Star Fox

                      by Theodore P. Perrotti
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WARNING:  This story has been written and posted free of charge
solely for entertainment purposes.  Star Fox, Fox McCloud Jr, Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare,
Slippy Toad, Venom, Corneria, Fara Phoenix, General Pepper, Andross, and all other principle
characters, places, and other indica created by Nintendo are TM and copyright (C) 1993 Nintendo
of America Inc. Used without permission.

     Vessic and all other characters, places, and other indica  created by me, Theodore P. Perrotti,
are copyright (C) 1996 Theodore P. Perrotti. (However, feel free to use all of this story's
characters, events, and places as you wish as long as you abide by the conditions described in the
next paragraph.)

     This story may be redistributed, stored, or archived in any
way just so long as it is unaltered, this entire disclaimer
remains with it, and such action is taken free of charge.  In
short: DON'T SELL OR ALTER THIS STORY!  Also, please ask my
permission before using any of my creations (any characters or
events I've created) and give me credit.

     Parts of this story were based on characters, places, and
events in both the Star Fox video game and the Star Fox comic
which appeared in Nintendo Power.

     This story has also been influenced by the "Star Trek: The
Next Generation" episode "The Defector", as well as the movie
"Star Wars" and the TV series "Babylon 5".

     Those of you who are familiar with the comic and the
backstory established in the game's instruction booklet will
probably notice that, in some places, my version deviates from
the "cannon" version presented by those sources.  I tried to keep
the basic story intact, and made only changes that I felt would
result in a better story.  You can think of this story as an
alternate version of the events that led up to the attack on
Venom.  I hope you enjoy the fruits of my labor.

WARNING:  Recommended for mature readers only.  Contains some
adult subject matter.  (Seriously, this story is darker than its
predecessor, Star Fox: Armageddon)

     I welcome your comments.  Please e-mail them to me at
author@galaxycorp.com.
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     Chapter 11: Walking through a Mine Field

     Andross was not long in making good his threat.  Within the next several weeks, several
other SpaceForce bases were attacked and all but destroyed by an enemy unseen.  All bases near
the border were on full-alert, and several battleships carrying squads of M-class fighters were
deployed along the border.
     But, even the most powerful weapon cannot harm what it cannot hit, and invisible enemies
were difficult to hit indeed.  The SpaceForce needed to see these new ships before they could fight
them effectively.  To that end, several renowned scientists from all parts of the Federation were
employed by the SpaceForce to study the sensor logs of the stations that had been attacked.
     Until they came up with an answer, all the SpaceForce could do was try to reason with
Andross and hope that not all of his ships had that same cloaking capability.
     Andross smiled happily as he spoke with his adversary.  Now, he was in a position of
power, and he loved it.  On the other end, the Federation negotiator tried to hide his fear from
Andross.  They both knew who had the advantage in this situation.  His best hope was to convince
Andross that attacking the SpaceForce was not the best way to go about getting what he wanted. 
Yet, after dozens of conversations, he was no closer to accomplishing that goal than he was on day
one.
     "So, has the SpaceForce decided to give up yet?" asked Andross smugly.
     "We are quite impressed with your strength, Emperor.  However, we have not given in just
yet.  Cloaking a few small ships is one thing, but cloaking an entire fleet, that's something else
entirely.  And, even if we can't see your cloaked ships, conquering the entire Federation will take
much more than them."
     "You can rest assured that I have the power to reach my goal,"  replied Andross.
     "And suppose you do.  What then?  There are other planets around here that would not
take kindly to such aggressive action near them.  You'd have a long, drawn-out war with us and
then another one with them.  Do you really want that, Emperor?  Do those who follow you really
want that, after their Civil War?"
     "I am confident that my people will remain loyal to me, as I am doing this as much for
them as for myself.  And, none of your neighboring planets have even one-tenth the technological
sophistication we or even you do.  If they are foolish enough to take us on, we will finish them
easily.  Remember, my people were not just trained to be soldiers, they were born to be soldiers. 
Now, this conversation is at an end."  And with that, he broke the connection.
     The negotiator tried to re-establish communications with Andross, but there was no
answer.  As he got up, he slapped the table in front of him so fiercely that he had to rub his claw
afterwards.  THAT DAMN HAIRBALL'S HOLDING ALL THE CARDS AND HE KNOWS
IT, TOO!  He quickly left the room.
     His previous conversations with Andross had all ended with a similar result.  The
negotiator knew that he was failing, and he knew that all involved would pay a high price if he
failed.
     Unfortunately, things weren't about to change for the better.
     Chapter 12: The Breach

     Aboard the battleship Mcnare, Lt Fara Phoenix paced nervously.  The Mcnare was
orbiting the planet Grayl, which was home to thousands of innocent people as well as a series of
transmitters that the SpaceForce relied upon as an early warning system during times of war. 
When sensors on the planet's surface detected a ship, its data was then sent to a central computer
below the surface.  An operator would then attempt to identify the ship and warn all nearby
SpaceForce bases if they were possible enemies, or if they had gotten past the ships that now
patrolled the border.  It was but one of many such systems placed along the SpaceForce's borders. 
It was a prime target for Andross.  If he destroyed enough of them, Andross would open up a big
hole in the 'Force's first line of defence.  Covering that area without them would require well over
half of the SpaceForce's fleet.
     Suddenly, her fears were realized.  She heard the battle alert siren go off, signaling all
personnel to get to their battlestations.  For her, that was in her fighter.  As she raced down the hall
toward the docking bay, she could hear a verbal confirmation coming from the ship's comm
system.
     She nearly lost her balance as she raced down the hall as the ship was jolted by a blaster
hit.  When she arrived at the docking bay, she immediately raced into the locker room to get into
her flight gear.  She was in and out of that room in record time, as she had been trained.  She felt
her heart pounding as she boarded her M-class fighter.
     As she prepared to take off, she saw the huge docking bay doors slide open, allowing the
first group of fighters to pass through.
     Soon, it was her squad's turn to take off.  "All ships check in," she commanded.  One by
one, each of her teammates reported their readiness for battle.  Satisfied that they were ready, Fara
started her ship moving toward the open door.  The other pilots followed close behind her.
     "Remember," Fara called out to her squad.  "They'll probably send some of their smaller
ships down to get the transmitters.  The big one'll have its hands full up here.  We can't let those
smaller ships get to the planet's surface."
     "What if they have some of those stealth ships?" asked one of the pilots.  "One of the ones
that attacked Macbeth.  We can't fight something we can't see."
     "Just do your best," Fara replied flatly.  "And remember, we've never seen one of those
ships stay cloaked for more than a few minutes at a time.  That may be their Achilles' heel."
     Soon, the enemy was in sight.  The Mcnare was engaged in a firefight with another ship of
approximately the same size.  Fara could make out several smaller ships making their way toward
her team at a high rate of speed.  Fara didn't even need the sensors to tell who they were.  "Here
they come," she announced to the team.  "6-8-3!"  AT LEAST THEY'RE VISIBLE.
     A shot came right across the nose of Fara's ship.  She quickly took aim with her blasters
and fired.  The two groups of ships converged quickly.  "All right, let's see what you can do," 
Fara said to herself quietly as she attempted to get behind one of the bogeys.
     "Red team, get down to the planet's surface and help to cover that transmitter," Fara
commanded.  "We'll keep these guys off your backs."
     "Roger," crackled a voice over Fara's comm system.  Quickly, several ships broke away
from the group to head down to the surface.
     Finally, Fara got the bogey in her sites and fired.  A bright beam shot out from her ship
and lanced through space, finally impacting on the bogey's rear shields.  Fara could tell the ship
was damaged and kept pouring it on until her prey exploded before her.  All the while, she kept a
close eye out for other enemy ships, not wanting to be caught off-guard.
     Meanwhile, on board the Venom battleship, the ship's captain was concentrating on the
situation as well.  "Have the other ships begun their attacks?"
     "Aye, Sir.  They went in at the same time we did, Sir."
     "Good, then any other ships the SpaceForce might have out here will be too busy to help
them."  ONCE WE'VE DESTROYED ENOUGH OF THEIR EARLY-WARNING
TRANSMITTERS, IT WILL TAKE THEM MONTHS TO REDEPLOY THE ONES THEY
HAVE LEFT.  THERE WILL BE GREAT CONFUSION.  IT WAS SO NICE OF THAT
FELLOW TO GIVE US THE CODES TO DEACTIVATE THE TRANSMITTERS' SHIELDS. 
He knew that the transmitters could not detect the stealth ships, but their range was limited without
the Emperor's new power transmitter, which had proven to be quite temperamental so far.  It
almost had broken down during the attack on Macbeth, and had not worked at all since then. 
Also, the enormous complexity of the ships' design was causing many problems which had slowed
production to a crawl, limiting the stealth ships to smaller-scale operations than this.  At least, that
was what he had been told by his superiors.
     So, they would be fighting the old-fashioned way until all the bugs were out of the
Emperor's new inventions.  He was glad, in a way.  A battle is so much more interesting when
your enemy can see you.
     Then, the ship lurched violently, forcing him to return to the situation at hand.  "Sir, we've
taken heavy damage," said his tactical officer in a worried tone of voice.
     "Steady," he replied.  "We must keep them away from the planet until our teams have
accomplished their mission."
     "Lt. Phoenix, some of the enemy ships are breaking off from the rest of the group and are
heading toward the planet's surface."
     "I see them,"  Fara replied.  "Red Leader, Green Leader, expect bogeys coming in at
3-5-8!"
     Fara worked the controls on instinct, not even taking the time to consider her actions
before taking them.  Pilots who couldn't do that didn't last long in a dogfight.  Two fighters passed
Fara on either side, trying to get behind her.  Instantly, she banked her ship hard left in an attempt
to draw her pursuers closer to one of her wingmen.
     The trick worked.  One of the pursuers burst into a ball of light as it was hit with a volley
of blasterfire.  "Thanks," Fara said to her nearest wingman, all the while keeping a watchful eye on
her one remaining pursuer.
     Suddenly, another ship appeared on Fara's scope.  It was coming at her wingman from an
angle.  "Watch it!"  she warned, "New bogey at 6-5-8!"
     Her wingman tried to dodge to the side as the enemy unleashed a volley of fire at him, but
was struck on the side viciously.  The shields held firm, yet the pilot knew he could not afford to
get hit like that many more times before they'd fail.
     At almost the same time, the first bogey hit Fara's ship with a blast, causing her to lurch
forward in the cockpit.  TOO CLOSE.  THE SHIELDS ARE OK, THOUGH.  She banked right,
just dodging yet another volley of enemy fire.
     Then, Fara's wingman disappeared from her scope.  She could see a brilliant flash of light
bounce off the inside of the canopy and knew what had happened.  A chill ran through her body
as she quickly looked for her remaining wingmen, but found that they too had their paws full.  So,
she reached for the retrorocket control.  She knew she had to get behind them somehow.
     Fara took aim even as her ship was rapidly overtaken by the two enemy ships.  Firing off
shots as quickly as she could, she saw first one, and then the other, ship explode silently before
her.
     "Captain, someone has just deactivated the transmitter's shields," said the Mcnare's tactical
officer.
     "Try to reactivate them," Captain Kos ordered, trying not to sound surprised.  "Without
them, that thing's a sitting duck."
     "I'm trying sir.  Remote activation isn't functioning.  The shield controls have been locked
out."
     "Get me the Chief Operator, then.  I want to know what's happening down there!" he said
to the Comm officer.
     "Sir, we're taking heavy damage.  I'm showing a hull breach near Engineering."
     Captain Kos picked up his hand-comm.  "Engineering!  What's the situation down there? 
We're showing a hull breach."
     A voice came back through his hand-comm.  "Engineering here, Captain.  No serious
casualties down here, but that hull rupture occurred right near the junctions that form the control
interfaces for many of the ship's systems."
     "Have any of the interfaces been damaged?" asked Kos.
     "I'm not sure.  None of the diagnostic equipment is working.  We could check them all
manually, but right now it's all we can do just to keep all the shields from collapsing completely."
     "Did the breach occur in an occupied area?" Kos asked, concerned.
     "Fortunately, no."
     Kos thought about that report for a moment, then replied, "Thank you. Bridge out."  Then,
he commanded, "Divert all 
non-essential power except communications to weapons and shields, and don't stop firing until
they're history!"
     "Captain, the Venom battleship's changed course and is trying to get above us, course
3-6-5!  They're firing on our engines!"
     "We've taken a direct hit to our port engine!" Tactical reported.
     "Put us on course 1-2-7, and don't give them any clear shots at the engines!" Kos ordered.
     "We have contact with the Chief Operator, Sir," said the tactical officer.
     "Put him through."
     "Mcnare, why have you seized control of our systems?" demanded a frightened voice over
the ship's comm system.  There were explosions in the background.  "Without our shields, we are
defenseless against these attackers!"
     "We haven't seized control of anything or deactivated your shields," Kos assured him. 
"Were you able to get word out to the bases before the attack began?"
     "Yes, but it will take some time for them to arrive," the Chief replied.  "Several other
transmitter stations are under attack as well."
     "Get out of there and get your people to safety, then.  Mcnare...," started Kos, only to be
interrupted by a sudden explosion followed by static.  "Try to reestablish contact!"
     "It won't do any good, Sir.  The sensors show that the transmitting station no longer exists."
     Just then, the ship was jolted by a direct hit.  "Captain, the shields have failed and we've
lost our weapons."
     THERE'S NO TIME LEFT TO RETREAT.  A FEW MORE VOLLIES COULD TAKE
US OUT WITH THE SHAPE WE'RE IN.  "Set a course straight for the enemy battleship and
punch it up to maximum velocity!  We may go to hell, but they'll be accompanying us!"
     "Captain, the enemy ship has stopped firing and has ordered back all of its fighters!"
exclaimed the Tactical officer in disbelief.
     "Hold that command!" ordered Kos, going over to the tactical station to have a look for
himself.  "They seem to be withdrawing," Tactical noted.
     "They accomplished their objective, and now they're leaving before help arrives!" stated
Kos.  "They must be as heavily damaged as we are!"
     Fara could hardly believe her eyes as she started seeing the enemy ships turn tail and
retreat.  Going after them would be pointless, as her squad had suffered heavy damage during the
battle and now needed to return to the Mcnare.  Before she could think another thought, the order
to return came to her over the comm system.  "This is Lt. Phoenix to fighter team yellow.  Return
to ship.  I repeat-Return to ship."
     Secretly, part of Kos would have liked to just gather all the SpaceForce's forces for one
major strike against Venom to finish the threat once and for all.  But, his more logical side told him
that such an act would be foolish.  It would leave Federation planets open to hostile races.  Besides
that, the SpaceForce had been unable to determine just what planets Andross had established
secret bases on, or how many such bases he had established.  All their spies (as far as he knew,
anyway) had come up with naught on that matter, and the Lizards would rather die than be
captured.  In addition, it was a well-known fact that Andross' supporters on Venom had been
joined by several other races from near Venom.  Many of those races had long been on less-than
friendly terms with the Federation, but had never started anything without someone else to take the
lead.  Andross was that someone.  Then, of course, there were those damn stealth ships...
     The planets near the Lylat system didn't want to get involved.  They were afraid of
Andross.  They refused to even share information,...if they had any to share.
     "What's the damage?" asked Kos after the last remaining fighters had docked.
     "We've suffered heavy casualties," reported the Tactical officer.  "About 30% of the ship's
hull has been destroyed, but emergency containment systems have isolated the affected
compartments.  And, we've been forced to evacuate decks ten through eighteen due to a loss of life
support.  There was also a brief power fluctuation in one of the engines, but Engineering is looking
into it."
     "Do they believe it's serious?"
     "They're not sure," replied Tactical, obviously not liking the non-answer he had to give.
     "Any word on the control interfaces?"  Kos asked.
     "Not yet.  Chief Engineer Beil just restored power to the diagnostics systems and is
analyzing the damage now."
     Kos turned to his navigator.  "Take us to Starbase Alexus for repairs."  Then, he turned
back to Tactical.  "What of the other battles?"  Kos asked.
     The officer sighed as he replied, "So far, I've received word from only three other ships. 
The transmitters they were guarding were also destroyed."
     "How?"
     The Tactical officer's expression grew fierce and his voice outraged as he answered his
superior's question.  "It seems their shields were mysteriously deactivated just prior to their
destruction."
     Kos stewed over this even as he made his report to Corneria.  Then, with that over, he
returned to the bridge to oversee the ship's docking at Alexus.  The Mcnare was still several
minutes away from the base as he settled into his chair and was filled in on what had happened in
his absence.
     "Captain, I'm showing that we've just fired a nova bomb!?"  Tactical reported, puzzled.
     "We haven't fired anything," Kos replied, turning to face Tactical.  "Could it be a computer
error?"
     "Possibly.  But you should know that the computer indicates that the bomb's been armed."
     Then, a message came from Engineering.  "Captain, did you just try to launch a nova
bomb?"
     "No, but the computers up here SAY we did.  Did one actually fire?"
     "Aye, Sir!  One of the launchers was actuated.  I saw it happen myself."
     Kos turned to Opps with a horrified expression on his face.  "Can you find the nova bomb
on our sensors?"
     "No, Sir.  I haven't seen any nova bombs on sensors!"
     "The launcher must have been damaged during the battle!" Kos concluded.  "The
computer picked up a launch order that wasn't sent and tried to launch the bomb...only it got
jammed somehow."
     "But the bomb couldn't be armed in the tube, Sir!" Opps contributed.  "Unless the special
destruct signal is sent, the bomb won't arm itself until it's several thousand kilometers from the
ship!"
     "The blasts that damaged the launch tubes may have also damaged the bomb's sensors,
making them think they were far enough from the ship to arm themselves,"  Tactical contributed.
     "Meaning we must assume that we now have an armed nova bomb jammed in one of our
launcher tubes.  A nova bomb that's designed to detonate on impact with any object once it's been
armed,"  the Captain considered aloud.
     Then, he looked at tactical, "Prepare to drop the launchers!"
     "Aye, Sir,"  Tactical replied uneasily, hoping that the jerk of the launcher being dropped
wouldn't be enough to set the bomb off.
     IF THAT BOMB GOES OFF, IT'LL MOST LIKELY SET OFF THE FIVE OTHERS
WE'RE CARRYING!  thought Kos.  "Warn the base and tell them to raise their shields!"  Then,
he turned to the navigational officer and ordered them to turn the ship (gently) away from the
base, and to get them as far from the base as possible.  He didn't want the launcher's momentum
carrying it toward the base.
     "We're now facing away from the base, Captain."
     "Drop the launchers," Kos ordered.
     "Captain, there's a problem,"  Tactical reported.  "The ejection system is frozen.  I can't
drop the launchers."
     "Engineering!  Can the bomb be disarmed manually?"
     "We're trying, Sir!  But I don't think this ship's designers knew the meaning of the phrase
'Easy Access'!"
     "Keep trying, and good luck.  I'm going to evacuate the rest of the ship's personnel, just
in...just in case," Kos replied.
     Fara was walking through the halls of the ship, wondering why they hadn't yet landed. 
Then, her heart nearly stopped as she heard Kos's voice call out, "All hands abandon ship!  I
repeat: all hands abandon ship!  There seems to be an armed nova bomb jammed in one of the
launching tubes!  We're attempting to disarm it, but we need all non-essential personnel off the
ship now!  If the ship is destroyed, go to Starbase Alexus!"  Quickly, she raced back to her ship.
     Moments later, Fara's fighter and several others sped away from the Mcnare.
     Back on the bridge, Kos was waiting nervously for a report from his Engineering staff.
     The next voice he heard, however, was not that of his chief Engineer.  "Captain, there's a
massive power buildup in our port engine!  I think it's about to..."  Suddenly, the engine exploded,
jerking the ship forward violently.
     As Fara sped away from the Mcnare, she saw it disappear from her scope, but dared not
look back to see why-an act which was unnecessary, anyway.  She knew why.
     She concentrated on getting to Starbase Alexus-anything to keep her from thinking about
the Mcnare.
     "Lt. Phoenix," called one of the other pilots.  "I've....".  Then, there was a burst of static.
     Suddenly, another fighter passed just in front of her.  Well, part of one, anyway.
     "Damn it!  Put your shields up and watch for flying debris!  That stuff'll cut right through
you!" she yelled impatiently.
     Falco was walking along when he was momentarily blinded by a brilliant flash of light
coming in through a portal.
     "Whoa!" yelled Falco, turning away and throwing his wings up in front of his face in a vain
attempt to block out the light.  Soon, small bits and pieces of metal started pelting the station's
outer shields nearby.  Falco could see that they were red hot and steaming, probably from the
explosion he had just seen.  Wanting to know what was going on, Falco quickly ran to the man
who knew everything that happened around the station.
     "Jess, did you see that?" Falco asked a tall Avian maintenance man, pointing out toward
where he'd seen the flash of light.  "What happened?"
     The man answered quickly as he went about his work.  "Command Central just called it in
to us," he explained.  "A battleship was approaching the base for repairs when they told Command
Central to activate the base's outer shields.  Then, the ship turned around, sped off, and exploded,
apparently from damage suffered in battle with Andross' goons!  One of the ship's fighter pilots
filled us in.  Those that got off in time are on their way here."
     ANDROSS, Falco thought.  That ape had really thrown down the gauntlet this time.  Falco
remembered that game of chicken from so many years ago and felt that same dull rage creeping
back into his body.
     Falco understood that Jess had work to do, and so stayed out of his way.  But, Falco was
never one to keep still long.  He psyched himself up mentally, preparing to spring into action the
moment the ships touched down.  He was sure that at least some of the pilots would be wounded
and in need of help, and he would be there to provide that help.  After all, pilots have to watch out
for each other, he reasoned.  Besides, he hated standing around doing nothing.
     Soon, the ships touched down and Falco was proven right.  Several of the fighters were
carrying wounded, though not all the wounded were pilots.  Some pilots, apparently unable to
bring themselves to leave behind a crewmate, had squeezed them in behind their seats in the
cockpit.  Falco helped get the wounded out of the ships and into the care of waiting medical
personnel.
     There was one pilot there who seemed to be handling herself exceptionally well, he noted. 
Although, afterwards he could only recall her last name.  PHOENIX, I THINK HER NAME
WAS.  He had heard it while they worked together to extricate a wounded man from a ship's
cockpit.  Her composure was one of the few bright spots he saw in the tragedy in which about
80% of the 2000 people on board the Mcnare were now either dead or unaccounted for.
     The two riders were drawing closer and Falco wasn't sure anyone would be able to stop
them from colliding this time.
     Chapter 13: The Hunters and the Hunted

     One would have thought that the SpaceForce, vastly outnumbering their foes on Venom,
would have won an easy victory.  But this was not to be.  For the Lizards, despite the odds, fought
with the ferocity of a cornered animal and with as much loyalty to their leader as any opponent the
SpaceForce had ever encountered.  Under Andross' guidance, the once warring factions had now
been forged into a force to be reckoned with.
     It was believed that the Lizards were now operating from bases on several other planets as
well as Venom.  Andross knew that his forces could not yet take the SpaceForce on 
head-to-head, so he would have his forces attack the perimeter of the SpaceForce's territory, then
leave as quickly as possible.  They would be extremely careful never to return to base by the same
route twice, making tracking them very difficult.  As a result of this hit-and-run style, they began to
wear down the SpaceForce's defenses.
     What frustrated the SpaceForce the most, however, was none of that.  It was the fact that
curious "failures" often occurred at the most inopportune moments for the 'Force.  Shields would
suddenly be deactivated, control panels would freeze up, and sundry other events would conspire
against the 'Force's efforts.  Not only that, the Lizards would often attack the 'Force in the worst
possible places at the worst possible times.
     The possibility of double agents within the SpaceForce hierarchy was being vigorously
investigated.  Unfortunately, much damage had already been done to the 'Force.  Andross had
already seized several Federation planets, enslaving or killing those unfortunate enough to live on
them.  The Lizards fought with such ferocity that many planets were now surrendering without a
fight, and some were even driving out the SpaceForce personnel present in an attempt to appease
Andross.
     Fox had even heard a few rumblings on Corneria.  As far removed from the action as they
were, the Cornerian people were becoming more and more convinced with each SpaceForce
defeat that the Lizards could not be stopped.  He could sense their doubt every time he saw them,
and it made him angry to think that they would even consider surrendering to Andross.  Did they
seriously think that he would spare them?  SURE HE WOULD, Fox thought, UNTIL THEY
WERE NO LONGER OF ANY USE TO HIM.  Yes, he knew Andross quite well.
     Such were Fox's thoughts one day as he walked down the hall.  Suddenly, a voice called
out to him from behind.  "Fox!" the voice called.
     Fox stopped and turned quickly at the mention of his name.  In front of him stood a tall
amphibioid officer.  "I just heard something BIG on the news!"  the woman continued.  "The
Federation's just surrendered Macbeth to Andross unconditionally!"
     "WHAT!" Fox yelled in disbelief.  "When?  Why?"
     "It happened a couple minutes ago," she explained.  "After all the defeats, all the
governments are afraid of Andross.  He seems virtually unstoppable and no one outside the
Federation wants to help us."
     "This is crazy!  They can't just give up Macbeth!" said Fox, storming out of the room. 
SLIPPY'S THERE!
     As he hurried toward the nearest comm station to get an update on the situation, he quickly
plucked the hand-comm from his belt.  He had to know if Slippy was OK.  Fox wished mightily
that he could be out there doing something instead of just sitting here feeling utterly useless.
     He quickly tuned the hand-unit to the right frequency and began to speak.  "This is Lt. Fox
McCloud with a personal message for Sgt. Slippy Toad on base Guilford!  Slippy!  Are you
there?"  There was nothing but static.  He repeated his question, only to be answered by static
once again.
     Finally, Fox reached the comm station.  He activated it and tuned in a news broadcast. 
What he heard made his stomach turn.  "Today, the Federation received yet another severe blow
from the Lizards.  Several outposts were destroyed when the Lizards launched surprise attacks. 
These latest defeats have left a large hole in the SpaceForce's defenses, especially in the
SpaceForce's sensor net.  This has practically destroyed the SpaceForce's ability to defend several
key bases, including Macbeth, where many of the SpaceForce's battleships and fighters are
produced.  Officials say that they had no choice but to surrender Macbeth unconditionally, with no
time allotted for the evacuation of SpaceForce personnel.  They're on their own.  So, any who
were still present when the Lizard troops took over the base are most likely now in Andross'
possession.  That is all we have for now."
     As Fox listened to the broadcast, several small Venom ships flew in through the now-open
doors to Macbeth's inner surface.  Andross had known that the doors would need to be open for
his troops to get inside and seize the base.  So, being in a position of power, he had been able to
get the door control codes from the SpaceForce.  It was better that way, as he'd didn't want to
overuse his sources of "inside information", lest they be discovered.  Besides, he took great joy in
making the SpaceForce give him its secrets.
     There was a good reason that Slippy had not received Fox's call.  All main comm systems
in Guilford had been deactivated by the Lizards.  As soon as they had learned of the surrender of
the planet, he and his colleagues had immediately headed for their ships, hoping to escape and
fight another day.  They knew the Lizards were but a few minutes away, so time was of the
essence.
     Slippy remembered the Base Commander giving the order to evacuate.  Then, the
Commander said that he was going to destroy the base rather than let the enemy get their hands on
it.  Or, as the Commander had put it, "They can have the base, what's left of it, that is."
     Slippy then quickly moved toward his ship, still stunned by the events that were unfolding. 
Unfortunately, as he neared the runway, he saw several squadrons of Venom fighters coming in
for a landing.  He quickly ducked into a nearby hangar.  His window of opportunity had passed. 
Now, he'd have to stay out of sight and bide his time.
     Slippy wanted to avoid high-traffic areas or areas such as Command Central where the
Lizards were likely to head first.  So, he crawled into an access tunnel that ran between the hangar
and the main base.  He eventually found a spot that he felt was sufficiently inconspicuous.  He
decided to wait there until the coast was clear.  When he stopped, he noticed the countdown.  The
Commander had started the self-destruct sequence.
     He knew he didn't have long to get out before the base blew.  Near him, there was a small
grate through which he could see one of the hallways.  Slippy leaned over to look through it and
see if there were any Lizards nearby.  NONE, he thought.  Then, suddenly, the countdown
stopped.  Something was wrong, and he couldn't leave until he knew that the base wouldn't fall
into Venom hands.
     The Commander lay on his back, an enormous pain shooting from his chest.  He was
uncertain of just what had happened.  He could barely open his eyes.  He could see what looked
like one of his men walking out the door.  HE SHOT ME!  WHY?  There were several Lizards
there as well.
     Then, he looked up at the self-destruct device's control panel.  It was the only place from
which the countdown could be started, or stopped.  Then, he remembered.  He had just entered
the destruct code into the computer, and was about to destroy the panel to see that it wouldn't be
tampered with by the Lizards when he heard the door open, and a blast hit him in the chest.  I
THOUGHT I HAD LOCKED THAT DOOR.  He looked at his paw to see if he still had his
blaster, but, unfortunately, someone had taken it.  Of course they had, he thought.  So would I in
their situation.
     He knew he didn't have much longer.  One doesn't usually get hit in the chest by a blaster
at close range and live to tell about it.  He looked at the Lizards, who were busy with concerns
other than him.  He then slowly lifted his hand-comm from his belt.  With the comm systems off,
he guessed they figured it would be of no use to anyone anyway.  His pain seemed to fade away
with each passing second as he quietly scratched something into the back of the hand-comm's
casing.  Then, reaching out with his arm, he placed the unit onto the floor beside him.  He could
only hope that one of his men would find it and understand.
     Then, two Lizards walked in and headed toward him.  One bent down by his feet and
grabbed them, while the other bent down to grab his arms.  One of the Lizards noticed the comm
unit lying on the ground, and simply placed it backside up atop the control panel.  Then, he
grabbed the Commander's arms and lifted.  
     Fortunately, Slippy knew the layout of the base well, and knew how to get to the
self-destruct by way of the access tunnels.  If the Commander had been unable to destroy the base,
he'd have to assume that no one else would be able to do so either.  He'd have to try to do it
himself.
     As Slippy moved by a grate, he heard several voices coming down the hall toward him.  He
quickly ducked out of sight and waited for them to pass by.
     Slippy saw a Lizard and a Mantakkan Eel (one of Andross' newly acquired allies)walking
down the passageway.  In front of them was a trio of prisoners-a Papetoon lion named Shiku, a
Cornerian weasel named Kathan, and an Amphibioid named Gelas.  Slippy knew them all.  He
looked down until they had passed, so he wouldn't have to watch them.
     A minute or two later, Slippy arrived at another grate.  This one was directly opposite the
entrance to Command Central, where the self-destruct system was located.  Suddenly, the door to
Command Central opened, and out stepped two Lizards.  Slippy shuddered when he saw that they
were carrying the body of the Commander.  He had given them a good fight, but lost in the end,
and the Lizards were somehow able to stop the countdown.  Slippy's heart raced.  He felt the
intense desire to run, to just get himself out of there.
     But no, he would not be a coward again, he decided.  He had to get in there somehow.
     Then, questions began cropping up in his mind.  How had the Lizards gotten to Command
Central so soon?  They couldn't have known where it was, could they?  And how had they known
how to stop the countdown?  Simply destroying the controls wouldn't have stopped it.  They must
have had inside help.
     But finding the traitor would have to wait.  Right now, he had a job to do.  Unfortunately,
he didn't know how to get in there unnoticed.  He thought for a moment, then realized that the
tunnel in which he now crouched passed right by Command Central.
     At that moment, he noticed a Venom Lizard out of the corner of his eye.  He was standing
near the door, barely within Slippy's view.  The tunnel was rather cramped, and Slippy banged his
head as he started forward.
     Cursing silently, Slippy quickly looked back to see if the guard had reacted to the noise. 
But, when he looked back, he couldn't see the guard anywhere.  GREAT.  NOW WHERE IS HE? 
IF HE HEARD ME, THERE'LL SOON BE AN ENTIRE STATION FULL OF LIZARDS OUT
TO KILL ME!  I REALLY HATE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS!  Slippy then noticed a shadow
on the floor near the grate.  It seemed to be moving closer, closer.  Then, a green hand suddenly
reached down and pulled the grate right out of the wall!  Slippy reeled back in terror, instinctively
kicking out his leg.  He caught the stooping guard squarely on the jaw, knocking him backwards. 
A second or two later, Slippy heard footsteps coming down the hallway.  Many footsteps, in rapid
succession.
     Slippy started to crawl through the tunnel as quickly as he could.  His heart pounded as he
desperately tried to find his way to his destination.  He crawled even faster as he heard someone
else crawling after him.  He could not let them get within sight of him, or he'd be dead.  In here,
there would be no room for him to turn and fire on them, nor dodge their fire.  So, he set his
blaster to low power and fired it at the bottom of the tunnel behind him, quickly heating it to the
point where it would be impassible for several minutes.
     "Where is he?" asked Vessic.
     "He was last spotted in an access tunnel just outside here.  He hasn't been seen since then."
     "Where does that tunnel lead?"  Vessic asked.
     "It branches off into many different tunnels leading to all parts of the base."
     "Do any of those tunnels lead to a hangar,...or here?"
     "No hangars, but he can exit one tunnel into this room, and
several others pass by areas that our blueprint lists as 'Weapons Storage'.  You don't think he may
be trying to stage a one-man war, do you, Sir?  That would be insane!"
     "Could he be trying to re-start the self-destruct?" one of the other Lizards asked.
     "I don't think he can," Vessic replied.  "He doesn't know the code.  Then again, if I were
him, I wouldn't want to leave this base in the hands of an enemy."  
     "But, if you don't mind my saying so, Sir.  I thought that's what an 'unconditional
surrender' meant."
     "It was politicians who surrendered this base," Vessic replied.  "Whoever this guy is, he's a
soldier, not a politician."
     Vessic was silent for a moment after that, then said, "We don't have enough men to cover
every access point on this base...  Is there a way to track his movements?"
     "If we knew how to use these sensors better, perhaps.  But we haven't had time to get any
information out of the captives, and I only figured out the heat sensors about ten minutes ago.  It
would help if we could read the writing on them, but I guess we can't be taught all of Cornerian in
such a short time."
     "Sir, we're showing a great concentration of heat in one of the tunnels near a weapons
storage area."
     "That heat could be him trying to use a blaster to cut through the sides of the tunnel,
quietly," noted another Lizard.
     "Get some men to that storage room," Vessic ordered.  "Also, let's keep an eye on the
grates, especially the ones near the hangars and here."
     Vessic felt out of control of the events at hand.  Resistance like this had not been
anticipated, and there wasn't even a full crew on the base yet.  There was a Venom battleship in
orbit around the planet, but they would be of little use in capturing the prisoner unless he were
somehow able to get to his ship and take off.  By the time they could get any ground assistance to
him, the prisoner would either have already been captured or would have already taken off.
     Something about this whole situation deeply disturbed him.  Perhaps it was that, during the
civil war, he and his comrades had often been hunted by their enemies.  Now, they were the ones
doing the hunting.  But, he couldn't think about that now, for now he had a job to do.  It was not a
soldier's place to question the orders and motivations of his commander.  Or was it?  He wasn't
sure anymore.
     He had asked Andross to put him back on active duty, hoping that some time away from
Venom might help him to put things in perspective.  But instead, he was now more unsure of what
he was doing than ever.  Andross must have sensed his doubts, for he had confronted Vessic
earlier.  However, Vessic had managed to convince him that he had realized that what had been
occupying his thoughts all along was a fear of failure in their mission.  At the time, he actually
thought that might be the case.  Or, at least, he had hoped he thought that.
     Then, he thought about the Cornerian.  A part of him despised that creature for betraying
his own people.  How was it that Andross could so easily get those near him to succumb to his
will?  Well, the Cornerian had done his dirtywork and left the
planet.  He wanted to keep a low profile, which was just fine with Vessic.
     In his nervous flight, Slippy had banged his head many times, but ignored the pain and kept
on going.  He hoped that his small attempt at misdirection had worked.  Finally, he reached the
grate inside Command Central.  As expected, there were Lizards in there.  In front of him, Slippy
heard more Lizards approaching.  They couldn't track him, so they were going to physically hunt
him down. 
     Then, knowing it was now or never, Slippy quickly aimed at the grate and fired.  Through
the glowing heat of the grate, Slippy could see several Lizards, apparently unaware of his
presence.
     One of the Lizards near the grate noticed it starting to turn color.  He turned and looked to
Vessic, who had also noticed the phenomenon.  "Nog vask ti il.  Ce vask anted de te e fido, u
possa anda.  E uces ui non possas re fina.  Kadas ti keras (Don't fire on him until he leaves it.  If
you fire before then and miss, he may run.  We may not be able to find him again.  I want him
stunned only.)," commanded Vessic, looking away from the grate as he spoke.
     When the metal was hot and soft enough, Slippy rammed it with the butt end of his gun.  
     The grate hit the ground with a loud "Clang!".  The Lizards turned around just in time to
see Slippy exit the tunnel and head for the nearest console.  A Lizard took aim at Slippy.  But
Slippy managed to beat him to the draw.
     The blast hit the Lizard square in the chest, jolting him off-balance.  As he hit the ground,
his gun went off, striking one of the other Lizards dead.  Slippy looked at the first Lizard's body,
then took aim at the room's door controls and blasted them to keep the door shut and the other
Lizards out.
     There was one more Lizard in the room, crouching behind a control panel.  Vessic quickly
came out of his place of concealment, fired at Slippy, then got back to cover.  Slippy ducked away
from the shot, then returned fire.
     In between shots, Vessic activated his comm unit and commanded, "Tegas hu enos ty dera
nu!  Eres vi ti hutor!  (Get some men to the Control Center!  There's an enemy here!)"
     Slippy knew that he had to get to the self-destruct device fast, or he might not get there at
all.  The Lizards he had heard in the tunnel were no doubt on their way after having heard the
commotion.
     So, he aimed his next shot not at the Lizard, but at the side of the control panel behind
which the Lizard hid.  He fired, shading his eyes with one hand while firing with the other.  There
was a blinding flash of light as the panel burst into flame.
     Vessic pulled back from the light, but he had already been blinded.  When his vision slowly
began to return, he saw Slippy's blurry figure standing over him.  Then, he heard a shot fired and
everything went black.
     Slippy, not being one to kill unnecessarily, had merely stunned him.  After collecting the
Lizards' guns in a corner, Slippy turned his attention to the self-destruct device.  He gazed at its
display.  It was stopped because someone had entered the secret abort code!
     Slippy didn't know the code to re-start the countdown, but he did know enough about
computers to get around that problem.  Given enough time, that is.  The SpaceForce didn't make it
easy to break into their self-destruct systems, lest a deranged individual decide he'd rather a base
not be there anymore.  Slippy's only hope was to somehow hit upon the correct code to restart the
countdown.  Unfortunately, that code consisted of ten characters picked totally at random.  He
could punch in combinations for years and not find the correct one.
     But, he didn't have years.  So, he got to work, glancing at the hole in the wall every few
seconds.  After trying a few combinations and getting nowhere, Slippy threw up his hands in
disgust.  In so doing, his hand knocked against something.  He looked over and saw a SpaceForce
hand-comm teetering on the edge of the console.  He could see something inscribed on it, so he
picked it up and started to look at it.
     Just then, he heard a noise on the other side of the door.  The Lizards were trying to cut
through it!  Slippy stopped for a second to calm himself, then continued studying the scratches.
     He noticed that the scratches looked like numbers!  He counted them to be sure they were
what he thought they might have been.  There were ten of them!  Slippy moved over to the
console and punched the numbers in sequence.  The words 'Self-destruct in 4:35' appeared on the
display.
     "Y-Yes!" Slippy exclaimed, throwing his arm up in the air then jerking it back down again.
     The countdown had started again.  Although the readout clearly indicated that the
self-destruct was in progress, Slippy noted that there was no audible countdown broadcast over the
comm system.  Something must have been damaged.  Slippy placed the comm unit down on a
nearby panel, took aim with his blaster, and destroyed the control panel.  The countdown had
started again, and this time the Lizards would not be able to stop it.
     However, Slippy decided-as long as there was even a remote chance of the Lizards being
able to rig some way to enter the abort code, he could not leave anything behind that might reveal
that code to them.  He couldn't even allow them to figure out right away that he'd re-started the
self-destruct, lest whoever  entered the abort code the first time still be on board.  So, he took his
blaster and incinerated the hand-comm.
     Since the Lizards were trying to come through the door, Slippy's only chance for escape
was the access tunnel he had used to get there.  Also, he'd have to get to his ship somehow.
     He moved to another control panel and called up the base's blueprints.
     As he had hoped, another tunnel intersected that one just up ahead.  That tunnel passed
very near to the exit to the runway by which his ship stood.  If only the Lizards haven't yet reached
that intersection...
     Slippy then looked up at the door and saw it change color to orange, and saw little droplets
of molten metal fall to the floor.
     "Oh *(^%(%!" he yelled.  He then took a couple running steps toward the tunnel and dove
right into it!  He banged his head again, said something under his breath, then got moving.  He
hung a left, and crawled as fast as he possibly could, his heart racing.  In his hand he still clutched
his blaster, ready for action.  Finally, he saw the intersection a few feet ahead of him.  He breathed
out a sigh of relief, but then tensed up again when he heard voices up ahead.  They were very
close and getting closer.
     Slippy quickened his pace and made the turn just as he heard a voice cry, "Quest erat!
(There he is!)"  A blaster shot struck behind him.  He moved forward quickly, his eyes scanning
the tunnel in front of him, hoping to see some corners he could turn.  He could not turn and fight
in here, and they were now too close behind him for him to risk stopping to heat up the tunnel the
way he had before.  His only chance was to outrun them, at least until he reached the tunnel's exit.
     So, he was glad to see the turn up ahead.  Anything to keep him out of their line of fire. 
He turned the corner, and saw something that almost made his heart stop.  The tunnel was straight
for as far as the eye could see, and Slippy could hear the sounds of the Lizards moving in behind
him.
     Slippy had seen this on the computer screen back in Command Central, but had hoped it
was a mistake.  There were other tunnels there that also led to the hangar, but this one took a
slightly shorter route than the others.  And time, he knew, was of the essence.
     "Where is he now?" Vessic asked, still groggy from the stun.  After cutting through the
door, the Lizards had found him lying on the ground, unconscious.  He couldn't help but
wonder...If the SpaceForce was as bad as Andross had told them, why hadn't that SpaceForce
officer killed him while he had the chance?
     "One of our men spotted him in an access tunnel, heading Northeast," an officer replied,
pointing to the blueprint.
     "What's in that direction?" Vessic asked rhetorically while studying the blueprint.  Then, he
answered himself pensively,  "The main hangar.  That's where he's heading.  He's trying to get to
his ship and escape."
     "What do you want us to do, Sir?" an officer asked Vessic.
     Vessic did not answer.  He seemed to be thinking about something.
     "Sir?" the officer repeated.
     "Are the planet's outer doors locked?"  Vessic asked.
     "Aye, sir.  But they probably can be opened by a fighter.  The necessary code's probably
been given to all pilots stationed here."
     "Tell our men in the main hangar to be prepared for his arrival," Vessic said hesitantly,
almost regretfully.  "I want him stunned only.  We've already killed too many of the Emperor's
slaves."  WHY DID HE COME HERE?  TO HELP HIS COMMANDER, PERHAPS?
     "Sir, the path he's taking could lead him to any one of a number of grates in that hangar,"
replied an officer, studying the blueprint Slippy had accessed.
     "As far as he knows, we're trying to kill him," Vessic considered, "If I were in his shoes, I'd
try to avoid long straight-aways like this."  He pointed to a long, straight line on the blueprint. 
"They would give my pursuers a clear shot at me.  I'd take a route with many turns but that still
didn't take too long to reach the hangar.  I'd take either one of these two routes," Vessic said,
pointing to first one tunnel and then another.  "Put two guards by the grates at the ends of those
two tunnels.  Tell them to stun him only as soon as he emerges.  And tell them to be on the alert in
case he does come out somewhere we don't expect."  I'M JUST FOLLOWING ORDERS, Vessic
thought to himself.
     Vessic looked at the self-destruct panel.  BLASTED.  PROBABLY DURING THE
FIREFIGHT.  BUT-SOMETHING'S JUST NOT RIGHT.
     Slippy felt that he would never be able to make it by crawling, the tunnel was just too long. 
There was, however, another way.  If only there was enough room in here...  Slippy quickly
lowered himself onto the bottom of the tunnel.  Then, lying flat against the tunnel's bottom, Slippy
pushed himself back until his legs were bent and his feet were pushing against the wall behind him. 
Then, with all the strength in his powerful amphibioid legs, he pushed off!
     Slippy sped down the straight-away.  There was a turn up ahead, so Slippy put out his
arms to avoid slamming into the wall.
     Around that turn, Slippy could see light.  He was almost to the hangar!  When he reached
the grate, he knew he had to get it out of the way quickly.  So, he set his blaster on full power and
took aim at it.
     Two guards had their guns and eyes trained on the grate, ready to fire as soon as it moved. 
Then, suddenly, there was a blast that knocked the grate onto the floor.  Slippy grabbed the sides
with his hands and pushed himself forward.  He landed on the floor and quickly sprang back up to
his feet.
     The guards turned and ran toward him, firing as they went.  Slippy bent down and ran for
the nearest cover.  But, even when he reached that cover, he didn't stop for a second.  Knowing
full well that the base might blow at any second, he worked his way from cover spot to cover spot,
each time getting closer and closer to his ship.  Just as the guards were being joined in hot pursuit
by their comrades from the tunnels, Slippy managed to reach the door controls and open the
hangar door as he passed by.
     The Lizards had managed to close the door to prevent escapes, but apparently didn't know
how to keep it closed.  Slippy ran toward the door even as it was slowly opening.  When he
reached it, it was not yet open far enough to allow him to pass through while running.  So, he dove
right under it!
     Fortunately, all the Lizard ships had already landed.  So, Slippy found himself quite alone
on the runway.  That is, until his pursuers caught up with him.  They ran toward him, knowing
that their best chance to hit him would be while he climbed into his fighter.
     But when Slippy reached his fighter, he didn't climb into it at all.  He leaped right up onto
the wing, and threw open the canopy with all his might!  In the blink of an eye, he was sitting in
the cockpit firing up the engines.
     The Lizards just stood there, dumbfounded by what they had just seen.
     Slippy reached over and pulled the canopy closed while they looked on.
     "Fire on him!," yelled one of the Lizards.  But then he saw the guns on Slippy's ship
coming to bear on them.  "Scatter!," he yelled.  The group quickly dispersed as two powerful
blasts struck the ground between them.
     "F-finally!  I-I can t-turn around wi-without being sh-shot at!"  Slippy commented.
     By the time the Lizards got back to the runway, Slippy was already gliding through the air.
     "How did he get away?" Vessic asked over his communicator as he scanned Command
Central.  
     "He came out a different grate than we expected," came the answer.  "Should we send
ships out after him?"
     "No.  He'd be too far away by the time we got into the air.
If he can get the planetary doors open, he'll be long gone.  And if he can't, then he'll have to land
out there somewhere.  With no food or water, he'll never survive," Vessic advised.  "Besides, we
have a lot of work to do to get this place in order.  Many of the control panels have been damaged. 
Just tell the ship to keep an eye out for him..."  Then, he noticed that one of the damaged panels,
the self-destruct panel, had been hit by a blast from in front, not from behind.  It was not obvious,
but he could tell from the laserburn marks on the panel's remains.  So, it could not have been
damaged in the firefight with the now-escaped SpaceForce officer.
     "Captain," he spoke into the hand-comm, "Which grate did he exit from?"
     "Sir?"
     "Which grate?" Vessic demanded.  "You followed him through the tunnels, right?"
     "Aye, Sir.  But he was already in the hangar by the time we reached the final junction.  We
guessed at a path but chose the wrong one.  Sir, why do you..."
     "Just listen!" Vessic ordered.  "When he exited the tunnel, he would have had to first
remove the grate like you did.  Find the other tunnel exit with a missing grate, climb into it, and tell
me if there's a long straight-away near it."  He hurried over to the panel which still displayed the
blueprint.
     Several seconds later, his answer came.  "Sir, there is a long straight-away that leads almost
right up to the grate," said the Captain, sounding as if he were in a cave.  "Why did you want to
know?"
     Looking at the display, Vessic realized that the SpaceForce officer had used the exact
escape route that he had ruled out before.  WHY WOULD HE HAVE MADE HIMSELF AN
EASY TARGET LIKE THAT JUST TO GET OUT OF THE TUNNELS A COUPLE
SECONDS SOONER?  UNLESS...THE BASE COMMANDER HAD TRIED AND FAILED
TO DESTROY THE BASE AND KEEP IT OUT OF ENEMY PAWS.  IT WOULD HAVE
BEEN THE OFFICER'S DUTY TO TRY TO DESTROY THE BASE, AND ESCAPE.  BUT,
HE WOULDN'T HAVE KNOWN THE CODE,... HE DIDN'T HAVE A HIGH ENOUGH
SECURITY CLEARANCE.  YET, HE APPARENTLY HAD BLASTED THE 
SELF-DESTRUCT TERMINAL AFTER THE FIREFIGHT, AND THEN TAKEN A ROUTE
TO HIS SHIP THAT WOULD GET HIM OFF THE BASE A FEW SECONDS SOONER,
BUT WOULD BE LIKELY TO GET HIM SHOT.  HE DIDN'T HAVE THE CODE.  AND
YET, IF HE DID SOMEHOW HAVE IT-IF HIS COMMANDER HAD LEFT IT FOR HIM
SOMEHOW.  IF I DO NOTHING AND THE 
SELF-DESTRUCT REALLY HAS BEEN REACTIVATED...
     "All hands abandon the base!  The self-destruct sequence has been re-activated and cannot
be stopped!  I repeat!  All hands abandon the base!"
     His men stared at him in stunned silence.  "Go!"  he yelled.  That finally got them moving.
     As Vessic ran through the halls, a message came through on his comm unit.  "Sir!  What
should we do with the prisoners?"
     "Let them go!  Dead slaves can't work!" he said, knowing full well that the prisoners would
probably escape as soon as they saw all the Lizards running for their ships.  "Then, get out of here
yourself!  Vessic out!"  The other Lizard had no time to argue, so he complied.
     The doors loomed large in Slippy's sites, and not a second too soon.  The base would blow
any second now, and he wanted to be nowhere near it when it did.  He punched some buttons on
his ship's console, and the huge doors began to open.  Slippy sped through the opening, even
though the doors had not yet fully opened.  As he shot through, the doors suddenly stopped and
his ship was buffeted by the force of a large explosion.  The base (and the doors' power supply)
had been destroyed.
     Slippy could only hope that none of his friends were still on that base when it blew.  It had
been a day he knew he'd never forget.
     Vessic finally managed to get his ship back under control.  He could only hope that his
friends had all gotten off the base before it blew and wonder if there was something more he could
have done to prevent this.
     He did know, however, that as long as this war raged on, events such as this would become
more and more commonplace.
     Slippy looked at a large blip on his sensor screen.  As he had expected, the Lizards had a
large battleship orbiting the planet.  Something about the ship reminded him of the SpaceForce's
own battleships.
     But, the resemblance didn't matter just then.  What did matter, however was that their
attention seemed to be on the explosion that had just occurred, not on him.  Eager to get out of
what was now enemy territory, Slippy turned his ship toward the Federation's new border.
     As time passed, it would come to be known that neither of their hopes had come true.