FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

[Star Fox: Universe [R]aid]

Jack Russo

Star Fox and Characters within the Nintendo universe are copyright their respected owners.

---

A Prelude to War: Prologue

---

Haneik Sector

Lylat Outskirts

Planet: Lorentil - 10 years ago

And down they went, from skies above. Their descent a scream, piercing the air and shattering the lull of the nightly torpor. For those below there was nothing but awe as the heavenly tears plummeted onto their homes. A flash of red illuminates the sky, mixed in with the melancholy of the night.

While children stared like a moth drawn to a flame, mothers' eyes welled up with tears and the fathers knelt down in despair. Cries of adulation for the joy of judgement rose up across the land as the gift from the gods was embraced by earth. And with a crack, an echo, and a sigh did they rise on up from their forsaken earth to be reunited with the stars. May they now and forever find peace in their embrace...

"I take it, your Majesty, you worked on that story during our descent," mused a guard, his voice muffled behind his helmet. A few others chuckled at the remark before being silenced by another guard clearing his throat.

"Do not disrespect her Majesty so bluntly, fools," he admonished. His armor was more decorated to his peers - while they wore white and black, he garnished a deep red outfit. "She is in charge by order of the Emperor!"

"That's quite alright, captain," the girl muttered amidst the disapproving scoffs. Despite her position, she was quite aware of her situation since her home had been usurped by the Empire. Even though her role would have demanded respect it was nothing more than an empty title.

The caravan finished its descent onto the planet below and the rumbling of the engines faded into a muffled silence. The doors groaned open and the air became thick with the scent of ash and smoke. A solemn wind blew as the guards stepped out onto the earth with the girl following meekly behind. Her hair danced gently with the wind and she used her right hand to swipe a stray lock behind her ear.

"Princess Juli, what do you think," inquired a guard. "Does the surface remind you of your home planet?" She didn't say a word and her continued silence suggested her disinterest in the jeering the other guards wanted to play at.

"Enough, men. We're on a mission here. Let's make our way toward the village," said the red captain. They grumbled and did as they were told. The red captain took a quick glance at the princess, wide-eyed and surveying their surroundings. "Do enjoy the earth at your feet, Princess. You'll be lucky if they allow you out of your chambers again."

She turned her attention to him, her expression unreadable, and nodded. The captain wondered how a girl of seven could show such control over her emotions so well in the sight of destruction. He returned her nod and proceeded onward through the grassy plain the caravan had landed on and toward the red glow of the village ahead.

They walked in silence taking a direct route. Blades of tall grass swayed in the wind as if bowing in submission to their usurpers who trekked on. Juli did her best to keep up with the larger gait of the men, swatting away the grass from hitting her face. They did not gift her with an environmental suit such as theirs for this journey. None would have fit her, they had said. In reality it was likely done on purpose since she too was a prisoner.

Gradually, the grass grew shorter and they found themselves on a gravel road leading directly to the village entrance. It was a small relief, but it now allowed Juli to fully observe the environment around them. Lorentil was nothing more but an outskirt, farming planet on the edge of Lylat control. Lylat, a growing star system which the empire had curiously grown interested in in the same manner as with her own. As they headed north she noticed that one of the bombs had landed to the east of the village, creating a deep, smoking crater. The sound of rushing water could be heard in the distance as her eyes made out the outline of a river flooding into the artificial depths that had disturbed its natural flow.

A new smell began to fill the air and the scent of ash grew thicker. It was a meaty smell, like that of something charring over a flame. Flesh. The thought of it made Juli's stomach turn and she glared at the guards with their helmets enviously, aware that they couldn't observe the way she was being forced to. As they made their way to the entrance they were met first by a wagon ablaze. Two large remains of what looked like cattle were smoking heavily; there were no signs of any people within the fire. Red captain gave her a quick glance but Juli ignored him, turning her attention to an arching gateway into the village. The name of the village used to be written on it, Juli assumed, but it was now just an ashy and illegible mess.

"Alright, men," began red captain. "Set your scanners for 'Sil-waves'. Let's see if our Occult friends predicted right with this planet."

The other men nodded and prodded on their helmets with a free hand before taking hold of the rifles that were held magnetically on their backs. All of them turned on their rifle lights and then separated into different directions around the village.

"My lady, you're with me," said the captain. He nudged his gun in a direction away from the other guards.

She followed a short distance behind him, looking into the charred corpses of homes the creatures who had made the farming planet their habitat. It was then that she saw her first casualties of the bombing. Their appearance had first surprised her but that quickly grew into pity. Juli couldn't discern what the creature was wearing but at this point they looked like rags. Whoever he or it was, it had pointed ears and a long muzzle. His hands were clawed and his body furry all over in an appearance more like wolves.

"Ugly critters, aren't they," whispered red captain to her. She gave him an unamused look and kept silent. "I understand you're not happy to be here. I have to admit I was surprised that you requested to come down and see the results of the conquest."

"I wanted to see with my own eyes," she started before taking a breath. "I wanted to see...I wanted to feel what this is like as an outsider. If there was any feeling or enjoyment. But in the end I just feel empty. There is nothing. No attachment or understanding. Just remorse."

"If you say so," he replied, turning his direction further ahead. "I'm not receiving any signs of waves here. I'm thinking the Occult made a mistake again." He took a few steps ahead and opened up his communicator. A few pings and beeps later he was talking in a lowered voice to the other guards. By his disapproving tone, she inferred that no one had had such luck finding any 'waves'.

In the quiet of the crackling flames a new sound caught Juli's attention, causing her to turn. There was a quick rustling from one of the damaged homes followed by a pained grunt. She gave red captain a cursory glance before moving toward the source. Turning a corner, she saw ashy footprints leading to the rear of the building, a grayish object twitching at the end. Making her way closer she could hear the sounds of labored breathing and panicked muttering.

"Go away, go away, go away," the voice repeated.

"Hello," Juli called out. The voice became silent and even the breathing had ceased. She peered around the corner and gasped in surprise, making eye contact with a local child. He too was of lupine build; grey pointed ears, ragged clothing and a violet colored eye staring back at her. His features were too alien for her to read but she could sense he was afraid of her. "Hello," she repeated in a quieter voice. "Are you okay?"

The wolf-thing hesitated before answering. "No." At closer examination Juli saw that his left hand was clutched over his eye, the other trembling and holding a blaster pointed at her. "You...you did this, didn't you," he accused, his voice quivering.

Though the gun should've had her alerted, Juli knelt down close to him. She could see he was only a bit taller than her. He jerked in surprise as she came nearer, the gun still shaking in his right hand. "I won't hurt you," she said, trying to comfort him. "You're injured...I think I can help."

"No! Get back!" The wolf stammered and jumped back up to his feet, gun still pointed at her. "I'll shoot! Get away! You did this! You killed everyone!"

She stood back up calmly. "You're no older than me, aren't you?" The question confused the wolf pup, his one good eye widening and his jaw agape in what Juli guessed was an expression of surprise. "I assume my appearance is new to you or have you seen a human before?" She waited for him to nervously shake his head. "I see. Do you know if anyone else is alive?" Another nervous shake gave her the answer she already knew was true.

There was a quick flash of light and an electrical hiss that shot through the air suddenly; the lupine child howled in surprise as his blaster was thrust away from his hand. A blinding light was directed at them both followed by a shout and the click of a rifle being reloaded. Instinctively, Juli raised up both her arms as quick as she could as another hiss rang out, only to be met with a dull thud. The lupine had crouched over, covering his head in fear. A gentle hum rang in his ear and his curiosity got the better of him as he peered up from his position.

The human girl beside him stood still, blue eyes lightly aglow. Somehow, the two of them were surrounded by a barrier that gave off a dim light. Juli's attention was to the men in front of her, her expression finally showing her disgust.

"You can lower your Aegis barrier now, Princess. Leave the survivor to us," said one of the white guards, his rifle still aimed at the wolf.

"I refuse."

"Don't make this anymore difficult for you. You will be punished, otherwise."

"I highly doubt that." She looked briefly at the wolf-pup, an incredulous look on his face. "I take it that even though you did usurp my kingdom, keeping me as a Princess is more for propaganda. How do you think the emperor will take it to hear that I've been abused when we return to Gimlei? What will the people think of it?"

The white guard gave it a thought then lowered his rifle. "Fine, suit yourself." The other guards soon rejoined them as well as the red captain.

"What the hell is this," he demanded.

"A survivor. He's only a child," Juli replied. "He means no harm; you can't hurt him!"

"No harm, my ass," rebuked the earlier guard. "The monster had a gun aimed at her earlier."

"He was afraid!" She shot back. "But now it's gone and no harm is done, right?"

The other guards shuffled uncomfortably. "Lower your barrier, Princess," red captain said sternly. "There's nothing you can do for the child."

A small whimper came from the wolf behind her as she huffed defiantly. "If I am now Princess of the outer Midgard Empire, then I demand that this child be put under my charge and protection." She didn't need to see the captain's eyes to know he was glaring at her. "Any harm to him will be reported back in Gimlei."

Red captain hesitated. "Are you sure you want this pet," he said through gritted teeth. "He will be your sole responsibility back on board the cruiser." She nodded. "Fine, lower your guns, men." They gave him a quick look in protest but did as they were told. "You win this time, Princess. Lower the damn shield."

Juli returned her hands to her side and the barrier faded. "Thank you," she said strongly.

"Alright, back to the ship, you lot," grumbled the captain. "And you, dog," he pointed at the lupine, "keep up the pace before I change my mind and shoot you outright."

He nodded and stumbled to get up. Juli returned to his side and knelt back down to help him. "Thank you, I guess," he mumbled with flattened ears.

"You're welcome," she replied with a sad smile. "But I'm sorry for turning you into a prisoner as well."

"I figured you were their captive with the way they were treating you," he grunted as he stood up. He turned to look at her, his left paw once again clutching over his left eye. "I...I can't see out of this eye. It think...I lost it," he let out flatly.

"I'm sorry," Juli muttered as they began their walk back to the caravan. "Does it hurt?"

"No," he said, but he grimaced anyway.

"Do you need help walking?"

"No...it's really just my eye," he said.

She sighed. "Well, do you have a name? We're in this together now so I'd like to have something to call you by."

He hesitated a moment, sniffling. "At this point I don't think it matters. I'm a prisoner by people I don't even know. My family and friends are dead thanks to your attack. I might as well be dead too."

"Then how about I pick a name for you," she thought for a moment. "Forgive me, I can't think of anything creative."

"Anything is fine."

"Then how about just Wolf?"

Wolf was silent for a moment then turned to meet her gaze with his one good eye. In that moment they knew that their fates were tied together regardless of what the future would hold. "Wolf works fine," he said with a smile. "But I'll keep my last name to remember where I came from. Wolf O'Donnel."

Juli smiled back. "Julianne Vanaheim." She hesitated before reluctantly adding in, "...Midgard."

The trek back to the caravan seemed shorter than when they had arrived. Juli quietly entered while the guards shoved Wolf in beside her with a curse. He bared his teeth in return but knew he was helpless to do anything else. With a quick shake and rumble, the engines came back to life and the vehicle slowly ascended up into the stars. Taking one last look at the burning village below, Wolf gave a silent farewell to what was once his home.