STAR FOX: ARMAGEDDON
by
Theodore P. Perrotti

In the far reaches of the unknown, your worst enemy is sometimes closer than your best friend.





































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

     Star Fox is copyright (C) 1993 Nintendo of America Inc.  Used without permission.  All
characters and places created by me, Theodore P. Perrotti, are copyright (C) 1995 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 give me credit if
you use any of my creations.

     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.

     You may also notice a "Star Trek" influence in this story.  This is no coincidence. 
Specifically, this story has been influenced by the original series episode "Mirror-Mirror", the
Next Generation two-parter "The Best of Both Worlds", and the Next Generation novel "Dark
Mirror".

     I welcome your comments.  Please e-mail them to me at author@galaxycorp.com.
_________________________________________________________________




     Prologue

     It is now 5 years after the successful attack on Venom.  After that battle, Andross' few
remaining followers were banished from the Lylat system, and from Venom as well.  Andross
himself was given life in prison for his crimes, with his sentence to be served on Corneria.
     With the long and bloody conflict with the Lizards over, the SpaceForce focused its
attention on rebuilding the worlds and the technologies it had lost during the war (including their
early warning system, which is still far from being rebuilt as this story opens), putting most
military
development (of their own stealth ships, for example) on the back burner.  Pretty much the only
new military development given high priority was the development of the DFX Arwing (a slight
improvement over the prototype SFX's) to replace the fleet of M-class fighters, much of which
had been destroyed during the war with the Lizards.
     After the initial period of rebuilding, the SpaceForce resumed carrying out its second-most
important mission: exploration and study of the wonders of the universe.  
     One day, Fox McCloud vanished from his arwing, only to be replaced by another Fox
McCloud from an alternate universe, where the SpaceForce controlled planets through fear,
though a growing rebellion was making things very uncomfortable for the SpaceForce there. 
Also,
Fox (not the one native to the alternate universe) had managed to convince several people on the
other Corneria to help the rebels.
     Upon the "real" Fox's return to his home universe, which required him to kill his evil
counterpart, Fox brought news of the existence of the other SpaceForce and of a mysterious
project called "Project Crossover".
    Intricately linked to Fox's disappearance return was an incredible rarity: a wormhole.  A new
scientific research station was then built for the use of scientists from many planets (including
Venom) in studying the incredible phenomenon.  The station was located in fairly uncharted and
potentially hostile space, so Fox McCloud and General Pepper were temporarily reassigned to the
base to head a military presence there.
     Aiding them in protecting the base are several members of the SpaceForce's newest ally:
the Venom military.  The SpaceForce and the Venom military had pooled their resources and
personnel in an effort to better protect both the Federation and Venom during their rebuilding.










     Chapter 1: Signs of Trouble

     To say that it was a rarity in the universe would be the grossest of understatements, for it
was unique in the strictest sense of the word.  Fox McCloud found himself gazing in awe out a
portal at what barely a year ago was only hypothetical.  
     He had already been at Research Station McNally for three months and had seen the
wormhole several times before, but was still hard pressed to believe that it was really there.  Not
some fantasy.  He was a pilot, not a theoretician often given to pondering the mysteries of the
universe.  And yet, here he was,  staring at a bridge connecting a myriad of places and times. 
Apparently, the SpaceForce shared his interest in the wormhole, for the study of it was McNally's
entire reason for being.  
     He was a pilot, which was why he was surprised at General Pepper's asking him to be his
second in command at the station, as well as at the SpaceForce's putting Pepper in charge.  The
wormhole was out well past Venom, in an unknown and potentially dangerous region of space. 
Apparently the SpaceForce felt it necessary to have a military presence on the base, until the area
was deemed safe; hence his and other pilots' assignments here.  Falco, Peppy, and Fara were still
on Corneria.  He once asked Pepper why Falco and Peppy weren't among the pilots temporarily
reassigned to the research base as well.  
     "Believe me, Junior, if I had any choice, they would have been," Pepper said flatly from
across his desk.  "However, even I have to take orders from superiors.  I was only given the
choice
of my first officer: you."  
     "If you didn't have a say in the choosing of the other pilots, then who did?", Fox inquired. 
"Admiral Clarkson, head of the SpaceForce Defence council."  "It's not so much the pilots he was
choosing as the ships they fly.  You and your team fly the old SFX arwings.  He feels that the
station would be better protected by pilots flying the new DFX arwing fighters.  They're faster,
more maneuverable, and more powerful than the SFX's, and he wants pilots that are already
acclimated to them.  I disagree with him, but must obey his orders."  
     That was all too consistent with what Fox had heard of the Admiral, that he believed that it
was the quality of the ship that made for victories, not that of the pilot that flew it.  Not that Fox
questioned the abilities of the pilots that had been chosen.  On the contrary, he knew several of
them personally from Corneria.  They were good pilots.  
     They were good, but he felt that Falco and Peppy were the greatest of the fighter pilots he
had ever seen in action, himself included.  Once more, it often seemed to him that they knew him
better than he knew himself.  As for Fara, she was an excellent pilot as well.  But, being her
husband, he couldn't help feeling relieved that she was not in this dangerous place.  As Fox
opened
his mouth to voice those thoughts, a message came over the intercom on Pepper's desk.  "Gen.
Pepper and 
Capt. McCloud please report to Command Central, we're getting highly unusual readings from the
wormhole."  Fox and Pepper looked at each other and wordlessly left the room. 
     Command Central, as it was called, was the center of activity of the station, like the bridge
of a spaceship.  It was a fairly small room, seemingly ready to burst at the seems with computer
equipment.  The station itself was only about 
three hundred miles in diameter, small compared to most SpaceForce stations built since the end
of
the war.  Fox glanced around as he entered, about a step behind the General.  The sophistication
of such scientific rooms was sharply at odds with the Spartan nature of the remainder of the
station.  
     JUST THE NECESSITIES, Fox mused as he panned the room, his gaze finally fixing on
the large viewscreen in front.  In front of the screen, which, as usual, was showing the wormhole,
he saw two men standing over a console and talking excitedly amongst themselves.
     "So, Dr. Greene, what is it that's so important?", asked General Pepper to one of the men,
a penguin-like being from the planet Titania.  The conversation ceased, and Dr. Greene motioned
with his head for Pepper and Fox to look at the console.  The screen showed several thick lines,
each consisting of various shades of red and yellow.  
     "As you know, earlier today we sent several probes into the wormhole," said Dr. Greene,
who apparently was the pair's spokesman.  "What you see here are the results those probes sent
back."  "They are spectrographic analyses of the wormhole.  Each probe took continuous samples
of the wormhole's radiation over a two-hour period."  "As you can see," he said, pointing at the
display, "there seem to be several bursts of high-frequency electromagnetic radiation at regular
time intervals.  Also, the intensity of the bursts seems to have a definite pattern."  
     "I would think that natural phenomena such as this would put out radiation very
randomly", Fox remarked, intrigued.  
     "They do.  I don't think that these signals originated in the wormhole at all.  They just
passed through it."  
     "What are you saying?" asked Fox.  
     "I'm not sure, but it looks like a series of optic communication transmissions to me.  Only
intelligent life could have put them out."  
     "Also, if you look at the frequency distribution of the signals, you'll notice that they all fall
within the range of frequencies used by the SpaceForce for encoded transmissions," added the
other man, who Fox now recognized as Dr. Samuels.  
     Fox, who had almost forgotten that his fellow Cornerian was even there, replied, "You're
right, only top-secret messages are sent out on those frequencies."  Samuels knew what he was
talking about, too.  As part of being first officer, Fox had thoroughly reviewed the personnel files
of those under him.  He remembered that Samuels was one of the SpaceForce's foremost
authorities on electromagnetic radiation, and had helped design much of the equipment that the
'Force relied so heavily upon, including the comm in Fox's own arwing and the nightview feature
that had finally allowed them to see Andross' stealth ships.  
     He was glad that Andross' followers were no longer in any position to improve on the
stealth technology, what with their genius leader behind bars and all.  
     "But," Pepper observed, "There are no other SpaceForce outposts in this area, and we
haven't received any transmissions today, let alone top secret ones."  
     "I know, General," Greene replied, "There seems to be only one place these transmissions
could have come from.  The other side of the wormhole." 
     Pepper frowned and announced to all who had heard their conversation; "I will present the
data to the Defence Council and await their instruction.  Since whoever or whatever is responsible
for these transmissions could conceivably intercept and decipher any transmission we make, I will
deliver the data in person.  Capt. McCloud will command this station during my absence.  Until
further notice, no one is to discuss these transmissions or the true reason behind my leaving with
anyone outside this room.  If there is something to this, we don't want the wrong people getting
wind of it.  That is all."  One look at Fox's face told him that his second-in-command had
something to say to him, in private.  He turned to Dr.'s Greene and Samuels and told them to
decipher the transmissions as quickly as possible, and, if there was any meaningful message in
them, to report it directly to himself or Capt. McCloud.  Lt. Graves, the comm officer, offered his
services during his off-duty hours.  Pepper gladly approved.  He then motioned for Fox to follow
him.
     Once in the General's office, Fox got right to the point.  "I'm not sure it's a good idea for
you to make the trip to council headquarters yourself.  It's over ten light-years from here, at least
a
month's trip by shuttle each way through mostly unexplored, potentially dangerous space. 
Perhaps
I, Dr. Greene, or Dr. Samuels would be a better choice.  Certainly those two know more about
the
communications area than you do."  
     "Which is exactly why I need them here, Junior" Pepper countered.  "If those transmissions
indicate a possible threat to the 'Force or those we protect, I need to know now.  And I need you
here in case something happens while I'm gone.  As for the dangerous trip, well, no good
commander would ever expose his men to danger he's unwilling to expose himself to first."  
     Fox could tell his mind was set, and so said only, "When will you be leaving?".  
     "As soon as I can arrange passage on one of our shuttles," Pepper replied, already halfway
out the door.  
     Turning to face the General, Fox observed, "Those shuttles aren't meant to protect,
General, just to transport.  They have little firepower or shielding.  I suggest you take at least two
arwings as an escort."  
     Pepper stopped and turned to Fox, then said wryly,  "DFX's?  Very well, if you insist on
worrying.  Two of them will do.  Tell the pilots to meet me in the docking bay in an hour."  He
then added, "Remember, Junior, tell them only what they absolutely need to know.  Nothing else. 
And they aren't to discuss their mission with any of the other pilots."  
     With that, Fox nodded and got up to head for Command Central, but stopped outside what
was soon to be his office and watched as Pepper walked down the corridor, heading toward the
docking bay.  An uneasy feeling came upon Fox as he plucked his hand-comm from his belt.