Black Skies


Author's Note: Ah, well. It would appear that Andross is now back in the game! You now see, that was one of the main points of this book. I simply tried to make it less then obvious. Andross will not be playing a major role in this conflict, but for one- he will prevent Lylat from being assuaged on two fronts by two very deadly enemies. There will also be one other interesting sequence, but its full measure will only be revealed in Red Skies. And without further ado, here is the next chapter of Black Skies, back now after a long wait.
Chapter 26 Chance Invasion
Krystal had wandered the halls of the Great Fox for some time. The others, she was sure, were tending to their jobs. Abbey would be cautiously eking the ship into Venomian airspace. Falco would be standing at his post, doubtless already locking weapons on as many enemy ships as he could. And Slippy would be busy raising Corneria, waiting for a response while retuning the shield grid.

Meanwhile, she was here looking for Fox. And the most she was able to find of the vulpine was not much. The tip of his tail, flitting around a corner. A closing lift door, or a flicker of light.

Finally, she came to a room with the door closed, a room she knew had but one entrance. She keyed in her access code and was not at all to find that the door had been locked.

No matter, she knew. She put in a quick hail to Slippy, and the toad on the bridge diverted his attention for the briefiest of moments as he overrode Fox's lockout. Krystal barely had the time to say thanks before Slippy turned from the screen to run his webbed fingers over another set of buttons and screens.

Krystal opened the now unlocked doors with the touch of a button and went inside.

There was a loud and sharp crack as Krystal slipped into the room, and she started slightly as the sound echoed off the walls. Fox was before her, a long rod in one hand. He stood at the billiard table, his cue smacking into the white ball as it ricocheted around the table. Today, the cue ball tore about with an angry hiss as the other balls meekly tumbled into side pockets with dull thumps. Krystal gave a nervous cough. Fox looked up, his face blanked of all emotion.

"It's you," he said un a toneless voice. Krystal winced slightly. There was no anger, no grief. There was simply nothing, a strange apathy.

No, not apathy. The word was shock.

Krystal looked at Fox, examining him with a thoughtful expression on her features as the vulpine continued to stride around the table, putting more of the balls in their places with loud cracks. The movements he made were smoth, deft, and controlled. Not at all like the emotion he'd shown on the bridge just minutes ago.

"Your father is back," she said after a time. "You are still angry at him?"

Fox shook his head. Krystal could now feel the ambient feelings about him change, spikes of anger rushing through him. "If there's one thing I don't think Cernia understood, it would be revenge. He took my father from me, and I do not care if my father is back, Andross will pay for the suffering he caused to my team and I, as well as countless others, during the Lylat War."

Krystal took this in, then spoke again. "I understand revenge quite as well as you do," she began in a quiet voice, "but your anger is misguided."

"Oh?" snapped back the vulpine, looking at her with a furious gaze on his face. But the vixen did not back down- she held her ground as she delivered her news.

"The Andross who hailed us and the Andross you fought over Sauria- they are not the same person."

Fox's gaze ascended from his cue, to the table, then to Krystal. He put up his cue, letting it clack against the floor.

"Do tell," he said, sitting at a chair and propping one foot up on his knee. "I have time."


It was only a few minutes later when Krystal, now sitting, finished her narrative. Fox put a paw to his chin thoughtfully. "I killed Andross, twice. But..."

"Only one-half of him," replied Krystal. "I believe I can explain for this. A Cernian left our homeworld for exploration many years ago, maybe at the time of your Lylat War, probably before. He would have been able to draw out Andross's soul into two separate vessels."

"To what end, though?" mused Fox.

"I do not profess to know," replied Krystal, "but had he not done so, Andross would be dead right now."


It was a much calmer Fox who returned to the bridge. Immediately, the rest of his crew had ducked, as if expecting to be hit by a thunderbolt. Slippy had almost cowered down beside his chair, and Falco had turned away slightly while Abbey had hunched down meekly. Fox gave a chuckle, and the ice was broken

"Relax guys," he said. "I'm feeling better now. Krys, open a channel to Andross. Tell him I wish to come down and talk to him a bit."

Everyone could tell that there was a slightly forced bit of optimism in the vulpine's voice. But it wasn't much, and Krystal opened the requested channel without too much fear that this would descend into a shouting match.

"Ah, mister McCloud. Glad you could rejoin us," said Andross in a suave voice soon after the channel was established. Fox nodded at the ape.

"The same of you, Andross. Might I request to go to the planet's surface to talk with you, face to face? There are some questions I should like to ask of you."

Andross spread his arms wide in a welcoming gesture. "By all means," he said, and then the ape closed the channel. Krystal shrugged when Fox looked at her.

"I don't know if he's genuinely friendly to you now or not. He's a telepath, remember?"

"Fox, you should take at least one person with you," said Peppy, turning to face his younger colleague. Fox inclined his head towards the hare.

"Would you mind?"

"Not at all," replied Peppy in a cheery voice. "It's high time I got back in an Arwing, anyway." The only answer the old hare received to this was the sound of laughter from those assembled.


It was not too long afterwards when two Arwings flew from the underslung hangar of the Great Fox II, wings snapping open with a mechanical click that was unheard in the unforgiving vacuum of space. A cool flame flashed from the sterns of both Arwings, a trail of white-tinted ions that sprayed out into the night to be lost from sight.

"You ready, Peppy?" asked Fox. The vulpine was harboring some worries that the older hare would not take the shock of reentry unfazed. Peppy nodded his whiskery head.

"As Beltino likes to say, fresh out of bed and full of beans. The doctors at Corneria know their stuff."

"Glad to hear it," replied Fox, and there was no more talk as both ships approached the outer fringes of Venom's atmosphere. A tiny trace of flame raced across Fox's canopy, a streak of crimson red. Then a low pitched whine began to build up in the cockpit, and Fox felt a bead of sweat drip from his forehead to his muzzle. It was like a signal- with an explosive lurch, the Arwing was grabbed by the powerful hand of the atmosphere. A spray of angry flames abruptly erupted from the nose of the Krystal Fire, several yards from Fox. These licked up against his canopy, then began to drift away into a cone shape as his rate of descent began to increase, angling steeper towards the planet's surface. The shields caused the flames to biouvac around the Arwing's prow, but it could not stop the heat from penetrating the cockpit. Fox flipped a switch in front of him, and he nodded, grateful for the refreshing blast of chilly air that struck him in the face.


"His vitals are okay," said Slippy, carefully monitoring the two as Abbey, Century, and Falco looked on. "Fox's temperature is going down and Peppy's never went up."

"Figures," said Falco. Century turned his head to face the avian.

"Well, it doesn't seem like Peppy would be apt to go down into a planet at something akin to a fourty-five degree angle," he remarked conversationally. Falco grunted as Abbey continued to look on.

"Fox's pulse is rising. He must be leveling out now," she said, pointing at his display.


Fox indeed was pulling up now, the flames of reentry flickering and dying away. Smoke wisped from the front of his Arwing, but it lasted for only a short moment before it was blown away completely. Fox checked his systems, and was pleased to find there was no harm to any of them.

The vulpine looked up through his canopy and saw a long streak of fire that was Peppy's Arwing, still arcing through the sky.

"Show off," he muttered, then he slammed the throttle forwards as he took off in pursuit of the daredevil hare.

It was almost ten minutes later when Peppy finally emerged from his fireball, black smoke roiling away like a shroud from the Legacy. A small fire sputtered near the cockpit, then went out with a puff of dark smoke.

"You took your own sweet time," said Fox with a tiny grumble. Peppy's ears perked up and he grinned over the channel.

"I believe so, but I just set the reentry time record," he said. Fox shook his head.

"Crazy old codger...that's why you wanted to come, wasn't it?" Peppy answered only with a short bark of laughter. His ears flew back and he was pressed to his seat as he flicked the throttle open with practiced ease, a throaty roar blasting from his engines as the ion stream brightened and he shot away, the glowing white particles spinning and spiraling through the air before they faded away.


It was not long after when they came to Venom City. The last time Fox had seen it, he'd remembered it as a bleak settlement of dust-scoured and sun-bleached pyramids around the dome-like base that led to Andross's lair. Cracked and patched streets had wound their way through the dead establishment, one of two civilians wandering across their lengths aimlessly.

Now, the city was a thriving metropolis. Instead of rebuilding, the city had moved, moved away from the charred and blackened skeleton that was the remants of the dome Fox had pierced all those years ago. Now, polished duraluminum, reflecting a homey, dusty red glow rose into the sky, tall pillars of glass and metal stabbing into the sky. Gone were the three military bases that had once ringed the old city. Instead, only a single base, standing next to a magnificent capital building stood as a remnant of Andross's army of old. And as the two Arwings flew over the city, Fox could spy patches of green amidst the grey and brown- parks and gardens. Peppy took in an audible breath.

"Astounding," he murmured. "To think Andross..." he trailed off. Fox had explained the concept of the Split, but he too found it hard to believe that beneath that arrogant façade, there was a benevolent leader one who cared for those under him.

This moment of philosophical observation passed when, with a crackle, a Venomian contacted both Arwings with directions to a landing pad. As the Krystal Fire and the Legacy circled inwards, shedding altitude with each pass, Peppy realized that the voice was that of Caiman. Fox rolled his eyes.

Could he kill anyone?


A blast of hot air ruffled the fur on Fox's head as his cockpit slid open, tiny grains of sand striking him in the face. "Some things never change," he groused, swinging himself out of the narrow space and landing with a solid thump on the ground below. He moved at a quick pace over to the Legacy, so as to assist the elderly hare from his seat. When both were firmly upon the ground, they headed towards where a mouse with dusty-brown fur was beckoning to them, standing over a turbolift.

The lift had been falling at a steady pace for almost a minute when it began to slow. Fox's knees buckled almost imperceptibly as the gravity in the car spiked upwards. The car doors shot open with a well-oiled hiss, and the three of them stepped out.

They had emerged into a softly-lit corridor. A low hum told Peppy that there were ventilation fans here, circulating the air and adding a refreshingly cool edge to the breeze. He adjusted his spectacles and nodded to Fox, and the vulpine fell into step beside the hare.

Their mouse guide led them to another lift that led, without a doubt, to the great marble building they'd seen earlier. Here, the mouse turned to a security guard, then back to the mercenaries. He made a small nod.

"Your weapons, please?" he asked. Fox looked incredulous.

"You've got to be joking," he said, paw straying to his belt holster. "You can't expect us to hand our weapons to you!"

"I can, and I will," replied the mouse, a firm tone creeping into his voice. He extended a paw. Fox whirled when a sharp click sounded behind him, but it was only Peppy, loosening his belt and unclipping his holster.

"Peppy, you've got to be kidding me," he snapped. The hare shrugged.

"If they wanted to kill us, they would have already," he said in a level voice. The mouse looked grateful as he took the holster, turning back to Fox. The vulpine heaved a dramatic sigh.

"I suppose I can break your neck with my paws anyway," he said in a consending tone. The mouse wrinkled his nose, whiskers twitching.

"I don't doubt it," was his only comment. "This way, please," he continued, before turning and cuing the lift.

As the three got in, Peppy glanced at Fox through the corners of his eyes. "Good for you, because I don't think I could," he commented in a wry tone that caused Fox to laugh mirthlessly, the sound echoing off the metal walls as the lift doors clanged shut.

After suffering the slow warming of the lift car, Fox expected to be greeted by a waft of cool air. Too late he noticed the mouse scooting to one side of the car. Peppy had noticed and moved to do the same, making a tiny gesture to Fox.

The vulpine was about to question his guide when the lift doors flew open and a gust of chilly air hit the vulpine in the face, causing him to stagger back slightly. The pressure quickly equalized in the little space, and the mouse wrinkled his nose again and left the lift. Peppy followed, in turn being trailed by a red-faced vulpine.

The marble building was about as cold as the walk-in refrigerator at the supermarket near Fox and Krystal's home. A flow of even cooler air wafted through the hallways, making their fur stand on end. Peppy shivered slightly, his ears drooping. The mouse noted this, and kindly informed him that Andross's office, not far ahead, was fairly warm.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you'd made a friend," cajoled Fox, a faint smile playing about his lips.

"Thank goodness for small favors," replied Peppy, teeth chattering auidibly now. "E-else I'll t-take a leaf out of Slippy's book and go into hibernation."

Fox shrugged in amusement and continued on.


"Fox McCloud."

"Andross."

Peppy stood in silence next to the door, his old eyes watching the scene before him. Standing over the emblem of Venom emblazoned into the floor were the two heroes of their planets. Andross Oikonny, leader, emperor, caretaker. Fox McCloud, icon, pilot, and savior. A silence fell on the room as both contemplated and examined the other in peaceful quiet. The seconds passed, then Andross wordlessly extended one paw.

Fox hesitated for a moment, then reached out with his own paw, shaking the proffered appendage.

It was a few minutes latter that found the three seated around a table crowded with data pads and small plates of food. Andross picked at one of these in a delicate manner before sweeping them to one side and placing both elbows upon the tabletop.

"I apologize for the mess," he said in a gravelly voice. "I have been quite busy, what with our fight for independence."

"Do explain," said Fox, gazing levelly at Andross. "You said independence?"

"Indeed," responded the ape, standing slowly to cross to a large viewscreen on the wall. He pressed a button, and the device whirred to life, system messages and lines of code flashing across its surface before an image swam into focus. It was a view of space, looking away from Lylat and into the cosmos.

"I don't see anything," said Peppy, squinting.

"Your eyes or mine?" replied Andross in a conversational tone. He pressed a button, and the screen image soared in towards a particular point in space as Andross explained the view.

"It's a surveilence satellite. I've needed them since the first attacks began. Watch," he continued, pressing another button. The satellite continued to magnify an image. At long last, something came into view.

Fox focused upon the blurred object. It was moving, undoubtedly towards Venom. But the satellite was not producing a clear enough image for recognition. Andross worked at the screen for several more seconds until the satellite focused, bringing the image to such clarity that the identity of the oncoming object was unmistakable.

"You're kidding me," groaned Peppy, voice low and strained. Fox slammed his paw upon the tabletop.

"Nothing in this galaxy can be easy, can it?"

"Perhaps," remarked Andross, turning back to the two seated at his table. "Now, I've heard of your great victory, but perhaps you could explain what Aparoids are doing, attacking my home?"