Star Fox: Echoes

Chapter 3: Retaliate

"Run!" Krystal yelled as she reached for Sera's hand, leading them away from the gunmen that had spotted them. They took off, sprinting back into the thicker part of the forest away from the clearing filled with Venomian soldiers. From behind them, Krystal could hear the sound of weapons firing and feel the heat of plasma rounds as they flashed past them. She took a zigzagging path through the trees, trying to avoid most of the blaster rounds coming from behind them.

Sera let go of her hand and sprinted beside her, matching her step for step as they weaved through the woodlands around them. "Who are they? Are they from Venom as well?" The crimson vixen asked between breaths.

Krystal nodded in reply. She read the minds of their pursuers, realizing that they were a scouting patrol from the unknown planet. "They must be patrolling the forest, trying to keep us from finding out about their plans."

"Well it's too late for that," Sera pointed out. "We know too much."

The pair of vixens leaped over a fallen tree trunk and pressed onward, taking an indirect route towards the edge of the forest. Krystal channeled her sixth sense, searching for the Venomians that followed them. They could not be far behind, not only judging from their mental activity, but also from the stray lasers and plasma rounds coming from their blasters.

Suddenly Krystal detected mental activity ahead of them. More enemies are waiting for us! We are being led into a trap!

"Sis, what is it?" Clearly Sera picked up on her distress.

"There are more up ahead," the blue-furred vixen pointed towards a small opening in the trees. "They're cornering us!"

Sera glanced left and right hopelessly. There was nowhere else for them to go; the soldiers they had first run into had split up, flanking them on each side. Sera barely dodged an incoming blaster round as the gleaming ball of blue light soared over her head, just missing Krystal as well.

Another beam came from Krystal's side, striking the bark of a nearby tree. The wood of the tree caught fire on impact, slowly burning out as the fire spread. "We have no other choice," Krystal growled through gritted teeth. "We have to turn and fight!"

"Two against how many?" Sera questioned. "Several behind us, how many ahead?"

The telepath honed her powers ahead once again as she ran. One, two three... she counted the different mental signatures she detected. There were five in total, in addition to the five chasing them from behind. "Ten in total. See that clearing up ahead?"

"Sure, is that where we turn?"

Krystal nodded. The trees up ahead seemed to thin out slightly, where the upcoming Venomian soldiers lie in wait for them. "Attack them head on, then we'll deal with the ones behind us."

The Cerinians burst through the opening in the trees, landing in a small grassy clearing. Just as she predicted, five more enemies stood their ground ahead of them, each one armed and covered in Venomian military gear. Two apes wielded Venomian blasters, while the three lizards in front of them carried gleaming yellow energy swords, beams of plasmatic energy that protruded from metallic hilts.

Without time to think, the vixens burst into combat, taking the swordsmen head on while the gunmen attacked from the backlines. The first lizard slashed his sword at Sera, who shifted her weight onto one foot to evade and struck back with her rapier, thrusting it forward in a flurry of rapid attacks. Her blade hit its mark, scoring multiple stab wounds through the lizard's shirt and jacket.