A/N: Originally, I intended this to be the last chapter, but what I wrote was quite long, SO … I broke the chapter into two parts. This one is now the penultimate chapter. But it ties a lot of things into Reflections of a New Generation (the one where I introduce Fox and Krystal's son, Marcus, which I wrote way before SF: Command came out). I need to finish the final book of the series, Reflections of Marcus McCloud, and I also gotta finish Book 2, Reflections of StarFox. Ah, we'll get there eventually, right? Anyhow, I'm trying to wrap it all up, then … I'm going to go back and line-edit my original series and prep it for publication. At some point, I'll eventually come back and rewrite the older books of this series and touch up any inconsistencies for ALL the Reflections fanfics. Okay, now let's get these last two chapters rolling!

X

X

Chapter -9-
Last Hurrah

The surface of Miracle,
In orbit above Sauria,
Four Years Later…

"Peppy Hare. Retired Cornerian fleet General. What brings you here?" The ominous voice was unnatural and mechanical.

Peppy squinted through the bright light, barely able to make out some sort of helmet over the head of a lanky tall figure. A speaker built into the helmet distorted the man's voice, and shoulder padding in their outfit made it difficult to confirm their sex or establish an identity.

Peppy's back hurt from the flat metal bed to which he was restrained. He narrowed his gaze. "Where is she?" he demanded.

"Silence!" said the voice. "I'm the one asking the questions." The captor reached down and pushed the metal tip of a needle into Peppy's arm.

It hurt like the dickens due to being pushed straight into the bicep.

Peppy clenched both paws into fists.

"This will loosen your tongue. Especially at your age, it will be able to draw out answers."

"Where is she?!"

"She's not important right now. My questions are."

"Don't give me this alpha male bullshit," Peppy snapped. "Where is she."

"Who said I was a male?"

Peppy wanted nothing more than to rub the Charlie-horsed muscle, but he couldn't reach due to the restraints. "You've got shoulder padding and a class-2 body armor vest, but you're a guy and you're a dickhead. Your long and wide shoe size tells me you're a primate, too. The lump on the outer-left thigh is your tail, which you're trying to hide. I might be old, but I'm not a goddamn idiot. Now, where is my partner, you asshat clown."

"Oh! Aren't you brave, backtalking someone while you're restrained and at my mercy! Maybe, if you answer my questions, I will consider that a gesture of good faith, and I will tell you her whereabouts. But it wouldn't take much for me to procure primate footwear, so consider that before you jump to conclusions."

Peppy narrowed his gaze and snarled, so that his bucked teeth gleamed beneath the facial fur of his moustache. "Listen to me, you common thug … you will tell me right now, clown-shoes, or breaking your neck will be the last thing my old ass ever does. You don't get answers until I know she's…"

"Silence!" the man shouted. It caused the voice box in the helmet to distort, slightly. "She is on a table, just like this one, in the next room. She's alive, and she'll be waking up shortly. You were both gassed with the same dose, but she's half your body weight, so she's still unconscious."

Peppy eyed the man with furrowed brows. The response didn't make sense because Fara had a higher metabolic rate, being a fennec, and, therefore, she should have awoken first. But Peppy couldn't be sure he was dealing with an idiot or not, so he just nodded as though he accepted the response.

"And if you don't provide the answers I seek, I will simply end you and take the answers from her."

"No you won't," said Peppy. "You'll torture me while she watches to try and get answers from her. And then vice versa, hoping I'll talk. If you've even got the guts to do that…"

"General Hare, you have no idea who I am, or what I am capable of."

"However," Peppy said overtop the man, continuing where he left off. "…You answered my question. I suppose I have no choice but to answer yours since you've just given me a Charlie-horse of sodium pentothal."

"Sodium thiopental is a barbiturate. I don't like using it. It makes people 'drunk-chatty,' and many people can still lie when they're drunk-chatty. I don't like medicines like thiolbarbital or propofol because it makes the interrogator work for answers, and then I would be left trying to decipher your responses. No, this…" he set the syringe on a nearby surgical tool tray. "…Is much better. It's a very nice concoction without a name."

Peppy sighed softly. "If you say so."

"What's your full name, Peppy J. Hare?"

"Pepper Jackson Hare."

"Good. We can begin."

Peppy furrowed his brows again, then gave a firm tug at the restrains on his limbs. He wondered if the man was BSing about the injection. "Did you give me a saline injection or something?"

"You wish. Your personnel file doesn't mention any heart conditions or heart murmurs; let's hope it's accurate. Now, let's start from the beginning. How is it you came to Miracle?"

Peppy rolled his eyes at the man. "Word has it there were people dying. Bodies were being found with similar injuries and a similar method of operation, meaning there was a serial killer. Also, some of the bodies were being found on Sauria, same injuries and causes of death. The bodies were being found adjacent to bodies of water, all of which were solid."

"I don't believe you."

"What, that there's a serial killer, or that the Saurian bodies were found adjacent to solid un-frozen water?"

"I don't believe a retired fleet General would personally investigate murders or solid water."

"I was hired as a mercenary to look into it," said Peppy. He gave another tug at the restraints and grimaced. "If you know who I am, you know that mercenaryism runs in my blood."

"Let's start further back. Start from when you were hired."

"Oh, you suddenly got time for a story, champ?"

"Don't call me that, and yes. Start from the beginning."

"Fine." Peppy took a deep breath, sighed through his nose, and started at the beginning. "It all started when I got a phone call to join her for what she called one last hurrah…"

X

X

Katina…
The other day…

Peppy Hare, seventy-five years old, looked down at his personal communicator with a single furrowed eyebrow.

The name on the screen read, "Not Kelly."

He reached for the phone adjacent to his crossword puzzle, took off his glasses, and put them on the coffee table where the phone had sat, then he leaned back on a sofa and put the phone in speaker-phone mode. "Well, well, long time, young lady."

"Peppy. It's good to hear your voice. How're you doing, General?"

Peppy chuckled. "Don't take this the wrong way, kiddo, but you only call once a season, on father's day, and on my birthday. So, the fact that you're calling right now means something is wrong."

"Well, not really wrong per say. I'm calling to ask for some help."

"Oh! Is that a fact?"

"Yeah, when I called last, on your seventy-fifth, you kind of scolded me for not asking for help when I need it."

"Mm, yes, I remember. So, what can I do for you, young lady?"

"You've been to Miracle. You've charted Sauria by compiling the original maps belonging to Shabunga, the shop keeper of Thorntail Hollow, and you worked them up with topography scans…"

"Those maps are available on the subspace 'inter-webs,' there, kiddo."

"Heh, I know. I found them. I downloaded them to my PDA. I was wondering if you'd like to join me on one last hurrah."

"Something tells me you're not asking because you want to spend some quality time with me, kiddo. What's the scoop?"

"There have been a series of murders, and it is somehow linked with an issue involving several creeks, lakes, and rivers that span from Thorntail Hollow to the Walled City. But then, a science team on the lunar surface of Miracle wound up dead by the same means … the same M.O. as the kills found on Sauria. I've been working with the local constabulary in the Lightfoot Tribe and the Earthwalker Tribe. We all agree that these are related, meaning the killer is not likely to be a scalie – they're a mammal with access to a runabout or other type of small craft."

"Sounds fascinating. Where do I come in?"

"I need someone to watch my back, and I do my best work when I bounce ideas off someone, but the dinos won't come to Miracle. They said it's forbidden grounds or some such."

Peppy chuckled softly. "You really want my old-ass-self to go galivanting around Miracle again?"

"The pheromone generation facility was shut down, but it's still in the air. I've done some tests on the air content, and if you were to go with me, it would make you feel fifteen years younger … how's that for an incentive?"

"Mm-hmm. I imagine if my body doubles its testosterone output, then, yes, that will make me feel young again. Is that really the reason you thought to ask me? So that I'd feel young one last time? Heh."

"I need someone I can trust. Someone who is sharp, experienced in the field, mature, and won't try to sleep with me."

"Okay, kiddo. Those are pretty valid reasons. What was the science team studying? The ones that died on Miracle, I mean."

"It was a group of archaeologists and an anthropologist studying the ruins of those … Krazoa peoples."

Peppy sighed. "Can I think about it, or is this a 'time-is-of-the-essence' sort of situation?"

"I'm in orbit over Sauria right now, keeping an eye on traffic to-and-from Miracle. If he leaves, I'd know. But … it's a paying gig. I don't need the money, but YOU are supporting someone. You can take the cash. I'm just here for kicks. To make a difference, you know? To have a purpose."

Peppy rubbed his chin in thought. The idea of feeling young again, even for a little while, was rather appealing. He shifted his weight on the sofa. "Well, I'm having a pain-free day today. I'd need to get some stuff together and let Star know what's going on, but, hell, why not?"

"Thank you, Peppy. You're the best."

"Heh, yeah, yeah. One sec…" Peppy picked up his communicator and thumbed a travel app. All passenger flights to Sauria were booked solid for the rest of the day. The next available flight was tomorrow, according to the app. "I'm back. So, I take it you planned on me saying yes in advance?"

"How do you mean?"

"I hope you've pre-planned for transport from Katina to Sauria. Else the soonest I could get out there is tomorrow."

"You looked it up that quick, huh? Well, no worries … travel arrangements are already taken care of. I called in a favor from an old friend. I had Kelly to reach out to a friendly face … someone you can trust, although I didn't exactly talk to him directly. I'd like to keep my return private for just a little bit longer, but he's someone that, well, if he finds out I'm around, I figured there's no harm in it, because I can trust him to keep it to himself."

"Bill Grey, huh?"

Silvery peals of soft laughter rang out over the line. Fara's laughter made Peppy smile. "Yes, you clever man. Two-for-two. He'll be receiving a text from Kelly to expect you. I arranged for him to land and pick you up, and deliver you to me in orbit over Sauria."

"You sure put a lot of things in motion in hopes of me saying yes. That was a very alpha-move, young lady. And a little bit presumptuous." Peppy sighed softly with a shake of his head, followed by a chuckle of pure amusement. "Fine. I'll see you in a few hours, kiddo."

"Thank you so much, Peppy."

"Don't think I didn't catch the real reason you asked me, though."

"How do you mean?"

"I was on the first team to legally set foot on Miracle in about two thousand years. Sauria's government gave me a 'key to the city' so to speak, meaning I can legally go there for any reason without needing permission and without needing to make an advanced appointment, so long as I call in and warn the Cornerian consulate on Sauria."

"Nothing gets by you. I just didn't want you to feel like I was using you. I weighed all the pros against a small handful of cons. In the end, I needed someone to watch my back until I get a feel for whoever I am up against. I could have bribed my way onto the planet, but doing it legally is always nice, too. Miyu recently retired from being the captain of a starship, and she is back to piloting small craft, so she was unavailable, and I know I can trust you to have my back, cover me in a fight, and you won't try to sleep with me or use tacky pickup lines. Still, I'm sorry I was presumptuous, asking for help on the spot with no time to sleep on it."

Peppy chuckled. "I have lived with teenagers on-and-off since my forties. As General, I answered to the secretary of the army and the prime minister. I'm used to pivoting on the fly like this. The reason you set up everything is because you knew I'd say yes."

"Well, I mean, you could've said no, I'm just glad you didn't."

Peppy chuckled again, followed by a slow, drawn out sigh of amusement. "I never had a choice, kiddo. I'm always going to help my friends. My wife knew how reliable I was to 'the cause' de jour, and she worked our marriage around it, god bless that woman. Either way, we both knew I'd say yes, kiddo. We both knew I'll bend over backwards for you danged Star Fox kids. Heh."

"Because you're one of the most honorable men I've ever met. I owe you. I'll make it up to you. Heck, I'll carry the gear. Anyway, I'll see you soon. And … Peppy? Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah. You're welcome. See you soon." Peppy thumbed the end-call button on the screen. He calmly stood up, reached for his glasses, pocketed his phone, and stepped out from behind the coffee table. He took a deep breath, exhaled softly, and turned to face Bill Grey, seated at the dining room table. "You ready?"

"Why did you give her so much guff? You could've just told her you saw me parked in the field and invited me in to catch up."

Peppy feigned a grin. "You need to learn how to put kids in their place. A little guilt trip never hurt anyone. If you ever have kids, you'll find yourself guilt-tripping them into holding the door for you, carrying the groceries, keeping their room clean … it's a very effective tool if not over-used or abused."

Bill chuckled. "She's not some kid, though. She's Fara Phoenix."

Peppy furrowed his brows at Bill. "Son, you're a grown-ass-man, and she's a twenty-four-year-old young woman."

"She's still an adult."

"On paper, yes, she's a legal adult. But twenty-four is not the same as forty-four or even thirty-four."

"Well, okay, that's true. There's a big difference between twenty-four and thirty-four."

Peppy grinned at Bill. "I've delt with kids for far too long. Heh. See, your problem is simple, Bill … some part of you, deep down, still thinks of Fara Phoenix as only being a year older than you. You haven't fully wrapped your noggin around the fact that she hasn't aged in thirty years. She doesn't even know that you know about her being back. She said she used Kelly to reach out, and that she chose you because she trusts that if you found out, you'd keep things to yourself."

Bill grinned. "Yeah, I caught all that."

"Good. I still have to remind myself you're not a nineteen-year-old hotshot. Heh."

"I have to admit, General, it was pretty wild to hear her voice. Thanks for putting it on speaker."

"I didn't know she went through Kelly or I would have put the phone to my ear, just out of respect for her. But … now you know, so…"

"Oh, Peppy, I've known for three-and-a-half years, now. I just kept my distance so as not to make things weird for her. I figured if she wanted me to know, she'd reach out to me."

Peppy chuckled. He took a deep breath and shouted, "Star! I'm headed out now. See you in a few days!"

Star shouted back, "Stay safe, old timer! Love ya!" from his bedroom.

Peppy side-nodded toward the front door. "All right, let's move out."

Bill was the first to the door. He had it open by the time Peppy got to the foyer.

Peppy picked up his duffle and Bill took it from him. "Oh, ain't you just a proper gentleman."

Bill shouldered the duffle. "I still say you should let me come on this job."

"I have a more important job for you." Peppy passed through the doorway and walked out into the field, where the runabout shuttle sat in wait.

"Yeah?" Bill locked the door and pulled it shut behind himself, then walked alongside Peppy to the ramp of the shuttle. "You want me to watch Fox's son if anything happens to you?"

"When something happens to me, Bill. Whether it's on this job or old age. Just do me a favor and raise him. Train him. Get him ready. I can barley take him flying anymore. Hell, you could start flying with him when I get back if you want. You could start after you drop me off with Fara's shuttle … if you want. I'll secure two old M-classes or something. Whatever you need. Just get that boy ready."

"That sounded ominous." He touched a panel on the hull; an aft cargo ramp lowered to the grass. "So, uh, ready for what?"

"C'mon. I'll explain in a moment." Peppy made his way up the ramp, through the cargo space, and up to the cockpit. He dropped into the co-pilot's seat with a grunt.

Bill pressed a button at the top of the ramp, closing it. He made his way up to the cockpit as well, and then he dropped into the pilot's seat with a soft huff. "Well?" He shoved Peppy's duffle on the deck between their seats, sat up, and met Peppy's gaze. "Okay. Ready."

"You're not going to pre-check?"

"We're ahead of schedule. I'll get to it, just tell me what's going on with Fox's boy?"

Peppy drew in a slow deep breath, sighed softly, with a slow shake of his head, and held his paws outward to accentuate his explanation with hand gestures. "Krystal's people had some sort of oracle. I know, I know, it sounds hokey already, but just hear me out. So, this seer … she predicted to Krystal that there would come a day when her son was going to save Lylat from some sort of threat…"

"Krystal's son, not the seer's son, right?"

"Right. So, Star's parents were training him to be ready for … whatever the future holds. But they're gone, now. This lady predicted the end of Cerinia to Krystal's parents, which Krystal later found out from a dated message that was discovered in her belongings around the time Star was born. So, Krystal and Fox decided to take the oracle's warning about training their son as serious as you would expect from those two. But now that they're gone, that job falls upon me. So, I trained him the same way I trained his father for the past few years, but now it's up to you."

Bill shook his head with a chuckle. "Peppy, I'm living month-to-month in an apartment in Carlsberg, near a retirement community in the Vineland district. I'm growing to hate Katina. The apartment is too big, and they don't allow people under the age of fifty to live there."

"So? Move here," said Peppy.

"Uh … you know what? Give me just a minute to digest that." Bill went through his pre-flight checklist. He flipped a few switches, he touched checkboxes on a capacitive dashboard screen, and he pressed a button labeled 'stir O2 tanks.' After finishing his pre-trip checklist, he spoke in a calm tone. "Like I said, I'm growing to hate this planet. The taxes, the commuter traffic, the dusty air, the hippie leadership for the last three years … I could go on."

"Bill, that boy is going to save Lylat one day. He doesn't know it yet, but it's going to happen."

Bill started the engines to the shuttle. "Didn't you say he's been hanging around with Crimson O'Donnell?"

"Yeah." Peppy pulled the seatbelt harness over his shoulders and attached the top section to the bottom one. "Crimson is nothing like his father. He's a good kid. But he moved to Papetoon recently. I doubt he could afford Katina either, with all these changes going on, and his parents finally got back together, but he didn't want to live with his old man. Also, no one knows he has a twin; he's extremely sensitive about it."

"Meaning?"

"Never bring it up unless Crimson brings it up first."

"When would I ever see him?"

Peppy reached for the duffle behind his seat, pulled it out, so that it was by his knee, and withdrew a set of keys. "Remember the underground treehouse where Fox lived on Papetoon?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"The old team's hideout was near Merchant's Canyon, but it's paid for. All you'd need to do is make sure the utilities are turned on and put in your name."

"Papetoon, though? I mean … it … does sort of have the charm that Katina used to have back when I loved this crappy old rock. Its government isn't very 'hands-on,' so that's nice…"

"Take Star there when I'm gone. Until then, you take the place. Get it in livable condition. It's paid for, utilities are cheap, and you'll be able to save some money."

"You're serious?"

"I'm not forcing you, but it makes good financial sense."

Bill took the keys, pocketed them, and pulled his harness down, securing the safety belt system. "Sold. Like I said, Papetoon feels a lot like Katina used to, back in the day."

"Uh-huh."

"I'll be damned."

Peppy smirked in reply. "What?"

"You had this planned, didn't you?"

"You never know," said Peppy with a knowing smile. The expression faded, and his tone became serious again. "I mean it, though … promise me you'll protect that boy, no matter what. Make time for him, no matter how busy your schedule becomes."

"Stop talking like you're going to die soon."

"Bill, there are some things a man can just … feel in his bones. I know I'm not going to reach eighty. I just know. When I woke up this morning, I arranged my closet and binned everything that was hanging up. I don't know why, but I sat down and got most of my affairs in order. Weird feeling."

"You woke up in this mindset? Did you have some sort of dream last night, maybe?"

Peppy shrugged, straining the harness briefly. "I'm not sure if I had a dream that made me think to do it, because I never remember all the details of my dreams when I wake, but … when you landed and then when Fara called … I somehow felt better for having done it. If anything were to happen to me, I know everything is in order. This? Our talk? It's just an extension of me getting my ducks in a row."

Bill eased into the VTOL throttle. The shuttle lifted from the ground smooth and level, then he eased back on the yoke and thumbed a selector switch on the throttle bar, sending the throttle from the lift-off thrusters to the main engines.

Outside the shuttle, a horseshoe-shaped row of boosters roared to life, around the sides of the rear loading ramp. The shuttle picked up speed and tilted its nosecone upward.

Peppy grinned at the familiar sensation of gravity against his aging body. "Hello, old friend," he said.

"Been a while since you've left the atmosphere, huh?"

"I missed it," Peppy replied. "Just promise me. About Star McCloud, I mean. Treat him as if he was your godson. Do it for me."

"You know I will, General." Bill cut a sidelong glance to Peppy, offering a smile. "You took me in when you became Pepper's pick, and you treated me like I was your stepson. The least I can do is honor your wishes, Peppy."

Peppy grinned in reply. "Thank you, Bill."

"But I'm not just doing it for you."

"Oh? For Star?"

"For Fox, actually. He and Krystal never named a godmother for the boy, so they named two godfathers. I, uh … never mentioned that to anyone except for you, just now."

"Is that so…" Peppy's eyes widened a little. "I had no idea."

"Well, I mean, the boy's father was my best friend. His mother was my best pilot. His mentor was like an uncle or maybe an older brother to me."

"Aw, you really look at me as an uncle or an older brother?"

"Ever since you became the General, yes. You've always had my back. You made sure my pension was two paygrades better. You sealed the discharge details from my record and made sure I had a clean DD-214. You even argued with the Secretary of the Army that I should have taken your place like Jack Pepper looked out for his nephew, John."

"So, what you're saying is … I'm your uncle-brother, now." Peppy grinned to let Bill know he was kidding. The hare rubbed his face and fixed the lay of his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "Look, just because you were born on Katina and Fox was born on Papetoon … it doesn't mean you two are inbred rednecks like everyone else on these two planets."

Bill laughed. "Don't gimmie me any guff for being Fox's brother-cousin, else you're just disrespecting your own nephew-brother."

Both men chuckled softly.

"Seriously, though, General … the least I can do is take over training Fox's kid in your stead. My life was getting boring anyhow. I'll do it."

Peppy's shoulders relaxed. "That's what I needed to hear. Thank you, William. You're a good man."

"I'm also single, feel way younger than I am, and I hate the fact I have nothing else to do with my life. At least I'll have a purpose again."

Peppy reached down and adjusted the seat reclining lever. "All right, I'm going to close my eyes for a bit. I've got to be able to keep up with a twenty-four-year-old fennec, and you know how fennecs are highly motivated and have endless energy. If I talk in my sleep, just ignore it, heh."

Bill chuckled softly. "Don't go mumbling classified secrets, or I'll wake you up."

"Heh. God, I hope I never do that."

"I'll let you know when we're close."

"Sounds good." Peppy closed his eyes and released his duffle.

Bill reached down and pushed the duffle back into place, so that it was resting snug against a small divot in deck, where the cockpit floor panels were a few inches lower than the deck plating of the aft-section. The artificial gravity net, under the deck plates, kept the duffle from hopping the metal lip and sliding anywhere.

After another moment, the shuttle leveled out, leaving only the artificial gravity feeling.

X

X

Present…

Peppy squinted at the bright lights above the metal slab to which he was restrained. He tested the restraints again by tugging on them. "And now I'm here." His tone of voice took on a sharp twist of sarcasm, adding, "And what lovely company you have been."

"Very good, you have been very detailed so far. But McCloud's son does not concern me, and I strongly doubt he has some mysterious fate or future, foretold in the stars. Children of celebrities never amount to much; Fox McCloud only exceeded his father because he was not raised in the shadow of fame; James McCloud only became famous shortly before his death. A death that catapulted him to become a household name posthumously. But Bill Grey … his involvement does concern me. Is this a secret off-books military operation?"

Peppy scoffed. "No. We're both retired."

"I'm not sure I believe you, General Peppy Hare."

"Oh, for cryin' out loud. Bill and I are the last of the old guard. We were pushed out by the younger generation. It's as simple as that. You're looking further into this than necessary."

"Very well. Maybe I'm just missing details. Start from when you wound up on Miracle. How did you arrive, and how did you find me in the ruins? Also, what else did you find in the ruins?"

"How about you tell me who you are?" asked Peppy.

"If you don't want me to start on the girl, you'll tell me what I want to know."

Peppy huffed with indignation and annoyance. "Fine. What do you want to know?"

"Everything. Every detail."

Peppy smirked. "Fine, but first, you have to tell me what the hell you injected into my arm."

The man sighed, creating a droning buzz from the helmet.

"Tell me or I'm not telling you jack squat."

The man in the helmet tilted his head a bit. "No one says that anymore."

"Sure, they do."

"Literally … no one … says that anymore."

"Oh, I'm a 'no one' now? Heh. As my coworker would say, 'I'm bringing it back.' Now, what did you inject in my damn arm?"

"The solution I gave you is a cognitive enhancer. It was being worked on as a cure for Alzheimer's Disease. Think of it as Adderall for the elderly. It increases blood flow to the brain, it stabilizes neural pathways giving easier access to memories, it's a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, and it has potassium and magnesium as electrolytes and mental stabilizers. Like Adderall, it also increases focus and raises the metabolism, while also acting as a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, but it is not as powerful of a stimulant, so you become a chatterbox without latching onto one topic. Its only downside is it leaves its patients extremely tired the next day if they're out of shape, which is … most elderly people. But it gets people talking, and it makes them capable of remembering every little detail while it works. The only other downside is that it doesn't last longer than a few hours. Since the pheromones on this lunar world are still quite strong due to a lack of breeze or filtration systems, the testosterone will help you with the ensuing exhaustion once the injection wears off. Now. You were taking Bill Grey's shuttle to meet with the girl. I will remain true to our agreement – you tell me everything, and I will not interrogate the girl. Go on."

Peppy grunted. He had to admit, he felt sharper than he'd felt in a long time. "Fine. Feel free to waste both our time with convoluted boring back story. ANYway. So, there I was, not-too-long ago, sitting on Bill's shuttle in orbit above Sauria, facing Miracle…"

X

X

Upper orbit above Sauria, facing Miracle,
Not-too-long ago…

Peppy reached a fist out to Bill.

Bill blinked. "Really? A fist bump?"

"Hey, my generation was doing it since elementary school. You kids' generation didn't invent nearly as much as you think you did."

Bill shook his head with a chuckle, reached up from the pilot's seat, and bumped his knuckles against Peppy's paw. "I am not blowing it up."

Peppy smirked. "You're no fun, you old fart."

Bill laughed, amused by the aging lapin. He shook his head with a grin and said, "You're all right, General. Y'know that? I never got to see this side of you, but I really enjoyed talking with you over the last few hours. You have a young-at-heart side. I bet you'll live to see ninety."

Peppy shook his head. "Oh, I don't know about ninety. Doubt I'll see seventy-seven, honestly."

"It's all about your state of mind, General."

"Bill, I miss my wife. I miss my daughter. Lucy was such a daddy's girl. I'd have broken the law for that girl, but she was too pure-of-heart to ever ask. And Vivian … whew." Peppy pulled out his personal communicator and showed Bill his lock screen photo … Vivian on the beach, back when she was only twenty-one, wearing a two-piece bikini. "That's the woman I married. But you know what they say – the good die young."

Bill leaned in a bit, surprised by the tasteful pose and beautiful woman. "That's your wife?" He cleared his throat, adding, "Lemmie rephrase that: that's your wife?"

"Yup. At twenty-one. In fact, I took this on her twenty-first birthday. God, she was the belle of the ball until the day she passed. And, wouldn't you know it? The damned genetic mutation illness that killed her has a cure, now. If only she'd lived to see it."

"She looks like a super model."

Peppy grinned with a chuckle of satisfaction. He pocketed his phone and picked up his duffle. "She could've been one if she wanted to have a career in modeling, but she never wanted that sort of life."

"You better stay safe, General. I only knew Fara Phoenix from a job we pulled together, but I'm sure she'll take good care of you. Who knows, maybe you'll wind up doing more than one job with her after this."

"Bill, between us, I really think this is my last hurrah. I don't know how to explain feeling old, but I feel older than I look, heh. That's why I act younger than I feel, so I can live life to its fullest."

"Wish I could say the same. I'm getting up there in age, now, in my late forties, no wife, no family, no kids, no home. It sucks. Living on a pension, but…" He trailed off and shook his head.

Peppy reached over and clasped the canine's forearm. "One day, Bill, you'll find her. You'll hook up with the right one. Just trust me on that. Life owes you real happiness, and it's coming. It'll arrive later than it should, because, by now, life owes you a damned moon, but … it's coming. And when you and she are together, you'll have this … undeniable chemistry. Something that defies belief. Something that Hallmark cards elude to but have never truly hit the nail on the head, because once you experience it, it will be goddamn amazing. You're going to have that one day. I just know it."

Bill remained silent, almost as if he were in awe that Peppy thought so highly of him.

Hare continued, "And when it happens, I want you to live life to the fullest with her. Have fun. Peacock for her. Cut loose. Give her the youthful love she missed out on by not meeting you sooner. Pop her in a grocery store cart and push her down the aisle or … just … something."

Bill stared at Peppy for a moment in wonder and silence.

"You'll see. And once you have that, never let it go. Don't settle for anyone else, no matter what hardships you two undergo together. Even if the entire goddamn Lylat System turns to crap. You hang in there. Because living young doesn't necessarily mean you're going to live longer, but you'll never regret cutting loose with your soulmate, so do it every chance you get."

"You believe in soulmates, huh?"

"You'll see. It'll happen for you. I just know it. I don't know how to explain it better than that. And, for all I know, this might be the last time I see you, Bill."

"You really think so?"

"I do." Peppy shook his head with a soft sigh. "What a shame the Secretary of the Army singled you out the way he did. You'd have made one hell of a General. You should've been my replacement. I was grooming you to be exactly that, y'know." Peppy sighed again. "In another lifetime, maybe. I know you were wronged."

"It's all right."

"No, it's not. We need a war vet in the CIC, but now Corneria has Roland, and she is … completely inexperienced, but she's working her way to get all the stars, and, soon, she'll have them. I don't hate her, I just don't think she'd make a good fleet leader. If anything happens to Lylat, we won't have anyone experienced. It's a shame."

Bill unhooked himself from his seat, stood up, and hugged Peppy. "If this really is the last time that I see you alive, I just want you to know that I get it now … I see what Fox and his boys saw in you. I never had a deep or meaningful thing with my old man. But flying as your CAG, I felt like I had a family member looking out for me, and I felt like I had someone who was proud of me, every time I flew. Thanks for the good years, General."

"You're technically in the reserves but retired from active service. You could always go back as a Major to try and…"

"No thanks," said Bill. "Only if I was flying under you, or if I was in charge."

The computer interrupted with a chime, and announced, "Auto-dock sequence now complete!" in a sultry female tone.

Peppy ignored it and continued the conversation. "IF you want to be in charge, make it happen, Bill. Anyway, I better get going." Peppy pointed to a blip on the sensor scope, which was practically overtop the center of the scope. "Never keep a lady waiting, right?"

Bill laughed with a shake of his head. "Yeah, that's what I've heard."

Peppy gave Bill's shoulder a firm pat, then relinquished a family-like hug. He shouldered the duffle strap and headed for the side-entrance, which led to Fara's shuttle. "And remember, not a word … you have no clue she's alive. Unless she approaches you."

"Roger that, General." Bill brought a paw to his brow, holding it in salute.

"And consider changing that corny computer warning voice. Do you really want that to be the last thing you hear if you're in shuttle combat? Heh." Peppy opened the sliding door, which led into Fara's shuttle. He glanced back at Bill, up in the cockpit, saw Bill's paw aloft, and, with a smile, the hare saluted in reply.

They both dropped their paws in unison.

Peppy grinned, stepped through the doorway into Fara's ship, and closed the door behind him. His ears flinched at a pressurized hiss sound. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure the sliding door was secured.

Through a porthole in the door, Peppy saw the door to Bill's shuttle slide shut.

Peppy cleared his throat, gave a firm downward tug at the hem of his shirt, and announced, "Phoenix! You can drop the atmospheric field around the doorways."

"You got it, Peppy!" Fara said from up in the cockpit. Her shuttle was a mirror image of Bill's model, a Phoenix Runabout mark-five with the recreational vehicle accessories package. Fara's ship had a handful of additional add-ons, proving hers included the sport-package as well.

Hare made his way up to the co-pilot seat on Fara's shuttle, dropped his duffle behind his seat, then slumped down into the chair. He reached up, above his head, pulled down the harness, and fastened it between his knees. He reclined the bucket seat with a soft sigh.

The harness automatically became to correct size.

"You have a good boy-bonding moment?"

"Thanks for having Kelly hire Bill Grey as my pilot."

Fara grinned.

"I also noticed he had a brand-new Phoenix transport shuttle. Something Kelly threw in as an incentive, or was it a loaner?"

"Donated it. Phoenix has quite a few programs, one of which helps Lylat vets that served in wars. Everything was paid, including the taxes." She grinned again.

Peppy grinned back. The grin faded a bit. "It was good to catch up with him. I needed to get around to it anyhow, so thanks for helping me check that off my list. I told him, if I don't make it back, it's up to him to raise Fox's son until that boy is fully trained."

"What's the big deal about Fox's son?"

"Krystal's people had an oracle … an alien from a neighboring race, that settled on Cerinia. The lady could touch someone and learn about their 'most likely' future path. The lady apparently stopped foretelling futures at some point. But … she did one for Krystal. Krystal later realized that it was because Krystal was destined to survive the destruction of Cerinia."

Fara's eyes widened but she didn't interrupt.

Peppy continued. "The way Krystal tells the story, the fortune teller had never been wrong, so she told Krystal she'd be finding love among the stars. She gave Krystal a really old ornate staff, which apparently had been handed down for a long time, because it had belonged to the second-generation Krazoa on Sauria. It interfaced with all the Krazoa technology, too…"

Fara still remained quiet.

Peppy held his paws outward, using hand gestures to accentuate his story. "And then, when Krystal conceived, the staff played a message from the fortune teller. So, in the pre-recorded message, she told Krystal that her son would save the system where he was born from an ancient alien attacker … and … yeah. Krystal and Fox took the boy's training seriously."

Fara frowned. "And then they died."

"Exactly. They pushed him and me into an escape pod, and then they dashed off to their … doom." The corners of his muzzle twitched from holding back emotion.

Fara nodded in silent reverence.

Peppy exhaled through his bucked teeth, creating a slight whistle. "So, yeah, then it was up to me when they died. I am handing off the job to Bill if and when anything happens to me."

"Don't worry, I'll get you home after this mission."

"Actually, Fara, I think you worded it best on the phone, earlier. This'll be my last hurrah."

"Well, let's get started then, shall we?"

Peppy gestured toward Miracle in the windshield, up ahead. "Lay in a course, cap'n."

Fara grinned, disconnected from Bill's shuttle, and eased into the throttle bar. "Here we go, General." As an afterthought, she added, "You really feel like you had to recruit Bill, huh? I'm sure you'll stick around to keep things rolling."

"Always have a backup plan, right?"

"Fair point."

"All right, kiddo. Enough dragging our feet. C'mon. Get me to Miracle. I can't wait to breathe in the air and feel young again."

Fara chuckled. "So, the myth of the pheromones is legitimate, huh?"

"Oh, it's legitimate, all right. Isn't that part of the reason you asked me to come with you? Because people can't control their urges on Miracle, so you asked an old fart like me … right?"

"Well, you caught me, earlier. You said it's because you have a figurative 'key to the city' in a manner of speaking. And you were right. But I figured … if … the legend is true, then I need a man I can trust to have the willpower to keep things copacetic."

"Yeah, the science teams figured out how to deactivate the pheromone distribution center, but the plant life doesn't really filter it out of the air, so it just … sits in the air."

"Jeeze. You're really looking forward to that?"

"Testosterone production will make me feel young again. Insofar as side effects, though … well … if anything it'll just make me miss my wife more than I already do. But that's a small price to pay for feeling young again. An injection of testosterone will do that to an old fart like me. But this? This is inhaled just like when you vape Ibuprofen. It's quick. It lasted about thirty-six hours in my system last time. I enjoyed it sixteen years ago. I'm sure I will again."

Fara chuckled softly. "At this speed, we should reach Miracle's lunar orbit in twelve minutes. So, Star McCloud has a destiny, huh?"

"Yeah. The Oracle of Cerinia would give kids the most likely outcome of their destiny on their sixteenth birthday. Then, it was up to the kid to strive for what they heard, or do everything in their power to avoid that outcome. One day, she stopped doing these fortunes. She announced she was retiring from old age, but it was apparently because she saw the end of Cerinia, and there was no way to stop it. It was too soon, and things were already set in motion. She took a handful of last-minute teenagers, revealed their futures to them, and explained how they would survive off world without mentioning the end times. She gave Krystal a staff, and pre-recorded a message onto it. When Krystal was pregnant, the staff sensors unlocked the message. In the holo-recording, she told Krystal about her future child."

"So, this … Krystal … she was sixteen when it happened? Then she went to Sauria, or … well, she wound up on Sauria, I suppose would be more accurate. And that's where she met Fox years later?"

"It wasn't years later."

"You said it took two years before he opened up to her, started a relationship, then two more before they became serious, right?"

"Yeah, good memory. What about it?"

"So, okay, then Fox waited until she was eighteen, which is a bit of a relief, but … but that would still mean he's still twelve years older than her. Simple math. Kind of gross."

"Actually, Krystal's homeworld took much longer to achieve its annual solar revolution. Slippy did the hard math. He figured out that she was in her twenties by Cornerian time standards. Also, sixteen is considered adulthood on Krystal's homeworld. On my suggestion, Krystal had a full physical done on Corneria. She blazed through the flight academy, underwent a genetics profile workup, which is how she learned she was compatible, genetically speaking, with the various Lylat species. They determined, using MRI and CT scans, that the Cerinian brain was just finishing the last of its development and growth. In Lylat, the average brain stops growing at twenty-four. Vulpine peoples are included in that."

"Mm, you've said. Which means I'm finally an adult, heh."

Peppy grinned. "Fara, to be fair, you are mature for your age. You graduated high school at fourteen, didn't you? Four years ahead of the average Cornerian kid."

"Mm, on Titania, Upper Secondary School graduation happens at age twenty-one. But, yes, I homeschooled my academic lessons."

"Mm, and you finished six years' worth of college by seventeen, you set a graduation speed record at the academy at seventeen, and you had a meteoric rise through the ranks by the time Star Fox met you when you were nineteen."

"You know my jacket well, General."

Hare grinned. "Well, I'd wondered why Pepper had the audacity to put such a young girl into black operations. But your mind is hardwired differently than Joe Shmoe."

"Yeah, it's why I needed Boz to help me with fashion. I didn't know what looked cute on me when staring in the mirror. I'm starting to wrap my head around stuff like that, now, though."

Peppy looked up at the windshield and saw the approach of Miracle. It was only a few minutes out. He changed the topic. "Y'know, I seem to recall days and nights not lasting very long on that little moon."

"Typical for a moon, which is why I never understood when people claim they wanted to live on one."

Peppy looked away. "Falco wanted Fox to ask Bosworth for a moon the day we stowed away on your daddy's ship."

"Oh, he did, did he? I seem to remember Fox asking for first class tickets for his team, and nothing else. To be honest, I was impressed by that."

"Falco shouted, 'First class tickets?! You could have asked for a moon!' Then Fox replied, 'Moons aren't nearly as comfortable.' Then the boys stared at one another, and one of them said to the other, 'Fara Phoenix … nice name.' And that was that."

"Heh." Fara grinned, cut a sidelong glance at Peppy out of the corner of her right eye, then looked back to the lunar surface up ahead.

Miracle took up the entire windshield, now, and the tiny cities had more definition than before … they looked like little cracks in the surface, where streets had been paved and area districts had once been established.

"What?" asked Peppy.

"Hmm?"

"You said 'heh' in a certain way. What's on your mind, kiddo?"

Fara shrugged. Finally, she relented. "When I told Fay and Miyu about meeting Fox … Miyu threw her paws up in the air and shouted, 'You could have asked for a date!' Then a moment later, she added, 'Fox McCloud? Nice name…' I can't help but wonder if those conversations were happening at the same time." Her smile faded and her tone became a bit sullener. "What a shame, huh? Fox and I could have had a nice life together. But I was sniped by an assassin. I've been investigating who pulled the trigger for the last four years."

Peppy frowned. "Don't let an obsession destroy you."

"I won't. I'll find the assassin and return the favor. If I find out he's dead already, that would be ideal. Either way, I'll make sure they are gone. After that, I'll rest easy knowing that I don't have to look over my shoulder all the time. Can't have them finding out I exist because they might finish the job. Until then, I'll keep quiet about my survival."

"Wise. So, that's why I'm the only one who knows you're alive…" Peppy watched the windshield as the lunar surface grew larger. The energy field around the ship took on a slight vermillion glow. "If you ever cross paths with Star, will you…"

Fara reached over and placed her right paw on Peppy's forearm, interrupting him from finishing his sentence. "I was planning on keeping an eye on him anyhow. The child may not be mine, but he is half of Fox, and out of respect for my own feelings I had for Fox, I already decided to watch him from afar. Bill will make a fine tutor, especially while I finish up tracking down my killer, if they're still alive, but I'll keep an eye out. I'll keep him out of trouble if the opportunity presents itself."

"Thank you, Fara. You don't know what that means to me."

"It means you can also rest easy, knowing two people you trust will have McCloud's back in a pinch."

Peppy smiled. "Okay, you do know what it means to me. Thank you."

"My pleasure, Peppy. Okay. Landing procedures."

"Get us set down, and I'll handle the post-trip inspection. I haven't done one in way too long. Let's see if I can still remember how to do it, heh."

Fara grinned. "Sounds good to me."

X

X

Present…

"No. This is not what I need to know from you!"

"Look, pal, you said you wanted the details. 'Everything. Every detail.' That's what you said to me. You wanted to know how and why I came to Miracle. Now you know how I arrived."

"Mm, true." A sigh came from the helmet speaker. "Fine. I just need to be patient. How did you wind up in the ruins?"

"That wasn't intended. We were searching out the killer. Are you the killer?"

"I have dispatched the archeologists and their security team. By myself, I might add. People have often assumed, incorrectly I might add, that I am incapable of handling myself, but now you see that I am quite capable."

"Okay, I also heard reports that the water is solid just like those water pillars in the Ocean Force Point Temple on Sauria. So … what did you do to the water?"

"I used Krazoan water transformation technology to turn it solid. It holds its shape that way. It's how the Krazoa sent water from Sauria to Miracle, which they called Meredith, I believe. They used it as a shield against the Locust's bullets. They used it to stabilize a structure under construction. It had many uses from the storage and transportation of drinking water all the way to technology cooling purposes."

Peppy grimaced. He needed a way to keep interrogating his captor. He decided on using a method that would making the man want to brag. "All right, back to the science team. We're talking multiple enemies at once from far apart, so I've got to know, how many of you are working the area?"

"I am here alone! No. You don't get to say all this work came from a team. I am handling my operation on my own. How, you ask? Hah. I've mastered Krazoan technology, that's how! Specifically, I'm using holographic emitting hover spheres. They are spheres that float far apart, in the place of hands and feet, and they create a holographic body between themselves, so that it looks like me, but I'm simply controlling the spheres to fight, virtually."

"No idea what you're talking about."

The man continued. "They were designed to act as a virtual representation of the user, allowing the Krazoa to perform surgeries on quarantined victims, or perform physical manual labor in a poison-filled mine … or any other number of dangerous tasks. But I'm using it for an advantage … the device allows me to be in multiple places at once."

Peppy smirked. "Almost clever."

"Shut up! How did you wind up in the ruins of Miracle, looking for me? Tell me now! Leave nothing out, or I'll take my chances on questioning the girl!"

"Fine, fine. Jeeze. Half an hour later, we set up the shuttle, so that it could be used as our basecamp…"

X

X

Half-an-hour later…

Basecamp…

Fara removed her flight suit, torso piece first, then, the pants section. Beneath, she wore a simple set of khaki cargo shorts, a lavender-colored V-neck cotton shirt, and a silver aviator vest overtop, covered in pockets for gear.

She stepped out of the cockpit, went into the cargo section, and opened a set of drawers from the bulkhead. She filled the pockets on her vest and shorts until she was satisfied.

Peppy picked up his duffle and shouldered it. He stepped out of the cockpit and stretched. "So, this ship basically turns into an RV. Like a camper?"

Fara nodded while checking that each of the cargo pockets were zipped, buttoned, or otherwise secured. "The armored fuselage lifts up, becoming an armored roof, the deck is layered, and a section slides out on each side, becoming a floor, then the layered bulkheads push out and become walls. Four pylons, one at each corner, stake into the ground for stability, and then boom: basecamp."

She opened a panel in the bulkhead, which turned out to be a closet. "Since the bulkheads and armored panels have gaps between until you transform the ship into ground mode, it leaves lots of space for storing gear between the bulkheads when in flight. Pretty clever design." She withdrew a red outfit and silver aviator's duster jacket, ankle-length. "Here, I'm pretty sure I got your size."

Peppy blinked. "This looks like what I wore back in the day."

"Uh-huh. Surprise. You get changed while I go outside. I'm going to take the septic hose and run the line out to a trench."

"How are you going to make a trench for the line?"

"Blasters, heh."

"I thought these ships use waste as biofuel?"

"They do," said Fara, adding, "But I need to repair or replace a power coupling before I can use that feature again. So, it has a backup 'RV mode' which is a slide-out trough to line the trench. After I replace the coupling in the biofuel manifold, the tarp trough in the trench will retract, pulling all the waste along with it, back into the biofuel processing turbine. The tarp liner is just a temporary place to put the waste until I replace that coupling."

"I'd forgotten you're mechanical, too."

"Yup. Fix my own bathrooms. That's how I roll."

"Heh. No one says that anymore."

"Good. I'm bringing it back," said Fara. "Get changed and I'll be right back." She headed outside of the shuttle through the open ramp at the back.

Peppy headed into the rather small bathroom in the cargo area, directly behind the co-pilot's seat. It was built into the short hallway that connected the cockpit and the rear section of the shuttle.

There was a label on the outer bulkhead, which read, 'Press here for sitting toilet' and one beneath, on the deck, which read, 'Press here for NP toilet.'

Peppy glanced to the other side of the bathroom, where the deck basically had a drain in the slightly recessed floor panel, to be used as a standing room shower. He closed the door and turned around a hundred eighty degrees. There was a sign on the bulkhead, adjacent to the door, which read, 'Press here for sink basin.'

He pressed on the panel, and a square section of the bulkhead plate swiveled almost like a Lazy-Susan, presenting a sink to him. The basin was rather shallow, but it provided just enough space to wash one's paws.

Peppy rested his clothes on the sink, and stripped out of his corduroy pants, polo shirt, and suspenders. He reached up and touched the bulkhead above the sink. Instead of a mirror, a small camera lens emerged from the wall, and a holographic emitter created a virtual mirror roughly a centimeter from the wall's surface. Peppy reached to the center of the display and made a pinch-zoom gesture, so that the virtual reflection showed his face up close.

He tugged down on the bottoms of his eyes, inspected his sinus cavities, then made another gesture, resetting the virtual mirror to its original zoom setting.

Peppy drew the red and black jumpsuit up his legs, put his arms through the holes, his head through the top, and smoothed his paw over the black highlight at his shoulders, then he attached a matching black belt with a golden triangular clasp. He reached for the silver aviator's duster and donned the jacket with a smile. He gave a tug on the jacket with a sense of finality to rid the fabric of any wrinkles.

He reached into the pockets and found a green and yellow neck scarf. His eyes welled up with emotions. Yellow was one of his favorites, and had so many good memories attached, but green is the color he wore during his first run against Andross with Fox, and again when the team dropped Asteropolis into the lava sea on the surface of Solar.

Peppy stuffed the yellow one into his jacket pocket, and he tied the green one around his neck, gave a tug at the bottom, so that it came down to his solar-plexus, then he stood in front of the virtual mirror. He thought better on it and withdrew the yellow one and tied it around his head, leaving enough space for his ear-stalks. He tapped the spot for the sink and mirror, putting both away.

Peppy emerged from the bathroom and stood face-to-face with Fara in the cargo section of the shuttle.

She was pulling the bulkheads away from the sides of the shuttle, on unseen hinges. They snapped into place magnetically in the deck and ceiling, so that the cargo area had temporary bedrooms. She inflated mattresses from tiny compartments in the bulkhead that separated the two rooms.

One last bulkhead, directly behind the pilot's seat, came out on another micro-hinge, and slid outward to separate the two sleeping areas from the side of the shuttle with the bathroom and what would become a living area with kitchenette. The last bulkhead had two doorways where the storage locker closets were located behind the piloting seat on the left side of the shuttle. Those doorways lined up with each makeshift bedroom.

Fara withdrew the closet doors from the bulkhead behind the pilot's seat, and attached them each to the two doorways, leading to the small bedrooms.

The storage closets, baren of their outer bulkhead and doors, now resembled shelving with some miscellaneous gear remaining on each shelf.

Peppy shook his head. "I've never seen such a modular set up. This is incredible."

Fara turned to face Peppy. She reached for his shoulders, popped his jacket collar, so that the silvery fabric came up to either side of his jawline, and then she gave his left cheek a gentle pat. "Perfect. The outfit isn't too tight?"

"No, you got my size just right."

Fara grinned. "And the color. It matches your eyes. What's with the yellow bandanna around your head?"

"I sweat more now than when I last wore a getup like this. This'll keep the sweat out of my eyes."

Fara's grin broadened. "It makes you look like a badass old biker."

Peppy laughed. "I haven't flown a hover-bike in … well, no. No, I trained Star to fly them two years ago, on his eighteenth birthday. So … I take that back. Anyhow, I'm ready if you are."

"I'm ready," said Fara with a firm nod. She dusted her paws on her khaki cargo shorts. "Let's kick some tail." She holstered twin magnum blasters with extended muzzles onto either hip. "You prefer a submachine gun?"

"Only when I need to spray and pray. What else've you got, kiddo?"

Fara walked to the starboard side of the shuttle, touched a bulkhead panel, and several horizontal mini-shelves dropped down on the wall from the ceiling to the deck plates. Ten weapons, from small to large, ranging from pistols, to rapid fire defensive hand-cannons, to gorgeous rifles, all the way to a sniper rifle at the very bottom.

"You got your paws on a Dragon Sniper Rifle, huh?"

Fara grinned. "Not sure how Star Fox got their paws on these things back during the Aparoid Assault. This particular one was owned by Falco Lombardi. I cleaned it up, repainted it, and replaced a few components. Plus, I added kinetic energy compensators, a muzzle flash suppressor, and I changed the weight of the original buttstock. These aren't manufactured anymore. Mostly because they're considered…"

Peppy knew what she was going to say and spoke overtop of her. "…Weapons of mass destruction. They can vaporize an entire body when fired at full power from under one hundred meters, and the Cornerian government was worried a serial killer could use one to disintegrate a body. No body, no proof of a crime. Once they were outlawed, Falco donated that gun to a war museum. But the Aparoid wing was closed two years ago. Kids, today, seem to have forgotten already."

Fara nodded. "Kelly Phoenix was one of the main contributors to that museum. When the wing closed, I took possession of the weapon, restored it, made it better, and now? It's in the hands of a mercenary."

"You really make a living as a merc, now?"

Fara nodded firmly. "Not because I need the money, but because I want to offer a service that people need. The Saurians call me … a Misthios. I love the sound of their word for mercenary. Sounds exotic and romantic, even though I feel like calling myself such a thing is appropriating their culture."

"I don't speak Saurian, myself, Fara. It's kind of a joke now that they've joined Lylat's interstellar community."

"How so?"

"If you mumble, people might say, 'I can't understand you, are you speaking Saurian?' Or if Slippy goes into some sort of technical jargon, Falco would tell him to stop speaking Saurian to the room."

"You do know their language is based on Cornerian, right?"

Peppy blinked. "It is?"

"If you transpose the placement of the Cornerian alphabet and move the letters, you can write Saurian in Cornerian lettering, so that it sounds like proper Saurian. It's like someone gave them the Cornerian standard alphabet, but then they changed the letter order. However, they do have a few words that are purely their own.

"Wait, you're saying Saurian can be written in Cornerian and the other way around, simply by changing the letter order?"

Fara furrowed a single brow at Peppy. "You've been alive this entire time. How do you not know that? Instead of A-through-Z, Saurian's alphabet goes, 'URS, TOV, WX, AZ, BC, MD, EFGH, JK, IL, NPOQ. I know, it's hard to remember until you learn the letter order of their alphabet song the way I did."

"Mm, which is why you spoke it in a cadence. But you're telling me it's the exact same twenty-six letters, in order, the way we have A-through-Z?"

"Sort of, but not exactly. But there is a rhyme and reason. It's more like a secret code transliteration, heh."

"It does sound like an alphabet code the way you're describing it. How'd it happen that way, anyhow?"

"No one knows," said Fara. "Someone brought Cornerian to Sauria, but changed the arrangement of letters, and spoke to them in code, and they learned the language that way. It happened so long ago, no one knows how it happened. The letter order is messed up because consonants always replace consonants, and vowels replace vowels. Y translates into 'O' which is pronounced 'oo.' In certain instances, the letter 'x' that our 'h' becomes is not pronounced 'x'. It's pronounced depending on the word, to make it pronounced. The word 'the' becomes 'k-x-o' but pronounced 'kei'-o.' Proper nouns, like names, stay the same. Titles as well. Misthios is a title. Moving on. I've been working this Saurian job for the past year. I talk to them with a translator, but if it breaks, craps out, or the battery dies, I've thrown myself into learning how to at least figure out a method of transliterating communication."

"That's … you've really learned a lot in a few short years."

Fara shrugged. "I study a lot. Also, I've read that the Thorntail Hollow Warp Stone speaks in tongues – anyone to whom he speaks can understand him. I've not yet met him, but I'm told there are two of them, Rocky and Rubble. I have no idea which one is which. Also, I've heard about Shabunga, the shopkeeper, who speaks plain Cornerian. I've heard some pretty weird stuff about that one…"

Peppy grinned. "You mean like 'he flies' and 'he was born centuries before the Lylat Wars,' right?"

Fara nodded. "Among other things, but chiefly those two claims. Are they true?"

"Near's I can tell, yes."

"Weird. All right, well, no one knows if he died from old age or disappeared, because no one has seen Shabunga in ages."

Peppy brushed a bit of lint away from the front of his red outfit. "Okay, uh, so where are we headed first?"

"There's some sort of science lab not far from here. It's where I left off with my original investigation. You know, before I put a pin in it and came to get you."

"Why?" Peppy followed Fara out of the shuttle, and through a meadow of dusty granite. Gnarled, baren, grey tree trunks came up out of the dusty ground where there had once been a fertile field and an orchard.

Fara passed the rows of dead trees, heading through the meadow toward buildings up ahead. "Also, the dinosaur language isn't officially called 'Saurian.' But the dinosaurs speak it. The dino word for their language roughly translates to, 'language of our house.' But the phrase has been abbreviated into a word. That word basically means, 'House Language.' Anyhow, I'm hoping this will be a boring operation."

"Boring, huh? Now that you've said that out loud, you'll have jinxed us."

"Eh. You might be right. I can't pull up a layout of this lunar surface."

"You can't?"

"You know how everything you've catalogued and mapped out was submitted to the Saurian planetary government? Well, the lunar surface has been made inaccessible to the general public, because no one wants Lylat peoples milling around Miracle trying to gather or utilize Krazoa tech."

"So, that's another reason why you reached out to me, huh?"

"Yeah, you mapped it first, and you have the security clearance to access the most up-to-date information. We need to find this guy. He's hurt people. He's killed a science team – they were unarmed. I also believe that he's using stolen Krazoa tech. That's dangerous. He's said to have messed with the water supply in several areas across Sauria. I'm going to find him and make him pay for his crimes."

"Well, I'm on your six. Lead the way, Phoenix."

"Roger-tango, General."

X

X

Present…

Peppy tilted his head and rubbed sweat from his cheek onto his shoulder. "Say, kid, could you do me a favor and get the sweat off my forehead? You've got it hot in here, and I need a towel before it gets in my eyes."

The man in the full helmet sighed. "You want me to wipe the sweat from your brow? Seriously?"

"Look, kid, I'm seventy-five years old. I've fought in a bunch of wars, I've saved Lylat from Aparoid invaders, I've saved the citizens of Lylat from the Anglar Empire, and I've saved Lylat from being conquered and converted from a Federal Republic democracy to Totalitarianism under Andross of House Bowman under the Oikonny Tribe."

"Mm, you know a little about his background. But, no, he would not have been a dictator."

"Oh, and how do you know that?" Peppy replied, making eye contact with the lenses on the helmet.

"Because my … I mean … because that man wanted an oligarchy. He had no time to micromanage affairs of the system. He didn't want to manage their economy or find ways to provide healthcare to the sick. His desire was to install a technocracy so he could work on his experiments and unite Lylat to save it from invaders. But that is too late. When the alien invaders arrive, Lylat will not be ready. So, no, you've doomed Lylat, not saved it."

"Ah, and how is it, again, that you know that?"

"Because I would have been one of the technocrats of the oligarch. That's more than you need to know. But my identity is of no import."

"You want all these answers from me, kid, but you won't even recognize the fact that I stopped those alien invaders. So, yes. I have saved Lylat."

"No, old man. Doctor Andross Oikonny learned from a captured Aparoid that there is another alien species. One with whom the Aparoids are at war. Or were … before you won the war for the alien species. Now that the Aparoids are fully destroyed, completely and totally, nothing will stand in the way of the other alien species. And when they finally arrive in Lylat, they will want nothing more than all of Lylat's resources, and they will convert its population into biofuel. Again, as I just said, you've doomed us all."

Peppy stared at the reflection of himself in the helmet's shiny visor and reflective metallic case. He couldn't help but think the helmet looked like a rather large thimble. "Okay, kid, so now what?"

"You and your compatriot have learning something while hunting for me in the ruins. Something you have not reported to anyone, because there have been no outgoing transmissions from Miracle, else I would know."

Peppy furrowed his brows. "I learned something, did I?"

The man sighed in frustration, which distorted the speaker in his helmet. He reached into his pocket, withdrew a small square of fabric, and he patted the sweat dry over Peppy's forehead. "Yes. Something to do with the Krazoa, and how they held the Locusts at bay in past squabbles. The Aparoids, the Krazoa, and the Locusts were the three most technologically powerful races in this wing of the galaxy. They were at a stalemate. One could not defeat the other two, so all three thrived. They called themselves the triumvirate. So long as all three survived, no one could be wiped out. But the Krazoa learned the weaknesses of the other two. And now you've learned it, haven't you?"

Peppy scrunched his brows a bit, then arched them upward. "Thanks for toweling my forehead, kid. Anyhow, does it matter what I learned? My boys defeated the Aparoids without help. No Krazoa tech necessary. Just good ole fashion smarts and the heart to fight."

"The locusts could not defeat the Aparoids because of their sheer numbers. Star Fox defeated the Aparoids' immense numbers because they used a computer virus. But Star Fox never fought the complete Aparoid race. The Aparoids are spread throughout the galaxy. They sent a small invasion fleet to handle Lylat. Their numbers were spread throughout the galaxy. Your 'boys' went on the attack to the Aparoid homeworld, inserted a virus, crashed through the planet's core, and left. The Locusts now have nothing to hold them back. Furthermore, your 'boys' are dead. So, yes, it matters. Tell me … what did you learn from the Krazoa about how to defeat the Locusts?"

"Listen, kid, I don't know who you are, but why don't you…"

"I'm not a kid, and I'm not telling you my identity. Now, what did you learn? How could the Krazoa defeat the Locusts if such became necessary?"

"If I found any clues about how to defeat an entire alien race, I'd remember it."

"You probably don't even know what you do not know!"

Peppy rolled his eyes. "Good goddess, kid."

"I'm not a kid!"

"You are compared to me."

"Fine! But you know the secret of the Locusts that the Krazoa stored away. So, tell me how to defeat them, and I will free you and be on my way."

"How do I tell you that? You said it yourself, I don't even know what I don't know."

The man in the helmet clenched his gloved hands into fists. "You old fool…"

"I'm being serious, kid. If I stumbled onto something, I didn't recognize anything like what you're saying. There's no USB drive, or whatever, claiming that I have the Krazoa secrets to all their enemies."

"You do! You accessed their secrets!"

"If the Krazoa had some … emergency contingency plan, if one even exists, I sure as hell didn't find it."

The man reached down for a handle on the table, just beneath Peppy's hip. He gave it a half-turn, stretching Peppy's back and limbs.

Peppy grunted softly. He felt a pop in his spine, his shoulders, and his hips. "Man, kid, you should quit this job and become a chiropractor. That was great."

Another half-twist.

Peppy grimaced. "Okay, that's a little painful. I haven't had a stretch like this in years."

Another half turn.

Now it hurt. Peppy's aging frame wasn't used to this sort of thing. He wasn't limber or flexible anymore.

Peppy glared at his reflection in the helmet. "Listen, pal. Do whatever. I've had worse ways of going out. I'm a decorated officer, a mercenary, and a damned good person. So, go ahead … kill me like you killed the science and anthropology team."

"I don't want to hurt you, I want answers!"

"I don't know what I don't know, you said so yourself. So … do your worst."

Another half turn of the handle on the table.

Peppy felt the air leave his lungs, forcing a groan from the joint and back pain.

"Talk!"

Peppy drew in a slow but deep breath. He wheezed a bit, and said, "There's nothing to tell you, ya' idiot!"

"Talk!" Another half-turn on the handle.

Peppy felt light-headed.

And then? The man dumped a bucket of ice cubes and frigid water across Peppy's chest and face.

The hare's eyes widened. He sucked in a gasp of air at the intense cold, accidentally inhaling some of the water. He coughed hard, but couldn't move his body when coughing, which made it even more painful.

Was this it? Was this how he was going to die?

His heart hurt at the very notion of not being able to watch Fox McCloud's son grow to greatness. He didn't want this to be it. He had to make sure Fara was going to be all right. He wanted to see young McCloud, even if it was just one last time, just to tell the kid he was loved. Just to say, 'I believe in you, kiddo,' one last time…

X

X

((To Be Continued … in the final chapter!
Also, the final chapter is already finished, I just gotta re-read through it before posting it!))