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The Slag Storm was a new addition to the galaxy's list of attractions. A loose asteroid field of red streaked rock rich in iron. These cast long shadows against the fiery planet-sized vortex where Ketu IV once orbited. Now that most of the world was blasted away, the exposed core still turned in a titanic cyclone of molten rock. Magmatic debris spiraled out from the poles, lashing at anything foolish enough to draw close.

Cruising along was an oddly shaped starship. It was assembled with thick armor plating in the vague polygonal resemblance to a sphynx, complete with two jutting structures at the front where paws would be expected. The ship glared in the light as it traversed the apocalpytic backdrop.

On the bridge, Captain Natia lounged with head propped on a hand and whiskers drooped. Long black bangs swept to either side of the tigress' face, along with a metal headband that gave her a passing resemblance to an uppercase A.

"This system is just one shit show on top of another," She muttered, "I'd better be able to get something out of Polar for having to wade through this,"

One of her bridge minions turned in his seat to inform her that they were being hailed. Speaking of the old blowhard, he was calling her at that moment. The bridge's main screen was activated and after a period of static, a grand palatial scene formed. A vaulted chamber with fanning art deco shapes etched into walls and pillars. The dull gold metal used in the construction of the place was streaked with veins of green in the same way that marble was. No mistaking that metal- Titanian Gold. Looted by the freighter load from the world while Andross had control of it.

Natia sat straight with ears perked at attention, only then noticing the armchair facing away from the camera. It spun revealing that the seat carried a heavy burden. He was pudgy though he carried it well on a huge frame. The drab green military flight suit he wore was only distinguished from his fur by bronze fringes along the collar and down the center. His brow rose over the faceted black glass of a cybernetic eye while his organic one more openly studied her.

He seemed to much enjoy the shape of the feline covered snugly in a black flight suit. Her lanky limbs were armored with metal high boots and gauntlets further secured to knees and elbows with tied bandages.

Samedi Polar grinned even through the brief burst of static interfering with their comms.

"Ah! Captain Natia, scourge of planet Spica,"

She listened intently as if in need of an introduction to herself then returned a flirty smile.

"The pleasure is all mine. We will arrive at your palace shortly- I was just tidying up your system a bit on the way,"

"Please forgive this mess," He said, "Sometimes you must break the egg to have the omlette,"

Natia nearly cut him off with well replicated laughter, "That wit of yours is exactly what brought me here,"

"I want you to know that you are among many beautiful ladies attending the festivities. For you and just a few others, I send special clearance. Valet parking inside my palace. I will not bore you with the riff raff- you will join me in private accomodations,"

"I cannot contain my excitement," Natia said through gritted teeth, "We're passing a dead zone now. Talk soon!"

Natia glowered as she paced up near the ship's forward windshield. It was clear what Polar wanted. And clear what she was going to give him, as the claws on her gauntlet extended. She clinked them together a couple times. And then her eyes drifted up to the hellish vacuum outside.

Something glinted out in the distance, too bright and on too straight of a trajectory to be an asteroid. She didn't even need scanners to tell her as much- not that they would have, as the object was reported by the bridge crew to be invisible in all but the visual range. Her claws tapped on the window as instincts told her to pounce on the small scurrying object.

-

Lightfoot's voice snapped Fox awake, calling his name. He wasn't sure which was more surprising- the fact he had been able to catch a nap, or the lack of eldritch, horrifying dreams haunting him. He stretched and yawned, hauling himself back into alertness.

"I am detecting something moving to intercept us,"

He sighed as his hands were already taking their posts at the fighter's controls.

"Think they spotted us?"

"Yes," Lightfoot said after a moment, "It would seem that quite a few have spotted us. We are currently two AUMs from our target,"

Maybe. Nope, it would <have> to be close enough. Fox took a deep breath. Almost there, soon to be plummeting toward those endless tunnels hazy with poison.

-

The fleet of ankh fighters fanned out as they approached the cargo pod, leaving no angle open to escape.

"Still can't get a scan on this thing,"

"I'll get it open. Stand by," Natia ordered.

Something suddenly flared to life in the shadow of the cargo pod. A golden engine glow blazed to life, angled off blasting toward the pirates. Wolf wasted no time commencing the hostilities, fast and head on, splitting the formation as he blasted four of them. Behind him, panels blasted and broke away while the arwing's G-diffuser booped gravity on the nose. Fox joined the fight with a bright blue flare of his own engines.

Through the gap in the enemy formation, the empty cargo pod sailed for some time until it was abruptly caught between two giant metallic claws caging it in place. Seeing that the prize was just an empty shell, they crushed it flat.

That contraption would have to be a near future problem. Fox was busy enough as he dodged and blasted through his first handful of targets. Against the Slag Storm he glimpsed the silhouette of a wolfen banking around the fringe of the arena with a trio of ankh fighters trailing it. A flurry of lasers chased the wolfen, one scoring a hit on its shields. But he cut a turn sharp enough to swing around and make his pursuers fit in with the flaming background.

The commlink activated prompting a double take. The glow of the Slag Storm gave Wolf a hellish halo of light behind his head, with only the top of his muzzle and ears emerging from stark black shadow filling his cockpit.

"You ever wonder when you'll finally down me? For the last time?"

Fox eyed the wolfen swooping down behind him.

"Do I want to know why you're asking me that?"

"Fly like it's our final duel," Wolf said.

"You can't be-"

Indeed Wolf was serious. A laser bolt passed over Fox's wing. Thus he found himself between an insane wolf and oncoming swarm of bogeys. Fox hit the boosters and yanked the control stick back, wrenching himself into a loop during which he blasted into the bellies of a handful of enemies. Once the arwing dipped up out of sight, Wolf unloaded a sweeping barrage blasting many of the ankh fighters on the horizontal approach.

Back on Fox's tail, Wolf let his target lock linger. The arwing began to spin, charging up into a barrel roll. The odd pattern of waves this caused in the G-diffuser worked their magic. The volley of lasers Wolf sent at the arwing were deflected off in random directions, most impacting hapless bogeys packed tightly together. The two drilled into the enemies' midst.

Onward they maneuvered around each other, making the ankh fighters appear to be simply drifting in space. Destruction followed them in a wake of flaming flashes. Fox was wringing the controls and panting, but it worked. The pirate fleet was indistinguishable from the slag storm's debris. He caught his breath as the wolfen lowered into view beside him.

"Now you're flying right,"

"You could have just acted like a normal teammate," Fox grumbled.

"Ohhh, that's not how this works, Fox boy. <You> are <my> teammate,"

The field was suddenly swept with a massive shadow as something rose up toward them.

"Heads up," Wolf said, "It's their mothership. Bitch is coming in hot too,"

As the ship approached, its two detached claws spread out. They left the chest of the sphynx exposed and here, a bright laser dome glowed with orange light. The same light was visible in the panel structures that unfolded and fanned out to either side of the craft's head.

"Analyzing enemy ship,"

With no technically inclined frogs, Lightfoot had to step in.

"Disable those energy collectors. This will deprive the thermal lance of power,"

It may have been easy if not for the claws, bristling with extended blades and furtive movements of the fingers.

Fox and Wolf banked in seperate directions as the thermal lance fired and sent a pillar of heat surging past them, close enough to cause the shields to proc even with a near miss. And the claws were surging forward at the same time. Though neither of them had any luck swatting such skilled pilots and so retreated back to the proximity of the ship.

Locking on to the sphynx was proving difficult. Each time Fox or Wolf attempted to hit the energy collectors, one of the claws would fly up to intercept the shots. Those things were solid metal and magnetically controlled from the ship itself.

Wolf drifted down into his reticle was inadvertently locked on to.

"What are you up to back there, Fox?"

"Trying to blow those claws away if somebody could stay out of the way,"

"Launch it," Wolf said, "I'll deliver it myself,"

"I've got a nova bomb armed. You better be sure about this,"

The Wolfen's exhaust flared as the claws came speeding toward him from either side. He didn't seem inclined to give Fox any time to consider this scheme.

"Damn crazy piece of-"

Fox fired and the projectile was launched. Claws were closing the distance to the wolfen quickly, though the bomb was outpacing them in turn. Seconds away, too late to turn now surely as the claws spread wide to shred Wolf. And the bomb was shrinking further into the light of his exhaust.

"Wolf-!"

At the last second, the wolfen tilted on its side and angled away. Indeed it was too late, as one of the claws shredded into the belly tearing away a scattering of panels and taking off one of the spiky pylons.

Regardless, what they ended up catching was the nova bomb. Fox had to squeeze his eyes shut and slam the brakes as an explosion cracked, washing out the red lighting with blue and white. Against the intense light, the claws were mere shadows that stretched into vague black tendrils and then disintegrated. It sent Wolf tumbling erratically off into the distance.

Easily Fox dodged the subsequent thermal shots, boosting toward the sphynx with a vengeance. His lasers peppered the energy collectors, leaving rings of molten glass until the entire panel shattered with an electrically propelled explosion. The same was repeated with the other side.

Wolf limped his fighter out of the periphery just in time to see the arwing circle around to the side of the sphynx and disappear. Engine cutting in and out, he turned to follow.