SHADE MONROE:
*Author's note - Shade is my character, and Tint is the name of his ship. Wolf O'Donnell, Andross, Andrew, Leon Powalski, Pigma Dengar, James, Bill, Katt Monroe, Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare, Slippy Toad, Fox McCloud, General Pepper, and Fara Phoenix are copyrighted by Nintendo. Mariko and Beatrice "Boomer" Gray are ShadowWing's characters and cannot be used without ShadowWing's permission. Anyone's name who is not in italics is just there to be noted.
Chapter one
Shade had a bad month.
He had been forced to resign from the Cornerian Air Force because he was blamed for the destruction and death of three Arwings and their pilots during his last battle on Zoness. He destroyed his target, the Venomian transport convoy Andross had sent, but in the process his wingman flew in front of him to save him from a smart bomb. The shock waves from that bomb knocked two other Arwings into a transport, exploding on contact. None of the three pilots' bodies were found. His wingman's ship was also never found.
Shade was not one to grieve. He attended the funerals of his wingman and of the two other pilots, spoke well of his wingman, and that was the last of it. He had saved up enough money to purchase his own ship, and decided on a CatsPaw model over an Arwing, mostly because he was a black cat. Besides, he knew he was a good pilot, and could take care of himself, so he decided to become a mercenary, but since he didn't know anyone else who would like to do that, he decided to go solo. After some small escort jobs, his reputation grew, and he was finally hired by Corneria to escort a transport ship of over 10,000 military personnel to Katina. He believed it would go easy, no band larger than 10 Venomian ships or rogue bands had ever gone after a ship he was guarding. However, he would never have guessed what would happen next.
"Holy @#&%, we're under heavy attack!!!!" cried the communications personnel on the transport, "it's StarWolf!!!!"
Shade had hoped that he would never have to face these hot pilots, but it looked like he was gonna have a long day. "I read you, Flare. I'm engaging them now." Shade replied. 'I am in for some heavy action,' he thought, 'only StarFox has taken these guys out.'
"So, you're StarWolf, huh? Don't look so hot to me!" Shade taunted as he tagged Pigma's left wing.
"It's been a while since I had a challenge. This could be fun." Pigma replied, doing a complete flip and getting right on Shade's tail. Pigma let Shade have it with his lasers and then fired a smart bomb.
"Not THIS time, porky!" Shade yelled as he did a U-turn and shot a bomb of his own. He never thought he would be lucky enough to hit Pigma right behind the cockpit, forcing him to leave the battle.
He never knew what happened next. First he saw lasers, then black, then bright light and a fox looking over him.
Chapter Two
"Hey, you're awake. You ok?" asked the fox.
"My head hurts, I can't feel my leg, and my tail feels dislocated, but yeah, I'm alright." Shade said. "Who are-" was all he could ask before the fox said
"I'm Fox McCloud. You're on the Great Fox. We saved you after you were shot down by three of four members of StarWolf. Saw you took one down. Nice job."
"I'm... on... the... Great Fox!?!? You're the leader of StarFox, right? Did you take out StarWolf? Is the transport alright?" Shade spat out question after question until his pain caught up to him, forcing him to stop. "Is my ship... alright?"
"Calm down. Yes, I am the leader of StarFox. We sent StarWolf running home to Andross. The transport is fine. Your ship, well... Slippy is working on it. We don't know if it's salvageable. Your ship is just like Katt's, except yours seems to be ash gray."
"My ship is SUPPOSED to be black and white. It must've been hit pretty dang hard. Oh, by the way, who's Katt?"
"I am." Katt replied as she entered the room, "Nice to see another cat around here, but what's with all the white clothing? Like the bandana, though." Shade would've whistled if he could. The first thing he noticed about her was her body.
She was wearing jeans and a tank top, having just come from the exercise room after beating Falco to a pulp while sparring. Usually he looks at the face first, but he couldn't get his eyes higher than her chest level because of her beauty and because it hurt his neck too much. He usually didn't stare that way. "Did I say something wrong? You're staring at me." Katt said.
All Shade could do was stutter "S-sorry, K-Katt. It's just that y-you look so..."
"Oh, thanks for the complement, but I'm taken." Katt laughed. Shade sighed in disappointment. He was hoping she wasn't. 'Oh, well,' Shade thought, 'she deserves better.' He didn't know he said it out loud. "What do you mean by that?" Katt said, wondering why he said that at all.
"Oh, long story. Let's just say I'm not the best pilot to have as a wingman according to the Cornerian Air Force. Got blamed for the death of three pilots, including my wingman."
"Is it really your fault? With the way YOU flew out there last week, I wouldn't believe it." Fox said.
"What do you mean 'last week'?!?!" Shade yelled, surprised. "I just woke up, thinking that I was out for about a night, and you guys say 'last week'?!?!"
"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. You were in a slight coma for the first three days, then just unconscious. Mariko helped you there. She seems to be good at everything." Fox said casually.
"And my ship is STILL being repaired? Dang it! I DID still get paid for my job, right? I can pay for a new ship if I have to, but I was saving up for some advertising to get me a wingman. How much do you guys want for you to repair it? And I'm not gonna ask about Mariko's status."
"It's in the hangar, and as I said, Slippy is working on your ship. He designed two of our vehicles and repairs our Arwings, so it's in good hands. You did get paid, the money is in that bag over there. I found it in your ships wreckage with credits in it, so I figured that I would just put your pay in it and keep it in here with you. You don't need to pay us, Corneria paid for the repairs. As for a wingman, I think I could hook you up with someone, but I don't know about a date."
"There goes that idea." Shade mumbled. Katt just laughed, followed by Fox, until everyone in the room was laughing. Shade was pretty good at getting along with the rest of the team, especially Falco. They had about the same attitude about flying, fighting, and women. Shade was pretty good at not bringing up Katt in his conversations with Falco. If he did, he just said Falco was a lucky guy to have someone like her. He also liked Falco's art, something he had never thought he would like. "Where did you learn to draw like that?!?! I couldn't draw like that if I tried!" Shade exclaimed in amazement when he saw Falco's portfolio, "That's amazing!"
"Thanks. It just comes natural to me. Like me an' Katt, it just happened, and I enjoy it. Helps keep me occupied between missions."
"You and Katt..." mumbled Shade.
"What, you jealous or something? You're not the first." Falco laughed.
"Well, yeah. I guess I kinda am. First time I've ever liked someone since my wingman."
"You talk a lot about him. Who was he?"
"SHE was Nightingale Blue. Prettiest little bird you ever saw. Good pilot, too. Then she took that hit for me. No trace of her or her ship was ever found. I was blamed for her death. I shouldn't have broken formation! But I had to show off, and that cost her and two other pilots their lives." Shade said, staring up at the ceiling. "That's why I fly solo. I fly to get avenge her, but I can't endanger anymore lives. Now I realize I need to fly with help. That's why I'm never gonna fly again. Once I get to the next planet, I'm gonna sell my ship and find a different job, one that doesn't involve other's lives. All I do is get in the way. I almost cost the lives of 10,000 people, but you guys showed up, risking your own lives to save mine. I can't even handle four fighters. Some mercenary I am." Falco was shocked, as they had talked about Falco's mistakes in piloting and compared them to Shade's, and they found out that Shade actually flew more safely that Falco.
"You alright, Shade? You have to remember you went against StarWolf, not just some Venomian fighters, and you took one down! You're talking about giving up what you're good at!" exclaimed Falco, surprised. "You're gonna have to think this one over. Personally, I think you should keep flying. Katt flies solo, too. She sometimes helps us out, but she isn't a member of StarFox. We only have five members."
Shade dreamed about Nightingale that night. The run to the convoy, the transport breaking formation. Flying after the transport, gunning it down. The mysterious red fighter, the bomb, Nightingale's Arwing. The explosion, the light. The red ship gone, Nightingale gone, the convoy gone. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing. Shade woke in a cold sweat. He knew he had to destroy the red fighter, and avenge Nightingale. 'But where is that fighter?' Shade thought, 'How will I do it? Nightingale, please, forgive me. Help me, please, help me avenge you!'
Shade felt his legs. None were broken. 'Tail is fine. Arms and torso are fine.' he mentally checked, 'Head doesn't hurt. Flight gear in the corner. Sight's fine.' He stood up. He stretched and flexed his muscles. 'I can move fine. Fur's also not in horrible shape.' he noted as he glanced in the mirror.
He donned his flight suit and sneaked into the hangar. His ship looked like it might fly. "Here goes nothing!" he said out loud as he started his ship and took off.
Chapter 3
Shade gunned toward Fortuna. He had a feeling to go there, but he didn't know why. Meanwhile, on the Great Fox, Katt awoke to the sound of engines blaring in the hangar. She jumped out of bed, got dressed, and ran out the door. She then proceeded to bolt down to the infirmary where Shade had been sleeping, and found it to be empty. "Oh no, he didn't..." she said, then bolted to the hangar. There were six ships there, but only one CatsPaw. "He DID! The crazy SOB DID!" she exclaimed when she saw that his ship was gone. "ROB, let Falco know that Shade has left and I have gone after him, and that it's not what he thinks."
"AFFIRMATIVE, KATT" ROB said in a quiet voice, being programmed to be quieter than usual for non-emergency situations during the ship's night phase. 'Into her ship she went, out to space she goes!' thought Katt, thinking that if this was ever written down, that little thought would add drama.
Shade had been flying for about two hours now, and was approaching Fortuna. He was holding Nightingale's dog tag in his left hand, gripped tight, holding it to his heart. She was the first person he had loved, and he expected her to be his last. He glanced at his radar. 'No one. Wait a second, I'm being followed!' he thought, "State your name and business here!"
"I thought you'd never ask," said a female eagle's voice. He had heard it in his dreams, in laughter, mocking him. "I'm here to finish what I should have finished at Zoness. Too bad you got away. Now you don't even stand a chance in that rickety old ship of yours. This is all too easy."
"YOU! You killed Nightingale! You killed my wingman! YOU'RE GONNA DIE, NO MATTER WHAT THE COST TO ME!" Shade screamed into the com. He knew who was after him. He knew why he had come. And he wasn't about to let her down.
Chapter 4
Katt was at a loss as to Shade's destination, but following him wasn't too hard, with all that exhaust coming from his damaged ship. After all, Slippy hadn't fixed the engine yet. 'Oh, God. That ship is a flying time bomb! I have to get there FAST!' Katt thought. She gunned the engines in her ship and hoped that he was heading for Fortuna. Shade was getting lucky. His ship's lasers worked 70% of the time, and it still had a smart bomb equipped. The computer could lock, and it seemed that his shields were doing their job.
He had been able so far to keep the pilot off his tail, but with each boost his ship went a little more unsteady. He was not ready to die. Not until he avenged Nightingale, would he let himself die. And he was not about to go without vengeance. He turned off his engine and put full power to guns.
"Giving up, are we? I was hoping for a challenge. Oh, well. You win some, you lose some." said the eagle.
"You couldn't have said it better, you bastard." Shade said right before he unloaded his arsenal of lasers and a smart bomb at the red fighter. He could hardly believe his luck. He never missed with a single laser, and the bomb hit head on. The resulting explosion sent his ship flying towards Fortuna. He attempted to start his ship's engines again, but the ship wouldn't go. Shade's last thoughts as he plummeted through the atmosphere were of Nightingale.
"Will he make it, Mariko?" Katt asked, worried.
"He's alive, but barely. I have no idea how he survived that crash, but he took no damage to his mind, just his body." Mariko replied. Falco was sitting by his bedside with a picture he had drawn. He had drawn a pilot that had come into his dreams the night before. It was Nightingale Blue.
Chapter 5
Shade awoke to the sight of Falco's picture of Nightingale. She had wings, but they were pure white, like an angel's. He had avenged her, and now her soul could rest. Shade sighed in contentment.
"You're awake. You ok?" a woman asked.
"Looks like it. Who're you?" Shade replied.
"Oh, sorry. We haven't met yet. I'm Mariko. Just call me Mari." The rabbit said. She was tall and beautiful, and Shade guessed deadly as well. He noticed a dagger on her belt. "Nice blade. Where'd you get it?" Mariko just laughed, then proceeded to explain how she and Wolf O'Donnell crashed on a planet infested with huge, oversized bugs and how she broke his leg and stole his dagger. Shade just laughed out loud. "He HAS to hate you for that. Oh, well, the fact that I'm here means that... I guess I CAN fly without endangering others." He mumbled.
"What do you mean by that?"
"How long have I been out? Answer me that, and I'll explain."
"Only three days, why?"
"Well, then, days ago, during the night, I awoke in a sweat. I checked out my body and it seemed fine. I could move fine and I didn't feel any pain."
"Then the pain killer was working. Your tail was still dislocated, and your leg hadn't fully healed. You're gonna have a limp unless some of your blind luck pulls through."
"I have enough for that. Anyway, I found my flight suit and put it on, then hurried to the hangar. I was on the Great Fox at the time. My ship looked like it might fly, so I gunned the engines and took of for Fortuna."
"Why Fortuna, and in that ship?!" Mariko asked, shocked. Not even Falco was crazy enough to take off in a ship like that.
"I just had a feeling. And I wasn't gonna steal an Arwing, and Katt's ship was, well, it was Katt's ship. You know how I am about her. I like her, and I wasn't gonna worry her."
"She came after you! You worried her to death! Someone with your flying skills should never risk their life like that!"
"I told you, I'm not a thief. My ship was the only ship not owned by StarFox or Katt, so I took it. I just had a feeling to go to Fortuna. Turns out, Nightingale's killer was there, waiting to take me out. She'd been haunting me with nightmares, always showing me that her death was my fault. I knew I had to avenge Nightingale, I just knew I had to. So after a short dogfight, I shut off my engines and put full power to guns, hoping that she would try and come at me from the front to make her the last thing I saw. She did. That's when I let her have it with lasers and a smart bomb, and not a single shot missed. Her ship was disintegrated entirely. However, the blast from the bomb shot my ship through the atmosphere, and I couldn't start my engines again. Slippy must not have put those high on the priority list. Anyway, I crashed into the sea and woke up here. My body'll make it, but what about my ship? Is my ship still salvageable?"
"I don't know. Only Slippy's worked on something besides keeping Katt in a good mood and watching you."
"Thanks, Mariko. And to the others, too. You gave me back my confidence, and helped me live to avenge Nightingale. Anytime you need help, don't hesitate to contact me."
"Don't worry. If we need help, we'll let you and Katt know."
"What do y-"
"She doesn't have a wingman. She wouldn't mind joining up with you. Besides, you need one, too. Don't worry, she's already talked to Falco. He's not upset. He knows she won't get involved in a relationship with you."
"How can he be so sure?" Shade asked as a joke.
"She's your half-sister. On your father's side."
"Impossible. I'm older than Katt, and my father died shortly after my mother gave birth to me."
"That's what your mother told you. Your father is still alive. We found him. He wants to talk to you. Oh, your real last name is Monroe. Just thought you'd like to know." Shade never felt more shocked in his life.
After meeting with his father, Shade went and legally changed his name bake to Shade Monroe, Jr., finding that his father's name was also Shade. Slippy also completely fixed his ship, and he named it Tint. He never felt so happy in his life. He felt emotions rushing back into him. No longer just anger, resentment, and an I-couldn't-care-less attitude. Now he was Happy-go-lucky, cheerful, and fun to be around. He and Katt occasionally split up, being cats, but usually came back together within a fortnight. They always told each other where they were going during such charades, and Katt more than likely went to see Falco.
Shade's life had never been better.
Please send comments to the author at: shay@justicecadets.com