The End…

Corneria: Day 35

~~The three stood together as they looked down upon their world. "So much damage." The first said to the other two. "This will take years to recover from."

"So many lives lost." The second said. "So many worlds destroyed, and cultures extinguished."

"They will endure." The third said. "They have rebuilt before, and they will again."

"Yes but what-"The first stopped his words and looked over to the second. He noticed the second looking down and smiling upon an individual below. "What do you see?" He asked the second.

The second looked down at the individual, and continued to smile as the individual rested below him. "I'm going to see him." The second said. "I'm going to go down there and speak with him. Just for a moment."

"I'm not sure the rules allow that." The third said to the second. "We're not allowed to-"

"We can bend the rules just this once. I won't be long."

A flash of light obscured the vision of the first and the third, and soon the second had vanished from their plane of existence. "He loves his children." The first said to the third. "We can bend the rules."

"I suppose." The third responded. "He tried his best to save my life. My own damned fault I got shot when I did."

"Being general at our ages wasn't easy, don't you think? You didn't have apparoids consuming you as a host."

The third chuckled at the first's remark. "No, no I didn't." The third responded. "But I did have to look after him instead."~~

~He did not know where he was, and he did not know what to think. He found himself lying down in a grassy field, and the calm tranquil environment numbed his senses. Giving into the reality, Marcus slowly sat up and stood onto his feet. He looked around him and could see nothing but grass all the way to the horizon. A calm breeze kept him cool in his pilot's armor, and he could feel his staff sheathed on his back. "Not again…" He thought to himself.

Marcus slowly walked in one direction and let his thoughts wander. "Well, I'm dead aren't I?" He asked himself. "Where else could this be? This can't be some other illusion can it?"

"You're as impatient as your father." A voice said to him.

Marcus quickly drew his staff and turned around. He pointed his staff at a figure standing behind him and quickly charged his staff with energy. "Who are you?!" Marcus hastily asked the figure. "What ar-"

"Calm down son." The figure said to Marcus. "Take a good look at me, and try again."

Marcus sensed no hostility from the figure, and he sheathed his staff behind him. He slowly walked towards the figure and studied his appearance. The figure appeared to be an elderly looking, anthropomorphic, red fox. He slightly taller than Marcus, and wore a black coat. A pair of sunglasses hid his eyes from the light, and the red fox smiled at Marcus. "I knew your mother was Cerinian." He said to Marcus. "I didn't think you'd inherit her blue fur."

"You know my mother?" Marcus asked. "And… why do you look so much like my f-"Marcus stopped himself as he quickly came to an epiphany. He noticed a red scarf around the fox's neck, and he carried himself with the same posture as Fox. "It… can't be." He softly said. "You're… you're…"

The fox smiled at Marcus, and let out a joyful sigh. "Marcus…" He said. "Such a strong name to suit a strong boy. But you're no boy anymore. You've endured hardship after hardship, and in my eyes you're as much of a man as your father."

"Don't you mean your son? Grandpa James?"

James McCloud chuckled for a brief moment and Marcus felt a small tear brewing in his eyes. "I've… always wanted to meet you." Marcus softly said. "I've… I don't even know where to begin."

"It's ok Marcus." James responded. "I'm sorry to say this, but I don't have much time left to spend here."

"Am I dead?!"

James let out a loud laugh, and took a deep breath to calm himself. "No…" He said to Marcus. "You're not dead. In fact you're just fast asleep. It's just, the rules are a bit different in this plane. When we leave here, you'll never see me again."

Marcus felt sorrow enter his heart and James could see a depressive mannerism emanate from Marcus. "Son, do not feel down." James said. "What you've done will be remembered until the end of the Cornerian republic. You're a hero unlike Lylat has ever seen, and perhaps even more heroic than Fox."

"I learned from the best dad." Marcus said. "He taught me everything I know and more."

"Just as I taught him everything he knows, and then some."

James approached Marcus and gently rested his hand on Marcus's shoulder. His touch felt as soothing as Sierra's, and Marcus felt a new sense of love and welcoming unlike any he had felt before. "Marcus…" James said. "Words cannot possibly come close to expressing how proud of you I am. Even my admiration is beyond description, and my joy even more so. You have done the impossible, and went through hell and back to do it."

"I didn't do it alone." Marcus responded. "Star Fox had my back, and even Star Wolf too."

"I am a bit amazed you managed to work with those lunatics. Give Wolf my regards sometime."

James took his hand of Marcus's shoulder and walked behind Marcus to look out into the horizon. "Star Fox…" He said to Marcus with his back turned. "Was meant to protect Lylat from any kind of danger. What makes us different from the rest, is that we are not viewed as soldiers." James turned around and gave Marcus a smile. "We, are a family. That, is what makes Star Fox strong. Our bond is as strong as brother and sister; mother and father. Though we come from different places, or carry different stories; our hearts beat as one."

James stood tall before Marcus and took a deep breath. Marcus quickly noticed James's image slowly fading away, and he quickly became nervous. "Grandpa?!" He asked.

"I told you before, I had little time here." James responded. "Tell your father I love him with all my heart, and that his mother sends her love as well. Tell him I will always be watching, and most importantly…"

Marcus could see James's lower half slowly vanishing from feet to head. "Never give up…" James said. "And trust your instincts."

As he concluded his words, James had vanished from existence. Marcus quickly ran towards his last spot, and realized there was no bringing him back. Even so, Marcus felt a tear brew in his eye and he smiled. "Grandpa…" He softly said as he sank to his knees. "Thank you… for everything."

Within moments, Marcus felt himself become tired. He slowly lied down on the grass below him, and his sudden exhaustion put him into sleep. As he felt himself flying through space, he eventually felt himself come to a stand-still.

He slowly opened his eyes, but his vision blurred. He slowly turned his head to one side and felt a pillow holding his head steady. He turned his head to the other side and his vision slowly came into focus. Marcus woke up on top of a hospital bed, and his senses slowly came back towards him. He wore a loose white shirt and pants belonging to patients, and several stiches could be seen on his upper chest and face. He looked around him and noticed various monitors keeping tabs on his vitals. As he looked around, he noticed another bed to his side.

Sierra continued to sleep in her bed at Marcus's side, and numerous monitors kept tabs on her vitals as well. "Sierra…?" Marcus asked. "What? What is going on?"

Before Marcus could stand from his bed, he quickly felt tremendous pain in both of his legs. He removed the lower part of his bed sheets and noticed a large mechanical cast immobilizing both of his legs. His heart raced within his chest for a moment as he thought he had been paralyzed. However, he calmed himself as he retained feeling in his legs. "My legs are broken?" He asked himself. "How? When?"

Marcus continued to look around him and studied his environment. His surroundings included several observation windows and a plentiful amount of medical equipment. "This is a hospital." He said to himself. "But how did I get-"

"MARCUS!" Fox called out to him.

Marcus quickly looked to his side and noticed the entire Star Fox team standing on the other side of a wall of glass. All the members of Star Fox had scars and bruises upon their bodies, but they all stood and smiled at Marcus none the less. "Guys?!" Marcus asked.

Soon after, a door opened within the room and half a dozen doctors rushed in. Amongst them was Weaver, and joy overtook his heart seeing Marcus alive. "You're awake!" He said to Marcus. "Thank god!"

"Weaver?" Marcus asked in his confusion. "What? What's going on? Where am I?"

"I'll give you the short version. After your team destroyed the Titan, the reactor caused a class S explosion with a blast radius twice the size of the Purifier. Your fighter got caught in the shockwave as you flew away, and you made a crash landing on Corneria. All of the C.O.R. forces in space were decimated from the blast, and the remainder of the C.O.R. were picked off one by one by the remaining Allied forces."

"But that isn't even the concerning part. Your crash landing knocked you out on impact, you and Sierra both. We tracked your fighter's descent and General Toran quickly dispatched rescue shuttles. When we found you, you two were barely alive. We've had you here under supervision since. Here's the crazy part. You've been asleep for three days kid."

"Three days?!" Marcus heart quickly paced within his chest and a pair of doctors came to his side to calm his nerves. "But the C.O.R. are-"

"All but destroyed." Harbinger interrupted.

Weaver turned around and noticed Harbinger and the entirety of Star Fox standing at the entry way of the room. Marcus noticed warm smiles on all of their faces, and even tears in his parents' eyes. "Guys…" Marcus softly said. "You're all ok."

"It's going to take a lot more than a big ass explosion to knock us down and out kid." Falco responded.

"But that explosion did neutralize our fighters." Fred added. "The shockwave caught all of Star Fox and the few remaining Allied forces that couldn't vacate the area.

The thought of his own allies being caught within the explosion worried Marcus. "Are they alive?" He asked.

"They're all fine." Krystal responded. "Their shields were depleted, and they sustained major hull damage. But their ships were still able to make a landing here on Corneria."

Marcus breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled. "So, it's over then." He said. "The C.O.R. are finished?"

"General Toran sent out a few detachments of the Allied forces that were still in fighting condition." Fox said. "We've got boys as far as Venom in Lylat, and we've even sent a few ships into Philat and Bikar. We're searching every sector of the three systems for the C.O.R. and so far we've found nothing. You've definitely done it Marcus."

"Those of my ships that could not continue further remain here in Corneria." Harbinger added. "They are standing guard in the event of another attack, but even that seems unlikely at this point."

"And you've left some really pretty fireworks." Abigail added. "Let's get him outside, he should see it for himself."

"See what?" Marcus asked.

"Weaver, get him a wheel chair." Fox said.

Within a few moments a doctor brought a wheel chair next to Marcus's bed. Fox came to his side and gently picked Marcus up in his arms. He sat Marcus down in the wheelchair and Marcus gripped the wheels himself. "No you don't." Fox said to Marcus as he gripped the handles on the back of the wheelchair. "Take five son, you've more than earned it."

Marcus smiled at his father and rested his hands on his lap. He leaned back in his chair and relaxed himself as Fox pushed him. Before the Star Fox team could leave the room however, Marcus gripped the edge of the doorway and looked back at Sierra. "Weaver, is she going to be ok?" He asked.

"She should make a full recovery." Weaver responded. "The blood loss from her arm being severed put her into a state of shock, and the crash landing didn't help much either. We did what we could in time, but it's going to take a bit of time before she's moving again."

As he remembered her arm being cut off, Marcus quickly felt his anger grow. "Where is Axios?" He hastily asked. "Where is he?"

The rest of the team looked about themselves and nodded their heads to the side. "Axios, Isaac, and Joey are leading the allied scouting parties in the Philat System." Krystal said to Marcus as she kneeled by his side. "He told us about your anger towards him when he cut off Sierra's arm. It scared him to the bone Marcus. He was worried that you wouldn't want to see him, so he left. He explained the situation, and it was a desperate measure to be taken at a desperate time."

"He cut off her arm…" Marcus clenched his hand into a fist and grew even more upset. "She has suffered enough already, and he still does that to her?"

"You can hate him Marcus." Fox interjected from behind him. "You can hate him for the rest of his life and yours, and he's prepared to live with that. In the end, Sierra is alive and recovering."

Fox's point reached through Marcus's stubbornness, and he took a deep breath. "Yea, you're right." He softly said. "The next time you see Axios, tell him I'm sorry."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate that greatly." Krystal said. "Now, let's go outside. You should see this."

The Star Fox team and Harbinger walked along side Fox as he pushed Marcus through the halls of the hospital. They exited the building together, and walked towards the middle of the entry plaza to the building. There, Marcus could see it all.

He looked up into the sky, and even out towards the horizon. Long streaks of red flames engulfed the upper atmosphere like a meteor shower. The sight looked as if hell rained fire down upon Corneria. "What?" Marcus asked in his disbelief. "What is that?"

"Since the Titan's explosion blew up all of the surrounding C.O.R. warships, the Cornerian orbit has become a ship graveyard." Fox responded. "Wreckage of the C.O.R. ships in the area have been slowly drifting into our atmosphere, and burning up upon reentry. This has been happening on an off the past few days you've been sleeping, and it just a spectacle to admire of our victory."

"My people have been calling it the Red Eclipse." Harbinger added. "Our name is more symbolic than fitting, but this marks a new day for the Eclipse. Our victory, can only be credited to you, Marcus McCloud. This sight, is your trophy of war."

Marcus smiled at the sight in the sky and felt a feeling of accomplishment unlike any he had felt before. He and his team had eliminated the C.O.R. and claimed victory for Lylat. It was his greatest mission yet, one that would not be outdone for years to come. As he enjoyed the view, he sensed four new minds approaching him form the side. "Hey, kid." Wolf called out.

The Star Fox team looked to the side and noticed Star Wolf approaching them from another end of the hospital wing. Wolf approached the team and looked down on Marcus in his wheel chair. "Pathetic." He said to Marcus. "Can't even walk."

"I'll walk eventually." Marcus responded. "What are you doing here Wolf?"

"You owe me and my team a new set of ships. That supernova you caused fried our engines, and we were drifting a space for a day until we were rescued."

"You could at least give the kid a break, Wolf." Falco interjected. "In case you haven't noticed, we've won the war. You could-"

"I'm not going to take away from Marcus's victory. To be honest, that was impressive. I have nothing good I ever want to say to any of you. But for you, kid, you did good work up there."

Marcus chuckled for a few moments and Wolf became irritated. "What's so damn funny?" He asked.

"You called me Marcus." Marcus responded. "No 'pup'? No 'brat'? That's unlike you Wolf."

Wolf grew irritated and looked to the side. He crossed his arms and took a deep breath to vent his own irritation. "Yea well…" He said. "I don't have beef with you." Wolf looked directly at Fox and shot him a glare. "Only you, Fox."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Fox responded. "You'll get yours someday Wolf, that's a promise."

"Better make it quick Fox." Wolf turned around and slowly walked away. "We're not getting any younger, that's for sure."

Fox smiled at Wolf and his team as they walked away. "Wolf!" Fox called out. "Will we be in touch?"

Wolf stopped in his tracks and turned to face Fox once more. "Who knows?" He responded. "Maybe retirement isn't as bad as it sounds."

Wolf turned away again and walked away with his team. As they left, Marcus brought his attention back towards the atmosphere above him. "So what happens now?" Fred asked. "When's the next mission?"

"Whoa settle down there Freddy." Slippy said as he gently held Fred's shoulder. "Don't you think we should take a little vacation first?"

"We can." Amanda said to Slippy. "I think it's time for us older gen pilots to retire. For good this time."

"I hear that." Katt said from across the group. Katt wrapped her arms around Falco's arm and gave him an affectionate look. "What do you think?"

Falco took a deep breath and looked about the scars and bruises on his body. "Well, I guess it could be time for me to call it a career." He said. "I've got Sierra to take my place on the team, and I don't think I can mentor Marcus any more than I could."

"You've taught me a great deal Falco." Marcus cheerfully said. "In more ways than one too."

Falco lowered his head and let a small smile cross his face. "Means more than ya know to hear that kid." He softly said. "What about you Krys? And you too Foxie?"

Marcus looked at both of his parents and the two smiled down at Marcus. "We came from retirement to help with this war until the end." Fox said to the team. "And now that it's over, I believe Star Fox is in more than capable hands. It'd be nice for Krys and me to spend a little more time at home."

"Gives me a chance to work more on my cooking." Krystal added. "Think you'll be all right without us Marcus?"

Marcus looked at Fred and Abigail, and the two smiled at him. "With Freddy, Abbie, and Sierra at my side, nothing can go wrong." Marcus said to the team. "Once she's back up and at it, we'll need to get involved in restoring Lylat to its former glory and then some. We've got a lot of work to do, and it won't be easy. Star Fox's greatest battle may be over, but we've got a lot more missions lying ahead."

"Then we had better get started." Sierra called out from behind the team.

The team quickly turned around and noticed Sierra sitting in a wheel chair with Weaver pushing her from the back. She and the team exchanged bright smiles and Weaver eventually brought her to them. "If Star Fox is going to be needed now more than ever…" She said to the team. "Don't count me out just yet."

Marcus felt a tear brewing in his eye at the sight of Sierra smiling, and relief filled his heart. "It's good to see you awake." Marcus said to Sierra.

"I'm glad to see you're ok." She responded. "Where's Axios, Isaac, and Joey?"

"I'll explain later."

Marcus looked about his team and took a deep breath. "We've got a lot of work to do." He said. "Weaver, contact the general and let him know this. As soon as we're medically cleared, Star Fox will be ready for active duty. The three systems will have to rebuild, and it's not going to be an easy task. Soon, we'll be ready for our next mission, and the many more that will follow after that."

"Will do Marcus." Weaver responded.

"It's a new day. A new beginning. Let's try to make the most of it."

Marcus turned his head and looked out into the sky one last time. "A new day…" He thought for himself. "For all of us."

He smiled once more as he admired the view in the sky, and his heart filled with anticipation for the coming days. Within another star system however, a trio of pilots continued to scout within a desolate asteroid field.

The Archangel, Nightshade, and Havok flew in formation through an asteroid field within the Philat system. As he flew through the asteroids, Axios looked at a holographic monitor showing General Toran on the other side. "Nothing to report here, General." He said to Toran.

"That clears Gamma sector, location grid two-zero-nine." Toran responded. "Clean up out there and report back to the Carbon."

"Understood, general." Axios pressed a button on his console and the holographic monitor of Toran disappeared. "Keep it tight guys, there's something I want to see." He said to his wingmen.

"Hey boss man, I got a message from Marcus." Isaac said to Axios. "He said he wanted to apologize to you for his anger he took out on you about Sierra."

Axios smiled within his cockpit and continued to focus on the asteroids ahead of him. "He didn't have to apologize." He contently responded. "But tell him I appreciate it."

"Why don't you tell him yourself?" Joey asked.

"I need some time away from Star Fox. Too many times I've betrayed their trust with the secrets I've kept. I don't need them to hate me any more than they already do."

"Hey Axios, what are we doing out this far anyways?" Isaac asked. "We're several sectors outside of the charted Philat region."

"We're paying our respects."

The Archangel, Nightshade,and Havok eventually cleared the asteroid field and arrived a region of space with several large floating pieces of a planet. Several massive explosions continued to go off as huge chunks of the planet collided into the other. Near the planet remains, the fragments of a broken moon slowly orbited the remains. The trio of fighters looked at the broken world form a distance to avoid being caught in the changing gravity regions. "Boss…" Isaac said. "Is this? Cerinia?"

"This used to be Krystal's home world." Axios responded. "After the Devastator chewed to the planet's core this rock went boom. Large chunks of the planet actually managed to remain together despite the explosion."

"Poor gal." Joey softly said. "May her people rest in peace."

"Amen to that one brother." Isaac softly added. "The C.O.R. did this to numerous other planets?"

"Yes." Axios added. "But thankfully they won't be doing it anymore." Axios turned his flight controls the other direction and piloted the Archangel back into the asteroid field. "We're done here boys. Let's head back to base."

"Copy that." Isaac responded.

"On it." Joey responded.

"So, what do you think is going to happen next since this war is over? Think sticking with Star Fox is going to make things more interesting?"

"We're not going back to Star Fox." Axios said.

Isaac and Joey both looked at the Archangel in confusion. "We're not?" They both asked.

"No." Axios responded. "I've got a better idea…"