//------------------------------// // War In the Stars // Story: My Own Wings // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// As the group of friends managed to get their Arwings out of the atmosphere, they found that this didn't quite make them safe. A pitched space battle was still ongoing, with Lylat forces heavily engaged with a rather surprising armada under Oikonny's banner...and several of them immediately began targeting the group once they entered space. "Well that could have gone better!" Diane giggled playfully over the comms as she sent her Arwing into a spin around the first volley of shots, managing to deflect every single one before they could hit the group. "So what now?" Jackie demanded irritably as she began shooting the closest, doing her best to inflict enough damage to make a path...somewhere. "We need to get to the Great Fox," Sunset stated firmly as she swerved around one fighter that tried to crash into her, braking so she could get a few shots off before accelerating to catch up with everyone else. "If my folks are here, it'll be here, and it's the safest place this side of Solaar." "Then we just need to find it," Raquel growled as she shifted rapidly between "high speed" and "high maneuverability" modes on her Arwing to pull maneuvers that left her pursuers baffled and crashing into each other. "Would it be towarrrds the back of the forrrmation orrr the frrront?" "Depends on who's calling the shots of the space battle, and whether or not my folks are already planetside," Sunset allowed worriedly. "But we need to find out fast." "I just had a crazy idea!" Pris called out with a somewhat crazed laugh. "Oh dear..." Faris murmured worriedly as the 'field repair kits' attached to her fighter began shifting under her controls. "Be careful..." "What's the idea?" Sunset asked curiously. "Sync the reactions of your G-Diffuser to mine," Pris explained as she shot dangerously close to an enemy fighter, leading to its weapons fire exploding in the barrel due to the wake of her Diffuser's passage. "We'll spin around each other until we build up a ton of speed, then slingshot through the formation! Whoever finds the Great Fox radios the others!" "That's insane!" Jackie barked out in shock. "The systems can't handle strrress like that anymorrre than you can!" Raquel insisted worriedly. "I knew you'd come up with something like this..." Faris groaned morosely. "Sounds dangerous..." Sunset mused thoughtfully before grinning eagerly. "I'm in!" "Or we could just run away with everyone else since more Aparoids show up!" Diane suggested thoughtfully. As she spoke, dozens of purple, butterfly like creatures descended on the two armadas heading for the planet below, sending most of the ships scurrying every which way. "Like they are now." Pris pouted. "Well sure, if you want to do it the lame way..." "How about the way that gets us all home safe 'n sound?" Jackie grunted as she jerked her ship to the side, just barely evading the descending Aparoid. "So...since no one's shooting at each other anymore, maybe we could try calling the Great Fox?" Faris suggested diffidently. At that moment, three Aparoids were obliterated by concentrated magical cannon fire, and a massive ship's prow moved into the space left behind. "Sunset, is that you?" a familiar stilted signal came through. "Or they might be able to track me by my ACSU suit's energy wavelength, or my magical one," Sunset allowed ruefully with a wide grin. "It's me, Brobot! Can my friends and I get on board before things get worse?" "Docking bay open," ROB stated firmly as the Great Fox turned to present the docking bay to the group. "I will get all of you to a safe distance until Fox and the others can regroup." "Would have been awesome..." Pris grumbled under her breath as the group came in for landing. Once everyone was aboard, it wasn't long before more fighters came to dock. To Sunset's surprise, she saw Krystal's ship alongside the four Arwings her father, uncles, and grandpa used in battle. "Is it that big?" she asked worriedly. "It was once the Aparoids showed up," ROB clarified as he allowed Sunset to check the readouts on each ship as it came in. To her relief, none were even damaged. "Thankfully, the magitek upgrades made each fighter more than a match for a single Aparoid solo, even with Slippy at the helm. The scouting force has been completely eliminated." "Scouting force?" Pris asked worriedly. "It's the pattern the Aparoids followed last time," Diane explained with a frown. "First there's a scouting force, a small group that hits one or two planets to investigate...something, we don't know what. Not long after that, the main swarm comes in, thousands strong. Last time, something happened that caused them to withdraw, we don't know what." "So the swarm is coming," Fox concluded with a firm frown as he entered the bridge with everyone else. "And we all need to be ready to face it...and whatever might come after." He turned to ROB. "Get in contact with General Pepper immediately. We're going to need a council of war as fast as possible." "Already making contact," ROB stated firmly. Sunset leaned over to Jackie. "Think you could contact your Gramps and get him involved on our side?" she whispered hopefully. "If you get me a secure comline and some privacy, I'll see what I can do-" Jackie began. At that moment, the com screen blinked. "Incoming communication..." ROB began before his voice trailed off. From the way his head moved, had he eyebrows, they would have raised. Mental note, give him eyebrows at some point, Sunset thought to herself. "...from Star Wolf," ROB finished. "Seriously?" Fox demanded harshly. "What does he want?" "...you could try asking?" Krystal suggested warily. Fox was silent for a time. "Put him on screen," he growled finally. The com screen lit up, and Wolf O'Donnell's silver furred face appeared. "Fox McCloud," he began coldly. "What are you doing here, Wolf?" Fox demanded irritably. "My business here is just that, my business," Wolf growled back. "I'd just rather not have to deal with dodging your fire while I deal with this, so consider this a courtesy call-" With a groan, Jackie stepped forward. "Ah'm just fine, Gramps," she grumbled irritably as they both fell silent as she spoke up. "Ah'm already safe, so ya don't need to go down and get me." "Gramps?" Fox and Krystal asked each other quietly in surprise, even as Falco struggled to stifle snickers. Wolf went completely still. "And what are you doing on the Great Fox, Jacqueline?" "Visiting a friend at her place?" Jackie countered with a playful smirk as she leaned casually against Sunset. Wolf turned to stare at them for a time, then let out a rueful sigh that was half groan. "This is going to complicate things..." "Save the complications fer after the Aparoids are dealt with," Jackie suggested firmly. "Plenty o' time ta figure out how ta be friendly rivals instead o' bitter enemies." "Somehow I can't see that happening as long as Pigma's working for you, after what he did," Fox growled at Wolf. "Then it's a good thing he isn't anymore," Wolf snarled angrily. "Not when he's willing to sell out to an infestation." "He's working with the Aparoids?" Diane gasped in surprise. "Why?" "We'll go over that once your grandfather is in the loop," Wolf stated bluntly. "I don't want to say it more than once."