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 13: Target-Corneria! "Emergency! Emergency!" called the voice over the PA system, "Emergency! Emergency! Incoming enemy battleships! Prepare for launch!" Fara heard the sirens wailing as she backed out of the Detention Area. She put aside her shock at what she had just heard, and focused her mind on the current situation. She suspected that she already knew who the "enemy" was, but called the Command Center for confirmation anyway. "Command Center, this is Capt. McCloud," she said into her hand-comm, "What's happening up there?" "One of our battleships, the Lansing, spotted one of the Alternate battleships leaving the zone about forty-five-thousand kilometers from here." It was Capt. McCray, who had temporarily assumed the first officer role. "It looks like they were trying to blindside us, just like they did Guilford. But we're ready for them. Engineer MacCrary says he's diverted all non-essential power to the two main laser cannons, as ordered." "Did he also say how many shots we'll have with each cannon?" Fara inquired. "Only one or two each. After that they'll burn out completely." "Then we'll just have to make our shots count," Fara replied, "Ok, notify the Cambridge. I'm on my way. McCloud out." Corneria was being guarded by three battleships and three dozen cruisers, in addition to the arwings, a formidable obstacle to most enemies. However, this was no ordinary enemy, as they had shown by wiping out an even larger force at Guilford with but a single battleship. Fara struggled to keep that horrifying thought from her mind as she raced to the nearest lift. "Should we scramble the arwings, Commander?" asked the first officer. Andross looked at him. "No," he said, "They don't carry Supernovas. The Supernovas will be all we'll need. Prepare to fire them as soon as we're within range." "Yes, Sir." He then turned to Tactical. "Any sign of McCloud?" "No, Commander. I'm not picking him up anywhere. Sir, may I ask..." "No! You may not! Now, just do as you're told and tell me when and if he arrives!" Andross roared. At that moment, Fox was in the pilot locker room on board the Cambridge. He knew that he would soon be going into battle, a battle that had to be won, at any cost. He quickly put on the new flight jacket and pants that he'd been issued. Right now, he was the only one in there, as the Cambridge was still about forty minutes from Corneria. Dressed, he stepped out into the hangar. Lt. Banar flew a DFX arwing, so Fox wanted to become as familiar with his new ship as possible before entering combat. The engineering staff had just finished prepping the ship, and was now busily working on the rest of the fighters. Apparently, the Lieutenant had had the presence of mind to notify the staff that another pilot would be flying his ship, and to have it ready. So, no one even noticed Fox as he approached Lt. Banar's ship. It was about the same height as his old ship, but slightly shorter lengthwise. Footholds were provided in the side of the ship so as to allow the pilot to board it and disembark with little or no assistance. Being a part-time mountain climber, Fox was able to propel himself up into the cockpit quickly and gracefully. Once settled into the pilot's seat, Fox began to study the controls, noting the similarities and differences between them and those of his old ship. Then, he heard Capt. Gillespi's voice on his hand-comm. "Dr. Olsen has told me that you intend to fly in the upcoming battle in spite of your injuries," the Captain began. Fox was about to reply when Gillespi said, "Don't worry. I'm not going to try to stop you. We'll need all the good pilots out there we can get. Just be careful and bear in mind what Dr. Olsen has told you. One more thing. We've just received word from Corneria, the Alternates have been spotted leaving the zone." "When's the soonest we can get there?" Fox asked. Gillespi sighed. "Thirty-five minutes. We can only hope that they can hold out that long. Apparently they've boosted the power of the main cannons to try to break through the energy fields, but they'll only be able to get a total of about four shots out of the two of them, not enough to figure out the most effective frequency, as they had hoped to do. Also, they had hoped to use data from Guilford to determine the best shield frequency to block the Alternate's fire, but the base was destroyed before it could transmit any." Fara quickly walked up to McCray and asked, "Have the arwings been launched yet?" "Not yet. They're on final stand-by. Only you, as the acting base commander, can give that order," he reminded her. She nodded. "The pilots have been briefed?" "Yes." Fara picked up her hand-comm. "Capt. McCloud to all arwing pilots...Those enemy ships must be kept at least 30000 km away from here. You know what to do, so take off and good luck. McCloud out." The arwings sprang to life and shot out of the docking bay. "All ships check in," commanded Peppy, who had taken over command of the team in Fox's absence. "Ready," reported Lt. Walter, a young Paptoonian who had joined the team shortly after Slippy's death. "Ready," reported Lt. Silkis, a lizard who was temporarily serving in Fox's place. "Alright already! Let's go!" said Falco, his usual impatient self. "All right then, Star Fox team, TAKE OFF!" Peppy commanded, "And may the powers that be smile on us!" And, with that, they took to the sky. "Picking up enemy battleships at 338, 343, and 350," Peppy reported, "Remember everyone: ESPECIALLY YOU, FALCO! DO NOT engage the enemy ships until they're within the base's cannon range! 36000 km!" And so, the arwings started darting about in front of the Alternate battleships, hoping to present difficult but tempting targets that the Alternates would pursue toward the cannons. Meanwhile, their own battleships attempted to move in behind the Alternates and keep them from retreating, at all costs. The Captain of the battleship Avery approached his navigator. "Be sure to keep us out of their sensor range, LT," the Captain said. "Yes, Sir." One of the other officers spoke up. "But if they do run, how are we going to stop them? None of our ships' weapons have proven effective against them so far." "We'll stop them by blocking them," the Captain said, "By colliding with them if necessary." He looked up at the viewscreen. "They have every advantage," the Captain said, "Why haven't they fired yet?" Fara looked at the tactical officer, "Are all three out of the zone?" "Yes ma'am," he said, "Range 42900 km." "Is there any way we can scan any of the rest of the zone with nightview?" Fara asked, "Say the nearest 1000 km?" "It would take several hours, during which time we would no longer be able to see these ships," he responded, puzzled by the question. "What about the arwings?" she replied. "Their nightview range is too limited," he returned, "Why do you ask?" "We were told that the Alternates used a waiting trick to attack Guilford," Fara explained, "They may be doing the same thing here. Making us look for them in one place, then springing out from another." "Our battleships behind the Alternates could do the job faster than we could," he suggested, "Should I tell them to do so?" "No," Fara said, "The Alternates would be right in the line of transmission. We don't want our message tipping the Alternates off as to our ships' location. Besides, if the Alternates see any of our ships break formation to do it, they may realize that their trick isn't working and attack us before they're in range of our cannons. Tell the Cambridge and the Galvan to send their arwings ahead to do it." Fox turned from the ship's console at the sounding of the siren. It was the signal for all fighter pilots to prepare for take-off. He looked at the ship's chronometer. They still had seventeen minutes to go. It was much too early for the siren! What was going on?" So, he contacted Capt. Gillespi on his hand-comm. "Capt., what's happening? We can't be at Corneria yet?" "You're right," Gillespi confirmed, "We're not. The Alternates may be using the same ploy they used to surprise Guilford. We've been ordered to send Arwings ahead to do a nightview scan of the 1000-km area of zone right behind them." "Understood, Fox out." "Capt. McCloud," came a voice from below. Fox opened the canopy and looked down over the edge. What he saw was practically a spitting image of Peppy. "Captain, I'm first-Lieutenant Davis, Lt. Banar's squad leader. He told me you'd be taking his place on this mission. I just wanted to make sure there's no misunderstanding as to..." "As to who's leading this group?" Fox finished, "Don't worry. I can take orders as well as give them. I know how important good communication is on a team." "Good," Davis replied, "Well, I've got to go get ready now. Good luck, Sir." "You too," said Fox to the departing pilot. They were soon underway and busily scanning the designated area. All involved hoped that it wouldn't be too little, too late. Falco began to feel antsy. "Damn it! Now they're just sitting there! When are they gonna do something, Peppy?" "Patience, Falco," warned Peppy, "We don't want to rush into a trap." "But I hate just sitting here! I've gotta do something!" On Corneria, tensions were high as well. The waiting was unbearable, the waiting was over. "Captain! Shots incoming! 3-1-9!" Two intense laser beams shot out of nowhere and struck the base a severe blow. A battleship appeared, then sped off towards the others. "Target that ship with the cannons!" Fara ordered, "We can't let it make another run!" "We can't, Captain! Those beams destroyed them!" Tactical yelled, "They must have guessed what we were planning and come in around our nightview!" Fara turned to face the comm officer. "Call the Cambridge and Galvan and tell them to get themselves and their arwings here asap! Ready the nova-bomb launchers! Advise our arwings of the situation! They have orders to engage plan B. They must drive the Alternates back to 44000 km!" "Captain, torpedo incoming! Range 40000 km!" "All weapons systems except nova launchers are non-functional due to damage!" Tactical advised. "Whoa!" said Falco as the Supernova sped past his ship, "Now I've got myself a target!" He turned his arwing and took off after the torpedo. "Walter, cover Falco! Silkis, follow me!" Peppy commanded. "Hare to all squad leaders! Keep your groups within 200 km of those torpedo tubes! We can't afford to let any more Supernovas through!" "Damn! I can't catch up to that blasted thing!" cried Falco as the gap between him and the Supernova widened. "It is within firing range, Sir," Walter suggested. "No," Falco said, shaking his head, "It's too close to the planet! Besides, if I can get this thing to chase me, I can leave it right on the bad guys' doorstep! But I'd have to get in front of it to even try that! This ship's just not fast enough!" "What about the boosters?" Walter returned. "They may get me in front of it for a second or two," Falco conceded, "But it would catch up to me as soon as the boosters quit, and then KABOOM!" "Then maybe I can do it!" Walter suggested, "My ship's built to travel faster than yours!" Falco was hesitant. "How old are you?" Falco asked. "Why should that matter?" Walter shot back, slightly annoyed. "Just answer the question!" "Twenty-nine!" "You're going to have to pull up at just the right time," Falco warned, "Too soon and the bomb won't have its full effect, too late and you'll be barbecued along with 'em!" "Now's not the time to question my abilities!" shouted Walter, now clearly upset, "In about one minute, that missile's going to destroy our home and us with it! Now, I'm going after it whether you can get past your pride or not!" The anger in Walter's voice shook Falco. He was right, Falco had wanted to do it himself. "All right," he said, "Go for it. But I'm gonna stay as close to you as I can." Without a word, Walter quickly pushed his arwing up to the maximum velocity sustainable by its engine for any length of time. Slowly, he started to catch up with the Supernova. "Forty seconds to impact!" called the base tactical officer. Walter's arwing was now in a dead heat with the Supernova. It began to tremble as he gradually overtook the torpedo. THE SHIP SEEMS CLOSE TO FLYING APART NOW. WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN I HAVE TO TURN AROUND? I WON'T BE ABLE TO SLOW DOWN, OR THE TORPEDO MIGHT CATCH UP TO ME! He tried to push those doubts aside as he settled in front of the Supernova. He jerked the joystick forward, hoping that the Supernova would follow. It didn't. It merely continued on its course toward the base. "It's not working!" Walter called to Falco, who was now barely in visual range, "It's just continuing toward the base!" Walter then returned to his position in front of the Supernova. Falco had to think for a minute, which, by his own admission, was not his forte. OK. HOMING TORPEDOES NEED SOME ENERGY SOURCE TO ZERO IN ON. WHAT IS IT HERE? COULDN'T BE THE COMM SIGNALS, BECAUSE THE BASE HASN'T BROADCAST ANYTHING FOR SEVERAL MINUTES NOW. BASE DOESN'T GIVE OFF ANY HEAT TO SPEAK OF. WAIT! THE NIGHTVIEW SENSORS!" Falco activated his ship's comm. "Falco to base! Deactivate all nightview sensors! The torpedoes may be homing in on them! I repeat! Deactivate nightview!" Fara nodded to Tactical, and it was done. "Nightview's off, Falco!" she said. "Walter, focus nightview on the torpedo and try again to draw it off course!" Falco ordered. Walter complied, but was again unsuccessful in altering the Supernova's path. "No good!" Walter exclaimed. "Twenty seconds to impact!" COME ON, FALCO! THINK! WHAT ELSE IN THE BASE IS RADIATING ENERGY? ALL POWER'S BEEN DIVERTED FROM NON-ESSENTIAL SYSTEMS. THAT LEAVES LIFE SUPPORT, COMMUNICATIONS, SENSORS, WEAPONS, AND SHIELDS. THE SHIELDS LEAK ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION INTO SPACE! CERTAINLY ENOUGH TO DROWN OUT WHAT'S BEING PUT OUT BY WALTER'S SHIELDS! THAT'S IT! "I know this may sound crazy, Corneria," said Falco, "But DROP YOUR SHIELDS NOW! They're what it's homing in on! Those shields are the strongest source of radiation around, any sensor can tell that!"" "Ten seconds to impact!" "Drop 'em!" yelled Fara. "They're down!" yelled Falco, "It's now or never, Walter! Do it!" Walter, knowing that he was drawing dangerously close to Corneria's atmosphere, pulled the joystick hard left. As he did so, he could feel the centrifugal force pushing him up against the canopy. The hull began to turn red-hot as he entered Corneria's atmosphere. The torpedo arced and followed his lead. Walter, however, could not turn around to see anything behind him. For all he knew, the torpedo might have continued onto Corneria. He struggled to keep his eyes open as the g's piled up, and he could hear his ship creak due to the strain of the turn. He turned until he found himself travelling in the exact opposite direction from which he had come, then immediately straightened out. As his surroundings came back into focus, he fixed his eyes on his sensor readout. ALRIGHT. I'VE GOT THEIR TORPEDO. NOW TO GIVE IT BACK TO THEM! Andross pounded his fist into the control panel. "What do you mean, the torpedo never reached Corneria?" Tactical explained (with hesitation), "It lost contact with the base when they dropped their shields, and then locked onto one of their arwings, which is now bringing it,...back toward one of our other ships." "We've got to stop him!" cried one officer. Andross paid him no mind. "Launch another torpedo. We'll guide it to the base manually." "Sir!" Tactical pleaded, "Did you hear me? He's going to use our own torpedo against us!" "Follow my orders!" Andross snapped. THAT'S MCCLOUD'S PLANET! ITS DESTRUCTION IS PARAMOUNT! ALL ELSE CAN WAIT! "Sir," Tactical continued, "Even if we didn't have to worry about the first Supernova, we wouldn't be able to fire others anyway!" "Why not?" Andross yelled angrily. "Their arwings have taken position near the tubes! If we fire another torpedo, it may hit one of them and destroy us! And they're fast enough that we can't hit them with our blasters!" Much to the officer's surprise, Andross simply sighed and turned away from him. Andross then turned toward the comm officer. "Send up our arwings and eliminate them!" "And the Supernova, Sir!" Tactical asked, his voice shaking. His finger was poised over the lasers' "fire" button. "The torpedoes can't be reprogrammed while they're locked onto something. Eliminate its target!" THANK YOU! AT LAST! Thought Tactical, and everyone else, as well. "15000 km to target!" yelled Walter, "This has been easy so far!" His overconfidence ended the moment the bolt lanced through space and struck his ship in the rear. "My engine's damaged!" Walter yelled, "I'm losing speed!" "What's your range to target?" asked Falco. Walter glanced at the readout, "12000 km! The torpedo's 300 km away and gaining!" "Drop your shields then!" "I'm taking that ship out...one way or the other!" "Get out of there!" Falco yelled in frustration, "Use the boosters!" "All ships," Falco warned, "get away from the Alternates now!" The response was immediate. The arwings turned away from the Alternate battleships, and the Spaceforce battleships did so as well, albeit more slowly. The Alternate arwings pursued those of the 'Force. "We're getting pounded here!" said one of the arwing pilots over Falco's comm, "Twelve of our arwings destroyed!..." The transmission ended with a sudden burst of static. Walter simultaneously jerked the stick up and fired the boosters. Behind him, the Supernova slowly turned to follow him. Walter eyed his display as the boosters deactivated. The torpedo was now 500 km from him and gaining quickly. He knew that he could buy himself additional time by turning, but excessive turning would cause the Supernova to miss the intended target. And even if it did hit the target, he hadn't the time to get out of the way of the blast. Then, he saw another ship out of the corner of his eye. It shot behind him, close enough to the Supernova to divert it. "What the...!" was all Walter could get out. "Head back to the base!" said Fara's voice, "You've done all the good you can do out here!" "Captain?" Walter asked. "Go!" was the only response. Fara aimed her DFX directly at the nearest Alternate battleship and punched the speed up to maximum. Shots filled the vacuum around her; shots which she skillfully dodged while staying on course. At the last minute, she pulled up hard. The torpedo sped beneath her and slammed into the enemy ship. As it did, she closed her eyes and activated the boosters. The ship went up, turning into a growing ball of light, the edge of which seemed attached to the rear of Fara's ship as it sped away. The blast smashed into the slower Alternate battleships, knocking them back 15000 km! "Damage!" yelled Andross, surrounded by smoke and flying sparks. "One ship destroyed!" reported tactical, "Our absorption field's down to 5% strength! Supernova launchers are inoperative!" "The other ships?" Andross demanded. "They were much farther from the center of the blast than we were," Tactical reported, "Minimal damage to absorption fields and weaponry." "Commander," Tactical added, "I'm now showing enemy battleships and cruisers on sensors. They must have come into our sensor range when we were knocked back." "Target their battleships and cruisers with our blasters," Andross ordered, "and tell our other battleships to stand by to fire their Supernovas on manual guidance. Tell them not to fire them until all enemy ships have been destroyed. At this distance, they'll have too much time to intercept." A voice came over the comm, "Capt. Lombardi, the Commander wants you to destroy the enemy ships now! We can't fire another Supernova until they're gone!" "Tell 'The Commander' to keep his pants on!" Lombardi replied snidely, "I'm doing my best!" "Don't blow it! He may not be so generous this time!" "Got it," said Falco, "We're getting into position. It'd be a lot easier without those other arwings!" "Getting overly cautious in your old age, Falco?" came a voice over Falco's ship-comm, "I thought you liked trouble!" "Fox, is that you?" Falco asked. "Of course," Fox responded, "You think I'd miss this?" "Cut the chatter, Captain," warned Fox's squad leader, "Head to 305 and stand by." "Right," Fox replied, and turned off his comm. The two teams moved to take up their positions. "All right," Lombardi said, "It's now or never!" "I'm almost in position," Falco reported. His sensors then drew his attention. "The Alternates are back!" he said, "3-3-8! Looks like ten headed our way!" "Hold your position and prepare to fire," came the command from the base, "Hold fire until all teams are in position. We'll give you the signal." "They're right on top of us! We can't wait any longer!" Peppy responded. "Falco, one's got you in his sights!" Fox warned, "Move!" The base's signal had not yet come. "He's not the only one in that situation!" Peppy commented, "We're all in trouble RIGHT NOW! Evasive maneuvers now! But try to keep our target in sight!" Fox started his turn even as his team's leader echoed Peppy's command to him. "Damn it!" screamed Falco, "This jerk's still on me! If only he could hear me now, I'd like to give him a piece of my mind! Whatever I do, he also does!" A shot struck his ship's right wing, blowing it clean off. "Holy!" Falco cried. "Their blasters are much more powerful than even our photon blasts!" Fox warned, "Turn to 2-9-5 and I'll give you a hand!" "I can do this myself!" Falco shot back. "There's no time for this *&#%$!, Falco!" Fox yelled, "Turn NOW!" "He's right, Falco! We've lost almost half of our arwings to them in this battle already!" Peppy commanded, "Turn!" Reluctantly, Falco complied. The maneuver left Falco's pursuer directly in front of Fox. Fox took aim as the cross-hairs closed in on their target. For reasons he couldn't identify, Fox glanced down at the transponder display. "That's the other Falco's ship!" A warm feeling came over him as he set his guns to photon blast and fired. The bolts struck their target, partially damaging both wings. He then fired again, with similar results. "Here's how I feel!" crackled Fox's voice over Lombardi's comm unit, as another pair of photon blasts rocked Lombardi's ship. MCCLOUD! Lombardi pulled up, opting to go after Fox instead of Falco. Then, at the worst possible time, Dr. Olsen's warnings began to come true. Fox began to feel dizzy, and everything around him was a haze. "Huh?" Falco said, seeing his tail suddenly clear. Then, he saw Lombardi's ship take up position behind Fox. He had to help his friend. Fox came around, and saw that Lombardi was now behind him. Fox manipulated the controls (which, thankfully, were similar to those on his old arwing), and began barrel-rolling counterclockwise to avoid Lombardi's shots. COME ON! COME GET ME! WE BOTH KNOW YOU WANT ME! Fox knew that Falco had a tendency to rush into things headfirst when he was upset, and Lombardi had been seething ever since they first met six months before. He knew that Lombardi's ship was faster than his, so he would let Lombardi catch up to him until he was almost within blaster range, then turn sharply to regain the distance. This, he knew, would make Lombardi frustrated and angry. And angry men make mistakes. Then, Fox simultaneously hit the boosters and turned full-circle, so that the two ships were facing each other. During the turn, Fox began to feel dizzy again, but somehow managed to stay conscious this time. He darted toward Lombardi as he had at McNally, only this time he remained alert to what was happening around him. As the ships bore down on each other, Lombardi opened fire with his blasters. Fox barrel-rolled, causing them to miss. He then straightened and returned fire, but Lombardi likewise barrel-rolled out of the way. When the two ships were about to collide, Fox jerked his stick forward, causing his ship to dive sharply. Lombardi watched Fox fly away for a second, then followed. COWARD! Then, his ship was rocked with laser fire. "What?" He glanced at his sensor display, but saw no one near him other than Fox. Apparently, whoever it was was too close to him to register as a separate entity. He quickly glanced around, hoping to see his assailant with his bare eyes. Nothing. Then, he saw it out of the corner of his eye: a yellow pulse of energy heading straight for his cockpit. He tried to dodge, but was too late. The bolt struck, engulfing him in a world of sparks, fire, and pain. He never saw the final two shots, or anything else for that matter. Falco's voice came over Fox's comm. "Got 'em! Ha!" Fox smiled. "Remind me later to tell you who that pilot was! Now, let's get off the comm and get back into firing position." The signal came from Corneria. "It's now or never! They could fire another Supernova at any minute! There are still some enemy arwings out there, but all teams are in position. Fire every 0.2 seconds, beginning on my mark. MARK!" Simultaneously, Corneria, along with about fifty arwings, cruisers, and battleships let loose, sending about a hundred nova bombs after the Alternates' ships! Andross watched in silent terror as the first wave of nova bombs bore down on his ship. Then, he cried out desperately, "Destroy those bombs! I will not be defeated! I will not..." "Have you found their communication frequency yet?" asked McCray. "Yes, Sir!" "All ships, hold fire!" McCray commanded, "Put me through to the lead Alternate battleship! Enemy commander, this is Corneria! Surrender now or be destroyed!" A laser blast at the Cambridge was his only answer. "All ships, destroy them!" he commanded. They let loose another fierce volley. As the novas sped toward their targets, a single Alternate arwing approached Fox's ship from behind. Fox had shifted most of his shield power to the rear, as had the other pilots. Still, several had been picked off during the bombardment. Fox was prepared for an attack, but the ship flew right by him. It placed itself between one of the Alternate battleships and the onslaught of bombs. It began targeting the bombs with its blasters, hoping to detonate them early. Soon, most of the others followed suit. But even then, the number of nova bombs far exceeded the number of defenders. As it became increasingly obvious that they would not be able to shoot all the novas, they took to ramming their ships into them. As Fox fired, he watched the ships defending their "Commander" with lion-like ferocity. Fox had never before seen such loyalty, not even in this universe. HOW IS IT THAT ANDROSS COULD HAVE INSPIRED SO MUCH LOYALTY FROM A GROUP OF PEOPLE TO WHICH TREACHERY WAS SO READILY ACCEPTED? WHAT GIFT DID HE POSSESS? Fox found their faithfulness and selflessness both commendable and disturbing. If people could be so loyal to an evil leader? From inside the cockpit of his arwing, Tad watched the novas advancing. His blasters had been damaged and were now inoperative. He knew what he had to do. He steered himself toward a nova bomb and smiled the smile of the righteous as he waited for the light. With each group of arwings targeting an Alternate ship (from the nova bomb's maximum range), the threat was silently but brilliantly vaporized in a matter of minutes. Then, all was quiet. With the battleships gone, the remaining Alternate arwings found themselves outnumbered and outgunned, and surrendered. As the pilots brought their ships in for repairs and to have their own wounds treated by medical personnel, Fox tried to grasp all that had happened. The surviving Alternate pilots would probably be detained until their exact method of entrance into this universe could be determined, and then they would be escorted back to their own universe (once their ships' weapons had been removed, of course). Fox heard Peppy's voice over his ship's comm as he prepared to land in the Cambridge's docking bay. "They didn't leave us much choice, did they?" Peppy said. "No, they didn't," Fox said, then shut the comm off. SO MUCH FOR THE GREAT 'CROSSOVER'. It was now time for some much-needed rest and recovery.