Vindication
Prologue
8 years, 10 months and 30 days after the end of the Lylat Wars.
The Lylat Wars (also known to some military hardliners as "The Venomian Conflict") instigated by the tyrannical Andross, caused major destruction and widespread chaos throughout the Lylat system; the effect of the conflict was devastating, so much so that once powerful worlds like Fortuna, Zoness and Katina were left either extremely crippled or completely inhospitable.
A power vacuum now existed; the Lylat Alliance, once led by Katina, now existed leaderless after the collapse of the Katinian world government due to the Venomian invasion. This led to the planet Corneria filling the role as the main administrator of the Alliance. As Corneria had sustained the least amount of destruction and still retained a sizable military force (especially due to the efforts by the mercenary outfit, Star Fox), they quickly adopted their new role and sent military and philanthropic aid to other allied worlds. Once Venomian forces were expelled from Corneria, the planet witnessed a harsh spike in immigration from these other worlds.
Due to the weakened states of other member worlds and the voluntary defense of those planets by Cornerian forces, a suggestion to dissolve the alliance and bring all planets therein under the Cornerian banner was proposed in the interplanetary committee. This measure was adopted by all acting representatives of each planet, and after the war, most of the Lylat system had been annexed by Corneria. The Cornerian Federation was established.
One of the first changes made under Cornerian rule was to change the dating system due to the significance of the war and the everlasting effect it had. Back before the war, it was mostly agreed among Lylat world governments and historians that the current year would be based on the Lylat Concordat, the famous treaty that unified all world governments together under a Lylat Alliance; when the Lylat Wars began, it was considered year 302, 302 years after the Concordat.
With the creation of the Cornerian Federation, the dating system was changed to BLW/ALW (Before Lylat Wars/After Lylat Wars), with 0 ALW marking both the end of the war, and the new beginning, a fresh start.
"History is written by the victors", the oft quoted saying goes. Andross was immortalized as a traitor to the Cornerian people for his treachery, and his name forever casts a shadow over the nature of bio-technology and the risks of power. Star Fox as a whole were hailed as heroes, and the legacy of their exploits lives on to this day, inspiring new generations of soldiers.
Truth is different from history. The victor can lie about the motivations therein, but the real truth is hidden or modified, for one reason or another. Indeed, there is more to the story here than just a mad doctor who became evil and the heroes who saved the day. Nothing is black and white.
The sky above Corneria City seemingly burned with a dull orange hue as the sun made its way to the horizon, sinking below visibility, into the clouds and mountain ranges. Pinpricks of starlight began to appear as the rays of the sun decreased, allowing them to show off their beauty without any hindrance. Indeed, the spectacle of astronomy is something I quite enjoy to see. In fact, seeing this beautiful scene was the only notable memory I'd witnessed of this day, as it had been so far quite a drab day indeed.
Viewed from the window of a pallid break room, the scene was such a grand contrast; there I was, my coffee in hand, staring out in silent admiration of the cosmos spread before me, while the abyss stared back at what I can imagine to be a relatively unimpressive sight to it. At any rate, whatever it may think (if space could think at all, I humorously would, adding character to a literal void), I would hope my reputation would precede me: Senior Writer Johnathan "Jack" Mole, one of the top reporters and journalists of the Cornerian Times, 27 years of experience in and off the field, 51 years old.
During the Lylat Wars, I was elected to be a field reporter, observing and recording events from throughout the galaxy. I gained my reputation as a certain "rogue reporter", endangering myself by heading directly to the front lines, reporting from a first hand account, giving the viewers/readers a story they would not forget. I would walk through various battlefields and examine the toll the war had caused on the environment, speaking with locals and interviewing soldiers about their experiences. For these efforts, I received several distinguished awards and journalistic merits. It was, for me, the proverbial "glory days".
The proverbial "glory days" did not last forever, however. With the end of hostilities came the end of my field reporting, and my transition back into more domestic topics regarding Corneria directly. As a professional journalist I felt I could adapt to this sort of reporting again, as I had cut my teeth with such topics before, gaining experience until I reached those aforementioned glorious heights.
However, somehow, some way...it was absolutely grating after a while.
There's only so many fluff pieces and petty crime articles you can write before your readers (and you, yourself) get completely sick of it. If you are not careful, you start writing pure drivel and nonsense (read: "bullshit") just so you convince (read: "trick") readers to take a look at your "work" (read: "waste of effort"), and before you know it you've become a seedy tabloid or irritating gossip panel instead of a legitimate source of news.
That is the consequence of peace time, at least for my case. It sounds terrible, but I wish the Lylat Wars never ended. I would never admit that to anyone in a public setting, but it is the truth I face in my heart.
The real news became less fantastic, less dramatic, and more static. I couldn't feel the rush anymore, everything paled in comparison to what I experienced. I feel...I lost the passion. When you realize that, it is a horrible, wretched moment.
It wouldn't be until this very day that the fire inside me would be rekindled, a fire that would burn with the intensity of the star Lylat itself.