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.
_________________________________________________________________

     Chapter 8: On the Run 

     Several hours passed, and still Fox could not figure out how to get them out.  They needed
a break.  
     General Pepper had been sleeping like a dead man ever since he was brought in by the
guards, after they had done who knows what to him.  
     About an hour earlier, Tad had been taken in for questioning.  A few minutes ago, he was
returned in much the same condition as General Pepper.  The fact that Fox would probably soon
be interrogated himself made him try that much harder to find a way out.
     Fox yawned.  It had been nearly eighteen hours since he had last slept.  This situation had
him too worried to sleep.  He was worried about his friends, worried about his planet, and, most
of all, worried about Fara.
     Suddenly, the door opened and in stepped Andross, his footsteps sounding more like claps
of thunder than feet.  As if sensing Andross' presence, General Pepper awoke from his slumber.  A
cold chill ran down Fox's body as he focused his mind on one task: Keeping Andross out.  Facing
an opponent with telekinetic powers was tough, but Andross had that ability and the ability to
control one's mind as well.  He was the most fearsome enemy Fox could imagine.  
     Fox could feel Andross' mind probing his own, looking for a way in.  NO WAY YOU'RE
GETTING IN HERE.  As Andross neared Fox's cell, he was followed closely by Fox's stare.
     Andross stopped short of the field.  "I never thought I'd look on your face with anything
but friendship.  Trust no, but friendship nonetheless," said Andross.  
     AND I NEVER THOUGHT I'D HEAR YOU SAY THE WORD "FRIENDSHIP", EXCEPT
WHILE RIDICULING SOMEONE.  "Your friend was not me, Andross!"  said Fox, hoping that
his anger would shield his mind from Andross' control.
     "No, he wasn't,"  Andross agreed, "He had his priorities straight.  I could respect him."
     "What you call priorities, I call thievery and murder,"  countered Fox, "Listen, I'm already
tired of this conversation.  So why don't you just interrogate me, gloat, or do whatever it is you
came to do and....."
     Suddenly, a powerful wave of dizziness hit him, causing him to lose his balance.  Saved
from a fall only by the binders, Fox dangled helplessly from them.  Numerous images raced
through Fox's mind.  He felt his head pounding.  
     He was no longer inside the cell.  He was back in the realm of nothing.  The shadow had
returned too.  It beckoned him to follow.  Fox then remembered the cell he was in, and could see
Andross.  However, Fox could not recognize him.  He felt his body stand up straight and strain to
move forward.  I MUST FOLLOW HIM.  I MUST.
     Andross looked at Fox's binders, and they promptly broke and fell to the floor.  Fox started
walking toward the field.  
     Suddenly finding his strength, Gen. Pepper yelled, "Junior!  Don't touch the field!  It's
lethal!"  But Fox couldn't hear him, and Gen. Pepper was thrown back against the rear wall of his
cell.
     The tips of Fox's paws were about to touch the field when Andross put up his paw in the
"stop" sign.  Fox froze, then slowly turned and walked back.  He put his paws up against the cell
wall, one on each side of the metal ring.  The binders rose up off the floor, passed through the
ring, clamped back onto Fox's paws, and mended themselves.
     When Fox's head had cleared, Andross warned, "In this place, Capt., only the strong
survive, and I am the strongest there is."  Andross' face showed nothing but pure, unadulterated
ire.  "I could have killed you, Captain, and neither you nor your friends could have stopped me.  I
could have killed you, but the time was not yet right.  But, rest assured that the time will be right
soon."  He then turned and left.
     Fox, feeling exhausted by the experience, leaned against the cell wall.  Once again, only the
binders prevented him from falling to the floor.
     "Are you alright, Junior?"  asked Pepper, genuinely
concerned.
     "I'm OK," Fox replied, "But Andross' power took a lot out of me.  Too much."
     "What do you mean by 'too much'?"  Pepper asked.
     "These cells are probably bugged, so we'd better whisper from now on,"  Fox whispered. 
"When we were attacking our universe's Andross on Venom, he managed to get my shields down
and used his mind-control power on me,"  Fox explained, "But I was able to resist him by getting
emotional.  I tried the same defence this time, but he overpowered it.  On Venom, his powers
were
being augmented by his telekinetic amplifier.  But such a device would be much too large to fit on
this ship!  So, how did he do it?  Damn!  He really could have killed me!"
     "Yes, he could have,"  Pepper admitted, "He can kill us all if he wants to.  A very scary
thought."
     "No,"  Fox replied, "He wants me.  He wants me because I killed his friend."
     The idea of Andross having a friend was new to Pepper.  "His friend?!"  he said,
incredulously.  "Who?"
     "Me, or rather the Alternate Fox McCloud,"  said Fox absently, "He was Andross' only
friend."
     "You didn't mention in your report that your counterpart was Andross' friend,"  recalled
Pepper.
     "Would you have, General?"  Fox challenged, finally feeling strong enough to stand up
straight. 
     Pepper thought about that for a moment.  "No, I don't suppose I would have at that," he
finally admitted.  "Anyway, in your report you said that you and the Alternate Fox were stuck
between dimensions when you killed him,"  Pepper posed.
     Anticipating Pepper's next question, Fox added, "He knows.  I don't know how, but he
knows."
     "You know, he just might have a telekinetic amplifier on board,"  Tad contributed.
     "How?"  Fox asked, looking directly at Tad, "That thing was roughly the size of a small
moon!".  Pepper was surprised that the two of them weren't at each other's throats by now, but
was also glad they weren't.
     "Well," Tad began, "The TK amplifier that our Andross used may not have fit on this ship,
but these people seem even more warlike than he did.  That's why their weaponry is so much
more
powerful than ours.  They've developed it more than we have.  Also, our Andross had the
SpaceForce as enemies, while this one has them as allies.  With his genius and the resources and
personnel of the SpaceForce at his disposal, he may have been able to make the amplifier much
more compact.  If they could build those Supernova torpedoes, they certainly could have done
that."
     "Could be,"  Fox granted, "I hope you're wrong, though."  
     "Or, perhaps you simply didn't put up a strong defence against him this time,"  Pepper
suggested to Fox, "You looked exhausted, even before Andross started up with you."  He then
changed the subject.  "We definitely have to get out of here."   Fox thought for a moment,
then asked, "General, did they interrogate you?"
     "Yes."
     "What kinds of questions did they ask you?"  Fox asked.
     "Questions about our defenses and deployment, I think,"  Pepper said, "I don't remember
very well, though.  Electricity was involved in their interrogation methods."  He then looked
down
on the floor and saw one of his collar buttons lying near his feet.  "It isn't bad enough they had to
torture me,"  he joked slightly, "But then they went and tore my shirt, too!"
     Fox smiled slightly as he thought for a moment, then shook his head.  "Do you remember
if you told them anything?"
     "No, I don't remember,"  Pepper replied flatly.
     "Tad?"  Fox asked, figuring that maybe Tad had been interrogated while Fox was
unconscious as well.
     "Sorry, Fox,"  Tad replied unhappily, "But I can't even remember what they asked me."
     Fox shook his head, but then brightened.  "Hmm,"  he said, "I may know how we can get
out of here."
     Just after he had finished his sentence, yet another guard opened the door and walked
toward Fox's cell.  Fox glanced at his weapons, a long rifle-like blaster the man carried in a holster
on his right side and a 15-second grenade, and readied himself.  
     The guard pressed a button on the wall, and the field in front of Fox's cell disappeared. 
Coming closer, the guard informed him, "Come on.  Time for you to answer a couple questions." 
He then unlocked Fox's right paw from the binders.  Fox looked over his shoulder, and saw a
second guard standing just outside his cell, holding another blaster on him.  Fox slowly edged
back
until he was almost on top of the first guard.  The first guard removed the binders from the metal
ring.  "The Commander himself will be overseeing this interrogation.  I'd feel honored.  How do
you feel?"  "I feel that you should do a better job keeping an eye on your weapon,"  Fox said,
suddenly with the gun in his right paw.  He whirled around, smashing the guard with the gun
handle. 
     The man was knocked to the ground, unconscious.  "Prisoner escape!"  yelled the other
guard, and squeezed the trigger.  Fox ducked, the shot just missing his right ear.  Fox aimed and
fired.  The guard fell back, with a hole burned clear through his chest.  His gun skittered across
the
room and came to rest against one of the cell fields, where it sizzled, sparked, and finally
exploded,
throwing Fox, Tad, and General Pepper back against the wall.  
     Fox scrambled to his feet.  Rubbing his ears, he asked, "Are you both alright?  Can you
hear me?"  
     "Fine," Pepper replied.  Tad nodded.  Fox noted with relief that he too could still hear his
own voice.  He grabbed the first guard's grenade and stuffed it in his pants' pocket.  He ran out of
the cell and deactivated the fields on General Pepper's and Tad's cells.  Then, remembering how
the guard had done it, Fox released them from their binders.  Finally, he grabbed the other guard's
grenade and tossed it to Pepper, who concealed it in his jacket.  
     "This was your idea?"  Pepper kidded, "Blasting our way out?"
     "Well, it might work,"  was all Fox could say.  Then he turned to Tad, "Come on.  We
have a torpedo to detonate." 
     Pepper, seized by a hunch, bent over and picked up his collar button and placed it in his
jacket pocket.  He then quickly followed the others.
     Fox, being the only one with a gun, took the lead.  He peered out the door, carefully
looking for any enemies out in the hall.  There were none.  He motioned for Tad and Pepper to
follow him.  The corridor ended in metal doors on either side.  "This way!"  Fox said, starting to
his left.  Then, the door in front of him opened, revealing four armed guards!  Fox stopped dead.  
"That way!"  he yelled, then blasted the door's control panel.  The door slammed shut,
cutting the guards off.  Fox ran to the other door, where Tad was working on the controls.  
     "The door wouldn't open,"  Pepper explained, "They must know we've gotten loose, and
have locked down all the doors on this level."   
     Fox looked to Tad.  "Both of you stand clear!"  Fox ordered, taking the grenade from his
pocket.  Pepper, despite outranking Fox, quickly complied with the command.  Fox then laid the
grenade at the base of the door, pressed the detonator button, and leapt clear.  
     "Boom!"  the door exploded in a shower of sparks and metal.  Fox once again checked for
enemies, then ran out.  Tad and Pepper followed close behind.
     "You know, Junior,"  said Pepper, "I don't want to sound critical, but there are bound to be
a lot more locked doors than we have grenades." 
     "I might be able to override the lockout as we get to them,"  Tad offered.
     "Good.  I was hoping you'd say something like that,"  Fox said, "Let's go."
     "Where are they?"  asked Andross calmly.  "They're headed for sector three,"  a man's
voice crackled over his communicator.   "What would seem to be their exact destination?" 
Andross asked.  
     There was a pause, then, "They seem to be headed for the docking bay.  Where their ships
are being kept.  Should I send a squad there?"
     "No!"  Andross growled, "Listen carefully, as your life may very well depend on this!  This
is what I want you to do...."
     Fox, Tad, and Pepper raced along the corridors, dodging laser fire as they ran.  "Well," 
commented Tad, "We should be near the torpedo launchers!  But, I think they're a couple levels
above us, since they're fired from the top of the ship!"
     Fox agreed.  "Right.  The problem is, access to all the lifts has probably been locked out,
like the doors!  We don't have time to keep bypassing them!"  Up ahead of them, he saw one of
the lifts.  It was unguarded.
     Another group of guards joined the other pursuers at an intersection between that corridor
and one other.  The only way out left was via the lift.
     They reached it, but it was not working.  Pepper took his grenade in hand and prepared to
place it at the base of the lift door, as Fox had done earlier.  As he did, a shot came in and hit him
in the hand.  His hand contracted, pressing the detonator button.  The grenade then slipped out of
his hand, rolled along the floor, and slid into a groove in a nearby wall! 
     Reaching out with his gun, Fox desperately tried to knock the grenade away. 
     Despite his best efforts, he could not reach the grenade.  "Cover me, Fox!" Tad yelled, and
started tinkering with the circuitry.  "We've got about fifteen seconds before that grenade blows," 
Fox reminded Tad.  Crouching down in front of Tad and firing several blasts, he then yelled, "Stay
down, General!"    DAMN!  I WISH I HAD A GUN!, General Pepper thought to himself as he
ducked into a crevice in the wall.  They were sitting ducks.
     "Got it!" Tad yelled over the gunfire.  "Good work,"  Fox replied, "Now get in there! 
Then you, General!  I'll follow!"
     Tad quickly slipped into the lift when the door opened.  Suddenly, Fox felt dizzy again.  
     HE THEN HEARD A VOICE, AND THE SHADOW APPEARED.  "YOU'RE SO
FULL OF SUCH ENTERTAINING MEMORIES,"  IT SAID.  FOX FOUND HIMSELF
CROUCHING BY THE DOOR OF DOCKING BAY THREE AT STATION MCKINLEY. 
HE WAS HOLDING A BLASTER.  THE DOOR OPENED.  HE LOOKED ABOUT, AND
SAW FALCO, PEPPY, AND FARA RUNNING INTO THE DOCKING BAY AS LASER
FIRE SHOT BY THEIR HEADS.  BEHIND HIM, WORKING ON THE DOOR CONTROLS,
WAS SLIPPY.  FOX TOOK AIM AT THE LIZARDS AND FIRED.  "GO, SLIPPY!"  HE
YELLED, "I'LL COVER YOU!"
     "BUT F-FOX, I HAVE TO KEEP THIS D-D-DOOR OPEN,"  SLIPPY PROTESTED.
KEEPING HIS EYES ON THE LIZARDS, FOX SNAPPED ANGRILY, "GO NOW!"
OUT OF THE CORNER OF HIS EYE, FOX SAW SLIPPY RUN INTO THE DOCKING
BAY.  THE DOOR STARTED TO CLOSE.  FOX STAYED LOW AND KEPT FIRING AS
HE BACKED INTO THE DOCKING BAY, NEVER TAKING HIS EYES OFF THE
LIZARDS.  ONE POPPED UP BEHIND THE DOOR, WHICH WAS NOW HALFWAY
CLOSED.  HE AIMED AND DRILLED IT.  THE LIZARD FELL BACKWARDS, HIS GUN
FIRING AS HE STRUCK THE GROUND.  THE BOLT STREAKED UP AND HIT THE
CONTROL PANEL.  THE DOOR CAME TO A SCREECHING HALT.
     "DAMN!"  YELLED FOX.  ANOTHER SHOT RANG OUT, MISSING FOX AND
HITTING SLIPPY'S ARWING AS HE TRIED TO SCAMPER UP INTO THE COCKPIT. 
THAT WAS THE LAST SHOT HE WOULD GET, AS FOX SHOT HIM BEFORE HE
COULD GET OFF ANOTHER.  THEN, THE SHOTS STOPPED COMING.
     FOX, SUSPICIOUS, POINTED THE GUN AT THE EMPTY DOORWAY.  "
C-COME ON, FOX!", YELLED SLIPPY, STANDING IN THE COCKPIT, "BEFORE THEY
R-RETURN!"  
     STILL CLUTCHING THE GUN, FOX TURNED TOWARD THE ONLY
REMAINING EMPTY ARWING.  SUDDENLY, THINGS SEEMED TO SLOW TO A
CRAWL AS A SINGLE LIZARD DUCKED UNDER THE DOOR AND FIRED.  THE SHOT
STRUCK THE HANDLE OF FOX'S GUN, SENDING IT SKITTERING ALONG ON THE
FLOOR.         SEEING THAT FOX WAS IN A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS
SITUATION, SLIPPY QUICKLY SIGHTED AND REACHED FOR HIS ARWING'S "FIRE"
BUTTON, HOPING TO AT LEAST DISTRACT THE LIZARD WITH THE BLAST.  BUT
THE LIZARD SAW SLIPPY DOING SO AND TURNED AND AIMED FOR HIM.     
     THE LIZARD TURNED AND AIMED FOR SLIPPY.  FOX DESPERATELY
LUNGED FOR THE GUN, GRABBED IT, AIMED AND FIRED IN A SINGLE MOTION. 
SLIPPY TRIED TO DUCK DOWN, BUT THE LIZARD FIRED JUST BEFORE FOX'S
SHOT STRUCK HIM DEAD.  
     FOX TURNED AND SAW SLIPPY FALL TO THE FLOOR.  "SLIPPY!"  FOX
YELLED AS HE RAN TOWARD SLIPPY'S UNMOVING BODY.  HE SAW THAT SLIPPY
WAS STILL BREATHING.  TEARS COMING TO HIS EYES, HE DRAGGED SLIPPY UP
INTO THE ARWING.  "YOU'RE GONNA BE OK,"  WAS ALL HE COULD SAY.   The
dream vanished when General Pepper grabbed Fox's shoulder and yanked him into the lift.  The
doors closed in front of him as a large explosion was heard.  The lift lurched violently.  "It
happened again, didn't it?"  Pepper asked.
     "Yes, it did,"  Fox answered, "How's your paw?"
     "All right,"  Pepper said, sounding disgusted at himself, "Just a little sore."  
     Tad reached for a button.  "It's not working,"  he said, "The explosion must have damaged
the controls."
     "It's just as well that It isn't,"  Fox said, "They can probably trace the lift's movements."  He
looked up at the car's emergency escape hatch.  "We'll have to climb up the shaft."
     "Are all your men in position?"  Andross asked his Security Chief as the two hurried down
the corridor.  
     "Yes, sir.  I've positioned them as per your instructions, Commander,"  was the reply.
     "Good.  Then Fox McCloud will die."
     All was strangely quiet as Fox opened the top-level lift doors a crack by hand, and then
inserted the barrel of his gun and pried it the rest of the way open.  He climbed out and sprang up,
ready for anything.  But there was nothing to be ready for.  Once satisfied that the way was clear,
he signaled for Tad and Pepper to come out.  This they did.
     Without turning, Fox then said, "I don't like this.  This place should be crawling with
security."  
     "Personally, I've seen enough 'Security' for quite some time,"  said Tad, "Maybe they just
goofed."
     "I agree with Junior," said Pepper, "It doesn't seem like these people to make a mistake like
that.  It could be a trap.  They may have guessed that we'd go for the torpedoes."  The corridors
were fairly dark as the trio moved slowly through them, looking for anything that might be the
torpedo launchers.  Suddenly, Tad stopped and tugged on General Pepper's sleeve.  Pepper, in
turn, tapped Fox's shoulder.  Fox turned and saw Tad and Pepper gazing into a room off to the
side of the hall.  
     "What is it?"  Fox asked.
     "Pay dirt,"  Gen. Pepper replied, "Take a look."
     Fox lowered the gun and looked in.  He saw a bunch of complex electronic instrumentation
and a wide vertical tube with a sign on it that read "Supernova torpedo launcher."  Fox smiled,
but
then looked as if he had just realized something.
     He turned to Tad and pointed the gun at him, "Earlier you referred to these torpedoes as
Supernova torpedoes.  I was the only one to visit their side, and I knew nothing about these
torpedoes.  How did you know what they were called?"  Also, this ship is huge.  How did you
know the location of the torpedoes so exactly?"  Fox demanded, slowly squeezing the trigger. 
Tad
had no answer.  "And your change in attitude toward me did seem a bit too drastic.  People don't
just drop a grudge they've held for years at the drop of a hat.  Who are you, really?"
     "He's one of us," called Andross' voice from behind Fox.  Simultaneously, armed security
personnel began popping up out of their hiding places.  Fox turned full-circle looking for a
clearing.  They were surrounded.    
     Then, Andross stepped forward.  "I was wondering how long it would take you to realize
that he wasn't on your side.  Too bad for you that you didn't realize that sooner,"  Andross said,
"Now drop your gun and kick it to me, Captain!" 
     Fox complied.  He and Pepper were immediately seized and searched by the security men. 
"They're clean, Commander."  
     "You were sent to spy on us in the brig, weren't you?"  Fox asked Tad, who was now
standing next to Andross, grinning widely.  "Yup,"  he said, "We figured you might let some
secrets slip to a friendly ear.  Besides, the Commander knew you'd try something like this and
wanted someone on the inside to find out what it was."
     "And to find us here,"  Fox added, "Andross traced the homing signal given off by your
implant.  And he did know that we'd be going for the Supernovas because you told him so. 
Probably during your so-called interrogation."
     "Well, I guess you're not as dumb as you look,"  Tad sneered.
     Andross smiled triumphantly as he bent down and picked up Fox's weapon.  "You have no
idea how long I've been waiting for this,"  Andross said, pointing the gun at Fox.  "Ever since
your
little visit to our universe.  You disappeared, then he appeared, dead.  I just knew that it was him,
and that it was you who had killed him.  Using data picked up by our sensors during your
transfers, we were able to open an entryway into your universe via the wormhole."
     "Why?  Were the rebels in your universe making your lives miserable?"  Fox retorted.
     "Ha!"  Andross said derisively, "Those idiotic rebels can't even figure out where we are
now.  As for why I'm here.  I'm here for you.  And now, I have you.  You know, I was going to
torture you before killing you, but then something might go wrong, allowing you to escape.  No, I
think I'll just shoot you."  He started to squeeze the trigger.  
     "'Vegnere'.  If you rearrange the letters, you get 'revenge'.  Just tell me this, Andross,"  Fox
said, "How did you pull all this off?  You could have been given the station's personnel files by
your scout ship, which would explain your knowing that Tad and I were aboard.  But, they would
also have told you that I was the second-in-command.  With our commander off the station, how
did you know that I would leave to join the other pilots?  If I hadn't left, we wouldn't be here
now,
with you able to see the look on my face as I die."
     Andross took a step closer and said, "I knew because I know you.  You would never stay
out of the action, it's not your nature to do so."
     "What happened to my side's Tad?"  asked Fox.
     "Tisk, tisk.  I've already answered your question,"  scolded Andross, thoroughly enjoying
himself, "But, very well.  You see, when I did get your personnel records, I matched them to my
own to determine if any of your personnel had counterparts on my ships.  Once I found a match,
the rest was simple.  I gave orders to my pilots and gunners to identify your ships by their
transponder signals and matching them to our records.  Assuming that counterpart ships had
similar transponder signals, we could then determine which of the ships was yours and which was
his.  We then destroyed all the ships except yours and his.  Yours was then pulled in by our
tractor
beam.  And, once you were safely on board and sedated, he was killed.  We then put our Tad in
the brig with you so that when you woke up, you would think he was your Tad.  Brilliant, don't
you agree?"
     "'Demented' is more like it,"  Fox quipped unhappily.
     Just then, a voice came over Andross' communicator.  "Commander, we've just spotted
two of their battleships on long-range scanners scanning the zone.  What should we do?"
     Without lowering the gun or taking his eyes off of Fox, Andross replied, "Destroy them.  I
have some unfinished business to take care of here, then I'll come down there."
     Fox's body tensed as Andross squeezed the trigger.  As Andross fired,  General Pepper
broke free from three security men who had been holding him, and screamed "Juniorrrrr!" as he
launched his body between Andross and Fox.  The shot collided with his body, and he fell to the
floor.  Fox quickly broke free from the guards and knelt down beside him.  He then looked at the
General's chest, which was bleeding profusely. 
     The General looked down at his wound, then up at Fox and said, "I was there, at your trial. 
I knew that they were going to banish you and the others because they were afraid of Andross. 
But, I hadn't the power to help you.  I'm sorry."
     Fox felt something hard pressing against his paw underneath Pepper.  The General was
trying to pass him something.  A LITTLE SOMETHING THE GUARDS CONTRIBUTED.  I'M
A FAST LEARNER, JUNIOR.  Pepper thought, as if Fox could hear his thoughts.  Then, Fox
saw something shiny underneath the General's body, and grabbed it.  
     "Don't be," Fox said softly, "No one helped us more than you did."  To that Pepper smiled,
and Fox smiled along with him.  
     One last rattling sound came from the General, then he was gone.  
     Fox, still down on the floor, looked up the barrel of Andross' gun.  "Now, if there are no
further interruptions....,"  Andross said as he pulled the trigger back.
     But then, Fox held a grenade up in the air.  He had secretly wedged the General's loose
button underneath the safety handle as tightly as he could.  He now squeezed that handle lightly
with his hand.  Those around Fox aimed their weapons at him, but did not fire.  Andross, keeping
his own gun on Fox, said, "You always did have a flare for obtaining things."  He then shot a cold
glance at the guards who had been holding him.  "Why didn't you cuff him, you idiots!?"
     "It didn't seem necessary," one of the guards replied sheepishly. 
     Fox grinned, then depressed the detonator button slightly.
     "I guess you do make mistakes, after all.  Two, actually.  We have General Pepper to thank
for this turn of events, not me.  I just wish he had been able to use it before you killed him,"  Fox
growled, "But I guess that's one more death you'll have to pay for."
     "Unlikely,"  replied Andross, "You see, even if you let go of that grenade when I shoot
you, we'll still have fifteen seconds in which to stop it."
     "Maybe,"  Fox contended, now slowly returning to his feet, "But you can't stop it from
exploding eventually."  
     He once again felt Andross' mind probing his own, and knew he hadn't much time.  "If I'm
right, your Supernova torpedoes use just such explosions to detonate themselves.  So, if this
grenade were to go off anywhere near here, my guess is that there won't be enough left of these
ships of yours to pick up with tweezers.  I'm willing to die.  Are you, Andross?"