Hello once again FFnet you sexy beast. Before we start I have to recommend you read Star Fox:Corruption before diving into this story as this is a sequel. (Don't worry, it's been fixed up and I'm not fucking up 'they're/their/there' anymore. I think. Anyway, I don't own Star Fox go bug Nintendo about that legal thing.

-Three months later-

It seemed that everyone in Lylat was glued to their holo screens. From young to old, everyone knew why today was important. And for those that didn't the media quickly informed.

'Today marks one year since our Interim President Jack Beriul was removed from office by the CDF with assistance by the Star Fox team. Since then an elect panel of Governors and high ranking CDF officials have led Corneria until the inauguration is finalized. There have been reports of Beriul supporters threatening action at today's ceremony as Corneria swears in it's newest President. General Peppy had this to say about the threats.'

The aged hare appeared on the holo screens. Peppy did his best to appear intimidating and spoke with a tone that left no room for argument.'While we are fully prepared to deal with any threat made towards our soon to be new President Sampson; we aren't taking any chances. If these Beriul loyalists make any action against Corneria today they will be dealt with swiftly. They will not be given a second chance.'

'While some feel that General Peppy's ruling is a little extreme, others believe that it might not be enough. One viewer who wished to remain anonymous stated that Jack Beriul attempted to tarnish Star Fox's reputation and anyone who think he's right should be incarcerated as well. We'll have continuing coverage on this after the break.'

"They certainly haven't shut up about this." Tyronos grumbled as he took a haul off his joint. "Last three months all we've had is a bullshit scouting mission." The grey vulpine glanced over at Falco and blew out the odd smelling smoke. "Those two newlyweds should be getting back soon, right?"

Falco shrugged and waved the smoke out of his face. "How should I know? After that mission they got hitched and took off for their honeymoon on Sauria. I'm surprised Peppy let them take all that time off."

"I'm sure he's got his reasons." Tyronos mused. "Still, kinda hard to believe it's already been a year."

Falco nodded. "Doesn't feel like it's been that long. We searched for months and months but we never found them." The avian clenched his fist in anger. "They just disappeared completely, and if they're smart they'll stay hidden."

"I feel like this isn't over Falco." Tyronos took another drag before offering the joint to Falco. "It's help me deal."

"It used to help me. But I don't touch that crap anymore." Falco chuckled. "Maybe some of the Hot Rodders would, but I'm trying to stay clean."

"That old gang is still around?" Katt asked, causing both males to turn and face her. "I just got a message from Krystal. They want us to meet them downtown for the inauguration. My guess is Peppy wants some extra security."

"Or just wants us to witness it." Tyronos flicked the roach and stood up. "We'd better get down there regardless. Beats kicking around in this mess hall."

"I still don't see why Fox won't let us stay on the Great Fox. The barracks suck." Falco stretched his arms before standing up as well.

"He's got some pretty damn good reasons Falco." Katt said grabbing the avian's hand. "He'll be better about it once Slippy and Amanda are found." The small group remained quiet as they made their way across the CDF base. A few soldiers stopped and watched part of the legendary Star Fox team walk by them. A few scowled at Tyronos, not trusting a freelance mercenary working so closely with the CDF and Star Fox. The grey vulpine only chuckled; this type of behavior was something he had gotten used to.

As they approached the exit they were stopped by two guards who scanned their newly issued holo ID's. "General Peppy is expecting you three downtown. There is a car waiting for you." The soldier indicated the car with his head.

Falco muttered a thank you before leading them towards the car. "Anyone actually follow this Sampson guy? I'd hate for him to be another Beriul."

"Don't even joke about that Falco." Katt hissed. "Sampson is a good guy. He's got a level head on his shoulders and has been around since the Lylat wars. He'll be good for Corneria."

"As long as he doesn't revoke my clearance I'll support him." Tyronos chuckled. As they climbed into the car, the same report Tyronos and Falco had been watching was playing. An image of Slippy and Amanda had appeared on screen, putting the three into silence.

'Today almost marks the one year since both Slippy and Amanda Toad disappeared. Not even Beltino Toad has heard from his now estranged son. Dr. Toad was not available for comment. Rumours had been circling that Slippy and Amanda had worked with Beriul and simply fled. But nothing has been confirmed. Until the come forth, we may never know what happened to whom many considered the future for the CDF's Research Division. When we return we'll go live to the inauguration of Corneria's newest President.'

"Well it's a good thing it's a short drive."

Falco glanced up at the driver, then back to Katt and Tyronos. "We had two weeks. And we searched damn near every inch of Lylat. I don't know what else we could have done."

"Who knows how long they had their escape planned Falco. They knew exactly where to go to hide." Tyronos looked out the tinted window. The damage that Pepper's civil war caused had vanished in terms of structural damage. But many citizens of Corneria hadn't forgotten what happened here. Somehow the media got a hold of a video of a fully armed Star Fox escorting an unconscious Jack Beriul and himself to a hospital. Many assumed Star Fox had only acted on Peppy's orders, Beriul had been keeping Peppy hostage for a while. Pepper's testimony in Beriul's case helped swing public favour for Star Fox. His assistant Jackie had proved to be quite a valuable asset. She had managed to keep his identity secret while he recovered in the CDF hospital. It was something he was thankful for, as well as a little intrigued. He was pulled out of his thoughts as the car come to a stop beside the busy downtown square.

"Let's hope these guys like action shots." Falco grumbled as they entered the mass of media, public, and military personally. While normally Falco would have thrived on all the attention. Today he kept his head down and allowed their military escort to create a path.

Katt noticed the change in Falco's demeanor but didn't say anything. Beriul's plan and Slippy's betrayal had hit the team hard. But Katt knew it hit Falco harder than he let on. It had taken her months, but finally Falco cracked. He had confessed everything to her that night and at one point asked her to marry him. Katt smirked at the memory. In a sense she had to thank Slippy and Amanda for pushing their relationship to such a serious level.

"I never seen this place so full before." Falco whistled sharply as he saw close to a thousand people sitting in front of a large stage. The stage had a brilliant red carpet covering from one set of side stairs to the next. On the carpet sat no less than twenty white chairs all of which seemed angled towards the glass podium that had a bouquet of mics and wires above a wonderfully crafted CDF logo. "Let's just hope this is the last time the CDF or us have to get this involved in an election. In four years all I want to do is vote."

"We're here to help keep the peace." Katt said. "Just like we always have."

"Just a matter of time 'til someone wants to break that peace." Tyronos muttered. He looked around. "Shouldn't Peppy and Pepper be meeting us here?"

"They're inside going over a few details." The three of them turned to see Jackie walking towards them. "It's good to finally meet you all in person. I would have done this formal introduction sooner, but you can imagine how busy it's been helping Pepper."

"More like babysitting I'd suspect." Tyronos mused. "Have you heard back from Fox or Krystal since you whisked them off to Sauria without the rest of us knowing?"

Jackie chuckled nervously. "I only acted on Peppy's orders. Now please follow me, we'll bring you all up to speed soon." Jackie led the small group into the nearby skyscraper which acted as a mobile CDF HQ as well as the backup location for the ceremony should the weather turn bad. As she went to open the door she stopped. "Hopeless was it? I believe the answer to your question is yes." She then opened the large frosted glass door. Inside was just as packed as outside if a little more crazy. Hundreds of assistants raced around the elegant foyer. Soldiers by the pairs at every door shown how real the CDF felt this threat was.

In the middle of all this stood General Peppy, Pepper, and the two remaining Star Fox team members Fox and Krystal McCloud. "Yo Foxie! Blue!" Falco called and jogged over to the small group. "Pepper, Peppy."

Fox smiled at his friend. "What's up Birdbrain? I didn't think you'd be this happy to see us back." Falco chuckled and clasped Fox's awaiting hand. The bumped shoulders before patting each other on the back a few times.

"Just imagine Falco whining about being in between missions. And you'll understand exactly how he has been since you two left." Katt said as she rolled her eyes. "Talk about a drama queen."

Krystal giggled and hugged her best friend. "It's good to see you again. I don't know how you survived longer than a week." Falco gasped dramatically and fell to his knees.

"Krystal! You wound me! I'm not too sure we can continue be friends anymore." The avian only managed a few seconds before he began to chuckle. "Come on Blue, don't act like I'm not the best pain in the ass you know."

"Let's just say we're all glad Katt keeps you in check." Tyronos nodded to both Peppy and Pepper before raising his fists to Fox and Krystal. "Glad to see you two back. This place is friggin boring." The grey vulpine bumped his fists against Fox and Krystal's. To them it was as much a greeting as a sign of affection from Tyronos. As he told the rest of Star Fox; he considered it his sign of peace. A promise; deal with problems head on.

"Sir, we should get everyone up to speed on today's events." Jackie said bringing up a holoscreen in front of the group. Peppy cleared his throat and moved beside the screen. "First of all, let me say it is a wonderful sight seeing Star Fox at full strength again." He looked at each member in turn. "Yes, even you Tyronos. Regardless of how it's put on paper I hope you understand we all consider you an honorary member of Star Fox."

Tyronos nodded. "Just trying to keep a low profile, you know?"

Peppy chuckled before returning to the holoscreen. "As you know today is a very important day. President Sampson will have some difficult issues to smooth out so soon as he hits office. But he won with seventy percent of the vote. While we assume this entire inauguration ceremony will go off without a hitch. We cannot afford to let the rumors go overlooked. Since you were the ones that exposed Jack's abuse of power we want each of you here to witness the ceremony personally. It'll help public image on all fronts to have you here." Peppy tapped the screen, turning it into a blueprint of the stage and surrounding area. "You can see here the entire section blocked off for today. The CDF will handle all exits, but I'm asking the Star Fox team to assist us. Putting the four public members in sight while letting Tyronos hit the roofs and help spot any suspicious movement."

"You sure you want Ty up there alone? He's probably still high." Falco chuckled as Tyronos playfully punched his shoulder.

"I'm a functioning stoner, thank you very much." The grey vulpine glanced over at Peppy. "Hate to admit it, but he's got a point. Another set of eyes wouldn't hurt."

Pepper indicated with his head to Jackie. "Take her with you Ty. She'll be more good to you until this ceremony is over." Jackie shook her head and handed her holoscreen to Pepper.

"Guess we'll go be bored together. Come on Hopeless, I'll take you up to the roof."

Tyronos smirked and quickly followed Jackie towards an elevator. Peppy tapped the holoscreen again, causing the image to change to a three-dimensional layout of the entire square. "I want Fox and Falco on opposite sides of the stage. You two will get the President inside and pass him off to us should it come to that. Katt, I'll need you to help our tech crew monitor the security camera around this area. It's my understanding Pepper had you do that often."

"Absolutely Peppy. Not a problem." Katt saluted Peppy casually. "Just let me know where the truck is."

"I'm headed there myself Katt, I'll show you." Pepper said with a smile. He shook Fox's hand once more. "Like I said, it's good to see you again Fox."

"Same to you Pepper." They waited until the old hound began to lead Katt towards the mobile monitoring station.

"Krystal. I'll need you to use your telepathy. Focus on any malicious thoughts." Peppy swiped across the holoscreen, causing it to power off. "You wrist comms should have switched to our secure network by now. You'll be in contact with the rest of Star Fox as well as the CDF should you need us. Like I said before this should go by smoothly. Once we're done here I'll need your team to come back to the CDF HQ for debriefing."

"Whatever gets us back on the Great Fox the quickest Pep." Fox's expression hardened. "We've still got an active mission after all."

Peppy went to speak but stopped. His lips curved into a sad smile. "Of course. But let's just make it through the afternoon first."

Tyronos glanced down at the square. It had been packed full of people in the time it took him to ride up to the roof. "You know, normally people have these ceremonies in a much bigger space." He took the offered binoculars from Jackie.

"We discussed that. But threats from Beriul's follower started to come in. So we switched to a place that is not only easier to evacuate, but also easier to cover. We've got a team on each adjacent rooftop." Jackie pointed to the three other buildings surrounding the square. "We're acting as spotters. Everyone at this inauguration has been scanned in for legal purposes. They'll have green outlines when you look at them in your digital binoculars. Anything will be red. If anyone spots a red blip it'll pop up as an indicator arrow until you find the person in question yourself."

Tyronos chuckled. "And here I thought these were just prototypes." He looked through the binoculars, letting the digital screen start-up before adjusting the zoom. After doing a quick scan of the area he looked at the three other teams. "Dare I ask why we've got the only two-man team?"

Jackie smirked. "Let's just say we're over qualified for this job, and leave it at that."

Tyronos matched her smirk. "Fair enough. But seeing is believing, and you'll forgive my early trepidation about being partnered with a secretary."

"Noted." Jackie laughed. "But I'll remind you that I work directly for Pepper, and I'm damn sure not his secretary." The wolfess tapped her headset. "We're live in five minutes. I want this channel clear unless necessary. We have direct contact to Star Fox should we need them. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" The three teams replied.

"Something tells me that Pepper's security force is manning the rooftops. Guess I know why he asked me to come up here now." The grey vulpine let the binoculars hang off his neck. "You know if the public ever found out about them being here it wouldn't help the situation."

"Then make sure you don't tell anyone about this." Jackie hissed. "We're here for the same reason Star Fox is. We want this inauguration to go as smooth as possible. Everyone Pepper brought here volunteered to be here."

Tyronos grimaced as he felt pain shot through his head. "Listen I don't have to explain Pepper's actions to anyone. If this gets leaked it's his own fault."

Jackie studied the vulpine for a moment. She had always felt that Tyronos was hiding something. When she had asked Pepper about Tyronos he only gave her a small file and told her not to dwell on it. All the reports showed him as a freelance merc that often helped the Star Fox team. Every so often he'd drop off the radar, but as soon as they needed him Tyronos came back.

When she put him into the CDF hospital she had hoped of learning something new about the vulpine. But all she learned was that he was healthy, but smoked more cannabis than anyone really should.

"Alright guys, rooftop is looking good. I've put white beacons around Star Fox as well as other dignitaries. It'll make it easier to confirm when our VIP's are clear. A synchronized timer will be in everyone's binoculars. Once we hit zero the CDF is taking complete control of this op. Wait for Pepper's order to engage."

Tyronos heard the acknowledgement and tapped Katt's name on his wrist comm. "Katt this is Ty, you read me?"

"Loud and clear Ty, what you need?" Katt replied.

"We're ready on the roof. You should be able to patch into our binocular feeds. It should help you spot anything we should miss."

"Copy that Ty. Katt out." The pink feline moved the rooftop team feeds into a separate holoscreen and expanded each feed to a reasonable size. "Looks like a green board Pepper. Just waiting on Sampson to arrive."

Pepper nodded. "I'm not expecting anything interesting to happen. But I've been wrong before. Peppy and I agreed that it was better to have and not need than to need and not have." The old hound looked up to the news feed and grinned. "Looks like Sampson is here."

"Game on guys." Katt said.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome the President of Corneria, Jeffrey A. Sampson accompanied by General Peppy Hare." The crowd got on their feet and began to applaud. Sampson, who looked like a cross between Pepper and Bill, smiled brightly and waved as he and Peppy made their way to the stage. As he reached Fox he stopped and shook his hand thanking him wordlessly before continuing towards the other delegates. "You may now be seated."

Peppy approached the podium and cleared his throat. "Mr. President, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen both here and watching at home. Today marks the end of the CDF's direct involvement with politics. It's a burden I can't say that I'll miss, but one we were happy to hold for as long as we did. It has been a long road, but now we are ready to start fresh. With President Jeffrey A. Sampson leadership we will see a bright future for Corneria and the rest of the Lylat system." There was a brief applause break. "I want to make a note at this time. Traditionally this ceremony is done in front of Parliament, but we decided to have it here. The reason for that is this building behind us is where our former interim president took his oath as well. And while most of us do not condone Jack's actions near the end of his presidency he still kept Lylat running smoothly and for that we thank him."

Krystal looked around. The mention of Jack's name had caused more than a few confused thoughts to float around. While the idea of thanking Beriul for his cause bile to rise in her throat, Krystal assumed that Peppy was just being official. She looked over at Fox and smiled; he had been looking at her, it had been that same look she had gotten the last few months. 'You're making it hard to concentrate Fox.'

'So are you.' Fox teased before focusing on Peppy once more.

"Now before I drone on too long, it is my great pleasure to introduce Corneria's newest President Jeffrey A. Sampson!" Peppy took a step back from the podium and began to applaud as Sampson walked up to him and shook his hand. The hound placed his holoscreen on the podium, and broke into a laugh as the applause only continued to grow louder.

"Thank you." Sampson waved and tried to settle the crowd down. "You're all too kind, thank you. I don't wish to take up too much of your time." He chuckled nervously, while on his campaign he had seen some big crowds and was used to being the at the center of a media frenzy. But this event humbled him. The entire system supported him and now he could give back and keep the trust he'd fought to earn. "Members of the Cornerian Defense Force, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Each time an event like this happens, it shows me that the united strength of Lylat is a force to be reckoned with. It shows me that each and every one of us has a voice, and that voice should be heard. You have heard my voice and elected me your leader. Now I will listen to your voices, together we will continue the peace we have all worked for. Corneria will become the shining star of Lylat once again. But I want the other planets under the CDF's protection that despite Corneria having eighty-five percent of Lylat's total population I will not give those planets less than one hundred percent of my focus."

Sampson took a step back from the podium allowing Peppy to move forward again. "At this time we will read the oath all presidents of Corneria have to make." Peppy waited until a few officers brought forth a beautifully crafted metal insignia for Coneria and Lylat as a whole. A map of the lylat system embroidered by sapphires with the inaugural speech written in a calligraphy style in the center. Sampson looked down at the emblem and smile before resting his hand on it and raised his other hand in the air.

"If you'll repeat after me." Peppy began. "I, Jeffrey A. Sampson, solemnly affirm that I will faithfully execute the Office of the President of Corneria, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the rights of everyone within the Lylat system."

"I, Jeffrey A. Sampson, solemnly affirm that I will faithfully execute the Office of the President of Corneria, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the rights of everyone within the Lylat System." Sampson heard the crowd overpower his voice with a thunderous cheer and applause. He smiled broadly and began to wave towards the crowd. He waited nearly three minutes before he could be heard over the crowd again. "Normally these events include a parade and a full days worth of activities. But I want to announce that this days is just as much yours as it is mine. Go out and enjoy today as Corneria take it's first step into our future. So as my first act of President I'm announce that today is officially Lylat day. One where we can remember all those that have fought to keep the peace in this great system. One where you can be with your families and take time to consider how lucky we all are. And if you can pardon this bad attempt at humor. I'd like a day to clean up a few messes. I give my thanks to each and every one of you." Sampson backed away from the podium again and began to shake hands with the delegates and military personnel.

Tyronos sighed. "You were right about being bored together." Jackie chuckled and set her binoculars down. "As much as I'm glad that nothing happened I sure could use some action." When Jackie didn't reply Tyronos tapped his wrist comm. "How are things down there guys? About as lively as they looked?"

Falco was quick to answer. "Let's just say I'm glad they kept this short."

"Other than one person who got up to adjust their camera I didn't see anything suspicious. Sense anything Krys?" Fox looked over at his wife.

"Other than someone's lingering eyes and a old couple cursing each other out mentally, there was nothing else that was out of the ordinary. I'm actually kinda surprised that it went so smoothly." Krystal watched as Sampson was guided into the skyscraper. "Crowd is starting to disperse, we should probably get inside as well."

"Monitors aren't picking up anything hostile inside either." Katt said over their wrist comms. "Pepper and Peppy wants us all to meet them outsider the truck once the President is clear. Ty, you and Jackie can come back down to ground level."

"And here I was just going to work on my tan too." The grey vulpine sighed and looked over at Jackie. "Close up shop. We're going back down."

Jackie nodded. "Head back home boys, Pepper will debrief us there. Switch to your civilian clothes. Over and out." Jackie looked down at the diminishing crowd. "For a group that was so passionate about Jack Beriul, they really feel through on acting on their threats."

Tyronos shrugged and handed his binoculars back to Jackie. "Who's to say they'll stay silent? Maybe today they changed their minds. It's hard to say what goes on in a mind that's not your own. Expect for Krystal I guess. Believe me I am not jealous of her powers."

"I don't think many people would agree with you at first. But I guess you've already thought of the pros and cons huh?" Jackie smirked. "I think I'd agree with you."

Tyronos smirked and got into the elevator. "You'd be one of the first to agree with me so quickly. Not sure how I feel about that."

"You might be a stoner Hopeless, but you've still got a good head on your shoulders."

"I don't remember telling you my call-sign."

Jackie snickered. "I read your hospital chart Tyronos. Kinda hard to ignore it when it acts as your last name." Tyronos went to speak but stopped. "I'm kidding. But the call-sign was registered to the CDF data banks once you got your holo ID. Forgive me for doing a little research on a freelance mercenary."

Tyronos eyed Jackie suspiciously. "Do me a favor Jackie. Let Pepper worry about my history." The vulpine quickly made his way towards the rest of the Star Fox team as the elevator door opened. Jackie was touching a nerve that normally didn't bother him. But it felt like she knew more about him than she let on.

"Alright now we can go meet up with those other three." Falco tugged at the collar of his shirt. "It's getting stuffy in here." He indicated the many members of the CDF and Corneria's political parties with his thumb. "Shall we?"

"Yeah, I'm wondering why they want to meet us there and not back in Peppy's office." Fox grabbed Krystal's hand before leading the team outside to the mobile monitoring station. The truck looked more like a modified Harvester than a technological marvel. But the CDF had a way of reworking their relics into state of the art equipment.

Katt waved them over, her expression hardened. Pepper had given her a short version of what was about to be discussed. While it wasn't a subject anyone on the Star Fox team wanted to deal with, it had to be done. Pepper stepped forward the group of five. "First of all let me officially say welcome back Star Fox. But when I tell you what we recently found out you may not feel like it is a warm welcome."

"What's going on?" Falco asked, folding his arms across his chest. "And, side note, why weren't we told about this?"

Peppy placed a hand on the avian's shoulder. "It wasn't a matter of informing an individual Falco. Once we heard what we did we knew we needed to inform the whole team." The old hare looked to Pepper. "It concerns what happened on Fichina. Before Beriul had been stopped."

Krystal gasped, sensing Peppy's thoughts. "What happened to Bill?!" The rest of the team looked from Krystal to Peppy. Pepper cleared his throat.

"It's not something we can discuss here. We'd like all of you to come to Peppy's office this evening. Just know in advance that Commander Grey is fine, but recovering slowly."

"What the hell happened to Bill?" Fox asked aggressively. "Tell us!"

Pepper threw up his hands in defense. "We will Fox, but not here. Just trust us for now."

Jackie's holoscreen lit up and began to beep. "Sir, we've got to get back to your estate. General Hare is needed as a witness to President Sampson's Oath of Office." Jackie turned to face the Star Fox team. "We will see you all later today. Until then you're welcome to enjoy the new holiday."

"You're dismissed for now Star Fox." Peppy gave them all a salute before heading back inside the building.

"So much for his retirement." Falco sighed. "I don't think they'll let him step down like Pepper did."

"He's got the mind for it." Tyronos chuckled. "But I'm worried about Bill. I wonder what happened."

"He got transferred back to Katina last I heard. Guess something must have happened to him." Krystal squeezed Fox's hand. "I'm just glad he's alright."

"Let's head back to the Great Fox. I'm looking forward to being able to relax again." Katt giggled. "I don't envy those soldier quarters at all."

Fox looked over to see President Sampson leaving with Peppy and a few other delegates he couldn't name. "Let's head to the Great Fox then and wait for Peppy to call us. Maybe we won't get another seven months of nothing."

"It's been nearly a damn year for some of us Foxie." Falco laughed. "Come on, let's go beat the crap out of each other in video games."

Krystal chuckled as Fox put Falco into a headlock and ruffled his hair. "As much as things change, they stay the same, eh?" Krystal turned to Katt and smiled. They turned around to see Tyronos coughing, a freshly sparked joint in his hand. "See what I mean?"

Krystal felt inclined to agree, but knew whatever happened to Bill was serious. As much as Peppy tried to downplay it, his thoughts betrayed him. She shook her head; it was out of her hands until Peppy and Pepper told them what happened. Until then she'd just have to carry that burden. "Let's go make sure they don't break themselves."

Stay tuned! Next chapter coming out soon(ish)

H-T