Aftermaths
All was quiet aboard the starship Great Fox. ROB64 had operational control of the ship, and the Star Fox team was getting a few hours of desperately needed sleep. The lights in the living quarters, for the most part, were controlled chronometrically, which meant that there was just enough light to navigate the room safely, emanating from light strips mounted at about waist height along the wall. Each member of the team was asleep now, sleeping off the scrapes and bruises they had received from Andross's forces during the surprise attack on Titania, except for one. Fox McCloud was not in his cot.
The attack on Titania, from Andross's point of view, had been nearly perfect. His forces made a clean sweep of the reconstruction and defense forces, and his elite Star Wolf squadron had driven Star Fox from the planet after preventing the base's self-destruction. Fox sat alone at a table in the dim light of the Great Fox's galley. He sipped a cup of hot Cornerian tea as he went over the details of the attack in his mind. What had gone wrong? Why hadn't he noticed the Venomian forces on long-range scanners? Now Andross had retaken a vital installation and he and his squadron had failed to stop him. From Titania it was only a hop, skip, and a jump to Corneria.
That was what stung Fox the most. Andross had been pushed back to less than a third of the Lylat system and he had let all those victories slip through his fingers in one moment of carelessness. He banged his fist on the table, causing the cup and saucer to rattle a bit. "Blast it, Father....why aren't you here with me now? You might have some idea what to do in this situation. We're on the run now, Andross just took back an important staging area and now he's within reach of Corneria once more. Father, I've tried to live up to your memory, but I just don't think I can do this anymore. The Arwings are barely holding together now, and that's thanks only to Slippy's bypassing circuits and hotwiring control panels," he said aloud. He often had such conversations, speaking to the spirit of his father, the great James McCloud. Fox stood and walked over to one of the Galley's windows, scratching his ears and looking out at the stars as they passed. "What I wouldn't give to hear you tell me you were proud of me, Father," the squadron leader whispered quietly, staring still into the blackness of space and at all the points of light beyond the Lylat system.
"I'd say he'd say a lot more than that, Fox," came a voice from behind him. While Fox had been busy brooding, Falco had slipped through the door unnoticed. The bird was standing in the open door, leaning against the frame with his arms folded. "I didn't mean to intrude into your private conversation," Falco said with a small smile and a hint of sarcasm that was always within the falcon's voice. "You're still blaming yourself for Titania, aren't you?"
Fox nodded with a smile, "I can't keep anything secret around here, can I?"
Falco shrugged, "You do know that it wasn't your fault. There were plenty of other people there overseeing construction. Any one of them could have seen that attack force on their radar."
Fox shook his head. "I was in operational command there, Falco. The responsibility does rest with me."
Falco sneered. "Try telling that to those refugees in the holds. They wouldn't buy it any more than I do. Their most accepted explanation is that Andross is a sneaky, conniving, underhanded bas-"
"Falco..."
"What?"
"Do you think..." Fox paused. Falco was not much for this sort of question. He'd likely get a purely sarcastic response. "Do you think that I'm a good squadron leader?"
Falco grinned. "Not as good of one as I'd make, but you're ok I guess." Fox let out a chuckle as Falco continued. "You worry too much, Fox. It's natural for you to worry about your squadron, but we're all able to handle ourselves pretty good. And as for what your father would think....well....you do your best...that's all any parent can expect." Falco took up a place next to Fox and looked out the window himself. "I don't know that feeling, Fox. I never had anything that resembles a family. I basically raised myself on the streets. I only met your father a couple of times. That was just after I met you and you turned me around. I remember feeling like a million credits that day. I wanted to fly, and you and your father showed me the way. If it hadn't been for him, I know they wouldn't have accepted me at the academy."
Falco turned to face Fox. "Pay close attention, Fox, cuz you're not gonna hear this again....Thanks."
Fox clasped Falco's hand in friendship, before Falco fell silent and strode out of the galley, probably setting up in his mind that the conversation he had just had had never taken place. The falcon passed Peppy on his way out the door, but didn't speak a word, merely sidestepping the aging hare. Peppy set about the task of making himself a cup of tea. He was a notorious light sleeper and once Peppy woke up he would not go back to sleep again until time to sleep the next night.
Peppy did not say a word about hearing any of Fox and Falco's conversation. He made his tea and sat down, adding sugar and cream to it until there was as much of that as there was tea. "So...Fox...what's next on the agenda?"
Fox did not reply for a few moments, then spoke without turning around from the window. His reflection, however, looked straight at Peppy. "We're going to drop off those survivors of Titania on Corneria, then we're going for Venom itself. I'm tired of this war, Peppy....it's got to end. And I'm going to end it. Andross is mine."
Peppy didn't respond...just sipped his tea.