Space Fox 1 Issue #2

SPACE FOX 1

By: Michael Wydock

Issue 2

The Starlite System, Celsion Region

Vulcan’s ship, which was called the S.S. Black Falcon was found hovering over the frozen wasteland planet of Celsion.The ship entered the ice planet’s atmosphere as it landed on the frozen tundra moments later.Vulcan was displeased with the head scientist who was in charge of completing his eclipse canon and was sentenced to death.The hanger doors of the ship opened up as Vulcan had his henchmen drag the scientist out into the freezing cold.Vulcan and his men had on cold resistance armor which kept them nice and warm but left the scientist bare naked in nothing but the feathers on his back.As Vulcan’s men threw the scientist onto the snow, Vulcan himself approached the scientist and kneelt down to his level.The scientist, whose face was freezing and turning blue, was on his knees as he looked up at Vulcan and begged for his life.

“P-P-Please sir.D-Don’t D-Do this.”He said shivering with cold.

“This armor you designed is quite remarkable.We’re all nice and toasty in these.”Vulcan laughed.

“Unfortunately, I’m afraid we’ve lost yours.You have failed me one too many times Dr. Solaar.And now it is about time you’ve paid the price for your failures.”Vulcan begins to walk away just as Dr. Solaar speaks up.

“D-D-Don’t L-L-Leave me here.”Vulcan turns back and grins.

“I’ll tell you what.If you can manage to survive on this frozen wasteland of a planet for twenty-four hours, then I’ll consider giving you another chance.But if you don’t, then this planet will become your grave.”Vulcan stood up and got back into his ship.He grins at Dr. Solaar as the hanger door closes behind him.The ship took off leaving the poor defenseless scientist to die.But could Dr. Solaar really trust Vulcan’s words?Or was Vulcan just lying through his beak?Either way, he had to survive.

Aboard the Defender

“3... 2... 1.... DO IT!”Back aboard the Defender, Trico was sitting at a table locked in an arm wrestling contest with Rodriguez.Sweat was running down Trico’s face and fur as he grunted trying so hard to push Rodriguez’s metal arm down onto the table.It seemed like it was a little unfair for Rodriguez to use his robotic metallic arm.But Trico wanted to prove that he could do the job.Either that or he was trying to impress a certain someone who was sitting next to them.He was giving Rodriguez quite the show, he was impressed.But unfortunately Rodriguez got the upper hand and pinned Trico’s hand to the table.Vixen was sitting next to them watching the whole thing while filing her nails.

“Awe man, I almost had you this time.” He said in relief.

“Ha ha!Wanna go again?”

“I’m afraid that will have to wait.” Said Titus as he walked in.Trico, Rodriguez and Vixen gave their commanding officer their full attention.

“Stop these silly games and listen up!We just got a distress signal from planet Celsion.”

“The frozen planet?That’s impossible, no one can survive down there.”

“You’re right Trico.Which is why this is a rescue mission.Whoever is down there is still alive.And that’s not all, we have another problem.I tried to contact Space Fox 2 and 3 to see if they could help.But we’ve got no response from either of them.I’ve tracked down Space Fox 2′s last known coordinates.”

“So what’s the plan commander?”

“Looks like we have two rescue missions on our hands.We’ll split up in groups of two, kill two birds with one stone.Trico and Vixen, you two head for these coordinates.See if you can determine what happened to Space Fox 2 and 3.Rodriguez and I will go to Celsion.”

“Yes sir.”

“Rodriguez, set a course for Celsion.The rest of you to your Flying Foxes.Move out!”Rodriguez got up and saluted Titus as a sign that he understood his new orders.He jetted off for the control room of the ship and input the coordinates into the navigation computer.As for Trico and Vixen, they received their orders and headed immediately to the hanger bay of the ship.Since Trico blew up his Starfighter during their last mission, he had received the Alpha version of the Flying Fox.The Flying Fox Alpha was the fastest ship in the fleet and slightly more powerful than the original.

The Defender has arrived to its destination, it now floats above the planet’s atmosphere.Trico and Vixen headed off to the last known coordinates of the Space Fox 2 crew while Rodriguez and Titus set forth on their rescue mission.Before going into the frozen planet, Rodriguez and Titus had put on their Cold-Resistance Armor before leaving The Defender.The armor was equipped with heating tubes on the shoulders, torso, feet and back to keep them nice and toasty.Each helmet of the armor were specially designed to cradle it’s wearer’s head shape with extreme comfort in mind.The two Flying Foxes have touched down onto the frozen tundra as they hopped out.

Celsion was experiencing a blizzard at the moment the two landed.The cold harsh winds were beating down on their armors.Snow and frost covered dead trees scattered the landscape.

“How are we gonna find them in all of this!?”Rodriguez pulled out a device from his pocket and points at it.

“With this!This device will detect their heat signatures even in the harshest of blizzard’s!We’ll find them!”

“Rodriguez, you’re a genius!”The two marched forth through the harsh blizzard with the cold winds blowing against them.

Meanwhile, Trico and Vixen have arrived to their destination as their ships have landed.The coordinates have led them to a swamp planet known as Mysterion.Mysterion was known for it’s hallucinogenic atmosphere on each of its moon’s with the planet being occupied by the Genomorphers.Three moons surround the planet, each governed by a queen.Only the high priestess of these aliens govern the main planet.Trico whipped out his blaster taking precaution.

“Stay close to me Princess.The occupants of this planet aren’t very friendly to newcomers.”Vixen heeded Trico’s warning and walked behind him.He looked at the device attached to his arm which locked onto the exact coordinates of Space Fox 2’s ship.The two of them continued onward.They had to make their way through many jungles.Trico’s galactic sword made it easier traversing the jungles.The jungles were filled with dangerous and hungry plants.Vixen could feel something wrapping around her leg.She looked down and saw that it was a vine as it pulled her down and dragged her away.

“TRICO!” She shouted.He turned and saw her being taken away.He thought fast as he took aim with his blaster and shot the vine in half as it lets go of her leg.He came over to her as he helped her up.

“It’s okay, you’re safe now.”Right after he said that, another vine came out of the bushes and whipped him across his face making his cheek bleed.

“I think it’s pissed off now.GO!”The two ran as more of the vines came after them.They leaped over logs until at last, their path forward was cut off.Standing on the edge of a cliff, the two had no choice but to jump.There was a pool of water down below.

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course I do.”Trico took Vixen’s hand and jumped off the cliff as the vines had just missed them.The two had landed in the water as they were now safe.They both swam to the nearest shore and got out of the water with their fur and clothes now soaked.

“Well that was quite the adventure wasn’t it Princess?”

“We’re not even here for five minutes and everything suddenly wants to either kill us or eat us.” She responds trying to dry out her clothes and fur by getting on all four and shaking the water off like a dog.

“Being a mercenary isn’t always an easy job Princess.Sometimes, you just gotta take the risk.”

“Well, you guys have been doing it longer than me.I only joined Space Fox 1 because of my brother.Someone has to look out for him.”

“Is that the only reason?” He winked at her.She didn’t respond to him, she only smirked as if saying that wasn’t her only reason for joining them.

“Let’s just find the missing crew Trico.”

“As you wish my lady.” He smirked back.

Miles and miles of walking until they finally made it, but they were not prepared for what they were about to see.Their jaws dropped as they saw the Space Fox 2 crew’s ship crashed and appearing abandoned.All rusty and moss covering the ship as if it’s been here for quite a while.Vixen gasped as she covered her mouth in shock and awe as Trico was at a loss for words.

“No, this can’t be.How long was this here?”Trico looked around the crashed vessel as he had found their emergency beacon that never even got to them in time.

“Maybe this can tell us what happened.”He activated the beacon as a holographic message started to play.

“This is Space Fox 2!We’re under attack and require backup as soon as possible!Our shields will not hold much longer and they’ve taken out our thrusters!These are our coordinates!Please help us!We’ve been boarded!We’re….”The message ended there before the ship went down.After hearing that disturbing message, Trico balled up his fists in frustration as tears broke out of his eyes.He punched the beacon with all of his might nearly breaking it.

“Dammit!We were too late!If we would’ve known, we could’ve saved them!”Vixen walked up and placed her hand onto his shoulder to calm him down.Trico looked over at her.

“I’m sorry Princess.” He said with his ears down.They decided to go into the crashed ship to see what they could find.Upon checking the cockpit of the ship, he found a most disturbing site.Skeletons of the two Space Fox crew members were sitting in the seats.Their skeletons were picked clean like something ate the flesh off of their bones.He could see green blood as if venom.

“Genomorphers.”Vixen heard a sound like something fell coming from a nearby closet as her and Trico’s ears perked up.

“Trico.”He came up to her as she pointed towards the closet.Thinking it might be one of those creatures, he readied his blaster and approached it very slowly.He opened it as a scared owl wearing the crew’s uniform was crouched in the corner.

“D-Don’t shoot!I’m unarmed!”Of course, Trico knew exactly who this was as he lowered his blaster.

“Artemis?”Artemis looked up as soon as he heard his name.Artemis Stormcloud was the brainiac and technician of Space Fox 2, but also a coward in his own right.

“Trico, is that you?”

“The one and only.”

“Trico!Thank Genesis!I thought it might’ve been one of those things.”

“What happened?Did Vulcan do this?”Artemis knew exactly who he was talking about.He knew all too well about the Galactic General, but it was not what Trico suspected.

“We were attacked by pirates.”

“Pirates?”Trico did not expect to hear those words from Artemis’s beak.Space pirate attacks were pretty common in the Starlite System.For a group of pirates to take down a crew such as Space Fox 2, these were no ordinary band of thieves.They must have connections.

“You’re telling me that you guys were easily taken down by pirates?”Artemis nods his head as he begins to explain this sudden attack.

Space Fox 2 was undergoing a mission in the Feraith region which was a Volcanic planet.Their mission was interrupted, however, when the pirates attacked.Their vessel was large in size with solar sails.Space Fox 2 tried to flee the battle by going light speed.However, the pirates managed to follow them.Once Space Fox 2 got out of lightspeed, that’s where the pirates took out their thrusters.

Space Fox 2 were like sitting ducks as the crew had no choice but to hold their shields until help arrived.Artemis was busy trying to send out an emergency beacon, but by the time he could send it, the pirates had boarded their ship.Artemis, being the coward that he was, went into hiding and the beacon had become partly destroyed.He hid in a nearby closet, seeing the whole massacre take place.The captain of the pirates stepped up to the commanding officer of the crew and lifted him by the neck with one of her tendrils.

She was a space Jellyfish and most know her as Captain Aquarius.She was the most notorious and feared pirate captain in the known galaxy.Her wrath knew no bounds.She had said something to him before killing him.Artemis was frozen with terror, he couldn’t do anything to help.He was also very clumsy as he knocked over something.Aquarius heard it as she approached the closet as she pulled out her saber.It was a gold plated cupped hilt with the blade of the saber being pink as if it was made of plasma and glowed.

“Captain, the ship is going down!We need to move!”Gaining her attention, she had no choice but to flee.However, before she retreated, she took her saber and jabbed it between the locks of the door leaving poor Artemis in there to go down with the ship.Captain Aquarius and her crew fled the ship as it was crashing down.This was just no sudden attack.This was a message, and the pirates made sure of that.

Trico noticed the remains of the pirate captains saber buried in the ground.He picked it up and observed it but it was only the hilt of it.He turns back to Artemis.

“How long ago was this attack?”

“I’ve been here for five days now.”

“You managed to survive on this planet for five days?”Trico was impressed by Artemis’s survival skills.He may have been a coward, but he was a survivor.

“I did notice one other thing.” Artemis told Trico.Trico looks at him.

“The patches that the pirates were wearing on their uniforms was a symbol of General Nebula.”

“So Vulcan is working with pirates now?He must be desperate.”

“What do you mean?”

“During our last mission, we found an underground bunker on the planet Tarth where we discovered what Vulcan has been up to as of late.It seems that our Galactic General and his men are building an eclipse canon for who knows what.And if that thing becomes operational, we can all kiss our furry asses goodbye.So I had to make sure that wouldn’t happen by stealing the core.”

“You stole from the Galactic General?”

“Well what was I suppose to do?Let him fire that thing?I did what had to be done.”As the three of them were talking, they turned to the sound of screeching wailing in the distance putting them on high alert.

“They’re close.We better move, like right now.” Commanded Trico.Vixen and Artemis followed their leader through many more jungles.

Back on Celsion, Titus and Rodriguez were still fighting against the harsh blizzard and cold winds.Rodrigeuz’s radar was getting louder as they were getting close to their target.It led them to a cave where a camp fire was lit and a bird was huddled up trying to get warm.He was shivering as there were signs of little icicles growing on his beak.The bird looked up as he saw the two of them suited up in his inventions.

“Th-That armor.I-I recognize my own handiwork.”The two marched up towards him as Titus kneelt down to his level.

“You’ve made this armor?”

“Y-Yes.It was my greatest achievement.”

“Can you tell us your name?”

“M-My name is M-Max Solaar.”

“Alright Dr. Solaar.We’re gonna get you out of here.Can you walk?”

“I-I think so.”Dr. Solaar tried to stand up the best he could, but he was far too weak.Titus and Rodriguez caught him and threw his arms over their shoulders.Once they got out of the cave, Rodriguez used his wrist communicator to summon their rescue ship to their exact location.The Space Fox rescue ship was designed for rescue missions only.It could hold up to ten people at a time and did not have weapons equipped on it.As the ship was landing, they could feel the ground quake beneath them.They turned as they saw a towering monster made of ice approaching them.

“Rodriguez, get Dr. Solaar aboard!I’ll slow this guy down!”Rodriguez acknowledged and took Dr. Solaar.Titus pulled out his blaster as he started firing at the beast.The laser shots were hot enough to melt away the ice as steam was starting to rise, but that just made the beast angry.The doors to the ship finally opened as Rodriguez got Dr. Solaar safely on board.He placed Dr. Solaar on the seat and strapped him in.The monster slammed his massive fist onto the ground as Titus leaped forward and rolled.He continues to fire at the beast as it slowly turns to face him.

“Commander!We need to move!”Titus acknowledges him as the monster tries to stomp on him.Titus rolls again as he shoots the monsters eyes.The monster stumbles as it was left blinded.Titus used this opportunity to make a run for it.Titus got on board as the hanger doors closed.Rodriguez took the pilots seat and flew the ship into the air as the monster tried to catch them before they could escape.Rodriguez used the thrusters of the ship to finish the ice monster off as it melted before they left.Rodriguez flew the ship back to The Defender.He landed in the hanger bay as their rescue mission was a success.

They both tended to Dr. Solaar’s needs and tried their best to nurse him back to health.They put Dr. Solaar into a tube of hot water to warm him up.They’ve wrapped him up in a warm towel and gave him some soup and whatever else he needed to recover.

“How long were you down there doctor?”He looked up at Titus as Rodriguez stood in the corner with his arms crossed and his back leaning against the wall.

“I…. I don’t remember.He told me that if I survived for twenty-four hours, he’d give me another chance.I knew it was too good to be true.”

“Who’s he?Who are you talking about?”

“I…. I don’t remember.”

“Can you remember anything?”Dr. Solaar tried so hard to remember but he simply just couldn’t.Being down there on that planet for so long must’ve frozen his memory bank.He must’ve been down there for several days.

“This is a waste of time commander….”

“At ease Titan.Dr. Solaar, you said you recognized your invention when you saw us wearing the Cold-Resistance armor.You said that it was your greatest achievement.Can you remember for whom requested that armor to be forged?”

“No.I’m sorry.”Titus sighed as he stood up and approaches Rodriguez.

“Do you think you can pull up this man’s records?” He whispers to him.

“I can contact base, I think his records are stored in their computers.”Rodriguez leaves the room as he went to the bridge of the ship to contact Starboune Base.

Back on Mysterion, Trico, Vixen and Artemis traverse the jungles of the planet to make it to their next destination.Space Fox 3’s ships coordinates were on the same planet as well.The three just pray that they didn’t suffer the same fate as Space Fox 2.While traversing the jungle, Vixen and Artemis witnessed all sorts of strange creatures and animals this planet inhabited.Animals that looked like deer except with larger antlers and extra arms protruding from their chest.Hopping through the trees, plants and tall grass.They’ve entered into an opened area with a large pond and waterfalls.Trico sensed that something was wrong and stopped as he gestured the others to stop as well.

“Why’d we stop?”

“The ground right here is soft.”He said stepping his foot onto it.He looks up ahead as he sees a gigantic head of what looked like a frog, resting on the side of a cliff with its eyes shut as if it was sleeping.Trico looked back down and realized why the ground was soft.It wasn’t ground at all, but it’s belly.

“Move very slowly.We’re standing on it’s belly.”This was no ordinary giant frog, however.This was a Fraux, gigantic and slimy creatures with an appetite to boot.Frauxes have multiple limbs which include six arms and four legs.Two of its six arms were like T-Rex arms protruding out of its chest.They were very careful not to wake the beast.They were like flies to it due to it’s massive size.It’s slime made it pretty difficult to move though.It would stick to their boots and would be hard to get off.Vixen lost her footing and tripped, getting her hands covered in slime.She was disgusted by it as she tried to wipe it off.Trico went back to help her up.

However, the Frauxes nap was over as it woke up.It opened it’s eyes as it looked down and saw the three on it’s belly.It shrieked as it swatted at them like flies.It bashed Trico as he was sent flying back.Artemis tried to help Vixen as he pulled her up.The Fraux then tried to grab the two, but Trico pulled out his blaster and shot it’s hand.The Fraux retracted it’s injured hand as the two made it off of it’s belly.Before they could escape though, the Fraux shot out it’s long, slimy tongue as it stuck onto Vixen’s head blinding her.

“Trico, help!”Before the Fraux could reel her into it’s mouth, Trico ignited his galactic sword and cut off the beasts tongue.The beast, being injured, got up from it’s spot and retreated safely into the jungle, stomping it’s way through the trees.Trico got the two to safety before getting the Frauxes tongue off of her head.She embraced him hugging him tightly.

“I was so scared Trico, I thought I was gonna become it’s dinner.”

“It’s okay princess, you’re safe now.”

“That was too close.The second we get off of this planet, the better.”Trico turns his attention to Artemis.

“We’re not going just yet.We still need to find Space Fox 3, if they’re still alive.We keep going.”Miles and miles of walking distance and they have made it to another crash site out in the open.Trico’s jaw dropped as he approached the crashed vessel.He placed his hand onto the wall as the words ‘The Overseer’ was written on it.The Overseer was the name of Space Fox 3’s ship.This one though looked as if it had been here far much longer then Space Fox 2.Crates lied scattered and lights were set up suggesting that they did in fact survive the crash and set up camp, but where were they now?

“Damn, now these guys too.”Trico turns to Vixen and Artemis.

“Let’s look for resources and check for survivor’s.”As Artemis was checking the crates, a shadow looms over him above the vessel.He looks up and alerts Trico.The shadow ignites a galactic sword.

“Stand back guys, I’ve got this.”Trico shield the others and ignites his galactic sword as the shadow looms over the three of them.

TO BE CONTINUED….