A bright new day (Conclusion of Book 1)

The squadron hovered over the city as supply ships came from low orbit, dropping off consumables and anything else the ground forces would need for the month long occuptaion to weed out any Serpentis military personnel. Fox looked to his left and could just barely make out the smoldering remains of Solomon's ship almost a kilometer away.

Falco had been shot down, but he had been able to pull his nose up at the last second and skid across the road, tearing the belly out of his Arwing and totaling it, but allowing him to escape with only a few cuts and bruises from the canopy shattering on impact and the kinetic force of the ship hitting the ground.

Fox turned in his ship and did a head count. 1, 2 ,3 ,4 ,5 ,6, 7...but where was 8? Panther wasn't on the radar and he couldn't see his ship. "Wolf, have you seen Panther?"

The Lupine sighed, and Fox could hear it over the comm. "Fox, Panther hasn't been with us since the battle started...Let's land somewhere, then I'll be able to recall what happened." The six remaining ships hovered lazily to the nearest airport �" the one where all of this had started for Fox, the original military ball hangar was still adorned with ribbons, so they parked their fighters in it.

Fox looked around and got a ship count. One, two, three, four, five, six...there were only six fighters in the hangar. Falco was the only person that had been shot down...and everybody else was here except...Panther. Fox called around to the others. "Hey, anybody seen Panther?"

Wolf stepped out from under the shadow of his Wolfen. "He didn't make it, and I can't explain what happened." Krystal stepped forward. "I can get a visual out to all of us if you can concentrate hard enough. Hold your hands out, palms down." Wolf did as he was told, Krystal putting her hands under his.

As soon as Krystal did it, she froze completely, Wolf did as well. Their eyes began to glow an intense white. A blueish aura emerged from their hands. It took on the image of what looked to be the hangar from the ship they were in right before the battle.

Fox stood there, next to the black hull of a Wolfen. "Take care, Wolf, and try not to get shot down." With that, the vulpine turned and went to his own ship. As they all settled in and got ready for launch, the countdown came, and the ships rocketed out of the bay. They were watching everything...from Wolf's point of view. The battle progressed the same way it had really occurred, but when the Wolfens peeled off from the rest to attack the cruiser they had been designated, Wolf looked left and right, showing Panther and Leon rocketing across the ship, dodging flashes of red and blue. "Panther, be careful, you'll take too much and you won't make it."

He heard Panther snarl in the intercom. "Panther will make it, Panther will not get hit by the likes of this puny crui-" He was cut off as a streak of red hit him in the wing, and then, time seemed to slow down as another red streak erupted from a nearby cannon and pierced through Panther's ship, gutting it through the stomach and coming out of the cockpit. Wolf could barely see what remained of the feline past the flash from the explosions. The Wolfen spin away, out of control and still exploding. Wolf knew that his wingmate was dead the moment the shot pierced the canopy, but he had no time to grieve, as he received the call to go planet side.

The aura dissipated and left the hangar in silence. Nobody spoke, nobody moved. Fox looked at the ground for a moment. "Alright...we'll get a funeral for him along with the rest of our casualties. We need to rebuild, and strengthen our defenses in case this happens again. Our war is over...and we've got a new job coming our way." Fox looked outside. The sky was turning a slight orange color. Krystal stood next to Fox, smiling as he wrapped his arm around her waist. "A new day is on the horizon...My friends, thank you..."