Chapter 5: General, We Have a Problem

About two hours later, the crew had gathered on the bridge. Fox put a call through to the station's control room, where General Pepper was, to say farewell. They were eager to test out their new home.

"This navigation system is amazing!" Slippy exclaimed. "It's got every corner of the Lylat System detailed out, right down to the creatures on each planet."

Fox, in the captain's chair, was marveling over the control the ship had. She responded smoothly to every slight touch of his hands over the panel before him, gliding majestically out of docking to the cheering of the news hounds and casual onlookers peering through the window, the noise silent to the heroes outside.

"Front lasers, a self-defense system - " Falco called out, looking at a run-down of the weaponry. "some of this stuff I'd only heard rumors about, and now we've got it! Whoo hoo!" Skye was checking out the computer schematics, eyes glittering.

"This gear is the best of it's kind! They must've spent a fortune on the software alone... Hmm?" Something had caught his attention.

"What is it?" Fox asked, looking over.

"I'm not sure. The software name is all in caps, but I've never heard of it before. What's a 'portable warp generator?'" There was a few moments to silence, then...

"WHAT!" And Skye found himself pushed against the consol as the rest crowded around.

"Oof!"

"Sorry, bro," Fox apologized, edging a bit to one side. "But you did say 'warp generator,' right?"

"Yeah. Right there." He used the mouse pointer - which, ironically, looked like a lollypop - to highlight the program's name.

"Bring up the ship's schematics," Slippy requested. For the computer expert it was easy to locate and open. Slippy's eyes darted, then widened. "There!" He pointed to the nose of the Great Fox II, where a small rod was detailed, concealed within the tip. It was labeled Generator Rod.

Fox instantly went back to the master control and punched up the frequency for the station.

"Space Station, General Pepper here, Star Fox." He sounded none to surprised, and perhaps a bit smug. "Having any problems?"

"No problems," Fox replied smoothly. "But I do have a question. Three words: Portable. Warp. Generator." They heard Beltino laugh.

"Did we forget to mention that? Oops." More laughter, this time from the general as well.

"Dad, you may have a bad memory at times, but not about technology. So what's up?"

"Given that you tend to - to borrow your phrase, Skye - 'leapfrog across the entire Lylat system' so much," explained the General, "we decided to make it a little easier on you. The technology for the Portable Warp Generator is still very new. There's only one other in existence, and that's back at the lab where it was created."

"The lab version has undergone several tests, both on the ground and in space, each time working perfectly, but yours is the first real field model," Beltino added. "It's a piece of technology that only those on the project and the General know about, and now you as well."

"Thank you," Fox replied sincerely.

"Just do me a favor, Slippy."

"Yes dad?"

"The first time you use it, take notes for me."

"You got it!"

"Thanks again, General, Beltino. Team Star Fox out." Fox cut the transmission. "Damn, it felt good to say that again." He looked at his team, who all had eager expressions on their faces. He grinned. "Anyone want to, say, go check out what's left of the Apariod Homeworld, make sure we got 'em all?"

"But Fox," Krystal teased, "it would take us a long time to get there." Everyone was grinning, and Skye was tapping his finger lightly on the mouse button.

"Slippy, get ready for those notes!" Fox vaulted over the armrest of the captain's chair. The rest cheered and got into place as Skye opened the program.

"Slippy, give me the co-ordinates of the Apariod Homeworld," he called.

"04829 by 37042 by 98205," Slippy replied. Skye inputted the numbers and a holographic map popped up in front of Fox, showing the destination.

"It's voice activated, Fox," Skye said, reading off of the screen. "According to this, it's keyed to you alone. 'Confirm the destination by saying it, then 'Confirmed,' then 'Warp Generator Activate.'"

"Apariod Homeworld, confirmed." The cursor over the destination changed to white. "Warp Generator activate."

A small panel opened at the tip of the Great Fox II, and out slid a slender metal rod. A greenish light began sparking at the tip, then shot out, expanding into a circle. Automatically the Great Fox II began to fly in, and soon they were surrounded in the green glow.

"Ah-choo!"

"Bless you, Slippy," Krystal offered. Slippy looked confused.

"I didn't sneeze."

"Me neither," added Skye, as the noise had come from their direction. Fox began to swivel in his chair to look at them.

"It had to be - " Suddenly the Great Fox II lurched violently, throwing all to the floor.

"What the heck?" Falco exclaimed with an oath. Everyone scrambled back into their seats as the Great Fox II began to shake and alarms sounded loudly.

"This isn't supposed to happen!" shouted Slippy. Skye's eyes darted across the computer screen as warnings flashed.

"Something's altering the warp!"

"Lets get out of here!" Krystal cried. Fox groaned back,

"We can't!" He punched the radio control. "Mayday! Mayday! This is the Great Fox II! We're in trouble!" There came a burst of static, then General Pepper's voice, broken up by the tenuous connection.

"Pepper here... - at's happening?"

"General, we have a problem," moaned Slippy.

"Something's wrong with the warp generator," Fox elaborated, clutching at the consol in front of him as the ship gave a violent jerk. "We're being shaken to bits!"

"Turn...the system... -mergency shut do - " Skye frantically pushed buttons.

"It's not working! Nothing will respond. It's like the system's frozen up solid!" he exclaimed, looking at his brother. The screen showing the endpoint was still up, and it began to skew and zig zag weirdly.

"Team Star Fox!" came Pepper's frantic call, and then the Great Fox II lunged so hard all of Star Fox team was thrown instantly back to the floor. Fox's captain's chair tipped over and fell on him, the armrest smashing against the back of his skull with a CRACK! and Fox blacked out.