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[Star Fox: Universe [R]aid]

Jack Russo

Star Fox and all characters from the Nintendo universe are copyright their respected owners

Chapter Three - The Propaganda Video

Sparks flickered in an irregular pattern and a grey smoke coughed out in light bursts from the Arwing piloted by James McCloud. Laser burns littered the rear wings and the added air resistance caused the craft to shake. Fox knew wherever his father had been was met with violence.

"This is Commander James McCloud," the vulpine began. "I'm here with the remaining recruits and approaching base. Lieutenant Commander Faust, do you copy?"

There was a brief moment of silence before an image appeared on each pilot's HUD screen. "Commander, thank heavens," said a relieved badger. "We were all worried you were killed when no word came from you or Pigma about the attack."

"They tried," replied James, dryly. "Have you heard word from Pigma? He was chased down by fighters just a few hours after we left the planet."

"No, we have not," Faulkner frowned.

"Then he's likely dead," surmised James. "Damn it. Alright, give me a status report."

The image changed to a female Squirrel who had bags under her eyes. "Commander, this is Officer Jenkins. So far we've lost thirteen fighters, including two from the recruits. Enemy losses are about the same. That frigate parked to our southeast has been bombarding both our fighters and shields for the past two hours."

"I see."

"Shields are currently at 84% strength but we won't be able to hold off for too much longer. It's also important to note that the enemy frig hasn't yet fired its main cannon so our tech team isn't sure how well our shields can hold against it."

"Understood. I'll be entering the fray in a few moments."

The screen changed back to Faust. "Commander, any idea who these bastards are?"

"I do," growled James. "They're a hybrid militant group made up of various races who have defected from Corneria and joined under the Venom Empire. If reports are accurate, they're ruled under the old General of R and D."

"Impossible," gasped the Lt. Commander.

"Yes, but nothing we can deal with at the moment. I'm going to clear these bastards out of the sky, first."

"Understood, sir. We'll have the recruits return to dock and evacuate with the others."

"That won't be necessary, sir," interrupted Fox, now appearing on screen. "Out here, we're soldiers too. We'll help with the fight." He was met with agreement from Bill though Falco remained silent.

"Model recruits, aren't they," chuckled James.

"Indeed," agreed Faust. "Alright then. I'm sure the boys will be glad to have you out there with them. Recruits, you can tell your toad friend he can stop hiding. We have enough trouble fighting off enemy hackers; we don't need his firewall blocking us too."

"I heard that, and understood," Slippy's face grinned on screen before he added a nervous, "sir!"

"Alright boys," commanded James, "let's just see what we're getting into."

The recruits changed their flight into a v-pattern, allowing James to take the lead.

Despite how long the skirmish with their attackers had taken, the environment seemed hardly touched, minus the charred ruins of fallen fighter jets that were scattered here and there. Laser fire sang through the sky from both the enemy frigate and fighters only to be joined by screeches and whistles from academy pilots and turrets. Radio static began to pick up as the party neared the dog fight. A nearby black jet adjusted his course to intercept them but James fired a single shot and sent it down in a cloud of smoke.

"Commander," stressed out a new voice. "Is that you?"

"It is," confirmed James, the men cheering over the radio. "Fill me in, fella's. What's going on here?"

Another voice answered. "Enemy fighters have been targeting the shields external generators. We've managed to keep them off but until we destroy them all or they get reinforcements, we're at a stalemate."

"Then let's take care of the them now and then deal with the frig next," ordered James. "Units one and two: defend the western generator. Three and four: the south. Recruits and unit five: with me to the east."

"Sir," everyone shouted, readjusting their flight; fighters performed aerial u-turns and veered in different directions to take on their new assignments. Fox followed along with his father, nervous about the older vulpine's damaged ship but very aware that he was more than capable of taking care of himself. He shifted his focus onto the black swarm attacking the eastern generator. One enemy veered out of a dive and into his scope. Green shots blasted from his arwing, the enemy crashing onto land.

"Great shooting, McCloud junior," said an ally.

"Excellent," replied another. "Now it's us: nine, them: fourteen."

"Keep focused, everyone," barked James. Then more lightheartedly, "Great! One down by me too."

Fox noticed just how much the tension relaxed with his father around. He had anticipated everyone to be barely holding it together with the invasion but, instead, found that they were better collected and in control of their feelings. Perhaps it was only he who was feeling that way, he considered. Regardless, having his father with him gave him confidence. Suddenly, his fighter jolted violently and his shields decreased to 80% from an enemy behind him. Once again he jerked his stick left to the right, allowing the arwing to roll and deflect the shots away harmlessly.

"You just gonna keep spinning or shoot, Fox," teased Falco. His fighter flew overhead, lasers blasting from his gun, followed by an explosion once Falco successfully took out Fox's pursuer. "This is all too easy!"

"Is our game still on," smirked Bill. "That would mean I've downed more than you girls."

"You ain't beating anybody today, Bill," contested Falco.

"He's right," agreed Fox. The vulpine eyed another fighter and swiftly gunned him down. "But I'm going to take down more than all of you!"

"We shall see about that, Fox," whooped Falco as he took down another enemy.

Their playful mood was contagious and soon the other fighters joined in, celebrating their own kills over radio. The enemy jets changed from offensive firing to evasive tactics as they realized their team was dwindling. Put on the defensive, they began to shift away to join their allies at the other generators.

"West and south team: report your status," asked James.

"We're holding up well," they all heard. "We've lost two on our side, but enemy fighters are beginning to retreat."

"Alright men. East and South team: continue with the defense. Unit five and recruits: with me. We're gonna deal with the frigate."

All nine fighters adjusted course, following behind James to the southeast. The larger craft still hovered in position not making any major moves. The turrets that lined both port and starboard sides targeting the academy shield redirected to the group of pilots approaching it. Fighter jets were able to swiftly weave between the shots while returning fire.

"Control, do we have any information on our target," asked James.

"Commander, this is Slippy," began the toad, his display reappearing on the HUD. There was a pause while he spoke with someone off-screen. "Yes, okay. Commander, the enemy ship is of unknown origin to us, but it matches visual of a Midgard Longinus."

"An Imperial ship," muttered James.

"That's correct. If this holds true, the frigate hasn't fired its primary weapon because it is gathering energy."

The conversation shifted to Officer Jenkins. "Commander, you probably already know, but if that ship fires at us we don't know how well our shields will hold. Our intelligence states that a longinus-class ship can pierce through shielding and armor."

"Understood." The Commander closed communication and switched his sights onto the enemy frigate. "Alright, squad," he ordered, "control isn't sure about this frig so we'll have to fight cautiously. Take out those turrets. Let's get this thing defenseless."

"Alright," affirmed Fox with the other soldiers. They all encircled the frigate, each firing at their new marks; their fighters zooming too fast for the frigate's turrets to follow allowing them an easy assault.

"Enemy shield analyzed," Slippy called as a new display appeared on their HUD. They had currently removed 43% of the shields. "Heads up, guys! Enemy fighters are returning from the generators to assist the frigate."

"Thanks Slippy," said James. "Unit five: get rid of them. Recruits: continue assault with me."

"Somethings happening," exclaimed Falco. "The ship's main gun!"

A glow started to shine at the ships primary cannon. Bubbles of light and electricity gathered and concentrated into a brightening ball while air around the weapon started to distort and become a blinding flash.

"The cannon," shouted Slippy. "It's the weak point! If you destroy it, it'll reverse the process and backfire. It'll destroy the ship!"

"You all heard the man! Target that cannon," ordered James.

Fox charged ahead, the crosshairs of his lasers centered onto the cannon. He pulled the trigger, a shower of laser fire launching forward and joining in with his comrades. The flashing ball of energy flickered slightly but showed no change. The fighter jets concentrated more energy into their weapons, continuing the barrage.

Suddenly, a shockwave blasted out from the glowing mass and it dimmed momentarily before reemerging as a fiery, red blob. The face of the ship exploded as the light traveled its way toward the rear of the frigate. Pilots shifted their course to avoid the collapsing ship as it groaned and lazily lurched forward. Fox felt his stomach sink as he realized where it was falling and anxious voices began shouting on the radio.

"Holy shit-"

"It's falling toward the school-"

"Focus all energy to shields-"

"Can the shields hold-"

Slowly the frigate descended downward, a mass of debris and fire. As it came into contact with the academy shields, there came a bright flash and the translucent wall became a solid and glaring pillar of light. Bolts of lightning streaked outward while the shield held firm against the crumbling ship. The frigate twisted and turned, the front folding over itself. Pilots scrambled to get some distance from the impending explosion as the crashes became louder and louder.

Finally, in a climactic display of electricity and fire, the frigate finished its doomed descent and settled onto the earth below. An eerie quiet filled the academy only disturbed by the buzzing of fighters zipping through the sky. And within that moment, the academy shield failed and vanished.

"Somethings coming up on radar," alerted Slippy.

Overhead, Fox saw multiple ships descending from the sky. He gasped as he counted ten ships with more incoming.

"We're counting twenty five carrier ships descending from the upper atmosphere," shrieked Jenkins.

"Satellite signals have located three enemy battleships orbiting the planet," Slippy added. "Where did they come form?"

"We can't win like this," Fox surrendered. "Father, what do we do?"

James hesitated. He glanced at all the fighters who were with him in the air before turning to his son's ship. "We need to evacuate," he relented. "Those carrier ships will drop off enemy troopers. Our priority now should be defending the rest of the civilians and students before they get taken hostage or worse."

"So we're giving up," asked Falco.

"Retreating isn't necessarily giving up, Falco. You boys have done well up here in the air but it's time to go. I need you three to get down and leave. Make your way to the shuttles with the others. Get back to Corneria. Slippy, you too."

Fox gritted his teeth. "I don't like this. This isn't fair."

"Fights are not always fair, kiddo. All unites: retreat!"

"I beg your pardon, Commander," said the image of female collie. "This is squad one captain. We'll stay up here and do what we can to delay the carrier ships. You'll need the extra time and support."

"Thank you."

"Just land and we'll cover you. Help the kids."

"Will do. And thanks again, all of you." James was met with salutes by various images on his HUD. "Alright, recruits, let's dock."

Fox slammed his fist onto the controls. He readjusted his course, following the still glowing lights of the landing strip to the west and descended downward. The tires screeched on contact with the asphalt and the sunlight vanished when his ship slowed to a halt inside the tunneled docking bay. He hopped off his arwing, crouching down as he hit the floor. Bill and Falco followed close behind, joining up with him as his father's craft finished landing.

"Boys," he said when he made his way to the trio. "I know you may want to keep fighting, but I need you to help the others evacuate."

"We understand, sir," said Falco.

"I guess," Fox muttered. "Will you be coming with us?"

James hesitated before answering. "No. Not yet, anyway." He saw his son's ears flatten. "I'll be joining you shortly. Don't worry. There is something your dad needs to do in the control room first." He pushed ahead down toward the hall, the others following closely.

"Is this enemy really who you and the others were talking about last night," asked Fox, repeating his earlier question.

"Yes," his father replied. "Sadly, Venom has militarized and made the first strike."

"Venom," Falco echoed incredulously. "How can an inhospitable planet create such a reckoning force?"

"They've been gathering troops for around five years now," answered James. "And within the past year, the planet has seen an increased in structural development. Cities rose up from nothing."

"Headmaster Peppy should've let you raise the alert," Fox said with disapproval. "We might have been better prepared. We might not have had any losses."

"Do not blame Peppy, son," James shot back. "He was right to want more assurances. Unfortunately, it had to be done in this way." The older vulpine stopped at a fork in the hall. He gave his son a good look that made Fox uncomfortable. "I'm going to split from you all here."

"Why?"

"There's something I must do at the control center," he repeated. "I'm sure Faust has sent word to Corneria, but there's a message I need to send out through encrypted channels before things get worse."

"Can't you do that on the shuttle with us?"

James smiled. "You know better than that. I'll have to do it here. It won't take long." He gave all three of the recruits a nod. "Falco," he said, directing his gaze on the avian. "I know you have given my son a hard time but I must ask that you take care of my son. Make sure he gets to the shuttles. No matter what."

Falco's eyes widened as he stuttered out a, "Yes, sir!"

"Good. Now you three head on off. If you see any civilians take them with you." They mumbled in agreement while the older vulpine looked nervously toward the stairs at the end of the further hallway. "Alright, boys. I'll see you on the other side."

"Father," started Fox, his ears flattening.

"It'll be alright, Fox. Trust your instincts. And be good." With that, he turned and ran away from them, disappearing as he leaped up the stairwell.

"C'mon, Fox. He wants us to go," insisted Falco, giving the vulpine a tug. Their gazes met briefly before Fox nodded. Taking the opposite route of his father, the three recruits ran ahead. Muffled sounds of gunfire echoed as they ran through the empty corridors. Unlike the top floor, where the buildings were connected by the glass bridge, the bottom floor was merely a continuation of the living quarter's mall; it also had a glass ceiling but stood only about two floors high. Usually a crowded shopping district, the mall was now a ghost town, their footsteps echoing loud down the sunlit halls and shops. A few windows were shattered and battered mannequins and electronics gave evidence of looting.

There was a crash of glass behind them and the thud of boots; the boys spun around from their run, startled. Four masked soldiers appeared in red and black motif: a tall canine, a pig, and two lizard-men holding assault rifles. As soon as they caught sight of the recruits they immediately opened fire.

"Holy shit," cried out Bill as they flipped over a nearby bench for cover.

"How the hell are we gonna get out of this one," said Falco.

Fox peered over when there was a brief pause in laser fire. He could see the Venomian soldiers reloading and making their way toward them. "We need to move," he said decisively. "They're getting closer to us." His eyes scanned their surroundings. They were crammed between several shops and still had some ways to go before making it to the living quarters. Inside one of the clothing shops he located an emergency exit. "This way, now!"

Falco and Bill bolted behind Fox, weaving in between and knocking over rows of clothing hanging on racks. Shouts followed them as they scrambled out the emergency exit, blaster fire burning at the thick doors. Bill quickly scampered behind the nearby trash bin and pushed it in front of the door with a grunt, barring out the intruders.

"Well, I knew you had those muscles for something," laughed a voice.

"Walt! You're alright," cried out Bill seeing the husky approach. He shoved Falco aside, lifting up the husky in a bear hug. "I was worried, man."

"Oh, I'm so loved," he coughed out from Bill's strong grasp. The white and black of his fur was soaked in sweat and red with dried blood. He had a limp on his left leg, but he didn't look too bad otherwise. "I saw you guys land from a distance," he started once Bill let him down. "But then those drop ships kept coming. They had the dock surrounded in moments so I tried to find a way inside. Ended up getting lost till I ran into you guys."

"Glad you're alright," said Fox.

"Me too," admitted Falco. "After Reynolds..."

The trash bin jolted violently as the door it concealed slammed onto it. Incoherent shouts came through the crack as the screech of laser fire met with metal.

"We need to run," Falco concluded, all of them sprinting forward.

"Where do we go? I've not been outside like this before," gasped out Bill.

"I think we're still in the commercial district," panted Fox. "Any of these doors may do, but let's wait til we're closer to the residential tower." He noticed that the soldiers hadn't made any more effort in chasing them from behind and hoped to himself they didn't wise up and plan to cut them off. An explosion above them surprised the group for a moment but they kept running until they were at the last door.

The first was locked but Falco managed to pull open another door nearby. Quietly, the group scampered inside and into an empty electronics store. Fox took the lead, crouching at the entrance before peeking over the corner. The soldiers weren't there. He waved his comrades on, the four of them crouching low and through the foyer of the residential district. Somewhere behind them they heard more glass shattering followed by screams and blaster fire. As they turned the corner, Fox bumped into a person and fell back on the floor. Falco, Bill and Walt huddled in front of him, taking on a defensive position.

"What's this," asked a female voice. She was in full uniform, red and silver. Her face was hidden behind a helmet with two pointed ears giving away her feline form. "Oh, more survivors?"

"Who are you," barked out Fox.

"The recruits," she mused while taking out her blaster. The boys winced as the gun fired. A pained howl behind them made them open their eyes to see a downed enemy soldier. "Cornerian Special Forces: undercover. You don't need to know my name," she answered. "You lot, run off ahead, it should be clear. I'm looking for more civilians before this place blows up in smoke."

"Blows up," asked Falco. "There's a bomb?"

"Yes," she hesitated. "Hurry along, I don't know how much time is left."

There was more blaster fire coming from behind them, prompting the boys to get going. They ran past the suspicious feline firing her blaster as she covered their retreat. At closer glance, Fox noticed that she didn't have tail, but quickly forgot about it when they turned to the next corner. Soldiers in academy uniforms hunkered down in the next hall; a makeshift barricade of chairs and overturned tables was used for cover. They waved the boys closer and directed them further into the evacuation tunnels. A soldier stopped them at the entrance where the residential walls gave way to the rocky cave surface.

"You," said a soldier. "You're the Commander's kid, right?"

"I am," answered Fox.

"Good," he placed a paw over his headset and muttered a few words of confirmation. "Alright, the Commander is glad you made it. He's been radio'ing me for the past ten minutes for your arrival."

"My dad's okay," asked Fox, his ears perking up.

"He's in the control room right now with the other officers."

"May I speak with him?"

"Not right now. But he gave strict orders to get you onto a shuttle, pronto."

"Can you ask him how long he'll be? What about the bomb?"

"A bomb?" The guard seem confused.

"A Special Forces woman we met said the place is about to go up in smoke," Fox repeated, the others mumbling in agreement.

"As far as we know there is no bomb," the guard said, though he seemed more nervous now. "We'll let the higher ups know. For now, just get into the damn shuttles. No more lollygagging'."

They didn't need to be told again and the boys chose a quick walking pace this time around over their panicked running from before. Further ahead, they caught up with the tail end of the evacuee line. The droning of nervous chatter and hushed voices echoed under the stalactites. All four of them kept silent for the remainder of their walk, though, Walt eventually had to wrap an arm around Bill when his leg injury started to get irritated. Falco kept close to the vulpine, the two of them occasionally giving each other understanding glances as they kept moving. After about ten more minutes they came through a large, opened blast door and the beginning of the emergency shuttle pods. The whispers grew into louder, anxious voices as people were shuffled into specific shuttle pods.

"Hey guys," cried out an excited Slippy a few shuttles ahead of them, standing next to a female, vulpine soldier.

"Slippy," said Fox, embracing his friend. "Hell, it's good to see you. What are you doing?"

"He insisted on waiting for you," the soldier rolled her eyes. "I've got orders to reserve this shuttle pod for you and your friends."

"Special treatment, eh Foxy," joked Bill, bumping a fist onto the vulpine's shoulder.

"Thank you, God almighty," sighed Falco, taking the opportunity to be the first to enter the shuttle.

Slippy laughed. "Looks like he doesn't mind your 'special treatment' now, right Fox?"

Fox smiled and nodded, finally feeling exhausted. "Where will the shuttles take us?"

"They'll launch everyone out into open space where a Cornerian cruiser will pick you up," said the female fox. "Run along now. There are more people to help."

The shuttles were egg shaped on the outside with four, large thruster cannons at their base. Each was painted the usual Cornerian silver and green and had distress lights arranged at the top. Inside, Falco was already reclined in the furthest seat. Other than the door, the outer edge of the shuttle was encircled by cushioned chairs and a holo-display made the centerpiece of the room. Fox took the seat one away from Falco, leaning back onto the headrest and sighed with relief.

"Fox," said Falco. "I just wanted to say pretty good flying out there."

His eyes bugged out before he answered. "Thanks, Falco. You too. Really good stuff you've got out there."

Slippy entered then, taking a seat opposite of Fox. Bill helped Walt onto a seat before taking his place next to him; the husky leaning his head onto his shoulders.

"Damn, Bill. Your shoulders aren't comfortable at all. Fucking rocks," he complained.

"You're free to move," he teased, but the husky didn't.

"I've been wondering," said Falco, "are you two an item or something?"

"Of course," said Walt, rolling his eyes while Bill just smiled back at the avian.

"I mean, it's cool if you guys are," flushed Falco. "You guys have just always seemed so close."

"We're going to be setting off soon," said Slippy, breaking the awkward silence that followed.

A few moments later they felt the engines start with a low rumble. Over the intercom voiced one of the soldiers telling them their shuttle will depart in five minutes. Normally they would've cheered out loud but opted to merely smile at one another. Fox took deep relaxed breaths in the silence while Falco closed his eyes in meditation. Slippy fiddled with a tablet computer he had managed to sneak inside his coat, making a few grunts here and there while looking over some data. Walt nuzzled closer to Bill but used a free hand to rub his bloodied head while the pit-bull frowned up at the ceiling, still trying to make sense of the day's events.

"We all almost made it," Bill muttered shakily.

"Yeah," said Walt, matching his tone.

Just as their shuttle shuddered from take-off, the center holo-screen illuminated the entire room, an emblem of two swords below a bearded ape taking center screen.

"The fuck is this," asked Falco.

"I don't recognize that insignia," said Slippy.

The screen flickered and was replaced by a robed creature whose appearance looked like a Jackal. Fox recalled the conversation he overheard again, remembering Peppy wondering about a Lylat-like creature. He could see where the resemblance came from but also the stark differences in its tall, skinny build. The eyes were a dark and piercing black that gave him chills to look into.

"Greetings, low-lifes of the Papetoon military base," he began. "By now I'm sure you have fled the compound and are leaving the planet. But do not worry, we'll allow you to leave safely, but only as messengers to our cause. My name is Mahat, a member of a religious tribe known as the Occult, under employ of Doctor Andross Oikonny, Supreme Ruler of Venom."

"I've heard that name before," muttered Fox. "Last night, my father, Headmaster Peppy and their friend, Pigma, discussed something about a general defecting over to Midgard."

"This doesn't sound like he moved to the Midgard Empire," rebutted Slippy. "More like he made his own."

"It does," agreed Fox.

"So this is, what, some sort of propaganda video," ridiculed Falco. "Give me a break. Can we turn this shit off?"

Slippy pressed a few buttons on the console and then shook his head. "No. It's like they're force-broadcasting it from somewhere nearby." The toad tried to mess with the broadcast a bit more before giving up and sitting back down.

"For too long has Corneria been deadlocked in political misgivings and a parliament who puts its own interests over the needs of the many. While outskirt colonies fell under the grasp of the Midgard Empire, Corneria did nothing and allowed them to all get swallowed up within its control," droned the jackal. "Their own head of research and development, Andross, insisted that parliament do something about it. He insisted that help be sent and work be done to reestablish Venom as a frontier haven for refugees. Instead, parliament and the prime minister shunned him and accused him of war-mongering."

"So when the General reached out to Midgard for peace, they heard his cry. They listened and granted mercy. When news of this reached the Prime Minister, Andross was relieved from the military and charged with treason. Treason for trying to help his own people. Does that sound right to you, citizens of Corneria? Is it wrong for a man to want to protect and save as many civilians instead of pushing for war?"

"I don't understand," said Bill. "They're the ones who attacked us first. What the hell?"

"It's a propaganda video," Falco said flatly. "It doesn't have to make sense. Only paint us as bad guys."

"But hear us, Corneria," threatened Mahat. "Enough of your people are disgusted with you. Enough of them want change. Enough of them want a voice. And now, here on Venom, Andross has given them a home. A place where their needs are listened to. A place they know is worth fighting for. And to show you just how seriously we'll fight for this new home, we want you to spread word about the events that have happened here on Papetoon. And those that you are about to see."

The screen changed from the robed jackal to a more familiar one. Red and black soldiers stood in front of several computer terminals and holo-screens. Many of the them were either smoking or displaying static screens while others were riddled with laser burns. Behind them was a bright and sunny window in the familiar hues of twilight.

"That's the control room," yelped Slippy.

"Hello there, everyone," said a cheery voice as the camera fixated onto a fat but well armored character. He pulled out his helmet and revealed...

"That's Pigma," Fox blurted out in disbelief.

"This is your friendly neighborhood defector, Pigma," he chortled. "But that's now General Pigma of the Andross Empire Fleet."

"Disgusting," hissed Falco.

"I want you guys to look over here, so-so," said the pig, waving the camera to the opposite end of the room. As the view turned, they saw a pile of dead soldiers with fresh laser burns and bloodstains.

"Those are the control center analyst," Slippy screamed in horror. "They killed them all!"

"As you can see," continued Pigma, "we want you morons in Corneria to know just how serious we are about this war. We are an independent Venom! Ain't nobody got time for Corneria anymore!"

"But to help you all sink this in, we've got some special guests for you down this way." The camera shifted over to a terrified squirrel. Fox recognized her as Officer Jenkins from earlier. "Here we have the beautiful and sassy Miranda Jenkins," squealed Pigma.

"Why are you doing this," she cried out, tears in her eyes.

"Why," shouted out Pigma, "because you wouldn't go on a date with me last month when I asked! That's why!"

"You're doing this because I turned you down!?" The look on her face was a mix of horror and disgust. "You fat ass, stupid son of a-"

"BANG," screamed out Pigma, the squirrel shrieking and wincing as he laughed. "That was great, wasn't it? But this time it's for real." Though the pig was off screen, the front of his blaster came into view. The resulting flash caused the screen to stutter with static briefly while the boys watched a bloody cloud escape from Jenkins head, her eyes rolling back.

"Oh my God," whispered Bill, Walt whimpering beside him.

"Our next guest," began Pigma as the camera moved over to an old badger. "Our very own Lt. Commander Faust!"

"You won't get away with this, Pigma," he barked.

"But I am," mused Pigma as another shot fired through the Lt. Commander's head. "Never liked him. Too stiff," joked Pigma before smiling ear to ear. "And our last guest here, my dear old friend."

Fox's jaw dropped and his eyes widened as the camera shifted to his father. The older vulpine looked worse compared to the first two. His right eye was bloody and his left ear was crooked. Fox could feel his stomach making knots, his eyes unable to look away from the holo-screen.

"Commander James McCloud," said Pigma. "My leader and friend. Oh, how I loathed you," he seethed. "Always giving orders and disregarding Pigma! Pigma, do this! Pigma, do that! Pigma, stop eating all the burgers! Pigma! Pigma! Well who's in charge now, huh?!"

"You'll never be in charge, you shit piece of bacon," James panted out.

"Oh, he's full of insults now, folks," Pigma laughed out hysterically. "But you see, Jamie, I can call you Jamie now, haha! You could've avoided all of this. All you had to do is accept the offer Andross gave to you and you'd be safe. Free to frolic in outer space. Of course, you'd be made to shoot down your old friends here and there. But you wouldn't be here and about to die."

"I would never turn my back on my allies," James spat out. "I would never forsake them to you."

"But in the end, you forsook yourself to me!" Pigma moved beside James and in view of the camera. The pig leaned over and placed the blaster to the vulpine's forehead. Growling out into his ear, "Well, Jamie boy. This is the end of the road for you. Any last words?"

Fox started to hyperventilate. He shouted. Screamed. Kicked and swiped at the projection with no effect. Falco got up and tried to restrain the vulpine and Slippy did his best to calm him down but his words fell upon deaf ears.

"Fox," he heard his father say through the screen. "I love-"

They all stared in horror and disbelief as a spray of blood shot out from the side of James's temple. The older vulpine limped lifelessly out of view of the camera in a background of snorting laughter. Fox knelt down on the floor, his fist trembling and his breathing heavy. Shutting his eyes, he let out a blood curdling scream that was drowned out by the empty vacuum of space.