Betrayal and Rescue

A Wulfe Litefoot Adventure

By Cyberwulfe

"I never thought that a pilot as good as James McCloud could ever be shot down. But I guess if I was ever caught in an ambush, led by someone I trusted my life with, I'd probably be shot down too!"

-Wulfe Litefoot, mercenary for hire

James McCloud, escorted on both sides by his wingmen, Peppy Hare and Pigma Dengar, scanned the ruined planet of Venom. After detecting some strange readings from this horribly polluted planet, General Pepper of the Cornerian Army had dispatched James and his team to scout for any possible threats. Now they were right on Venom's front door.

Pigma called to him through the laser beam transmitter, used so that their frequency couldn't be detected or jammed," I don't see much. Looks pretty quiet."

"Yeah, it's quiet," said Peppy, "Too quiet."

"Just keep your eyes and ears open. Their air defense fleet must be on the other side of the planet, and Andross could have built up an armada of fighters to greet us," said James.

The trio of fighters continued their scouting mission in a Vic formation. Peppy was on James' left side, with Pigma on the right. James had flown with these two for many years, and he trusted them both with his life. True, Pigma tended to act a bit ruthless, but he was still an essential part of the team.

Then his sensors went crazy. He glanced at his tactical display. It showed nearly two dozen enemy fighters coming in their direction.

"I think we've been discovered!" said Peppy.

"No kidding! Maybe the wing of ships coming gave it away!" said Pigma, sarcastically.

"Would you guys shut up! We've got to get out of here!"

The two arguing pilots followed their flight leader in a U-turn and back the way they had come. James was fairly certain that they could outrun the enemy fighters, but didn't count on the second group coming from another direction... or the traitor in his midst.

The lasers cut his shields to ribbons. James glanced over to see the smaller group of ships coming his way. He tried an evasive maneuver, but was caught in a crossfire.

"How did they get here so fast?" gasped James, his ship starting to spark.

"I think they had help!," said Peppy," Pigma's the one who shot you down!"

"Pigma!" shouted James as his fighter belched smoke and fell towards the planet.

Peppy could only watch as his friend and leader disappeared through the dark, dirty cloud that covered all of Venom.

"You're next, Peppy old pal!" said Pigma.

Peppy tried to maneuver out of the way, but there were too many ships, and soon he was on his way to meet James on the surface of Venom; but not before sending an important message...

General Pepper of the Cornerian Army gasped as the message played. Both James and Peppy gone, betrayed by Pigma. He always knew there was something rotten about him, and now he knew what it was. Why James ever allowed him to join Star Fox was beyond him. Pigma knew virtually everything about the Great Fox, Star Fox's command ship, and now with it docked miles above the planet Pepper was worried that Pigma might send a strike team to grab it.

He immediately dispatched several cruisers to patrol the area, as well as troops on board the Great Fox herself. He wasn't going to take any chances. He then thought of what to do about James and Peppy. He couldn't leave them there; but they had both been shot down with no hope of escaping Venom. By penetrating Venom airspace he had violated their Air Defense Zone and most likely started a war. But they were, after all, merely scouting the area with no hostile intentions whatsoever.

But Pepper doubted that Andross would believe such a story. He was a ruthless, maniacal scientist, and Pepper was glad that he was out of the way, for now.

Peppy struggled against the hot wind that seemed to burn away his flight suit. James' fighter had crashed a few dozen meters away and Peppy was rushing to see if his friend had survived or not. He found the jet lying on her side, the wings damaged beyond repair. The cockpit was open and he arrived in time to see James jump from the side of the fighter. He had a deep gash in his shoulder that dripped blood on the ground, but he seemed able to get around alright.

The hare ran up and helped his friend to his feet," I think we've really gotten ourselves into some hot water this time, James." He tore a piece from his flight suit and wrapped it around the gash. It still oozed blood, but not as profusely.

"We'd better make tracks before the local fauna catches up!" said James.

The two of them checked their laser pistol's power levels and hurried away from the wrecked jets. The terrain was mountainous, with many steep outcroppings and sheer cliffs. They had trouble climbing because the rock had many jagged spines sticking out of it, and their hands started to bleed; but they continued on.

"I hope they don't get a lead on exactly where the planes went down," said James," That'll buy us some time."

Just then, many meters away one of the jets exploded, sending a bright fireball hundreds of feet into the air.

"Well, so much for that hope!" said Peppy.

The area was soon swarming with fighters. They flew in James' and Peppy's direction," Get down!" said James.

The jets flew by, not noticing the two, small grey shapes huddled behind the rocks. The mountains were hard for the fighters to maneuver through, which gave James and Peppy another advantage. They waited until the fighters left to report their discovery and then continued through the mountains.

General Pepper had assembled the finest pilots on Corneria. He had two full squadrons of Arwings, and he was prepared to use them. With a total of forty ships he was planning on making a direct offensive on Venom, grabbing James and Peppy, and then getting out before Andross could wake up from his afternoon nap.

The first problem was the lack of bravery. He did indeed have forty ships, but pilots were coming up short. He had a total of sixteen eager and ready flyboys, but he needed at least another ten. Twenty six could easily complete the mission. Pepper walked up and down the row of pilots standing at attention. They were young, most of them anyway. A few were veterans, just about ready for retirement, but others were straight out of the Academy.

Pepper began to weigh his options. If Venom did attack the Lylat system once more, as he did six years ago, Pepper would need every ship he could get his hands on. The only dedicated protectors of Corneria were the four squadrons of ships in the Royal Defense Squadron. They were the protectors of the Royal House of Corneria, and didn't stray very far from their post. Pepper knew that he'd have no chance of borrowing even ten men and jets.

He sighed and dismissed the pilots, for the moment. He returned to his office and sat down in his big plush chair. After shuffling through some papers he stopped and leaned back, letting the padding consume him. He put his hand to his chin and began to rub his short hairs. Then he stood straight up and mumbled excitedly to himself," I hope I can reach him! I hope I can reach him!"

James and Peppy had soon found themselves hungry, and weak from the loss of blood. They both slumped against a large, pink rock face and stared at each other.

"I guess they'll find us eventually," said Peppy.

"Yeah," replied James," And I feel really bad about Fox. He's such a bright boy, and he's become a good pilot too."

"I'm sure he'll make you proud, James," said Peppy.

"If we get out of here?"

Peppy pulled out his gun and checked the power level. It still remained bright green, indicating a full charge. Then he got a crazy idea," If push comes to shove, James..." he trailed off.

James glanced down at his own pistol and nodded. He hoped that it wouldn't come to that, but he agreed, and submitted to his fate. He'd rather kill himself than be captured by Venomian troops and tortured for Cornerian secrets.

Then a laser blast shot past them. They turned around and saw several armed troops coming their way. Peppy pulled out his blaster and pointed it to his head.

"Not now!" said James, knocking the gun out of Peppy's hand," We could still get away!"

The two of them rushed from the rock face, and away from the troops' line of fire. The sharp rocks stung their hands again but they kept moving. Another blast exploded against the side of the mountain and caused small pieces of the rock to fly in all directions. Peppy shielded his eyes and continued his climb. Another laser blast hit the rock directly above him. He couldn't look away in time and was blinded by the bright red beam. He blinked to try to eliminate the beam's effects but to no avail. He felt around, trying to find the next hand hold and accidentally grabbed James' foot. They both tumbled down the slope and crashed into a heap at the bottom, where they were targeted by several assault rifles.

"Freeze!"

Wulfe Litefoot had just returned to the building to collect his fee as it exploded. He dived out of the way as several large pieces of rubble flew in his direction. He glared at the flames licking around the remains of the warehouse. He was supposed to collect thirty-thousand credits from an eager employer, but now he was sure that he had ditched on him and left without paying. Big mistake when it comes to Wulfe. He would chase the cheapskate to the ends of the galaxy.

He returned to his fighter, the Howl of Canis, and prepared to takeoff. He could cover more ground in the air. Just then his communicator beeped. He pressed the "Accept" button and climbed into his cockpit. The face of General Pepper appeared on the screen.

"Hiya General, what can I do for you?" smiled Wulfe. The General always had some crazy mission for him which paid a large sum of money. Wulfe was ready to let the lost payment go, for the moment.

"Wulfe. I need you to come to Corneria immediately. I'll tell you more when you arrive!"

"Will do General!"

Wulfe switched off his communicator and closed his cockpit. He glanced around the area once more, hoping for a glimpse of the bum who had ripped him off, but he wasn't that lucky. Slightly disappointed, Wulfe hit his afterburners and soared into the darkening sky.

Wulfe came out of hyperspace into a heavily fortified Cornerian sector. He was immediately targeted by several gun turrets and a squadron of fighters began to circle him.

"Identify yourself!"

"This is Wulfe Litefoot. I'm here to see General Pepper," replied Wulfe.

"Proceed, Litefoot."

Wulfe didn't like the attitude of the security officer, but held his tongue. He flew down to the planet and landed on the familiar landing pad that hadn't felt his treads in three years. After climbing down from the Howl of Canis he walked towards the main building and straight to Pepper's office. The doors burst open and Wulfe walked in as if he owned the place," Pepper. How have you been!? Long time, no see, eh Pep?" shouted Wulfe.

"Indeed," mumbled Pepper. Wulfe was still fairly young and energetic, which often annoyed the older General. But he needed his help too badly, and could bear the embarrassment for a while longer.

"So, why did you call me all the way from MacBeth anyway?" asked Wulfe.

"Please sit down," said Pepper.

Wulfe took a seat and crossed his legs. He pulled out one of his knives and began to run his thumb along the blade, making sure it was still sharp.

"Two of our best pilots have been shot down. I fear that they have been either killed or captured. My spies will reveal that information as soon as we get word back from Venom..."

"Venom?" gasped Wulfe, his hair sticking out," You mean Venom is becoming active again?" Wulfe stood up, eager to hear more. Perhaps he would finally get his chance to avenge his parents' deaths.

"Yes. We lost James McCloud and Peppy Hare just a few days ago. I was hoping that you'd help us break in and bust them out?"

"Would I? You bet I would. In fact, I'll go alone! I've got a little score to settle with old monkey face!" shouted Wulfe, pounding his fists on Pepper's large wooden desk.

"Then you'll do it?" asked Pepper, slightly surprised.

"You bet! But uh... you wouldn't happen to have any ships lying around would you? Mine needs a serious overhaul," said Wulfe.

His ship, an old T4-662 "Snowflake" had seen combat longer than Wulfe had been alive. It was heavily modified and contained several secret compartments. Wulfe was proud of his ship, and was sad to let her go, but the truth was that she was a rusting old piece of junk!

Wulfe inspected the shining hull of the Arwing that sat before him. It was an old Mark 1 Ferret-Class Arwing. It had rotating wings, each armed with a powerful laser cannon. It carried a payload of twelve Nova Bombs and had a rather fast engine and a moderate deflector shield generator.

Wulfe traded in the Howl of Canis and paid an extra fifty-thousand credits, but finally the new ship was his. He patted the side of the ship, knowing what lay ahead. The now shining fuselage would soon be darkened with dirt and blaster scars. After a quick test drive, Wulfe landed and began the modifications.

Wulfe had kept the stuff from his old ship, which was why its value dropped. He installed the ZX-4.5 deflector shield and the special anti-theft device from his old fighter into the new one.

Wulfe decided to name his new fighter the Lupine, and did so with an expensive bottle of champagne from Pepper's office. After beefing up the engine output and adjusting a few flaps and maneuvering jets, he was ready to launch; but word had not yet come of James' and Peppy's location, or their status.

Pepper offered Wulfe his own room and apartment but Wulfe, who always preferred sleeping in his ship, declined the offer. After one night in the new, soft cushioned seat Wulfe thought he was in heaven! It felt like he was sleeping in a tub full of warm peanut butter: soft and peaceful. He'd have to get used to the oily smell of a new fighter though.

The week dragged on with no word from Venom. Wulfe was beginning to get anti-social, as he preferred being alone than with many other people. He never wanted a partner, although he had worked with another person on more than one occasion. If he did get a partner, she would have to be smart, very fine looking, and as good a pilot as he was. But until he found a pilot who could beat him in a dogfight he'd have to continue his life on his own.

Peppy groggily rolled his eyelids open, only to look into the face of a very ugly, disfigured monkey. Peppy gasped, then looked around the room. There were several other prisoners including James, who was about six feet away lying on a flat table.

"Well well well," said the monkey," Look who's awake. I'm gonna enjoy ripping the secrets out of your brain," the monkey licked his lips and drooled a smelly blue liquid on Peppy's flight suit.

"All in good time my friend," came another voice," We'll ask him nicely first, then you can play with him."

Peppy tried to see into the shadows but couldn't quite see the tall figure standing against the wall. He struggled at his shackles but he was held to the table. James began to stir. He was pounced upon by the drooling monkey who was again dismissed by the dark figure. After a nod the figure left, and Peppy could make out a pair of furry, pointed ears.

"Peppy?" mumbled James, weakly.

"I'm here, James!" replied Peppy.

"What happened?"

"I'd be more worried about what's about to happen."

The information was finally confirmed. Peppy and James had been shot down over Venom and were now being held in a high security prison called Nimrod. Its location was vaguely known; somewhere in the northern hemisphere in an area that covered approximately 100 square kilometers.

Wulfe didn't wait for any confirmation. He jumped in his new fighter and took off for Venom. He was stopped at the ring of defensive ships orbiting Corneria, claiming to have orders from General Pepper to bring him back to the base. Wulfe grumbled as he was escorted by six heavy Arwings.

"What do you mean I can't go?" shouted Wulfe. He had been waiting for this day for the past six years.

"I don't want to just rush in; not yet," replied Pepper," I want to be certain."

Peppy wanted the burning sensations in his arms to go away, but the constant prodding of the red hot poker made the pain worse each time. He didn't scream; he wouldn't allow the drooling monkey the pleasure of hearing him cry in pain. Instead he just bit his lip and swallowed the small amount of blood that oozed from it.

James was getting the worst of it. They had already cut his arms with a saw and were poking the wounds with red hot sticks. He let loose a bloodcurdling scream and Peppy bit his lip even harder.

The officer in charge of their interrogation/torture obviously didn't believe their little story about being on a scout mission for Corneria, and immediately began searching for more suitable answers. Peppy wished they'd just dump them both in a gas chamber and end it, but he wasn't that lucky.

The stick touched his arm again, this time on his bicep, and seemed to eat through his flesh until it touched his bone. It was too much. Peppy screamed.

"Nimrod has been confirmed as being at this location," said Pepper, pointing to a red dot on a large holographic map of Venom's northern hemisphere," The prison is heavily guarded and is protected by six heavy antiaircraft guns. It carries a fighter compliment of up to forty Invaders, not to mention the availability of any ship from their fleet, so you'll have to evade detection by them before you can get inside the base on foot."

"Only forty?" scoffed Wulfe, disappointed.

"Please take this seriously, Wulfe," pleaded Pepper," I need you to stay in one piece if you're going to have any chance of rescuing James and Peppy."

"I know. I'm just disappointed."

"We'll be sending you in alone. I know it's risky, but one man will have a better chance than many."

"Just me!" gasped Wulfe.

"Have you ever heard of the Galactic Empire?" asked Pepper.

"They attacked my home world several years ago. Why?"

"The Rebel Alliance, they're..."

"I know. My planet's got fighters flying for them," interrupted Wulfe.

"As I was saying, the Alliance had one of their spies captured by the Empire several years ago. He was held in a max. security prison awaiting execution. They sent in one man, a mercenary by the name of Kyle Katarn. He managed to sneak in and rescue the spy."

"Alright. Just let your people in the weapons department stock me up and I'll be on my way!"

Wulfe stood in the hanger next to his new ship. The Lupine still shone like that day it was made, but Wulfe knew that this could easily be her last flight. He would rely not only on his own skills, but also his super shield and the Lupine's stronger hull. He was dressed in a black jump suit that perfectly outlined his slim figure. On his belt was his blaster pistol and hanging over his right shoulder by its strap was a shiny new Stouker Concussion Rifle. Wulfe had heard about such a weapon before; a gun that fired compressed bullets of ionized air that exploded in shock waves, or could also be set for close-range firing without a powerful blast. He wasn't too keen on carrying such a loud, powerful, melee weapon but if it could wipe out an entire platoon of troops with one shot and blow holes through armoured security doors, then Wulfe decided it would be good to have around.

Pepper approached him to give his final farewell. With him were four troops and an officer wearing a white uniform.

"Wulfe, this is Grand Admiral Radford. He's here on behalf of the King. He wishes to speak with you before you leave," said Pepper.

"Okay, sure," Wulfe smiled and shifted the weight of the Stouker.

"Privately, please," said Admiral Radford, motioning towards the opposite wall.

Wulfe followed the man in the white uniform and stopped beside him at the wall.

"What I'm about to tell you is of utmost importance. Do you understand?"

Wulfe just nodded.

"The King is supporting you. He wants James back as much as anyone. But, there is something he wants you to do first."

"That being?" asked Wulfe.

"If, by some unfortunate circumstance, you cannot rescue James and Peppy or you are captured," he reached forward and handed Wulfe a small, round device," Use this to detonate the prison. We might as well take all of them down with the three of you. And the King sends his luck," he patted Wulfe's shoulder," You're truly going to need it."

With that he walked away and left, followed by the four soldiers. Wulfe stood for a moment watching him until his white uniform disappeared around a corner. Destroy James and Peppy if he couldn't rescue them? What was this all about? Wulfe looked at his fighter. She seemed to be calling to him; it was time for him to go now.

Wulfe's hyperdrive disengaged and he returned to realspace. There, right in front of him, was the dirty, polluted planet called Venom. No wonder it had such a rotten name, thought Wulfe. He had never been to Venom, only heard rumors about it. Now all of them seemed true.

He flicked on the switch to activate the cloaking shield that Pepper had installed in the Lupine. It would shield him from the enemy's sensors, but any idiot looking out of a cruiser window would be able to see his gray and blue fighter flying by. His first obstacle was the small Air Defense Zone. It consisted of a small minefield, several cruisers, and a few squadrons of fighters. Wulfe flew at a "safe" distance of eight kilometers and managed to buzz right past them. he breathed a sigh of relief, but he would soon find out that it would be the first of many.

After flying through the atmosphere he began to let his computer take over of the ship. The location of the prison was locked into his navigation computer and it would take another twenty-four minutes to get there. Wulfe planned how he was going to break into the prison, rescue James and Peppy, and then get back to the Lupine. Then another problem arose: how was he going to get them off the planet?! His fighter could hold maybe two people, but three in the already cramped cockpit would really be pushing it. Wulfe had a feeling that it was going to be a long day.

He could now see a small rise of mountains in the distance. Reports had said that James and Peppy had been shot down over some mountains. Wulfe decided to investigate, perhaps to find some clues about exactly what happened. He landed his fighter near the exploded wreckage of a starfighter. After close examination Wulfe was able to identify it as that of an Arwing. he knelt beside the wreck. There was a small trail of blood leading away from the crash site. Wulfe followed it with his eyes and saw that they led towards the mountains. Now he knew what had happened to James and Peppy.

"In those mountains they would have been sitting ducks from an ambush by Venomian troops," he mumbled to himself.

"As you are now!" came a raspy voice from behind him.

Wulfe whirled around and came face to face with a monkey... a monkey with a gun sticking in Wulfe's gut.

"Try anything, and we'll soon be looking at what you last ate... reheated!"

Wulfe gulped. He didn't like the idea of seeing old macaroni and cheese come spilling out of his intestines and all over this fine fellow. Wulfe just nodded.

"So, what now?" asked Wulfe.

"Tell me why you're here, and I might not kill you right away," the monkey smiled an evil grin. Most of his teeth were gold, while the rest were starting to rot away. Wulfe winced.

"I'm here on vacation. I decided to see the final resting place of James McCloud and Peppy Hare. Am I at the right place?" joked Wulfe.

"You fool! You've found you own final resting place!"

The monkey finally left some distance between him and Wulfe. Wulfe took this opportunity and ducked below the gun's barrel. He then kicked the monkey's legs out from underneath him and tackled him. Wulfe knocked out the monkey with two punches and then took the discarded blaster.

"This is not a very nice way to meet a tourist!" said Wulfe. He aimed at the monkey's head and fired.

Peppy awoke after another nightmare. One thing about being tortured is that you never have good dreams. And that was exactly what the drooling monkey wanted.

"Wakey wakey!" he smiled. Peppy was getting used to the awful sight of the monkey's deformed face every morning and most of the grueling hours of the day. It seemed that the monkey had had his own share of torture. Peppy wished that he could break loose so he could shove a red hot poker through the monkey's chest, but he knew it was impossible.

The tall, pointy-eared figure had returned, this time bringing Pigma with him.

"I thought it was time you met my other friends," said Pigma nastily.

Peppy blew a gust of air through his nostrils, making a quick, " Pffff!" sound.

"I believe we've met before, but never formally introduced," said the figure. He finally stepped into the light revealing a tall gray wolf. He wore a black pilots uniform and had an eye patch over his left eye. The scowl on his face would haunt Peppy forever," I'm Wolf O'Donnell. I'd shake your hand, of course, but I can see you're a bit tied up at the moment.

Pigma chuckled," I think you may know him already?" he said, addressing James.

James barely had the strength to speak, but managed a few words," Ah, hello again... cyclops."

"I hate when people call me that!" cried Wolf," Especially you! You're the one who did this to me, James! I'll make sure that Larry gives you the drill treatment tonight!"

"Oh really?! Can I?" the deformed monkey cried out with glee.

"Of course! When have I never allowed you to play with your toys?" asked Wolf.

"Umm, when you kick me out and let Leon play with them instead," sighed Larry.

Peppy looked on with disgust. Here they were, planning on exactly how they were going to kill him and James. James had taken the worst of it, but Peppy was sure that he was next.

"Speaking of Leon," continued Pigma," He's here right now. He just arrived with is suitcase full of goodies!"

James slumped his shoulders and let the chains hold him up. He didn't feel like fighting anymore. He wished that death would come quickly so that he could escape this life of pain and suffering.

Wulfe crawled along the ground on his belly as he edged closer to the main defense perimeter. There he could see several guards standing at attention, awaiting anything that happened along. Wulfe hoped that he wouldn't "happen along" and searched for another way into the base. He looked up the nearby wall and saw a grate, one that probably led to an air duct or a heating vent.

Wulfe reached into his utility backpack and pulled out a set of climbing gauntlets. With these special iron gloves on he had claws that were six inches long and could dig deeply into solid concrete. Wulfe flexed his fingers, admiring the shiny gauntlets. He approached the wall and, reaching up as far as he could, sent his claws deep into the concrete. He pulled himself up and drove the next set of claws into the wall.

After twenty minutes of difficult climbing Wulfe reached the grate. He pried it open with his free hand and carefully placed the grate inside the opening. After pulling himself inside he replaced the grate to its proper position. Wulfe sat for a moment to catch his breath. He pulled out a small sandwich from his pack and began to eat. It was old and stale, but still it was something to keep his strength up.

The shaft went along for several meters before turning left. Wulfe, crawling on all fours, slowly made his way through the vent. When he reached the turn he stopped abruptly. He could feel extreme heat and there was a loud noise up ahead. He continued on. Wulfe soon found himself on top of a small door that was built into the floor of the shaft. He pried it open with his gauntlet.

One side of the door fell away, followed by the other. Not expecting both sides of the door to fall Wulfe fell with it, but he managed to grab the edge of the opening. Wulfe felt the heat, it was more intense than ever. He glanced down and gaped his mouth. Far below was the furnace, a red hot machine that was burning fuel in order to keep the base heated. Wulfe didn't feel like being fuel for a Venomian furnace. The door eventually fell inside the flames and was enveloped in seconds. Wulfe gulped.

He pulled himself back into the shaft and took another deep breath. At least he had some excitement to keep him on his toes! Farther down Wulfe heard a different and more familiar sound: the sound of people chatting. There were two guards below him in another part of the base. Wulfe listened carefully. You never know when a guard will give away important information.

"Do you know what's going on?" said one.

"I think it's another drill?" replied the second.

"Why? Did someone tell you that?"

"No, it's just that we haven't had any drills in a while!"

Wulfe looked around nervously. Had they discovered that he was inside the base? He just hoped that it was only a drill. But with extra guards spread throughout the base, expecting something to happen, Wulfe would have to be extra careful.

He slowly continued down the shaft, hoping that his weight wouldn't make the vent sag too much. If any part of the vent was exposed to the corridor below, then anybody looking up would notice the large bulge moving along in the vent.

Then there was a crossroads. Wulfe could either go left or right. He pulled out his Personal Display Device to see the known layout of the base. All corridors and ventilation shafts were shown with red and yellow lines. Wulfe decided to go left.

Below he heard the sounds of weakened voices; voices that were moaning. Then there came a loud scream, followed by more moaning. Wulfe guessed that he was getting close to either the torture chambers or the cafeteria. A loud drilling sound could be heard, then another scream. Wulfe guessed unanimously: the torture chambers! Then came a voice from below.

"That's enough. Let him bleed himself to death," the voice was evil. Then it uttered a chuckle.

All Wulfe could hear besides the chuckling was the moaning of the prisoner and the sound of liquid dripping on the floor. Wulfe felt sick and wished that he hadn't eaten that moldy sandwich.

"A drill? Why a drill?" he asked himself.

Then there came another sound, one that Wulfe was sure that he'd heard before. It was Peppy Hare.

"You villain! How could you do that to him!" he shouted.

There was a loud slapping sound and Peppy grunted in pain.

"You shut up, old man!" came the voice again," You're lucky you're not as mouthy as your friend James here or I would have let Larry drill you a long time ago!"

Wulfe gasped. It was James that they had just killed, or had left to die. What a way to go, thought Wulfe, drilled full of holes and left to bleed to death. He slowly crawled further through the shaft. There was another turn, this time to the right. He met with a dead end. Here he was, so close to James and Peppy, but he was trapped inside this stupid vent.

"There it is again," he heard from below.

Then there was something poking the bottom of the vent. He was slowly being pushed upwards.

"Yeah, there's someone, or something up there all right," came a second voice," Blow it out!"

"Oh crap!" Wulfe said out loud.

Wulfe was glad that he only heard the sound of one blaster as it sent a laser blast through the thin metal vent. The section directly in front of him disappeared and was replaced with a smoldering hole.

"Crap! Crap! Crap!" he said again.

A second blast blew the vent right out from underneath him. He had his concussion rifle ready and fired in secondary mode so that he wouldn't blow himself to bits. The first blast killed the guard with the blaster. Then Wulfe drew his pistol on the second one and fired. The weaponless monkey screamed as he fell.

Wulfe looked around; in one hand he had his blaster, in the other the concussion rifle.

"I think I've got their attention," he said to himself.

He opened a nearby door and slipped inside. There was a rack full of standard issue blaster rifles. A bit spendy on the ammo, but more powerful than his pistol. He took two and stole the power packs from the rest. Then he ran out into the hallway. Big mistake. There were six guards just thirty feet away.

"There he is!" shouted one.

"Blast him!" ordered the officer in charge.

Several poorly and hastily aimed shots flew past Wulfe and he quickly ducked back inside the room. He set his Stouker to primary mode and leaned out the door. He fired once and ducked back inside before the blast ignited. All Wulfe could hear was a loud explosion and several screams. He looked into the hall and saw all of the guards lying on the floor; roasted to a crisp. Then he noticed something else. The blast had also opened up a weak spot in the wall, reveling a secret passage. Wulfe ducked inside it and ran in the direction where he remembered the torture chamber to be.

Wulfe made several turns before ending up in the section of the base where the prisoners were held. There were several barred grates about fourteen inches wide by four inches high, and were located about six meters apart. Wulfe could see out each one and into a different cell at the cell's floor level. Wulfe knew that he would eventually find Peppy's cell and waited until the hare was brought back from the torture chamber.

Leon slumped in his seat," I can't believe you denied me the pleasure of killing James McCloud," he pouted. Leon going without torturing or killing someone was like Wulfe going a week without flying or dogfighting.

"Settle down," replied Wolf," I let Larry do it because I'm pleased with his work here. He's earned it! Besides, you can still do that old hare we've got locked up."

Leon sighed," It's not the same! I mean... it was JAMES!!"

"Get over it," said Wolf," There'll be others. I'm sure we'll get a chance to do his son once he finds out what we did."

Pigma, who had been laying on a couch, joined the conversation," Maybe he'll even fly over here to get revenge. Then we can really have some fun with him!"

Wolf nodded. Things were pretty slow over at Venom HQ, and he was looking forward to some excitement. Apparently, Andross was planning on building some new ships of the Wolfen-Class for them and he wanted to try out his new toy, and soon!

Wolf, with Leon and Pigma, visited Peppy one last time.

"Well, my friend, we must go now," said Wolf, trying to act disappointed.

"Andross has called us to his fortress to go over the final plans for the destruction of the Cornerian Air Force," added Leon.

"As if you guys could actually get past the Cornerian defenses," said Peppy.

"Oh we don't have to. You're going to get us there," grinned Wolf. Peppy hated the way Wolf grinned. He was just plain evil.

"Why should I help you?" asked Peppy.

Wolf looked at Leon, who shrugged and looked down at Pigma," We found your Arwing somewhat intact after your crash. We've taken it here and repaired it, but we also ripped out all of the unnecessary pieces such as the Nova Bomb launcher and such," said Pigma. He cleared his throat and continued," In their place we're planning on loading the fighter with C-4 plastic explosives. Once we have it ready we're going to send it, remotely controlled of course, to Corneria. With you communicating through a satellite relay from this very room you'll get past the defenses. After we're in we'll simply program a direct collision course with the CAF building in Corneria City. With all of the C-4 that Arwing could carry I'm afraid there won't be much left of the CAF," Pigma sighed.

"And you actually think I'll go along with it?" asked Peppy.

"We'll have four guards with guns aimed at your head!" shouted Wolf. He laughed.

Peppy just turned his head away as the trio left," See you in a week, Peppy. I'm looking forward to torturing you after your performance!" smiled Leon.

Peppy sighed and allowed the guards to carry him to his cell.

Wulfe smiled and said to himself, Primary target in sight! There was Peppy, being led to his cell by four guards. Boy, they really expect something from the old guy, huh? thought Wulfe. The cell door finally clanged shut and Peppy was left alone, or so he thought.

"Psst!" whispered Wulfe.

"Huh?" Peppy turned and looked at the small opening in his wall. He couldn't see who it was, but the voice sounded friendly.

"I'm here to bust you out," said Wulfe.

Peppy crouched and looked down at the bars," Do you expect me to fit through that?"

"No, but take this for now," he fed the extra blaster rifle, along with three ammo clips, through the bars," This will help you escape once I start the diversion."

"Diversion?" asked Peppy, still a bit confused.

"I have a fighter here with me. As soon as I get back to it I'll attack the base. While everyone is running around, use the gun to blast your way out. I'll meet you outside. We'll have to make it quick though."

"What about James?" asked Peppy.

"I think it's too late for him. I'm very sorry, but you're my other primary objective."

Peppy nodded," But how will you get back out?"

"The way I came in. Through those air ducts," Wulfe pointed to the ceiling, where the vents and pipes were totally exposed.

"Well, good luck then."

"Take this as well," Wulfe tossed a small communicator through the bars," I'll call you when the skies are clear."

"Okay. Good luck!"

"You too."

With that he was gone. Peppy slipped the gun and communicator halfway through the opening hoping that the darkness would hide them for now.

Wulfe returned to the hole in the wall where he had gained access to the secret passage. There were now a dozen guards scouring the hallway, two of them were standing right in front of the opening. Wulfe guessed that they had several guards searching the winding tunnels for him, but they had gone a wrong way. Wulfe chuckled to himself.

He reached out and grabbed the two guards, who let off their blasters in surprise and killed two of their fellow guards. Wulfe cracked their skulls with the butt of his Stouker. That's four already! He smiled. But his smile soon faded. The rest of the guards were drawn to the action like ants to a picnic. Wulfe pulled out a small proximity charge and stuck it on the wall. He leaned out of the opening and shot at the guards to make sure he had their attention.

He ducked into he secret passage, pressing the ARM button on the charge. As the guards came into range of the charge's sensor the explosive detonated. The guards were knocked down the hall and ripped apart by shrapnel.

"Man I love explosives!" exclaimed Wulfe.

He found the hole in the vent and jumped up to his escape route. Just as he made it, several more guards came around the corner.

"Get him!" shouted the lead trooper.

Two guards grabbed Wulfe's legs as he hung from the opening in the vent. Wulfe, who had donned his gauntlets, slashed at them. They fell, grasping the bloody stumps where their arms had been. Wulfe now crawled at a running pace through the vent as laser blasts destroyed the metal behind and around him.

Wulfe began to utter his favorite word again: crap! He made the left turn, then the right. Then he came to the furnace again. Wulfe carefully crossed the opening where the door had been and quickly returned to the grate that led to the outside.

He looked down, hoping not to find any guards that had half a brain to figure out where the vent led, but there were none. He didn't bother to be careful with the grate and let it drop. He dug his claws into the wall and scraped his way down the wall and reached the bottom in a few seconds. Looking up at the six gouges leading up to the vent he shook his head in disgust.

"I should have been a better guest," he chuckled as he thought of the wrecked vent and the big hole in the wall. He then ran to where he had hidden the Lupine.

"Time to start some fireworks!" he grinned," Woo hoo!"

Wulfe was about to have some fun.

"Sir! We have an incoming fighter!" reported the base's radar operator.

"Get me an ID, now!" ordered the officer in charge.

"Yes sir," the radar operator checked his display screen," It's a Mark 1 Ferret-Class Arwing."

"Cornerians!" grumbled the commander. He walked to the wall and picked up a microphone," All squadrons prepare for combat. We've got a Cornerian fighter coming in!"

The base was soon overrun with pilots and gunners, each taking their station throughout the base. The antiaircraft guns powered up and aimed in the direction of the approaching fighter. Several Invader I's were manned and sent into the sky to intercept the Arwing. Within minutes they were going down with flames shooting out of them. The fighter was in range.

"Fire!"

The six guns mounted on the walls of the base all fired at once, sending bright flashes of light energy in the direction of the attacker. The fighter dodged a few blasts but took some damage. It strafed the base and caused some minor damage, including the destruction of a gun turret.

"Get some heavy support in here!" ordered the general in charge of the base.

"Yes sir," replied a communications officer," Gunship 211, break formation and assist us immediately."

One of the heavy gunships orbiting the planet began to fly through the atmosphere to protect the high security prison.

"Why did Star Wolf have to leave?!" shouted the commander," We could use their skills right now. Our Invaders are getting stomped on!"

Indeed they were. The low-quality, unshielded fighters were being shot down as quickly as they were launched. The pilot was either very good, or very lucky.

Wulfe shouted out loud as another fighter exploded. It was one thing to fight in space, but fighting at ground zero, barely skimming the "deck", was a whole different story. He just enjoyed the new challenge and kept fighting.

"C'mon, Peppy," he said to himself," I've done my part, where are you?"

Another laser blast hit his shields. He sent his fighter into a dive and pulled up. He lined up another gun turret in his sights and blew it off the wall, sending Venomian gunners leaping out of the way. Then Wulfe saw that his enemy missile indicator light was flashing. Someone was trying to lock onto his ship. Then an alarm went off as the missile was fired.

"Oh crap!!" shouted Wulfe, again using his favorite word.

He pulled his ship towards the sky, at the same time firing a small flare out the back of his fighter. The flare was actually a small warhead that would automatically lock onto any incoming missiles and intercept them. The flare found the missile in a matter of seconds and the two warheads collided.

"Those Invaders don't have missile launchers!" said Wulfe," Where did..."

Then a huge shadow loomed overhead. Wulfe looked up and saw the Venomian gunship, its guns tracking his every move.

"Well, that would explain it!"

Wulfe dived towards the base as the mighty guns fired. Three hit his shields while the others missed and hit the base. Wulfe grinned. He had fooled the gunship into firing on its own base. The base was falling apart on the south side. Three guns were destroyed and the wall was collapsing.

Peppy decided that it was time to go. He pulled out the rifle and blew the lock off the door, letting it swing into the hall. A guard came by to see what had happened and Peppy kicked the door, sending it crashing into the guard. It took three punches before the guard lost consciousness.

"That was for James!" he said.

After massaging his sore hand he limped down the hall in the general direction of the destruction outside. It was his guess that where there was sound, there was an opening to the outside. Outside. Peppy had been locked up in this musty old place for over two weeks now and he was looking forward to breathing some fresh air; not that Venom had any fresh air left!

Then, rushing into the cells came the drooling monkey, Larry. Peppy aimed carefully and fired several shots. Each one hit home, and the monkey fell screaming to the floor. He was dead.

"And that was for me!" he shouted at the corpse.

After taking a few turns and blasting three guards, Peppy found himself looking out a big window that looked out onto the courtyard. There he had a clear view of the devastation. Peppy was glad that the pilot, whoever he was, was on his side! Another explosion rocked the base as the modified Arwing swooped past, its lasers firing at anything. Peppy knew that it was time to leave.

As he ran past an open doorway, Peppy stopped and looked outside. There, sitting on a ledge, was his Arwing. Pigma had said that they had repaired it, he only hoped that they hadn't loaded the explosives on it yet. He ran out to it and was surprised by two guards. They fired at him but both missed. Peppy held the trigger down as the rapid-fire weapon put several holes in both guards.

He jumped in his cockpit, fired up the engines, and took off. He thought about helping the unknown pilot, but then he remembered what Pigma had said about removing all unnecessary systems. He was sure that they would pull out every last scrap of wiring. He doubted that he had shields either. Peppy grabbed his communicator and pressed the button.

"I'm escaping in a fighter... Arwing-Class. Do not fire!" he shouted.

"Not so loud!" gasped Wulfe," These things are sensitive."

"Sorry. I want to thank you for what you did for me."

"Hey, it's my job. Now get back and make sure Pepper has my payment ready!"

Peppy just smiled," Mercenaries," and he shook his head.

Then came the Air Defense Zone. Peppy became tense. Here he was, with no shields, flying through the most heavily defended part of Venom Airspace. They won't fire on me, he thought, I'm their secret weapon.

He was right. He just flew right past the fleet of Venomian ships and entered hyperspace for Corneria.

Wulfe watched as Peppy flew away. Mission accomplished, he thought. It was time for him to leave as well. He fired up his afterburners and got out of the area as fast as he could. But he still had several Invaders on his tail and the gunship was close behind. Several more shots hit his shields and another missile was fired at him. Wulfe's super shield was running low on power and he was almost out of flares.

He decided it was time to bug out. He pulled his fighter perpendicular to the planet and headed straight for space, followed closely by the fighters and the gunship. Once the stars of space were visible and the sky turned black, Wulfe pulled on his hyperdrive lever. Nothing happened. He tried it again, this time flicking a few switches. Auxiliary was out too! Crap!

He flicked a switch to bring up his damage log. His hyperdrive had blown out several minutes ago. But why? Wulfe didn't have time to find out. More laser shots collided with his ship and his shields flashed. They were dangerously low. Wulfe had to escape now. He counted the number of Invaders. There were only four in pursuit. The big problem was the gunship, which was still a little too close at two kilometers. By the time he smoked the Invaders he would be in range of the gunship and that would spell certain doom for him and his fighter.

But he had two advantages on his side: speed, and maneuverability. He was soon five kilometers away from the gunship, and decided that it was time to engage the fighters. He turned around and ran right through them, sending them scattering in all directions. He picked the nearest target and fired. It exploded. Cheap fighters! thought Wulfe.

The second and third exploded soon as well. Then there was the fourth. It kept slowing down and pulling close to his ship. There was no way that Wulfe could outmaneuver that to get the Invader in his sights. He flew directly away from the Invader to get some distance, but as soon as he did the Invader sped up as well and soon gained on Wulfe. It fired and hit his ship. An alarm went off. He was dead meat!

Wulfe growled and pulled his ship into a steep climb, then down again, then to the left. But the Invader pilot was good and stayed on his tail. Then Wulfe remembered another thing that flares were good for. They were homing projectiles; small warheads that would first seek out incoming missiles, and then starfighters. Wulfe smiled as he checked his flares. He still had three left. He fired one and looked backwards through the canopy. The blue flare shot directly towards the Invader, crashing into its hull.

Wulfe pulled his ship around on the damaged Invader. It was sparking and barely moving at all. He lined it up in his sights and fired.

"You were good, but I'm better!" said Wulfe as the Invader exploded.

With the gunship getting too close for comfort, Wulfe hit his accelerator and headed for the nearest port.

Peppy emerged from hyperspace, tired and relieved. The fighter jolted and Peppy bumped his head on the dashboard as the hyperdrive motor blew out.

"I guess they weren't able to repair everything," said Peppy, dabbing at the small cut on his forehead; the last blood drawn because of Venom. He was safe, and in Cornerian airspace.

"Unidentified Arwing. This is Cornerian security, identify yourself," came a voice over his communicator.

"This is Peppy Hare," he replied weakly," I need to land immediately."

"Yes sir!" replied the officer.

Peppy flew through the atmosphere with sparks shooting out the back of his jet. At the air force base, a large group of fire trucks and ambulances were waiting for a possible crash landing. The runway had been foamed and there was a wall of padding a few meters from the end of the pavement. Peppy knew that he should land the ship properly, but he was too tired and weak to bother. He just wanted to let the people in the ambulances take him to a hospital where he could just lie down and sleep.

The Arwing was coming in at full speed. It slowed a little and buzzed past the fire trucks and ambulances, who charged after him with their sirens blaring and lights flashing. The fighter soon slowed down enough that it could no longer remain airborne. It came down on the foam-covered pavement and sparks flew up as the metal was shredded on the hard surface. All Peppy could see was white, frothy runway foam flying in all directions, and soon his cockpit was covered.

Then there was a hard jolt. Peppy's fighter had bumped against the padding and come to a complete stop. He could hear the sirens getting louder as the trucks approached. His fighter hadn't caught fire but the firefighters needed to use crowbars to pry open Peppy's canopy. Then the paramedics took over and carried Peppy to an ambulance. He was in a hospital within ten minutes.

Peppy awoke to the beeping sounds of a hospital room; only he was the room lying on the bed. Pepper was in the room, as well as a young fox. Peppy smiled at his best friend's son, Fox McCloud. He knew it was time to tell what had happened.

"As long as you're up to it," argued Pepper," I don't want you to feel obligated..."

"No, General," smiled Peppy," I'd love to."

Then Peppy told everything, from when he and James were shot down, as well as the prison, the tortures, and James' death. Fox took it hard. His father was dead. Peppy continued. He told how the unknown mercenary had come to his rescue, allowing him to escape.

"I never saw what happened after I left. But he said to tell you to get his payment ready," finished Peppy.

"I haven't heard from him, and it's been three days," replied Pepper.

"I've been out for three days!" Peppy half shouted, half gasped.

"Yes, but I think you need your sleep. Come on, Fox"

Pepper left with the young Fox close by. Peppy felt sorry for him. He had so much good going for him. He was already a great pilot, and he could handle an Arwing almost as good as his old man... could. He only wished that Fox wouldn't go towards the dark side and seek direct revenge on his father's killer. Peppy still had horrible thoughts of the evil drooling monkey; Larry.

Peppy sighed and lay back against the soft pillow. A nurse came in with some food, but it didn't look like food! Peppy began to eat anyway, all the time thinking about the mystery merc who had saved his life.

"What an honourable sacrifice," he said out loud.

"Huh?" asked the nurse.

Wulfe sat at a bar... of course. He was sipping some really bad drink that sounded good because of its name. His hyperdrive had to be replaced. Apparently, because of the large amount of power required by his shield, the hyperdrive had blown out. He had it replaced with a smaller, less powerful unit. Hopefully it would last a while and make it through several hyperspace jumps. He was bragging to some other mercenaries about his latest mission and they were fairly impressed. Not a lot of people could just slip in under Venom's nose like he did and do what damage he inflicted. Wulfe smiled and took another sip.

"Yessir," he said," Wulfe Litefoot is one name that's gonna go down in history!"

THE END

"It was fun, in my own little way, to pretend I was dead. But if Pepper and everyone else thought that I was then I would use it to my advantage. Besides, the interest on my payment from Pepper might go up in the next few years!"

-Wulfe Litefoot, mercenary for hire

"No one really thinks I'm crazy for thinking up such an imaginary person; they just say how lucky I am for managing to escape. No matter how I explain it they always dismiss the fact the he was the one who saved me... and I owe him everything."

-Peppy Hare, Star Fox mercenary unit

Back to Star Fox Stories

Characters: Wulfe Litefoot, Larry

Inanimate Objects: Mk-1 Ferret Class Arwing, Venomian Gunship, Venom Max Security Prison Nimrod, T4-662 "Snowflake"/Howl of Canis, ZX-4.5 Super Shield

©Cyberwulfe (CW Inc.)