[Author's Note: And after a bit of time with Interlude 3, which I hope shed a bit more light on Hellion and Gage, we're back! Not much to say on this chapter so I'll let it do all the talking. As always, thanks for reading and reviewing and enjoy! -Foxmerc]
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CHAPTER 9
Star-Crossed
LDC Vanguard, Bridge
0904 hours ship time
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"How the hell could this happen?"
Admiral McGarret had been devoured by that one question for the past fifteen hours, since the moment he was bombarded with the horrible news. Speaking it aloud to the busy Vanguard bridge didn't help. All within the same hour he had learned that Gage Birse was missing in action while infiltrating what had been confirmed as an anti-capital ship platform built within the old Bolse station, which had managed to shoot down the Great Fox. Gage was missing and presumed captured by Hellion, Slippy was missing and presumed dead, and Fox was simply missing. The only evidence McGarret had received attesting to Fox's survival was the faint signature trace of an Arwing leaving Venom airspace. And once again, Dianus proved to be one step ahead and colder than ever in her execution. Few instances in the admiral's military career compared to the maelstrom at hand.
The old wolf had sat in his overwatch chair for hours on end, staring out the massive bridge window into space and waiting for any new information from the overworked crew. The high-pitched tone of the chair's folding monitor startled him as it sounded and showed the bridge door guard on-screen.
"Sir, Falco Lombardi wants to see you. Miss Sherwood and the freelancer as well."
McGarret sighed. Any other time he would have sent them away but after dealing with ensigns and crewmen all day perhaps he could use a change. He couldn't keep them in the dark forever, in any case. "Send them in, corporal."
The avian stormed the chair and hovered over it like a furious storm cloud; McGarret didn't need to look up to know he was there. "Where the hell is my team?"
"Missing."
"Don't feed me that bullshit! I gave your damn lackeys everything I know about the Bolse mission and Gage and you're not gonna tell me about my team?!"
McGarret swiveled the chair towards Falco and folded his hands beneath his muzzle. Fara and Krystal had only just caught up, both with concerned looks though the latter showed it more blatantly. He had given many families many notices of relatives killed in action but it was one military job that never became easier. "Surely you noticed the heavy battery that had been built into the husk of the Bolse station. It fired upon the Great Fox and destroyed it. We believe Slippy Toad was killed. Fox was logged as on the surface at the time; he's still missing. We have no idea what they found on Venom, if anything. It all could have just been a trap."
Falco's beak snapped shut and his eyes grew hazy. He only stared for over a minute; a blink now and then, a shadow passing over his brow. In those few moments of stunned pain, McGarret saw the only genuine face he had ever witnessed on Falco. That, coupled with the heavily bandaged arm from Gage's pistol shot, seemed to embody the general mood of the ship: emotional and spiritual pain, undoubtedly just as Dianus would want. Without a word, the avian turned and left the bridge.
Kristine Sherwood stepped forward, her eyes wide and gripped with worry. "Admiral…"
"Miss Sherwood, you really shouldn't be part of this. You shouldn't even be out of the living quarters."
"I know and I promise I'll go back there and not run away from the guards you gave me again but I really, really need to know about Gage. I know something happened but no one's saying what." She clasped her hands in a praying gesture. "Please please please."
"Miss Sherwood…" McGarret stopped what he was going to say and thought better of it. Better that she hear it from him than piece together rumors from the crew. "It looks like Gage was taken prisoner by some pirates. We don't know anything beyond that."
"Ohmigod." She buried in her face in her hands and spoke through tears and her own fingers. "I knew something like this would happen. I just knew it."
"He's the toughest soldier I've ever met and he's pulled himself out of plenty of impossible situations. Don't count him out just yet."
"I know." The reassurance didn't seem to help much. She shuffled back a few steps and appeared as if she would fall to her knees before Fara caught her and eased her into a comforting embrace while she cried.
"And you?" McGarret shifted his gaze to the red vixen. "Can I assume I answered your concerns as well?"
"Yes, sir." Her eyes reflected the same pain seen in the other woman but an obviously seasoned demeanor hid it admirably. "I haven't known many people like Fox and Gage. If you need any help in finding or rescuing them, I'll be here."
McGarret strummed his fingertips and pursed his lips for a few seconds. "Tell me, Fara, can you prove your whereabouts aboard the ship for the past few days?"
She softly grunted, expecting such suspicion. "Yes, sir. I know the guard you assigned to me is supposed to be watching me and she's done a great job. I'm sure she can vouch for me along with security camera feeds."
"I don't want to be paranoid but you must understand that I need to take every precaution. Dianus knows a lot and I need to know how she knows. It could be a mole, it could be advanced surveillance and decryption equipment, or it could be a goddamn deck of Tarot cards for all we know. I know you risked your life to help Gage in that Fairington restaurant and I know he doesn't think you're a mole; please just bear with me as I check every angle."
Fara nodded. "I understand, Admiral."
"Can you look after her?" He gestured towards the blue canine.
"Sure. Come on, Kristine. Let's get some tea in the mess hall.
Just as they turned to leave, Fara stopped as the chair's comm beeped again and the voice of an operations controller came over the line. The monitor glowed to life, showing the young feline ensign, his eyes dark with exhaustion. "Sir, I have updates from spacecraft control and the communications hub."
"Go ahead.
"Hangar C1-4 is requesting authorization to admit a special operations vessel from Corneria. It's Dagger."
For the first time in a long while, McGarret allowed a small grin. "There goes the neighborhood. Authorization granted. I'll meet them there myself. What's the update from comms?"
"They, uh…they say they just received an anonymous message regarding Hellion and Captain Birse. A picture, sir."
McGarret felt immediately uneasy; somehow he knew the twins were the type to gloat and taunt about their victory. For the moment he was thankful that they hadn't yet received an arm or heart in the mail. He looked up at Fara, who had stayed to hear the news, and said, "Why don't you two go to the hangar? I'll introduce you to Gage's team; they might help reassure Miss Sherwood."
Fara nodded and reluctantly led Krystal away.
The admiral turned his attention back to the ensign and, with a deep breath to ready himself for what he might see, said, "Send me the picture."
"Yes, sir."
When the picture replaced the feline's face on the screen, McGarret stared for a moment, swallowed, and sighed through his nose. He tapped the print command on the screen and retrieved the materialized picture from a nearby console before leaving the bridge and heading for the hangar.
-
The squad of deckhands preparing the hangar for the ship's arrival snapped to attention when McGarret entered. He quickly saluted the squad leader so they could return to their duties, which mostly consisted of checking and double-checking the critical components like lights, thruster shields, and energy barrier readings. Operations technicians in the control room high above called out orders and affirmations over the echoing loudspeaker.
McGarret joined Krystal and Fara against the rear wall, out of the deckhands' way, and watched as a cold silver ship emerged from the shadow of space and approached the shimmering blue energy field separating the hangar from oblivion. The light frigate eased through the barrier, causing it to spark and backlash gently in an almost beautiful fashion. The general silence of the hangar as the squad waited to receive the ship was broken as the rear engines passed the barrier, shaking the walls with the sudden noise of its power before shutting down in a slow decrescendo. Once the skids hit the landing pad the deckhands scurried to secure the ship.
McGarret gestured for the two women to follow him as he made his way to the ship's aft where the loading ramp had already begun to lower. Once metal connected with metal, two figures descended toward the admiral. He recognized them once light illuminated their faces, not from personal acquaintance but rather from studying the files of every Dagger member during the past week. A fellow wolf touched down first, a green bandana wrapped above his brow and a long, secure rifle case over his shoulder. Keen eyes moved from the admiral to the two ladies and back again before he stood and saluted. A pale yellow leopardess, almost gray in the proper light, stepped next to him, garbed in the same type of black BDUs that Gage had worn around the Vanguard. She joined her teammate in saluting.
"At ease," McGarret said, stealing a glance up the ramp. "Where are the others?"
The leopardess answered flatly. "Specops command didn't feel your request warranted all of Dagger. With Starfox and the Vanguard's tactical superiority, they decided to keep half the team home on Corneria for training and versatile deployment." She grimaced. "I'm sorry, sir, just relaying orders. I hate sounding like bean counters as much as you probably hate hearing from them."
The admiral groaned. "Too bad command doesn't have an update of the situation. Things have changed since you left. We'll talk once you're settled. I'm Admiral McGarret as you've probably guessed. You're Sergeant Ley, recon, correct?"
"Yes, sir, Captain Birse's personal shadow." She grinned a little. "Last time we heard from him he said he was bored stiff up here."
"Yes." McGarret cleared his throat. "And you're Master Sergeant DeLaine, marksman."
"Sir." The younger wolf's face remained unchanged.
"Good. I'd like you both to meet a couple guests of the Vanguard." McGarret gestured for the women to step forward. "This is Fara, a freelancer Gage and Fox rescued from the pirates. She's offered her assistance."
Fara stepped forward and shook their hands, a cordial smile on her face but hesitant in her movements. She seemed intimidated by them and stepped back without a word.
"And you'll probably recognize her. This is Kristine Sherwood, better known as Krystal to…well, everyone else in the galaxy I suppose. Gage rescued her as well."
"Wow," Krystal breathed as she stepped past the admiral and took the soldiers' hands in turn. She seemed comforted just being around Gage's friends. "So you guys are the real deal, huh? Gage talks about his team all the time. It's, like, all that's on his mind. He's always like, Dagger this and mission that and duty this. That's why I like him though, you know? He's all, like, real and genuine. Hey, you guys ever want tickets to a show just say the word. Are you fans?"
DeLaine and Ley exchanged a glance before the latter answered. "Uh…we don't watch a lot of vidscreen. We've heard of you, though. Hear you on the radio sometimes. According to men in our barracks on Corneria, you had quite an interesting presence in a magazine recently."
"Yeah, I kinda liked that one too. The staff was my idea. Hey, is that a gun in that case? You ever kill anyone?"
DeLaine blinked. He glanced around at the others in the room as if expecting it all to be a practical joke. Finally, he muttered, "Once or twice."
"Okay." McGarret placed a hand on Krystal's shoulder and gently eased her away. "We'll have time to chat later. I need to talk to Dagger alone for a few minutes. Fara, can you take Krystal to get that tea now?"
"Sure." Before leaving, the vixen nodded again at Ley and DeLaine. "It was nice meeting you."
When the door slid shut behind the two women, McGarret waved the Dagger soldiers towards him and led them to the side wall, out of earshot of any deckhands. "My men will handle your bags. I'm afraid we need to get right down to business. Undoubtedly you're wondering why Gage isn't here to meet you."
"What happened?" DeLaine asked without missing a beat.
"I trust you've been briefed about this Dianus person who's been harassing the Vanguard. Yesterday, I sent Fox McCloud to investigate a possible enemy Arwing on Venom's surface. At the same time, Captain Birse and Falco Lombardi were sent to recon a surge of activity in the abandoned Bolse satellite. You can read the details in the brief later so I'll be blunt: Dianus has converted Bolse into an anti-capital ship laser platform and she used it to destroy the Great Fox. Fox is still missing, his technician Slippy Toad is dead. Gage infiltrated Bolse and sent us the technical files from the maintenance database but he was captured by some old friends of yours." McGarret produced the folded picture from his pocket and handed it to them. "I'm very sorry."
Ley took the picture and unfolded it. Ares and Eris were immediately recognizable, wide eyed and smiling like children in a family vacation photo. Standing between them was Gage, his hands bound with rusted chain and his top ripped off, revealing a torso and arms marred by many blood-crusted lacerations. His face fared no better but it was harder to see due to his downcast eyes, his expression one of hidden fury. Further study of the picture showed that the three of them stood in a dilapidated delicatessen, complete with a refrigerated display case behind them and a wide menu board on the wall behind it. On the chipped, faded menu board, one of the items had been crossed out with a black marker and replaced with "Captain Gage" in sloppy lettering. The price to the right of the item had also been crossed out, replaced with "6 billion." Below that was written, "In separate pieces, absolutely free!" To top off the sick diorama, Eris held a rusted deli meat slicer near the side of Gage's neck.
"My God," Ley breathed. "Hellion's here? And they have the captain?"
"Yes. Apparently they want six billion credits for his return, which is ludicrous."
"It's meant to be," DeLaine said. "Like Artemis Thirteen. Smokescreen. They'll kill him anyway."
McGarret nodded solemnly. "I wanted Dagger to see this first. I'll put some men on tracing its source or finding out where the hell Hellion could have found an abandoned deli."
Ley looked at the picture again, her brow scrunched and her muzzle pursed as she studied. "I might have an idea. Sir, can I use your archives without security restrictions?"
"Of course. Follow me."
As McGarret took the lead out of the hangar, a hand on his shoulder halted him. He turned to see DeLaine's steely eyes burning a cold fire from under his bandana.
"Sir," he said, "when we find where he is, who do we need clearance from?"
McGarret nodded slowly. Given all that Gage had done for him and his ship, it never even occurred to him that the loyalty would not be paid back in kind. "When the time comes, just tell me what you need."
-
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"I looked like a fool in there, didn't I?"
Fara glanced up from her foam cup of coffee but didn't meet Krystal's eyes. The blue canine sat across the mess hall table, nursing a rapidly cooling cup of tea as if it were a double bourbon. While any other time she would have been more than happy to answer truthfully, she didn't want to risk upsetting Krystal's fragile emotional state. "No, not really. Maybe a little loquacious." She couldn't help throwing a word out that she knew the other woman wouldn't know.
"A little what?"
"Chatty. Wordy."
"Oh." Krystal took a sip of the tea. She glanced around and seemed more relieved than usual that not many people were around to gawk at her. "I get that way in front of people sometimes. Especially men. That DeLaine guy was cute."
Fara rolled her eyes at her coffee. "I thought you were chasing Gage."
"I was. But we had a talk and I thought about it and I guess I like him more as a friend. I've never had, like, a true friend. If you ask me, that's a lot more rare than finding just a lover. He got me thinking about what I was doing with my life and whether I was happy and…well, it all seems so trivial right now with him being in the trouble he's in."
Fara nodded slowly. "I figured you'd have him in bed the night he rescued you."
A few moments of silence passed, Fara keeping her eyes down and Krystal following suit. Finally, the latter spoke up. "You don't like me much, do you?"
"You catching on to that?" A glance up at Krystal's hurt expression and Fara felt a twinge of guilt. She sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm just upset over Gage."
"Oh." Krystal took another sip and spoke softly. "You like him, don't you?"
"Yeah, sure. So do you."
"But you like him as something more. Maybe that's why you don't like me. To tell the truth, I felt the same way about you back when I thought I was falling for him."
Fara blinked in surprise, either from having her feelings brought to the forefront or from having to humbly admit that Krystal could have been right about something. "I…well, yes. I felt attracted to him from the moment I saw him. When we had dinner in Fairington it only grew. When he fought that assassin in the restaurant I couldn't stand staying outside and waiting. I rushed in after him, my own life not even a concern. I never felt that way about anyone before. I never even knew I was able to feel that way."
Krystal grinned a bit. "He's a special guy. Even after all he's been through he's able to be caring to those around him, even an annoying whiny snob like me."
"Oh, come on, you're not that bad. At least not as bad as you were when you first came aboard. Maybe you're getting used to slumming it."
Krystal covered her eyes with her hands. "Ohmigod, don't say that. You have no idea what I'd give to be home again. My swimming pools, my mansion on Corneria…the one on Katina…the other one on Corneria. The cars, the thrill of the concerts and photo shoots, the tea served in priceless mugs instead of foam cups. Oh, to taste actual food again!"
Fara chuckled. "I was wrong, you're still as just as bad."
"What about you? Don't you have a home somewhere?"
"Not really," the vixen answered quickly. "Listen, I didn't get much sleep last night. Let me walk you to your room and then I'm going to take a nap. We can pick this conversation up later."
"Oh…well, okay then." Krystal finished what was left in her cup and stood. "You don't have to escort me around if you don't want to."
"The admiral wants me to make sure you're okay. It's no trouble."
The familiar walk to the living quarters was mostly quiet, with a comment or two here and there about the ship or other small matters. Krystal, as always, offered a smile and wave of greeting to any soldier that looked at her in surprise or awe; given the ship's size, many of the crew still hadn't seen her and those who had did not mind a second encounter. It made her feel good to lighten their moods such that they approached her with glum faces and walked away with a smile.
"Home sweet home," Fara said when they arrived at her room. She followed Krystal in and looked around at the cold metal walls which the blue canine had tried to spruce up with her colorful clothes hanging from hooks. "Hard to imagine someone like you in a room like this."
"Gage said something like that, too. You're all so weird. They actually just moved me here from a smaller room." Krystal kicked off her shoes and checked herself in the wall mirror. She leaned close to it and checked every angle of her face and neck. "Oh, great. That's all I need. Hey, this is kind of embarrassing but can I ask a big favor?"
"You can ask."
"My fur dye is starting to dull and flake. I should've redone it awhile ago but I was hoping to be off the ship by now. I usually have like three assistants help me with it but…well, like, can you help? I just can't reach my back. It's no biggie, I just take a shower with this special soap that dissolves the dye and then reapply it. Like an hour, max."
Fara cocked an eyebrow. "You want me to dye your back."
"Yeah, that's about it. Pretty please? We can be friends now that relationships with Gage aren't an issue, right?"
"One step at a time. Fine, I'll do the dye thing. Make it snappy."
"Great, thanks." Krystal pulled her shirt off, replaced it with her robe, and cinched it shut before undressing underneath it. "There's just one thing. I'll do most of it in the shower after I strip off the dead coat and dry off. Then I'll come out and you have to reach under my robe and apply the rest. Okay?"
"Wait, what? Why? You don't strike me as the physically shy type."
"It's not that, I just…" Krystal hesitated. "I don't want anyone to know my true fur color. It's ugly. I'm hideous without the blue dye."
"Whatever it is it can't be that bad. I won't tell anyone."
"No," Krystal said in the sternest tone Fara had yet heard from her. "Please. I really, really can't let anyone see. Only my assistants know and they're all under legally binding contracts not to tell anyone. It's important to me. If people knew my real looks my career would be over."
Fara shrugged. "Okay, if it's that big a deal then fine."
"Great. Thanks."
One part of the room that made it marginally better than normal crew quarters was the private shower, though the small bare-bones setup separated by a clouded glass door was hardly luxurious. However, when faced with the alternative of the communal showers down the corridor Krystal found the willpower to use the less than pristine accommodations. She stepped inside, tossed her robe so it draped over the door, and soon the room was filled with steam and the rush of running water. Fara moseyed around the room, making faces at some of the lavish articles of clothing. She stopped by the sink in front of the mirror and studied one of the canisters of blue dye.
"So you wear this stuff literally all the time?" Fara called over the water.
"Yeah," came the muffled reply. "Ever since I was seven and did a commercial where I played an alien. The look just stuck."
"When was the last time you actually looked in the mirror with none of this gunk on?"
No response. Fara thought her question might not have been heard and was about to repeat it when Krystal responded. "When I was seven." She remained silent for another few moments. "Seventeen years."
"Really? Wow."
"Everyone said I looked so pretty, that the blue was wild and different and sexy…well they added that last part when I was older. I went from commercials to modeling and guest spots as a singer. I love singing. My agents wanted me to just model; the singing was my idea. I wanted to do it as my primary focus and they seemed happy with it as long as I sexed it up enough."
"Well, I think you hit that nail on the head." Fara put the can back down on the edge of the sink. "Didn't you mention that Gage got you thinking about what you were doing? What, you're not happy doing what you're doing?"
A short silence as Krystal pointed her nose at the shower head and rubbed her muzzle and face. "I don't know. I, like, really love the attention, I admit it. But remember that night when Gage told us the story of how he escaped that prison camp? I came out of there thinking…wow, there's a guy who knows what he's doing. The things he does really, like, matter. No one will ever know he did them but they matter more than what I do and I make like a trillion credits more than him."
"He doesn't care about money."
"I know, that's what's so amazing. I want to do something that matters, too. But all I can do is look sexy and sing, and I don't even know if I can sing all that well even though I love doing it. I wish I had Gage's guts and confidence. Hey, hand me a towel."
Fara retrieved a fuchsia-colored towel from the wall locker and tossed it over the door. "You know, it could be pretty hard to have confidence when you haven't even seen your true reflection in seventeen years."
Krystal's silhouette showed her vigorously drying off. "I told you, I'm ugly without the dye. I was nobody without it on. The only time anyone every paid attention to me was when I had the dye on. So why bother ever taking it off?"
"Look, I'm not going to try and analyze you here but I know a few things from experience. Some people have stage names or writing names or mercenary personas, but you've completely absorbed yours. Everything about you is a cover; Krystal instead of Kristine, blue instead of whatever real color you are, sex and money instead of just singing. The only thing you can't hide with a foolproof cover is how you feel about it all."
"Hey, look, you don't know what it's like. Nobody wants boring, ugly non-blue Kristine and I learned to accept that. I didn't say I hate my life I said Gage just got me wondering. Yeesh. Can you give me one of the dye cans?"
Fara picked up a can and rolled it around in her palm. "You said Gage is a friend and that's why he brought that up, right? To help?"
"Yeah."
"And you said that we can be friends now that Gage isn't between us, right?"
"Sure, I'd like that. Where's the dye?"
"Consider this my first friendly act." Fara unscrewed the top of the can and poured the dye down the sink drain, globs of blue ooze falling out with a sickly sucking sound. She turned the faucet on to ensure it all washed down.
"What are you doing? What's that sound?" After the sound of another can opening, Krystal caught on. "Ohmigod…what the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"Just trying to be a friend." After the second can had been emptied, Fara unscrewed the third of four and started pouring it out as well.
"Stop it!" Krystal wrung her hands and shivered, helpless behind the clouded glass. She felt the absence of her dye the way an addict longs for a fix but she dared not leave and show herself. She remained trapped in the shower by her own will, on the verge of tears. "How can you do this? This is what I get for talking, for being honest."
"If you didn't want my opinion on some level you wouldn't have been that honest. But don't go having a heart attack, the final decision is still up to you." Fara tossed the empty can with the others and plunked the last can in the middle of the sink, sealed. "There's one can of dye left but you have to come and get it. It's right in front of the mirror. I think after seventeen years you owe Kristine another glance before covering her up again. You can decide whether to do that or not. Who knows? You might answer Gage's question in the process."
Fara walked toward to the door, leaving Krystal trembling in the shower. "Take it from someone who knows; it's difficult being true to yourself, especially when you aren't even sure who you are. But it's worth exploring, whether you find out or not."
The door slid open then shut again. Krystal slowly cracked the shower door and peeked into her room to make sure Fara was gone. Despite the red vixen's absence, she still felt it impossible to walk out into the open looking as she did. With a light, shuddering breath she pulled the glass door shut.
-
-
"See?" Ley tapped the picture of Gage and Hellion which lay next to the keyboard on the computer workstation before her. "The paint's faded but in the corner of the menu board you can see a logo. I thought it looked familiar; it belongs to 'Borden's Best,' a short-lived convenience store and delicatessen chain based on Zoness. After Andross turned eighty percent of the planet into a toxic waste dump, Borden's went under."
"Not surprising given the beating the planet took," McGarret said, his eyes fixed on the console screen which showed government logs and listings for the deceased company. The archives room had been emptied allowing them privacy to speak of Gage's situation. "The Zoness government is doing an admirable job cleaning up the planet but they've been combating rogues and pirates for years. A mess of them took over the biohazard zones after the war, occupying abandoned cities and towns."
"Right." The leopardess typed another string of keystrokes and brought up a planetary map of Zoness. "Dagger has performed several missions on Zoness; the planet is riddled with ghost towns. People were forced to leave after the biohazard outbreaks brought on by Andross and most of them never moved back. Practically an invitation for squatters. There used to be lots of farmland, quaint towns, stuff from history books; explains the retro look of the deli in the picture. It's a shame; it was probably a beautiful planet."
"It was," McGarret sighed. "So we can be pretty certain we found the right planet. But according to those logs, Borden's had a couple hundred locations. How do we find the right one?"
The leopardess clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and leaned back in thought. "Well, I'm not as good as Tien at coaxing love from a database but I can give it a shot. I suppose we start by eliminating locations that existed in populated areas that are still populated today. Then we can eliminate locations still in biohazard zones, maybe ones near military outposts, then—"
"Check Hellion's history." It was the first input DeLaine had given since the three entered the archives room, though he had been paying rapt attention. "We know them. We know what they want."
"Ah, of course. Let me see here…"
McGarret narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
Ley answered for her teammate as she typed. Red dots – Borden's locations – popped up all over the layout of Zoness onscreen. "Well, sir, it's one factor that might give us an edge. Take me for example. Most people I've taken out never saw me coming and I prefer it that way. Same with DeLaine, only he's a mile away when he kills them and I'm closer than their own shadows. Some missions are louder than others, but in general if Dagger does the job right, no one knew we were there except the Angel of Death. Psychos like Hellion aren't like that. They need people to know them and fear them. Most of all, they need their enemies to suffer mentally and know that it's them causing the pain. Like the Artemis Thirteen incident…they could have killed us all in that blast if they planned it better but they wanted us to see the bomb, to know that they were about to kill us. Those precious seconds allowed us to escape the trap…well, most of us. But I guarantee they got plenty of joy from watching us lose a man. See, they wouldn't be able to just shoot an enemy in the back of the head; they'd have to make eye contact so the enemy knew he was about to die by their hands."
McGarret nodded. "That certainly fits what I've read about Ares and Eris. So you're saying wherever they are, it most likely has meaning for them. Or it's a hidden taunt or gloat."
"Possibly. I'm cross-checking Hellion's known offense record with Zoness." The screen became filled with multiple entries. "Plenty there, obviously. Let me see if any of them coincide with Dagger operations." With the new search parameters, only two entries remained. "This first one is a diplomatic escort mission during the war, no incident. This other one is called Operation: Brushfire. Let me have a look."
The room fell silent as Ley opened the file and read, the long report scrolling down every couple minutes. McGarret noticed Ley's face becoming more grim as time passed until she finally finished reading and leaned back again with a long breath.
"I think we found it," the leopardess said. "Five years ago, after the war, Dagger was on loan to the Zoness government to clear out Venomian remnant forces holed up in some of these ghost towns. Some of the Venomians and pirates took to working together and they formed a sizeable base in a ghost town called Redgrove. Dagger infiltrated the town one night, eight hours ahead of the Zonessians. Their orders were to eliminate hostiles and pave the way for the military regulars. Intel was sketchy and when Dagger arrived they discovered fifty or so civilians who had been kidnapped from recently hijacked spacecraft, along with about a hundred more pirates than anticipated. They couldn't break comm silence to call in emergency reinforcements so they sat tight. Soon, the pirates had built a bonfire in the middle of the former town square and started playing sick games with the captive civilians. Dagger had to watch as some were tortured and killed. Finally, the commander – a Captain Terrington - made the call to engage the overwhelming force. With silenced sniper fire and stealth tactics, they killed thirty or so stragglers before the pirates took notice. An intense firefight lasted for a half hour with one civilian killed in the crossfire, along with Captain Terrington. Every Dagger member received at least three wounds. But they won the day." Ley added the last bit with an air of pride.
"Where was Hellion in all that?" McGarret asked.
"According to an addendum at the end of the report, it was only recently discovered that Ares and Eris were members of the pirate gang. Obviously they escaped and struck out on their own. Of the six Dagger operators who went in that night, only Captain Birse and Braddock are still on the team. Terrington was KIA, two others left for command positions, and Hart was killed in the Artemis Thirteen incident. It's pretty interesting reading a mission report of the team that preceded us, eh, DeLaine? Hey, wait, look at this…huh…Captain Birse was actually promoted to captain after this mission due to his valorous performance. He replaced Terrington as Dagger commander. Sort of ironic when you think about it: because of this horrible night, the twins went off on their own as Hellion and Gage was promoted to Dagger commander. Talk about star-crossed fates."
"Sounds like Hellion's style to me," McGarret said with a curt nod. "Gage is a valuable soldier and a good man; I'll spare whatever I can to aid in his recovery. If the twins are set on killing him, we only have as much time as their interest in him allows. I don't need to tell you that they're probably satisfied with their brand of torture for the moment but that could end any time."
Ley nodded. "We don't have time to wait on spy drone imagery. We'll have to recon and adapt on-site. If the captain is there, we'll get him out one way or another."
"Absolutely," DeLaine agreed.
McGarret reached over Ley's shoulder and tapped a few keys. A prompt appeared asking for his pass code, which he entered. "I'm sure Dagger is used to hearing this by now but this mission doesn't exist. It doesn't leave this room. I'm sending you to Redgrove's coordinates to scan for pirate activity. Should Captain Birse happen to miraculously escape, I hope your ship is there to pick him up. I trust I don't need to explain the details."
"With every officer I meet telling me I don't exist, it's no wonder I can't find a date," the leopardess said. "I sure pay a lot of taxes for a nonexistent person though."
The old wolf chuckled. "We all make sacrifices, some more than others. I'll have operations control send the flight plan for your Redgrove 'reconnaissance' mission to your ship's nav system. You have full access to the Vanguard's armory. Is there anything else you need from me?"
Ley thought for a moment and raised her eyebrows at DeLaine, seeing if he could think of anything.
"A pilot," the sniper said, strumming his fingers on his crossed arms. "A good combat pilot and co-pilot."
McGarret frowned a bit. "That could be a bit more difficult. I need Bulldog unit here as long as Dianus is a threat. We have plenty of pilots, but no others with special forces ship infiltration training. StarFox is all but shattered at the moment." A thought entered his mind and he shook his head to dismiss it. But as he ran through his mental list of squadrons, none of which had ever escorted a black ops mission or even had the clearance to do so, he realized he was quickly running out of options. He walked to the comm unit on the wall and touched the summon button. Within moments, the face of the bridge guard appeared. "Corporal, can you please notify Miss Fara that I'd like to see her in the north archives room."
"That won't be necessary, sir. She's been here for the past ten minutes trying to get through but I told her you didn't want to be disturbed, as ordered. Falco Lombardi is here as well."
McGarret looked over his shoulder at the two Dagger soldiers. They exchanged a glance and hesitantly nodded at the admiral. "Send them in, corporal." He flicked the screen off and turned back toward Ley and DeLaine. "Lombardi is a very fine pilot but he was shot in the arm yesterday, not to mention he's not taking the loss of Mister Toad and Fox's disappearance very well."
"We can assess him," DeLaine replied. "If he's too big a risk, then forget it."
"What's the story with this Fara, sir?" Ley asked.
"Gage and Fox rescued her after our initial contact with Dianus' pirates. She provided us with some helpful information but her past is rather shadowy. We can't even find out her last name and either she won't tell us or she doesn't know either. She has a long record as a small-time mercenary and smuggler around Macbeth, Zoness, and Aquas. From what few law enforcement reports the database had on her, it appears she's quite a good pilot and has outmaneuvered military and criminal rivals alike."
The leopardess tapped the side of her muzzle in thought. "Do you trust her?"
"She hasn't given me any reason not to trust her yet. She even aided Gage at the risk of her own life when he was attacked on leave by an assassin. I just wish I knew more about her."
"We can assess her," DeLaine repeated.
A few moments later, the metal door slid open, allowing Fara and a somewhat subdued Falco to enter. The already heavy mood was lowered still by the tragedy that had struck StarFox and left Falco alone on the Vanguard. The avian stepped to Fara's side and met the eyes of both Dagger operators in turn.
"Falco," Ley said in greeting. "Been a while."
"Yeah." He cleared his throat. "Good to see you again."
"I'm sorry about Slippy."
"Yeah. Good guy. Got on my nerves sometimes but—" The word caught in his throat and he didn't finish the sentence. He swallowed, cleared his throat again, and spoke with a stronger tone. "I want to help with Gage."
"We both do," Fara added.
Falco continued, "I have to do something and I can't help with Fox if I don't know where he is. I want in on anything that hurts this Dianus bitch. Besides, I flew Gage into Bolse and it didn't sit right with me ditching him, even if he did tell me to."
"Mister Lombardi," McGarret replied, "you and Captain Birse were both rather adamant about your dislike for each other. I understand you want to strike back at Dianus' forces but the pilot needs to be calm, detached, and most of all loyal to the mission."
"Hey, we may not be buddies but we both shoot in the same direction."
McGarret looked at Ley and DeLaine. Despite what he thought, he knew a team would operate best if it felt comfortable with its other members. Sometimes it was best to put command and rank aside and let the soldiers choose their path, especially when it came to an independent elite squad like Dagger.
"What about you?" DeLaine's eyes were fixed on Fara.
"Gage saved my life," the vixen said. "I haven't met many people like him. That should be reason enough. I used to smuggle past police checkpoints and outlaw blockades. I know how to be discreet with a ship and, if necessary, how to get out of a firefight. I don't have much experience working with military types so Falco would be the pilot, I'd be co-pilot. We talked about it after I dropped Kristine in her room."
"Is she okay now?" the admiral asked.
Fara hid a grin. "Yeah. Took a long shower."
DeLaine stepped from where he had been standing to the computer workstation and leaned against it, his eyes downcast and meeting those of the sitting leopardess. Though the others expected them to discuss it, they simply looked at each other with a raised eyebrow here, a turn of the lip there, a soft shrug of the shoulders. Finally, after a bit longer of the subtle body language, they nodded in unison.
"When can we leave, sir?" Ley asked the admiral.
"As soon as you're ready." McGarret wondered whether he should pull Ley or DeLaine aside and remind them to be wary of the experienced yet risky pilots but he knew that would be superfluous. As with Gage, he was sure the two Dagger operators studied, watched, and suspected everyone around them at any given time. If there's one thing McGarret had learned from Gage it was to trust the man's abilities. "I'll see what further intel I can dig up on the area and send it to your ship's computer. Good luck, all of you. Bring Gage home."
-
Titania, Papetoon Research Facility
1833 hours local time
-
Fox sat on the wing of his Arwing, his arm draped over the blue port laser cannon shield. Sand and wind whipped at his face but he barely noticed; the setting sun burned his eyes as it lowered itself beneath the dunes and desert rocks, coloring the sky the hue of cooling magma. He had been there for hours, staring at the rock formation in the distance, the same rocks that housed the door marked "Papetoon." He remembered when he was there last, when it was nothing more than an abandoned Venomian research facility. Now, his mind couldn't help but conjure a phantom James McCloud descending the earthen stairway with Vixy and Andross beside him.
"You son of a bitch," Fox muttered under his breath.
Another phantom of James appeared. This one hurried away from the facility, alarms blaring behind him, smoke rising from the stairwell from the bombs that had destroyed the Arwing prototypes. Did this exonerate him? Did this make his father any less a traitor? Perhaps it did. He sought to fix his sins, but after how many lies and traitorous acts? He would never again be seen the same in Fox's mind.
But his mother…
All of Fox's tears, any that he had left, had long been soaked up by the desert sun. He never imagined there could be a worse fate for his mother than her 'death' at the hands of Andross' assassins. He had felt numb for a long time, trying to process that everything he ever knew about his mother was wrong, that any love he ever had for her was misplaced and unfounded. All this time, all during the war, the true enemy he was striving to defeat was a woman who gave him life. The most torturously ironic part, the part that twisted his ethical foundation to the core and made him question every action he had ever taken in life, was that he did it all to make his supposedly dead parents proud and to avenge them.
"Everything I ever believed in is one big lie."
Fox didn't want to hear his voice anymore; it sounded too much like the voice on the recording, James' voice, the voice of the enemy. His name made him sick. The Arwing he sat on made him sick. Knowing the blood in his veins was shared with them made him sick. He didn't want to think about any of it. It was all he could do to not fetch his pistol from the cockpit and end the entire sordid lineage once and for all.
But that wouldn't end it. Dianus…Vixy…still existed. All this time, Fox feared the McCloud family name was dependent on him…one death away from extinction. Now he didn't know how he felt. If he died, the McCloud name would belong to Vixy or die out, taking with it the stain of treachery and evil. If Dianus died, perhaps Fox could retain the honor he earned from and since the war, despite the sins of his parents. The burden weighed heavily upon him and put his heart through a grinder. Everything that ever mattered to him, teetering on the precipice of two moral opposites, one death away from falling.
Fox couldn't bear to think of it anymore. The numbness and shock had worn off and he was left with the weight of the discovery crushing him, calling on him to do something. As dusk crept over the desert, Fox climbed over to the cockpit and opened the canopy. He picked up the pistol on the seat, looked at it for a moment, and shoved it into his leg holster. He lowered himself onto his seat, fired up the power systems, and called a familiar comm frequency. After a few moments, the display activated and an old canine face appeared.
"General Pepper here."
"It's Fox."
Pepper stared for a moment and didn't answer immediately. "Fox…I received the report from the Vanguard. I'm so sorry. Please, if there's any thing I can—"
"I need to see you."
"That's fine, of course. Peppy and his family are staying near the base as well for security; he's been worried sick about you."
"Tell him I'm okay. I just needed some time to myself. I'm going to stop by the Vanguard first to refuel and talk to Gage. He—"
Pepper cleared his throat, loud enough to interrupt Fox. "I suppose you wouldn't have heard. Captain Birse was captured while on a recon mission."
Fox remained silent for nearly a minute, the desert wind whistling in his ears over the open canopy. "I have to go, General. I'll be in touch."
"Please, Fox, take care of yourself."
Fox flicked the screen off. As the canopy closed, he took one last look at the darkening horizon where Papetoon's entrance lay. The mental phantom's weren't there anymore and that scared him most of all. It reminded him that they weren't phantoms at all. Reality was a far greater nightmare than anything that awaited him upon sleeping.
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-Chapter 10 coming soon-