Chapter 1 – A New Threat
"Bill, I don't know what to do! I screwed up and there's no going back!"
"Fox, why did you force it to end up that way?"
"I just thought, maybe, it would be best for the team if..."
"Best for the team? Or for yourself?"
"I know, I know, I let my personal fears interfere with my duty!"
"But why can't you move on now? You're still letting them interfere!"
"She meant so much to me, Bill! What would I have done if something had happened to her? The thought of it still haunts me." Fox took another sip of water, he could feel the cold breeze blowing through an open door in the Katina military base. It was still a few minutes before dawn, and the fluorescent lights still flickered in the darkness.
"After that, it all went downhill for me... First, Falco left out of pure boredom; then Slippy had to leave for Aquas. But Peppy was still there, he tried to help me through those hard times. It was short-lived though, because after General Pepper fell ill, he requested that Peppy take his place. I was left with ROB, and robots don't talk much."
Fox was about to speak, but he was stopped by a sudden cold flash. As he shivered, he thought about Krystal, her Arwing surrounded by enemies. His own shield gauge was dangerously low, if he tried to make any attempt to save her, they would surely take him down too. Then, all would be lost; they would decimate everything that was important to him.
"What's wrong, Fox?"
"I saw it again."
"Come on, Fox, you need to get outside. Let's take a walk around the base."
Fox and Bill picked up their coats and walked outside. The exterior of the base was particularly empty since it was still cold and early. A slight breeze blew autumn leaves across the pathway. The trees began to create the first crepuscular light from the rising sun. The calm and cool outdoor environment seemed to lighten Fox's mood.
As they turned a corner, they noticed a news ticker hovering near the walkway. It displayed videos and images of a distant planet.
"Wow, Dash has certainly cleaned up Venom!"
"Yeah, they've been showing those pictures here on the base for some time now. It's amazing what he has done."
"That new terraforming technology he discovered has done its job well. In just a few years, he's converted a desolate wasteland into a very hospitable place."
Fox and Bill continued walking for a few minutes; by this time, the sun had risen above the trees and began to fill one of the larger, glass-walled conference halls with its golden morning glow. As they walked closer, they noticed that hundreds of the soldiers were gathered around tables inside, they were listening to some sort of radio broadcast. Fox and Bill entered the hall and walked over to one of them.
"What's going on here?" Fox asked one of the soldiers.
"Ssshhh! Dash is about to give a speech!" The irritated soldier replied.
Fox and Bill sat down at a table and listened:
Good morning citizens of Venom! Today marks a perfect example of the new era in Venom's history, the time when Venom will prove that it is rightfully the first planet of the Lylat System. Our environment is unprecedented: our oceans are clearer than Aquas, our forests healthier than Sauria, and our cities rival even Corneria in modern architecture.
Venom has only once made an impact this great. My grandfather, Andross, nearly succeeded in becoming ruler of the Lylat System years ago. But those days are past! The remains of Andross' hatred are nearly eradicated; we can finally look ahead to a brighter future!
With Venom restored to a point unseen since the ancient inhabitants first looked upon it, we will make a great impact on the Lylat System!
Tense conversations broke out all over the hall. The soldiers seemed quite disturbed at Dash's assertions. On the audio link, Fox and Bill could hear the inhabitants of Venom applauding their leader:
With these newly extended opportunities, our researchers have begun to investigate the ancient properties of this planet. We've been studying the few remaining writings in Venom's jungle temples. Unfortunately, Andross destroyed most of the Ancient's documented history.
So far, we've been able to conclude that Venom has an internal energy force that has been dormant for some time now. It has recently begun to cycle again for unverified reasons; although we do believe it may have some connection with the terraforming.
The extent of this energy's power is unknown, and it's purpose is not well understood. So far, it appears that Venom's energy is similar to that of Sauria, they may even...
The transmission was halted. A new voice spoke, it was Pepper, the former Cornerian Army General:
Citizens of Lylat, the Cornerian Council has not approved Dash's activity on Venom and it will remain a quarantine planet!
All the soldiers in the base gave a sigh of relief at Pepper's statement. Fox and Bill were the only exceptions. The sun was now higher in the sky, and a warmer breeze blew through the open door of the hall.
We are now making preparations for a pre-emptive strike against Venom. We are requesting that any planet with capable forces register for the military rendezvous on planet Macbeth. From there, we will plan and launch a final counter-offensive on Venom. Details will be sent shortly to all Cornerian outposts. General Pepper out.
The soldiers in the base began walking around, talking about the plan. They remained very confident in Pepper's words. Fox and Bill, however, remained seated with a skeptical look on their faces.
Through the crowds, one of the base's young messengers approached Fox and tugged on his jacket:
"Star Fox, sir, you have an urgent message in meeting room twenty-four."
"Er, OK, thank you..." Fox replied as the messenger ran off. "Bill, you should come with me."
"Well, I'm not sticking around this crowd!"
Fox and Bill stood up and began to maneuver their way to the meeting room.
"Why is Corneria so against Dash? He restored an uninhabitable planet. Pepper acts as if Dash were Andross himself!"
"Well, I suppose that anyone who might approach Corneria's scientific, military, or even political standings might appear to be a threat."
"But why now? They've known about Dash's operations for months..."
"I don't know, maybe they've finally had enough of his optimistic talk."
"And what happened to Peppy? Am I the only one who remembers that he is general, not Pepper?"
Fox and Bill reached meeting room #24. It was a glass, sound-isolating chamber next to the main hallway. Since the hallway's walls were glass as well, the room was full of natural sunlight. By this point, the hallway had become quite hot and humid from all the activity. Fox and Bill felt a sense of relief walking into a quiet, air-conditioned room.
A hologram of Pepper sat at the end of the elliptical table, he stood up to greet them.
"Ah, Fox McCloud, good to see you here. It's been awhile since we've talked, how have you been getting along these days?"
"Not too well sir, I've been feeling very alone since my team left."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Fox, is there anything we can do to help?"
"No, sir, this is exactly what I need, something to take my mind off of them."
"I'm glad to hear that, Fox. Now, on to business. Lylat forces are assembling as we speak for the Macbeth rendezvous. In spite of all the commotion, the Cornerian Council has prepared a special mission for you. If you choose to accept it, you will fly a reconnaissance mission around Venom investigating Dash's military forces and scanning the terrain. The data will aid us in planing the invasion. I know we haven't asked you to do much spying in the past, but we feel that you are the most capable candidate for the job."
"I'm sorry to ask, sir, but why is Corneria so anxious to attack Venom?"
"Well, Fox, you should know as well as I do that there are too many factors pointing to evil. Dash is the grandson of Andross, the antagonist of the Lylat System. And Venom was uninhabitable for hundreds of years, even before Andross, and has never been helpful to the Lylat System, no matter what Dash tries to throw into our minds. We cannot risk another full scale war."
"I understand your concerns, sir, but Dash has only been trying to help a dying planet. His terraforming technology has proven to be successful in restoring the planet. Andross fed his hatred into Venom, but Dash has truly done the opposite. I don't see any logical reason to hinder his progress now!"
"Andross also experimented with terraforming alongside his dangerous bio-tech research. It looked good, at first; but after a thorough investigation, we made the decision to banish him to Venom, and we forbid his research through system-wide law. We were right to do so, but we didn't act quick enough; look what became of his 'experiments'. Dash may look like he's accomplishing good now, but so did Andross in the beginning. We cannot risk Dash continuing Andross' research!"
"I still don't agree, sir."
"We can't risk it. We have partners in other larger star systems that rely on our economic stability. What do you think they might do to us if they lose their investments because we failed to protect our own interests?"
"What do you mean by 'us'? The innocent civilians of the Lylat System? Or the Cornerian Government?"
"Fox! Why are you acting like this? The Lylat System's future is at stake here, and it all depends the success of this invasion... I can assure you, that your reward will be quite worth your effort..."
"Honestly, it's not the money that concerns me this time, but... anyway, I must ask, what happened to General Peppy?"
"Peppy resigned stating that he 'no longer wanted the job'. My recovery has been slow, but I've been able to resume my role as general."
"Quitting? Peppy? That doesn't sound like him..."
"Fox, sometimes, we change our minds at the last minute. Anyway, I have to leave shortly... do you accept the mission?"
Fox thought for a moment. He looked at General Pepper and replied: "Alright, sir, count me in."
"Glad to hear we're back on the same page, Fox. Meet us at the Macbeth Conference in 72 hours. Details will be sent to your command ship shortly. Contact us if you need anything else. General Pepper out." The hologram faded away.
Fox and Bill left the calm and quiet meeting room and entered a hallway of commotion. The soldiers were running back and forth down the halls moving supplies in preparation for the massive launch.
"Fox! Why did you do that? You were against the invasion the whole time!"
"Don't worry, Bill, we've got an important stop to make before we even consider heading to Macbeth."
