Dawn cascaded down upon the Cornerian Army Base, alighting upon the windows in hues of amber and gold and brightening the sweeping grounds. Crouched low upon a hill overlooking the back entrances and exits of the military complex was a single figure, poised and completely still, intense eyes fixed upon a pair of glass double doors as though waiting for someone to walk out at any moment. In fact, stony-faced Wolf O'Donnel was waiting for Merrick Di'mant - with an adamantite sniper rifle balanced steadily upon his shoulder.
It was many days following the attempt on Leon's life, and the event had a separate impact on each mercenary of Star Wolf. Celestra spent much of her time in the executive office with Erik and Slippy, divining new and inventive ways of infiltrating the Army Base without getting caught; Morray was spearheading the campaign to approve the use of the obmion wavebeam for use in smaller, handheld weapons. But the change was most prominent in Wolf, who spent the majority of his gime at the swiftly-recovering Leon's bedside. When he wasn't in the company of his friend he was to be found in the logistics department with Jak Winchester, where he was being tutored in the uses and purposes of every single weapon in the grand KWEST arsenal. The mercenary commander slept little, training far into the night in his tunnel vision to exact revenge on Merrick.
This day, fully a week after the attempted assassination, marked the return of Wolf to the real world, and then only because of a request Leon had made to him: "Don't give him the chance to attack anyone else."
Wolf had taken the plea to heart; here he sat, ever-vigilant and unmoving, steadfast in his ultimate goal: put a stop to Merrick, whatever the cost. It struck him quite suddenly how like a Loyalist he had been acting of late; he now hunted men he had previously shared views with and traveled alongside two of the most active Loyalists in all the Lylat System. He sighed, resolving to convince himself that it was all purely a means to an end.
There issued a small, almost inaudible click behind him; Wolf cursed silently and became very, very still. Then the air was full of high, mirthless laughter, followed by the words, "This is ridiculous! I have been aware of your presence for over an hour now, Wolf. Now turn around so we can discuss this, and leave your sniper on the ground there."
Having little choice left to the contrary, Wolf slowly laid the sniper rifle in the grass and rose, turning his back on it and facing Merrick in the rosy pre-dawn sunlight. The Rogue Leader was holding a laser pistol cocked and ready and a smile of simpering superiority on his pale, drawn face. Wolf, for his part, did well to remain silent, but he did not throw up his hands in surrender.
"So the famous Wolf O'Donnel at last shows himself at my doorsteps," Merrick began, clearly enjoying himself. "What a pleasant surprise. I assume you're here because of my little run-in with Leon?"
Still the mercenary commander chose not to gratify the taunts with any sort of response, and Merrick felt a certain surge of victory - until a cool gun barrel rested on the back of his neck and Wolf showed the ghost of a triumphant grin. "Let's just be havin' ya drop yer own weapons, then, ya think?" came a rough Katinan voice, and Merrick wasn't fool enough to disobey. The previously-concealed Jak Winchester kicked the Rogue Leader's weapons out of range, then melted out of sight with a nod of acknowledgement to Wolf. Merrick couldn't help but chuckle. "I can see that you're really serious about this. Very well, then. Let us begin."
Wolf crossed his arms, almost nonchalant as he tilted his head to one side. "I know all about your personal beef with Leon, but I feel obligated to let you know that if you pull anything even remotely close to what you pulled last week, I'll paint your forehead with the laser sight from every gun I own. I'm pretty sure I'm up-to-date with what you've got in store - not just for Leon, but for Lylat too - and before this goes any further I want the full story."
Merrick did his best to keep a greedy glint from his eye; just what was Wolf insinuating? "Are you saying that you're considering joining me?"
"Maybe." Wolf's face was sharp and severe, yet smoothly unreadable; in fact, aside from appearing threatening he seemed utterly calm. "But like I said, I want to know everything before any more decisions are made. And no games. It's the truth, and we strike a deal - or you can expect my shadow to follow you to hell."
"Very well," Merrick said again, this time with a mite of uncertainty to his tone. "Shall we move this discussion to a more private location? Say, Riva's? It's a coffeeshop a mile or so south of here. Be there in an hour."
The Rogue Leader turned on his heel, leaving his weapons discarded on the hilltop, and a shiver traversed Wolf's spine. Now at last he understood that he was dealing with a pro.
Wolf waved off Jak's offer to accompany him to Riva's telling the logistics expert to instead return to KWEST where he was less likely to be reported as missing. An hour later the seasoned mercenary leader stepped into the cozy coffeeshop alone, unarmed save for a miniature electron pistol holstered to his lower back beneath his flight jacket. Merrick was already waiting for him, seated in a corner near the back of the shop with a still-steaming mug of cappuccino on the table in front of him. Wolf took the seat opposite the Rogue Leader, ordered a latte, and fixed Merrick with a look that clearly stated they should dispense with the subtleties and move on to business. Merrick obliged almost immediately.
"What do you know?"
"Not enough." This was said in truth; Wolf studied his hands in his lap, mastering his thoughts. "Leon won't talk to me. And I know that if he hasn't said a word to me, he hasn't said a word to anyone."
Merrick nodded in understanding, swilling the contents of his mug with a thin stick of cinnamon and studying Wolf's face carefully; he seemed to be collecting his thoughts, deciding on how much of the truth to reveal. At last he dropped the stick back into the frothing cappuccino and settled back in his chair, saying, "I envision Lylat quite differently than any other, Wolf. I am in contact with the majority of those Separatists who survived the initial purging of the galaxy, and with Pigma and Andrew at my side I've even got some leverage for mistakes."
Wolf felt his face contort into a feral snarl. "I get it. The only reason you took them in is because you needed a couple of disposable scapegoats to cover your tracks."
"Precisely." The Rogue Leader smirked wickedly. "I know just as well as you do that Pigma is loyal only to money, and Andrew is a leech who will attack to anyone strong enough to protect him. Being so well-entrenched beneath General Pepper, I have both. They will do my bidding until I no longer need them.
"But I am only a stepping stone in the path to total domination. I can get rid of Pepper whenever I choose. I can raise an army of thousands whenever I feel the time is suitable. I have more power and influence than even you can imagine, and it's all to bring Lord Andross back to life, and back to power.
"However, a single problem remains - you and your new mercenary squad. I must say, you should be commended for choosing your comrades - the First Emperor of the Glory Days, General Pepper's number one assassin, and the commander-in-chief Arspace mastermind. I consider you to be one of two things - either my most admirable adversary, or a valuable partner."
A waitress delivered Wolf's latte; the former lupine sipped slowly and calmly, thin wisps of steam wafting up against his face. "Okay. What do you want from me?"
"A few things, all doable even in your position, I assure you. The first is to help me smuggle a few rogues into KWEST, so I can continue the recruitment process; the second is to deliver Sensenic Morray to me."
Wolf returned his mug to its saucer with a clatter; Merrick raised a single suspicious eyebrow. "Morray? What do you want him for?"
"Simple - the man is a genius. He can engineer weapons and spacecraft for a rogue army, not to mention he knows the identities of the KWEST executives. Not only that, he would make a valuable hostage should things turn ill for me." Merrick set to stirring his cappuccino slowly again, never taking his eyes from the mercenary leader. "But if I know you, you'll have very little trouble giving him up. After all, you're only working with Marquette and Morray because you have no other choice, am I right?"
Silently, Wolf evaluated the situation. Merrick had a good point; he was very well entrenched and surrounded by dangerous allies who had nothing to lose. There was little doubt that Andross would reward anyone with a hand in his revival, and Wolf and Leon would be well taken care of. All it would take was the betrayal of his two other companions. Wolf straightened in his chair, and Merrick looked excited, until -
"Sorry." Merrick's face fell at the word; Wolf's eyes were closed, and he was speaking quietly yet clearly. "Maybe everyone's right; maybe I'm getting soft. But Leon and I already decided that we would rather die than watch Andross return from the grave. And whatever you think you know about me is a lie - Celestra and Morray aren't just allies anymore."
Wolf rose, downed the rest of the foaming latte, and started away. It was only when Merrick laughed out loud that he turned back.
"I didn't think I could sway you, Wolf. In fact, I would have been disappointed if I had. That's why I told Captain Anilora where to find team Star Wolf before I left the Army Base; I'm sure he and the rest of Star Fox are en route to KWEST at this very moment. You'd better hurry."
With a loud curse, Wolf sprinted out of the coffeehouse; Merrick chuckled and ordered another cappuccino.
Wolf had returned to the Garrison at light speed, huffing and puffing as he revved the engine and pulled into the busy K'yorin traffic. While he waited impatiently for the stoplight to turn green he dialed the frequency number for KWEST, shouting into the audio transmitter, "Slippy, Erik, you there!"
"What seems to be the problem, respectable Mr. O'Donnel?" came Erik's voice, and he and Morray appeared on the screen together.
"You had better hope I never discover you making away with my vehicle, respectable Mr. O'Donnel," Morray warned airily, but the mercenary commander cut him off with a feral snarl.
"Listen to me, both of you! Round up Celestra and Leon, and get Paradox prepped for departure. I just left Merrick and he said Anilora and Star Fox are headed for KWEST; we've got to leave the planet."
Erik's mouth gaped but he slouched out of view to locate the others; Morray stepped closer to the G-Diffuser, face dangerously pale. "But Wolf, if we leave now... Aronius... Gilraen... so many unsuspecting men's lives will be placed in jeopardy with our absences..."
"It'll be no better if we're caught here!" shouted the former lupine, blazing through the inner-city and at last shifting onto the moderately-busy freeway. "It doesn't matter now - Merrick's probably told them enough, and I'm sure they figured the rest out on their own. If we sit around we'll be arrested and convicted and executed! And even if we're not - with us out of the way, there will be no one left to stand up to the rogues!"
Morray seemed to be coming to terms with the situation, although it was clear by his expression that he did not wholeheartedly agree. "If they catch up to us in the air... you don't suggest that we fight them, do - ?"
"We won't have a choice," Wolf heard Leon say, and his comrade shifted into view on-screen. "Anilora's orders will be to order a surrender, or apprehend us by force if we refuse. As neither you nor I have any intentions of giving up, Wolf, we must fight them if they find us."
"I'll have Arwings moved into the cruiser's docking bay," came Slippy's voice from across the room, but Wolf interrupted before the younger executive could exit.
"Under the circumstances, I think you and your little friend should come with us. If Anilora discovers that you've been housing dangerous fugitives in your enterprise, the pair of you will be arrested too."
"Me and Erik, leave!" Slippy shrieked in a voice quite unlike his own. "But we can't... there's no one else who could - "
"Leave Jak in charged until it's safe to come back!" suggested Celestra in a very harrassed tone. "Slippy, you can't stay here!"
The toad's shoulders sagged. "You're right, but I - "
"I'm back!" Wolf cried, and even as he said this Jak waved the mercenary into a vacant hangar in the underbelly of Paradox. As he leapt from the Garrison and sprinted out into the sunshine, he caught a brief glimpse of four strange Arwings before the hangars all clanged shut in unison. He and Jak sprinted inside, where they collided with a frantic-looking Erik.
"We must make haste!" insisted the arctic fox, and he ushered them back the way they had come, just in time to see Morray straightening his wide-brimmed black bolero and Celestra strapping on her belt with weapons. Slippy and Leon joined them in the foyer, the former looking positively distraught; as a group they hurried out to the waiting cruiser, whose engines had already been warmed by KWEST personnel. Jak bid his superiors good luck, and the landing pad withdrew into the cruiser's underside.
"The skies are clear," Leon announced, and Wolf increased the engine output until they were soaring away from Corneria and had entered deep space. Immediately the bridge was filled with accusatory voices.
"What are we supposed to do now!" Celestra shrieked at Wolf. "Where do we go!"
"Whatever our decision, we'll hardly be in a position to defend our fellows should Merrick attack," Morray added irritably.
"Let's all try to think," Erik pleaded, exasperated.
"Shut up, all of you," Leon interjected, arms crossed in a defensible fashion across his chest. "I think getting rid of the cruiser following us would be job one."
They all turned in horror to see the Great Fox streaming through deep space behind them; Slippy lost his head completely and burst into tears. Erik placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, though his eyes, too, were fearful, Wolf pounded at the controls, willing the little Fortunan cruiser to outrun their enemies; Morray wrung his hands fretfully, and Celestra looked over at Leon. Curiosity turned into horror when she saw the look on his face, for it was one of deadly hunger, an expression she had not seen him use since the days when they had fought against one another as adversaries. And then, quite before any of them were suitably prepared, a voice crackled to life over their G-Diffuser system.
"We know you're in there, Star Wolf; this is Fox McCloud of the mercenary unit Star Fox. Shut down your engines and surrender, or we will open fire on your cruiser."
Trembling with rage, Wolf snarled and moved to reply. "Stand aside, Fox; things are happening that you don't understand. And even if this was just another day, you can't really expect me to roll over and play dead, can you?"
At the helm of the Great Fox, the younger mercenary leader glanced sidelong at Captain Anilora; the man's face had tightened in confusion and puzzlement at Wolf's words, and questions floated half-formed in Fox's mind, too. Was his bitter rival bluffing, or was there really something of importance occuring that they knew nothing about? As if to answer them, Falco crossed his arms and ruffled his feathers in irritation. "What a load of crap. Don't listen to him - those scumbags would do anything to get away."
Suprisingly, Bill readily agreed. "I say we just skip the negotiations and shoot 'em now. Nobody would miss 'em, and that way there's no chance they'll escape."
Anilora shook his head, violet eyes ever-thoughtful, watching the opposing cruiser carefully as they pursued. "The general gave specific orders to bring them into custody if at all possible, so that is what we must try to do." He edged closer to the helm and spoke into the communication device. "We have no desire to attack you, unless you refuse to comply. If you shut down your engines and come along quietly, your lives will be spared - you have my word."
"Your word doesn't mean anything to me, Captain Anilora - giving up now just means we'll be delaying our deaths. Pepper will give us the death sentence and have us all executed in public. Besides, Star Wolf doesn't surrender to anyone. If you want us, you'll have to shoot us down." Wolf issued the command for the Arwings to prep, glancing around at his teammates; Leon seemed monotonous and indifferent, as he usually was before battle; Celestra looked worried, and Morray appeared to be fighting nausea. "We'll settle this in the sky."
The Katinan captain hung his head, at a loss; Fox sighed and turned to his wingmates. "That's it, then. Let's deploy the Myst Alphas and do what we've got to do."
Aboard the Paradox, Wolf was marching down the hall to the docking bay, Leon in his customary place at his commander's right and one step behind; Morray and Celestra followed slowly, dragging their feet, clearly doubtful. When they reached individual spacecraft hangars, though, they were surprised by what they saw: four spotless, shining Arwings, a model quite unlike any they had ever seen.
"What the hell - ?" trailed Wolf, obviously skeptical, until Morray took one step forward and explained.
"These are the prototypes for the newest KWEST model of Arwing, the Myst Beta; over these past many weeks I have been volunteering my expertise to Keil's memory data, and Slippy and Erik have been hard at work with the engineering process. Although they are only prototypes to the final result, they should be suitable for battle against the Myst Alphas."
"Unbelievable. Those two aren't completely useless." Wolf gave the new prototypes a once-over, then issued his orders. "Celestra, you're the better flier - Bill is your target. Morray, do your best with Anilora."
"You can't expect us to fight them," Celestra protested weakly, looking defeated. "Bill is my best friend, and Gilraen - "
She abruptly quieted, cheeks flushed; Morray was scowling deeply to himself, and Leon was watching the female assassin with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. Wolf was adamant. "I'm in charge of this operation, and I do expect it of you. If you want to put a stop to Merrick, we've got to get away from these guys first."
Wolf was almost shocked when Morray came to his aid. "We must repel them. If we are apprehended, no one will be left to oppose Merrick."
The look she gave Morray in answer was filled with venom; emotions hectic, anger mounting, the four mercenaries of Star Wolf boarded their personal spacecraft and ejected from the four open hangars, falling into a 1-2-1 formation on Wolf's command and pressing forward to meet their challengers.
Fox's voice crackled to life over Wolf's intership communications system. "Last chance, Wolf. Agree to shut down your fighters, and we'll give you all the protection we can offer."
"I don't want your favors or your protection, Fox. I've got enough to handle at the moment without you uninformed amateurs picking fights with the wrong people." Then, to his fellow pilots, he was flatly, "Fire at will."
Having been stuck in a hospital wing foir quite some time, Leon was the first of the eight pilots to make a move. He maneuvered his Arwing around Wolf's to strike quickly at Falco (always his designated target), but the avian was an excellent flier and not unused to sudden attacks; a swift barrel-roll around Fox had the pair soaring free from the pell-mell group, now chasing one another recklessly and trading hasty shots. At a word from Fox, Bill darted from his position at the rear and tore up the center toward Wolf, and was cut off by a dazzling roll by Celestra, who seemed to have come to terms with her role in the battle. Wolf nodded once in the direction of her spacecraft in silent thanks before turning his sights on his rival mercenary leader and firing with abandon.
In fact, they were all so busy trying to stave off their opponents' attacks that no one noticed Anilora and Morray, whose Arwings hovered, immobile, facing one another.
Anilora could not begin to make a rational reasoning for why he hadn't attacked, or at the very least gone on the defensive. Fox had told him prior to launch that he would be up against Andrew Oikinny, by all accounts the least capable of the four mercenaries, but surely the nephew of the late Tyrant of Lylat would not hesitate to take a shot at the captain of the Loyalist empire? Although his primal side urged him to open fire, some unnamed force gripped him and stayed his hand; in his own cockpit, Sensenic Morray was experiencing similar thoughts.
"My dearest captain and friend," he lamented softly to himself. "Why do you not attack? Surely you understand that you must, for I cannot take up arms against you. Yet even as I say this you make no move against me! Can you possibly suspect the truth? How many innocent lives might we save together if I revealed to you the grand scheme?"
Wolf's craft swooped near, Fox hot on the pursuit, and as he passed the former lupine shouted "Damn it, old man, get a move on! You're made of tougher stuff than this!"
"Alas," murmured Morray, and with a heavy heart he took up his Arwing's controls. "I cannot tell. Your life might well depend upon my ability to keep silent. May you find it in your heart to forgive me one day."
He squeezed off a couple of shots, jostling the left flank of Anilora's fighter; the sudden aggression jolted the Katinan captain from his sudden moment of realization, and he returned fire.
But Anilora was not the only man experiencing doubts; running parallel to his intended adversary, Bill was also thinking suspiciously. He had been briefly exposed to Pigma Dengar's particular style of flying in all his years as an assassin, and he was certain at once that whoever he was battling now was not Pigma at all. Fox had him under the impression that Pigma's skill with an Arwing was limited, but this was far from true as far as his opponent was concerned. Quite the contrary he was hard-pressed, even outclassed, and that knowledge served to unsettle him.
Falco tore by, lasers firing madly, and cursed when Leon barrel-rolled sufficiently to deflect every shot. An acrobatic U-turn had the diminuitive mercenary spiraling back toward Falco; the avian executed a somersault, and Leon sailed past. But the first turn had been a feint only, as Falco came to understand as Leon turned again and collided heavily with his nemesis, wingtips razing long, angry gashes along one another's spacecraft.
"Damn you, Powalski!" Falco howled, watching, enraged, as the shield gauge of his Arwing was abruptly halved from the impact. As he passed, though, he was afforded an open shot at the rear of Wolf's fighter, which he took. The former lupine muttered a curse but continued his flight away from Fox, who was pursuing closely and aggressively.
Thus far, neither Anilora nor Morray had been particularly active in the scuffle, but in a split second that changed completely. Bill cried out suddenly as one of his wingtips ignited and burst into flame; Anilora narrowed his eyes, heart swelling defensively for his friend, and mercilessly opened fire on the enemy he thought was Andrew.
But who was actually Celestra.
Morray heard his lover scream over the private intership channel that Star Wolf shared, and the sound was more than he could bear. Abandoning all morals and principles he tightened his grip on the Arwing's controls and attacked the Katinan captain, eyes aflame. Anilora spun, accepting the volley stoically as he turned, and now he and Morray fought angrily with every ounce of skill they could muster.
It was nothing short of a nightmare, and for a moment Celestra merely stared, spellbound and horrified as her friends fought each other. As she hovered there, at a complete loss, Anilora turned on her and fired again, narrowly missing her left flank.
She did nothing, only dropped her hands from the spacecraft's controls, leaving herself completely vulnerable. Only a few hundred feet away, Leon glanced over and witnessed her predicament.
It happened all at once, before he had even given it a single thought; Anilora fired, Celestra gasped, and Leon rolled his spacecraft in front of Celestra's, taking the blows. The others all converged at once, firing blindly; face perfectly blank but eyes reflecting intense inner rage, Leon launched several shots that imploded the engines of Anilora's Arwing. Everyone abruptly stopped moving.
"Nobody move," the youngest mercenary said smoothly, lasers warming as Anilora hovered helplessly before him, "or this battle becomes fatal."
The tension mounted to its highest yet, and although his life was in danger, Anilora could hardly believe what had just happened. Teamwork had never been high on Star Wolf's priority list, and suddenly taciturn, cold-hearted Leon Powalski was taking hits for one of his wingmates? It was completely unprecedented! But it seemed that only he had noticed, for the others were anxious and silent.
Wolf cleared his throat almost delicately and spoke pointedly into the open aircraft channel, "Leon, now really isn't the time."
"I do think we were forced into this situation to begin with," Leon spat back instantly. "It seems threats are the only chance we have of keeping our lives."
"Turn off your weapons, Leon," came the surly mercenary commander's order, and his tone was one of steel.
There was silence for many long minutes, and then Leon spoke again, quietly and venomously. "Board your cruiser and go back to Corneria, Star Fox, and I will let your dear captain live. Refusal to comply will result in his death."
Bill reacted immediately, cursing loudly and angrily through the communications line; Falco was similarly enraged, shouting "You damned coward! Let him go, now!"
Celestra and Morray were watching Leon, horror etched, ultra-defined, on both their faces; Wolf looked away, dreading what might happen. Fox pondered the situation quickly, the feeling of fear very real and acute in his chest, then heavily dropped his hands from his Arwing's primary controls. "Don't shoot, Powalski. If you promise not to open fire, we'll power down our weapons and retreat. Deal?"
The Star Fox mercenaries could not believe their eyes when the fires of neon lighting the lasers of Leon's Arwing sputtered and went out. "Then take him and go. And I would advise you not to hunt us any longer - many things have changed, and you do not know what it is you are attempting to disrupt. Now, go."
They did not need telling twice; together the four Loyalist mercenaries soared slowly back to the Great Fox, but not before Fox muttered mutinously, "This isn't over, Star Wolf. You win today, but remember this - we'll put you behind bars one day."
As soon as they had safely docked their Arwings, Falco and Bill erupted into such a magnificent string of expletives that Fox could only stare. Their vehement protests echoed off the walls for many minutes, cursing the fact that Star Wolf had eluded them again, until they noticed Anilora standing far removed from the group, gazing out an ovular window, watching the strange cruiser bearing their rival mercenary squad away to the northwest. The shouting died away abruptly.
Slowly they trouped obediently to his side, carefully silent as the captain sorted his thoughts, and then, quite unexpectedly, he shook his head and chuckled in disbelief. "My God... is it really that simple?"
And motioning for the others to follow, the Katinan captain led his companions swiftly out of the docking bay. Anilora's stride was long and quick, his face intense, his eyes burning; the others exchanged a curious glance, asking wordless questions, but held their tongues and hurried to keep up.
He led them to the briefing room of the mercenary cruiser and motioned for them to sit before pacing up and down the room before them; Fox signaled for ROB, the ship's AI, to brew coffee for the lot of them, and then watched Anilora. The man seemed agitated, as though something had occurred just under his nose and he was irritated for missing it, and when they all sat with steaming mugs of freshly-brewed coffee before them he at last turned to speak. "That wasn't Star Wolf," he began thoughtfully. "At least, not completely."
There followed a stunned silence. Falco ruffled his feathers again.
Anilora had resumed his pacing, but was speaking offhandedly too. "It makes perfect sense! Their behavior..." He had the look of a man who has just received a great deal of information in a very short period of time, and then he stopped and turned to them, triumphant.
"Gentlemen... I do believe I have just made sense of all these strange happenings in Lylat. As outrageous as my assumptions may sound, please do not interrupt until I have finished.
"We have just witnessed a behavior quite unlike the Star Wolf we know, have we not? Wolf was more unwilling to fight than I've ever known him to be, Leon took hits for a wingmate, and Leon did not kill me, though he had ample opportunity to - "
"They're just tryin' to trick us!" Bill blurted out, and Anilora fixed him with a cold glare.
"You would think, wouldn't you? But does that explain the drastic differences in Pigma's and Andrew's flying techniques? Does it also explain why neither Pigma nor Andrew never spoke?"
Bill opened his mouth to protest, but Fox cut him off, saying, "...I don't believe it! You're right. I never heard either one of them speak!"
"Precisely. That is because the other two pilots were not Pigma and Andrew."
"Then who - ?"
"We've been remotely correct all along. The wreckage of Star Wolf's cruiser was found near the camp that Sensenic had set up on Titania during the colonization process. The engines had been tampered with, correct? They boarded Sensenic's cruiser and probably followed him back to Daxter. If Wolf was telling the truth when he said that something is happening, and it was something truly unbelievable..."
Anilora cut himself off, shaking his head, and started again.
"Celestra was near there at the time - Sensenic may have spoken of her, perhaps - and she is more aware of the galaxy than anyone. If they approached the pair of them, she may have seen reason to aid them. If that's true, they would have decided to leave the planet and go into hiding; aiding criminals is treason, and Sensenic would be very aware of that. So perhaps they were not captives at all - perhaps they went along of their own free will."
"No, they wouldn't - "
"There's no way - "
But their protests were feeble and without any true conviction; Anilora continued, speaking more quickly now.
"But if Pigma and Andrew were not about... ah, I see. There must have been a mutiny within Star Wolf, yes, of course! And the tip-off we got today about them hiding out in KWEST... how could we be so blind! Don't you know? Who else has been missing all this time!"
Fox gasped and covered his face with his hands. "Oh my God, Slippy! Slippy's been gone for months! He disappeared one day without even telling us - "
"And Erik Nioxin disappeared, too, because of the death of his brother," continued Anilora. "And the only family he knows is Sensenic - of course! Erik and Slippy must be the executives who own and operate KWEST enterprise!"
"And of course they'd listen to Morray and Celestra..." mused Falco, and they were all catching on now. "So that was them... we were so close, and we didn't even know..."
Anilora was standing at the window now, his face pained as he gazed out at the stars. It was a dangerous situation indeed, and while he was a rational man he knew that General Pepper would be quick to jump to conclusions; regardless of the situation, he would order the deaths of Wolf and Leon, and insist 'til the end that they had brainwashed or kidnapped Celestra and Morray.
After all that had happened during the second Lylat War, Anilora knew that he would not have the capacity to just forgive and forget, but one thought gave him pause: he knew Celestra, better than he knew even himself, and knew also that she would never enter into an alliance with two of her most hated enemies unless the alternative to not doing so was something horrible indeed. And with the whole galaxy in a state of unorganized reconstruction, even the slightest problem could result in disaster. Similarly, Sensenic Morray, as Commander-in-Chief of the Loyalist empire, had far too much honor and loyalty to betray that which he believed in.
Something terrible was about to happen.
"Here is what we must do," Anilora began again, sounding weary yet resolute. "This information must not reach public ears, and we cannot tell General Pepper what we have discovered today. The inner workings of Star Wolf may save us all from unknown peril, and if that is the case we must not disrupt it. I have little doubt that the general would execute Wolf and Leon on the spot, merely because the public demands it in recompense for all the destruction cause in the war. We must keep their secrets and their silence, and pray that they will deliver us from the evil plots we know nothing of."
Fox, Falco, and Bill exchanged a glance, all looking overwhelmed and even ill. They didn't doubt Anilora's wisdom for a moment - countless times he had done such things, and in dangerous times, to the benefit of all - but the enormity of the situation was highly unsettling. Withholding information on the workings of Separatists was a serious matter, and their reputations, their lives, would be at stake for doing so.
But their trust in Captain Gilraen Anilora was far greater than their fear, and silently they entered into a secret alliance to protect Star Wolf.
The mood within the Fortunan cruiser Paradox was decidely more volatile. Wolf fumed all the way to the briefing room, and when they had all filed in behind him he whirled around, snatched Morray by the collar, and pinned him roughly against the wall. "What the hell was that, Morray! I say shoot, you shoot! You don't sit there and wait for him to figure it out!"
Showing a rare fury, Morray shoved Wolf away from him, face sour. "You cannot demand that I take up arms against a friend and superior! I fought defensively - there is nothing more I can offer you, respectable Mr. O'Donnel, and if you ask more of me I will not give it."
Wolf was taking advantage of his stockier build and his slightly taller frame now, but Morray wasn't backing down. "If they realized who you are, they'll turn us in to General Pepper! It'll be your fault when we're all convicted of treason and conspiracy, and then sentenced to death! Do you want to be responsible for that happening to her?" As he finished he jerked his chin in Celestra's direction, jaw set and firm in his fury.
Morray's face had tightened; they had never seen him so angry. "How dare you bring Celestra into this? How dare you even attempt to use me as your scapegoat?" His fists were curling and uncurling at his sides. "This is no folly of mine, and I will not accept blame for your cowardice!"
Snarling in rage, Wolf planted his feet and plunged a fist deep into Morray's stomach; Morray, though certainly taken aback, did not crumple, but broadened his stance, cocked his right fist, and punched the mercenary commander squarely in the jaw. Both stumbled back, panting for breath, eyes filled with pure contempt, and their feud was momentarily forgotten when both realized that while they had been quarreling, Leon and Celestra had left.
"You were going to shoot him!" the female assassin was shrieking hysterically, tailing Leon closely as he stalked toward his private quarters. "You were going to kill Gilraen!"
Leon ground his teeth in an attempt to subdue his mounting anger, and somehow managed to keep silent. Celestra would not allow herself to be shut out of his room, following him in.
"I thought you were changing!" she continued, clearly frustrated. "Aren't they on your side? Don't you want to stop Merrick?"
"Of course I do," Leon muttered back, voice dangerously quiet. "But the number of casualties I inflict along the way means nothing to me. Gilraen's life... Sensenic's life... they are all forfeit. I will stop at nothing now."
Celestra was trembling with barely suppressed rage. "And my life? Would you kill me, too?"
"Do you mean to oppose me? If you do, then yes, I would put an end to you."
"What did he do to you?" she exclaimed, trying in vain to make sense of it all. "What happened to you, Leon? Why did you end up... like this?"
Leon's eyes flashed dangerously; she had his full attention now, but that was far from a good thing. With a voice like poison he whispered, "What did you just say?"
"Whatever happened to you doesn't matter!" she pleaded, seeing that she had gone too far. "I might be able to help you... just tell me what happened to - "
His hand darted out, clamping around her neck and tightening like a vice; Celestra batted at his arm with her fists, but Leon would not budge. "Don't talk about things you don't understand. I chose to be this way, and make no mistake. Whatever happened in my past has only made me stronger, and taught me that people are not to be trusted. That is why I am loyal only to power - anyone can betray you, and everyone will."
As calmly as though he had done nothing out of sorts, Leon released Celestra's neck and dropped her remorselessly to the floor. there she gasped and choked, clutching her sore throat, and watched hazily as he turned his back on her.
