Author: PENGUINIO Subject: DARK WOLF Posted: OCTOBER 29, 1998 14:33 "No way I won't believe it!!" Wolf O'Donnel screamed as his Wolfen/Mark-2 fighter began its descent to Venom's surface. He watched as his comrades fell around him. First Andrew. That sniveling moron tried to target Slippy Toad's Arwing, however if he'd paid more attention to his piltoing than his targeting, he wouldn't have smashed into the large stone tower in front of him. He'd been slightly amused when Andrew's scream came over the comm frequency. Next to fall was Pigma. Hoping to get his final revenge, he let loose a bravo of shots on Peppy Hare, who avoided most of them, but not without the assistance of Fox McCloud. Fox, seeking payment for his father's death, sent two Nova Bombs in Pigma's direction. He saw the ship burst in mid-flight, glad that annoying fool was out of the picture. He heard Leon Powalski gloating about killing Falco, but his comm was broken abruptly. Wolf hadn't seen or heard Leon's ship go down, but he was all alone. He'd often wondered how he'd fare against the entire Star Fox Team. Slippy would be his first target, then that cocky Falco, then Peppy, and finally his big prize: Fox McCloud. Ever since he was kicked out of the Cornerian Flight Academy for over-aggressiveness, he'd heard stories of Fox McCloud as Corneria's brightest star. It was his chance to show all of Lylat who was the better pilot, but his overconfidence got the best of him; he never used the proton shield feature Andross had included in his ship. He figured he didn't need it until now. Fox let loose all the day's annoyances onto his Wolfen, energy crackling around him as he franticly pounded the proton shield activator. "Five meters to the ground!" he read aloud from his targeting display. One last slam on the console activated the shield projector. His impact on the surface upheaved a large amount of dirt, practically coated his ship in the slimy substance as he plowed along the surface. Finally he stopped. He adjusted his comm several times until he got a proper frequency. He could hear fairly well, albeit through heavy static. "I'll/BZZT/ake i/BZZT-BZZZZAKT/alone/BZZZZZZT/ here!" he could hear Fox's voice. "So the miserble wretch is gonna attack Andross himself?" He snorted at this and merely laughed to himself. "He'll never make it. . ." Wolf decided to take a short nap since he was basically stuck there, his ship several meters into the mud. Suddenly an explosion woke him. The ground seemed to rumble and the mud began shaking around him. Hurried glances at Andross' fortress told him what had happened. Fox had indeed defeated Andross! "Impossible!" he thought as he was slammed out of his seat into the control console. He was in the air again! It seemed as though the planet actually spit Wolf out as the explosion rocked the surface. Fox soared out into space as Wolf tried starting up his power systems in mid-air. "C'mon you wretched thing! COME ON!" As if responding to him, the power systems came immediately online and Wolf soared up through the atmosphere. Due to the sleek shape of the Wolfen, the high gravity depression hardly affected his ascent. Finally in space, he made a quick pass around the west side of the Great Fox hoping some Star Fox Team member would notice him and know the war was not over. In fact it was far from over. Since his ship was back online, he could make it to the nearest Androssian outpost. But first he'd salvage his comrade's ship and find out what REALLY happened to Leon. . . The lone Wolfen-2 hovered noisily over the wasteland that was once Andross' temple. Starfighter wreckage and dead bodies littered the surface. Wolf used his lasers several times to clear some of the debris. "By the Omnipotence, Leon, you had better be alive." he muttered and dived closer to the ground. A faint beeping came from his radar. "Crud, the display is out again!" he cursed under his breath and slammed his fist onto the radar display. After several seconds it was online again and a large yellow dot appeared. "Finally! Someone's alive around here!" He swooped down and slowly dropped the Wolfen to the surface. He climbed out and clawed his way through a badly scorched starfighter. Lifting up an enormous shard of omnisteel, he found what he was looking for. Leon Powalski. Lying there, almost lifeless, blood trickling from his face, his mechanized eye-piece shattered. Wolf bent down, hefted the unconscious body over his shoulder, and dredged over to his ship. Sitting Leon shotgun beside him, he lifted off into space. . . "Sir, an initial SatelliScan of Venom's surface confirmed total devastation over an eighty mile radius. If Andross was actually in the fortress at the time of the Kinetic Amplifier's destruction, he is surely dead," Commander Terrapin announced to General Pepper. "Thank you, Commander," Pepper turned to face Fox McCloud. "Fox, we are not exactly sure if Andross survived or not. We know that his fortress and base are indeed gone, but, as we all know, he was a master tactician, trained by the Cornerian Defense themselves!" Fox merely nodded in agreement. "And you want us to check it out?" Pepper smiled. "Yes, Fox." Fox spoke up. "And what about our pay? The Great Fox is almost paid off, sir, only 63,000 credits more." Pepper marched over to a computer. He turned back to Fox. "63,000 it is; perhaps more if you actually do find any survivors. We are counting on you, Star Fox, don't let us down." Fox turned and left the room, ready for his next adventure. A large battered freighter blasted through the region once known as Area 6. Two of the six hyper cannons were online, as a result of from the previous battle. The faint words HARBRINGER could be read on its hull. It began shooting and blasting the debris around it, including a hulking Umbra station. "Sir, we have a vessel headed towards us at 45 LPS," An officer spoke to General Sepal. "Yes, have them brought in. It is a Venomian correct?" The officer backed away. "Yes, sir. A Wolfen, sir," Sepal got up from his large hover chair and followed the officer to the comms tower. "Wolfen, this is the Harbringer, state your ID and course," Sepal's booming voice echoed through the room. After a brief interlude of static a voice emerged. "Wolfen Leader. I have Wolfen Two here with me. We request a docking sequence under Androssian Code 1X-45." Sepal backed away. "Let them in," he ordered. Sepal was a typical Lylatian Fox, except for the long red streak on his forehead. He was a rather dignified Androssian officer, but his temper was very short and he often exploded on mistakes. "Hello, O'Donnel. Nice to finally meet a survivor of the Lylat Wars." Wolf's eyes narrowed. "A fox, eh? How'd Andross ever approve you?" He pushed through the two lizard guards and grabbed Sepal. "I want you to fix my fighter. Until then I am in complete control of this ship. Do we understand each other?" Sepal's face twitched. Under Androssian law, an officer of higher rank could commandeer another vessel without question, but for the past six hours Andross has been dead. "No. I'm sorry, that will not happen, O'Donnel. I am the captain of this ship, not you, nor will you ever be. You are my guest, you will follow my rules." Wolf let go of Sepal, shocked. After a brief moment he began to laugh to himself. "I don't understand what you find so laughable, O'Donnel." Sepal straightened up. "Heh, Andross hired me to kill a fox. I think this should qualify." Wolf leaped onto Sepal's back and unsheathed his dagger. Sepal reached for the blaster on his leg, but Wolf kicked it out of the holster and jammed the dagger into Sepal's neck. As the limp body tumbled to the ground, Wolf grabbed the blaster and shot one of the guards. Realizing they were outmatched, the other three guards dropped their guns. "Like I said, I am in complete control of this ship." Author: PENGUINIO Subject: Dark Wolf, Ep. 3 Posted: NOVEMBER 04, 1998 21:49 The HARBRINGER slowly melted into the murky green skies of Zoness. At the high speed it was going several creatures smashed off of its port sides. Wolf and Leon sat in the Piloting Station chairs. "So, how long until we reach Seafoam Cove?" Leon asked. Wolf glanced at the radar. "About twenty standard minutes." Leon got out of his chair and approached the door. "Good, I have some practice to do." He pulled a dagger out of his pocket and crept down the hall. Wolf reclined in the chair. He dreamed of exacting his revenge on Fox McCloud. Of smashing his head between his palms, of blowing his Arwing to pieces, or slashing his throat open. The thoughts drifted through his mind. He unsheathed his dagger, the one given to him by his grandfather. Its silver blade glinted in the Zonessian sunlight. He looked at it from every angle, impressed by its smoothness. Fox would feel this blade. Feel it slash through his life, his achievements. Everything would be gone for Fox. And belong to Wolf. Wolf slightly snickered over this prospect and turned back to piloting. There it was. Seafoam Cove. A large docking bay covered most of the island, while green waves smashed against its sides. A huge tower rose up from the docking bay. Hyperlaser turrets and several missile launchers lined its sides. Wolf heard the familiar ping of targeting and hurried to the comm station. "Seafoam Guard, this is I.A.F. Harbringer, requesting permission to dock under Security Code FJ-171-1-3." Wolf pressed a small grey key on the console and transmitted the necessary info. He wasn't about to land and be blown away by a Sentinel-Guard! The code he was transmitting would re-route all the Sentinel's commands to the HARBRINGER, putting him in complete command of it, also. As they prepared to dock, Leon came back in, his prehensile tongue smacking his lips. Wolf merely shook his head and concentrated on landing. The abandoned Imperial base had three Invader-class fighters and four wings of Tripods for defense. Hardly anything to stand up against the might of the Cornerian Army, but he had to start somewhere. If only he could reconstruct Andross' Telekinetic Amplifier. Then nothing, not even McCloud, could stop him and his dreams of conquest. Until then, he had to settle for this poorly defended base of operations. . . . . .The Great Fox soared into Venom's atmosphere, carefully avoiding the debris littering the surface. Hundreds of small temples lay smashed and crumbled. Temples that predated even Andross' involvement with the planet. Fox wondered what civilization they once may have housed before hurrying to the Command Station. "ROB, have you found anything?" Fox asked eagerly. ROB whirled around. "No, Fox, initial scans show no signs of life. We still have far to go, however." Fox sighed. Another uneventful mission. "Okay, I'll be in my quarters. Tell me if you see anything." "What? The Great Fox!?!" Wolf stared in amazemnt at what the Tower's computer radars were telling him. "Fox has come back? What if he comes to Zoness? We don't have the power to drive them back!" Leon stood up from another computer terminal. "Wolf, I found some of Andross' private files, including one about his Telekinetic Amplifier. It is heavily encrypted, however." Wolf cursed under his breath and walked over to the computer. "Hmm, seems to be encrypted by the VSB Code." Wolf thought aloud and hunched over and began punching keys. "I thought the Cornerians had cracked this code." Leon looked up. "Yes, they did. Only one way to get that encryption." Leon pulled out his dagger. "No, I have a better idea, Leon. We may also pick-up the soldiers we need while we're at it. . ." Episode 4 It had been only a day since Andross' defeat and already the entire Lylat system was rejoicing. The war torn areas were under reconstruction. Androssian landmarks were demolished and bases were obliterated. At least the KNOWN bases. Hundreds of Intelligence bases were littered around Lylat, placed strategically by the VSB or Venom Security Bureau. One such base, Defraction Base, was buried beneath the icy surface of Fortuna. Fully stocked with a troop of 400 soldiers, thirty fighter wings, and a competent command crew, it was the largest Imperial base in Lylat. General Croc paced the command room of the base. His leathery forehead crinkled with stress. "Captain, any reports from the other VSB bases?" Captain Talon stood from a computer terminal. "No, sir. We have picked up a signal from Zoness, though, sir. According to it, Star Wolf is alive." Croc stared at Talon. "Wolf O'Donnel? No. That's impossible. Our Cornerian spies reported his death from the casualty lists at the CDF base." Talon turned back to the computer. "Well, it says they request permission to land here. They will be arriving shortly through the Sector X-Z warp gate." Croc sighed. "Arm the Sentinels." he ordered and stormed out of the command room. The HARBRINGER steadily navigated the debris of Sector X. Wolf and Leon had spent the past five hours traveling through the mess at Sector Z and the X-Z warp gate. The HARBINGER was rapidly decaying in zero-space because of the destruction at Sector X, so they dropped out prematurely a hundred and fifty kilometers from the Sector X zone. "Just blast it all to kingdom come, Leon!" Wolf shouted angrily. "No, you fool! If we destroy it all, there will be nothing left to salvage! What about that perfectly good Borzoi fighter drifting about over there?" Leon pointed out the rear viewport. Wolf charged the hyperlasers and blasted the Borzoi to pieces. "Well, now it isn't as perfectly good. I want to get to Fortuna. Now." Wolf's eyes flared and Leon angrily complied. "That's a good Leon." "Sir, our probes in Sector X report that this so-called 'Star Wolf' is plowing through the wreckage on its way here." Talon handed the printout to Croc. "Hmmph. They are indeed in a hurry to get here. Any transmissions as of yet?" Croc asked irritably. "No, sir." Croc trotted over to his desk. He laid down the papers and turned to his personal computer terminal. "Ah, the HARBRINGER. I was stationed there during the routine check up of Venom just before the invasion of Fortuna, when I was called here. It is a pirate trying to cash in on Andross' defeat with the Cornerians. Send any transmissions back as a dead signal." Talon nodded and left the room. "Damn you! Receive transmissions!" Wolf bellowed. Leon awoke to Wolf's rampant curses. "Hmm, perhaps the Cornerians DID find out about Defraction?" Leon asked wryly. Wolf growled. "No. And even if they did, we're landing there. Boost shields to 100%." Leon hurried over to the shield terminal. They were within range of Fortuna's gravitational pull. The HARBRINGER jerked as the ice planet forcefully dragged them in. "We shall soon-" a laser blast shook their ship before Wolf could finish. "They're attacking during reentry!" Wolf screamed. "We'll be destroyed for sure!" Leon yelped. Wolf slammed the comm unit. "DEFRACTION BASE! THIS IS WOLFEN LEADER! PLEASE COMPLY!!" Wolf struggled to stand as the HARBRINGER lurched and tumbled with each blast. "This is not Wolfen Leader. Wolfen Leader was killed on Venom. You are a pirate and a traitor to the will of Andross." The raspy voice replied over the comm. Wolf blinked in astonishment. "TRANSMITTING SECURITY CLEARANCE!!" He bellowed as the ship shook with another blast. After a few tense seconds, the comm beeped again. "Please forgive us, Commander O'Donnel, we were acting in our best conscience." Wolf smiled revealing his flesh tearing teeth. "Docking tube 5C-76 opening." Subject: DARK WOLF Ep. 5 Posted: DECEMBER 05, 1998 14:07 Wolf leaped out of the Harbringer's rear launch bay and waited silently on the cool Fortunana ground for the Venomian gaurds to welcome him. He pulled out his blaster and set it to KILL. He slowly crawled across the underbelly of the freighter and heard footsteps. It was the guards, he spiraled out from under the freighter and shot two guards square in teh face. The other three, recoiling from the surprise attack, reloaded their blasters and aimed- "HOLD YOUR FIRE!" General Croc's voice echoed across the docking bay. "Ah, O'Donnel, I see you are resourceful as ever." Wolf put away his blaster. "You almost killed us up there, General. I should tear your larynx out for that, but I have a proposition for you." Wolf smiled, his sharp teeth glinting in the sunlight. "Well, O'Donnel, I'm sure we can work something out." Hours later, Wolf stared out at the Harbringer. Croc had agreed to refurbish the freighter and supply Wolf with the VSB code in exchange for Andross' private security codes. Wolf turned back to see Croc hovering over several officers, frantically trying to open Andross' most private files. "So, General, do they work?" Wolf called out. "Yes, they do, and soon Andross' Empire will be renewed." Wolf pulled the DATdisc out of his breast pocket. He looked it over and hurried to the Harbringer. Leon was in the pilot's seat, checking system protocols. "Leon, I've got the VSB code, can you crack the Amplifier's file?" Leon's eyes lit up and he hurried to the nearest computer terminal. Wolf silently envisioned his grand assault on Corneria. The Harbringer valiantly blasting the peaceful cities away, the VSB troops terrorizing the villages, and Wolf slashing his dagger through Fox. That would be the way of things, if everything goes according to Wolf's plans. . . ...Fox was glad to finally be back in the cockpit of an Arwing once again, soaring through the skies. Well, the murky skies of Venom. They encountered no resistance and picked up nothing on radar. "Falco, see anything down there?" he called to Falco Lombardi, who was strafing over the Venomian landscape. "Nope, no survivors at all, Fox." Slippy Toad veered frantically away from a falling rock column. "HELP FOX!" he cried. Fox targeted the column and blasted it. "Jeez, this palce is dangerous even without Andross!" Slippy remarked as he regained his position. Fox sighed and spiraled down towards the former resting place of Andross' temple, when a blip appeared on his radar. "Falco, Peppy, Slippy, I've got something, K-Zero One, T-Five Six. Tag it Slip!" Slippy ran all his diagnostic programs over the mysterious signal. "Fox! I think we've found him!!" Slippy screeched joyously. Fox powered up his hyperlasers. "This is it, Andross!" ...The Harbringer lifted off, escorted by two VSB assault frigates, and set its zerospace coordinator for Corneria. Leon had debugged the VSB code and installed a large Telekinetic Amplifyer onto the front hull of the Harbringer. When they arrived on Corneria, Wolf would power up the Amplifier and make it appear as though millions of Venomians were attacking their venerable cities. Fox would be called to help, and Wolf would be waiting...