Disclaimer: I do not own StarFox, all belongs to Nintendo.
StarFox: Fugitive
Prologue – Childhood Dreams
Beneath the bright Lylat sun which provided light for the entire system for which it was named, Corneria City was bustling with activity. Cars hurried across the bridge with the help of their propellers underneath, monorails provided transport for busy passengers who preferred it, and some of the citizens more passionate about their culture than most were putting up preparations for the annual Corneria Film Festival, featuring recently found footage showing a well-known team the planet had proudly claimed as their own. Some of them, master salesman, knew that by hearing the name attached to this footage, they would draw a huge crowd, bigger than the one they usually got. And in return they would get that well-earned cash they always sniffed out.
All this was thanks to the peace that had settled over the planet for ten blessed years. And the peace, all of Corneria owed it to their renowned defense fleet, the best in the Lylat system, led by the great General Peppy Hare. Peppy, and the rest of those under his command, however, knew that most of that thanks was misplaced, and should have been given instead to the legendary team of mercenaries, StarFox, led by the living legend, Fox McCloud.
These days though, the StarFox team preferred to live outside of the limelight and glory. While they remain friends with each other and would take action for Corneria and the Lylat system when needed, in recent years they found themselves taking to more domestic pursuits, such as settling down and raising families of their own. And here is where our story starts, in a simple schoolyard where four remarkable children played while waiting for their parents.
A young white fox laughed heartily as she hurried up a small hill alongside an orange tabby kitten. At the top sat another kitten, a gray tabby, and a young black rabbit, both wondering why their two friends could be having so much fun at something they didn't consider to be so.
"Come on guys, you gotta try this!" the orange kitten, Kitty Shorthair laughed as she flopped down flat on the grass, "At least once!"
Her twin brother Max, the gray kitten, sighed, or rather groaned, as he laid down next to her. "I don't know Kitty. I'm tired."
The black rabbit, a studious girl named Amber, hung her head slightly in hesitation. "Me too," she said in a small, accented voice, "Besides, I don't want to get dirty."
"Oh quit being little Miss 'Prim and Proper!'" Kitty snapped at her, causing her to jump slightly, "You gotta have some fun!"
The white fox kit beside her nudged her with her elbow. "Leave her alone Kitty," Vixen, or "Vicky" as she was called, chided her. But when she looked up at her other best friends since kindergarten, they frowned slightly when they saw only mischief in her eyes. That meant only one thing. "But you do have to try it out before our parents get here!" she smiled a wicked grin.
While Kitty smiled as mischievously in agreement, Max and Amber only sighed. To disagree with Kitty was one thing, but once Vicky had her mind on something, nothing was going to convince her otherwise, especially if she thought it a good idea. Still, when all things were considered, there didn't seem to be much harm in doing what the two girls were trying to get them to do. And they were friends after all.
"Okay, I guess," Max finally said as he raised himself up. He then looked at Amber and asked, "You coming too?"
After considering it for a moment, and with three pairs of eyes awaiting her decision, Amber eventually shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, alright," she said, finally smiling, "But if my mom gets mad at me I'm blaming all of you!"
Vicky, Kitty, Max, and even Amber laughed. And before long, all four of them stood at the top of the hill. Vicky and Kitty both couldn't help giggling softly at their excitement, knowing how much fun they were all going to have.
"On three," Vicky said as she held up three fingers. The rest nodded as they looked down in anticipation. "Ready…three!"
On her cue, all four kids leaped forward, and immediately started laughing as they hit the ground, then again, and again. Together they fell down the steep slope of the hill just outside the schoolyard, and though a few grunts were heard when one hit a particularly hard spot, all of them nonetheless laughed in delight as they went further and further down, until they finally slowed to a stop at the bottom of the hill. There they laid, arms and legs sprawled all over the ground, and still laughing, knowing they were pretty much having the time of their lives.
"Guess you were right Kitty," Max managed to say between deep breaths, "That was fun!"
"Told ya!" Kitty said as she giggled. But Max didn't hear her. He'd spotted a couple of nice-looking flowers, and as he looked over at Vicky, he briefly thought that they would look even nicer in her silver hair.
Vicky, though, was staring up at the blue sky, and letting out a contented sigh. But suddenly, her eyes widened when she heard a familiar roaring sound, and her arm shot up the moment she saw it's source.
"Look!" she cried out in excitement, "There are a couple of jets!" She pointed in their direction, and it wasn't long before her friends too saw the slender, silver aircrafts that caught the sun and reflected its light back at them.
"Yeah, cool!" Max agreed, "They look like military jets!" Vicky could only smile at his words. Yeah, she thought to herself, and someday I'm gonna be on one of them! As she crossed her arms behind her head and closed her eyes, she could practically see herself behind the wheel of a jet similar to the one her father flew, shooting at enemy invaders of Corneria, and becoming a heroine for the Lylat system. For as long as she could remember, if she knew one thing for certain, she was going to follow in the footsteps of her parents and even cement her own legacy.
It wasn't long though before her imagination was interrupted by a sudden whistle, and her eyes flew open. She knew that whistle. Vicky rolled onto her side, raised her head, and widened her eyes and smiled when she saw her father, Fox McCloud, standing at the other side of the yard and waving his hand at her, signaling to her that it was time to go home. Vicky's heart instantly began to beat with excitement.
"My dad's here!" she said to her friends. Kitty looked up at her with the same lit-up face and asked, "Oh yeah, is he taking you?"
"He said he would!" Vicky replied happily, eager to get going. She quickly got up on her feet, hurried away from Kitty, Max, and Amber, and took up her pink backpack from where she left it nearby. She then turned, smiled, and waved in a way that mimicked her dad. "See you all later!"
"Later!" her friends called back. Now with nothing holding her back, Vicky took off like a rocket across the green field, her eyes only on who stood in front of her. What she didn't pay attention to though, was that he was speaking to someone on his wrist watch. "Hi Dad!" she called out at him. The moment he spotted her, she collided into him, nearly knocking him over if it wasn't for her arms wrapping around him.
"Oooff!" Fox cried out as his eyes widened in alarm. But when he saw how happy Vicky was to see him, he couldn't help but hug her back. Still, he had to say, "Did you have to ram your whole self right at me?"
Vicky looked up at him, and Fox's smile faded when he saw that she was frowning. She looked down again and shook her head as she said in a small voice, "Sorry."
Hoping to brighten her spirits again, Fox brushed it off and said, "Hey, it's alright. Just don't do it again. You ready to go?"
Vicky instantly lifted her head back up, her smile and the twinkling in her eyes having returned. "Uh huh!" she eagerly nodded.
"Alright, come on then." Before he could help her in though, Vicky rushed toward the car, opened the door, and climbed right in. Now she was the one waiting for him. Fox couldn't help but chuckle at the way she looked at him. Before long, to Vicky's delight, they were on the road. And although Fox tried to keep his eyes on the path toward home and on her at the same time, he failed to notice the way she was practically burning and shaking with excitement.
"How was school?" he asked her like he did almost every day.
Vicky frowned at him again, knowing she would have to answer honestly. Nothing got past her dad. "It was okay," she replied, trying not to sound nervous. She then admitted, "But the teacher got mad at me again, for not paying attention."
"Really?" Fox asked, his eyebrows raised. Feeling the need to go easy on her but also the need to do what needed to be done as a parent, he added in a calm tone, "Yeah, your mom said you've been, distracted lately." Truthfully though, it had been a problem all her life.
"Are you still gonna take me?" Vicky suddenly asked. Fox looked to see this hopeful look on her face, and he knew instantly, with dismay, what she was talking about.
"Uh, take you where?" he asked, pretending not to know.
"Oh come on!" Vicky exclaimed, clearly not buying it, "You said you were gonna take me flying in the Arwing!"
It was no use. She was too smart. Shaking his head, Fox replied, "I don't know. I don't think your mom would like it."
"But you promised!" Vicky all-but begged, "Besides, I just turned eight! You promised me after my birthday! Please?"
Fox let out a heavy sigh and put a brief hand to his head. In some ways it was harder being a dad than being a mercenary pilot. And Vicky, she was growing up way too fast for his taste. It seemed like only yesterday he was seeing and holding her for the first time, when she was less than half an hour hold, in Krystal's hospital room. And since she looked so much like the mother he never knew, he decided it was best to honor her by naming his daughter Vixen. Only problem was she was exhibiting signs of a passionate dreamer at a very early age, and he didn't know whether to take this as good or bad.
But regarding the matter at hand, even if he, like Krystal, might not have been too crazy about this, he did make her a promise (even pinky-swore – and he was all too glad she didn't mention that). And besides, with him behind the wheel, he could make it short yet still memorable for her. After a while, once he let out another sigh, without looking at Vicky he replied, "Oh, alright. Why not?"
"Yes!" Vicky said quietly. Then she sat up straight and donned a serious expression when her father looked at her sternly.
"But listen up," he said, "If you do anything other than exactly as I say, this will be the last time. Deal?"
"Deal," Vicky promptly nodded in agreement. Fox then held his hand in front of her and said, "Let's shake on it." Vicky shrugged her shoulders, leaned over, and gave her dad's hand a good shake. Now that she knew for sure that they were going, it was all she could do to keep from shaking with the excitement in her that threatened to explode. She'd heard all sorts of stories about her parents and the other members of the StarFox team growing up, and now, for the first time, she was going to experience a sliver of it, and that alone made waiting all the harder.
But before she knew it, Fox and Vicky had finally arrived at home, and Fox had to literally hold her back to make sure she didn't rush ahead of him to the garage, which stood like a separate building behind the house itself. "Remember what I told you," he said with a no-nonsense look directed at her, "You have to do exactly as I say." Vicky nodded hastily, but her anticipation had in no way been hindered.
As soon as they made it to the garage, Vicky dragged Fox by the hand over to the Arwing, which Fox still occasionally flew, and could barely contain herself the moment her father helped her inside. It was almost as if she was going to fly it herself, were it not for her dad picking her up from underneath her arms. "You get to sit here," he said as he sat her down in his lap while he sat in the pilot's seat.
"Do I get to fly it?" she asked, her hands already reaching for the steering wheel. Fox quickly took hold of her and pulled her back. "I don't think you're ready for that yet," he chided her gently. Fortunately, Vicky didn't seem to mind. As soon as they were strapped together, he turned on the Arwing, allowing Vicky to gaze with wonder at the lit up control pad in front of her. Before she could touch anything though, Fox pushed a button, and a roaring sound caused Vicky to look up, and widen her eyes as soon as she saw the roof of the garage building open.
"Are you ready?" Fox asked, a smile growing on his face at knowing what she'd say.
"Yeah! Let's go already!" Vicky exclaimed eagerly. Before she even finished, Fox turned on the four G-diffusers and slowly caused the Arwing to rise, much to Vicky's eye-widening joy. Once they were high enough in the air, Fox called out, "Here we go!" And as soon as he said so, he drove the jet forward, going from zero to fifty miles an hour in just a few seconds, and then from fifty to a hundred in only a few more, all while the young girl beneath him began screaming with excitement and enthusiasm at what she believed was the best birthday present of her life.
"Oh yeah!" she cried, wanting, at least in her mind, to go even faster.
"You like it so far?" Fox asked, himself smiling at his little girl enjoying what he enjoyed most next to her.
"Yeah I do!" Vicky nodded, her heart pounding against her chest. Sharing in her childlike joy that he never seemed to tire of, Fox decided to humor her even more. "Hey, you want me to show you a few moves?" he asked.
"Yeah!" Vicky replied, "Like what?" After making sure she was secure against his chest, Fox replied, "Hold on. This is a somersault!"
Vicky did as her father said, and couldn't help but let out a squeal as he pulled the wheel back, sending the Arwing straight up toward the sky, back upside down, and then down forward again. She didn't think she'd had this much fun in her eight years of life.
"Having fun yet?" Fox, who was now laughing, asked.
"Duh!" Vicky managed to reply, "This is the best day of my life!"
Fox laughed again as he continued to fly the Arwing around Corneria City. Once they entered the city limits, Vicky gazed with wonder and awe at the sights that greeted her. She of course had been to the city a dozen times, but never had she seen it from this high up. The cars were smaller than the toys she used to play with, and the people themselves seemed to be as small as ants. But as for the city itself, against the backdrop of the green mountains in the distance and the blue sky above, Vicky didn't think she'd ever seen something more amazing. It was almost as if she herself, rather than her dad, or even the Arwing itself, were flying. She knew now for sure that the dreary and near eternal waiting was well worth it. She couldn't recall another time when she felt happier, and she never wanted the feeling nor the trip to end.
Unfortunately, after about ten minutes, her father decided to turn the Arwing around and head back home.
"Aww!" Vicky groaned in disappointment, "Do we have to go already?"
"Afraid so," Fox nodded, "Your mother's gonna be wondering where we are."
In an attempt to make the moment last just a little while longer, Vicky asked, "Can't you show me just one more move?"
Fox was about to say "no," when it suddenly flashed into his mind that he hadn't shown her his trademark move. Though he didn't know exactly how she'd take it, a smile slowly grew on his face until he finally said, "Okay. One more."
After making sure his hands were firmly on the wheel and they were finally outside the city, he said, "I'm about to show you one of my signature moves. And you know what?" He leaned forward slightly and said, "I betcha I can do it with my eyes closed."
"No way!" Vicky exclaimed in near disbelief.
"Yeah? I'll tell you what," Fox said, "You tell me when I should do it, okay?"
"Okay!" Vicky nodded eagerly. Her heart began to race knowing that, for a few brief seconds, she was essentially going to pilot the Arwing. She had to practically restrain herself from grabbing hold of the wheel too.
"Now?" her dad asked, his eyes now closed.
"Uh uh," Vicky shook her head. Though she knew what move he was going to perform, she wanted to wait until just the right moment. In fact, she too closed her eyes. Her imagination once again began to roam as she mentally put herself in the pilot's seat, and soon started to feel the anticipation rising within her. It kept building, and building, and building, until finally, she knew it was the right time. Her eyes flashed open, and she cried out, "Now!"
"Hold on!" Fox cried back. Clutching the wheel tightly, he grit his teeth and swiftly turned a hard right, maneuvering the Arwing into a barrel roll. After hearing Vicky squeal again in excitement, he turned the wheel to the left, and then to the right again in two more barrel rolls, making Vicky scream and laugh at the same time. The sound was so full of heart that it made Fox laugh again as well. He didn't think he'd ever seen her so happy.
"Woah, yeah!" Vicky exclaimed when she could manage, "That was so fun!"
"Yeah," Fox agreed, "But I think you've had enough for one day. Let's head home."
But suddenly, just as he was about to turn in that direction, the two heard a bizarre beeping sound that seemed to be an alarm. Fox's eyes flew to the control panel, and they widened instantly as soon as he saw what was wrong. Two of the G-diffusers were about to give out. It immediately came to his mind that it had been on his mental list to try and get them fixed, but he must have forgotten about it. "Oh no!"
"What is it?" Vicky asked in wide-eyed alarm.
"Something's wrong with two of the G-diffusers," Fox replied, trying to remain calm, "I knew I should have updated to newer ones. And the other two won't be enough to carry us." As he was explaining to her, Fox was already at work pushing buttons, but just when it seemed like he had it under control, his heart dropped when he saw that two of the G-diffusers had given out. And that meant only one thing.
"Dang!" he said angrily, "This isn't good!"
"What's happening?!" Vicky asked, now afraid.
"Hang on Vicky!" Fox cried as he held her against him while still keeping a hand on the wheel, "We're gonna crash!"
As soon as he said so the Arwing went for a nose-dive down into a green field below which, thankfully, had no people in it. As the alarm inside the jet went crazy, Fox held tightly onto Vicky, and the two closed their eyes as they awaited the inevitable. Neither made a sound. And it wasn't long before they finally hit the ground.
The Arwing didn't stop immediately though. Instead, as Fox in his mind had feared, they began tumbling off to the side, flipping upside down then right side up again and again and again, hearing the sound of metal clashing against earth with every hit. But just when Fox was wondering when it would cease, the jet finally stopped, and they landed right side up. He opened his eyes to see that they'd landed in the middle of the field. Smoke began billowing out of either side of the Arwing. And as soon as his eyes caught Vicky's silver hair, his heart instantly started to pound.
"Vicky!" he cried, "Vicky, are you alright?!"
He expected to hear the worst. But instead of hearing her cry, or even groan, he heard her laugh. Fox immediately breathed a mental sigh of relief, knowing she couldn't be terribly hurt, but he remained confused at how she could be laughing after such chaos.
"That was so cool!" Vicky exclaimed, "Let's do that again!"
Fox then unstrapped both of them, and turned Vicky around in his lap to see if she was hurt anywhere at all. She did have a few bruises and cuts, the largest one being on the side of her head, but nothing too serious. All the while she continued to laugh, until, to the alarm of both, she spit out two teeth.
"Absolutely not!" Fox shook his head, now that it was clear to him, "The next place you're going is to a doctor." He then gathered the girl up in his arms, opened the Arwing, and stepped out. As soon as he saw the wreckage, he knew he could eventually get it fixed, but now, his first concern was Vicky.
His wife Krystal, however, that was a different story. By the time the two arrived home about half an hour later, Krystal was deep in worry. She knew she shouldn't have been, considering that Fox had let her know they were going to be a bit late. But as a wife and mother, she couldn't help but wonder if something had happened to them. And as soon as she turned when she heard the front door open, and saw Vicky, her eyes widened as she first believed her fears had come true.
"We're back," Fox promptly announced, appearing to be okay.
"Hi Mom!" Vicky exclaimed as she waved, revealing the two holes in her mouth. She had little bandages and bruises all over her arms and legs, and a big bandage wrapped around her head, but the most prominent thing about her was the wild look in her wide, gray eyes. Krystal immediately rushed over to her and hugged her.
"Vicky!" she cried, "What happened to you? Are you two alright?"
"We're both fine," Fox nodded, "We just, got into a bit of a skirmish."
"Yeah Mom, you should've seen it!" Vicky interrupted him, unleashing her long-held excitement now that she was telling her mother. Waving her arms around to show her the moves as she told her, she explained, "Dad took me up in the Arwing, it was awesome! We did somersaults and barrel rolls and went around the city until we crashed landed! Oh it was so cool!"
"Uh, sweetheart," Fox said as he took her by the wrist and looked her in the eye, "Um, why don't you go up to your room while I have a talk with your mother, okay?"
"Okay!" Vicky nodded, "Thanks a lot Dad, I had loads of fun!"
"Me too," Fox said as he quickly hugged her, "See you later."
He then watched while she ran across the room and hurried up the stairs, and he couldn't help but smile at the youthful energy she exhibited. But as soon as he felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned around to see Krystal's eyebrows raised skeptically at him. "A bit of a skirmish?" she asked, full of doubt.
Fox let out a sigh. "You know she's been begging me to take her," he said, "And you know I promised her right after her birthday."
Krystal nodded in agreement, and then let out a sigh herself. She then looked back up at him with her large blue eyes and asked, "How badly is the Arwing damaged?"
"Not as bad as it could've been," Fox replied, "Two of the G-diffusers are totaled but, the rest looks like it'll still run. Vicky on the other hand, she might as well not be hurt at all."
Krystal nodded again, and then looked back down, before turning away from her husband to gather her own thoughts together. Now it was Fox's turn to put a hand on her shoulder.
"Something wrong?" he asked with concern.
Krystal touched his hand with her own and turned back around, not sure how he would take the words she wanted to say, but she was going to say them anyway. "I'm just not sure we should indulge her so much at this age," she admitted, "I mean, I know she's enthusiastic about what we used to do but, I don't think she knows the dangers that come with being a pilot."
Fox nodded in understanding, knowing exactly what "dangers" she was talking about, both physical and emotional. He too had a bad experience of his own. "I know what you mean," he said, "And what if she decides to attend the flight academy. I love working with them but, the Cornerian defense fleet isn't always the best at what they do. What they're supposed to do anyway."
"And you are?" Krystal teased him, her eyes twinkling in the way that Vicky's did.
Fox smiled, but only a small one. "I just did what I had to do," he said, "No one else would stop Andross."
"I know," Krystal nodded. She then shrugged her shoulders and added, "Who knows? This might just be a childhood phase. She might eventually grow out of it."
"Might," Fox repeated, emphasizing that one word. Knowing Vicky, it was a slim chance. She'd loved jets for as long as they knew her, and they both knew it.
"And if she doesn't?" Krystal asked, looking to him for a possible answer. A powerful moment of silence passed between them as Fox considered his words.
"If she doesn't," he finally said, "We'll make sure she becomes the best she can be. And we'll be proud."
Krystal nodded in agreement. She also attempted to smile, but after a few seconds of trying, any semblance of one quickly faded as she put her arm around her husband's waist. "I just hope our past doesn't come back to haunt us," she said in a small voice.
Fox let out another sigh at the way her words came out, and put his arm around Krystal's shoulder. "It won't," he promised her, "No matter what happens, we'll always be family." And with that, he placed a gentle kiss on her blue hair. To her, he may have sounded sure, but inside his mind, he too found himself hoping that he would somehow prove to be right. He had to.
Reviews would be appreciated.
P.S.: If you want to see what Vicky, Kitty, and Amber look like, visit my DeviantArt page, "LadyInTheMask710." Amber, by the way, speaks in a British accent like Krystal.
