A/N: The next two chapters will be mostly filler. But it will pave the way for things to get rather interesting. Chapter 26 is already finished, I just need to re-read it before I post it. Enjoy the chapter.
Chapter -25-
"Game Changer"
A month later…
"Marcus?" The voice belonged to his mother. She stepped into his quarters, sensing his permission to enter. "Look, I know what the oracle said to you. But remember... Kursed was proof that things can happen differently in different dimensions and I don't want you to feel like you have to go out of your way to respect the wishes of the fates in this one."
"I know I have options. I never doubted that. Heck, I could die tomorrow if I get careless. I know I have to keep my guard up and make smart decisions. Just because she said I was going to live to do all these crazy things doesn't mean I can slack off; I don't have a free pass. And I know I can change things. But I also have a duty to my friends, family and the only planet I've ever known as home."
"You know there's a chance she survived. They didn't find any residue DNA. The staff landed beneath the force field. When the field dropped, the ash remains would have layered the staff. Yet it was clean, save her paw prints."
His eyes shifted to the left. "Who's to say she didn't arrive on the other side in outer space? If the corebase wasn't in the same place in that dimension... she'd be screwed. Not to mention she'd be defenseless without her staff. And who knows if the planets are even at the same point in their orbital track if she wound up in another dimension? She could be fused inside of Solar's Core; my imagination is running wild."
"For all we know, sweetie, she wound up on a corebase at the same place, at the same time, and there's another Krystal there with another staff. And whether or not she's gone... we need to learn from what happened and react to it properly. And we need to focus on the tasks at hand."
Marcus looked up at her. "Mom, it's been four weeks. Almost five, now. And guess what? We tried two more attacks and couldn't get it together. We couldn't finish the job. That freak has become too powerful and the lizards are behind her in the most fanatical way. I've never seen Venom airspace as particularly challenging before. I was an inexperienced moron last year and I managed to get into Shrey Lek. But now we can't even get within a hundred thousand kilometers of Area-6! Pretty soon, Crimson is going to have to return to the academy. Then I'll be down another pilot. Why are we out here hiding, anyhow?"
"To lick our wounds, of course." Krystal frowned, seeing his crestfallen expression. She cupped his muzzle in her palm and lifted his chin until their eyes met again. "Marcus, calm down. You're getting yourself upset and you need to focus on your training. I've been working with you non-stop for nearly four weeks and you know what I've noticed?"
"What?"
"In the last few days, you've been hiding something. Very well I might add. Do you wanna talk about what's bothering you?"
"I'm not bothered by something, mom," he said with a forlorn sigh. "It's not that I'm hiding something... I'm just really emotional about something and I'm not sure if it's an appropriate time or place to discuss it."
"Why don't you try?"
"Not yet," he said. "But I will. Soon. I promise."
Krystal released his maw then ran her paws back through her headfur. "Very well. I have good news that will cheer you up."
"Alright, go ahead."
A grin touched the vixen's muzzle. "I just got a communiqué from Fara before I came to your room. Now that Asper is planet-side, she's been given permission from General Grey, personally, which allows her to come back out here for an extended amount of time. I have no idea what she told him but she's surprisingly emotional and very difficult to read. Then again, she messaged me from across the sector. She should be coming through the jump gate any time. I know you've missed her the past three days."
"You have no idea." Marcus got up and kissed his mother's face then hurried out of his quarters, calling back to her, "See you on the carrier, later!" He hurried down the hallway to the flight deck of the dreadnought then opened the cargo bay doors and waited.
Twelve minutes later, Fara's Arwing came into view. He saw the twinkle in the distance and his heart began to race. His mother came out to the flight deck, boarded Kursed's old shuttle and departed for the Carrier, a mile off the port side. Moments later, the Arwing fighter moved into position for final approach. It gracefully swooped in at a shallow vector and landed on the flight deck, making the difficult angle look easy and natural.
Marcus pushed a wheeling ladder against the side of the fighter and hurried up to the cockpit. By the time he made it to the top, the canopy was starting to open with a hiss of pressurized air. Fara Phoenix looked up at him with a grin. "My, my... I've never received a greeting like THIS before!"
"Things are different now," he said. Marcus took her paw and helped her from the cockpit then moved back down to the deck with her. Once her feet were on the deck plates, he lowered to his knees and placed the side of his head against her belly. "Hey there," he whispered. "Welcome home." He stood back up and kissed her then drew her into his embrace. "Welcome home... both of you."
Fara draped her arms over his shoulders and grinned. She lowered her muzzle and he did the same. They pressed their foreheads together just to be closer. "Have you done your homework?"
"Thinking of good names is hard," he replied.
"Did you get the list of Cerinian names from your mother?"
"I've not even told her yet. I don't know how she, let alone how dad will react. I need more time. I'll tell them soon, I promise."
Phoenix returned his look with a dull gaze but kept her forehead against his. "They're going to find out sooner or later. She's telepathic, Marcus. If she doesn't read it from you, she'll read it from me. Or from Crimson. I'm surprised she hasn't found out about it already. And I'm surprised you've not told the rest of the team yet."
"I know, I know... I'm getting there I swear. Y'know, Falco is coming home soon. Two more days."
"Asper told me, actually. He's quite close to the Lombardi family now that he's helping to stepfather Jamie. Speaking of Jamie, I saw him. Violet was there when I brought him in to port. She was very grateful. She also gave me a jump drive full of photographs... new ones you've not seen yet. When did you want your next visitation?"
"Soon. I'll call her and arrange something. There's been no word about Anezka or Venom for five full days now. I'm nervous that this might be the 'calm before the storm' scenario. I'll feel better about having Falco back. So have you heard anything about Corneria's front?"
"They're holding their own right now. The front line is seeing a lot of action," Fara explained. "Katina and Fortuna are doing well. The supply lines haven't been broken and Fichina is doing well. Venom hasn't even so much as paid any attention towards Papetoon, Aquas or Zoness... so the baby is quite safe. Also, Violet wasn't nasty towards me this time. Maybe because I brought her man home safe and sound without any visible scratches. She actually thanked me with a hug; I was surprised."
Marcus offered a thin smile. "I'm glad she's coming around. She's warming up to everything. Does she know you're pregnant yet?"
The fennec snorted with a half-giggle. "Are you kidding? No way, not yet. I don't need to get glared at again."
"Fair enough." Marcus lifted her up and grinned. "Okay. Let's go do something together. I'm glad you're home. Did you tell the General that you're pregnant?"
"He gave me off until I'm 'ready' to come back." She grinned. "I don't know if you already knew or not but… Fay is expecting, too. She's quite a bit further along than myself, though. She's going into her second trimester. When I told Bill, she was actually present at the time."
Marcus grinned, holding the fennec in his arms. "What did she say?" He carried his girlfriend off the flight deck and into the hallway.
Fara rested her head against her mate's shoulder. "She was like, 'Oh William, we absolutely MUST throw Fara a baby shower! Blah-dee-blah blah!' You know how she talks. They're probably still sitting in his office planning out their wedding." She kicked her legs gently, just to be playful as he carried her up the hall at a casual pace.
"And you saw the doctor to make sure?" His question received a nod in reply. Marcus grinned. "Did you get sonogram pictures?"
"Of course I did, silly boy. They're in my purse with Violet's flashdrive. So, it's official. Our future child is the size of a grain of rice. Lylat watch out!"
Charmed, the vulpine pilot laughed at his girlfriend's joke. "I've got Theodore, Crimson and Vivian out on a patrol. Lucy is on our bridge, Amanda and Slippy are on the bridge of the Carrier with dad and mom. Mom actually just left here a few minutes ago. Let's see, uh, ROB is charging, Nibbles is sleeping… we've got the whole place to ourselves. We could go streaking through the halls if we wanted."
"You're in a mood, aren't you?" She reached up batted his nose with her paw. "How about we snuggle up and watch something on the subspace channels? How many stations do we get out here?"
"Seven to choose from," said Marcus. He arrived at the quarters they now shared. The door slid open and he turned sideways, stepping inside with Fara then he carried her to the bedroom. "I want to make you comfortable. We have a day off. Let's seize the day before something bad happens." He released her legs, easing the fennec to her feet.
"Don't jinx our good fortune," she replied and headed for the bathroom adjacent to the bedroom. Fara, having shared quarters with Marcus for four straight weeks now, waltzed into the bathroom without shame, dropped her pants and settled on the toilet with a sigh. "I was so keyed up about the doctor's appointment this morning that I didn't sleep much last night. I know it's the middle of the afternoon but I'm ready to settle in and get my PJ's on. Or, as you suggested, we can just go to bed with nothing on – I don't care. I just wanna relax."
Marcus chuckled, seeing how comfortable she was around him. Then again, she recognized the fact that he could sense her thoughts so she had no reason to act any certain way around him. Fara felt comfortable enough to be herself, even holding a conversation with him from the usually-private sanctity of the bathroom. His ear flickered at the accompanying sound then he drew the comforter back and fixed the fitted sheet so that it was wrinkle-free. "So… seven channels, sweetheart. Sports, News, Cornerian History, Interplanetary History, Afternoon Soaps, or two movie channels. I have no idea what cinemas they're airing right now, though."
"Anything but soaps and news. I've had enough news for now and I grew out of soaps when I was a teenager." Fara flushed the toilet then placed her paws under a lotion dispenser and emerged from the bathroom still rubbing her paws over one another. "The doctor recommends I gain ten pounds. I have a few samples of various pre-natal vitamins and I have to choose one soon and stick to it. He checked my blood sugar and pulled up my family medical files; he said I don't have any history of diabetes but that I should still be careful because pregnant women can sometimes have diabetic tendencies. Blah, blah, blah – I'm healthy. For the third trimester, I'll be doing ops on the bridge. So let's beat this crazy hybrid Krazoa chick before then… that way I don't have to worry about breaking the doctor's orders – you know I'll want to fly if we have missions."
"I'll see what we can do about that," he said with a grin. His eyes lowered, quick to notice that she'd emerged from the bathroom wearing only a shirt. The hem stopped at the top of her thighs and was hiked in the back, resting on the hilt of her tail. "Damn you're hot."
Fara's ears shifted back and she stuck her tongue out. She dropped onto the mattress and sprawled out then she rolled onto her side and pulled a pillow close to her face, hugging it in her arms.
A grin found his face as he watched her. "I love how I'm the only person that gets to see this side of you." He moved around to the other side of the bed, pulled the covers up over her then dropped trou, kicked off his pants and shoes, threw his shirt to the floor and climbed into bed with her. Marcus pulled the covers up over his side of the bed, grabbed the remote off of the nightstand and turned on the holo-vision. He scooted closer to her then drew her into his arms, pressing his chest against her back.
"I almost feel guilty. Almost, but not – here we are lying in bed, spooning… and there are soldiers and pilots out on the front lines, holding Venom's advances. Then again, we've been through enough to deserve a break. So… how was your day?"
Marcus draped an arm over her side, propping his head up on three more pillows, so that he could somewhat pay attention to the holographic image across the room. "Well, I got both the weapon staffs back from Slippy's lab today. Finally. Mom and I had one of our telepathy lessons and my girlfriend came home. Today has been a pretty awesome day so far." He paused briefly then, sensing her question about Slippy's findings on Kursed's staff, he said, "Apparently the staff was bombarded with energy from the reverse-polarity Spellstones when the gravity bomb vaporized their containment casings. So whatever particles they emit when supercharged with radiation, tachyons and neutrinos… that is what somehow altered the weapon staff. The changes are quite permanent and now it's too powerful to be effective in close quarters combat."
"Too powerful for CQC?"
"Yeah, hon. If I used the quake attack on a corebase, surrounded by a few enemies… I'd probably cause the deck to collapse, which would endanger the user every bit as much as the enemies. It would cause instability and danger in any number of settings. You wouldn't want to use it anywhere near a mountain because it would cause a serious shifting in the terrain. You wouldn't want to use it underground unless you're inside of a Krazoa-built bunker… and even then it would be best to use it sparingly… you wouldn't want to use it if you're on soft ground because you would cause a sinkhole and fall into it. And… have mercy, the boost application used to propel the user up by about twenty feet. Slippy's test dummy went into the flight deck ceiling and was destroyed. Sixty feet high and it didn't even reach terminal velocity yet."
"Sounds like it's unnecessarily strong."
"Agreed," Marcus said. "I can just imagine if you used it to blast an enemy… but the discharge went clear through the enemy and hit an innocent in the distance. That would be bad. However, Slippy is working on a dampener setting. He's been testing it and said it just needs a little fine tuning… but the good news is, when you use the dampener, it offers similar output to its original specifications but it now uses the internal charge very sparingly. I hope he finishes it soon."
Fara grinned and turned her head, looking back over her shoulder at him. "So you can possibly use it with the old abilities but the battery will last twice as long, now?"
"Exactly. But the dampener mechanism needs its own power supply. So if the dampener's battery dies and the staff still has charge, it'll go back to being ridiculously powerful. If the dampener is damaged or fails for some reason… you might accidentally vaporize an enemy instead of just blasting them. He said he perfected the unit but it needs tweaking because it has failed several times during testing. It just… dies."
"Power drain or…?"
"Sometimes it's from the batteries dying. I told him to streamline it from the staff's power supply but he hasn't been able to modify the relays properly yet. After a few uses, the dampener becomes overloaded and it fails. Then it needs to have the capacitors replaced. So… it's still far from perfect. Theodore suggested we take the holographic cloak ability out of the staff. I won't be able to use it to look like an enemy anymore but Theodore says if we remove that upgrade, which Slippy invented anyhow, we'll have room for a dampener that is more… well, integrated into the staff. Y'know, instead of adding a little box on the outside of the staff and spot-welding it at the fulcrum or base. Mom's staff still has that old upgrade built in… Kursed's staff simply wouldn't have that ability. Not the end of the world."
Fara pushed her face back into the pillow, wiggling back against Marcus's warm body. "So it has to be interfaced directly with the staff at the cost of losing the upgrade already built in by Slippy from years ago?"
"You got it." He reached over her with the remote. "So, what do you want to watch?"
The fennec vixen found herself staring right through the history program currently being displayed. "Just leave it here for now. So, did you miss me?" She grinned inwardly. Fara Phoenix wasn't the clingy, needy type of woman but she liked when a man was sweet because it felt good on an emotional level.
"I definitely missed you," he whispered into her ear. He couldn't see her smile but he sensed that it pleased her to hear his words and imagined her smile broadening. "I'll show you just how much I missed you after you take a nap or something."
"I look forward to it." Her eyes fluttered shut, just listening to the holo-vision and the sound of his breathing. Sensing her deep state of relaxation helped Marcus to unwind as well.
x-
Kursed closed her paw around Fox McCloud's paw then pressed her lips to his. The liplock lasted for about fifteen seconds then they looked back at their gathered friends and family. She moved in step with him up the aisle, careful not to step on the hem of her wedding gown. Together they emerged from the palace front entrance and they stood at the top of the marble steps.
Invited females gathered at the bottom of the stairs, throwing rice upwards while the men and married women flanked the couple at the top of the stairs, also dousing the pair with rice. She turned to Fox, trying to hold in a giggle. "I'll never understand this custom, love."
McCloud shrugged with a grin. "Well, you know what custom comes next, don't you?"
She nodded and turned around, facing the palace doors. Kursed took a deep breath and threw her bouquet of flowers over her head to the plethora of young female paws, vying for a chance to catch the bouquet. Her ears flickered, hearing a familiar voice. "I GOT IT!"
The victorious cry was followed by several other layers of speaking. One person said, "No fair!" and another simply whined. Kursed turned about and smirked, seeing Katt Monroe standing at the center of the group with the flowers in her paws. She cut her gaze over at Fox McCloud's two best men, watching the taller of the two males cover his face with a groan.
An aged rabbit flanked Kursed on the left and hugged her. She turned to Peppy Hare and wrapped her arms around him. "Hey, old man. You look good in a tux."
"Oh it's been quite a few years since I've had to wear one," he replied. "I may retire from being a General soon, though. Vivian and I want to settle in and relax."
Kursed tilted her head. "Speaking of Vivian, where is she?"
"She's going to meet us at the reception hall to make sure everything is ready. She just left a few seconds ago. Why d'ya ask?"
Kursed leaned in close and whispered into his ear. "Where I came from, she passed away from illness. I'm just glad she's still alive in this universe. It seems like everyone was happy here, except Fox. Now everything is right as rain."
Peppy leaned in close and said, "She's been struggling as of late. She didn't want anyone to know so… you're the only one. But she's not well. Today is one of her good days. Treatments are… oh, heck, I'm not going to bother you with this on your wedding day. Enjoy yourself, Krystal. Vivian, I'm sure, will have a few years left. Oh! Here comes your limo."
Krystal glanced up seeing the stretch hover-car coming onto the dirt road in front of the palace.
Marcus opened his eyes and blinked. He glanced around; the room was dimly illuminated by the holo-vision. He turned it off with the remote control then placed it on the nightstand and sighed in thought. He felt Fara's body against his and took comfort in his girlfriend's proximity. He wondered about the dream… was it more than just a dream? He'd had dreams in the past about Kursed. But was he able to telepathically link to her in another dimension? Or was it all just wishful thinking?
For some reason, the dream put his heart at peace. Marcus smiled inwardly. Not only was it nice to see Kursed getting married… and acknowledging her name as Krystal… Peppy was in the dream and he'd not seen Peppy in ages. The thing was, everyone in the dream looked younger. His father, Katt and Falco… Peppy. If Kursed really did survive the trip, he wondered, then did she also wind up in a different frame of time? And what happened to Krystal from that universe? Did she exist? Did Cerinia never blow up, thus causing her never to leave her homeworld? He was curious but unable to find out any answers.
The strangest thing of that dream, at least to him, was the fact that Kursed spoke to Peppy quite openly about how she'd come from a different universe. Marcus lay there in bed just pondering the validity of his dream. He'd had realistic dreams before. He knew it was one of his unique gifts. It'd been a while since his last one but… it had been a long time since he'd experienced such a happy one.
Marcus whispered into Fara's ear, "I love you," then rolled flat onto his back, after having slept on his side for the last few hours. The fox smiled, hearing a mumble of reply. He sensed that she was saying it back but was too comfortable and relaxed to speak clearly. As long as he'd known Fara, she was usually sharp and clear minded even if waking up from a dead sleep. But now she was letting her guard down because she felt comfortable and even protected when in his arms. He liked that she felt safe enough to relax in such a way in his presence. It was refreshing.
Marcus closed his eyes and waited for sleep again.
x-
Marcus' eyes fluttered open. He took a deep breath then stretched. He felt Fara still against him and assumed that he may have only drifted into a light doze. The fox brought a paw to his face, rubbing at his eyes, and then he eased up onto an elbow to peer at a digital clock display across the room. He blinked in surprise. "It's ten in the morning…?"
Fara stirred, rolling back towards him. "It is? Nah, I'm sure it's ten at night – we took a nap around four or five in the afternoon, baby."
He shook his head. "No, I keep the clock set for military time. It says ten, so it's morning."
She sat up and rubbed at her face. Then she tilted her head. "Hmm… I'm starving – you might be right. Doesn't Falco come home today?"
Marcus swung his legs out of bed and put his feet on the floor. "If it's really ten in the morning, then he should have arrived about thirty minutes ago. Hold on…" The fox closed his eyes again and cleared his mind. After a moment, a wry grin tugged at his maw. "He's here. He's aboard – I can sense him. I also sense Red is awake. Vivian and Theodore are sleeping. I think everyone else is aboard the other ship. I'd better go be a good team leader and welcome him back."
The fennec stretched with a feminine squeak then she rubbed at her face with her palms. "I should probably go and get in the shower. I think we definitely overslept because I feel groggy."
"Letting down your guard, girl?" He grinned and leaned down to kiss her. They both ignored each other's morning breath for the chance to partake in such a splendid kiss. After a moment he eased off the bed and hunted down a pair of sweatpants then stopped in the doorway and told her, "I love you, y'know." He pulled the bedroom door shut behind himself, crossed the living room then, when he was out in the hallway, Marcus suddenly sprinted up the aisle.
He turned right then left, followed the hall down a ways then skidded to a halt at the entrance of the galley. Falco and Crimson looked up. Lombardi smirked. "Well, well, well! If it isn't The Fearless Leader junior. You just wake up? You got serious bed-head goin' on, kiddo."
"Did you bring it?" asked Marcus in an excited tone. "Where is it?"
"Oh jeeze, not even a 'hi' or a simple, 'how was your flight?' All you care about is if I brought it?"
"C'mon, I've been waiting, Falco. Did you bring it?"
Lombardi smirked. "Can't you sense if I brought it?"
"You're filling your head with sports statistics; you're trying to mess with me. So obviously you brought it."
The avian stuffed his hand into his pocket then withdrew a small box and tossed it to young McCloud. "Here, kid. We both already know she'll say 'yes', so just calm down. What's this all about anyhow?"
Marcus glanced at Crimson, glad his friend resisted the temptation to tell. The fox cut his eyes back to Falco and said, "Fara is pregnant. And it's about time I pop the question. I'm serious about this and I couldn't get away to the store to buy the ring. I had to surprise her; that's why I contacted you last night and asked you to pick up the order I placed at Parsimons and bring it to me. She won't suspect a thing."
Crimson leaned back in the galley chair. "What kind of ring do you get for the rich girl who has it all already?"
Marcus stuck his tongue out. "I had something specially made. There's nothing like it in all of Lylat. Now, Falco, I told Crimson because he's my best friend. I'm telling you, but I haven't told my parents yet. So… keep it quiet, okay? I'm going to tell them after I propose to Fara."
Lombardi nodded casually, taking everything in stride. "You're not gunna' do it in front of the media like your father, are you?" (Reflections of The Future, end chapter)
The fox shook his head. "No, she's a little more on the private side of the fence. So, for Fara's sake, I'm going to do it when no one else is around. I don't know how my father will react so… I'm not going to tell him until I've already popped the question, you know?"
Falco stood up with a stretch. "You want me to tell him? I know yer' old man pretty good – I can break it to him in a way that won't cause any drama."
"I know how well you know him but… nah, I'll man up and tell him myself," said Marcus. "Just… whatever you were going to tell him… save it just in case you gotta talk to him afterwards. Y'know… damage control. That sort'a thing. But he's been more accepting as of late… so maybe, you know, he'll be cool about this."
"Yeah, sure kiddo. I'm sure your old man will be fine. Don't worry about a thing. Are you going to do the deed now or after breakfast? I'm frickin' hungry."
Marcus grinned. "I need to think of a way to be clever about this. So… I'll do it later this afternoon when we have some alone time. I'm trying to think of a good way to do it. Like, hiding the ring at the bottom of a wine glass and letting her find it. That sort of thing."
"OH geeze," Falco replied in a stern tone. "It doesn't take a mind reader to know you BOTH love each other and all that jazz. Just grab her left paw, stick it on her finger and say, 'I'm going to marry you, girl. We'll work out the details later but I just wanted you to know I plan on marrying you because I love ya'. Alot." Then you let her fawn over the ring."
Red shifted his weight in his chair. "Mac, what's so special about this ring anyhow?"
McCloud grinned deviously. "It's platinum with a unique mount and I had them make the ring from a diamond that came from inherited Cerinian jewelry. That way she always has a part of my world with her. You know what I mean?"
"Sappy!" Falco crowed. "GOD that's sappy!"
A smirk tugged at the young wing commander's muzzle. "I really appreciate you picking it up for me so I could pull off this surprise… but," he paused, grinned, then said, "You can still blow me, birdbrain."
Falco shrugged off the faux putdown and grinned. "Why does everyone always use 'bird brain' like it's some sort of ultimate cut down? Bill Nerd the Science Bird, he was a smart guy. I'm just sayin'… Your jibes suck."
"So wait," Crimson cut back in. "Since Fara is technically older than all of us here, does that sorta' make her a cougar?"
Falco snorted, trying not to laugh. "Okay, that was pretty good. But she's no Katt Monroe. That chick was the ultimate Cougar back in the day. She flirted with anyone my age or younger. 'Heytiger' this, and 'you'rebeautiful!Icouldkissyou!' that… it was annoying but she did it to try and ruffle my feathers." He buffed his nails on his shirt. "But we all know who she married."
"If it makes you feel any better," said Marcus, "The last time I saw her, she leered at me for getting Violet into this whole motherhood situation. Not that I knew but… I'm pretty sure she hates me."
Falco waved his feathery fingers outwards. "Bah. You don't know what you're talking about. She's so over that. I think she was impressed that you ran into a nuclear wasteland to try and find her and the baby. Sure, she had enough common sense to go away from the city but… the fact that you were reported heading for ground zero to try and find those two… well, she really thought that was pretty manly of you. Stupid as hell but… manly."
Marcus tilted his head. "I… really? I had no idea."
"She's cool. Violet and I had a long talk a while back. She was a little angry about the whole… situation where you were suckin' face with Fara Phoenix. And of course she complained to Katt and that was a big deal but… y'know how women are. And now she's happy with Asper and everything is real cool. Speaking of Asper, he's up for a rank promotion thanks to this crew. More money; Violet is happy about that. Everything is cool back home." Falco turned to Crimson and shrugged. "Shit, I must be tired – I'm yammering on-and-on. C'mon, let's go get some food."
"Don't have to tell me twice!" Red and Falco turned about and headed towards the galley together.
Marcus opened the little box and inspected the ring within. His heart pounded furiously. He took two deep breaths then closed his fist around the ring box and walked back to his quarters. The door swished open and he glanced about then sniffed at the room. He sensed Fara was near.
In the bedroom, Marcus found a suitable hiding spot and placed the box beneath all his socks in the dresser drawer. He closed the drawer then headed towards the bathroom. Fara Phoenix stood in front of the sink and mirror clad only in panties and a bra. She turned about to face him, brushing her teeth. The bathroom lighting caused her brilliant green eyes to glow. She slid the toothbrush back along her left molars, winked at him then turned back to the mirror.
His eyes dropped to her tail, gazing upon her figure absentmindedly. Fara leaned over the sink, using a paw to lift her hair out of the way. When she bent over, her tail lifted straight up. The fennec vixen swished with water then spit it out and lifted her head, peering at him in the mirror. "See something you like?"
The fox blinked and looked up. "I … yeah. I do. You. What can I say? I like what I see."
She flitted her tail from left to right then pushed the toothbrush back into her maw. "Mmhmm."
He took a deep breath to get his confidence up then walked into the bathroom, still only wearing the sweatpants and pressed himself against her backside, resting his chin on her shoulder. In a soft, smooth voice, he said, "I love you… I want you."
The fur on the back of her neck stood up. She doubled over again to place her lips against the faucet and swished with water. When she did, she pressed her backside against his hips. In reply, Marcus slid his paws over her waistline and pulled her body back against his firmly. "I am so undeniably attracted to you."
She placed the toothbrush on the side of the sink then turned around and put her arms over his shoulders. "Then why don't you do something about it before we go to breakfast?"
With a grin, Marcus eased her up onto the edge of the sink. She lifted her legs and eased them around his hips. The fox brushed his lips against Fara's lips then whispered, "With pleasure."
x-
Falco Lombardi reached for the call button adjacent to Marcus' door. A paw caught his wrist from behind. He turned about, coming face to face with the kid's mother. "Oh, hey, Krystal. I didn't know you were over on this ship. What's up?"
"Now's not a good time to talk to him."
"I was just wondering why he didn't make it to breakfast."
Krystal offered a lopsided grin. "He's busy with Fara. They're…" She paused to listen to his thoughts then her eyes widened. "He's going to propose to her today?"
Lombardi held his paws up defensively. "No, I wasn't supposed to say anything. That's not fair."
Krystal tugged on Falco's wrist and guided him further down the hall. She walked with excitement in her step. Her tail fluffed up and she giggled softly. "Oh my goodness, he got her a ring? That's socute! I'll keep the secret. I don't know how Fox will react just yet. But he's been really good about this as of late. But I can assure you that what they're in there doing right now has nothing to do with a ring. At least not yet. Hmm… I can't wait to see it, though. They make the sweetest couple."
"Yeah. So, not to change the subject or anything but when do we fly against that crazy chick out over Venom? I'm ready to kick some tail."
"Slow down, goodness. The good news is that you'll have your chance to fly today. The bad news is that we've picked up converging enemy patrols on long range scanners. They're headed this way but they're still moving at a patrol speed and they're still in a typical patrol formation so we don't think they've spotted us just yet."
"Why don't we head out to the Sector-Z nebula and hide out just outside of the Area-6 defense perimeter?"
Krystal continued to walk with Falco down the hall. "I'll suggest it to the boys," she said in reference to Fox and Marcus, "and then we'll see what they think. We think we have less than two hours before the fighter patrol is within range to detect us on their sensors. They might be running an escort because ROB seems to think there's a cargo vessel with them. Perhaps we can use those supplies for ourselves."
"I'm all about taking gear from the bad guys." Falco stuffed his hands into his pockets. "You wanna put a friendly wager on who gets more kills? Team Marcus or Team Fox?"
"Well it wouldn't be fair," said Krystal. "Fox, Slippy, Amanda, myself and Lucy against Vivian, Theodore, Marcus, Crimson and you? Slippy, Amanda and Lucy aren't as cocky and aggressive as their children in the cockpit. Plus Wolf O'Donnell's son is skilled, you're an ace fighter and Marcus is telepathic and far more aggressive in battle than myself. Fox would be picking up all the slack."
Falco rubbed the underside of his beak. "Hmm, you might be right. How about you, me and Fox… against Marcus, Crimson, Ted and Vivian? Slippy, Amanda and Lucy can fly the base ships and man the turrets, just in case the fighters get close."
"Three against four?" she asked, furrowing a single brow.
"Fine, fine… Slippy can fly, too. He's got plasma cannons on his ship."
Krystal smirked. "We'd better ask Slippy if he wants to fly and we should ask Marcus if he's up for a game of 'Pros vs. Greenhorns.' After all, they might want to…"
"I have a better idea," Vivian interrupted from behind. Falco and Krystal turned around, coming face to face with a tired looking rabbit in pajamas. She had a coffee mug in her left paw with steam rising above it. "Fara, Marcus and Crimson against Fox and you two."
Falco tilted his head. "But wouldn't you and Teddy wanna' fly? You guys are great pilots."
"Yeah, we are, but we had a late patrol last night and we won't be awake enough to fight our best. Besides, Marcus has us scheduled to run the ship. It's on the schedule."
"Wait, there's a schedule?"
Krystal looked to Falco then shook her head. "I guess you have been away for a while, haven't you? Indeed, everyone on the team voted unanimously to schedule patrols and actually run shifts and such. They sit down together once a week to figure out who wants to work on what days and at what times. You'd like it."
"Okay fine, fine… those three against me, Krystal and Fox. The old pros would level those guys – I won't lie, they'll put up a fight but… C'mon… Me and Fox with the team telepath? We wiped out all the Imperials in Lylat not once, not twice… but four times. We're the baddest of the bad. We're celebrities for a reason. It's the reason I still fly for Marcus' team…" He turned and grinned at Vivian. "So you kids benefit from the experience of a celebrity ace combat fighter. I mean… no offense guys but… let's look at old StarFox for a minute. We had a military tactician who was so good that he was recalled by the reserves and became a General. We had one of the best R&D weapons techs around, we had a telepathic chick who grew a bigger set of balls than half the pilots flying for Corneria… then of course… me and Fox. We're the frickin' dream team, kids."
Vivian lifted her free paw and rubbed at her temples then took a sip of her coffee. "Why is it so macho to 'grow a set of balls' anyhow?" Vivian took another sip of her coffee then walked between Falco and Krystal. "I've got fifty credits on Marcus, Fara and Crimson. If you wanna go higher, speak up before you suit up." She walked into the hydroponics bay and disappeared.
Falco blinked twice then turned to Krystal and scratched the top of his head. "Well damn." He glanced back at the set of doors Vivian disappeared into and asked, "What's in that room, anyhow?"
"They converted it into a place to grow fruits and veggies. Vivian's pet project. I sense she went in there to get some fresh strawberries. So, fifty credits? We're all well off, here. Why not up the ante?"
Lombardi cracked his knuckles. "Now you're talkin' my language, sister."
She nudged him in the side with her elbow. "Stop that, you'll give yourself arthritis."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. We're gunna school these kids and show'em how it's done. C'mon, let's get over to the carrier and get Fox in on this bet. Then we can get prepped."
Krystal waved her paw. "Come on, we'll take my shuttle back to the carrier."
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Fara stepped out of her room with Marcus behind her. She stopped, coming face to face with Crimson. She tilted her head and the two foxes fell into step besides the hybrid wolf. "What's going on?" she asked.
Crimson stuffed his paws into his pockets. "I'm sure Marcus will telepathically find out soon anyhow… so I'll just tell you now. We have inbound bandits – a large patrol and they're protecting a small cargo transport vessel. Falco and Mrs. McCloud want to pair up with Mr. McCloud and fly as a team against the three of us, and whoever gets the most bogies wins… whatever is determined to go into the winner's pot. So… the three of us have to whip their elderly asses and show'em how it's done. I don't care about the money – I just want the bragging rights."
Marcus glanced at his friend. "YOU don't care about the money? That's a first."
"We're practically rich, now. I'm not a broke-ass anymore. Remember? We saved the day and got paid out the wazoo last year? Then we were all over the media. I know we're not as rich as Fara, here, but c'mon… Whatever we win will be awesome to have but… I really just want to be able to say we were able to beat the original Team StarFox."
"Then let's go grab something to eat so we can be at our best," said Fara.
x-
"You really want to have a showdown with our kid's team?" Fox shook his head with a grin. "I've not had the chance to see Crimson O'Donnell fly lately. This should be interesting."
"I didn't say this around them," Falco folded his arms and leaned back against the bulkhead. "But your kid is pretty frickin' good, Fox. We both know Fara is a damn good pilot. She doesn't rush head-long into Ion cannons anymore. And Red has a talent for killing enemies – his biggest weakness is watching out for himself. He's a better offensive player than a defensive one."
Fox brought a paw to his jaw, rubbing the bottom of his muzzle in thought. "Krystal, you're really onboard for this whole thing?"
She smiled to her husband. "I'm the one who suggested we up the stakes. We've all but relinquished the dreadnaught to Star since he took ownership while we were outside of this system. Legally, I might add. But I'm sure we can offer something more. He won't need the carrier and it's become our home… but perhaps we can offer him something else… why not wager three Landmaster tanks as our wager?"
McCloud's eyes widened. "ThreeTANKS? Are you serious?"
Krystal rolled her eyes. "When was the last time you drove one?"
The wing commander gave pause in consideration of her words. Fox brought his left paw behind his head and scratched gently at the nape of his neck. "Well, uh… Slippy occasionally likes to…"
Falco cut in. "There are five on this ship. That leaves him two."
Fox glared at Falco. "Shut up. You're on Star's team. If they win, you don't lose three tanks. I do."
The avian lifted his winged hands defensively. "Fine, whatever. And…" he tilted his head. "What's up with you two calling him Star? He changed his name forever ago."
Krystal grinned. "When he's not around, we still refer to him that way. Remember, we've known him by that name for two decades. You keep that to yourself."
"Yeah, yeah. So what's up, Fox? Your bride wants to up the stakes with three tanks. Shouldn't we call Markey-Mark and ask him what he wants to bid that's comparable?"
"Fine. Watch this." Fox crossed the bridge and opened a channel to the other GreatFox. After a moment, Marcus and Vivian Hare showed up on the main view screen. Fox folded his arms across his chest. "Hey, kiddo. You know you still have my father's sunshades? I'll need those back for this mission. You've got to earn those the old fashion way – by saving all of Lylat. Now… let's talk about this little wager that Falco and your mother have gotten me into, shall we?"
Marcus grinned at his father then reached a paw below the camera. A moment later, he lifted his paw back into view and placed a pair of dark sunshades on his snout then pushed them up over his eyes. "Let's hear your proposal. I'll be humble about this because I'm not going to brag about how good we are to a trio of system-wide celebrities, famous for saving the galaxy ump-teen billion times. But I'm confident in my wingmates, too… so, what's your wager? How about five hundred credits for each of us?"
Fox deadpanned then glanced back at his wife and long-term fast friend. In a quiet voice, he said, "See? Star and I have similar ideas about what's acceptable and unacceptable, here." He received odd looks from both Krystal and Falco. Fox grumbled, "What's gotten into you two, anyhow?" He turned back to the monitor and announced, "If you beat us, we'll give you three Landmaster Tanks. And I'll let you keep those sunshades, kiddo. Match that."
He saw his son's brows lift over the rims of James McCloud's sun glasses. Vivian lifted her paws as if in defeat and backed away from the camera. In her place, Fara Phoenix approached the monitor adjacent to her boyfriend and smirked. "Wow, Fox. That's pretty impressive. I've never seen you like this; you've always been conservative with your toys – not one to give your stuff away like this. I'm honestly impressed. One sec." The monitor changed to a StarFox logo.
Fox turned back to Falco and Krystal. Lucy looked up from across the bridge and said, "I think you surprised them. Now they have to think of something good or if they're going to concede before even putting up a fight."
Krystal shook her head. "My son won't back down from a good challenge."
"I hope he comes up with something more interesting than…" Falco found himself interrupted by the channel opening again. He glanced back at the screen. "Hey, Marcus. We were just talking about you behind your back. You come up with something comparable already?"
Marcus drew in a long, slow breath. "We can go about this two ways. I can match your tanks with two Arwings. However, you have more than we do already. You have more of everything than we do. And that's fine. So, if you're willing to hear me out… I have a much bigger gamble to offer. It's a little extreme but it could be fun, so long as nobody gets themselves killed."
Fox glanced at Krystal and Falco then he unfolded his arms and sat down on his favorite chair at the center of the bridge. His son, much to his partial amusement, did the same and sat down on the chair at the center of the cruiser's bridge. "Alright, young man …let's hear your grand notion."
"Okay, here's the rules of the game, dad. Let's make this a real competition. For the sake of fun, of course. First rule: The game ends if someone is killed or injured beyond help. Everything stops immediately. What I propose is that we resume our generational teams. Whoever defeats this Anezka chick first… whoever defeats Venom first… is the clear winner. If you win, you'll get our ship back. We'll become your junior officers and have learned our lesson. If we win, we get your ship and you guys retire to that cabin by the sea that mom has always had her eyes on, overlooking the channel leading into Cape Claw. Of course, you'll have to build it first but… you get the idea. Now, here's the other ground rules… we'll do this like a game show. You have three lifelines. You can call for help from the other team, Corneria Air Defense or another Mercenary team up to three times total. If you need help a fourth time, you automatically lose. It's like… forfeiting. So Falco will stay over there. Your team against our team. Here's another rule: You can hire additional pilots but you have to tell the other team who is joining. So, for example, if we wanted to bring in Asper Sarnoff and you wanted to bring in Miyu Lynx, then we'd have to open a channel to you and tell you about Asper, and you would have to inform us about Miyu. It's only fair to know against whom we're competing. Log all your kills and all your accomplishments – if neither team is any closer to defeating Venom or that crazy Krazoa chick in, say, ninety days then we'll compare our victories to determine the winner. In which case, we'll join forces to beat'em, and then go about deciding a winner at that time. Deal?"
Fox rubbed his chin, waiting until his son finished. A sly grin formed at the corner of his muzzle. "Falco makes out no matter what. If you win, he's back on your team. If I win, he'll just keep flying for me. Much to his wife's displeasure, he once said he'll fly 'till the day he dies… and I'm pretty sure he meant it exactly that way. But I have to admit, bud… you came up with one doozy of a competition. I thought this was about the incoming patrol; you're making this little wager into an all-out 'winner take all' competition. That's pretty gutsy."
Lombardi shook his head and approached Fox. "No, I'll play this game. If they beat us, I'll retire and go home to my wife as a full-time husband. I know how you guys fight and fly. You're good… but we're the best. Still. That hasn't changed and it won't for at least another ten years or so. I'm in all the way."
Fox glanced back at Falco, again impressed… not only by his son but by Falco's sportsmanship. "Okay… hold tight." He closed the channel and turned around to Lucy, Krystal and Falco. "Krystal, hon, I know you want to retire. So does this seem fair? When we beat their tails, it's like saying you promise you won't retire."
She smirked at her husband and shook her head. "Fox, love, we used to consider that… but I've gone through so much lately and I've lost my memories and had so much happen… I've changed, sweet. I've come to really enjoy this lifestyle and I enjoy US… teamMcCloud. It's become apart of me after all these years. If we win, we'll have our son fight for us, on our team. We'll be a fighting family. I'm not opposed to that. And if they honestly best us… then we all go home and have fun. But we'll still help them one last time to make sure Venom is truly beat."
Fox sighed and turned back to the view screen, opening the channel again. "Okay, kiddo. But if we win, you'll not wear those sunshades again until the day I will them to you." Fox grinned at his son then said, "We agree to your rules. Three lifelines. We have to let you know if someone joins our team. We have to log our kills just incase there is a stalemate and if someone is injured or killed… the game ends and we join the ships into the Fighting Fortress and work together."
"Sounds good. Mom, dad, I love you guys so… please, be safe. Falco, if you want to join the team again later…" He paused then smiled in a devious way. "You can tryout for us. But you gotta retire for at least ninety days if we beat you and I know that will be a huge punishment. Besides, by then, Red will be back at the Academy so we'd need an ace pilot anyhow. I mean, Dad had Peppy. You'd be our vet. But let's get down to brass tacks. I'm ready to show you guys that we're serious and we're competent."
"I'm ready to be humbled, Marcus," said the young man's father. "I suggest you stock up on gear before… well, you know what to do. Stay safe, okay? All of you. I don't want to hear of anyone getting killed over there. I mean it. I'll see you guys soon."
"Love you, mom."
Krystal approached the screen and smiled to her son. "I love you, sweetheart. I'll see you soon."
Fox closed the channel and said, "Everyone, let's get ourselves ready. After this attack run, we'll start doing an inventory then start making plans on how to assess Venom's tactical situation. Let's get it done… Team StarFox, move out!"
x-