Disclaimer: Star Fox © Nintendo. Original Content © Me (See A/N)
Chapter 6: Conspiracy
"Mistress, are you certain it was a good idea to let her live? Her team will likely be wary of you from now on. They'll be more alert in general." The A.I. inquired as the vixen sat on the small sleeping bag that she had.
The vixen stared at the bland wall across the small room from her, "Priorities change. Right now, I'm more curious about what's in our employer's head, rather than his target."
The A.I. 'tilted' itself in curiosity, "If I may make a suggestion, perhaps we should continue our pursuit of our target and extract any information he may have? I know you were thinking about doing that anyway. I just think we should do so before pursuing anything rash, like endangering ourselves further."
The vixen glared at the holographic representation, "Smart-ass." She crossed her legs and placed her hands on her knees, closing her eyes and focusing. Her telepathic abilities, she'd discovered, could be expanded somewhat when she meditated. Whereas previously, she could just barely hear the white noise from the collective population of a world, she found that this A.I., possessing an arcane capacity of an ill-defined sort, could further augment her own abilities to funnel out some of the unimportant thoughts to search for particular individuals.
She could feel cold, slick tendrils sliding through her fur, not quite burrowing into her skin, but synchronizing with her mental rhythms on contact with her spine, neck, and the back of her head. The A.I. focused her mental scan, searching for the target in question on the world below. Corneria, she thought to herself with a small amount of disdain. She had nothing against the world itself, or even really its people, but her past caused her to have some negative feelings associated with the culture of the world. This was quickly pushed out of her mind as the A.I. reminded her of her objective.
As she searched, she soon came across something intriguing. It was a trio of odd mind-forms that stood out for some odd reason. Two of them brought about a vague sense of familiarity, but the third one was entirely alien to her. The A.I. tried to remind her of her objective, but she insisted on investigating. To satiate her curiosity, the A.I. provided a brief mental surge, and soon the vixen found herself standing in that room. It was early morning, no-one in the room was awake yet. She glanced around the room. It was an apartment, and by the looks of it, an expensive one. She couldn't quite see where the three individuals that piqued her interest were, but was startled by a door opening behind her. An old raccoon Cornerian shuffled in, a cup of fresh coffee in his hands. His eyes were open, but drooping. It was clear that he was tired, probably from working on something overnight. He seemed to stare right in her direction, but made no acknowledgement that she was there. She was relieved, thankful that he couldn't see her astral projection.
She felt a sudden pain in the back of her head and was forcefully pulled back into her body, back on her ship. She fell backwards and hit the floor, "Dammit!" Clutching the back of her head, she curled up instinctively.
The A.I., after a few seconds of inactivity, finally managed to speak, "...There was something interfering with our Astral Projection. I was forced to pull you back before it could do any harm. Are you alright, Mistress?"
The vixen managed to sit up, "I'm fine. Just a little dizzy. Let's try again."
The A.I. disagreed, "I think we should try and land, first. You should rest while we do. I don't wish to anger you, but I won't risk losing you to whatever interfered with us. The closer we can get, the easier it might be to slip past that interference." The A.I. paused, before adding, "Perhaps next time, we should focus more on our objective than the idle thoughts of an old raccoon."
As the vixen laid down on the sleeping bag, she flipped the A.I. off, to which it just muttered as it set their starship to autopilot, "I'm only looking out for your safety..."
John awoke with a start, shaking himself out of his nightmares and struggling to control his breath. After a few moments, he glanced around, reminding himself of where he was. He was safe, accompanied by the two people that he trusted more than anyone else. There were no nanovirus monsters trying to break in and kill him. He wasn't trapped in some rickety old shack by himself, all alone. He wasn't crammed into some malfunctioning pod that plunged him into some false reality. He was in an apartment, with two people who he trusted dearly, far away from where they could get him. He felt tears beginning to stream down his face and his breath caught in his throat. John didn't even know why he was on the verge of breaking down, but he tried to keep himself together, wrapping his arms around his legs and burying his face in his knees.
"John?" A feminine voice caught his attention, and he looked up to see Serrin, sitting just across from him, and looking concerned. From her tussled fur and somewhat droopy eyes, he figured that she'd woken up because of his fit and was a little irritated. Nonetheless, she asked him, "Are you alright?"
He took a moment to recollect himself, before nodding, then shaking his head. Serrin scooted closer to sit next to him, "What's wrong?"
John took a deep breath and, in a shaky voice, answered, "I... I'm having nightmares..." He looked away, feeling ashamed, "I wish things could go back to the way they were."
Serrin placed a hand on his back and replied, "I know. I feel the same way. But we'll just have to make do with this for now. I'm sure you'll get used to it."
John wasn't sure he ever really would, but he nodded anyway, "...I'll do what I can..."
Serrin grinned, "Now, I'm a grumpy cat if I don't get enough sleep, so just try to put those things out of your head for now, and we'll see about touring the city tomorrow. Maybe find something interesting while we're out, huh?"
John nodded, and curled back up on the sleeping bag he'd set up a while ago, not feeling tired, but at least a bit better about talking to someone.
A few hours had passed since she woke up this morning, and since then, Fay had finally found the strength to get out of bed, clean herself up and slip into something a bit more casual than the fancy dress she wore last night for their date. Currently, she was sitting just across the table from where Miyu sat. The lynx was being somewhat uncharacteristically silent, staring into her tea while waiting for it to cool down a bit, and it made Fay a bit nervous. She asked, "Is everything alright?"
Miyu looked up and nodded, giving her a faint grin, "I'm fine. I'm just feeling a bit tired."
Fay wasn't entirely convinced, "I don't doubt that. It was quite a workout." She leaned forward a bit, "But I've practically lived with you my whole life, Miyu. I know when something is bothering you."
Miyu frowned, before glancing out the window, "I guess I'm just feeling a bit... I don't know how to best describe this... But it's like an intuition."
Fay tilted her head in curiosity, "Intuition?"
Miyu shrugged, "Just a passing feeling. Just an irrational notion that something bad will happen."
Fay shook her head, "Miyu, you don't need to worry about it. It seems like you've been more anxious lately." Miyu looked at her, then looked away, ashamed, to which Fay added, "It's your birthday, Miyu! Try to enjoy it a little!"
Miyu sighed, "That might be a bit difficult." At Fay's inquiry, she hesitated, but after looking around, she finally gave in, "You remember the War? The bombing runs in particular?"
Fay was a bit surprised, "Kind of a dark topic to think about on your birthday, Miyu. What happened?"
Miyu took a moment to prepare herself, "Well, one of the bombs had dropped on my home-town. Remember? And my mother..." She took in a deep breath to hold back her tears, "They found her body. She was crushed under debris from the blast... And very few people seemed to even acknowledge her. She was just a statistic to them, and me? I was just another orphaned soldier barely even noticed by my unit. This all happened only three days after my birthday. You know how I celebrated that one? You and I had a video chat with her to celebrate." She gave a small smirk, "She was still overjoyed about me having you as a lover, remember? She wanted us to come over to her house, but we were halfway across the system. The bombing run took us by surprise, I know, but I wish I could've done something about that. That video chat was the last time I ever saw her alive."
Fay felt her chest tighten, "Oh Miyu... I'm sorry. I knew she'd been killed by the bombs, but I didn't realize that it was that soon after that." She reached out and held Miyu's hand, "How come you've never talked about it before?"
Miyu met her gaze, then looked away, "Because I keep trying to be strong. For the team. You know me well, but how are Fara and Saru supposed to look up to me as their leader if my birthday makes me wanna break down into a sobbing mess?" She shook her head, "It hasn't bothered me for a while, but all this recent stuff has had me on edge, what with almost losing you and all that."
Fay saw a couple tears fall and felt Miyu's hand tighten around her own as she wiped the tears from her eyes. The canine gave her a reassuring squeeze and replied, "Well, it's alright to remember the bad things, but don't let them ruin the good things. After all, we've had many pleasant experiences since then, and I think this morning was definitely one of them. Wouldn't you agree?"
Miyu nodded, blushing, "Yeah, it was a great experience."
Fay gave her a beaming smile, "Cheer up, Miyu. Tell you what. Once we finish up breakfast here, let's go out and just do nothing but have fun, alright? I think it would be a better way to spend the day than to just focus on the past."
Miyu took a moment, before nodding and saying, "Alright, but it's my treat, so I'm paying."
She hated the sunlight, it made her powerless, made her feel like she was burning despite all appearances to the contrary. However, she had a reason to be out during the day. The snow leopard, hidden in the shade of an alley, sneered when she saw two Lylatians leave the hotel and get in their skycar. She could smell it, they were lovers. The thought just made her hungry. The blood of lovers, while nothing special biologically, had a certain mental effect on her that she desired. It was that feeling of heartbreak that her victims' partners felt when she killed. Her superiors had pointed her in the direction of these two, she she assumed that they wanted these two dead. She would oblige, but couldn't help herself. She wanted to have a little fun with them before she killed them. Perhaps it was the fear that gave her satisfaction in doing so. She chuckled to herself, "They are going to be the best prey I've ever hunted." With that, she walked further into the alley, staying to the shade so she could avoid drawing attention to herself.
"Hey, John! Get up!" John mumbled and flipped onto his side, acknowledging the voice and whatever was poking him in the side, but clearly not wanting to do what Saryn wanted. In response, she poked him again, a little harder, "You're gonna miss breakfast." He refused to comment and kept his eyes shut, trying not to think about the delicious aroma that his traitorous nose had detected. Serrin, clearly fed up with him, commented, "Alright, I guess we'll go tour the city without you!"
That finally got him up, as John sat upright, eyes still shut, and muttered, "Alright, I'm up."
After a few minutes spent cleaning up and getting dressed, he followed his nose into the kitchenette, where he found a considerable amount of various breakfast items laid out on the counter. Yaru soon appeared with a cup of coffee in hand and a chef's apron over his clothes. He grinned at John and gestured for him to sit at the table.
After breakfast, Yaru had taken their dishes to be washed, When he came back, the old raccoon sat down at the table, seemingly a bit surprised. "Damn. I figured you all had an appetite about ya, but you," He gestured to John, "ate enough for three people."
John shrugged, "Everything tastes better when bricks of flavorless nutrient matter are all you've had to eat for..." He frowned and turned to Serrin, "How long was it? Two years?"
Serrin frowned, "I... don't remember. I thought it was three years?"
Sabre shrugged, "I was under the impression it was like a year and a half."
John looked down at the table, "...My birthday probably passed by and all I did to celebrate was worry if I was gonna make it through that day and wake up for the next." Crossing his arms on the table, he rested his head on the table and muttered, "I don't really know how old I am anymore."
Yaru, feeling awkward about all the negative emotions now present in the room, decided to try and lighten the mood, "Well, we have a big day ahead of us. I'm planning to head downtown, maybe we can stop by the mall or something like that."
Mention of going out did what he'd hoped to accomplish and got their attention. Serrin gave him a soft grin, "I wouldn't mind going out for a stroll."
John peeked out from under his hood. He was still in the skycar, waiting for the others to get back. Serrin and Sabre had wanted him to stick with them, but he'd politely declined. He figured that they'd have fun in the mall while he tried to figure out what he was going to do with his life. He knew that this issue couldn't be avoided, but he hoped that he could try and at least stay on top of this however he could. He wasn't entirely sure he was ready to face society again.
It was more of an apprehension than any real fear that held him back. He did want to try and become comfortable with being social again, but there was just something holding him back. He wasn't entirely sure what that apprehension was coming from. He had figured that maybe some time alone could help him pinpoint that apprehension. While he never really practiced it before, he did find himself entertaining the idea of meditation. He found himself yawning at the thought. It wasn't that meditation bored him, but every time he did try to start doing so, he'd end up falling asleep rather than actually meditating. He checked the time. They'd been in the mall for half an hour now. John's eyelids were drooping and he decided that a nap couldn't hurt.
It took him a moment before he realized that he definitely wasn't dreaming. However, he wasn't awake either. He knew that. John looked around. The area he was in was some kind of nondescript black void, with a dark fog all around. He didn't feel endangered, nor did he feel safe. If anything, he felt confused. And after a moment, he realized he wasn't alone in this place. There was someone else here, a presence distinctly familiar, but at the same time, foreign enough that he wasn't sure who was there.
The other entity must've realized that he was there, as a figure appeared from the shadows, garbed in a black cloak with a hood obscuring her face. The general structure seemed humanoid, but a quick glance at what he could see revealed that she had a tail, or at least the impression of one under the cloak. The figure approached him and spoke first, "How did you get here?"
John looked around, uncertain, "Where am I?"
The figure seemed irritated, "How could you not know where you are? You wouldn't just find me by accident, psychic."
John looked down at himself, seeing that he looked more like a vaguely humanoid, glowing mass than his usual self, "Psychic? But that shouldn't be possible. I've never had any sort of psionic abilities in my life!"
The entity's irritation faded, replaced with confusion, "You've never...? Hmm..."
John looked up at the figure, "What is it?" He felt strange, like the entity staring at him was seeing more than just what was on the surface.
The entity finally spoke, "You're experiencing psychic drift."
He cocked an eyebrow, "What's that?"
"It's when someone without psychic abilities begins to manifest very weak powers of their own as a result of mental exposure to a powerful psychic's mind over a prolonged period of time." She was intrigued, "You really did find me by accident."
John decided that maybe this couldn't be too bad, but figured he might as well try and learn what he could, "I guess we got off on the wrong foot. Lemme introduce myself, I'm-"
"John Vordenburg. You're 26 years old, living with two roommates under the care of a rich hotel owner in Cornelius City while you try and get your life in order."
John was surprised and a little unnerved, "...Are you...?"
The entity pulled down her hood, revealing a cerulean vixen with azure eyes, and instantly, he knew who, or at least what, he was speaking to, "I'm a Cerinian, yes." He half-expected her to introduce herself, but the hard, cold stare she was giving him seemed to suggest otherwise, "Your mind is very well guarded. I'm surprised you can even Astral Project at all. However, for as protected as your mind is, I can sense that there are cracks there. The information I just got from you? That's what I got from glimpsing inside those weaknesses."
He looked around, expecting some kind of mind attack that would render him a vegetable, but the vixen only gave him a half-smirk, "I'm not going to destroy your mind... I'm just surprised to have a visitor."
John decided to ask a question before the vixen could answer it for him, "So, who are you?"
The vixen was guarded with her answer and he could sense it, "...A drifter... who's gone too long without another being to speak to."
John was confused, "...What happened to Cerinia? Isn't it still around?"
Instantly, he was taken out of the void and dropped into a memory. He was standing in an ivory tower decorated with golden structures and cyan gemstones that he recognized as the palace, from the images Sondra had shown him. There were Cerinians just going about their day, when the scene seemed to change suddenly. Suddenly, there was mass panic as the palace seemed to crumble around them, the falling debris crushing some who just weren't fast enough to make it. He looked out the window and saw fire erupting from the ground, like a volcanic eruption of some sort. With it, he saw shadowy figures swarming the streets and the forests, tearing apart anyone in their path.
Suddenly, the scene changed again, and he found himself inside a shuttle, looking out the canopy as Cerinia seemed to vanish in an explosion of fire. He looked around the shuttle and saw the vixen, garbed in white-gold armor, screaming in tears as her world died. He looked around the shuttle and saw very little, save for what she had time to grab, including a crest that he recognized. A shield with the engraving of a hawk in flight, a staff in its talons, the sigil depicting Cerise, the Cerinian creator-goddess, and the symbol used by the royal family.
The memory ended and the vixen seemed saddened, "Cerinia is no more. My people are dead." She looked up at him, "Stranger, how do you know of my home-world? Only a select few nowadays are even aware that it existed, and only because I spoke to them."
John decided there was no reason to hide it, since there was a chance she could probably find out anyway, "Because my people used to work with your people." He decided to let his mental guard down, and let her see his memories.
The scene changed to one that he recognized. It was his old apartment, and there he was, watching the windows as the first Cerinian ships he had ever seen flew overhead to land in the newly constructed space-port. He explained what had happened, "When we touched the stars for the first time, I mean truly touched the stars, we expected to find nothing but barren, dead worlds that never supported life. Instead, we found your kind, a front against more hostile species that sought to conquer and destroy. We were an old species by our standards, but compared to the rest of the universe, we were barely learning how to walk."
The scene changed to a public setting, a park, where he first met Sondra, sitting alone at a bench, "We came together, bringing a golden age for my people. And then we lost all of it."
The scene changed again, this time, it was dawning on a burning city wrought in anarchy as people, John's kind, were being slaughtered by mutilated, transformed half-corpses, only for their victims to get back up, sprouting visceral new appendages formed from mechanical implements they previously never had. A light shimmered in the distance of the city, the Quarantine Field, as it engulfed the planet, its exotic energy tainting the light of Sol, causing the illusion of a permanent eclipse. The scene changed once more, to show him as the lid to his stasis pod was closed. He closed his eyes as the Cryonic Freeze activated and the LOTUS entered his mind, placing him in a dreamworld so he wouldn't be isolated.
John's memory ended and he turned to the Cerinian, "My kind died out, and we told your kind to retreat, so you wouldn't suffer the same fate. Those of us who stayed either died or went into an artificial hibernation. I don't know if anyone else survived, I don't know if my world is even around anymore."
The vixen was perplexed, "You're one of the Star Children?"
John returned the confusion, "What's that?"
The vixen explained it, "When I was a young child, my mother used to tell me stories of a time when we weren't alone in the universe, of a species much like ours, who's first steps into the skies brought them to us. They were brave, young, idealistic, but they were naïve, unaware of the dangers of a universe that would kill them without thinking about it, or regretting it. We called them the Star Children, as their mind-forms were almost always that of a creature of light, a shining star that contrasted their mental strongholds. The stories say that one Star Child even lived among us, and fought along side us as if he were Cerinian. But in the end, the Star Children vanished, consumed by an evil rotting within them that they never knew about."
John stared at the ground, then raised his arms to look at them again. Sure enough, they were shimmering as though they were made of light. He shook his head, not sure he wanted to believe what he was hearing. The vixen commented, "I guess we both have something in common."
He looked up at her, "What's that?"
"...We've lost everything. You're the last of your kind, so am I."
He was tempted to agree, until he remembered something, "Wait, no you're not. My roommates, they're Cerinians who stayed behind! They went into hibernation with the rest of the survivors!"
That seemed to catch the vixen by surprise. Her eyes went wide, "There are others out there?" The vixen seemed to show desperation for a moment, before she regained herself, "If there are... We should meet some time... I'm sure you three would enjoy some company that you are familiar with."
John felt like he was fading and realized he was being pulled out of this mind-realm, "Wait, I didn't catch your name!"
The vixen smirked, "Next time, Star Child."
John jerked awake when he heard the door open. Serrin slid into the back seat and adjusted herself in her seat, before looking up and giving John a small grin, "We're done in the store." She took note of John's condition, "You have a nice nap?"
John pressed his lips in thought, debating on whether he should share what he saw. Considering that they'd likely never heard of psychic drift -this was the first time he'd ever heard of such a thing himself-, they'd probably think he was making it up. "I'm alright. Just a bit tired."
Serrin grinned, "Well, we're going to head back home now. Mr. de Pon says we'll take the scenic route on the way home."
"Mistress, are you alright? I lost you for a second." The A.I.'s holographic avatar hovered by the vixen's face as she shook her head, bringing herself back to reality.
"I'm fine. But I have some good news." That piqued the A.I.'s curiosity, so she continued, "I might have just made a new contact on Corneria. And he's part of the same species that created your father A.I."
The A.I. was shocked, "You mean... there's still a human alive?"
"There's more. Apparently he's got two roommates, and they're both Cerinians. That explains how he developed psychic drift."
The A.I. seemed suspicious, "Humanity died a long time ago. I thought there were no survivors. Don't you think it's a little suspicious?"
"The story he told me matches the one you told me. He's old, from an era that the stories of the Star Children originated from, and I can finally get some answers about my world, maybe."
The A.I. immediately disagreed, "It could just be a trap, a lure to try and get you to fall for it."
The vixen snarled at the A.I., "This is the first psychic contact I've had since my world perished, MIRA. Could you forgive me if I'm happy to have someone I can speak to with my mind that isn't a robot or someone I hate?"
The A.I. remained quiet, prompting the vixen to speak, "He recognized the crest on my ship. I think that makes him real enough. I'm taking the shuttle and I'm going to Corneria. It's not like I won't be heading there anyways. I'm going to find the target and ask him a couple questions, then I'm going to see about meeting this 'John Vordenburg.' And I'll be damned if you're gonna stop me."
A/N
→ Original Content (Named Vehicles) used with permission. Credit goes to Tobias Umbra.
→ Psychic drift is a mental condition that began appearing some time during the Golden Age of Space Travel for humanity, a couple months prior to the Outbreak. Psychic drift develops in individuals depending on their mindset as well as their exposure to individuals with genuine psychic abilities such as the Cerinians. Scientists studying it had determined that the condition itself is not dangerous, but it can lead to isolated cases of contagious mental illness caused by the individual experiencing psychic drift near anyone who already suffers from a mental illness such as clinical depression, leading to the drifter 'catching' it much like how one catches a disease. Beyond that, little was understood about the condition, especially since only a couple months later, the Outbreak happened and wiped out humanity.
