THE SHADOWS OF FOX


THE STORY: IT HAS BEEN 6 MONTHS SINCE ANDROSS'S DEFEAT. THE STARFOX TEAM HAS RAISED ENOUGH MONEY TO BUY GREAT FOX WITH ROB 64 INSTALLED. ONE DAY, THE STARFOX TEAM WAS IN GREAT FOX TALKING WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN A MESSAGE CAME FROM ROB. THEY WERE NEARING FORTUNA AND A WHOLE SQUADRON OF ATTACKING FIGHTERS CAME OUT OF NO WHERE AND STARTING GIVING GREAT FOX A BEATING. QUICKLY THE TEAM RACED TO THEIR ARWINGS AND FLEW TO THE BATTLE POINT. HUNDREDS OF SWARMING UNKNOWN FIGHTERS WERE ATTACKING GREAT FOX! "WHO ARE THESE GUYS?" ASKED FALCO. "I DON'T KNOW " SAID FOX "BUT A FEW OF 'EM ARE ON YOUR TAIL!" YES INDEED. FOUR OF THESE FIGHTERS STARTED TO ATTACK FALCO FROM BEHIND. "DON'T WORRY!" SAID SLIPPY. "THEY'RE IN MY SIGHTS! YOUR GOING DOWN, MR.!" SLIPPY SUCCESFULLY DEFEATED ONE OF THE FIGHTERS, AND ALL OF THE OTHER SHIPS BROKE AWAY. "FALCO, ARE YOU O.K.?" ASKED PEPPY. "I FINE. BUT BOY, THOSE SHIPS PACKED QUITE A WHOLLOP! MY SHIP WAS ALMOST DESTROYED!" REPLIED FALCO. "SLIPPY, DO YOU THINK YOU CAN FIX IT?"ASKED FOX. "I'LL TRY, BUT HIS SHIP GOT REALLY BANGED UP. YOU'LL HAVE TO LAND, FALCO, FOR I DON'T HOW MUCH LONGER THAT ARWING WILL HOLD OUT." "OKAY, SLIP," FALCO REPLIED. "I WONDER HOW GREAT FOX IS?" ASKED PEPPY. "OH SHOOT!" SAID FOX. "WE FORGOT ABOUT GREAT FOX! ROB, IS EVERYTHING OKAY?" "DAMAGE TO THE REAR ENGINE AND THE BRIDGE HAS MINOR DAMAGE," SAID ROB. "SLIPPY, DO YOU THINK WE COULD FIX IT?" ASKED FOX. "I THINK WE COULD HANDLE IT. THERE IS NOT THAT MUCH DAMAGE DONE TO SHIP FROM THE LOOKS OF IT. BUT THOSE WEAPONS OF THERE'S DID MORE DAMAGE THAN I THOUGHT POSSIBLE ON GREAT FOX WITH JUST REGULAR LASERS," SLIPPY REPLIED. "MAYBE THE LASERS WEREN'T JUST REGULAR", SAID FALCO. "MAYBE, BUT... HEY! WHY AREN'T YOU IN THE DOCKING BAY WAITING FOR REPAIRS?" SAID SLIPPY. "O.K.! OKAY! I'M GOING" SAID FALCO. THEY DECIDED TO BACK INTO GREAT FOX AND DISCUSS THE MATTER OF THESE UNKNOWN SHIPS. BUT BEFORE EVEN FALCO WENT BACK, A SHADOWY FIGURE CAME ON THE INTERCOM. HE SAID: AHH, SO THIS IS THE STARFOX TEAM? YOU DON'T SEEM LIKE MUCH. YOU ONLY DEFEATED ONE OF MY FIGHTERS BEFORE I CALLED THEM BACK. PRETTY POWERFUL SHIPS, HUH? THOSE SHIPS WEREN'T VERY POWERFUL COMPARED TO MY OTHER SHIPS, WHICH SOME HAVE EVEN MORE POWERFUL SHIELDS THAN YOU! BUT THE WORSE IS YET TO COME! MY 4 ASSISTANTS WILL ATTACK YOU, AND EVEN THOUGH I'M GOING TO TELL YOU THIS SO YOU CAN GET READY, NOTHING WILL HELP. THEY'LL ATTACK YOU WHEN YOU CROSS A CERTAIN POINT, WHICH I WILL NOT TELL YOU WHERE IT IS. AND ALSO, IF I WERE YOU, I'D WATCH YOUR BACK, FOR MY FIGHTERS WILL SURPRISE ATTACK YOU AT ANY TIME, AND WON'T BE SO SUCCESSFUL NEXT TIME! HA HA HA!" THE SHADOWY PERSON THEN FADED AWAY. THERE WAS A MOMENT OF SILENCE. THEN PEPPY SAID "THAT GUY SOUNDS LIKE TROUBLE." WE'D BETTER LAND AND DISCUSS THIS SITUATION WE'RE IN," SAID FOX. "BUT FIRST WE'D BETTER REPAIR GREAT FOX," SAID SLIPPY. "GOOD IDEA, SLIP," SAID PEPPY. WITHIN 2 HOURS GREAT FOX WAS REPAIRED, AND WITHIN ANOTHER 2 FALCO'S WAS FIXED. THEY DECIDED TO GET AS MUCH HELP AS POSSIBLE, SO THEY GOT BILL AND KATT TO HELP THEM OUT. THEY WERE ABOUT TO CALL TO CALL GENERAL PEPPER AND THE CORNERIAN ARMY WHEN THEY LOST COMMUNICATION WITH CORNERIA. NOW THEY ARE IN A VERY TIGHT CONDITION. NOT ONLY WERE THEY IN GRAVE DANGER, BUT THEY CANT COMMUNICATE WITH CORNERIA, EITHER! THEY DECIDED TO HOLD POSITION IN SECTOR X SO THEY PROBABLY WON'T CROSS THAT CERTAIN POINT THAT GUY WAS TALKING ABOUT. THEY ALSO STOPPED TO TRY TO REPAIR THE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM THAT LINKS THEM WITH CORNERIA. THEY DECIDED TO GO AND SEARCH FOR SOMEONE TO HELP THEM. HOWEVER, GREAT FOX WAS STILL NOT IN PERFECT CONDITION, SO BILL AND KATT STAYED BEHIND TO HELP PROTECT GREAT FOX, WHILE PEPPY, SLIPPY, FALCO, AND FOX WENT TO SEARCH FOR A SIGN OF HOPE. BUT BEFORE THEY EVEN SPLIT, GREAT FOX'S ENGINE STALLED. SLIPPY LOOKED AT IT, AND HE SAID IT WOULD BE TO HARD TO TRY TO FIX IT. HE COULDN'T DO MUCH WITH IT, SO THEY WERE STRANDED THERE. THERE ONLY HOPE WAS THAT THEY COULD FIND SOMEONE TO HELP. SO THE STARFOX TEAM WAS OFF. EVEN THOUGH THEY COULD PROBABLY FIND SOMEONE IF THEY SPLIT UP, BUT THEY DECIDED TO STAY TOGETHER, JUST IN CASE ONE OF THEM GOT ATTACKED. THEY HEADED TOWARD THE DIRECTION OF TITANIA, AND THEN THEY WOULD GO NORTH IN THE DIRECTION OF MACBETH. WHEN THEY WERE HALF WAY TO TITANIA, A SWARM OF ENEMY FIGHTERS - WHICH AGAIN CAME OUT OF NO WHERE - STARTED TO ATTACK THE STARFOX TEAM! HOWEVER, THEY WERE SLOWER AND LESS MANEUVERABLE THAN THE ARWING, HAD NO SHIELDS AND TOOK ABOUT 2-4 HITS TO DESTROY, AND HAD WEAK LASERS. "THAT WAS EASIER THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE," SAID FALCO. "AHH... TOO EASY FOR YOU, HEY? WELL HERE IS A TASTE OF YOUR OWN MEDICINE!"SAID THE SHADOWS FIGURE. ALL OF A SUDDEN, OUT OF NO WHERE... 9 BLACK ARWINGS! IT WAS THE SAME AS THE STARFOX TEAM'S ARWINGS, EXCEPT THEY WERE PAINTED BLACK."WELL, MR. STAR PILOT, CAN YOU HANDLE THIS?"ASKED FOX"WE CAN DO IT, WERE THE TOP NOTCH PILOTS OF THE LYLAT SYSTEM!"HE SAID. TWO ARWINGS ATTACKS A TEAMMATE. THE REMANING ARWING WILL HELP THOSE IN TROUBLE AND WILL REPLACE ONE IF DESTROYED. LUCKILY, FOX HAD AN IDEA. FIRST THEY WOULD TAKE OUT THE REPLACEMENT ARWING. THEN THEY'D FORM A CIRCLE, WITH THE ENEMY SHIPS BEHIND EACH OTHER. IN THE CIRCLE, THEY'LL TAKE OUT EACH OTHER'S ATTACKERS. FOX'S PLAN WAS SUCCESSFUL. "WANT MORE DO YOU? WELL, YOU'VE GOT IT!"SAID THE SHADOWY PERSON. "MY FOUR ASSISTANTS WILL BLOW YOU TO KINGDOMCOME!" OUT OF NOWHERE CAME THESE VOICES..."NICE DAY, STARFOX, ISN'T IT? TOO BAD YOU WON'T SEE ANOTHER!" SAID STAR WOLF. "PEPPY! TAKE A GOOD LOOK OUT OK YOUR COCKPIT, IT'LL BE THE SIGHT YOU EEEEEEEEEVER SEE!" SAID PIGMA. "YOU'D BETTER WATCH OUT... YOU WON'T KNOW WHEN AND WHERE WE ATTACK YOU AT,"SAID LEON. "FARE WARNING, TURN BACK NOW!" SAID ANDREW. "ALL AIRCRAFT...BREAK AWAY." SAID FOX. AND THEY ALL STARTED TO HEAD BACK TO GREAT FOX. THEY NEEDED TO THINK OF AN IDEA TO CONQUER THE STAR WOLF TEAM. WHEN THEY GOT BACK TO GREAT FOX, BILL AND KATT WERE SO EXCITED. BUT WHEN THEY LEARNED NO ONE WAS THERE TO HELP, THEY WEREN'T SO HAPPY. INSIDE GREAT FOX, THEY GOT THERE SHIELDS REPLENISHED, AND PEPPY THOUGHT OF A PLAN. THEY WOULD ARRIVE RIGHT ABOVE TITANIA AND WAIT FOR THE STAR WOLF TEAM. ONCE THEY CAME, PEPPY WOULD FAKE BETRAY THE TEAM AND START TO FIRE AT AND CHASE FOX. THEN FOX WE'LL GET CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE GRAVITY OF TITANIA THAT'S WHEN PEPPY HITS FOX, HE'LL PRETEND THAT THE LASER WILL MAKE HIM HAVE TO CRASH ON THE PLANET, PUT INSTEAD HE'LL JUST LAND. THEN SLIPPY WILL YELL AT PEPPY AND START CHASING HIM. THEN PEPPY WILL ASK THE THE STAR WOLF TEAM FOR HELP. THE STARWOLF TEAM WILL COME AND START TO HELP PEPPY. SLIPPY WILL THEN FLY AWAY FROM TITANIA. THAT'S WHEN SLIPPY AND PEPPY PULL A HUGE LOOP BEHIND THE TEAM. WHILE THERE FIRING AT THE TEAM, FOX WILL BURST OFF OF TITANIA FOR A SURPRISE ATTACK FROM BEHIND WHILE FALCO COMES OUT OF NOWHERE AND DIVES AT THE STAR TEAM, FINISHING THEM OFF. BUT BEFORE THEY LEFT, SLIPPY FIGURED OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH GREAT FOX, AND IT WAS REPAIRED! NOW BILL, KATT, AND GREAT FOX CAN HELP OUT TOO! AT TITANIA, THE STAR FOX TEAM WILL LAUNCH OUT OF GREAT FOX, AND WILL THEN PROCEED WITH THE PLAN. AFTER FALCO DIVES, KATT AND BILL WILL RUSH OUT OF GREAT FOX AND WILL HELP OUT, AND THEN ROB WILL TURN THE SHIP INTO ATTACK FORMATION AND WILL START ATTACKING STAR WOLF! THEY SOON WERE ON THERE WAY! WHEN THEY GOT THERE, THEY LAUNCHED OUT OF GREAT FOX FOR THE SHOWDOWN. WHEN THEY ARRIVED, PEPPY SAID"FOX, YOU ARE NOW A SLAVE OF THE DARK SHADOWY FIGURE, SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY, OR BE DESTROYED!" "NO!" REPLIED FOX. THEN PEPPY STARTS CHASING FOX, JUST LIKE IN THE PLAN. HOWEVER, WHEN FOX IS ABOUT TO LAND, FALCO'S SHIP WENT HAYWIRE AND CRAZY, AND WAS FIRING ALL OVER THE PLACE! A MAGNA-VOLT HIT FOX'S SHIP, MAKING HIM REALLY CRASH LAND ON TITANIA! "NOOOOOOO!"SAID SLIPPY. THAN A SMART BOMB AND HYPER LASER HIT HIS SHIP, CAUSING IT TO KNOCK RIGHT INTO PEPPY'S SHIP, AND THEY FLEW OFF, SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL TOWARD THE PLANET VENOM. KATT AND BILL FLEW OUT TO PROTECT GREAT FOX WHILE IT'S TRACTOR BEAM PULLS FALCO IN. A LARGE CHUNK OF FALCO'S ARWING'S WING WHICH IS VERY JAGGED BREAKS OFF AND HITS GREAT FOX IN THE BRIDE. IT ACCELERATED LIGHT SPEED, AND GREAT FOX FLEW OFF. THEN A GIANT WARP HOLE OPENS UP, AND UNKNOWN ALIEN SHIPS SURROUNDED FALCO'S CRAZY SHIP AND PULLED IT INTO THE WARP HOLE. WHEN THE WARP HOLE CLOSED, A STRANGE, RED MIST COVERED THE SURROUNDINGS OF WHICH THE WARP HOLE WAS. THE STAR WOLF TEAM WAS SHOCKED AT ALL THAT JUST HAPPENED, AND RETREATED QUICKLY TO TITINIA, UNAWARE OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN NEXT. WHEN THEY GOT TO TITANIA, THEY HOVERED AND SEARCHED FOR FOX'S SHIP. BUT NOT LONG AFTERWARDS, AND STRANGE, GASEOUS ASTEROID CRASHED ON THE PLANET, CAUSING THE ATMOSPHERE ON THE PLANET WITHIN MINUTES TO BECOME AN EXTREMELY HARSH AND DEADLY PLACE. IT WAS SIMILAR TO VENOM'S ATMOSPHERE, EXCEPT WORSE. IT EVEN MORE HARDLY BREATHABLE, THE COLOR OF THE PLANET AND IT'S GASES ARE NOW BLUE, AND PROBABLY ANY SHIP THAT OF FIGHTER THAT CROSSED THE PLANET TO MALFUNCTION AND BE DESTROYED. HOWEVER, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD A HARD TIME HANDLING IT, THE STAR WOLF TEAM'S SHIPS COULD BARELY KEEP ALIVE, BUT THEY COULD WITHSTAND THE CONDITIONS. PRESUMING FOX WAS DEAD, THEY RETREATED, IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF THE MIST. MEANWHILE, BILL IN CAT, STILL IN THE MIST, WERE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO. LUCKILY, THE MIST HAD NO EFFECT ON THEIR SHIPS. "OH BILL, SAID KATT. "I COULDN'T THINK OF ANYTHING, COULD YOU?" "NO," HE REPLIED. " BUT WE WILL THINK OF SOMETHING, WE HAVE TO!!!!!"
WHERE DID GREAT FOX END UP? WHAT WILL PEPPY AND SLIPPY DO WHEN THEIR ON A CRASH COURSE WITH VENOM? WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO FALCO, AND WHO WERE THOSE ALIENS? WHERE DID STAR WOLF FLY OFF TO? WHAT WILL BECOME OF OF FOX? WILL KATT AND BILL EVER FIND OUT WHAT TO DO? ALL THIS AND MORE ON THE SECOND PART OF THIS STORY. BE SURE TO READ IT ONCE IT COMES OUT!

STORY BY: SM