings on enemy actions.  And all ships have run diagnostics on their sensor systems.  All of them check out.  Perhaps they found a way to block our sensor sweeps."

 "No," said Brimstone.  "They don't have the technology to hide seven capitol warships, one of them a kilometer and a half long from our sensors.  Or could they.  What the hell is happening here?  Where are they and what are they doing?"  Brimstone knew that the leader of the task force was the SunHawk's CO.  Some woman commander who was a practical rookie at commanding ships, but still knew her stuff.  What was she thinking?

 Angrily, the goat shook his head.  "Send someone out to patrol the perimeter of the mine fields.  Look for anything that might not belong and then report back to us on it.  Anything."

 "Star Wolf?"

 "I don't care.  Just send someone."

 The bridge officer sent the word to Wolf O'Donnell who was engaged in free flight training with the rest of his crew.  Now it was time for real work.  Maybe they would find something.

 "Wait a minute," said the officer.

 "What?" asked Brimstone.

 The officer did not answer at first.  He turned a knob or two to try and clear up what was happening.  Something faint, but readable.  Not natural and definitely not friendly.  Possible enemy.  "Echoing transmission is being picked up sir.  Approximate bearing on source matrix is three-five-seven mark three-five-eight.  Rather peculiar that it's right at the opposite end of the line that Star Wolf is.  Just a minute..."  He waited for a time again, and then stood up.  "We have open firing on AAA mines at that exact bearing.  We have visitors Grand Praetor."

 "Is one of our eyespyes operating in that area?" asked Brimstone.

 "Aye my lord."

 "Let's see what is happening out there then."  The officer flicked a few switches.  Soon, the visual telemetry from a camera probe out there caught sight of the enemy.  Four fighters leaving a Dreadnought class carrier out of range of the mines.  He ordered them to zoom in on the carrier.  It had the clear as crystal image of a winged fox painted on its hull.

 Star Fox.

****

 "Damn!" yelled Falco.  The laser mines were all tougher to navigate through then he had anticipated.  His fighter's shields were almost half out and they weren't even at the half way marker yet.  "We're going to get grounded if we don't get out of this soon."  Another hit shook his fighter and him with it.

 "Keep your speed up," ordered Fox.  "And keep that G diffuser running.  The more lasers we can deflect, then more energy we can keep for our shields."  Eat your own words Fox, he thought to himself.  He was running low on shield strength too.  At this rate, they might not have had enough to counter Star Wolf.  At least these were not proximity
explosive mines.  They would have been dust long before now if they were.

 "There's a large mass of them directly ahead," announced Slippy.  He started to arm a nova bomb to take out that mass.  "If I can get a pinpoint shot, I should be able to clear a path wide enough for a smoother ride on through."

 "Whatever you're going to do Slip, you'd better hurry.  ETA on that bunch of mines is forty seconds."

 Slippy figured the best place to detonate his warhead would be about five to ten meters beyond that group of mines.  He input the target data and began hit his boosters.  Before Fox could protest, Slippy was smoking on ahead of them towards that group.  He kept a constant eye on the range readout, watching the numbers fall quickly.  He went along with the falling range, counting down out loud by the hundreds.  When he reached five hundred meters, he let the bomb fly.

 The nova bomb was too small to be picked up by the mine detectors.  It rocketed past the group, cutting close to colliding with a few of them on its pass.  It cleared the group and exploded on the other side.  The flower like blast obliterated the entire group of mines.  Many more behind it were destroyed, pushed out of the way and damaged, or were disabled from the bomb's electromag pulse.  It did exactly what Slippy wanted by clearing a path.  Satisfied, he decelerated and fell back into formation with his team mates.

 "Nice going Slipshot," praised Falco.

 "Well done Slip.  That should take care of our mine problems.  ETA to perimeter is three minutes.  Everyone hold tight.  We're not out of the woods yet."

 A few remaining rogue mines were scattered here and there.  But the threat to them from the mines was pretty much eliminated.  Those that remained were taken down easily or they were avoided completely.  Fox could see the edge of the field, and soon they were through it.  All that was between them and Dark Star was seven or eight heavy cruisers, destroyers, and carriers along with maybe over three thousand enemy fighters of assorted types.  Not to mention their arch rivals, Star Wolf.  Fox was wondering when the fiends would show up, whether they would or not was obvious.

 "All right team, target the nearest enemy cruiser and take it to them.  Remember, the farthest one out and hit hard but hit fast.  Hit and run tactics for right now."

 They were about to comply, but a new voice cut them off.  A remembered being saying a remembered phrase.  "Can't let you do that, Star Fox."  Fox looked up to see the four members of Star Wolf bearing down on them with a swarm of enemy fighters.  And one of the cruisers were already on the way.  Excellent.

 "Come and get it if you want it Wolf," egged Fox.  Please do.  You are way too predictable Star Wolf.  This time, you are your own worst enemy.  "I'm laughing at the memory of how you lost your eye Wolf man.  Guess what.  You can't do anything about it either."

 Wolf growled hatefully at Fox's taunt.  The little bastard was growing bolder by the day.  "Remember," he said to the rest of the fighters.  "Fox is mine.  No one kills him but me if they wish to keep their hearts in their chests.  The other three are yours."  Wolf kicked in his afterburner and brought his targeter on the lead Arwing.

 "Let it begin," whispered Fox to himself as he went to engage Wolf.

****

 On the SunHawk, Dallas watched the entire first contact unfold.  Star Fox had just engaged with Star Wolf and a butt load of enemy fighters.  Along with that, two enemy frigates were now going to help their team mates against Star Fox.  Dallas knew that Fox and the rest were going to have a hell of a time over there, but it was nothing they could not handle.  She hoped.

 Even with this true, part of her wished to go help them or at least send someone to do so.  However, that was not part of the plan.  She had to make her next move, and that was to shatter a certain line for their fleet.

 "SunHawk to KitHawk.  Grant, they've done it.  Fox has engaged enemy forces and drawing them away from their attention.  You may proceed any time you're ready."

****

 "Copy, SunHawk.  We'll have that mine field down in no time.  We'll send you the signal once the last mine is inoperative.  KitHawk out."  The lion sighed heavily.  It was time.  No word had come from Corneria to abandon this attack, so it was moving forward.

 "Are you ready?" he asked.

 Fara assumed that he was referring to her, which she was correct on, so she nodded slightly.  As Grant looked at her, he realized that maybe he shouldn't have any respect for her.  She was, after all, the lover of Fox McCloud.  Grant had no more love or respect for Fox then he did for someone like Andross or Pigma Dangar.  The reasons for this were his, and would not be given up any time soon.  However, he found himself liking and respecting Fara Phoenix as a trusted comrade.

 "All of us are," said Conner who sat at ops.  "You realize of course that if we had our cloaking veil this might have been a lot simpler."

 "You're probably right," said Grant.  There was no point in keeping the reality cloaking veil technology a secret any longer, which it was.  "But there is no point on worrying about it.  We got the speed and the fire power to do this.  So let's get it over with.  Our job will not be limited to only taking down these mines."

 "What is this 'cloaking veil'?" asked Fara.

 "I little device we use for stealth approach.  More efficient and less costly on energy as far as energy goes.  It got damaged when we surveyed the position on Dark Star though.  It won't be ready for use for another few months at the least.  I can't tell you how it works because of confidentiality, plus we have no time for that.  We have to go now.  Ms. Phoenix, will you please take us to Nav Epsilon, we can get started."

 "Roger," said Fara.  She brought up the navigation charts for the area and got the position on their current check point.  "Course bearing on Nav Epsilon is zero-zero-five mark three-five-five.  Distance is seven point two five kilometers."

 "Maximum burn.  Take us to it."

 The KitHawk's thrusters kicked into full and at once it started to rocket forward.  Fara used Auto pilot to get them to the Nav point.  The ship made tracks all the way there, covering that seven and a quarter kilometers in only fifteen minutes.  Fara wondered in this time how the fight with Fox was going, and was hoping that he was all right.  A light on the pilot console lit up green, putting them at their destination Nav point.

 The next point, dubbed Nav Zeta, was down the length of the mine field from here and ten kilometers away.  They would have to swoop down and run along that length in order to complete their objective.  Over a hundred EMP bombs were stored in the ship's bomb bays and were all ready to be dropped.  This would disable the bombs, but not destroy them which would draw more attention to themselves.  This way, the bombs would regenerate their power and prevent anyone from bringing in help while the fight went on.  Venomian reinforcements were only a stone's throw away, and would kill any chances of a Cornerian victory.  There was one thing about Captain Dallas which Fara admired, she was smart as any poor strategy specialist back home at these things.

 "Ready to make a run?" asked Grant.  They all nodded to him.  It should take only a single pass to disable the mines.  If any were missed, then they would be taken out by interceptor batteries on the ships.

 "I'm ready," said Fara.

 "As am I," said the current tactical officer.

 "Do it."

 Fara hit the thrusters to their full burn.  The KitHawk engines flared with life and the small ship was pushed forward with all of its speed.  After a hundred meters, the ship began a descent slope towards the mines, still gaining speed as it went downward.  Fara had seen this thing go when she trained in it.  Now they were going to push it to the limits.

 The mines were in sight, and the bomb bay doors were opened.  The bombs were death's head dispersal pattern bombs.  They should be able to blanket the entire width of the field with the magnetic energy and create a hole big enough for the flotilla to move through.  However, should was an awfully big word for an operation this important.  If this did not work, then the good guys would lose a lot of recourses trying to break on through to the other side.

 They were almost to their leveling point, but Fara did nothing to slow the ship down.  However, she did begin to level their descent.  The laser mines saw the ship coming and moved around to lock on to them.  The devestator seeker mines remained inactive.  The KitHawk was too small for those mines to read and lock onto them.  So much easier with that as truth.  Because of its speed, the laser mines were having much difficulty locking on to the KitHawk.  They fired, trying to hit anyway if they could not get a lock.  But the ship was just to fast to even fire after they got a lock on anyway.

 "That's it," said Grant.  "Bombs away."

 "Bombs away, aye," repeated the tac-officer.  He pushed a single red button and let the computer system do the rest.

 The silvery objects were dropped out of the underside of the ship as it went by.  One right after the other, coming in two every second as the gently floated towards the mines below them.  The lasers were not going after them, too small to get a reading.  It was working, so far.

 The first mine gently floated downward from where it had been until its programmed level of descent was reached.  After this, the thing split up and was rocketed out to the closest edge of the field.  About twelve little devices were dispersed into the field, and soon exploded.  The wave of energy from one warhead expanded out and engulfed the mines close to them.  Those mines were not harmed, but they powered down and terminated, not to see action for another hour or two.

 This happened all the way down the length of the field.  The warhead from each death head bomb went out and blanketed the entire field with electromagnetic energy.  The light from each blast was right after the other, creating shimmering effects inside the fields.  Much like the look of ripples on water during a rainstorm, only with more controlled order.  Everywhere the light touched, one more mine was shut down, laser and devestator alike.

 The KitHawk had taken very few hits from laser mines on its bombing run.  The shields were holding strong as ever.  It's supply of mines was running down, and they were coming to the end of their seven kilometer running length.  Soon, the last mine was dropped, and the KitHawk began to ascend.

 A fighter, Borzoi class, was waiting for them above and out of range of the mine field.  The fighter pilot saw the ship, recognizing it as the same one they faced over a week ago.  Wanting to avenge the deaths of the pilots lost in the Oberon Underworld because of that ship, the Borzoi pilot kicked in his afterburners and moved quietly in front of the oncoming attack ship.  He was going to give them a big nuclear present.

 "We got company," said the tac officer.  "Borzoi fighter pilot directly ahead.  I have our Talon beam online for our pest extermination needs at your order.  Already targeted."

 "You know what to do," said Grant with a slight smile.  With a sheepish grin, the tac-officer pushed a single red button, and Fara looked out the view screen to see what happened.

 The nose of the KitHawk flared into a bright orange light, and a solid beam of disruptive energy tore through space.  The Borzoi did not even have time to scream much less arm his gift package.  The Talon beam struck his ship right in the nose, and the entire ship was vaporized on impact.  The fusion bomb inside it was reduced to plasma.

 "Wow," whispered Fara, somewhat shocked at such power in one little ship.  "Whoever designed those Talon weapons should be either tossed in a rubber room or put back onto the drawing board under tight security."

 Grant nodded in agreement, but he said nothing.  He merely turned to Conner and nodded to him.  The black wolf carried out the final phase of this operation.  A signal was sent back to the fleet.  They had an open door to use.  After this, Grant ordered them to head straight in and take the first initial blood of this fight.

****

 "Captain, the signal is coming in from the KitHawk.  The mine field hole is up and we can move through at any time."

 Dallas nodded in reply to this, and then she turned to Amerce who stood next to her.  "Well Major.  We are over the line as of now.  Even if orders do come in from central to abort this attack, we are going in there."  Reluctantly, the dog nodded to her, and Dallas turned to helm control.

 "All ahead flank!" she barked out.  At once she sat in her chair and started to input commands into her computer terminal there.  "Send word to the fleet and tell them to move forward.  We are going in."

 The SunHawk's massive thrust engines flared with a bright orange fire, and the massive behemoth moved forward.  All the other ships around it, all of them direct Cornerian Military, started to advance as well.  The Cornerian Flotilla was officially on the move to their first offensive.

****

 This fight was going Fox's way for the time being.  Over half of the enemy fighters not counting Star Wolf had been torn asunder.  One of the enemy frigates that had came into the fight was badly damaged from a specially delivered Nova bomb right into one of its thruster engines, a special gift from Falco.  That ship was adrift and not currently fighting.  However, a second and larger frigate had come and was being sort of a pain in the rear.

 "I'm slice to pull your big dopey ears off and use them as stew flavoring you little puke," raged Wolf into his head set.  Fox ignored the threat and concentrated on getting the one eyed monster off his tail.  He kicked in his afterburner and yanked hard on the stick, going into a tight loop.

 "Oh, no!  Not this time Fox.  That little stunt of yours isn't going to save you this time."  Wolf slowed down to an almost dead stop and waited.  The Arwing completed the loop and engaged its jets again, rocketing forward.  Wolf screamed with hate when he realized that he would not be able to keep up after he stopped.  Growling with a foam in the corner of his mouth, the output of hatred and frustration, Wolf reengaged his jets and started to look for the overgrown upstart kit again.

 "What's wrong Fox?" he asked into his headset.  "Are you afraid to dance with the devil on his own turf for a change.  Come out and fight like a man you little son of a bitch!"

 Wolf's receiver crackled a bit and then he heard speech.  "Thanks Wolf."  It was Fox.

 "Thanks?  What for?"

 "For being so predictable to us.  You just left the station you were guarding wide open to our fleet.  The SunHawk should be pushing through your mine field within a few minutes, and then it along with the rest of our ships are going to take that station right off the map."

 Wolf spat onto his own console.  "I don't care.  The station can take care of itself.  I'm not leaving here until I see you bleed from a mortal wound Fox."

 "And I'm not either."  Fox looked up in time to see Pigma come down from above in his Wolfen like a hawk, firing bright red bolts of laser energy.  Most of the shots missed Fox completely, but a few ricocheted off his hull. The impact tossed the Arwing away, from the fight.  Fox felt like a sock in a sonic washing machine, but he felt like the world had lost gravity when his head made a connection with the canopy window.  The hit caused pain, but it also caused him to lose his senses for a small moment.  More then enough time for Pigma to move in for the kill.

 "How do like those apples Fox.  Take some of that why don't ya.  There's a lot more where that came from, so I think I'll just give it to ya, punk."

 Before Pigma could fire, his Wolfen was tossed away by a bright and strong explosion, his ship suffering slight damage.  "Damn it!" he yelled out.  "Who...?"

 "Leave him alone bacon fat!" screamed Peppy.  He let loose another volley of laser fire which made Pigma start running.  The old hare pulled up beside Fox and tried to look into it.  "Fox?" he said with concern.  "You OK?"

 Fox reached up and touched the biting pain on his temple.  He withdrew his paws on touch to see blood on them.  "I'm fine," he reassured.  "I'll have a headache in the morning but I'm fine.  C'mon old friend.  Let's finish this."

 "I'm with you."

 The two ace pilots kicked in their boosters and reengaged into the fight.  The frigate that was still going strong had Slippy in a knot.  The toad was dashing everywhere he could to keep fighters off his back and out of any crossfire that he could.  He had a feeling that something bad would happen unless he pulled himself out of this and soon.

 A trio of Invader fighters pulled up behind him.  They did cause some trouble for Slippy for a while, but they were quickly dispatched by Falco.  Slippy gave his thanks and the two went on to knock out another group of fleas.

 Fox and Peppy were bearing down on the Frigate that was harassing Slippy.  They had nova bombs and ready to fly at the ship once they were close enough.  A group of fighters saw them coming and tried to place themselves in a blockade to protect their ship.  Fox and Peppy ripped through them with laser fire, leaving no survivors in the so called blockade.  They let their missiles fly and then broke away to deal with other scum.

 The Nova bombs impacted into the enemy hull and drilled a few decks into it.  A total of four of the five missiles fired made their mark.  They all detonated simultaneously, and the frigate broke apart in a ball of fire from the inside.  A huge flash of multiple flower blasts consumed the ship, and when they died, only a few scorched fragments of metal and flesh remained.  Chalk one up for the good guys, thought Fox.

****

 One single mine not touched by the EMP warheads detected the point ship for the Cornerian task force approach.  It pointed itself at that ship and ignited its thrust engines, homing itself in on that ship where it would collide and cause considerable damage to it.  However, the probe was detected at once as the only power reading in the field.  A single shot from an interceptor cannon struck its stabilizer wing, tossing it out of control.  Another shot hit it dead on and destroyed it.

 That ship, the Katina continued to press on at flank speed through the dead mine field.  Behind it were the five other ships of the flotilla.  The ships had to come through no more then two at a time at the most.  Since it was too big, the SunHawk had to come through on its own.  All of the ships were inside the perimeter within twelve minutes.  They reconvened their original formation and proceeded towards the station ahead.  The jamming system they came up with only worked while they were outside the mine field.  The Venomians knew they were coming now.

 "Launch fighters," ordered Dallas.  "All other ships are to do the same.  I want Shadow Squadron to take point for our boys if not all of them.  What is the position on the KitHawk at this time?"

 The tac-officer took a reading and then answered.  "About four thousand kilometers ahead of us Captain.  A rather large group of enemy fighters are moving to intercept her.  Should I order them to rendezvous with us?"

 Dallas shook her head.  "No they can handle it.  Have them hit the enemy fighters and then break away as fast as possible.  Hit and run tactics for now just to get them shaking a little.  I want the enemy a little nervous before the bigger guns come in."

****

 "There they are," said Conner.

 Seventeen enemy fighters were headed straight towards them.  If the KitHawk wanted to turn and run it could have easily gotten away, but it didn't.  Instead, it only screamed forward to the enemy fighters.  All of its weapons were armed.  They were as ready as ever for a head on fight.  However, they got the orders from SunHawk.  Only hit and run for the time being, which was fine to Grant.  This would confuse the hell out of his opponents, even if it did bend his orders a little.

 "Well Ms. Phoenix, now's the time for you to take this thing to a new level.  Dog fighting, one against many.  All you have to do is keep this thing moving and tactical will use what you give him.  Everyone ready?"  The all responded positive to his question, and Grant went over his plan with the other three.

 In one tight motion, the KitHawk started into a steep dive and then pulled up again as if it were executing a loop.  When it got vertical, the enemy fighter group was already in position and moving to counter.  You can't really make an effective counter maneuver when you don't know what your opponent is doing himself.  The Venomians were caught completely off guard as they presented themselves as a nice clean level plane to the KitHawk's point of view.  A perfect position for them to experience pain while the KitHawk had a little fun at their expense.

 The attack ship opened fire.  It's nose Talon and stabilizer turbo lasers all being aimed at the ships directly or more so in its flight path.  The Talon struck one fighter, obliterated it, and proceeded on through to hit a second fighter and killing it just as efficiently.  The beam also proceeded to slice one fighters wing off like scissors through paper.  The turbo hyper lasers mowed down any fighters missed by the beam, themselves scoring more number of kills.

 It broke through the group to the other side, Fara performing a victory roll to help vent her excitement.  The ship scored a total of nine fighters were destroyed on that run, and their group was split in half up through the center.  The remaining fighters began to scatter as the KitHawk screamed away from them.

 After a good distance, the ship did a ninety degree roll to the right and started to arch its way down, keeping itself lateral to where the group formation was last seen.  The ship pulled up again and started to move towards the enemy fighters for a second run.  Two of them were coming to try and make an attack.  They were torn down by laser fire and the KitHawk went on to catch more prey.

 The second attack run was a little less successful then the first.  The only got five, but that was because they enemy group was a little more scattered now.  However, this effectively reduced the number to three.  The ship didn't bother to form up again.  It simply turned quickly and went to finish off the last three bugs.

 As the last fighter was being destroyed by a bright orange beam, another squad of enemy fighters plus one light carrier were coming into view.  Grant new that they would have to take Dallas's orders a little more seriously now.  No more plowing straight through them.  This would still get their nerves and neurons frying themselves with fear.  Fara moved the ship into position and again they started for a new attack pattern.

 They only took out a few fighters with each attack.  After they did this, they would break off and speed away to a random reforming point for a new attack.  Before the started again, they would check to see if the enemy was not taking the fight to them, and then they would start another attack.  This took longer seeing that there were almost forty fighters to deal with.  After time, the squad was torn down, and the amount of successful hits they scored on SunHawk could be counted on one paw.  The carrier turned around and head back to the cover of its bigger sisters.  No other fighters were sent to try and take out the KitHawk, which got them in a slight disappointment.  However, Grant was still happy.  Fara was doing remarkably well for a first timer.  If she were a pilot on SunHawk, Dallas would have been crazy not to put her in that seat in the first place.

 The KitHawk stopped and held position, keeping a watchful eye on enemy activity.  Behind it, the task force was coming up with a vengeful wrath they were dying to let loose upon the Venom forces who were now nervous enough to be quaking in their shoes.  The level of intimidation was now an important factor.

****

 Fox could see on his sensors that the task force was almost to the enemy fleet.  The really big feat would be starting any minute.  Their job here was done, now it was time to get into the bigger scope of things.  There was no way that Fox was going to miss this fight.

 "All right team," he called out.  "I think we've been playing with these jokers for long enough."  Fox took another look around him.  It was true that Star Wolf was flying exceptionally well tonight, for they were matching every move against Star Fox and were still as strong as when they started.  However, their buddies in arms were suffering a great deal.  Both of the frigates sent to counter them were crippled and over eighty five percent of the fighters here were ash and scorched metal.

 "Form up on my wing and let's go to a bigger party."

 "All right!" cheered Falco as he pulled in behind Fox.  "I hope that Dark Star is ready to crash.  Or more or less be crashed."  The other two formed up into diamond formation and the began to speed away towards where the very huge brawl was a few minutes from starting.

 Behind them, Wolf was calling out to Fox.  "Where are you going you coward?  Are you afraid to face us?  Are you afraid to face death?  At least your father was man enough to accept the fate of his useless life Fox!"

 "You want more pieces of us Star Wolf?" asked Fox.  "Come and get it then.  You always have before, what is stopping you now?  By the way Wolf, think about what coming out her to fulfill your hate might cost you.  Our fleet's about to tango with yours, which means your station is in a lot of trouble.  See ya, and I don't want to be ya."

 Star Fox was out of sight, leaving a pissed off Star Wolf in the dust.  The four of them abandoned the rest and started to speed off towards the sight of the impending battle.  "If Dark Star falls we can kiss our chances for a victory this year or the next goodbye," said Leon.  "Andross is going to be down right pissed if this happens."

 Wolf ignored him.  He knew the effects that would be felt if the station fell.  Quite frankly, he just didn't give a damn.  Even if he had to commit suicide to do it, the McCloud family name was going to die tonight.  He swore it.

****

 "How many?" asked Grand Praetor Brimstone.

 "Six ships in all.  One of them is.....huge.  I've never seen a Cornerian ship like that before.  Its power levels are enormous."

 Brimstone smiled.  "That's the Cornerian's new class of warship.  It's the SunHawk.  And they really out did themselves by building that thing.  If we can destroy it, then the enemy forces might as well hand in their surrender term agreements.  That ship is five times more powerful then anything we have on either side here."

 Brimstone sounded like he was in control, but he was just as nervous as anyone else.  His ship, the Judicator, was starting to roll forward to confront the oncoming Cornerians.  They kept their speed low as to not get ahead of their protectors.  Brimstone knew also that one of their ships towards the front was the one his nephew was serving on.  A brave soul his nephew was, not a whiny sniveling brat like Andross had with Andrew.  He was proud of his nephew and loved him, so it did make him nervous to find out where he was.  His ship, the Xzana Wing, was the point ship for their forces.
 
 
 

Chapter IV

"What do I think of SunHawk?  I think of it as a sign.  A sign that says that we, the non direct units of militia that are not connected to the main Cornerian military, all of us, may soon be out of a job.  They no longer rely solely on us, but I doubt they'll ever just get rid of our employment.  They still need our help in the long run."

 The two forces were fast closing in on each other.  The Cornerians, six ships strong, were looking hard at the Venomian defense force, the bright red light of Oberon shining behind them.  The line they had to cross was a thin icy one, the accumulated hatred both sides had for one another being drawn into one single battle line.  Not a single hook or bend was disturbing that line.  Thus far, no ships crossed yet either from any side.

 Within a few minutes, both forces were within firing distance from one another.  After this, they all just stopped and went on to be silent.  No ship made any more movement or sound.  They got into a waiting game.

 "Captain, a signal is coming in from the Venomian flag ship."

 "Let's see it," said Dallas.  She stood up to meet the Venomian commander face to face.  The screen flickered with a snow and then presented the somewhat distorted image of a goat looking at them with an acid gaze to dissolve their souls.  Dallas stood fast and regarded them just the same.  "We are reading you," she said.  "To whom to I owe the honor."

 "I am Grand Praetor Brimstone of the Venomian Imperial Strike Cruiser Judicator.  You and your fleet are trespassing into Venomian controlled space with an intent for extreme blood shed.  We will allow you to turn around now and leave before you suffer a humiliating and crushing defeat.  If you persist on going then we will open fire and reduce your pathetic offensive to nothing but an attack of flying debris."

 Dallas almost laughed at hearing this.  Some of the things the Venomian goat said sounded minus much intelligence.  Star Fox pulled in and Star Wolf right behind them.  Both stopped and listened to the exchange between the two commanders.  Dallas ignored them and merely smiled as she spoke.

 "You are right Grand Praetor Brimstone.  We have come in here with an intent for extreme blood shed.  We are coming in here with the same extreme blood shed that every Venomian slime ball had when they stormed our homes and or cities."  Her voice was getting angry now.  "We're coming in here with the same blood lust which your insane master used to turn our brothers against us.  We are using the same blood lust which compelled your forces to advance on civilian targets like cowards, bomb innocent children out of their homes, rape and murder our mothers and sisters and daughters, and butcher our people and rob them of everything they ever had.  Only this time, we are not going to plunder or violate or weed out and kill those who do not fight.  We are going for your best military sights like this one, and all we are going to do is destroy.  You all started this war, and we are going to finish it with extreme prejudice."

 Steaming mad, the goat gritted his teeth.  "Very well," he spat.  "You want a war.  We always have it ready and waiting.  Just give me your name so I can remember it when I visit your grave young and brash and foolish young woman."

 "Who am I?" repeated Dallas angrily.  "Who am I!  I'll tell you who I am.  I am the same dark cloud you see when you look out your window on the eve of the darkest and stormiest day come to make your life miserable.  I am the shadow that hides in your subconscious mind to strike out into your nightmares.  I am the wind storm ready to crack your boat in half and send it to the deep six.  I'm the imaginary monster that hides in your closet or under your bed.

 "I am Captain Allison Dallas.  Daughter to Alan and Xenia Dallas, and the commander of the Cornerian War Cruiser SunHawk, the most powerful god damned battle ship in this star system on either side of this war, and I have the best damn crew to come along with it.  I am going to take this ship and all the others against you and turn this entire force into a hurricane.  All of yours will be scrap once I am done.  The firestorm is coming for you Venomian vermin spawn, we are at its control, and it has the golden crest of Corneria forged and branded into it.  We have the wrath of God and the full rage of hell backing us up, and I am going to take a little piece of each and forge it into the hammer which I will use to spike you into your precious space station.  When I am done all the other Venomian ships and troopers will see this ship in their thoughts and their dreams only to dread the day when we come for them too.  They will see us and start to rumble in their own boots.

 "I will tear this station of yours apart at every rivet and every panel of unholy steal as an example that no insane ape can wage war against the Children of Lylat because he has a problem with this who brought justice to him.

 "To put all that into simpler terms, I am the one who's going to kick your ass!"

 She stopped, out of breath and obviously ready for war.  All of the rest of Cornerian forces, even Fox, were rather stunned.  A lot of them started to think she was tripping right now.  But they regarded not as a bad thing.

 Brimstone terminated his link and held his fists tightly.  He almost shocked when he went on to give the next order.  "All ships move forward.  Engage the Cornerian upstarts at will.

 "No mercy."

****

 The Venomian point ship, the Xzana Wing, rolled forward at flank speed towards the Cornerians.  Directly before them was the Cornerian point ship, the Katina, who was moving forward in retribution but not at flank speed.  The Venomian was moving ahead of his back up.  Over extending his lines.

 The first shot of this battle left the Katina's weapon tube.  A torpedo, armed with a quad warhead merf, rocketed forward at high speeds towards the Xzana Wing.  Their interceptor cannons moved and aimed themselves at the torpedo and opened fire.  The small tracer fire from the guns whizzed by the speedy projectile, but none could make a connection.

 The torpedo merf split and the four warheads went their own way.  All four made a solid impact on the Xzana Wing and created a tremendous light which consumed the ship.  It died out but the ship was still there, only it was now burning in a few places.  The Xzana Wing was badly damaged from the attack, and was not going to move for a short time.

 The two fleets started to move in on each other.

****

 Brimstone watched what happened to the Xzana Wing and almost broke down when he saw the light of the nova bombs take it.  He breath with relief when the ship came into view again, still in one piece but badly crippled.  He picked up the communications mike himself.

 "All ships, move forward and attack the enemy.  I don't want to see a single gun silent."  He slammed the mike down and ordered his own ship forward, targeting the nearest ship they could find.

****

 Thousands of small specs were being ejected from the launch bays of every ship in the fleet.  Thousands of fighters on both sides.  The swarm on the side of Venom however looked like a cloud of locusts around their brooding grounds which were their motherships.  The Cornerian fighters looked more like a silvery shimmering field, a celestial group of fighters against a common foe.

 At the front for all the SunHawk fighters was the famous Shadow Squadron.  The seventeen orange Arwings flew carefully and with surgical precision in their operations.  They were aces, all of them.  Perhaps the most elite and deadly force of fighters in the military itself.  Kite looked out at his comrades with pride.  It felt good to be on the offensive for one.

 "All right Shadows," called out the squad leader.  A polar bear with a warm and friendly air around him who was named Ninook.  "We have cloud of fleas right before our eyes.  My screen registers about three thousand seven hundred and forty fighters, give or take one to five.  Let's go on to show them that class can toss numbers out the window any day."

 "Yes," hissed Kite.  Their boosters kicked in and moved forward towards their enemy.  The true point of no return had just been broken.

 The Venomian fighters opened up on the Arwings, drawing first blood.  A storm of laser fire consumed one of the green fighters and turned it into a meteor.  That meteor crashed into an Invader III and destroyed seven other fighters around it too.  The two waves fighters met head on, everyone firing on who they thought to be an enemy.

 Kite blew by enemy fighters, flooring it all the way through the cloud.  He never let off the trigger as he mowed down all who was before him.  A small group of enemy fighters got in behind him.  Kite was never concerned about this.  He hit his boosters and banked hard to the right, doing barrel rolls to deflect their laser fire.  He did a complete U turn and played chicken with the ones attacking him.  A couple of well placed laser shots destroyed the Venomian middle fighter and the others were forced to break off.  Kite flew through the harmless debris and went on to find a new target.

****

 A group of seventeen Venomian gunship bombers were able to push their way through and out of the dog fight zone and started to scream towards the Cornerian task force.  Interceptors and laser batteries were aimed fully at the rushing Invaders, but the pilots stayed far enough out not to get hit by them.  That would soon change, for the one Cornerian destroyer was growing bigger and bigger in their view.

 The bluish tinted warship opened fire at the fighters with everything they had.  All interceptors and laser batteries were laying it out, trying to cut down the attacking fighters before they got in torpedo range.  That was seriously ineffective.  The lasers had extreme difficulty trying to stop something that small and that far out.  However, they never stopped, because they were there which was enough to tell the computer to open fire.

 The lead Venomian pilot put his targeting cursor onto the destroyer and armed his torpedoes.  One nova bomb for each of the seven torpedoes he was carrying.  Couple that with the sixteen other fighters operating here, it would be more then enough to lay the upstart Cornerian fleet to waste if they remained relentless and vigilant in their attacks.  The torpedoes were armed, and the targeting cursor changed to yellow.  A lock was coming up for them.  In a few seconds it would be red which meant that their torpedoes would track their target.  It turned red, but the pilot refrained from firing just yet.

 He got on the line to the other fighters.  "Don't fire until you are at least five thousand kilometers from the target.  That will give them less time to use their interceptors effectively.  After that distance, launch everything you have."  The pilot grinned wickedly at the ship growing larger by the millisecond.  He took a few shots at the destroyer, knowing that it wouldn't be very effective at this range.  But it was something to do while they got closer.

 A blue laser shot by, almost missing his ship.  These fighters have strong shields.  It takes many laser blasts to damage and destroy them, even from an Arwing hyper laser.  The pilot was not worried until an orange flaming and electric sphere whizzed by, a projectile a third the size of his gunship.  A plasma sphere.  Very deadly.  One could destroy his ship and probably half of the others.  The pilot checked the range to see it at six thousand.

 "Close enough," he said.  "Fire all torpedoes now!"

 Each gunship launched two torpedoes at the enemy destroyer.  Two would be enough to destroy it, but there was no telling how many might be taken down by interceptors.  The lead pilot watched as the thirty four smoking projectiles moved forward at hypersonic speeds towards their target.  All interceptor cannons opened up with tracer fire towards the oncoming torpedoes.

 It was no mystery that Corneria had the most advanced tactical systems.  Their interceptor system was pinpoint accurate at under five thousand yards.  The small green lasers from those guns shot out and skewered one of the torpedoes almost as soon as it was launched.  The weapon was destroyed immediately.  Seconds later, a second and third and fourth were taken out.

 The people on board the ship knew that they would not be able to get all of the torpedoes before they got their.  Plus, they were tracking very effectively.  The only way to beat them was to take that strength away.  The ship antennae array pointed towards the torpedoes and started to emit a high energy carrier wave.  A simple counter measure from an everyday object.  The torpedoes' flight paths started to distort, and soon they were flying in different directions.  Most were going harmlessly into space.  Those that were not were taken down easily by interceptors.

 The Venomian pilot saw this and growled with anger.  He had enough and pointed his nose towards the destroyer.  Three other pilots joined him in formation.  The rest might have, but a large cruiser was bearing down on them making a threat of itself.  All but those four broke off and started to back to their own fleet.

 These last four ships ignited their rocket boosters and flew right at the destroyer.  No one saw them coming before it was too late.  At just over five hundred kilometers, there was really not much to do.  The Venomians kept their engines on full as the sped towards the destroyer.  Soon, they were looking at the rivets on the plating.

 Two of those fighters, including the leader, rammed into the side of the destroyer.  They were like hallow point bullets, blowing out the other side of the destroyer.  The third put himself into a thruster, vaporizing himself before seriously damaging the thrust engine.  The last rammed right into the bridge, killing everyone there in an instant.

 Many little explosions flowered out from the hull of the destroyer as it began to swing out of control.  It started to break apart from the inside, a hellish fire was starting to weed out like a virus.  A bright light came out from the ship and blinded everyone from near by.  If sound could travel through space, then a lot of the surrounding ships would have been damaged from a sonic shockwave.  The light died and the destroyer was gone.

 The Venomians, through an act of kamakazi, took the first kill on enemy capitol ships.

 A large Venomian cruiser entered the swarm of brawling fighter jocks about the same time the Cornerians lost their destroyer.  The ship took little damage as it pushed its way through the cloud of metal and energy.  Using its forward shields as a battering ram, it pushed its way through the field like an ice breaker, and came out clean on the other side.

 At once, the crew on the SunHawk saw the black steel cruiser and moved to intercept it.  The enemy began to open fire on the fleet, trying to get damage to any ship it could.  Like the fighters, this was a suicide run against the enemy.  Do as much damage as you can and you'll make the dismantling job later all the more simpler.  If they lost anymore ships before they got to the station, chances of victory would be slim.

 At once, the bow Talon was brought online and aimed at the oncoming cruiser.  All other weapon batteries were brought to it as well, ready to fire.  The cruiser was already being slammed by two older Cornerian frigates who would not be a match for it on their own, even two on one.  Just a softening up before a larger strike.

 The SunHawk opened fire on the Venomian.  At first, only a tempest of laser and plasma shots, all of them pelted the enemy shields and hull like a rock storm.  The nose flared a bright orange and a thick orange beam shot forth and impacted in the Venomian bow.  The entire forward section was obliterated, and the ship started to fall down.  The SunHawk fired again which caught the enemy in the back, and it started to fall apart.  The fleet went right past it, paying the dead steal ship no mind.

 At last, with the fighters swarming and fighting all around them, the ships of both sides were now at each others throats.  A Cornerian frigate, the Instigator, found itself right before the most powerful of the Venomian warships.  The Judicator.

 A ferocious melee erupted between the two ships.  Praetor Brimstone was yelling loudly as his ship fought with the Cornerian.  The Instigator was throwing everything it had at the Venomian commander ship, using lasers and plasma spheres and missiles.  But the enemy was twice its size, and was pummeling it with the red beams of the particle cannons.  Those beams tore into the hull of the frigate quite easily.

 However, the Instigator was not dead yet.  The ship fired one single torpedo at the Judicator, which failed to be stopped by countermeasures of any kind.  The warhead was just standard explosive, but it did rock the Judicator a bit.  The relentless attack continued, and Brimstone found himself grinning horribly as the enemy ship began to exploded into oblivion.  The score was now two to zero, Venom.  And Venom had a eight ship curve advantage over Corneria.

 Captain Dallas watched the death of the Instigator.  She sighed heavily, knowing that they only had four ships to work with now.  She was very much worried, but it was too late to turn back now.  Behind her, Amerce was shaking his head in both disappointment and sadness.  He was considering this a waste of good people, which is precisely what he thought about the whole war in the first place.

 "Continue forward," ordered Dallas.

 "With pleasure sir," returned the helmsman.  Their manpower was slowly dying, but their spirits were those of gods in battle.  They would not quit.

****

 They were gone, somewhere in that huge mass of rookies and glory seekers.  Wolf had lost track of Fox for almost an hour, and searching for him now would be a needle in a hay stack.  Wolf decided to let it go for now and do what he could to defend this station.  Leon, Pigma, and Andrew all stayed close to him as the entered the blood fest and took the fight to the Cornerians.

 Already, Wolf had counted twenty kills on enemy fighters.  This was much too similar to a turkey shoot for him.  Pilots who confronted them directly were shot down just as quickly by him or a wingman.  Wolf was having fun against these first time fliers.  Terminating the weak.  Executing the ones who would never become strong even though he was striking down every Cornerian fighter he saw.  Still, the one eyed monster was enjoying himself in killing the enemy.  But he never stopped looking for Fox.

 A distance before them was a group of Arwing fighters.  Wolf looked to see them in case it was Star Fox, but it wasn't.  There were about twelve fighters there and they were all painted orange instead of blue like Star Fox.  Still, these orange pilots were good.  Wolf engaged his engines and moved in closer for a better look.

 When he got closer, he saw that these were fighters from the SunHawk.  A dark shape of a ghost or something painted on the side showed them to be Shadow Squadron, the aces from the SunHawk.  This, to all of Star Wolf, was as good of practice as they were going to find.  Wolf started to move towards them, recharging his lasers, and the other three formed up behind him.  Time for more fun, thought Wolf to himself.

 "Watch it Bob you got some from above," yelled Ninook the Shadow Squadron leader.

 "I got them Shadow leader.  Five Invaders III jets."  The pilot hit his brakes and pulled up, opening fire on the swooping jets.  He caught three with his blasters, one of which crashed into another Invader, killing them both.  "Threat neutralized," he announced.

 "Great job."  Ninook caught a warning light on his radar and looked out his window to the relative sight where the threat was.  Four Wolfen heavy fighters coming at them.  "Heads up Shadows.  Star Wolf at three o'clock high and coming in.  Engage at will."

 At the sound that Star Wolf had entered the area, Kite McCane dropped his current chase and went to where they were coming from.  There was someone there he was dying to get reacquainted with.  Kite found the four Arwings and almost flamed out his engines because he hit his booster ignition so high.

 Kite covered the distance to Star Wolf in a second, and at once tried to pick the Wolfen he thought was the one he wanted.  It was a random flip of the coin choice between the two wings, but he made it and opened fire.

 "Hey!" yelled Andrew as he got knocked around by Hyper lasers.  An orange Arwing skimmed space right over his canopy.  "Whoever you are, no one hurts the nephew of Andross and lives!"

 At once, Pigma turned around and head after the naive fighter pilot.  "You think Andross'll give me a bonus for bringing this guy in?"

 "Probably," said Andrew.  "But I get a piece of him too.  Don't kill him Pigma, I want that pleasure for me."

 "All right," said Pigma.  "I'll cripple him and you can kill him."

 "You'll have to catch me first Porky," said a voice.  Pigma's jaw dropped in surprise and shock when he heard that voice.  Someone from the old days before he turned traitor.  Pigma thought he had just heard the voice of a ghost, and one that he hated too.  Someone from the original Star Fox.

 "Kite?" he asked in disbelief.  "Kite McCane?  You...you're still alive?"

 "And kicking," continued Kite.  He pulled his Arwing up hard and pointed his ship straight at Pigma's.  "I've been waiting for five years to do this you fat pork chop.  James McCloud and Peppy were like fathers to me.  To see how you stabbed them in the back on Venom was a stab in my back too.  For that, I am going to smoke you."

 "You abandoned us duck man!" squealed Pigma.  "You left the group so you could go off and pursue your own little dip stick career.  What's more, you were ten times the little wise ass creep that I ever was.  I think you left because I was on the verge of going better then you.  So you left, like the snot nosed feather head you were."

 Behind Pigma, Wolf and the others were shocked to find out that there was once a fourth member of the original Star Fox team.  Wolf was wanting to kill him because as long as there were parts of Star Fox out there, then the McCloud family name would live on.  Leon was thinking how typical it was.  It would not be Star Fox if they didn't have a scum sucking avian bastard to fly with them just like Falco.

 "Well guess what Mr. Piggy," taunted Kite.  "You want to prove that you are a better pilot then I am?  You want a piece of me.  Fine.  You and me Pigma, solo one on one dogfight.  I've been waiting for this for a long time, and now it's time for a cash in."  Kite flew off out of the fight to a quiet area where he stopped.  "Come and get some of this you fat piece of stinky bio waste."

 Pigma cracked his knuckles, always ready to settle old scores.  "Hey Andrew.  Sorry, but I lied when I said I would let you kill him.  This ducky is all mine."  Pigma flew after Kite, his weapons on full and his blood running high with adrenaline.  In front of him, Kite nailed his boosters and flew straight towards Pigma, locking them both into a nasty game of chicken.  "All right!" Pigma yelled.  "Bring it on!"

 At once they were in range, the two started to shoot at each other.  Both ships were hammered hard by laser fire, but the Arwing used the G diffuser to deflect many of the shots.  The Wolfens had not such thing yet, so Pigma took a lot of pain.  He yanked up hard and let Kite win this game.  He did a wide loop and came down hard looking for Kite, who was no where to be seen.

 Pigma looked around frantically for his enemy, trying to remain calm.  They didn't call them Shadow Squad just because it sounded cool.. They had a terrible tendency to sort of disappear and attack out of no where.  Kite did that, coming up at Pigma from below.

 "Allow me to introduce you to the philosophy of Shadow Pigma.  It's best described as the technique where you don't know what ever hit you before you wake up in a hospital bed.  Only for you there will be no hospital involved when you wake up.  Only fire and brimstone and little red men jabbing you with red hot stickers."

 Pigma gritted his teeth with a nervous feeling when Kite disappeared again.  You think it would be easy to spot a bright orange colored Arwing in the light of Solar and the glow of Oberon right next to them.  But Pigma could only see space.  That was when he thought about Oberon itself and realized it.  He turned his ship around towards the planet and opened fire towards it.

 A glinting movement was seen in an orange hue of the planet and the Arwing revealed itself.  "I was wondering when you would figure it out," said Kite.

 "I never considered you as the type to hide out and attack when you're not looking Kite.  You were always a stand up fighter back under James and Peppy.  You have became a little afraid of little ol'e me over the years to do something like that, haven't you?"

 "Not really," said Kite in a playful like tone.  "I was just enjoying myself to see you sweat a little.  You want a standup dog fight now?  Good enough for me.  I'm at your nine, moving alongside you."

 Pigma followed his gaze to see the Arwing with Kite inside it moving side by side from each other.  Kite sat in his cockpit with a wolfish expression as he looked at Pigma.  He still had the same face as before, thought Pigma.  The same gray plumage, reddish feathers and long yellow bill you could land these fighters on.  Pigma snorted loudly as he pulled out away from the duck.

 Kite knew that Pigma made a mistake in that.  Pull away from him like that to leave your tail open for a chase.  Kite moved in behind Pigma and started to fire, giving everything he had into shooting the hog down out of space.  Pigma felt his ship being rocked by the relentless laser onslaught.  Soon, he saw that his engines were shot and not working.  Kite had won.

 "You can't do this to me!" screamed Pigma.  "I'm a better pilot then you are Kite!  How can I be down and you not."

 Kite nodded something to himself, making a decision about the other person's fate he held in his palm.  "Maybe you are and maybe you aren't," said Kite.  "The obvious thing is that you are a lot stupider pilot then me.  It isn't just skills to make up a good warrior for the skies Pigma.  I'll let you hang around here thinking about that.  One more thing Pigma.  You lose."

 Kite turned around and rocketed off back into the fight.  At this distance, it looked like a thousands of fighters making a particle cloud around its adults.  Kit did not look back towards Pigma as he moved away.  He got more satisfaction just by leaving him out there dead in space.  Sure someone would come around and pick him up.  But that wasn't Kite's problem anymore.

 Behind him, Pigma was screaming and yelling at anyone to come and get him.  It was nothing serious, the situation he was in.  The Wolfen life support system could last for over seventeen days.  Yet, he was annoyed and pissed enough to scream and yell at his comrades to help him out.  No one came, they were all busy on their own.  After time, Pigma stopped yelling and throwing a tantrum and just started to grumble.  He really hated just sitting here on the sidelines with an injury while blood of Cornerians was being shed.  What was worse, he had eaten his last rations packet over thirty minutes ago.  Pigma started to throw another tantrum.

 Kite found himself in somewhat of a nasty predicament when he reentered the melee.  He got himself sandwiched between two heavy cruisers, both of which were shooting at him and many fighters were coming in from all sides, boxing him into a trap.  Kite remained cool and targeted the fighter in front of him.  He didn't aim at a vital system though.  When he fired, the wings to the enemy fighter were clipped off, and it went into a super speed tailspin.  Kite fired again which tossed the rotating corkscrew into one of the cruisers.  Kite reappeared from the box and flew on, looking for the rest of Shadow Squadron to regroup with them.

 Kite looked around and soon found his wingman.  While he searched, he saw that this fight was growing bloodier with every move on each side.  The battle area had spread out greatly instead of one cloud.  Now it was a gigantic field filled with, typically, fire, blood, and pain.  There was one good thing though.  The battle area was flowing more and more towards Dark Star.

****

 It was so bloody and violent, it was incredible.  Brimstone watched the battle unfold before his eyes.  Every action had a consequence to it, and every move was met with an equally effective counter move.  Brimstone was starting to wonder if this battle would end up a stalemate, which would be a victory for them. The Cornerians had to get past this fleet to get to the station.  The only way they were getting past it was to destroy all of them.

 The best way to eliminate the chances of an enemy victory was to cripple their moral spirit.  The most effective way to do that was destroy their command ship.  In this case, it was the SunHawk.  The war cruiser was directly in front of them, using all of her weapons against the fighters and ships poised around it.  Brimstone watched as the large plasma spheres launched from her impacted on one of his corvettes and melted it through.  The ship then exploded.

 There was no doubt that Brimstone was impressed with the ship.  If he could take it, then he knew that he would get a lord title from Andross, or at least something higher then Grand Praetor.  He ordered them to head for SunHawk and to save all weapons except defense grid guns.  The crew thought he was crazy to take them in a direct confrontation with the SunHawk.  They were all intimidated by the brooding warship.  But they all knew better then to question their superior commander and lord of these parts.  The helmsman did as he was told.

 The red fiery engines of the Judicator lit up brightly and the ship began to move forward.  All but their interceptors and a few laser batteries were silenced to conserve power.  They would need all of it to confront the enemy ship.

 The Judicator started in a flanking position against SunHawk at first.  The Cornerian saw them coming but did nothing to move out of the way or turn to face them.  At this angle, they wouldn't be able to use the Talons against them, but they had plenty more then those to play with.

 The Judicator quickly got into range and launched a series of missiles at the bigger ship.  These were followed by the firing of over thirty dual hyper laser turrets at turbo velocity and the energy build up of two large particle cannons.  This amount of fire power being launched would have turned a normal ship into a flying block of white cheese.

 The missiles were all cut down short by interceptors and other counter measures.  Their shields absorbed the laser fire to a great extent.  The particle cannons fired and struck the side of the SunHawk.  The people inside it were shaken by the hit, but nothing serious.  The beam only left a scratch like burn along the hull.  There was no penetration to the inside.

 Brimstone gritted his teeth when he saw this.  That had to be at least a Grade Four shield, strong enough to withstand a nuclear fusion blast at medium range.  He ordered them to keep firing until he saw them start to burn, but their second volley never got to leave the ship.

 The SunHawk fired a series of its own missiles followed by more hyper turrets and ion cannons then what the Judicator had, and more powerful and with a faster firing rate too.  Their missiles were smaller and faster and more numerous, with just as much fire power.  What Corneria lacked and suffered in loss and lack of manpower and inability to train quickly they barely made up for in a technology curve.  Almost all of their systems were more advanced then what Venom had.  The SunHawk also used their triple A Talons to add to the damage, but they didn't deviate from the fighters around it.

 The interceptors on Judicator could not keep up with the many missiles.  They got about half, but the rest got inside the optimum killing fields to the defense grid.  The missiles struck the shields of the vessel and exploded greatly, severely weakening the ship with each hit.  After about seven of the twenty that survived, the shields failed.  The missiles the burrowed into the hull and detonated on the inside.  Massive chunks of ship were tossed into space consumed by the liquid likeness of fire in zero gravity.  These with the hits of the laser shots and the ion blasts put some mean scars on the Judicator.  The ship was tossed violently upward and began to roll to the side.

 Brimstone was knocked off his feet by the explosions of the missiles into his ship.  When he landed, his head hit the floor, causing him to daze for a few moments.  He tried to get up but couldn't.  With the ship beginning to roll, gravity was increasing exponentially, and he felt himself getting heavier.

 At once he ordered a cut to main gravity, which was done.  All of the people started to grow lighter, now safe from being crushed by themselves from their own gravity.  They rotation was enough to create gravity on its own, but it was still pretty light.  The ship was slowly picking up velocity, and soon they would be at full G and beyond.  Brimstone and his crew went on to fight to get the ship back into stable position.

 Brimstone's plan backfired severely on him.  He wanted to destroy the Cornerian flag ship to cripple their moral.  When the other Venomians saw the Judicator fall to its knees, they all slowed down.  In one second, the tide of the battle turned drastically.

 A wave of Cornerian fighters which regrouped behind their motherships flew  forward and launched a giant volley of missiles and torpedoes at the enemy fleet.  Hundreds, almost thousands of projectiles flying, leaving a cloud of smoke behind them.  Missiles armed with plain explosives struck fighters, blowing them and their friends to hell.  Fighters and bombers plenty fell downward out of the battle field, flaming and smoking.  It was like a gas bomb had been set off in a room full of flies, all of them falling down after dying.

 The torpedoes with full powered nova bombs exploded in mid space and destroyed multiple fighters around them, adding to the falling flies.  Those that did not detonate just yet locked onto a ship or more fighters.  The first torpedo found a light Venom frigate and changed course to it.  The frigate never saw the weapon coming, no counter measures were used.  It split up tossed the three nova bomb warheads towards the ship.

 All of the bombs made their mark.  The frigate was lit up like a star, its forward section being vaporized by the bright flares of the bombs.  The remnants of the derelict ship slowly sank out of the scene and into deeper oblivion.  Three more enemy ships were destroyed and two were seriously crippled.  Well over half of the Venomian fighter swarm was wiped out.  Things were looking more even in standards of numbers.

 The crippled Venomian space ships would not have been threatened.  However, one well placed orange beam from SunHawk, one for each, destroyed the two dead ships.  Everyone but a few on Corneria's side saw this as a cold blooded move.  A few wondered what Captain Dallas was thinking when she did that.

 "Was that necessary?" asked Amerce.  "Those ships were dead, no longer a threat.  We didn't need to blow them up when they were already down and bleeding to death.  Why did you do that?"

 Dallas turned to him in anger.  "Don't question my motives," she growled.  "I cannot allow anyone of these Venomian pigs to survive.  No one won a war by being merciful, and I am not about to start now."

 The middle aged dog looked at the female husky with a tint of fear.  He backed away from her, not willing to get into a bigger fight with someone who was possessed by war.  Which, at least in his views, she was.  He made a mental note to put this action of hers and her state of behavior after it down in his report to Priority One back home.  Amerce looked to Kesh who paid no attention to Captain Dallas's behavior.  Yet, she too was wondering a little.

 The SunHawk bridge jumped a little bit, throwing the people off balance.  Dallas stumbled and fell into Amerce, who helped her back to her feet.  Another rocking and Kesh fell to the floor.  Dallas started to growl afte