S: A/N: Slight delay on this one, mainly because of juggling work and my first semester of senior year (starts way too early for me might I add). I did get a bit of help though, so thanks to Haygood and WhiteWolf again for creating some amazing content. They're the best. :)
In regards to that contest to whom it may concern, my story is very close to publication. Too bad I didn't get first though... Heh, I'm just being bitter. Make sure you check out the first contest submission "Sonata's Requiem" by Beyond An Anomaly. It's damn good I must say; sets the bar high for other submissions. Just means I'm gonna have to work my ass off to be better than his! ;)
Anyway guys, pretty tense update here. Tell me what you think as usual. There may be another delay for the next update considering the outside circumstances, but I'll make sure to get it up as soon as I can. Take care fellas!
Stars still burn bright
Seasons change overnight
As we find a way, the times they come and go
Look back in love
A new day rises above
With the wind it comes to carry you back home
All your anger, all your hurt
Doesn't matter in the end
Those days go by
And we all start again
What you had and what you lost
They're all memories in the wind
Those days go by
And we all start again
*The Offspring – Days Go By*
Chapter 10: Pipebomb
It had been a few hours since the Destroyer with Vince inside departed from HQ heading for Katina, and Fox still didn't feel any better. He hadn't felt this sad and empty since his bloodline father was killed, but this time he didn't have another parental-like figure to comfort him
The fact that Vince was abruptly taken from him started a newfound anger towards Parliament. That was his father being shipped off to another colony, and the worst part was he didn't know if that would be the transport Veria finally decides to open fire on. The uncertainty of the entire situation was making him feel helpless, and if there was one thing Fox hated, it was feeling helpless.
Fox sat at his station with all of his instruments turned off, leaning against the lab desk as he flipped the velvety ring box open and closed with his thumb. The click the box made as it shut was drowned out by the other scientists in the room that were busy with their own creations, but with the lack of Vince, Fox found no desire at all to work on anything. All he wanted to work on was a plan to get back together with Vince, but that would be as impossible as trying to reunite with Wolf.
He couldn't control the tears from leaving his eyelids as he continued to stare at the beautiful ring Vince had given him. He quickly stuffed it into his pocket as he heard Arcene's voice on the other side of the lab room's doors, and in normal circumstances he would love to see her, but right now he just wanted to be alone, and she was not going to help that aspect.
"Fox?" she said softly, stepping up behind his folded up frame. "Hey, I heard what happened with Vince. I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault," Fox replied stoically.
"I know how close you are to him, so I wanted to–"
"Thanks," Fox interrupted. "But I don't need anything. I just want to be alone right now, okay?"
"Aw, Fox, please don't be like this," Arcene pleaded. "I know what that means to you, but that doesn't mean you need to hole yourself up–"
"Arcene, please," Fox interrupted yet again in a much harsher voice. "Just leave me alone right now."
It was such a complete flip of emotions from just a few hours ago for Fox that Arcene was genuinely worried about him. She grabbed one of the lab's office chairs and slid it up to him, then after she folded her legs up on the chair she attempted to scoot ever so closer to the orange vulpine.
"Fox," she said almost like a whisper, gently laying her paws on Fox's arm. "I'm only trying to help–"
"Stop bothering me!" Fox suddenly yipped, jerking his arm out of the vixen's grasp. "For the third time Arcene, I want to be alone, alright?! Just go away!"
The silver vixen practically staggered out of her chair in surprise, then after Fox was done speaking she let out a pitiful squeak and folded her ears back. Fox still had his muzzle contracted as he took heavy and long breaths, but it wasn't until he saw a very small, almost microscopic tear slip out of the pit of Arcene's orange eye did he realize what he just did.
For the entirety of their almost three year relationship, he can't ever recall snapping at her. It was as shocking to her just as the realization was to him.
Fox's angry expression slowly faded away to shock and guilt right when Arcene took a step backwards. He folded his ears back after the second step away. He didn't make any movements for fear it would spark a chain reaction, but he immediately regretted his decision not to speak up when Arcene whimpered and spun around, running out of the lab without looking back.
Fox didn't need to think about what he had done. His reluctance to accept her admittedly necessary help ended costing the both of them. Fox knew that this would be the first time Arcene would genuinely be upset with him, and it would be the first time on record that he would have upset someone he loved.
…Second… …Second time he's upset someone he loved…
Fox cringed, causing the tears in his eyes to well up around his tightly shut eyelids. He just realized something. Something he, in all honesty, didn't want to remember.
The last time he yelled like that was towards his father six years ago… the last time he was able to "talk" to his father before his untimely departure.
Now that he thought about it even more, Fox indirectly mimicked his father in his reluctance to accept help. Arcene was only there to help and comfort him in his time of emotional distress, and all he did was push her away, just like his father pushed away everyone he loved in his emotional state.
Fox himself even said he didn't want to mimic his father, but every wrong thing he did – snapping at Arcene for a prime example – made him think like he was turning into him.
Only this time, he would try and reconcile before everything got worse.
Fox mustered enough strength to lift himself out of his office chair and proceeded to attempt to chase Arcene down. He rolled up the sleeves on his lab coat and stormed out of the lab space, then about slipped on the glossy floor as he spun around to try and look for her. Knowing she might be back in her quarters, he trotted forward and briskly walked towards the other side of the massive HQ.
"McCloud!" Falco shouted from the reception desk. "What're ya doin' bud?"
"Did you see Arcene come through this way?" Fox questioned urgently, practically running up to the blue avian.
"Haven't seen her," he answered frankly. "Although, Fara told me that she needs to talk to you… like, now."
"Well, you need to tell her she needs to wait," Fox replied sternly, but quickly in an attempt to get out of the conversation so that he could continue his search for the silver vixen.
"And she told me that if you tried that excuse she would have your tail," Falco retorted. "I'll look for Arcene for ya bud; you just go talk to Fara."
"No, I need to find Arcene right now," Fox argued. "I need to apologize to her."
"Fox," Falco interrupted, placing a wing over Fox's shoulder. "Calm down buddy. I will go find Arcene for you, but in the meantime you need to scoot your way over to the infirmary and find 'ol Big Ears. I'm being serious here, she needs to talk to you."
Fox fought with himself for a while before he finally nodded. "Alright. How much did she pay you to convince me?"
"Twenty plus lunch," Falco admitted with a smug smirk, shrugging his head. "And she said she'd buy you lunch if you talked to her."
Fox nodded, but right before he turned away he looked Falco in the eye and sighed.
"If you find Arcene… tell her… Tell her I'm sorry."
With that, the vulpine spun around and let a quiet whimper surface after walking away.
What could possibly so important?
Fox eventually found his way into the infirmary, a small section of the HQ in between the hangars and the mess hall. Small is noted, because this particular infirmary was specifically for the pilots that were injured during exercises, and there were only ten separate cots for examinations in this area. Fara was the only one inside, staring at a clipboard with her left shoulder covered in bandages from a few days prior. He tentatively stepped forward, making sure that the fennec still wasn't upset with him for the incident that ripped the aforementioned hole in her shoulder.
His assumptions were proven wrong when Fara noticed him, her eyes glazed over red from apparent crying. Fox abandoned his presumed short temper with her and couldn't resist going into "care-mode"
"Fara?" Fox questioned, stepping forward. "Falco said you needed to talk. What's up?"
Fara stayed silent, placing the clipboard on the nearby medical bed.
"Whatever it is, can we please make it quick?" Fox pleaded. "I have a feeling Arcene is upset with me and I need to talk to her."
The sandy vixen continued to stay silent, taking step after short step towards the taller vulpine.
"I don't mean to sound pushy, but please get on with it," Fox said impatiently. "What do you need that was so important that I needed to come see you right–"
Fox was cut off as Fara unexpectedly grabbed his face and forced him closer, pressing her muzzle into his and refusing to let go. Fox's wide emerald eyes stayed open in shock for the entire duration of the ten second passionate kiss, and before he could throw in his exclamation after Fara pulled back he felt her head bury itself into his chest.
"I'm so sorry Fox!" she whimpered in defeat, tilting her large ears back behind her head. "I'm sorry for everything!"
"Woah, Fara, what's going on?" Fox questioned, trying to pry her fuzzy head out of his chest.
"I…" she started, fighting through her emotions. "I made a mistake Fox. I miss you. I miss being with you."
"I thought you hated me after… that," he pointed to her injured shoulder. "And well… everything between us."
"If I could take back what I said to you Fox, I'd do it in a heartbeat," Fara squeaked. "I never realized how much… how much of a bitch I was to you until I walked out on you. I never realized how much I needed you until I pushed you away."
"Is that what you needed to get off your chest?" Fox asked, surprisingly with no hostility whatsoever.
"I wanted to tell you that I want you back," Fara blurted out without any hesitation. "I'm… I'm a mess without you Fox. I understand if you don't feel the same way because of you and Arcene, but I-I-I'll do anything to get back together with you."
Fox sighed and scooted backwards so that he could sit down on the nearest cot. "I… didn't know I meant that much to you… But, why'd you break up with me earlier if you knew that you were a mess without me?"
"That's the thing, I'd didn't know I did until… until I lost you," Fara explained. "I'll admit I was an awful partner to you, but that was because… because I didn't know how much you actually meant to me. Yeah, I was upset when I broke up with you, and I was furious when I accidentally shot myself, but it wasn't until I was sitting on that cot you're in right now, alone, waiting for clearance to get back up and train again that I realized how much I needed you. I was too selfish and tried to keep you to myself too much… and after I lost you I realized that's not how I should act."
Fara gingerly sat down next to Fox and looked him straight in the eyes, transmitting her inner emotions without even having to speak. "I'm sorry Fox. I'm sorry I did this to you."
Fox let a breath out of his nose and shut his eyes. "I accept your apology," he said softly, causing Fara's ears to perk up, but she still looked concerned when he didn't show very much emotion after the fact. "Does that mean we're back together again?"
Fara cocked her head. "Well, that… that's up to you… Why do you ask?"
"It's nothing," Fox said unconvincingly. At least, unconvincing to the tan vixen.
"Fox, seriously, what's wrong?" Fara asked. "Is it because of Arcene? Is that why you needed to talk to her?"
Fox sighed and nodded. "I accidentally blew up at her, and now she's probably upset with me."
"Why? What happened?"
"Ah, it's nothing," Fox attempted a grin. "I was… just really upset about Vince leaving. I just wanted a bit of alone time to collect my thoughts, I guess… and that's when I yelled at Arcene to leave me alone. She ran out crying… I probably hurt her more than if I actually hit her."
Fox practically saw the fennec's heart melt right then and there. She let out a sympathizing quiet sigh and inched closer to the taller vulpine, wrapping her uninjured arm around him.
"I'm sorry Fox," she said softly. "I know how much she means to you."
"She means the world to me," Fox said without hesitation, grinning sheepishly at the vixen. "No offense."
"None taken," Fara smiled. "I know what you're dealing with. Tell you what; after I'm done with a few things around base, you want me to go talk to her?"
"I'd appreciate it," Fox replied. "I'd like to talk to her myself as well if that's okay. I honestly think she'll take it better if I tell her."
Fara nodded in understanding and attempted to stand up, only for Fox to grab her arm before she could completely stand up.
"Also, Falco mentioned something about lunch?" Fox said with a smug grin, winking at the fennec. Fara giggled and bit her lower lip, swishing her tail as she slowly walked away.
"Then what are you waiting for, bud?" Fara taunted. "Let's go. You don't want to keep your second girl waiting, do you?"
The orange vulpine grinned to himself at Fara's remark, then after collecting his thoughts he stood up and nodded.
"Not any longer than I have to."
\/##########\/
The tension, uncertainty, and overall confusion in the room was so thick that Sheila had trouble breathing.
The news broke to them less than an hour ago that Cerinia was attacked, and twenty minutes ago they just found out Jona's relief group touched down on the surface. Information was coming to her tablet at a very slow trickle, like a leaky gutter during a light spring shower, and it honestly drove the light copper husky insane.
Truth be told, she was scared. She was not only scared for the Cerinians who now had to live with an uncertain future, but for the culprit of the brutal attacks as the uncertainty of whether or not they would strike again loomed overhead. She was very worried about Corneria as well, because she had her speculations that Corneria had direct affiliation with whoever, or whatever caused the hell upon Cerinia.
Her tablet rang again with a sound only comparable to a muffled door chime, and as she glanced down to read the message the still silence plaguing her cadets finally broke.
"What's happening now Commander?" Mel, the brown female dragon asked.
"Everything is all clear," Sheila replied, breathing a sigh of relief. "No hostile forces anywhere on the surface."
She picked up her face and forced a small smile, but that attempt at reassurance faded instantly once she saw the Cerinian hybrid Jadyn's completely blank expression. She looked downright miserable, that was self-explanatory since that was her heritage being burned to the ground. Sheila's heart melted instantly, and she immediately dropped her tablet and walked up to her.
"I know sweetie," the husky said reassuringly. "I'm just as scared as you are."
"Do they know who?" Jadyn whimpered pitifully, restraining the tears from flowing down her cheeks.
"Nobody knows yet," Sheila answered. "I'm getting information very slowly. I'll be sure to tell you when it comes to me."
"Thank you ma'am," Jadyn forced a grin. Sheila smiled back and stepped back over to her desk, just as her tablet chimed again. She immediately pounced on it to read the message, but to her dismay did not include any information about the attack. Just a message to her cadets that she needed to relay.
"Alright, message from HQ," the canine spoke firmly, getting her cadets' attention right away. "Because of this terrible tragedy, they want everyone on stand-by until they can confirm a universal all-clear. Basically, you guys should report to Commandant Connolly down in hangar seven and wait for his word. You guys are dismissed."
A chorus of low groans of disapproval followed the six Verian cadets as the reluctantly withdrew from the light copper husky's lecture room. Sheila was going to follow them, but as soon as she slipped her light and thin RVAF sweater over her shoulders her transmitter rang. She didn't even bother to look at the caller ID as she was instantly speaking.
"What's going on?" she immediately questioned.
"Woah, Sheila, calm down," a voice she instantly recognized as Jona replied, obviously surprised at the husky's impulsive outburst. Sheila immediately gasped and blushed in embarrassment.
"Oh, Jona," she sighed in relief. "You're alright. Sorry about snapping at you, I'm just really flustered right now."
"You have no idea," Jona countered tiredly. "I'm exhausted, scared, and… I… I don't even know anymore."
"Is Krystal okay?" the husky asked with no hesitation.
"That's what I needed to talk to you about," Jona said softly, yet confidently. "She's perfectly fine, but I need you to take her and her friend in when we dock. They need a safe place to stay."
"Aww, you took them in?" Sheila nearly squealed in happiness.
"I had to," Jona responded. "I wasn't gonna let them stay there. It's too dangerous for them." He took a quick, shallow breath to keep himself under control. "So, will you be willing to take them?"
"Of course Jona," Sheila smiled. "I've always wanted to meet Krystal. Is she really as beautiful as you always say?"
"I can't put it into words… you'll just have to see for yourself."
"I will," she grinned again, popping up on her desk and crossing her legs. "So, what time are you dropping by?"
"It'll take a day or two since the warpdrive on the Renown is burnt out after that quick trip over here," Jona explained. "After we dock, I'll just drop them off at your place in the Manor, 'cause I need to get back to HQ to help Wolf prep for his mission."
"So that did get approved?"
"Yeah, unfortunately, we confirmed Darkon's activity in this attack, so he is officially a major threat. We need Wolf to eliminate him as soon as possible."
Sheila nearly growled and lowered her voice. "I'll make sure Wolfy wipes the floor with that terrorist piece of trash. He has no business terrorizing the Cerinians."
"Tell me about it," Jona groaned. "Can you make sure that Wolf is at HQ tomorrow to that I can get him–"
"He's already there," Sheila interrupted. "I think he's talking with your step-dad about the situation right now. He's the one that cleared him, right?"
"Yup, that's him," Jona said happily. "Good to know She. And thanks again for taking Krys in for me. I owe you big time."
"Hey, it's not a problem big guy," Sheila smiled again. "Just make sure she gets here, alright?"
"You don't have to worry about that," Jona chuckled. "Just make sure she has a place to lay her head down. She's had a rough day."
"You got it," the husky nodded. "See you then Jona."
"See ya sweetie."
Sheila giggled out loud after she cut the link, feeling that warm happiness brew in her stomach. Although the circumstances were extremely crummy and unfavorable, she was finally going to meet Jona's favorite charge. She honestly couldn't wait to see her.
In fact, she was feeling extremely excited to see her, so much so that she started feeling strange. That warmth she would always get when she was happy or excited was starting to exponentiate, and her excitement quickly transitioned to worry. Her happy and outgoing personality instantly capped itself as she started feeling sick to her stomach.
It wasn't because of how excited or how worried she was, because even after she calmed herself down she still felt the roller coaster in her stomach intensify. It was just so sudden and so unexpected that she didn't know how to react to it. In fact, she couldn't even take a step forward before that displeasure in her stomach exploded out of her and onto the floor.
Her throat started burning as stomach acid started eating away at the mucus lining her throat after most of the contents of her belly were forcefully ejected from her muzzle. She hacked repulsively and coughed violently after her sickness settled, staring at the gunk with wide eyes and a fast beating heart.
"What the hell…?" she whispered, swallowing hard to try and stop her throat from burning. That action only added to her physical state as she slumped back into her chair, tightly grasping at her churning midsection as if that would try and settle its erratic and spastic movements. She sat in her chair and took heavy and long breaths to steady her sickness and calm her nausea, because even the slightest movement or wrong breath caused the acid in her stomach to rise and burn.
This wasn't just a simple unsettled stomach, because if it was it would have settled itself by now. Sheila was fighting with herself to not vomit again, occasionally heaving dryly as her muscles convulsed and contorted uncontrollably. Minutes went by, and she still didn't feel any better. Something was wrong.
"Come on Sheila," she mumbled to herself, gently and slowly picking herself up. "Let's just… get… to the… med… bay… before–"
She stopped herself as another dry heave caused her back to arch and her muzzle to contort in a nasty, repulsive hack that echoed in the doorway. She instantly realized that she was very ill if this persistent stomach bug continued to make her feel sick. Using the hallway walls as a crutch, she staggered down to the medical bay that was conveniently at the end of the long hallway. Upon entering, a slender-snouted dark gray nurse instantly approached her and helped her stabilize her faltering frame.
"Are you alright, Sheila?" she asked, leading her to one of the many open medical cots.
"I don't know," she sputtered. "I got sick in my classroom, and… I just feel sick and it won't go away."
"Alright, lay down please," she suggested calmly, to which the husky obliged and gently laid herself on the bed, making sure not to aggravate her nausea again. "I've got a little home remedy for you to take. One-hundred percent effective if it is just a minor stomach bug."
"And if it doesn't work?" Sheila said questioningly, gingerly taking the small shot-glass-like container from the female Verian's claws.
"If it doesn't work," the nurse started, grabbing a clipboard up and looking at the husky seriously. "Then either you've got a very serious illness, or…"
"Or what?" she questioned impatiently.
The female Verian smirked and flipped a page on her clipboard.
"Or we're going to have to call your husband."
\/##########\/
"Are you sure about this, Xiphos?" Talen tried to reason, unnoticeably fidgeting with his uniform. "We're flying right into the heart of the LHC. Don't you think this is a bad idea to do yourself?"
The golden king shook his head gently. "No… I need to do this. Doing this in person is the easiest way to reach our goal of restoring stability and possibly bringing Muzzin back to sense." He closed his eyes with somewhat sad confidence, bowing his head towards the window he was staring at. "And besides, Serena is riding our wing. Only a fool would challenge her battleship. The CDF will keep their distance, if they know that ship's history."
"Re-commissioning the Arclight was actually a necessary choice, given what just happened to Cerinia…" the Commandant remarked. "But was it wise to actually bring a literal "fleet killer" to this negotiation? I mean, with her plasma enhanced reactor she can decimate twenty ships of our own design unassisted – hell she has destroyed twenty ships we designed after they were stolen by Darkon during the last uprising. If it can do that to our ships, think of how well the Cornerian ships would fair."
"I'm familiar with Serena's battle record Talen…" Xiphos replied tiredly, trying to silence the copper dragon's monologue. "She's using her genetic traits and attributes along with your training, to be an extremely competent and skillful commander." He let a slight smirk surface and turned to face him. "Surely you could take some notes?"
Talen chuckled to himself and started pacing, continuously looking out the window as the streaks of space dust just sped on by his ship and its attending flotilla traveling though hyperspace. Xiphos' vacant gaze was slightly concerning his Commandant, so much so that he couldn't stay silent anymore.
"Sire?"
"To answer your first question, about if this was the right idea or not… Yes," King Xiphos nodded. "Because for two reasons… First, Corneria is too unpredictable… I wouldn't doubt that Muzzin would try to order us repelled under Wes' nose."
Xiphos let out a breath of hot air that fogged his window. "Secondly, I have a bad feeling that something catastrophic going to happen either before or after this meeting."
"How so sire?" Talen asked.
"I'm not sure, but… knowing what just happened to Cerinia, and the fact that we have a very vague idea of who our culprit is because of the information the late Knight Commander Griess managed to relay to us, Muzzin's paranoia may come out again. If I'm right in saying that Muzzin had direct affiliation with this heartless attack on our people, he may see us coming and attempt to defend himself."
"So… why the Arclight and not the Atlas?" Talen questioned.
"Because we need the Arclight's power – Serena was adamant about that," the king chuckled in admittance. "That and the Atlas has already been tasked with protecting a transport bound for Papetoon."
"You assigned our second Vanguard class battleship to protect a solitary transport!?" the copper dragon nearly spat out, eyes wide in shock and utter confusion. "You're giving Wolf orbital support for his mission?"
"Of course not, it's simply for intimidation," he corrected. "You know as well as I do that an unprotected transport is a tempting target, but the Atlas would insure that no CDF ship or fighter gets remotely within firing range, especially with who and what is on that cargo transport. We can't afford to have Corneria suddenly pull a trick out of their ass and destroy that transport."
This eased the Commandant's concerns somewhat, but the king could still see the evident hesitance in the copper dragon's askance glances towards the streaking stardust littering the windows. "And the second question, sire?"
The look in Xiphos' eyes was unmistakable, that of pure confidence, but with evident worry. "The Vanguards – the Arclight and the Atlas both – would crush them. Attacking a Vanguard or anything that they protected is a death wish, unless if either the battleship or the ship it was escorting took damage, then that death wasn't just assured… it was guaranteed. I'm not worried about the lives of our own soldiers, I know they will survive, but I'm more concerned about the lives that would be lost on the other side due to their commander's shortsightedness. To be frank, son, this is basic Cornerian tactics."
"Aye, this I know sire," Talen grumbled. "But if Corneria was behind this – implying that the late Commander Griess' information was incorrect and Corneria did have direct affiliation with the fall of Cerinia – if they see us coming with the Arclight, they'll panic and do something drastic. I'm only trying to be careful sire."
"And being careful is what is going to kill millions," Xiphos deadpanned. "If we let Corneria get away with such appalling actions, if your assumption is right of course… They won't stop here. They'll go after others, and if we let it escalate that far the Cornerians won't be put back down without a fight. The casualty numbers will exponentiate, and… I can't let that happen… not again…"
That brief moment of dwelling in the past almost made Xiphos stumble when the jumpdrive disengaged and the streaking stardust streams shrunk into tiny particles of distant stars and reflecting dust. Not only that, but Corneria was only a few hundred kilometers away, and it put a smile on the copper Commandant's snout seeing the planet so quickly.
"Set coordinates for Headquarters – Downtown Corneria City," Talen spoke calmly, but firmly. "If you're so sure about Corneria, sire, the least we could do is head straight for the capital. I'm just anxious that they might do something drastic, like I said."
"They won't," Xiphos smiled in confidence. "For one, they won't do anything with the Arclight just outside of the atmosphere, and two… an old friend of mine won't allow a single fighter to be launched at us, let alone authorize counterattacks."
Talen nodded and paced over to the communications bay, hoping to pick up a few of the conversations between ground control and their comms deck. They slowly lowered their cruiser down into the atmosphere, punching through a heavy layer of clouds in the process, and once the sea below became visible they started picking up signals.
"Destroyer Valliant, you have no authorization to be in Cornerian airspace," A Cornerian controller announced firmly, seemingly unfazed by the sight of a Verian cruiser.
"Wait," Xiphos said softly, placing a hand over Talen's shoulder as he reached for a headset to reply with.
"Destroyer Valliant, state your intentions," that same controller barked out after a brief silence.
"Keep course," Xiphos damn near whispered. "Just… wait…"
"Destroyer Valliant, if you do not state your intentions or change course immediately, we will have interceptors in the air in less than ten seconds."
Xiphos raised three clawed fingers in the air, and every second he would drop one back into his fist along with a faint nod of his head. Just when he retreated his final finger, the faint pop and thud coming from the caller signaled that the line had been forcefully transferred to a different station, the caller this time speaking in such an accent that Xiphos couldn't keep a straight face.
"My apologies, Lord Xiphos," the new controller apologized. "Authorization for a landing has been cleared. Please begin your decent – I will be there to ensure your safety."
Xiphos nodded his head and chuckled in success as Talen removed himself from the communications deck, a proud smile creasing his snout.
"Who?" Talen questioned, unable to hold back a smirk.
"The only one capable of giving such a command," was all Xiphos replied with as he removed himself from the main bridge and prepared himself for the landing planet-side. Talen decided to follow the golden dragon down into the main hold of Xiphos' personalized Destroyer, and right when the king in question abandoned his usual formal getup for something frillier, the cruiser touched down with a harsh jerk.
"I see you want to make a rather extravagant appearance?" Talen chuckled.
"Believe me, I don't want to wear this any longer than I have to," Xiphos grunted, adjusting the rather awkward royalty garb on his shoulders. "Best to be dressed for the occasion."
"You're making me seem underdressed," Talen remarked mirthfully.
"That was the plan," Xiphos countered with a smirk, before throwing a rifle at him that he just narrowly caught in time. "Guardian."
"You can't be serious, sire," the copper Commandant shook his head gently.
"This, hopefully, is just diplomatic talks," Xiphos explained. "I don't want a Commandant of the VGC in that same room if the topic isn't about military tactics. For here and here only, you are my personal protector. Maybe to add on the act, try to be a little more… protective, if I can go as far as saying that."
Talen chuckled and primed the weapon. "Not a problem, sire."
"Just don't let that twitchy finger of yours show up," the king added with a smile, giving the Commandant a nudge to signal his intentions. They both exited the cruiser after a brief hissing from the hydraulics, the light from the sun reflecting off of the tarmac temporarily blinding the two dragons. They both took the initiative and stepped off of the ramp onto the tarmac, taking a few steps away as the engines behind them whirred down. Within moments after the King and Commandant left the comfort of their Destroyer, a familiar figure Xiphos instantly recognized came into view. He abandoned all formalities and immediately inched forward to greet the General.
"Wes!" Xiphos chuckled, grasping the wolf-dog's paw in a rather informal, yet firm and friendly handshake. "Great to see you my friend."
"You as well Xiphos," Wes replied, showing signs of genuine happiness. "I take it your flight here wasn't too troublesome, other than… well, earlier."
Xiphos couldn't help but chuckle and nod. "Everything went perfectly fine. Thank you for stepping in though. I didn't want to get involved, but I knew you would say something sooner or later."
"Just doing my job," the Cornerian chuckled, twitching his ears. "Somebody at least has to."
"Yes, I'm fully aware of the… rather unfortunate regime you must endure day in and day out," Xiphos replied. "Which is why I've come on such short notice. I assume you know of the terrible fate that has befallen our beloved sister planet Cerinia?"
"Indeed I do, and I send my sincerest condolences to everyone involved," Wes said with evident concern. "We will get to the bottom of this, and I can assure you that I will assist you and your people in finding and apprehending the culprits."
"Thank you Wes, but I can't ask that much of you and your army," Xiphos said calmly.
"Please, it would be an honor to assist the VGC," Wes grinned. "I've always had an affinity for your army and technology. To say that I was able to assist such an army would be a great accomplishment."
"And what would Muzzin say about that?" Xiphos blurted out, to which the wolf-dog rolled his eyes.
"You know good and well that I couldn't care less about what he thinks," Wes damn near growled. "In fact, while you're here, I would like you to speak with him. He's adamant about your kind colluding with other parties in attempts to plot against him, and that paranoia is starting to affect his work. If you could give him a bit of reassurance that you and the entire VGC don't have anything against him… that would be great."
"Anything for you my friend," The king replied with a grin, but on the inside he was extremely reluctant to talk to the wolf that has caused so much pain and controversy amongst his people. He forced himself to follow the hybrid General into the main white-iron HQ building, and within moments was en route to the Prime Minister's office.
"He's not expecting any guests for a few hours, but I highly doubt that he has anything else better to do with his time," Wes joked.
"The last time I was here he was eating breakfast while I was trying to talk to him about the transports with Papetoon," Xiphos smirked.
"Speaking of that," the hybrid butted in politely. "We've been having issues containing Papetoon as of recently. Senator Monroe has been openly rebelling against the CDF, and we're running out of ideas to keep them in the LHC. The last attempt we tried to get them under control ended with over twenty dead soldiers and a totaled Escort class Destroyer. We don't have these resources to throw away."
"I know, my friend, I know," Xiphos spoke tiredly, unintentionally showing his true age with the way he spoke. "I'd like to do something about this, but Muzzin won't let me authorize any ground troops there to possibly put this uprising down. I'm hoping I get lucky in being able to send a very important parcel to Papetoon in the next twenty-four hours, but after that I can't do anything. Not without it seeming as an invasion."
"Trust me Xiphos, I will not allow war to spark just because you're trying to help," Wes answered with confidence. "What is this parcel, may I ask?"
"Senator Monroe's youngest daughter Sara is very ill," the king replied. "I promised him prescriptions to combat her illness. Usually our medicine doesn't work well with Cornerians, but he's desperate. The only thing we can do is try to help."
Wes nodded and shut his eyes, then eventually exhaled softly and turned his head to face the dragon. Xiphos took particular concern to the general's actions, mainly because he could detect his aura of worry and uncertainty.
"I need to ask you something very important, Xiphos," the wolf-dog said abruptly, overwhelming hesitance plaguing his words.
"What is it my friend?" he asked concernedly.
Wes exhaled again and inched closer as he hushed his voice considerably. "Will you be willing to take Kirsten and Kimmy back to Veris with you?"
Xiphos' jaw dropped in utter shock. "Wes, that's your wife and daughter. Your family. I can't take them away from you."
"No, Xiphos, you don't understand," the hybrid interrupted. "They are my family, yeah, I love them with my entire heart, and that's why I want you to take them. The thing is…" He paused briefly to gather his thoughts. "I'm afraid… I'm afraid something is going to happen to them if they stay here. Muzzin hates me – you don't need me to explain why – but he doesn't know about my family. Truth be told, the only people that know about them are the people I can trust."
"Victor doesn't know about Kirsten or Kimmy?" the dragon asked.
"No, because if he did… I… I have no idea what would happen to them," Wes nearly choked out. "Please, I need you to give them a place to stay on Veris."
"I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not," Xiphos admitted.
"Xiphos, please," Wes pleaded, showing more emotion that the king had ever seen out of him before. "I don't know what I would do if my family was hurt or killed because they stayed here in the line of fire."
"Nothing is going to happen," the king grinned, but the wolf-dog was right there to cut him off.
"I don't care about preventing any of this right now," Wes retorted calmly. "I just want to know that my family will be safe. I… I told Kirsten I wanted to keep her and our daughter safe, and… this is the only way I can be assured they are. You don't have to give them very much; I just want them out of harm's way."
Xiphos sighed a thoughtful sigh and eventually nodded. "Okay. I'll give them both a safe place to stay in the Manor. I can assure you that they will both be safe there."
Wes smiled happily and flicked his tail. "Thank you so much Lord Xiphos. You have no idea how much this means to me."
"I have a general idea," Xiphos countered mirthfully, sharing a lighthearted laugh with the hybrid. "I can't say I've ever met Kirsten in person before."
"Really, you've never met her? Head shorter than I am? Hybrid like me, only more wolf-like?" Wes asked, to each question Xiphos shook his head. "Aw, that's a shame. I wish I could be there to introduce you two."
"How'd you two meet?"
"She was one of the nurses on the Great Fox that took care of me during the war six years ago," Wes explained, grinning as he imagined the scene in his head again. "We were one of the many couples that formed on that day. She loved me, I loved her back… we wouldn't have it any other way… Pretty soon we were married and not too long after that we had Kimmy… …I'm just happy that we were able to keep it under wraps for so long."
"It is a very nice story," Xiphos smiled. "Heartwarming to say the least."
Wes was about to answer, but stopped himself as an unmistakable black vixen wound the corner and walked past him, avoiding eye contact. Xiphos was a little unsettled that the vixen didn't bother to give a salute, let alone wear more appropriate clothing since all she had on was what looked to be a flight suit cut short with a skirt, rather than the usual tight leggings, for apparent and less than subtle "easy access". The golden dragon turned to face the wolf-dog and immediately saw how his demeanor had completely flipped.
Wes let his eyes grow larger as he saw that Prime Minister Muzzin's door was slightly cracked open, and he let a growl surface in the back of his throat as he stormed forward.
"Wes, hold on," Xiphos grunted, grabbing the general's shoulder before he could get out of arm's reach. "Who was that?"
"James' bitch," Wes snapped scornfully, removing himself from the king's grasp and harshly pushing the Minister's door open.
Muzzin jumped at the sudden entrance, almost punching himself in the face as he was too busy retying his tie. He bared his teeth and stood out of his chair, revealing that his white shirt had been partially untucked and wrinkled.
"Can you be bothered to knock, general?" Muzzin scolded, putting his arms through his black blazer.
"Can you be bothered to have a sense of decency, minister?" Wes retorted, putting roughly the same inflections on his voice that the red wolf did.
"This is Corneria's Prime Minister?" Talen asked Xiphos under his breath while the two canids were bickering. "I'm not convinced."
"Neither was I the first time I met him," Xiphos answered him back quietly. "He's a powerful man that lets that power get to his head. Now you see why I don't normally invite others to meetings with him, especially you… …no offense."
"None taken si–" Talen cut himself off, replacing his indifferent expression with one of utter disgust. "…Is… that…?" he started, but couldn't bring himself to finish as he pointed at the minister's desk. Xiphos noticed what he was referring to and nearly gagged himself.
"I leave you alone for two hours and you're already balls-deep in James' bitch?!" Wes snarled.
"What business do you have in my personal matters?" Muzzin countered, catching the disgusted looks on the two Verian's faces and traced it back to the rubber hanging off the side of his desk. He slyly pushed it into the waste bin behind his desk and continued to interrogate the wolf-dog. "This is my office!"
"I could give two shits about whose office this is," Wes retorted. "What I care about is you breaking specific protocol that she knows good and well because she's broken it before. Now you're gonna do the same damn thing?"
"Alright, Wes, you've made your point," Xiphos interrupted calmly.
"And who let king lizard into my building?" Muzzin growled, curling his eyebrows downward. "I suggest you get him out of here, general."
"Like hell I will," Wes snapped. "He has a few things he wants to discuss with you, Victor."
"Well he's gonna have to find someone else willing to listen," Muzzin answered, clenching and unclenching his hands.
"I believe that someone is you, Victor," Xiphos said matter-of-factly, taking a few steps into the office. "This directly pertains to you, so I advise that you listen up."
"I don't take suggestions from you, goldie," Muzzin shot scornfully, feeling his blood pressure skyrocket to very uncomfortable levels as a result of his arguments and his earlier intimate actions behind closed doors.
"I'm not suggesting you listen," Xiphos started, inching closer to the smaller wolf. "I'm demanding that you listen."
Muzzin took particular offense to that remark and took a few angry steps forward, but stopped when Talen pulled his rifle up to his eyes, pointing it directly at the minister. Muzzin stuck his paws up immediately and backed away, showing evident and overwhelming signs of genuine fear while Xiphos wrapped his hand around the muzzle of the rifle and pushed it down without even looking at the weapon in question.
"Easy," he said gruffly. "Sorry, minister. It's just that my Guardian doesn't take too kindly to hostility. I hope you understand."
"You're pushing it…" Talen muttered silently through clenched teeth.
"Are you threatening me?" Muzzin spat.
"Well, considering the other threats you make to him," Wes butted in. "I believe he's just taking a page from your book, Victor."
"Stay out of this, hybrid," Muzzin growled, licking his chops. "I will handle this."
"If it's anything like how you handle your other business, maybe you should let Wes in here," Xiphos countered, grinning smugly to himself.
"You listen here you disgraceful–"
"No, you listen to me, Victor," Xiphos interrupted firmly. "From my understanding of the whole Cerinian attack incident, you are not off the hook as a potential culprit."
"You think the attack on your fuzzy blue savages' world was my fault?" Muzzin nearly laughed out loud. "Anyone in their right mind would tell you I didn't authorize anything against them."
"Other than retracting the VGC, thank you," Xiphos breathed heavily. "At least Cerinia is a part of the VGC now, as the remaining chiefs on the planet elected to finally join in as an official Verian colony, but there are too many lives on your paws for forcing me to retract the VGC, minister."
"You're gonna bring that up as an excuse?"
"It's not an excuse, it's an answer," the king said sternly. "If I wouldn't have agreed to that awful negotiation terms this conversation wouldn't even be happening, and thousands of Cerinians would still be alive."
"Well, you did," Muzzin spat. "You agreed to those terms, and we went our separate ways. Now you're gonna come back and bitch about it?"
"Thousands of innocents were slaughtered, Muzzin," Xiphos reminded. "Does that not matter to you?"
"Millions died to the humans and we didn't get so much as an apology for that!"
"Oh boy, here we go again," Talen grumbled under his breath.
"There were Terrans involved in Cerinia's attack!" Xiphos uncharacteristically snapped. Muzzin's eyes instantly shot wide open as his tail seemed to deflate.
"Oh shit…" Muzzin whispered under his breath, slowly backing towards his desk. "Oh fuck… no… no, no, no, fucking no."
"Now do you see why I needed to talk to you?" Xiphos questioned as Muzzin cupped his head in his paws. "We have definitive evidence that there were Terrans involved in this attack, along with Cornerian DNA, and the only army that matches that description of Terrans and Cornerians is your CDF."
Muzzin smiled nervously and shook his head. "Xiphos, I… I'm sorry I snapped at you, but… I didn't have anything to do with this. A-a-ask Wes, he'll vouch for me."
"I hate to say it, but Muzzin is right for once," Wes agreed. "We keep our human soldiers tightly monitored. This human involvement isn't on our paws."
"Then the only logical answer would be Terra itself," Xiphos muttered. "And that's… impossible…"
"Wait, sire, it's not impossible," Talen butted in. "Remember the Cornerian cruiser we crippled?"
"WHAT?!" Muzzin barked, ignored by both Verians.
"The Great Fox was the IFF frequency of that ship," Talen continued. "It wouldn't be impossible for the Terrans to rebuild that ship, then pilot it all the way out here."
"Son of a bitch, you're right," Xiphos grunted. "And that Destroyer landed on Fichina. …Contact an available Destroyer and have it land on Fichina to search for our culprit."
"Oh no you don't," Muzzin growled.
"Excuse me?" Xiphos questioned.
"I know what this is," the wolf sneered. "This is just a ruse so that you and your army have a reason to invade my colony."
"Excuse me?" the king echoed angrily.
"Don't play dumb with me," Muzzin bared his teeth. "Don't think I don't know what you're planning! You're just acting this up to try and get a justification for invading and taking over my colony! Well it's not gonna work bub! Not in your lifetime!"
"Heh, that's saying something," Talen remarked under his breath.
"Victor, I'm only looking out for you," Xiphos tried to reason, only to be cut off with Muzzin growling again.
"I'm not falling for that," Muzzin retorted. "You're not fooling me. Now, as the Prime Minister of Corneria, I kindly ask you to leave. Get out of my office."
"Muzzin, just let the poor guy talk," Wes growled.
"I've let him talk too much," the red wolf countered. "Get him out of here Jaeger."
"I'm not leaving until you either let me search Fichina or you do it for me," Xiphos said firmly.
"You've got it, bub," Muzzin grinned smugly, licking his chops. "I'll do a hell of a lot better job than you will, that's for damn sure!"
"Thank you," Xiphos forced out, glancing over at Wes. "You mind telling me the results, Wes?"
"Absolutely," Wes grinned back. "Anything for you, my lord."
"You fuckin' serious?" Muzzin snarled with feral intensity, pointing at the door. "Get his royal ass out of here."
Talen growled softly and tightened the hold on the grip of his rifle, only for Xiphos to gently push him out of the doorway.
"We'll wait outside, general," Xiphos said calmly. "Thanks again for the talks, Victor."
Muzzin glared at the two dragons as they both exited the office, and once his door was resealed he turned his irate yellow eyes to the wolf-dog. "The fuck are you doing?"
"My job," Wes growled back. "You need to calm down."
Muzzin contracted his muzzle again and transitioned his gaze to the open windows towards the back of the office, thrusting his paws into the pockets of his dress pants. He stared at the cloudless sky for what felt like several minutes before turning back to the hybrid, visibly calmer and less irritated.
"I've got an idea," he said gently, picking at the longer hairs under his muzzle. "Can you organize an LHC address here at HQ? Call every Senator and LHC diplomat and bring them here, so that I can address this problem at the source?"
"With all due respect, Victor, organizing something of this caliber would take a few weeks at the least," Wes admitted.
"I want to take care of this as soon as possible," Muzzin breathed heavily. "Preferably in the next forty-eight hours. Can this be possible?"
"It will be a stretch, and the Senators would have to drop everything to get here in time, but I think this can work," the hybrid said truthfully. "What are your intentions, if I can ask?"
Muzzin sighed and lowered his head, then after collecting his thoughts after a momentary, yet dramatic pause, he looked back up and grinned with half of his muzzle, licking his lips in the process.
"I want to prove those lizards wrong."
\/##########\/
I got a heart full of pain, head full of stress
handfull of anger, held in my chest
And everything left's a waste of time
I hate my rhymes, but hate everyone else's more
I'm riding on the back of this pressure
Guessing that it's better I can't keep myself together
Because all of this stress gave me something to write on
The pain gave me something I could set my sights on
Never forget the blood sweat and tears
The uphill struggle over years the fear and
Trash talking and the people it was to
And the people that started it just like you
Tried to give you warning but everyone ignores me
Told you everything loud and clear
But nobody's listening
Called to you so clearly but you don't want to hear me
Told you everything loud and clear
But nobody's listening
*Linkin Park – Nobody's Listening*