The Grand Final
Chapter 1: A Message
Author's notes: This is it; the final part. Again, because of the language, situations, and violence that will be happening, this part will have an M rating. However, there may be some points in the story that will have an MA rating. The final part begins two days after the events of Star Fox Assault.
X
Fox couldn't help but sigh to the situation he and his team were now in. With his team barely making it out with their lives, their equipment scrapped, and The Great Fox completely destroyed. There didn't seem to be all that much to smile about. But the Lylat System was safe once again. Although he didn't quite know how to get the team back on there feet. Sure, he did get a hefty pay for wiping out the Aparoids, but a great deal of that had to go to repairing their Arwings, and a completely new mother ship.
There was also the problem of where the team was going to stay until it was remade. The mechanics on Corneria were brilliant, but a ship that size and caliber could take a long time to build, not to mention the fact of upgrading everything and making it more roomier. So until then, the Star Fox team would have to live a civilian life. There was just so much to pay for, rooms, meals, clothing and gas for there vehicles. The bills just didn't seem to end.
At least he didn't have to worry about that the day after they had destroyed the Aparoids. The vulpine could still remember everything that had happened.
X
One day ago...
"Ugggh, my head," groaned Fox. "That's the last time I let Falco talk me into drinking with him again. Aww man, what happened?"
The vulpine pulled himself from the floor and looked around the room he was in. Falco was passed out face first on the couch, Slippy was asleep in the bathtub, and Krystal was sleeping on the bed. Peppy wasn't with the team, but in the hospital recovering from his injuries.
"Oh, that's right, ever since we stopped the Aparoids we've been partying the whole day and night non-stop. That's enough partying for me." Fox held his head and tried to ignore the pain of his hangover.
He stumbled into the hallway almost collapsing with every step. The entire floor was filled with empty cans and bottles of either beer or hard alcohol. In any other situation the crew would be severely punished. Some of the members were even passed out in the with bottles still clutched in they're hands or paws.
"But what exactly happened last night?" asked Fox. He reached the food hall and his memory flooded back into his mind.
"Come on Foxie," said Falco. "Just one night of partying."
"I don't know man."
"Aww come on Fox, look even Slippy's into it tonight." And sure enough, there was Slippy, having a drinking contest with some of the soldiers who had helped in the fight.
"Alright what the hell," said Fox. He grabbed the nearest bottle of beer and started chugging it.
Suddenly a familiar female voice could be heard. "Falco, did you just talk Fox into drinking?" The avian turned around to see a rather angry looking Krystal staring him in the face.
"Aww, whats the big deal, it's a party. And hey, maybe if he gets drunk enough, he'll do us all a favor and finally ask you out on a date." Krystal started to blush heavily at the thought.
"What are you talking about, why would he...your already drunk. Aren't you?"
"Maybe a little..." responded Falco while holding an empty bottle of whiskey. He was having trouble standing.
"Well… I suppose partying just this once wouldn't hurt anything..." said Krystal. Falco was surprised by her answer. The vixen in the time she had joined the team hardly had any alcohol. So every time it was surprising when she would.
"That's the spirit, here's some whiskey…..whoops, this one's empty...when did that happen?" asked the avian. "Oh well here; have a few beers." Krystal took a beer from a nearby icebox and took a sip. It wasn't the greatest thing she ever tasted, but it was drinkable. She decided to have a few more, and before long found herself relatively drunk.
Soon Fox, Falco, Slippy, and Krystal were challenging the soldiers to match Team Star Fox at drinking. Needless to say even despite Slippy and Krystal's inexperience at drinking, they beat everyone easily. After a few hours of drinking games and chugging competitions, everyone started to stumble back to their rooms. Most not even making it halfway.
"Whoa, last night got pretty crazy," commented Fox as he remembered it. "I've got the hangover to prove it." Deciding it was best to clean himself before heading back to his room, the vulpine made his way to the showers. Nobody was there. He wasn't even sure if anyone else was up yet. After a short shower, Fox got some new clothes on and walked back to the room to wake everyone up starting with Falco.
"Hey, Falco, wake up." The avian didn't move.
WAKE UP!" Fox shouted into his ear. The bird seemed to jump about a foot into the air.
"Shit! What was that for?!" he asked.
"That, was for talking me into drinking so much last night."
"Uggggh, my head," groaned Falco. "That was your choice idiot. Don't blame me for your idiocy."
"I don't, I blame you for YOUR idiocy," said Fox. "But anyway, go wake Slippy up. We should probably start waking up this sad excuse for a crew."
"Yeah yeah, just gimme a minute." Falco laid back down and closed his eyes.
"FALCO!"
"SHUT UP; I'M AWAKE!" Fox decided to forget about his lazy ass friend for the moment and went over to the bed where Krystal was. As usual, she looked beautiful today.
"Krystal, hey Krystal wake up," said Fox as he gently shook her shoulder. "Man I can't believe even she got drunk last night," he thought. "Come on Krystal get up." The vixen opened her eyes with a groan.
"Fox?" she asked. "Whats going on? What happened last night?" She had a look of utter embarrassment on her face.
"I'll tell you later, just get up for now," said Fox with a smile.
About an hour later, the whole Star Fox team was up and had cleaned themselves off. Although their hangovers couldn't be fixed so easily. Their next course of action was getting breakfast. Slippy and Falco went the easy way out by grabbing a bowl of cereal. But Fox had a different plan in mind altogether. He waited until the two had left and then entered with Krystal. His goal was to be alone with her for awhile and try to get to know her better.
"So what do you want to eat Krystal?" he asked. "Since the chef is passed out on the table over there I guess I'm stuck making the food for us."
"I'd love some pancakes, but can you cook?" asked the vixen with a smile, already knowing the answer.
"I can but uhh, I wouldn't mind some help," he said a bit nervously and smiling back at her.
"Alright, I can help you, but I've never cooked them before so you have to tell me what to do," responded the vixen and moved closer to him, which made him a bit more nervous.
"F-fair enough." Inside the kitchen was possibly the only room in the ship which wasn't a complete war zone. Everything was neat and where it was supposed to be. Krystal climbed a small foot ladder and looked in a high cupboard for the pancake mix. She found it and started pulling it out from the back. However, she didn't move the packages away from the front. "Watch out," said Fox. "Don't let anything fa-" Too late; the next thing the two knew was that Fox's face was covered in all sorts of cooking powders. Krystal couldn't hold back her laughter. He couldn't tell if she was laughing at him, or with him.
After Fox cleaned his fur of all the cooking gunk, the two continued cooking until they had made a few good (and some not so good) pancakes. They ate inside the kitchen leaning against the counters, telling each other a few things the other didn't know about themselves. The talked until long after they finished eating until Fox realized what time it was. "Krystal we've been in her for an hour. I think we should head back. The guys might get the wrong idea."
"And what might the wrong idea be exactly?" she asked in a teasing tone, a look of amusement on her face.
"I uhh...nothing, let's go," responded Fox, blushing like crazy.
The vixen let out a small laugh. "I'm kidding Fox. Don't get so worked up."
"...right." The two continued talking as they walked back to where the others where. But stopped immediately when they got there.
"And just where were you two? On a romantic stroll passed the drunken soldiers?" asked Slippy with a grin.
Falco started to laugh while Fox and Krystal both blushed. "We..we were just getting some breakfast Slippy," responded Fox.
"Sure, sure," said Falco through his snickering.
X
Back in the present…
Looking back on that with Krystal, Fox wished he had done something more. Maybe just telling her how he felt and get it over with. Regardless of the outcome. A voice then snapped him out of his thoughts.
"What's wrong Fox? You look troubled. Is something wrong?" It was Krystal in Fox's doorway. He had trouble looking at her and thinking straight.
"Oh, hi Krystal," was all Fox said at first, blushing slightly. He somehow managed to continue. "Nothing all that much, there's just no end to the bills here. How are we going to get back on our feet until The Great Fox is remade and able to find work?" The vulpine sure did sound worried. Krystal came walking up and standing right beside him, putting her paw on his shoulder. Fox blushed harder, looked up to her to meet the gaze of her beautiful eyes.
"You'll find a way Fox, you always do," Krystal spoke to him soft, gentle, and always reassuring.
"I… suppose," was all Fox replied, still a little down, shifting his sight to looking down at the table.
X
Little did the vulpine know that things were about to change for him and his team. And it all started when they received a message from none other than Fisk and Keira a day latter.
"It's urgent that you and Peppy get down here now." By that, they meant head down to the hospital where General Pepper was. He had still not recovered from being attacked by the Aparoids. Fox was preparing himself for the worst case scenario. But when the team got down there, everything seemed to be fine. They met up with Fisk and Keira who took them to the General's room. Even ROB was with them.
Everyone entered and saw that the hound was sitting up, supported by pillows. "What did you call us for?" asked Fox.
"There's someone who's trying to contact you," responded the hound. He indicated with his head to show a communications monitor had been set up. There was light in the corner of the screen that was flashing showing that someone was on hold. "He's waiting for you now."
"Patch him through." Fisk turned on the screen. An image popped up, a video call. A shadowed figure sat in a chair. Nobody could make out his upper body and face. But they could see his paws. They had black, fingerless gloves on them. The right index finger had a ring with small purple gems and lines on it. They could see some of his tail. They knew that it was a vulpine.
"Hello Star Flight, Peppy, ROB, and General Pepper," they heard him speak. The voice was distorted so his voice sounded couldn't be recognized.
"Who are you and what do you want?" asked Fox. Krystal in the meantime saw the ring the specie had on and realized it was Cerinian jewelry.
"My name isn't important at the moment," came the reply. "Rest assure, I have no intention of attacking the Lylat. I know what had happened to it as of late. And I know you saved it from destruction. That's why I've come to you with a proposal."
"What kind?" asked the leader of Star Fox.
"I want to meet you guys. Everyone who's in this room. I'm sure that after what has happened, you could do with some rest, right? Think of this as like taking a vacation. And besides, I think it would help General Pepper."
"Hold on a second," said Krystal. "Before you say anything else, do you think you could say where you got that ring on your finger?"
"What's so special about it?" asked Falco. "It looks just like an ordinary one to me."
"Maybe to you," responded the vixen. "But I know that is Cerinian jewelry right there. The lines give it away." Everyone was left in shock about it. Could it be that another Cerinian had survived the destruction of Cerinia?
"You're name is Krystal, right?" asked the specie.
"How did you know my name?" she asked.
"I know a lot of things," came the reply. "Let's just leave it at that. But what do you think about my offer? I promise the planet isn't a piece of shit. It's a lot like Corneria."
"What do you guys think?" asked Fox. The idea of vacation sounded great to him. But the vulpine was also wondering who this specie was. What if he was a threat to the Lylat?
"I'm up for it," said Falco. "It would be nice to kick back a bit."
"I don't see a problem," responded Slippy. "I imagine it would be good for Peppy as well." The old hare chuckled.
"I suppose you're right," he said.
"If you want to, the other two canines in the room can come as well," said the specie. "And they're kids as well if they have them." Fisk and Keira decided to as well. The specie then went on to explain about a worm hole that had age reducing properties and everything about it. Going through it didn't seem to bad.
"Very well then; a ship will be coming to pick you up in a day. I look forward to meeting you." The screen went black.
X
Meanwhile at the Sargasso Space Zone, Wolf of Star Wolf was thinking some things over. His team had helped Star Fox out with fighting the Aparoids and had barely made it out. Their ships were trashed, and yet they had made it back. The lupine didn't think that even with this, they would be cleared of any crimes.
But at least his crew were all in one piece. That was the important thing now. Suddenly the wolf received word that someone was trying to contact him, Leon, and the newest member of the team, Panther. The three made their way to a screen and answered. The result left Wolf a little surprised.
"Wolf," said Nicholas. "It's been a while."
"Yes it has," said the lupine. He took a look at the vulpine. Somehow he looked younger. But then there was his eyes. They had changed a lot. Nicholas in the meantime couldn't help but notice Panther.
"Who's this?" asked the fox. "A new member?"
"Yes," responded the jungle cat. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Panther Caroso. And all who see my rose meet death."
The name Caroso echoed in Nicholas's head. It sounded familiar. Where had he heard it before? The fox shook the thought off. He saw Leon, and then noticed that Andrew and Pigma were missing. He pointed this out and then was told what had happened to them. Andrew had left the team, while Pigma had been kicked out.
"I see," said Nicholas. He took a look at Panther. Even though they had just met, the vulpine could tell he was a skilled pilot from the confidence he held in his eyes.
"So what is it that you want?" asked Wolf.
"I was thinking that you guys and my team should meet up," said Nicholas. "It's been a long time and mine has grown considerably. I can send a ship to pick you guys up to take you to my home planet. I know what has happened here in the Lylat and how you helped out. Maybe it's time your due for some R and R."
"I like the sound of that," said Panther. "I'm curious about this guy. He seems interesting."
"I don't care either way," responded Leon. "But maybe a little break could do us some good." Wolf nodded and turned his attention back to Nicholas.
"Very well, we'll come," he said.
"That's great," Nicholas said. He then went on to explain about the worm hole that reduced age. "One more thing. What if say… Star Fox was also on the planet? I know you guys are rivals."
"They owe us one for helping them out," said Wolf. "If it wasn't for us, they'd be dead."
"Does that mean that if you encounter them, you'll behave or try to?"
"Please," said Panther. "They have a lady with them. I'll make sure Leon and Wolf behave themselves around them for her sake."
After a bit more talking, Nicholas ended the call before making one last one.
X
"Honey! A video call for you!" Emily called to Kool, her husband. He looked up to her, his wife with a smile. The two were doing well as a married couple.
"And who is it from?" asked the blue feline. When he heard who it was, Kool got the rest of the Hot Rodders together. They lived next to each other on Papetoon. They managed to get to the communications screen and answered the call to see Nicholas. Like with Wolf, they were surprised at how much younger he looked. He then went on to propose to them what he had done with Star Fox and Star Wolf. The vulpine also went on to explain about the worm hole that could reduce age. After thinking over for it a bit, Kool said that they would come. Nicholas promised he would send a ship to pick them up. After talking a bit more, they ended the call.
Nicholas McCoy just smiled as the screen went black. He knew that things were going to get interesting.
X
Author's Notes: I added Fox and Krystal names along with Fara's because as it will be stated in a latter chapter that besides Nicholas and Fara, Fox and Krystal are also the main characters. There will be no love triangle of any kind at all.
-Co-lord44